helenamonster

Original airdate: 8/20/21

Original airdate: 8/18/21

Original airdate: 8/17/21

Some host speculation based on fall/early winter movie releases (assuming things aren't pushed back again with delta): Daniel Craig: as the last host before production shut down in March 2020 (and promoting a movie that was no longer on the docket by the time his episode taped), I think it would be fun if he came back to bookend things now that No Time To Die is finally seeing the light of day Woody Harrelson: the show seems to like him, and he has the Venom sequel Jamie Lee Curtis: this is more a hope than an actual prediction, but God it would be so fun, and she hasn't hosted since 1984 Matt Damon/Ben Affleck/Adam Driver: they're all in that medieval times movie I'm blanking on the name of now, and the show likes all of them. Would be shocked it's not one of the 3. Adam Driver's also in House of Gucci. Timothee Chalamet or Zendaya: for Dune Somebody from Eternals is also likely, and I'll put money on Salma Hayek, who is also in House of Gucci And to round out the House of Gucci possibilities, let's throw Lady Gaga in as well

Original airdate: 8/15/21

Just finished: The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah, about a family in the '70s who move to the backside of beyond in Alaska to homestead and live off the land. Really compelling stuff--Alaska is high on my list of places to visit, and I can't help but admire people who manage to build their lives there. The way the beauty and danger of the region interplay with each other was fascinating--I enjoyed this a lot more than the other Hannah book I read, The Nightingale, which I thought was pretty good. Next up: I've got a week of doing nothing but laying on the beach ahead of me so I picked out a doorstopper, The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson.

From what I've been reading about this story from journalists on the comedy beat (especially Seth Simons, perpetual burr in Michael Che's craw), this whole thing is bigger than Horatio. It was not uncommon at that time for (male) cast members to reach out to teenage fansite runners and invite them to show events. I hope I'm wrong, but I think all the dark shit we already know about this show runs a lot deeper than we realize. It's why I get so annoyed at all the non-critical publicity it gets away with sometimes. Jimmy Fallon's name comes up a lot in those docs, though people have pointed out he was unlikely to be fully aware of what was happening around him at that time.

Original airdate: 8/11/21

Original airdate: 8/10/21

That is a lot to ask of people, and if they agree I hope they're being compensated accordingly. Even if allowances are made for other projects, people are inevitably going to have to turn better-paying jobs down. Especially with the delta variant and rolling lockdowns looming on the horizon, anything shooting outside of the tristate area (and definitely out of the country) could be a no-go. Are they going to put a freeze on hiring new cast members while they do this as well, or are the opening credits going to be 10 minutes long by 2024? Also found this line funny for some reason: Is Lorne's age not verifiable?

I wonder if we're seeing the setup to turn Neil against Kevin. The track has already been laid by him feeling shoved to the side in favor of a baby and a city council campaign. Allison and Patty could tell him about the two birthdays as well, which I have a feeling he would be irrationally upset by (it didn't even occur to him that Kevin should probably be spending his birthday with his wife). A direction I could definitely see the show go is widening the pool of people who want Kevin dead. First Allison, then Neil, then maybe Pete--pull everybody out of the sitcom until Kevin has nobody left and he can truly go fuck himself.

Really hope he's gone this season. Can't stand him personally and he's also just not funny.

