Grundoon59

Somehow ended the year with 5/5 with a lucky Hail Mary guess for Battle of New Orleans based on knowing it was fought after the hostilities had ended. Had read about Dolly Parton somewhere recently, knew the Velveteen Rabbit through osmosis (don't think I ever read it), went through a mythology fascination years ago and so Eos was there somewhere (the lip balm helped) and I think I heard the Lake Mead factoid sometime this past year. I made oyster stew with garlic bread for New Years instead of Christmas Eve this year - happy to share.

3/5 (in the holiday hubbub, I lost track of what was an *) but I got Santa, Charlotte's Web and Evangeline [with a poetry and history loving Nova Scotia born, New England raised Father Grundoon I didn't have much choice on getting that one]. Laughed out loud at having missed Milk Duds - what a great origin story. I kept muttering "you know, that artist whose art disappeared" but came no where close to getting Banksy [and I realize that is a small part of his artistic history but it was what popped in my brain] Happy, healthy and safe holidays wishes to all! Grundoon holiday tradition includes strawberry jello salad which has 3 ingredients and which I will happily share.

5/5 with 1*. More than one was due to oddly shaped viewing habits of the past year. I am sure some travel program mentioned the UNESCO fact (Mother Grundoon loved Italy and I have been lucky enough to visit some of the sites), Movies that Made Us on Netflix helped and T. Woodrow Wilson has always been a bit of an interest but I know I watched a documentary somewhere about Edith Wilson and her influence. Monday and Tuesday were educated guesses. I am belatedly starting holiday baking so can offer shortbread and nut brittle for all.

What a weirdly shaped group of questions to get me to a 5/5 (with 2*- I think) for last week. Holy Grail is one of my favorite movies ever plus I was recently listening to my SPAMALOT CD in which the coconuts are featured at the end of a song; Manhattans were the parental Grundoons' drink of choice for years (plus a recent visit to the island and long ago history papers on the project); Silent Cal popped in my brain at the last possible second by remembering the anecdote that his father was a justice of the peace and swore him in; thanks to Stratford Shakespeare Festival for getting me to the Tempest and the Berlin Wall was just an IG from the dates. Since @Good Queen Jane is bringing the drinks, I will bring assorted cocktail nibbles.

Best wishes and safe travels to @Browncoat & @zoey1996 - having visited Miami, Costa Rica, Williamsburg and England at various times of my life, I wish you both the grandest of experiences. Zoey - I feel the stress from here. As someone else said, you are in a situation where you cannot please everyone but have to do the best you can for all but always remember that includes YOU getting your share of the best (I realize that my saying that is the easy part, you living it is the hard part), Please take care of yourself and give my love to the Burg.

Thanks for all the Birthday wishes - I celebrated with a steak dinner, chocolate cake (almost as yummy looking as those pictured by @Clanstarling and @ams1001) plus getting FJ right - yet again many years enjoying the plays at the Stratford Festival pay off (although I almost guessed The Winter's Tale instead).

Color me pleased but amazed to be at 5/5 with one * (and whatever that means for C*). I got Sarah based on the Glenn Close movies. Brazil came easily I think because of a recent rewatch of Michael Palin's travel series. No explanation for the others but they came to mind pretty quickly. I made some pretty good (if I do say so myself) turkey noodle soup over the weekend - tried out a new recipe but will be glad to share. Also hope everyone is willing to have some Grundoon birthday cake which will be chocolate with chocolate frosting - I am a 12/6 baby.

4/5 - couldn't get my Turkey infused brain (day 2) to come up with Yellowstone on Friday. Monday to Wednesday were right in my theater/history loving wheelhouse (and if you care to see the chair Lincoln was in while watching the play, come to The Henry Ford - it also has the Kennedy car). For Thursday, I started rolling through the Southern states and schools and got to Rambling Wreck in time. @saber5055 - Happy Belated Birthday from another Sagittarian and oodles of good healing thoughts/hugs headed to you for the battle ahead. As my break from leftovers this week, I got some bacon-cheddar frittatas at a local market - glad to share with the table.

@statsgirl - I did get the film noir/Hitchcockian allusions - I just didn't think they worked, at least they didn't for me. I will never knock writers/directors/actors/producers for trying something different and/or for swinging for the fences when they do. But as I said, it just didn't work for me. And I will utterly admit, it may just have been me - I was coming off a pressure filled 10 days of work while doing Thanksgiving prep in my head. I will try to give this another watch when it becomes available on Acorn and see if I view it differently then. Since there won't be new episodes until the New Year and I don't know how much posting will be going on until then, I want to take this chance to wish everyone a happy, healthy and safe holiday season. The sense of community on these forums have meant a lot to me in the past couple of years. Even when I disagree with someone hear, I enjoy the interactions.

