candall

I watched the first season or two and since then I've only checked in sporadically. I couldn't handle the boring storylines of the Vegas seasons. Didn't care about the kids or the cheesy jewelry line. But, ha, I thought this episode was riveting. THIS is what interested me about a "sisterwives" show in the first place. How do the women get along?! How do they cope? Is it possible for a man to go bunny-humping around among multiple women and maybe those women might appreciate the time off as well as the time on? Jealousy? Living arrangements? Conflict resolution? This ep really brought the tea, I thought. I laughed when Meri said, essentially, "Like it or lump it--either way works for me." It seemed that each woman asserted herself in a way I hadn't seen before. Right on, grrrrrrrrlz. But because I haven't been a constant viewer, I don't understand why they left Vegas. Was that cul de sac not the perfect setup? They all miss Vegas, their monthly housing budget is insane, they're driving back and forth, spitting like scalded cats about sharing a house, Kody sounds like a lunatic promoting the "personal kitchen" system. Why did they leave?! The only thing I've heard on the show is some vague reference to "problems." Thanks in advance for filling me in.

Oh man, my tv is pathetic. I must have about ten pixels--I didn't even know he had a toothpick. My practice, with new shows, is to rack up multiple episodes before I watch. I wasn't enthralled with the pilot, but by the end of the second hour, I was disappointed I didn't have a third one in the can. Compact, pragmatic Bishop is a nice juxtaposition to the unmade bed that is her boss; plus, she was adorable when she twinkled out those dimples. I liked the characters and the lessons Deputy Godson was getting from his new mentor/partner. "You're not ready for that lesson, [Luke.]" Ha. Saint Doctor Wife--meh, whatever. If she can save Deputy Obi Wan, she can stay. It was good enough for me to select Series Record.

I was annoyed by interminable footage of Andrea waiting for Lamar at the bottom of an escalator. Is there really nothing else going on with any of these felons/idiots they could have plugged into that six minute segment? Big reveal: "There he is." And why was Andrea making up the couch for Lamar? Sweetheart, Lamar did NOT come home "to see the kids." See? The conversation about the sleeping arrangements would have been much more interesting than the escalator vigil. Marcellino needs to grow that long hair back. I hate to say it, but: Hubba. There used to be a teenager named "Manley" who mowed my yard. He later married "Baby Girl." [Later still, Manley and Baby Girl stole my car.]

Hats off to @LadyChatts, who tagged Elaine last September as a Sia award winner. Good call! I first noticed Elaine because I have never in my life seen a woman stroll around wearing pants/shorts/swimsuit snugged up under her gut. I've seen it with ~2.4 million guys, yes, but never a woman. I found that particular lack of self-consciousness very refreshing. She might have punched that "aw shucks" folksy button a little too hard, but it was her niche in the game and I thought it was basically genuine. I think it would have been deeply satisfying if we'd watched Elaine go back to Kentucky with a million dollars in her pocket and kiss that factory job goodbye. And then finally, I was proud of her for showing up at the reunion without six pounds of makeup spackled on. I was able to recognize her right off the bat. (You'd think 39 seasons of Survivor Live Reunion shows would make people stop and think about makeup and women's natural beauty.) Anyway, I loved seeing Elaine's little face perk up when Probst announced her name, and then crumple when the figure was named. Good for you, Elaine.

I used to think of Chuck Lorre as, more or less, the Charlie Sheen character in Two & A Half Men. But then Mom came along and I remember some good discussions on these boards about the serious issues they were tackling in that show within the 30-minute comedy format. Even so, I was expecting Bob and Abishola to be an updated Mike and Molly, and I'm really delighted that it has so much more depth. I think the cultural differences and the respective family obligations would create some bumps in the courtship path in real life and it's refreshing to see that as part of the story. As someone pointed out above, this would be a difficult show to drop in and fully enjoy as a stand-alone episode. It requires some background and continuity. I think it's more sophisticated and thought-provoking than any of the other new comedies this season. Huzzah.

I was so disgusted with those last couple of years on Lifetime, I would just ff to the runway--and then roll my eyeballs at the judging. SO nice that it's back on Bravo. A little bit of time to create, a decent amount of money at Mood. (It's kind of a shame they're forced to carom through Mood like a bunch of crazy bumper cars, but I don't know why they wouldn't all arrange to go familiarize themselves with the Mood layout in advance.) Anyway, full credit to the producers for introducing the cast members in such a way that I have a tenuous grip on . . . maybe ten out of the remaining fourteen. That's great (for me) and makes me eager for the next episode.

Ah. Explains why I suddenly have three episodes of Almost Family queued up on the DVR.

