Human

I keep hoping someone will create a gif of it. Or that I learn to gif so I can post it here. It's a really great gif moment and I still can't figure what it's about, whether it was intentional or just a mistake in editing.

I still really don't get the pumpkin thing. I don't think I've ever heard of this. I have pumpkin year round. Is there a new shortage? My partner didn't mention an increased price when they bought a pumpkin for a soup last week. I'm not finding anything on google, either, aside from all these weird articles about lattes. Which again, no idea what's unusual about this.

I was dying with the "Trump is an African Dictator" sketch. I'm curious if this will end up a defining/best of for Trevor. It was really good. I was sort of confused with the pumpkin thing. It felt like an inside joke.

I'd be shocked if there is any mention of the shooting tonight, beyond a generic 'our hearts go out to victims' statement. Trevor Noah would need to have more firmly established himself before he can target a topic like gun violence in America on the very day a mass shooting occurred. I fear the right wing would fall on him like locusts. I'm not even sure John Oliver has had a gun specific show, though the Charleston church shooting came close. Larry might talk about it, though.

Being an advocate something doesn't mean ignoring skills and talent. It's pretty gross to say that Jessica should have taken the spot just because she brings awareness to the lack of black women on tv. Black women aren't all the same, and it's not really the case of 'any ole one will do'.

This episode was sort of a bomb. Something about it didn't work, but I can't quite put my finger on what it is. I kept thinking that I'd already seen that exact same correspondent sketch with Jessica Williams and Jordan Klepper. Of course I think #BlackLivesMatter warrants plenty of coverage and commentary, but maybe not the exact same sketch. It was just weird. Other than that, none of the jokes seemed to land. I started glancing at the clock and wishing the interview would hurry up and get there. I mean, ugh. I hardly ever care for the interviews but when it involves Chris Christie, one of the most worthless horrible men in the world, then there's something really wrong. I'm also really ticked he didn't have anything on the Planned Parenthood hearings. Women's issues ought to play a part in the show. Is there still a women's issues correspondent?

Random observation: When Kiera was drowning Kellogg, his hand trailed down her hair and cheek in this sort of loving way and Kiera gave it this insane side eye. Not sure if this was intended or just accidental actor responses, but it's seriously weird when watching.

I wonder what would happen if someone were to watch only the first episode of this season and the last. Would they be lost? Feel like they missed anything? The plot 'movement' here seems worse than a daytime soap.

Definitely another good episode. I didn't experience as many laugh out loud moments as I did in the first, but I can see where and how Trevor might start experimenting and forming the show in his own image. I think it was a really good idea for him to keep to the Jon Stewart script to start because it doesn't alienate so much of the audience right away. Slow change can good good change. The interview was better though partly that's because the guest didn't force the host to open a gift in front of people. Trevor still isn't great with asking questions, so it's a good thing that this week is full of mostly 'soft' guests. I continue to have hopes that practice will make improvement.

How does one capitalize on the background of a comedian by suggesting they drop a significant part of that background? Would you also advocate they drop the 'poor stuff' or the 'immigrant stuff' or any other 'stuff' that isn't bland and whitewashed of any identity markers? I'm just not sure what your intent here is in both arguing for inclusivity while also suggesting they drop part of an entire identity and then reducing it to 'stuff', with the only reduction of 'stuff' being race. It's pretty offensive. The jokes on the first night were pretty damn 'global' and also fairly inclusive. Jon couldn't have gotten away with the AIDS/aides word play, neither could Larry Wilmore. Amy Schumer couldn't, nor Margaret Cho. Trevor being of 'black stuff' (gods, this term is making me cringe, hopefully you'll notice how offensive it is) from an African country that has been ravaged by the AIDS epidemic can make this joke and it can be funny and have completely different connotations than if it came from an American of any racial or gender background. This is just a reality of comedy. Larry can speak of issues concerning black Americans in a different way than Jon could while Jon will be able to discuss Jewish American culture very differently than Larry would. I'm not sure exactly what sort of global perspective you expect to get, but what we saw last night was a pretty good taste of what we should expect.

