DearEvette

Even without Matty being old, unless there is something about them that totally stands out, who is going to remember the face of someone who spilled coffee on you two years ago? Especially if you were barely paying attention to them and you had a lot more important things on your mind? In the elevator immediate after the spill, with the big wonkin' coffee stain on the front Olympia barely gave it a thought. She was wrapped up in the case and asking Julian for a divorce. Even when she pulls the suit out in the present day, she doesn't even mention the coffee, the suit is linked in her head to losing the case. So I hope Olympia never remembers Matty bumping into her. It s more believable if she never does. I think him holding it up introduced a bacteria (from his cast) into a formerly sterile environment. But that does not explain why no one else was part of the case. Even if this baby was the only one that actually died, others would have at least been sick.

This was probably my favorite episode so far. Even though the daughter stuff is still not making a lot of sense for me. Stuff I liked: The utilization of Olympia's gorgeous cream colored suit. During the first flashback when Matty spilled on it and Olympia's reaction to her which Matty saw as a sign to pursue her cause, I thought to myself, you never know what someone else is going through. She saw Olympia being mean as justification that the lawyers were bad, but what if Olympia herself was going through something and Matty just made it worse? And sure enough. When they showed her wearing that again during a later flashback during her argument with Julian and it was the day of the first verdict, it clicked. And then she brought it out again in present time, I knew her wearing it would be the visual trigger that something would happen that Matty would see as another sign. I liked that one mother who looked and sounded like a young Angela Bassett. And, NGL, Not!Angela's testimony was excellent. The actress bodied that scene. Also, look at Olympia code switching during her convo with that worker guy, Teddy! Her elocution went from crisp,white-shoe-law-firm professional to girl from around the way real quick. I really liked that Matty's husband said all the things that I think needed to be said to her. And verified my suspicion from a few episodes ago that he was not on board with what she was doing. In what I found was a great little detail, after the verdict when Matty was reassuring Not!Angela that she make them take responsibility, Not!Angela just looked at Matty with a still very sad expression. It really was signalling that even if Matty gets whatever it is she needs on the firm, she may not be as satisfied as she thinks. I am not sure how I feel about Olympia and Julian getting back together. I was rather enjoying their friendly divorce. The stuff that bugged: This epsiode didn't do my opinion of Matty any favors. She is so super focused on her feelings for her daughter that she is doing her husband and grandson a disservice. And she was kinda cruel to that old friend, cutting him off abruptly and yelling she never wanted to see him again when she noticed Olympia. It is all giving very selfish, that she is not doing this for anything but to make herself feel better. She is 75 years old, like her husband said why not enjoy your grandson and the rest of your life and the good memories? But then there would not be drama, I guess. Which brings me to the timeline. See, this is where I scratch my head a little. She says her daughter died 10 years ago. Right? So if Alfie is 12 now then Ellie died when he was two. So that would mean they were talking to Alfie about the specifics of the drug (don't know if Wellbrexa is the drug or the company) his mother took when he was a child? So much so that he would recognize the name of it and the law firm involved in the suit in a Reddit post when he was 10 years old? Really?

Ohh, I missed that. Nice detail. Also one little detail that I thought was pretty great that the B.L.A.C.Ks were, well, mostly black. So it made his earlier line that much funnier.

I think this is a valid point. But it is just as valid for a person to decide what their threshold is for enjoyment and engagement. I have had this very same discussion in my various book groups where we talk about technical writing skills vs. storytelling. Some can't get past bad writing, but others argue that a well told story with vivid characterizations can camouflage bad writing. I am somewhere in the middle. Egregious writing and logic flaws that are apparent to me can derail a good story. But no amount of excellent writing can make boring or tired story enjoyable. Basically I go with vibes.

