Knuckles

Floki was doing a serious Jim Jones imitation...I felt as if the spiked Koolaid would be served soon. They all looked less like adventurers, more like cultists. Bjorn and his travels remain interesting, but he does lack Ragnar's depth. When they were in France, and the traveler was translating, you could see Ragnar thinking and considering some forward plan...Bjorn simply looks so dependent on the translator. You never knew what Ragnar might do next...some epic move. hard to believe that he would not have tried to speak with Kassia. And Ivar, in his hoodie, does do a mean gangster...but I am back on Hotmud's side. I am done with bloodthirsty psychos...who have no future, just an endless, bloody present.

Given that I could not stand Chrissy and her "heroic mother" speech continued to simply annoy, I am still not pleased, even with the final 3. Ryan sucked, Chrissy annoyed and Ben found all the many hidden idols...so many, that I lost count. It was not an interesting season. And we never saw the amazing game play from Mike we were told existed. Too many lavish rewards, too many idols, too many engineered twists. The producers have improved the show into a bore.

I do miss Ragnar. But Bjorn has always been his true son, and his adventures in Sicily and beyond promise to be interesting...and even Halfdan is not as witless as i had assumed. Astrid changes gender preferences for a shot at being a queen...Lagertha and her love for her utterly forgotten. And marrying Finehair, who blithely announced that he killed the last woman who turned him down might have helped her say yes. Still, Finehair is one ugly, smelly looking mutt...good luck with that, Astrid. And Ivar, may you fall into one of those roman sewers...the mad dog Ivar is beginning to bore. Yeah, he's a psychotic killer, with no real plan for the future, except endless killing, and it is hard to take much more of him. Yes, the actor sells it, but the character is thin...not much nuance there. Athelwufl is no military genius...he jumps at the first chance to take on the Vikings..whether it is Hotmud's visions, or crumbling walls, or now smoke suggesting the Vikings are burning the dead. If only he had read War and Peace, he would have learned what Kutusov knew when confronted with Napoleon and vastly superior invading forces...time and patience, and strategic retreat. Cutting off their food supplies was a great move...but moving too quickly would undo that. Medieval sieges often lasted a year or two...Athelwufl needs to sit his butt down.

All the idols are ruining the game. Seriously. And the rewards have become much too common. Survivor used to be much more hard scrabble, and being hungry and tired upped the game...made the alliances and broken promises much more interesting. I keep wanting to like Mike, but he says such stupid stuff, and Devon is clearly just a doofus. Ashley was playing hard, and i liked seeing some real emotion from her after Devon's betrayal...but it did not help her game at all. Ben and Chrissy are equally overbearing, and i find them both unlikeable. I am sorry Lauren is gone...she was my fave. Weird season. Usually I have someone to really root for...this time, no one really.

Crissy has all the arrogance and dishonesty that I would expect from a "financial analyst"...and floating an all girl alliance to get the weak males on her side was standard game play. Roark did herself no favors at Tribal though...her best shot was to expose the lie the Crissy sold about Team Girl...but then, she may not even have heard of it. Would Ali have clued her in? In any event, I doubt Team Yellow has much more time...this is not a strong team. Love Ashley though, and Devon and agreed...Desi is astonishingly beautiful, even with sand all over her face.

I should be embarrassed to ask...but besides Thoros, who died? Was it Beric? So Tormund, Jorah, Jon, and the Hound survive, with Gentry safe at Eastwatch? Thanks for the help.

I'm guessing that Grey Worm and the Unsullied are still under siege at Casterly Rock. Enron has burned Dany's fleet, and they have no easy way out. Exactly how Varys is getting his info on the battle there is not clear...no one seems to be using ravens, and after his long absence and Qyburn gathering up the "little birds", Varys's network should be down. But, he is still getting his info. Dany needs to ride Drogon to attack Euron, or she might lose her Unsullied.

The big moments in this episode were great...but I really enjoyed the smaller ones. For example,Jon striding up to a waterlogged Theon, and restraining himself from killing him on the spot. Nice touch...Theon pulling himself together and walking towards Jon, despite his fear of Jon taking his revenge. I hope Meera is not gone for good...her resemblance to Jon has always been striking, while she looked nothing like Jojen, I have always wondered if there were two babies born to Lyanna..wtith Ned taking Jon, and Howland Reed taking Meera. I did hope the two would meet. I had no idea who to root for in that battle...glad to see the Lannister forces finally get theirs...but seeing men reduced to ashes was horrifying. On the other hand, the Dothraki were themselves terrifying, and unleashing them on the people of Westeros is not endear anyone to Danaerys. Did anyone else wonder about the Dothraki comment to Tyrion, that the Westerosi "are shit fighters". Maybe the Dothraki, among them some Khals or would-be Khals nurture their own ambitions. Just a thought.