As soon as Kevin Hart encouraged Trevor to open the gift in front of everyone, I knew it was going to be awkward. There are very few cultures in the world where it's appropriate for everyone to view the gift and celebrate the gift giver and the gift he gave. It's such a weird custom, and I find it horribly uncomfortable. I was cringing for Trevor and just wanted it to end. As someone who didn't grow up with that tradition, I can say that being forced to participate in it is difficult. I still don't know how to react and tend to just try to make it go away as fast as possible.

The comedy is definitely there. I laughed nonstop pre-interview segment. He's funny, though it's maybe a bit light on the bullshit critique. But for a first show, it's probably high up there. The interview wasn't good. I rarely watch the interviews anyway, but for those guests that I want to watch, I fear Trevor won't be able to perform. I can't see him as the type who can ask those biting questions. Hopefully practice will make improvement. But again, the funny was front and center. I could tell he was testing boundaries, seeing how far he could go with some slightly un-PC things, but for comedians I think that's good. He's got to find his audience. For now, I'm still in the daily show audience.

How did it move the story forward? What new info about the characters or the vampires did we learn? I wasn't all that tuned it so I probably missed a bunch.

Gods, I have zero self control. I keep forgetting to remove this show from my DVR and then find myself watching it. Has there been a single flashback that has moved the story forward? Has any flashback provided new information? I can't imagine what sort of writer would think to himself, "gee, I bet people would like to know how Eph and Nora came to be boinking which will remind the audience that Eph and Kelly are divorced and there is this never ending custody battle happening which is apparently on hold just so we can show you some useless fucking flashback." Garrrrtgh

I guess all tv radiation isn't made equal since the radiated zombies last season didn't have crazy powers. I read a zombie book a few months about about radiation turning the zombies crazy fast. I wonder if one of the writers read the same book during the hiatus. I love how this show seems to just toss in random stuff whenever it suits. Like being bad shots. That was awesome. However, I think if they are going to do that, they have to force 10k to change his name. So I missed the thing about the Z weed. Are they smoking marijuana laced with zombie flesh?

Let's get real here. We utilize censorship everyday. We encourage the suppression of unacceptable speech in our daily lives. Censorship isn't an inherently bad thing. People who want to be slavers are censored. We would like for ISIS to be censored. We even have allowances for the government to have a limited role in censorship when it's agreed that it protects the greater good (no yelling fire in a theater when still using that flammable film). Objecting to things isn't some dangerous form of censorship, nor is ignoring our objections censoring us. No one is calling for the Duggars to be silenced, they aren't demanding that their server stop sponsoring their websites or credit cards stop processing donations or that youtube close their account. No one is even demanding that they be arrested for campaigning to restrict the basic rights of others. Definitely no one has advocated for TLC to be brought up on criminal charges and silenced by the courts. What's happening here is that we aren't self-censoring. We are simply expressing opinions and some of these opinions may continue to be expressed via letter writing, boycotts, protests, or angry posts on a forum. These warnings about the dangers of censorship are comically ironic.

I never give the public credit when editors and producers are involved. TLC has definitely been fooling viewers. They create storylines that allow the women and children in this family to appear as though they have more choices than they actually do.

I'm not against opposing viewpoints in the media, even when a viewpoint is heinous. Reality tv is rarely a record of absolute honesty, nor is it ever truly reality. But stations do have some responsibilities. TLC scrubs clean the Duggars, even though they know full well that this family uses the show to promote some really terrible things. TLC generally doesn't treat it's other shows this way. They aren't pretending that the polygamists are actually monogamists, for example. The only reason the Duggars were interesting enough to be on reality tv is because they have so many kids, but the reason they have so many is because they are adherents to a harmful interpretation of a specific religion coupled with a dangerous cult. The show scrubs this out and pretends they are just mainstream average Joe's who happen to like kids. This is wrong. This is dangerous. This is not something that should be done on tv when it involves the total subjugation of entire classes of people. Of course, I expect things to be sanitized because it's tv. But they need to make it clear that these are fundamentalists in the same way it's clear that the Browns are fundamentalist Mormons. What they are actually doing is providing the hook to funnel people to support some extreme displays of bigotry which is so dangerous because the average person doesn't go beyond the show they just watched to really put in the time researching. Some honesty is required.

