DearEvette

Another really good episode. I laughed so much, mostly courtesy of Tariq. Come through Tariq! I really love how they are deploying the recurring characters. Amber, the Bad Bitch mother (who continues to defy stereotypes!!), Erika, Morton and especially Tariq. Draemond thought he was doing something, getting up there and using their event for his stump speech. But him using the term "lottery" and even intimating there would be teacher firings was a misstep, though. That is a textbook example of why they don't recommend criminals get on the stand to testify on their own behalf. They open themselves up to questions and scrutiny and often end up incriminating themselves. I especially love how the show planted the seed of the kid that kicked out of the charter school several episodes ago only to have that mother show up in the crowd and bring up the 'you can be kicked out.' issue. I agree that it is weird that Jacob doesn't know who Lee Daniels is, but not surprised he may not know who Jazmine Sullivan is. For all that Jacob is very open to black culture he has shown that he consumes white media still. And Jazmine is black famous she's never really achieved any substantive cross over success. Her last album Heaux Tales is brilliant though. A lot of funny stuff... Erika being messy (I love her!). The continuance of the Morton/Jacob rivalry. So fun. And well, everything Tariq. His entire end tag was hysterical. Favorite quotes: “People always open the door for me , they think I am a lost child.” - Janine “Mess with a teacher you gon’ get slapped, no gonorrhea but you gon' get clapped.” - Tariq “When they get those mosquitos in that amber.. you know how they do.” - Tariq

Airdate: 03/15/2023

Yesterday was Taco Tuesday and my kids came home for Spring Break and had friends over. So I set up a taco bar so everyone could build their own. Both crunchy and soft tacos were available. For the non-meat eaters there were beans & cilantro lime rice. For the carnivores there was carne asada and grilled chicken. Wegmans has a pretty nice Queso, and I always include the Trader Joe's Jalapeno sauce in addition to the sliced real thing because it is quite popular. The guacamole was fresh made by me, and they had a few salsas to choose from including a nice peach salsa. And I made a chipotle drizzle. And since it was Pi day, I made little caramel apple hand pies.

I think that's the rub. The part of the set involving the incident wasn't characterized by humility, but, imo, bitterness and a need to slap back, albeit verbally. If he had indeed turned the humor on himself and managed to thread the needle where he skewered both himself and Will (leaving Jada out of it) then I think the response would have been different and he would have come out seeming like the bigger person. But instead he decided to double down in a way that forfeited any high road he had. I mean, the man made a pious pronouncement about being brought up not to fight in front of white folks... and then proceeded to call a black woman a bitch, slut shame her and make a joke about enjoying watching Will's slave character being whipped ... on Netflix a platform that has a billion eyes on it, many of whom are white folks.

Airdate: 03/12/2023

I made spicy red lentil chili over basmati rice with cumin seeds, grilled veggies, and warm garlic naan bread with plain yogurt as an accompaniment for dinner last night.

I did too. At first I didn't think I was gonna like Ayesha too much, especially since it seemed like she was just using Janine's place as a place to crash while she hung out with other people and wasn't just there to see her sister and had falsely raised Janine's hopes. But the argument, while not specifically telling us anything, changed my perspective on Ayesha and Janine a bit. By the end I could see that neither was wrong, but both were damaged. I love how this episode opened up so many more questions about Janine. And how we are getting little dribs and drabs of her backstory. I hate it when shows get too expositional. This is letting the story come out in a more organic way. I especially love that the show did have Janine or Ayesha spell out exactly what was wrong in their family so we the audience got the entire backstory. That is not how people argue. They knew their history, there was no need to explain it in that moment. We will learn more I am sure. See, now, I read that "people move away from their hometown all the time" line -- especially the way she delivered the line -- as someone who feels guilty and are justifying something they did. She is 100% correct that people move away from home, but the way she said it, imo, made me feel like she knew it was less moving away and more running away. One little throwaway thing that I thought was a little funny and a little meta was when Janine made a stupid joke and Ayesha said something like "is that supposed to be comedy?" Because of course Ayo Edibiri is on The Bear and the The Bear and Abbott have been competitors in the comedy categories during this award season, despite a lot of people wondering loudly if The Bear is actually a comedy. Even Janelle James got in on that action and made a joke about The Bear in the comedy category when she was hosting the WGA awards last weekend.