For all the fuss about the endgame being female dominant, it seems they are spectacularly inept. So Yara and Ellaria are flirting with one another, and the sand snakes bragging about their prowess, while Euron sneaks up and attacks. So Yara doesn't bother to post scouts? And not a single crew member notices a thing? For the record, I am glad the writers found a way to dispose of the sand snakes, and Ellaria may have more use as a battle trophy than a would-be ruler. Never bought in either the book or the show version that Dorne would follow Ellaria after her murder of Prince Doran, and nothing in the casting of the sand snakes suggested anything but addled mean girls. Danny sails to Westeros, and doesn't use the time to map out a battle plan? WTF? LF overstepped, and misjudged Jon...the latter's gratitude for the Vale army goes to Sansa, not LF. And any suggestion of untoward feelings for Catelyn or Sansa really ignited Jon's anger...again, a serious misjudgment on LittleFinger's part. If Jon had actually strangled Littlefinger, I doubt the lords of the Vale would care...Royce might be grateful. LF will return to trying to work Sansa...who knows if he will succeed. But, Arya heading home to Winterfell will complicate his efforts...imagine Jon finding out that Arya is alive and reuniting with her. Should be wonderful. I do love Hotpie, and I especially liked that the writers had him calling her Arry...just as he did six years earlier. Nice touch.

I love this description of the dragons. And I enjoy your analyses of military failures on display. Many thanks.

"Would subletting be better because they are furnished?" Yes. And I don't think she needs to start buying furniture...just get away from Sonja and find a nice place to call home. If she can swing 5-6 grand a month, she can do very well in lots of good Manhattan neighborhoods. Then, take a look around the city...it changes and she's been away for a while. Get a two year sublet, and if the RHONY thing doesn't work out, she is free to go elsewhere. The rest of these housewives are much older...she does not need to take advice from them. Look at their lives. She could do much better.

I live on the West Side, and Luann's ex, Jacques lives around the corner, so the franchise has been here...and the apt. she was living in for a year or two was a sublet in a coop two blocks south..on Riverside Drive, facing the Hudson. The West Side used to be pretty low key and fun, but due to an infestation of investment bankers and their second and third wives, things have gotten pricey. it still skews younger than the UES, but Manhattan has become Geriatric Island, to an extent. All the young, fun clubs and shops are pretty much gone, and you have rents even in Williamsburg, Brooklyn so high, that the really adventurous young have moved on to Queens...Astoria for example. it was a long time ago that downtown was home to artists and young kids whose lives were a maze of clubs and part-time jobs...that world has gone. Carole and Beth, both wealthy older women, are not the people that made downtown hip. It retains that aura, especially to real estate agents selling the place, but the strollers on the sidewalk, some costing as much as a Mercedes, rival the West Side. I like this Tinsley..she has had a rough ride, so I am rooting for her. Carole might mean well, but telling someone to cut their hair, when it is clear her looks are crucial to her self-image, is harsh. Better still, find a coop to sublet for a year or two, and look around. No big rush. Keep the length, if you want, but lose the curls. Get away from Sonja, you do not need to associate with the unhinged. The, relax. You have money, and you are visible...you don't need a reality show for that. Enjoy it while it lasts, but don't work it too hard...you could end up like Beth, a fate best avoided.

Top marks to the actor playing Nacho's father...he is perfect. And Mando is awesome as the son who has brought his family to ruin. Whatever happens to Hector, Nacho and his father will never be able to repair this damage...and Nacho reminding his father that their relatives in Mexico are also at risk was seriously chilling. I hate Hector so much, that i root for Gus, who is not a nice guy either. Poor Francesca, she is so much team Kim that she had scheduled a way for Kim to go forward, injuries and all. And Kim barely noticed, so eager was she to go full slacker. The actress playing Francesca is wonderful.

Not true...the estate tax kicks in at 5 million...and I do think those other ladies really needed the money, now, not after they are dead. The whole point of Jimmy's meet up with Howard is that the lawyers can hold out for years for a bigger payout, but many of these seniors don't have that time. The lawyers are holding out because they want more, not that they have any concern for the senior ladies. What the lawyers are doing is not illegal, but it is ethically scummy. And Irene, with her decision just to go along with the "professionals" is not a critical thinker...and logic or a reasoned argument would not change her mind...she would not bother to follow the thoughts. But, social isolation would change her mind. Jimmy knows how to read people...and in the end, what he did will get the money to these ladies much faster. Of course, he'll get his too, but this is the Jimmy/Saul conundrum. I had hoped that Mike would not sign on with Lydia...silly, I know, since his first instinct is not to trust her. But it plays out the way it must. Love Kim...and the loyal and ever helpful Francesca...and Nacho's dad...but for decent folks, things do not end well.

I was impressed by Scott thru this whole race. He was able to hold himself back and deal with Brooke, and that, given the other pressures of the race, was truly impressive. I know he has to share the money with Brooke, but he really deserves the majority of the cash. I am trying to imagine Brooke paired with Redmond or with Floyd, and seeing disaster written all over it. I do wish Seth and Olive had been in the finals...they were my favorites from the start. I am glad the Race is back...I love watching and don't mind disliking the racers either, that's half the fun.