dialyn

I added a comment to your recap. I didn't want you to feel lonely over there. I do read it. I didn't realize having people commenting would be meaningful. Threads isn't exciting, but sometimes excitement is not what I'm looking for. I thought this was the best episode with Michael, Christopher and Christian, though last week had a better cast and the fashion students did a nice job. I think this show could be salvaged if they got rid of all the judges and mentors except Christian, tossed out the unconventional materials challenges, and maybe had the winners of each week actually meet again to compete against each other. There is no suspense to carry the audience from week to week the way the program is structured now.

On to the third disk which has my favorite episode: "Race to the Finish" which has the most Swatch at Mood (including Tim Gunn chasing Swatch, and Swatch speaks) but also the elimination "There's a Pattern Here" is the episode where Mondo makes his big announcement on the runway. The accusations that Michael Costello couldn't sew are disproved though they linger as an idea for no good reason other than meanness. Coincidentally Michael Costello appeared on Project Runway: Threads 11/20/14 as one of the Project Runway alumni who act as sewing assistants to the young designers, and he is shown quickly, efficiently, and effortlessly sewing away, so I'm not sure why Ivy was given so much credence on this point. The last disk has the finale. I don't know if I can face the final outcome, which I already know the results of, but I don't think I ever watched the at home visits by Tim Gunn so I might go ahead and get it just for that. I don't believe it includes the reunion show, which is probably just as well.

Kimanni was something else...she loved rather too much having workers (I did notice the wrapping around her hand once they got in the workroom but I had the feeling she always has the entitled princess vibe going on with or without an injured hand). I thought Bella and her grandmother were very cute together. Too bad she didn't stick with her original design; she might have won...the bubble skirt was just too short. Tieler's mother was a bit much but obviously cares about him, and I liked his prom look the best. I thought the Project Runway alumni were very nice to their young bosses. Overall, a decent episode. I'm enjoying this more than the All Stars at this point, and I didn't think I would be in that camp when it started.

The three contestants create prom dresses with the help of Project Runway alumni Michael Costello, Dom Streater, and Christopher Palu. My bad...I accidentally tagged the thread with the "no spoilers" thread. I hope one of the regular monitors can correct that. I meant no harm.

Not too crazy about this character, or maybe its the actor I'm having trouble with. They are a little challenged with this one because Harvey Dent is supposed to be more or less on the side of good but then is pushed over to the side of evil; but this guy isn't pushed but is rushing forward. (My understanding is that he eventually he picks which direction he goes in by a flip of a coin, but if the coin he uses is two-headed, what's the point of that? Probably a different coin, eh?) I tend to like the way they introduced Robert Taylor as the Penguin because the audience has a chance to see him evolve. Ditto with Cory Michael Smith as the Riddler...we get plenty of hints of who he will become but we are given time to get used to him. On the other hand, Nicholas D’Agosto goes full bolt from a slightly chilly bureaucratic type into near frenzy mode before anything has happened to provoke him....he's a guy with anger issues (maybe they explain the source of that but I missed it so I apologize ahead of time if I'm wrong yet again). I suppose he could be that outraged by the corruption around him, but given the level of corruption in Gotham, that just doesn't seem enough by itself...I would think something more personal would be triggering him. I didn't mind the lighting on the guy's face, since just about everyone ends up in half light, half dark in this show, but I felt a little piece was left out of his character development to account for his changing gears so fast. Why even do the reveal so soon....if he is going to be around for more than one episode, couldn't they give him a little arc so he can have some background to his issues? Sadly, when he is in "good" mode, he still seems somewhat untrustworthy to me (maybe conning teenagers doesn't strike me as a positive role model). This isn't a deal breaker as far as me watching the show....I just have some reservations about how the character is written and portrayed.

This will probably doom her but I also can see La Tasha winning this...she is the only one who has shown some consistent leadership skills and really tries to keep her team mates on track, and she seems to be able to cook. I was very confused by Bryant's outburst...he was channeling some alternative version of himself and it wasn't pretty. He didn't own up to his mistakes and started babbling in a way that made me wonder if the stress wasn't getting to him. Aaron probably did what made most sense for him. I don't know how much anyone really learns from Hell's Kitchen (I suppose you get well versed on risotto and scallops eventually). Aaron seemed to think he had more skills than he actually showed while cooking (his self-advertised expertise in Indian food didn't seem to help him very much), but he did take responsibility for what happened on his station. Probably best to walk away before turning into a Bryant. Ramsey was wrong about what goes on outside of the kitchen has nothing to do with his choices...if a team member is acting irrationally and has lost the confidence of the other members of his or her team, that impacts everyone's performance in or out of the kitchen. I can't, at this point, see Bryant managing a restaurant's kitchen. I don't know why they bother with the little contests at the beginning...they always end up the same say. Not exactly suspenseful to see the numbers manipulated to be ties or near-ties. I'm not quite sure how someone who never made or tasted Indian food could manage to win but good for Jennifer for pulling it off.