Aww. Do they still do the parachute in schools? I thought that was just a GenX thing. That was always the most fun gym day! And yeah, I loved that cold open of them explaining it to the golf course guy. They look exactly like I think my friends and I would look trying to explain it. My favorite parts: "Lower the roof Gregory" Heh. "Your thoughts about food are a war crimes." - A reminder that Gregory also hates pizza. That was a terrific scene. That little girl's face after overhearing Barbara admonish Jacob for eating out of the trash can. And then the faces of the student in Jacob's whole class when he said "Oh no it's the B.L.A.C.K.s" "If people don't like me, it's on them." Exactly!! Ava praising Janine during her talk and Janine will never know about it. Janine being proud about Gregory's smoothie game. Actually I am really liking how the show is showing in lowkey but cute ways how much Janine and Gregory are sprung on other. In last weeks episode she mentioned how strong he was with a little smile. The end tag showing the real parachute game.

And for a second ep in a row the show begins with one of my favorite bangers. The song that is playing when the guy is jogging and finds the dead guy in the trailer is 'Point and Kill' by Little Simz. I had this song on repeat the Summer of 2022. For all that this was a tense episode, it still didn't feel heavy. This isn't that show. This is a show where even in the 'tense' moments there is still an undertone of a comfort show. You know things are gonna be alright and in ep. 7 they are not gonna kill off anyone important. I liked the structure of it, the idea of them re-solving a murder under these conditions. The people inside and the people outside working together. And the one last wild card guy for 11th hour drama. It was also cute how the janitor dude called the wrong number and became friends with the bowling ladies. I would love to see that as their first date! Bonus points for Morgan verbally slapping that woman down. And extra bonus points for the last bit with Garrett Dillahunt's character unable to give her any outright praise but acknowledging it with the desk was fun.

I did a re-watch and am laughing all over again how every single conversation Gregory had with Jabari's parents went from 0 to 100 in no time. In the Darnell's case it was escalating with (comic) violence but in Lisa's case it was escalating levels of appreciation. LOL And during the fight meet up... When Jacob accuses Gregory of making a homophobic slur, the reaction of HIS FRIENDS and GIRLFRIEND has me howling: Barbara: Gregory! Ava: (Looks disgusted) Janine: (Aggrieved) I didn't know! Tariq: (Disappointed) You have regressive views! Like... they knew beforehand Jacob was gonna fake up a beef and they know Gregory. The absurdity of their reaction is so funny. and then when Darnell says 'Now I gotta fight you for Jabari, for me, for him AND for Frank Ocean'. Barbara gasps dramatically. And my husband said 'knowing Barbara she probably thinks he means Billy Ocean." 😂

I am at the stage where I will watch almost anything if it is brightly lit and not depressing.

This absolutely falls under the 'Wackadoodle' but Per many sites, but Variety: And yeah it is true. We were in Walmart yesterday and found the dolls, and sure enough the Wicked.com site is printed there and that is NOT the URL for the movie.