We've been speaking about this at work this afternoon (I work for a prominent LGBT org). I'm honestly shocked. I have the utmost sympathy for these women as victims of sexual abuse and also have tremendous sympathy for them as victims of the cult in which they were raised. However, I am outraged that TLC would choose to continue to present them and their ministries on tv. It feels a lot like celebrating the followers of George Wallace after desegregation. It's shameful, it's distasteful. It would be one thing if we could trust TLC to present this family with some semblance of honesty, make clear they are ministering for a very harmful interpretation of beliefs, that their beliefs and actions are heavily tinged with bigotry (and not just for LGBT people). But we can only expect TLC to present them as some sort of lovely Christian family who wouldn't dream of ruthlessly treading on the civil rights of women, children, LGBT, and any others who aren't exactly like them. Shame shame shame. I'm just so angry but I have to be all professional and shit at work so I'm venting here.

Ugh, I violated my word and ended up watching even though I'd sworn off the show. Still no fucking movement in the plot at all. Nothing has happened, nothing has changed. Apparently the rapidly growing vamp population mean absolutely nothing to the city because it's still operating as normal with just a few road blocks in the way. As terrifying as it was watching Dutch and Eichorst, it still changes nothing. Learning more about Eichorst's background changes nothing. Gus getting his new lover and her family out of town puts him exactly where he was in the third episode of the first season. This show is even more stagnant than the standard daytime soap. He can easily be both a rapist and a murderer. Murdering the victim after a sexual assault doesn't negate the rape. One doesn't need a penis in order to be a rapist.

I was a bit reluctant to watch this because Pablo Escobar is so overdone. I also figured that since we all know the major plot points and the ending, there would be no sense of suspense or anticipation. But this was really good. Amazing, in fact. I especially liked that there is focus on how America, Reagan specifically, helped to create these terrible drug lords and the drug wars that followed. I do wish that they had finished up Escobar's story in the finale, but I guess I can understand that they felt they might need a 'hook' to make sure people return next season. I hope they don't spend too much time on him next season and instead move on to the next major narco.

We're talking about a criminal who was a self-centered narcissist and thought the world owed him. He had a Messiah complex. He was idolized in the streets. He really had no reason to think that he couldn't be in politics since he had never before been confronted about his criminal enterprise. He thought himself above everyone else. This sort of personality isn't unusual. Netflix isn't 'portraying' him a certain way just because he was ruthless. He was so ruthless because he was such a narcissist who lacked empathy.

This show is seriously the best. I love that they embrace the 'wtf'. Oh, Doc is dying of a bullet wound? Wtf, who cares, he's all better now. Oh, there are a gazillion nuclear missiles headed to Citizen Z? wtf, who cares, he just needs to hang tight for a few minutes. Oh, Cassandra shows up after a nuclear explosion? wtf, who cares, she's cassandra that's why. Oh, we didn't like the storylines opened with the cliffhangers in the finale? wtf, we'll just drop them all in the first half hour of the premier and who cares who notices. This show don't even care and that's why it's the shizzle.

Hmm, for some reason I thought it had been mentioned that Gates was already dying. The make-up they used on the actor made him look as though he had a terminal illness so I guess I was surprised that he went out by radiation poisoning and kept waiting for him to remind Claire that he was going to die anyway. As we all predicted, LUCIFER!!!! I'm glad to see him being introduced. Though, not gonna lie, I'm really ticked that the only black character introduced in a show filmed in South Africa is 'the bad boy'. Real subtle, showrunners, real subtle. Assholes. I can only hope that they don't go the stereotypical "Lucifer is the devil" route. That story is so boring. I still wish they would wake up to the fact that their father is an asshole and be grateful that he's gone. I mean seriously, every time they speak about him, how he would throw temper tantrums when he didn't get his way and how his tantrums resulted in mass genocide or total abandonment, I just wonder how on earth the writers aren't even thinking about how these angels should maybe stop pining for the dude. I also realized that I forgot to watch last week's show. I don't think I missed anything.

That was a really special interview. Made me glad I kept the show on the DVR for now. I might have been 'chopping onions' while watching. Not much else about the show really excited me. That stand up intro continues to be weird and cluttered and his desk monologue hasn't had another amazing Oreo moment.