Grundoon59

Season 17 Episode 5 Station House of Horrors Oct. 30 2023 I am with you @Trey- I understood what they were going for, but it was not my cup of tea. I did think what the four characters wished for was interesting and revealed a bit about their personalities. I found the Julia and William stories far too grim for my taste and William's left too many unanswered questions as outlined above. Watts and Isaiah helped enormously with Miss Hart's story. There were small sparks of lightness, even with a zombie storyline. Cute that it began with a performance of Frankenstein. I honestly thought that the first zombie she encountered was going to turn out to be her husband. Watts' commentary while luring the one across the morgue made me laugh but Watts is always a favorite of mine. Margaret & Thomas' story was probably my favorite, possibly because of the Sweeney Todd/Mrs. Lovett overtones (I think I started humming "A Little Priest" at one point). The actors all did marvelously, including Higgins waffling about whether to throw out the pie when Thomas told him to do so. I also loved Higgins' enthusiasm at the end for going to the fair even when no one else wanted to do so - I would have enjoyed seeing what he wished for but maybe it is better to leave it to the imagination.

Stumbled my way to 5/5 with 1 * with some lucky guesses (notably Dylan and Columbus). Kennedy and Franklin came pretty easily. As a Detroit native born the year Motown was founded, I would have lost any credibility I ever had if I had gotten that one wrong. I drove by Hitsville, USA on Saturday and passed along greetings from this forum. I will bring melt in your mouth quiche lorraine that I picked up at the farmers market on Saturday morning (also honoring the French) but with Shaw and Kennedy in the clues this week, I thought about something Irish as well.

Thanks for the shout out @Trey - yes my cable is fixed and I may have even finally figured out how to dvr (yes I realize what a Luddite I sound like). A couple of long weeks at work have left me not keeping up with posting here (barely remembered the Final Jeopardy contest). Anyway back to the important stuff. Season 17, Episode 3 - Murdoch and the Mona Lisa - I enjoyed it even though I figured out some of the 'who stole what' part of the plot. I wasn't familiar with Emily Carr or her work and I did some research after the show. I also liked the debate about whether knowing which was the original was really important. Thought the bit with the telegram/painting and closet was cute. Very happy to see most of my old friends, especially Watts and the Brackenreids. Sorry to have missed George so far (will try to watch the second episode soon if I am right about my new dvr skills). As a Still Standing fan (also trying to dvr), I understand why George has to come and go sometimes and I like that Higgins gets some additional time. Season 17, Episode 4 - Bottom of the Barrel - a nice lighthearted romp - again figured out part of the plot but had fun on the ride. I adore oysters so also got to engage in some vicarious enjoyment. I thought there was a passing mention of the forced marriages case but I am not sure - I did like that Thomas was sort of right and sort of wrong about her though. Also liked the owner of the establishment's no-nonsense attitude about what she was doing and had done - sort of refreshing. Really liked Margaret's spirited description of what she'd like to do to the donor but think Julia jumped too fast to conclusions. At first, I thought the engaged guy was the eldest Brackenreid son but hope we get to see the officer (if he stays one) again. Glad Ms. Hart is finding some happiness - really can't believe how much I like her now - wouldn't have believed it possible in her early seasons. Can't decide how I felt about the "stop-action" effect that was used. Also not sure how much I will enjoy the Halloween episode next week. I know they like to go all out but much will depend on my mood when I sit down to watch.

They were all guesses for me, but I somehow got to 5/5 for the week. I will add a Sanders Bumpy Cake to the dessert extravaganza. (Take pity if I goofed it up but I tried to include an image of it - this may actually be the first time i have done this for a post).

3/5 with 1 *. Ended up with another OhiO week (round on the ends and high in the middle with my T-Th streak). It has been so long since I read A Room of One's Own that I couldn't even make an educated guess. Got lucky on Canterbury and nausea (which is an odd thing to write) but was sure on Irises probably due to the parental Grundoons instilling the art museum habit in my early with particular fondness for the Impressionists and post-Impressionists. On my way home from work on Friday, I swung by my favorite cider mill so I will offer up some Honey Crisp Cider and a baked apple crisp (variety of apples used) with vanilla ice cream on the side. Thanks for the @saber5055update - she is missed.