Things I liked about this ep: - Matty's husband awful lying. This was legitimately funny. I got a good chuckle when he killed off his grandson's older friend. LOL. - Julian and Olympia. Agreed with everyone who mentioned their amicable divorce. It feels like a re-direct by the writers. In the pilot they were snipe-y and I really thought we'd be seeing the aftermath of a hostile divorce all season long. But I am gratified they decided not to go there. It is just nice to see divorced people being adult and evolved and working with each other for their kids and not always against each other for drama's sake. - I have never seen Olympia (or Sarah) as bad characters. I think they are both women in a workplace that hasn't and still isn't very forgiving of women. I think the writers have been very intentional about this but still managed to give them some layers underneath. As the season has gone on it has been nice for them to peel even farther. It is nice to see Olympia laugh and let her guard down a bit even if it is just with Julian. And it is nice to see Sarah literally let her hair down and I like that her dating profile reads like her LinkedIn profile because that feel like how her character would be. - As much as I am not an Alfie fan, I did like that last conversation between him and Matty. He finally sounded like a young boy who has lost his mother and was struggling to understand it. Things that were meh about this ep - The case. It was fine but (cynically) it felt like a vehicle to have us watch Matty go into a drug den and inexplicably dump her entire bag of food and narcan on the first guy she sees. Also, if Katya had been completely clean until that one day would that random guy in the drug den know who she was? He didn't seem to be the dealer since he looked high himself. Maybe they knew her before her prison sentence? Things that make me just sigh. - I've said it before, I'll say it again. Matty gets too many wins. She is able to lie on the fly and people just shrug and let it go. I would have liked it if there had been an assistant or paralegal or office manager or somebody who viewed her with skepticism and wasn't won over by her folksyness all the time. Someone that would give her some pause and make it a little more suspenseful that she doesn't just get to swan around the office getting into files and accessing emails because she sways everyone so easily. There should be the threat of someone discovering her, not just the threat of her discovering her culprit. - The daughter storyline. I keep waiting for them to flesh this out. From what it sounds like the daughter must've gotten a legit prescription for an opioid from a doctor. Hence the mysterious lawsuit against the unnamed company for the unnamed drug. Got hooked. And couldn't get anymore of it so began using illegal drugs (because otherwise why would Matty have experience looking for her in a drug den). Ok. But the actual real opioids that were at the center of the real opiod crisis (when it started being called a crisis) are still being produced and still being prescribed. People KNOW they are super addictive and they have not been unilaterally pulled off the market. So for argument's sake let's say this unnamed company did get sued and there was no cover up...are we expected to believe the daughter would have never been prescribed an opiate at all? Even if they were prescribed in a smaller dose, if the daughter is pre-disposed to addiction (as Matty intimated in this episode) it is possible she still would have gotten addicted? -And then there is the Reddit post (rolls eyes). So someone was so indiscreet as to post such specific details on Reddit? Someone who was such an insider they had access to a back room cover up by the partners in the firm. And they chose to do it on Reddit? This whole thing just feels super wobbly on close scrutiny.

I've been reading Beasts of Burden: Animal Rites by Evan Dorkin and Jill Thompson. It is really fun. It is the first volume of a graphic novel collection of a series of stories that feature a group of neighborhood pets who investigate and solve paranormal crimes. The human population have no clue at all about the strange goings on, but their dogs (and one orphan cat) have been busy saving the world. It is a comedy/horror/mystery/action hybrid where the stories feel a bit like episodic tv. Each story is a complete episode, but they all tie together in an overarching narrative. The animals all have very interesting and distinct personalities and each story is just a little different in tone. One of them is very Twilight Zone-esque. The art is great as well. There are at least 4 volumes in all.

Granted I am no Hallmark regular, but their entire brand, even the mysteries have a kicky little bright tone from the dialogue, to the character interactions, to the chirpy music, to the lighting. They are all bright reds, greens and whites. And the people actually crack smiles. This show is darker in every way, everything is muted blue and grey. The music is ominous, and I think it would physically hurt anyone on this show to really smile. LOL. That said, the scenery is pretty gorgeous. I feel like they are really forcing the relationship between Cassandra and Alberg. I think it is because the actors themselves have no chemistry so on top of the relationship being written kinda rocky, it just makes it feel belabored. So her being kidnapped because it is a pain point for him just feels rather meh. Again, that said, I actually liked this episode. The police work of the episode at least. The daughter was so annoying. I get that teenagers are all 'whatever' but seeing a car slowly driving behind you wouldn't set off your radar? Even just a little? Even if it you think it is a guy who likes you, him slowly driving behind you is just weird. And then when she drops by the library to supposedly get a book she wants and sees Cassandra (who is obviously headed out with her purse on her arm!) the daughter thinks she's blowing her off? Girl, are you just slow? Ugh. I think it is obvious the show is trying to convey that she feels a bit threatened by Cassandra being in her dad's life so she is projecting a bit. But it is so clumsily written. The side plot with Andy was interesting. I initially felt that his interaction with the woman did come off as a little too flirty for comfort. But then again, this is set In a small town where they are setting the narrative that everyone kinda knows everyone, so that is where I kinda mentally put it, a kind of as folksy hometown policing sort of thing. But I was still kinda on her side a bit. But then came to visit to her where she did herself no favors when Edwina followed up. The fact that she admitted that she flirted to get out of a ticket sort of thing. I also liked that Alberg took the complain seriously. And that Edwina did give him a bit of a professional smack on the nose.