I agree that this definitely felt strange for a season finale. It does seem like the creators were going for a multiple-season run all along (no mention of this being a miniseries), but the premise was so high-concept that it also felt tailored to be a one-and-done. So I think I was just expecting a lot more to be wrapped up, when the exact opposite happened. Holy loose threads, Batman. Allison's arc this season was really interesting. She went from somebody with high, arguably unrealistic aspirations for her life, to telling Sam this episode that she wants who she is to be enough. And I think Patty is the key to everything. She got the ball rolling by telling Allison about the savings account, seems to be the first real friend Allison has ever had, and has now cemented herself as the ride-or-die. Whether Allison's feelings for her are more than that and she just doesn't realize it--hard to say. I so value the female friendships I've gotten to have in my life and can imagine how overwhelming it would feel for Allison to lose that, just as everything else is falling apart. But it's definitely possible that there's more there, and the show seems interested in exploring that. I knew Patty was in for heartbreak by the end of the season, but I didn't imagine it would be in this way. I've really enjoyed Mary Hollis Inboden and found myself getting teary when she was yelling at Allison about going through Tammy's purse. She's certainly got her number, and it was good of the show to use her as a vessel for calling out Allison's flaws. Sometimes shows will cheat and give that job to an unlikeable character, but coming from Patty, it actually means something. When Allison called Kevin a dick in public, I thought we were in for an ending of them back at the house, sitcom filter off, and him unloading on her about that. But I guess like everything else it just rolls off him. So Sam broke up with Jenn, Nick is still alive, Kurt raised Tammy's suspicions, and Neil knows everything (and has been pulled into the real world). A messy finale, but I hope this gets picked up for season 2--I'm in for the long haul. Absolutely fantastically done. This show keeps finding interesting ways to use the format switch to its advantage. I'm excited to see what else they can do with it moving forward. Based on what we've seen of his relationships with both of them, I think Kevin would believe Neil over Allison, no question. The bigger issue for me is, how are Allison and Patty going to convince him not to blab?

It literally just now occurred to me that the gun Kevin found was the one Allison got in Vermont that Patty buried in the backyard. Even though I told myself when a literal Chekhov's gun showed up to keep an eye on it because it was going to come into play later, I'd totally forgotten about it and believed Kevin's theory that it had been left there by the previous tenant (I also noticed he said tenant, not owner, so I guess he and Allison don't even own the house). It was also good of the show to set up Kevin and Neil's metal detecting hobby early on as well, which itself wraps into Kevin's larger personality trait of get-rich-quick scheme aficionado. Look at her coat!

Just finished: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid. A fairly breezy read that I thought had some good merits and that I overall enjoyed, even if I wasn't particularly attached to any of the characters. I do like that I was sort of meh on the reveal that Next up: The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah

Season finale! AMC+ airdate: 7/25/21 AMC cable airdate: 8/1/21

Original airdate: 7/20/21

I think this is real for Patty. Her big speech about having trouble with it was heartfelt, and she doesn't seem like the type who could fake something like that. And in the scene with Neil, she and Tammy were in jammies which means they're in the sleeping over phase, which would be pretty far to take a relationship she wasn't serious about. I haven't ruled out Tammy playing Patty though. She keeps asking about Allison and overall just seems like she have less qualms playing a person's feelings like that. I just can't shake the feeling that Patty's in for some serious heartbreak by the time the season's over. It seems inevitable. Allison does seem to have a knack for getting in her own way, but Neil only found the pamphlet because he took Patty's painting out of the trash--Patty didn't notice it when she threw it away. Another fun Easter egg between the sitcom and drama worlds: Patty's painting was much better when Neil found it than when she threw it away.

Interesting that Neil still only exists within the sitcom framing, even when Kevin's not around. I guess he's sucked so deep into Kevin's orbit that it follows him wherever he goes. The scene he had with Patty and Tammy was still all about Kevin. It was oddly nice to hear Allison reminisce about some better times with Kevin. I could see her finding his antics much more charming when they were younger, but as she grew out of them and he stayed the same (and his darker nature began to show itself), it took its toll. Annie Murphy was also doing a great job of playing the dread that Allison was feeling as the big day got closer. This was always going to be much harder for her to pull off than she realized, and it makes sense that her guilt would manifest itself physically like that. There were a lot of scenes I found moving this episode. Patty asking Tammy to let this be difficult for her ("I have cable, I know we're all cool with this now or whatever"), Patty admitting to Allison that she just likes spending time with her ("You were like a pointy houseplant. A naggy pointy houseplant. A naggy ficus."), and the fight between Sam and Jenn. There is a lot to unpack in that marriage. It's like he's jealous of Allison for not being as miserable as he is. "Vagina-cologist" got an actual laugh from me. And everything Kevin said about his little, ahem, donation was absolutely disgusting but I have to admit I also found it wildly clever. "It's like going to Colonial Williamsburg and churning your own butter." There was also a moment when he came back to the house and hit the bongo a little too hard with his dominant hand and winced at the pain. Ew ew ew! Also, no wonder Kevin is the way he is. Is Pete remotely capable of not kissing his ass at all times? Jenny McCarthy...Tank Top!