I know it is not super exciting tv, but I remember reading somewhere that fires are actually only about 3-4% of the calls fire fighters get. The vast majority are Emergency Service calls. Even false alarms outnumber fire calls. So they could still showcase a bunch of different rescues without breaking the bank. One of my favorite rescues they did from season 1 was the grain silo rescue. I also liked Grace going on Dominatrix on that one guy to so he could get help for his mistress. And for a show called 911 they could at least expand some of the personalities in the call center. I thought they were going there when they introduced Dave. And the two rescues this episode were nice.

Thankfully it is a prank promo for a show called Celebrity Prank Wars

Airdate: 03/06/2023

God, there was so much dumb in this episode. I hate that it splashed all over my favorites, Tommy and Grace. First, I will say I did like the two rescues we got. Yeah, unless Grace knew what kind of door that woman had it isn't as easy as that to kick it a door in or a woman coming out of an insulin shock almost coma and immediately being lucid and aware enough to grab a taser from a pile of other stuff and taze a guy. But... we'll go with it for the tv-ness of it all. But I liked the little wink of them naming a guy who delivers pizza from a company called 'Swords and Slices' Lance. Also the upside down woman, hit the just wacky enough meter. I like when we get those. And I actually liked the ending where Tommy actually remembered she was the grown up in the situation and she and Melody had the very nice talk. Paul got some face time. Yay. Judd and Grace giving solid advice to Tommy. The stuff I did not like: I didn't like the way the Tommy/Melody storyline played out. I think the idea was great for a little girl to feel threatened by his father's new possible GF. But I wish they had allowed Melody to act out in a more age appropriate manner. They really leaned in on the bad seed stuff. Her manipulation was too polished and her interactions with Tommy felt more mature than she was, and I felt some type of way about that. Especially since this was supposed to be the first women her father dated since the divorce. She came off as too prepared. It is like they put the attitude and skills of a 30 year soap opera villan in a little girl. Just sits with me wrong. I am sure they thought it was funny but it really wasn't. Also Grace literally just talked a guy into how to get a woman out of an insulin shock, you tell me she could not help a young girl through a stomach ache? Or that her father, would assume she needed an ambulance with a 911 dispatcher right there? or that he wouldn't even question the ingredients in that drink? Just a lot of dumb splashing around. And, dear me, does everything circle back to Owen's 9/11 trauma?

Man, Charley is worse than Barry Allen about keeping her 'super power' to herself. LOL. Not one of my favorite outings, but I liked the change up a bit. I was hoping it wasn't gonna be Keith who died, cuz I love me some Tim Blake Nelson and even though the guy who played Davis was a hottie, he was just plain evil. A major asshole yes, but I was totally convinced he could have easily killed Charlie on that dark road. So yeah, evil. Add me to the ppl who think Katy did wake up. That flashback was done in quick succession after the flashback of Charlie relating how Donna talked about Keith's "flow." Both flashbacks were filmed in the same way. The only reason for the Katy flashback to be false was if it was coming from Davis, not from Charlie. But because of the previous flashback, they both seemed like they were coming from Charlie. Also, if Katie wasn't awake, the mind fuck Charlie put on Davis would only last as long until he found out the truth. And finally, this episode made notice and one small thing which I appreciate -- I love how casually the show showcases interracial marriage. So many of the episodes have featured IR marriages which is rather nice to see.

Light supper last night . I made a Spinach, Bacon, Cheese Quiche with Sweet Potato Crust and it was accompanied by a Spring mixed greens, Gorgonzola and pear salad with pralines sprinkled on top dressed with a light champagne vinaigrette.

