anna0852

And who better to whoop your ass than your Mama?

I about busted a gut laughing. I'm really liking the whole Penny-and-Leonard as Greek chorus thing. And how Leonard wants Amy's magic juice. I though the Christmas tree storyline was a nice little wink (I thought) to Johnny's role in Christmas Vacation when he was a kid. And I like how Howard is clearly pulling his parental weight. And that if Raj and Stuart are going to hang around and stick their noses in, they might as well have been put to work.

Steve probably figures Danny can take care of himself. Better to secure the more vulnerable person first. And Danny would be the first person to be okay with that.

Those are beautiful tributes. And how wonderful that Connie and Debbie pretty much raised their kids together.

Yikes. Getting the insurance on Episode 9 is going to be a nightmare. I can't imagine what the hoops the insurance company will make everyone jump through before they provide the policies and the premiums they'll charge.

I'm laughing. And hiding under the bed.

Oh my yes, poor Kathleen. No matter what choice she makes, she's going to get hit with a s**t storm of epic proportions. Not only trying to service the story itself but her responsibilities to the studio/investors and the fanbase (not a group of people known for keeping their opinions to themselves) plus ensuring that the decision ultimately is respectful to the Fisher family as well. And she's going to have to make this choice in the public eye while dealing with the loss of someone she's known and worked with for a long time.

I've asserted several times that Rey is a Solo child, a younger sister to Ren. She shows way more indicators of being Leia's kid than Luke's.

Short of Leia already having been slated to die in Episode 8 (as in, planned and shot, not a hasty recut) there really is no good solution.

Well they are about to die. What is the harm in saying something comforting? I think calling it 'mansplaining' is over the top.

No one has proved yet that Rey *isn't* a Skywalker. And if Kylo is the last, then maybe it is time to end the line.

I think the options are very limited and that a large segment of the fan base is going to start screaming no matter what. According to Vanity Fair she had finished filming her parts of Episode 8 and depending on how that story played out, Lucasfilm is going to have some very tough decisions to make. And unfortunately someone over there has the very unhappy task of starting that ball rolling. I don't envy them that task.

I have a terrible feeling that Kylo is going to commit matricide.

I wonder if Big Bang will address the fact that Carrie Fisher has passed.

She did a guest spot on 30 Rock as well. And has been doing voice work on Family Guy for years. RIP.

In all fairness, the grandmother's ring is no longer simply a family heirloom but also now the ring Tom used to propose to another woman and one of Barbara's friends to boot. I wouldn't have thought it appropriate either.

Did you all know that Helen George is apparently dating Jack Ashton (Tom) in real life? Certainly makes their on-screen break up a bit brain bendy!

I don't think Trixie is headed for med school. For starters, nursing and midwifery did not require a college degree at that time. Trixie would have done a direct 3 year training course in a nursing school that attached to a hospital, with a further course for midwifery. She would have to go back and get a university degree before med school was an option. Plus, can you see Trixie being able or willing to function in an environment where she can't speak her mind or advocate for her patients as she sees fit? The rigid 60's medical school system would drive her crazy in short order.

I'm not touching the pants comment but I took the alcohol one to simply means drink in moderation, which really is a pretty innocuous thing to say. And fairly practical, if you figure that most of his audience are folks that haven't drunk before and are therefore at higher risk for binging.

I was very proud of Fred of helping and holding it together. I don't think he's really seen the nurses 'in action' before. And he wasn't present when his daughters were born, as at that time men (aside from doctors) didn't go near delivery rooms. This would have been very unknown territory for him and he did well. I was also pleased to see them referenced his experiences from WW II, digging ditches and maintaining latrines and such. Those skills would be incredibly valuable for a hospital. As was clearly demonstrated, they can't function without water and sanitation. Also, based on the blue uniform we saw her wearing, it looks like Delia did decide to train as a midwife as discussed last season. I just love how the writers are so good at connecting small threads from here and there, along with not forgetting what they've previously established for their characters.

Helen George needs an Emmy for that scene with the caesarian and Trixie's reaction afterward.

Well it has now been proven: a great Star Wars story can be told *without* the Skywalker Whining Gene. I do hope the creative teams for Eps 8 and 9 take notice. My brain is still bendy from seeing Tarkin again, along with 1977 Princess Leia.

Now that I have more time to reflect on the episode, I think it was reasonably well done. The Christmas episodes tend to be somewhat lighthearted and I appreciate that. What stood out for me was Kensi dealing (or not dealing) with her fears about her physical state. She's clearly very frustrated and starting to worry that she is never coming back, that she is going to be replaced and that all those things that made her who she is are now gone forever. In someways I wonder if it wouldn't have been easier for her if the injuries had been worse. A permanent limp or a total loss of use of her hand would in a way be something that she could work on accepting. Right now she is *almost* there and being so close but stalling out must be hell for her and ultimately more frustrating. While I am really glad that "fight" turned out to be all in her head, it was a decent way to illustrate just how frustrated and out-of-the-loop and just plain *scared* Kensi must be feeling. Love seeing Callen and Deeks working together and actually bonding a bit. I think they are starting to realize just how much in common they have regarding their childhoods. And while Deeks might tease Callen a bit, he doesn't push the way Sam does. For all that Sam and Callen are brothers, I don't think Sam really gets what it was like for Callen growing up and I think Deeks does. And I think Callen is starting to both recognize and appreciate that. The meerkats are *so* dating! I do appreciate how subtle they are being though. I'm fully expecting for them to just walk in one day and have it come out that that got married over the weekend or something.

So I went straight home and turned A New Hope. *This* is how you make a prequel!

Thank goodness! Once again, we have it demonstrated why promo monkeys can't be trusted.