I managed 4/5 with 1 * (the April mention got me there at the very last second on Monday). Several lucky guesses got me through until Friday when I had too many French composers in my head to get it right. I will bring cannoli from a favorite Italian bakery. Wishing all my Canadian neighbors Happy Thanksgiving!

@Trey - thanks for the report! My cable went out late Sunday night and despite best efforts, I was not able to get it fixed in time to see the episode - will have to watch when it appears on Acorn. So glad the show is back and hope to be able to watch it in real time soon.

3/5 with no * - I am chagrined to have missed Burr but I had too many names flying around my head and I don't think I normally associate him with the Senate. Also missed the fleece. All the food sounds yummy so I will offer up a beverage - tea both hot and iced (October is starting off in the 80s in Michigan) to enjoy with the meals.

I managed 3/5 - M, W & F. Missed Puerto Rico as my brain went wildly around Central & South America before going anywhere near the Caribbean and somewhere the dimmest reaches of my brain probably knew Sue but it was not coming near the surface in time. Read enough of and about Hemingway to get Monday, flashed back to a W&M American history class where we had to impersonate historical characters to get J. Robert and thanks to rewatching some BBC programs on the English monarchy was able to come up with Handel in time. Went to my last games of historic Base Ball for the season over the weekend and one of the teams treated the fans to their season ending tradition of sangria - it was a peach variety and I have a good recipe myself so I will gladly share.

Count me in the 3/5 group - Got Victoria, Styx and Oslo (which was a wild guess after deciphering the clue). I am also in the "Statue of Liberty guy" group. Should have known Ceres but couldn't get my brain to work on a Friday. Since the desserts seem to be well covered, I will contribute some pork and beef pies from my favorite Scottish bakery. Glad to be back with everyone - Happy Season 40!

Please count me in for Season 40. I too will be checking online until the strike ends (parental Grundoons would expect no less as they were both active union members with whom I spent many a Labor Day marching down Woodward Avenue in Detroit's parade).

Color me amazed at and appreciative of the honor! Looking forward to participating next season (may be using the checking online method until the strike is resolved). Hope everyone stays happy and healthy in the meantime!

If anyone with Britbox is interested, British actor/commedian Allan Carr has a three part show about "Adventures with Agatha Christie" - he appears to be a genuine fan - one episode visits Agatha places and discusses her life, the other two are devoted to Marple and Poirot. Very light entertainment but I found the series to be fun. Hickson was my first Miss Marple visually (was already into the books by then). While I can always find faults with the others, I have generally enjoyed these variations far more than the more recent Poirot ones. @GHScorpiosRule - I am right there with you ducking in defense of Angela Lansbury's movie version.

@Clanstarling - Like so many others, I really appreciate your hard work in keeping this going (just as I appreciated @saber5055). Thanks so much for the perfect attendance award - I was having a frantic week at work last week and the medal made me smile exactly when I needed to!

Congrats to all with perfect attendance - I thought I was not possibly among the group thanks to my lovely cruise in October (just before Halloween) but I just checked and I did post for that week. Appreciate all the work you are putting in @Clanstarlingbut when you get a chance, could you check? I might very well have missed a week but I don't think I did.

3/5 in what I will call an OhiO week (round on the ends = 0 and Hi in the middle for La Boheme, French Foreign Legion and Superstar. Since my farmer's market purchase this week included some absolutely wonderful pesto & brie mini quiches, I will share them as my contribution to the meal finale. Thanks for all the camaraderie this season (and all past). I think I have said before that this forum got me through some dark times and made me laugh in happier ones. Looking forward to the new season (but not ready for summer to be over quite yet) - everyone please be safe, healthy and happy until we meet again!