On the Amazon Fire/Firestick, if all you are looking to do is remove a show from the "continue watching" list, there is a button on the remote with three horizontal lines. It brings up a little mini menu with just three options: -Add to Watchlist -Remove from List -Mute Previews

Airdate: 03/05/2023

Yeah, Chris Rock has a thing about Jada and has for years. The last time he hosted the Oscars was during the #OscarsSoWhite hashtag campaign on twitter. A lot black celebrities spoke out about it, chose not to attend the Oscars, were vocal about it. And he decides to call out Jada in his monologue. From what I understand he's picked her out in other ways. I personally can't stand him. I hate bullies. And he is a card carrying bully. In my opinion, he uses his "comedy" and his acceptance amongst the while comedy elite as a way to punch down under the guise of observational comedy.

Yeah, this was it! This was my favorite episode so far. First, the casting was stellar. Judith Light and S. Epatha Merkerson were thee best ride-or-die duo. I loved their screen chemistry. I want to see them on other things together. Also the casting of their younger selves was spot on. I thought the young Irene looked a lot like Judith Light. And, yeah even the actor who played the younger Gabriel looked like the older actor around the eyes. And then there was Luca who was fantastic. Second, I loved the way this one unfolded and moved me along the story. I was so into Irene and Joyce. I was 100% Charlie in this one. I LOVED them and their 'Fuck all of y'all' vibe and their story. And I was not so chuffed about them killing BenGabe. He set them up. Unlike the other stories where I liked the the victim and was so bummed they were killed, I was very meh on BenGabe. But then we found out about their plan to bomb the "UN for Babies or something" and their utter lack of remorse about it. So they morphed into full on villains for me. And unlike the other episodes where I wanted justice for the slain, I just wanted Charlie to get these two motherfuckers. LOL Third, there were some really clever visuals in places. A couple that stand out is of course the shot that @SnazzyDaisy posted earlier in the thread of Irene on the clinging vine and blending in. But also when they were telling their story and we see the flashbacks, we realize that the visual of their flashback was a combo of them telling their story and Charlie imagining what it must have been like. In the first flashback when they are telling what went down during the raid on the warehouse she was envisioning them sorting flowers. But after she confronts them and realizes they were planning to bomb kids, the second flashback of the same scene is of them actually making the bombs -- no flowers in sight. And finally, it was pretty damned funny. The whole phone call between Charlie and Luca with Gino The Bull chiming in. I loved that entire bit. Also: Luca: “I need something hard and firm if I am going to ride this one” Pervy Pete (walking by and hearing the convo): “Now you’re speaking my language” And the Fletchers. LOL. RIP Betty, you ol' busybody. And kudos to that last scene of them fighting. It was brutal and well choreographed. And for someone who can;t walk, Irene sure can move! Great episode!

I liked her dislike of the dog. Hey if you are an asshole, regardless of species, you should be called on it. Also, I did a 'uh... whut?' face when the radio guy said "I don't know about you, but what I do in the bathroom ain't gender neutral." The sheer absurdity of that statement just cracks me up. LOL. And then I saw Hanky T. Pickens... and it all made sense. Yeah, it was obvious the wife and Taffy were in on it together from the beginning when they gave each other a look right after he spoke to his George and George told him he was going vegan. OI so agree with everyone that the show does such a good job of making the victim likeable, that is is heartbreaking when they are killed. Lil Rel Howery was fantastic as Taffy. My husband when I told him the premise after he watched the end of the last epsiode said... 'so its like Columbo crossed with Highway to Heaven crossed with Murder she wrote?'