This was a fun episode, so chaotic and so many great lines. And left me with awwwws at the end. Janine: "I would never forget if I owed somebody money" Jacob: "Well that's interesting because you owe me $300." Janine "And guest what? I think about that everyday,." Snort. Also Darnell had some great lines: Darnell: "I heard you gave my son a pencil." - Just the way he said it... Darnell: " We think my cousin's cousin might be gay." And how the whole first conversation between Darnell and Gregory went off the rails... And all of Janine's talking heads about that damn $5.00 Absolutely! And where the hell did Tariq come from? LOL Gregory was the MVP, from his first interaction with Jabari at the top of the show, to his hard-eyed speech to Darnell at the end to his last talking head. It has been so nice to see his growth as a teacher. Honestly, I could relate to the Melissa story. I slipped and got what I thought was wrenched ankle. I ace bandaged it and limped around work for about two days when on of my co-workers was like... 'Girl would you please put us out of your misery and go see about that.' The thing is, It didn't really hurt that much, but was just kinda achy and I didn't want to put weight on it. I went to an ortho and he took x-rays and came back and said 'Yeah, you have a lower leg fracture.' It was almost like, him saying it was actually broken gave my body permission to acknowledge it hurt! LOL. I remember looking at him and saying 'Oh my god it hurts now.' Next day I showed up in a cast and crutches. So yeah, I get it.

I knew that Quincy had a great discography, and know the high points e.g. Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra, Lesley Gore, We Are the World, The Ironside theme, and of course like @Spartan Girl Soul Bossa Nova is right there at the top. But I went to Wikipedia to be reminded of some of his other works. And holy cow! The breadth of this man's work!!! He has worked with so many people across so many decades in every single music genre in all areas of production, arranging and/or composing. And not just in music but also in TV and film. His professional resume is simply unparalleled. RIP, sir.

Finally something remotely interesting happening with the Matty cover story. The argument about Alfi was interesting because it seemed to point to Matty having tunnel vision about her daughter and feels like she is stuck in the 'Anger' step of the grieving process. So much so that she it sounds like she has pulled her husband and Alfi along into her wake. Her husband said he wasn't 100% on board with what she was doing, so I wonder if he went along initially because maybe he thought she'd lose interesting and it was a way of dealing with her grief. And Alfi, well he is a kid who probably thinks this stuff is all so cool. I still think it is the least interesting part of the show mainly because they haven't given me any reason to care about her daughter. They only told us she died do to opiod dependence and that Matty blames the firm. There are so many holes there since opiod use and abuse is nation wide and has so many tentacles, reducing blame to one law firm feels non-sensical and simplistic. I think if the her daughter was more a victim of something like the woman in this episode's case where she died from something a local company caused and the firm helped cover it up or did the Texas Two-Step shenanigans because a legal feint like that is in the hands of the lawyers and isn't a behemoth like the opiod epidemic where many are at fault, it would feel more believable to me. It doesn't help that the writing creates artificial wins for her. She just so happened to get into file room just before the necessary documents would be shipped off site. She just so happened to need to see the signatures of her top three suspects managed to get into Sr's office and lo and behold there was a paper with his signature on it that she could snap a picture of when he so conveniently turned around. Sigh. I do like the actors and the characters and the cases, but the dead daughter conspiracy part just annoys me. The actor who played the widow will always in my head be associated with his Museum security character from the Roshomon Job episode of Leverage. I really need them to let Jason Ritter do more. I get that Matty is Olympia's associate, but you don't hire Jason Ritter for him to be essentially a walk on with a few lines each episode.