@Trey - thanks for the info - I knew they were going for something. I agree with you and @Pepper the Cat, the scenes with the baby were touching but by the time they rolled around, I was so disconcerted by the whole episode that I probably didn't appreciate them as I should have.

Season 16 Episode 11: DOA - @cardigirl - I am not quite at the point you are but I understand where you are coming from. I waited until now to post about this last episode because I was having difficulties articulating my reactions. I get that in Season 16 they want to try something that stylized and from an unusual POV but I have to say, it largely left me flat. Good things: I thought it was beautifully photographed and they made good use of it being in black and white, For quite awhile, it kept me guessing as to whether this was "real" or some sort of fever induced dream that Murdoch or someone else was having. I like Julia and Mrs. Hart working together to try to find answers. White he is not the most colorful villain they have ever used, I did like thought he did a good job with the role. Not so good things: I didn't get why both Julia and Mrs. Hart looked like they were headed to an evening out (loose hair, glam makeup) rather that a normal working day. Would Higgins ever refer to himself as lazy unless it was in someone else's dream? The whole Angel of Death imagery left me cold both with Murdoch and the condemned man. I wasn't thrilled by either Julia or Brackenreid's actions (I understand both but I sometimes tire of "good" characters being allowed to use any means necessary without consequences while other times, they clutch their pearls at the actions of others). Lastly, it seemed like an odd choice of an episode to have as the last before the holiday break. It was very bleak and as @cardigirl said, it seemed not to move forward plot points (dead husband) from last week's episode. Maybe I missed something but it sort of seemed like a big swing at a "Special Episode" that didn't quite work for me.

1/5 with no * although my brain was struggling mightily to come up with Conrad for Thursday. I have to again give credit to watching a lot of Britbox and Acorn historical programming for getting me to Newcastle with time to spare. I do vaguely remember visiting there in person when I was lucky enough to spend a summer in Great Britain during college. I will happily bring whipped toppings and ice cream if I am allowed to join the pie table.

Season 16 E: 10 Dash to Death. I saw the first few minutes but then got interrupted by a wonderful kindly neighbor bringing me over some food (hard to be mad about that) so it took me awhile to figure out who was who. I did like the superimposed explanations of the historical Olympic figures - even for a non Canadian, that was cool to see- heaven knows if I am watching Olympic coverage, I am just as likely to watch CBC as a US network. I also liked the outcome of the race that Iggy entered - it isn't always where you place, it is sometimes the impact that you have. I have grown much more fond of Mrs. Hart than I ever thought possible in earlier seasons but I am not thrilled with all her family drama. I hope the writers find a way of resolving it without losing her as a character. Right now it seems like the future is very bleak for her.

2/5 with one * - bookends of Monday & Friday. The Sword of Damocles popped into my head at the very last second and the only way I can figure out that I got Kew Gardens was I have been rewatching the tv series "Rosemary & Thyme" which has an episode about a possible alternative malaria drug and botanist who spent time in South America - I think Rosemary consults someone connected to Kew Gardens in the episode - anyhow, it got me there only as a wild guess. For Tuesday to Thursday, I couldn't even come up with guesses. @Prevailing Wind, I am so sorry for your loss - sending big hugs and solace through the ether to you and your loved ones.

As usual, loved the episode and of course that Pete got to see that he had made a difference (silly show making me tear up like that). Pretty much everyone got a chance to shine. This show did such an amazing job in their primary cast and it is carrying through to guest stars as well. But as someone who actually still has a stash of cartons of Tab, I loved the shout out by the method actor when he arrived (although I would not spare one for him since he was so mean about Pete).

@peacheslatour, I completely agree. He is always doing something interesting in the background and/or with props and it doesn't seem as if he is doing it to distract from others in the scene but rather just to make Watts the unusual character he is.

Honeymoon in Hampshire Season16 Episode 9 - November 7 2022 I agree with @Trey, the back and forth was a little confusing but mainly, I was so delighted to see Watts, George and Effie again that I was willing to overlook that. In both cases, I noticed some "clues" right off the bat that allowed me to solve part of each mystery but I certainly enjoyed the ride of getting to the eventual solutions. Overall, the episode reminded me of reading a good cozy mystery which I really like to do. Thanks for the geographical info @Trey - I didn't realize Thunder Bay was such a recent name since it has been that most of my life.