AMC+ airdate: 7/18/21 AMC cable airdate: 7/25/21

Original airdate: 7/13/21

The transitions between the sitcom and drama worlds are a real triumph of set design, lighting, and costuming. To design the sets in a way that can accommodate the absence of a fourth wall we accept in multicam while also being able to adapt into a full room can't be easy. The two types are also lit completely differently, which must make picking out wardrobe and props/furniture difficult as there are certain things that would show up fine in the more muted, realistic style but totally clash under the sitcom style lights. Hopefully the Emmys recognize this in the technical categories next year.

You're right, and the more I think about it, the more I think the "date" was under false pretenses to get Patty to spill more info about the drug ring and/or confess. I think there was an attempt to get her drunk (Patty wanted to drink beer and Tammy ordered her a vodka soda, likely to get her drunker faster especially as she's not used to drinking liquor) and she still seemed in interrogation mode, not letting the thing with Allison showing up go. I waved it off as that just being her way, but something definitely stinks. Also weird that she invited her to what appeared to be a retirement party for another cop as a first date? I couldn't tell exactly what it was they were at but it was some kind of police event. Why not take her to dinner or a movie? What's a shame is that for Patty, this was clearly a big step in her understanding of herself. She's been going through changes just as monumental as Allison's. She was so uncertain of her feelings that she didn't even tell Allison she was going on a date (even if she would have left out that it was with Tammy). I have a feeling this whole thing is gonna end with her being heartbroken and completely unsure of who she is. If Tammy is playing her, she's doing more damage than she realizes, I think.

Damn, Allison. I cringed each time she tried to confront Nick, knowing that pissing him off would only make things worse. But I think at the end he was convinced to do things her way. She's tired of not being in control, and for the most important decision of her life, she's gonna call the shots. Not sure how professional it is for Tammy to be dating somebody she had previously questioned as part of an investigation, but I suppose pickings are slim in a small town, especially for a gay woman. I'm still unclear on exactly what Patty was feeling this episode, but maybe that was the point. Had she dated women before? If not, did she know she liked women? It definitely sheds a new light on her incompatibility with Kurt, though it's possible she's bi. Either way, it seems like she has some stuff to work through. I laughed out loud when she said the massage chair was "getting fresh." Very bizarre to see Sam and Jenn in Kevin's world. Some great subtle acting from Annie Murphy when you could tell she was hoping Kevin would just choke and it would all be over. But Sam absolutely needs to cool his jets. Both of them are cheating on their spouses, neither of them has the moral high ground here. If he doesn't want to have an affair with Allison, he can simply say so. She's right, she hasn't forced him to do anything, and she definitely didn't force him to hire her. I guess he could fire her, but that's a lawsuit waiting to happen (not that I can see Allison pursuing that route, at least not until after Kevin's dead). He also seemed to imply that he and Allison not being together was her choice, but he was the one who was in a relationship way back when. Unless he was prepared to leave Jenn and that's when Allison met Kevin? There is a lot to fill in there. But did he know she was married? I can't remember if they talked about it in a previous episode, and he seemed surprised when she said she was there for her husband's birthday. Again, whether or not she's married doesn't matter as far as his own moral culpability goes, but maybe that changed things for him. He felt better about sleeping with her when he didn't know he was stepping onto another man's turf, so to speak. An outdated mindset for sure, and not one he'd likely be proud of, but more people have this hangup than they'd like to admit. Allison's plot was sort of sitcom-y itself, with more and more people showing up to complicate things. Of course, as usual, her stakes were much higher than Kevin's. Also the presence of the retired athletes is definitely something I could see the "real" version of this sitcom doing, as that's probably the highest level of special guest star they'd be able to swing.

AMC+ airdate: 7/11/21 AMC cable airdate: 7/18/21