Another good episode. And I actually liked the Ormewood and Angie case this week. I find it interesting that their cases still tend to be on the lighter side (comparative to Will and Faith). I liked the conceit of using Allison as some sort angel on Will's shoulder giving him his insight about her in her voice. It went nicely with the 'you are seen, you are heard' epitaph Will and Angie gave her in the end. I am so happy Darla was the killer because I disliked Darla. She immediately rubbed me wrong. Her lamentation of it not being 'fair' rubbed me wrong. Come on! you murdered someone who lived the very definition of unfair. Tv professor offices kill me. That Dr. Tilda was in an office that looked like the study of some country squire. No way, a non-tenured professor would have that sort of office real estate. That is President/Provost level of office. Oh my yes. Me too. I remember when he first appeared in that episode and Faith did her word vomit thing, I thought I saw something but then waved it off, dismissing him as a one-and done guest spot. But so happy he is back and that both he and Faith have no swag whatsoever. And Will teasing her about it "If you don't use it you lose it." Ha! And yay to getting some info on Amanda and Will. I was hoping to get some insight given her reaction to his kidnapping. So she's known him since he was 19. Ok. Tell me more!

Airdate: 03/01/2023

Yell it to the cheap seats in the back. Gah. I haven't watched the first five episodes of this season. I have been following along, but just as the episode titles from the first two episodes it all sounded like a hot mess. And the minute I heard that Owen was going to be working undercover with the FBI i figured I wait it out. I actually liked the cold open with them doing the drill. It had a bit of gallows humor and even Mateo was funny being impressed with the child actor. And then came the stupid. I know tv explosions are rarely reality. But come on! If an explosion was powerful enough to lift and throw back two men who were what looks liked at least 20 yards away and was powerful enough to knock over motorcycles that have to have at least weighed about 700 lbs.. You can't tell me that the female FBI agent was was inside the building where the explosion occurred came out of it looking as if she had some artful smears of blood and a single gash on her face? She didn't even have any soot or debris or any burns on any of her exposed skin. But the worst part was how self absorbed Owen is. His speech with the stirring music was all about him. I had the opportunity to foil a terrorist attack. I failed. If only I had known the planes were coming I could have saved my team. I get this was supposed to be some sort of, what, atonement and do over to go with the survivor's remorse we had to live through with him last season when that building collapsed? But I am so over him. I honestly just hate his character now. And the vanity of Rob Lowe that made this possible. Judd texting Grace 'Love you, Wife' and her hot screensaver of him was the highlight of the episode. Which is so pitiful.

I finally got around to watching this... I didn't mind so much the tonal differences between the the three plots. It felt kinda realistic, tbh. Like, the whole 'two things can be true at once.' You have one set of firefighters at the house doing something nice for a bunch of ladies and it is light hearted and hilarious while unbeknownst to them two entirely different serious things are happening. Yeah the juxtaposition was a bit jarring, but I think it was supposed to be. Of the three plots, it is the Maya one that kinda lost me. I am not sure what they are doing with her. Is it just a generic downward spiral plot? Which feels strange given that is just what we had with Jack. Is it a different kind of addiction plot (exercise) which would be interesting if we weren't already mired in two characters who are struggling with addiction. Is it just another way to introduce drama in her relationship with Carina because the baby plot wasn't drama enough? And speaking of addiction Yes. I think it was and I have been waiting for that to rear it's ugly head. I don't think it was well deployed here at this point though. Maybe I missed something but I can't get a bead on why he chose go pull that out just now? It can't be because Maya is in the hospital? Bennett just doesn't seem to have that sort of relationship with Maya. I am not a fan of the character but I think it sucks that his fall off the wagon was so helped by Maya in that way. That she could so callously do that largely because of her professional entitlement just rubs me so wrong. The Ross, Andi and Vic plot was the best one. Not because I liked it, no... I am triggered as hell by that whole scenario. But because Ross was fantastic in it. I loved her basically coming in and commanding the scene. Showing her exceptional observation skills. Man. That was boss. And not in a 'look at me I am a girl boss' way. But in pure competence porn.

Quick and tasty weeknight meal: Brown sugar and soy glazed grilled salmon, caramelized onion and garlicky noodles, and green beans almondine. Took no time to make which was a plus since I hate cooking weeknights. Also used a fuck ton of garlic in each dish. The noodles called for six cloves simmered in a butter and olive oil combo but also fried garlic on top as a finisher.

I'm dead! LOL.

Also what is going on with Chris Perfetti and the beanies? Did he get a bad haircut or something?