3/5 with one*. Monday and Wednesday were right in my history major brain but am not quite sure why Thursday was such an instaget for me since to the the best of my remembrance, I have never read nor seen Lost Horizons but there I was shouting out the answer as soon as the clue appeared. Am mad at myself for missing Longfellow - read enough literature/poetry of the period in college but could not pull the name out of my memory banks. For Friday, I was zipping all around the mid European map but didn't come close to Zurich. In honor of Longfellow publishing in Portland, I will bring some classic Whoopee Pies as a suitably Maine dessert for the table.

I Still Know What You Did Last Autumn Season 16 Episode 8 - October 31 2022 I am glad I saw the episode but am not sure I can say I enjoyed it. I agree with @Trey, it was a little grim for me and also a little too frenetic. I couldn't quite keep track of who was who and when the next clown was going to pop up from who knows where. It may have been that I was just tired from a long day of driving (returning home after a wonderful vacation) and that I may have been jittery at being alone in the house watching a spooky episode. I have grown quite fond of Louise Cherry as a character and while she now has financial success, I hope she does find personal happiness as well. Can't wait to see Watts and Crabtree next week.

@Ailianna - I saw Into the Woods and 1776 - both are running through January 8 (I think that is the date). Long time fan of both shows (saw original Woods on tour and all Broadway versions of 1776) - LOVED both of these versions. I went to both box offices on the day I was there and got great seats - for Woods, I was front row and for 1776 I got a rush seat in the mezzanine so saw both for $105 total. I would go back to either in a heartbeat and I am not usually one to hang out at the stage door but I did for both and got to speak briefly with some of the cast in each show.

Got 4/5 with no *. My favorite was Tuesday since I got the answer because as a small Grundoon, I had repeatedly listened to the old Danny Kaye "Hans Christian Anderson" album - "Wonderful, Wonderful Copenhagen". No spare food (even imaginary) in the cupboard this week since I haven't been shopping. Will do better next week. Thanks for all the good wishes about my trip - I had a grand time on my one week NYC to Bermuda to NYC cruise and an amazing time on my one night stay over in NYC after it when I saw two fantastic Broadway shows and walked around Manhattan until my feet gave out. Mother Grundoon was with me in spirit and had a good time as well.

4/5 with 2* (totally amazed). I goofed up on Thursday- went the wrong direction with my mental map and had only a guess that I knew was wrong. Have no food to pass since I am not home to fix anything. I am on board a cruise ship waiting to sail on my first vacation since Mother Grundoon died. Already happy new memories but some melancholy moments. I will get caught up for the contest when I get back next weekend.

@Trey - thanks for the information - I sort of know Kitchener (many long weekend trips to Stratford in the Grundoon family lead to exploring the area quite a bit back in the day when we weren't seeing two plays per day). I was so happy to see Watts that I just accepted that he was there but I understand what you mean. I do think that he was looking so lost as he was leaving Jack in NYC that it is not impossible that he would have drifted to the community but a little more explanation might have helped. I don't specifically remember Murdoch telling anyone he was a detective but he may have told the first family who told him the second would not help outsiders.

@marina to - thanks for the information. I will have to check things out. I have enjoyed everything I have seen her in so far. She just seems to bring a good energy to her work.

Episode 16.06 - Clean Hands I enjoyed this episode - have missed seeing Sharron Matthews on my screen since Frankie Drake ended and was happy to see her as the wife/mother in family they stayed with. Always good to see Margaret and Higgins delivered his one line well (by the way, I can't remember did he and his wife lose all their money? I do remember she was working in the clinic at one time but I can't remember if it was for needed money or due to boredom. I was somewhat confused about Henry's line about money for a vacation) The star of the episode for me was of course Watts. Daniel Maslany is so good at showing the underlying pain of Watts. I look forward to when he finds his way back to Toronto (I am counting on a Frankie Drake web episode as being an accurate future prediction). I don't know what to make of Bobby (Robert) Brackenreid. The actor did a good job of presenting his transformation but knowing the likely outcome will break Margaret & Thomas' hearts makes me sad. The preview for next week lessened my pain at knowing I will not be able to watch it live. I think I can wait until Acorn to see those characters again but will be interested in how all of you watchers react next week.