Now that it has been revealed that the challenge given to the designers may not have the same criteria the judges are using (see Project Runway All Stars thread on "Something Wicked This Way Comes" or the interview with Chris March (http://bloggingprojectrunway.blogspot.com/ ), a big improvement would be to have the judges show their criteria for judging the fashions both with the designers and the audience. Right now it seems altogether arbitrary. Certainly rules should not be made at the beginning of a challenge that are then changed when the judging is made. That's just ridiculous (and Chris March's interview has a ring of truth to it). I agree with stopping pointless challenges, giving more time, and broadening out the challenges. What we are ending up with is very short dresses, very long gowns, and camel toe pants, mostly black. I know why this is true, but it doesn't have to be if the producers gave the designers more options.

I tend to agree with that. It is one thing for the unlamented Josh to talk his client out of a difficult tattoo, and quite another for Julia to be unprofessional in her interaction with her client. She really earned that giant tattoo that she put on herself instead of working with her client (and I noticed her attitude changed the next episode -- the one she was eliminated on, ironically -- so maybe she did learn something from the experience). I do think there should be a difference made between a client who walks out because he or she has a change of mind (that would be the appropriate time for a back up), a client who is dangerously aggressive or threatening (that would be the appropriate time for a back up), and a client who is chased off by the tattoo artist (no back up allowed for unprofessional behavior).

I absolutely appreciated you pointing it out. I don't know how it happened but it is strangely hard to correct. Many thanks!

Sorry...I guess it won't let me link directly. You can get to the interview from here (if this one works): http://bloggingprojectrunway.blogspot.com/ Fingers crossed.

That seems like a significant piece of information to edit out but, now that I read that, it does make some of the results make more sense (such as the branches on Helen's design). Thank you for sharing that interview...anyone who is interested in Chris's side of things will find it illuminating: http://bloggingprojectrunway.blogspot.com/ Edited to correct link.

I'm probably a little dense, but I don't see how Tim Gunn's misread of the judges' preferences (and, really, who could predict the judges from week to week) and giving advice on that misreading does anything but hurt the designers, not the judges. We really don't know what Tim Gunn had in mind for "Under the Gunn" but he put his name on it and part of the problem of the show was related to his behavior during it....no, I'm not giving him a free pass on that. As for what Nick has done that was worthwhile, I think that depends on your viewpoint. I imagine one reason he was included is that the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (where Santino went on scholarship) served as the location for "Under the Gunn" and Nick Verreos is associated with them, including being a teacher there. He has also been a tireless promoter of "Project Runway," which, for better or worse, probably gives him some latitude. He also seems to be actively designing: http://www.nikolakidesign.com. What else does he need to do? Have no idea what Santino has against Verreros but I don't take his word for anything he says about someone else unless he has proof that person deserved it. None of this has anything to do with this season's All Stars, of course; blame the long detour on my short stint as a librarian.

I don't know how much influence Tim Gunn has on the actual judging. On "Under the Gunn," he made well known his preference for certain contenders, but Heidi and Neil Patrick Harris came in at the end, overrode him, and created a different ending from the one he wanted. According to Heidi, the reason why Gretchen won over Mondo is that guest judge Jessica Simpson changed her vote to join Nina Garcia and Michael Kors for a Gretchen win. The point is that it probably means the least that Tim Gunn has a preference and more weight to the judges and whoever is the swing vote in case of a tie. So far Tim Gunn hasn't got a vote. Actually in the All Stars version he seems has no influence since he isn't part of the All Stars (unless he is working behind the curtains). In the last couple of regular seasons, he has come down with the top three and lower three garments for the judges to look at more closely and made some comments to the judges at that time, but that doesn't seem to be happening in the All Stars. Blame him for some lapses in behavior (and I do), but I don't think he is responsible for the judging results (unless something is going on off camera, which it may well be).

In Masterchef Junior, they have an eight and nine year olds going against 12 year olds, which seems an equally challenging gap. Or it would if the eight year old wasn't an amazing cook (so far, but she may trip up at some point) and actually so are the nine year olds. In Threads, the 16 year old might seem too old but the girls didn't seem particularly intimidated by him. At first I wondered about having relatives as assistants (especially those who seem a little less than helpful) but I can see where having them around would be reassuring. I was dubious because every time my mother tried to teach me anything, including driving and sewing, it was a failure--shows me not to draw on personal experience to guide me in these things. In Masterchef Junior I've been rather impressed by how the children rally around each other....there is little of the bitter in-fighting one sees among the adults...and I was glad, in this episode of Threads that there was some support between the three. The best thing about the winner is that I think she really didn't expect it. No self-entitlement there, at least not yet. Her mom just beamed, and who could blame her? Now she doesn't have to worry about her child scavenging all the clothes out of her closet (at least not for awhile). I am a person without children so I never know what to expect from them, but some of these kids seem awfully promising in whatever they decided to pursue.

I guess I never saw him taste it in order to say that. My bad. Thank you for the clarification.