I'm like Joan, who lives alone, with Doug, or in my case, Tic Tac. The whole thing made me howl with glee. I've had fifty laughs from (Do It In My) Twin Bed and now I just think Aidy Bryant is brilliant.

I just recently read an article about prisoners being forced to buy their own feminine hygiene supplies from the prison commissary--a problem exacerbated by those crazy $0.38/hour paychecks. One roll of toilet paper per week and no menstrual stuff supplied? The desperation of that situation made the hair stand up on the back of my neck, so kudos to New Amsterdam for featuring that indignity in their storyline. I think they have too many cliffhangers going, though, for a two month hiatus. Iggy's busted trying to adopt a new baby on the down low and one of the women from Rikers has a razor blade ready to go. I think there are eight or nine other plot points I'm supposed to have retained, but no.

I zipped through the first page and had some good laughs over the tower of toast. My main observation, though, is that I'm happy and satisfied with the mechanics of the mid-season finale. They resolved the Big Issues and pulled several threads to revisit in January.** I look forward to Jason Ritter's secret more than Sophie's bitter kitten pique. **I still have quite a bit of residual anger at The Walking Dead, where they apparently found it hilarious to end the season on a huge cliffhanger so they could watch the internet burn down and smolder for a year. ######### Geez, how many shows are on hiatus until the end of January? What are we going to watch for the next two months? They'll be dusting off Andy Williams Christmas specials.

Oh no. Did you miss "Beyond the Pole"? > Disagree. I'm okay with this set. Among the many comedic touches--Lacy's evident pride in her ENORMOUS cleavage--it makes me laugh every time someone refers to "Puppy", still in prison. In any event, I'm tired of star alumna Johnna. Every time I hear them promoting an LAL retrospective, I look up and there's Johnna, now living in Austin, still bitching about Garrett.

Ahh! This is the very thing that bugged me about <snort> Island of the Idols. <jazz hands> I think this is the last threshold that Probst hadn't yet carried Boston Rob across, honeymoon style. "Hey, why don't you come with me on location at Fiji and we'll hang? They can set up a big air-conditioned tent for you right next to mine and wait 'til you see the craft services--fresh mangoes every morning, lobster every night. You 'n me and a big Cohiba! We'll find some way to make it all legit with production." > > Ha. I'd bet that Jeff Probst is kind of bored with the gig and having Rob (&Sandra) come along to play with him makes it fun and freshens up the experience for him. Rob (&Sandra) probably aren't interested in going back to sweat it out while the rats run over their faces, but sharing the Jeff Probst experience as on-camera talent? A whole different Survivor. > > All-in-all, you can tell they had to jackhammer the Rob &Sandra roles into the seasonal theme, but it's not as obnoxious or obtrusive as I anticipated. The two of them hiding in that little box, peeking through the cracks and making snarky Greek chorus comments is even pretty funny.

Right there with you. Old Law & Order episodes are the background noise of my life. I can be drifting off to sleep to the soothing rumble of Briscoe or McCoy and suddenly <ree! ree! ree! ree!> OMIGAWD, they're eating again!! So much Chinese carryout. So much dialogue with full mouths. I've been puzzled by this, too. She was always sowing good will amongst the peoples back when she was, you know, Madam Secretary. I scowl at the tv and have a little inner dialogue with the characters. "You think she's bad? Lemme tell you a little bit about bad . . ."

Bo's a good boy, but I was crushed when the Obama's dog process boiled down to accepting a high-end gift dog. Talk about optics--imagine the good that would have come from the wildly popular First Family visiting a rescue facility, checking out the hybrid vigor. : ) Then there was the announcement about the allergies and, okay, maybe, I guess. There were probably the same 47 layers to be weighed and considered as on the tv show, but I'm still annoyed with Ted Kennedy. Butt out with your impeccably bred Portuguese Water Dog; Petfinders.com could have rustled up a hypoallergenic pup if they'd had the chance. [Ha, thanks for reading, if you made it this far. It's still such an issue that people don't realize they can get any kind of purebred dog from rescue. PSA! Spread the word.] P.S. Agree that Hope is a border collie with a small mystery contribution somewhere in there. Is there room at the WH for a sheep meadow?

My word for Theo would not be so benign. Does any adult ever say no to this kid? We're all going to sleep in the tent! Banana pancakes! The whole family must deliver this baby present! And because Theo's hopping around like overly carbonated ginger ale and insisting they ALL go, Katherine feels she has to suck it up and congratulate her husband's mistress on the birth of their child? Not in this lifetime, kiddo. Have a swig of Nyquil and settle down.