I somehow stumbled to 4/5 but mainly because I too had learned the 1666 answer a while ago somewhere else. Missed Don Juan while kicking myself because I actually have read Shaw's Don Juan in Hell as well as seeing it performed decades ago (at Niagara on the Lake, I think). The historic Base Ball games at Greenfield Village are set in 1867 so I get several doses of timely facts - Alaska/Seward are frequently among them. ISS was a total guess but it was all I could come up with. I have serious issues about Picasso the human being but for years, anytime I was in NYC, I stopped by MOMA to see Guernica. The painting moved me deeply and I can still hear Father Grundoon's voice explaining the historical context. The Bellinis sound marvelous but can I offer up a couple of pitchers of a hearty Sangria as an accompanying beverage choice?

4/5 - stumbling my way along with some wild guesses. I was reasonably sure on Monet/Manet and the Maine but guessing for City Lights and Steinbeck. Taipei made perfect sense when I saw the answer but I got nowhere near it - not even sure I had a guess other than "Huh?". My too hot to cook dinner for the weekend was bagels, cream cheese, capers and lox from a favorite deli which I am glad to share. No idea if it fits in any theme but everything else sounds yummy as well.

I am also a Pie in the Sky fan and love seeing actors pop up from other British shows. This is reminder that I need to go back and watch the whole series again. I discovered in during the pandemic and watched it slightly out of order at first but still enjoyed it.

2/5 with one *. I think the only reason I got Monday is because I had been listening to Seriously Sinatra on Sirius radio on my drive home and it suddenly flashed in my brain that his fans were called Bobby Soxers. So, I went with that wild guess without even relating it to the clue about cutting things short. My other success was for Watership Down which I have never read but was extremely popular with lots of people I knew at the time. The rest of the week fell into the "makes sense when you read the answer" group. My dish to pass comes thanks to my amazing neighbors who introduced me to Mansaf, which is considered the national dish of Jordan - a delicious combination of lamb, rice, almonds, spices and a yogurt sauce. I am a very lucky girl since they were willing to share with me.

3/5 with no * - I am with those who started strong and faded as the week went on. Probably due to a tiring work week and low air quality/bad weather. I love you Canada - Happy Belated Canada Day! But can you keep your smoke to yourself for awhile? My farmer's market finds were end of the season strawberries and first of the season Michigan cherries - glad to share both.

Managed 4/5 with 2*. Dolly I was reasonably certain of but table tennis was a long shot guess that paid off. I recently rewatched Martin Clunes' Islands of Australia which helped me picture the area well (side note - I would recommend any of his Islands of programs - I think they are on Acorn - good travel porn, informative but fun) and I think I would have had to turn in my W&M history degree if I hadn't gotten Monroe. I am embarrassed to admit I haven't read Willa Cather so my brain was going all over the place to other authors who didn't fit. I think I finally landed on Lucy Maud Montgomery just to have an answer and for that I blame Murdoch Mysteries. I will bring some pitchers of iced tea in case some folks don't want bloody mary (but I will happily join @30 Helens).

4/5 with one * - couldn't get my brain to Pontchartrain in time (I was in more northern climes in my brain even though I should have known better from the explorer's name). There was some point where I had to read the play Antigone more than once so got that plus Travolta and HUAC pretty easily. I initially said Illya first but then the premiere date seemed wrong, and I got to Chekov at the very last second. Still having a lack of food imagination (everybody's contributions sound yummy) so I will bring vodka and mixers in honor of Illya & Pavel.

4/5 due mainly to lucky guesses (the luck deserted me for Slovenia - was picturing too many countries with not enough names). Like others, I got to Amsterdam for the wrong reasons and only had a vague memory of the date for Tuesday being incorrect for the UN so went with NATO. Never read Orlando but did see the Tilda Swinton movie and it stuck with me. POTUS was a Hail Mary of a guess for which I will give thanks to repeated viewing of West Wing. All the food sounds yummy - my food imagination banks are dry but I will try to do better for this week.

4/5 with 2 * - again giving credit to tv viewing habits (lots of Britbox/Acorn non fiction viewing which gave me the Lake Poets) and a mental image of Geena Davis doing archery which popped directly into my brain. I missed Thursday's answer - a long week at work left me too tired to figure out the clue but it made total sense once revealed (don't they all?)