clb1016

OK, "Holy Potatoes!" is a phrase I will start using at every possible opportunity.

Tonight's Seth Meyers show is a repeat. Meyers only goes live Mon-Thurs; Fri is always a rerun.

We're on the same page. Chris is a smart guy and a good interviewer, and he has terrific guests. I watch Rachel as well and appreciate the way she puts issues in historical context, but sometimes I need to take a break from her.

That was exactly what I thought, so I expect it's more than just the two of us who thought so. One of the (many) unsettling things about this series--through all seasons thus far--is that it sometimes makes me feel like a complete idiot. Of course, by the end of the season, it's just as likely that this theory will prove to be correct. Or not. Whatever.

I just came to this board today because I've been watching a Monk marathon, which means I've been seeing way too much Trudy-obsession over a relatively short period of time. At least when the show was originally on the air it was limited to once a week. I also didn't necessarily want to see him romantically involved with anyone--burying himself in his work seemed the right response--I just wanted to stop hearing about Trudy. I stopped watching the show around Season 4 or 5. It didn't help that I never took to Natalie the way I did to Sharona. Just my own theory, but I think the Trudy thing might have been an effort to show Tony Shalhoub's versatility--his ability to do great comedy and pathos at the same time. He's done a lot of theater in NY the last several years and I've seen him in a variety of shows--comedy, drama, even a musical. He really has tremendous range.

The first season seemed to set the table for a show about two sleeper spies living next door to an FBI agent. (Although I have to admit that I had a problem with Season 1 because P&E seemed more like a hit squad than spies. I mean, really, what the hell was the body count for Season 1?) The tension arose from the friendship between the two families and whether this would lead to Stan capturing P&E or P&E having to dispose of Stan; either outcome would be a huge betrayal leading to pain and heartache for the survivors. Now Stan is basically a single guy living next door to his best friend Phil's family; he has't shown any suspicion of them in years; and if he eventually does catch on to them, it will only be because of info he gets from some other op he's running with another Russian immigrant. Yes, Oleg needs to get back on American soil for more secret meetings with Stan. And PLEASE, no more Paige. The actor isn't up to the demands of the role. TPTB should have recognized this a couple of seasons ago and done a work-around in terms of plotting.

I think Chris Hayes' show also was commercial-free. This is a BIG story. I'm old enough to remember the Saturday Night Massacre and I thought I'd never see anything like it again in my lifetime. Wrong again.

Your first sentence @ #2 above is the key here, I believe. Axe respects Wendy as a professional--indeed, considers her vital to his business (I, on the other hand, am baffled) whereas Lara hasn't succeeded as a businesswoman beyond her ability to throw money into something. Axe seems to respect Lara's instincts, and he encourages (indulges?) her when she has a new project. But it seems like for her it's more "Ooh! What a great idea!" rather than taking a hard, cold-eyed look at the enterprise and doing the research/prep that someone with real business acumen would do, as Axe pointed out to her a few episodes back.

I would happily watch a show with just Dollar Bill, Mafee and Taylor, and Wags (in small doses).

This exact point was the basis of the NY Times recap of this episode: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/03/arts/television/fargo-recap-the-law-of-non-contradiction.html?rref=collection%2Fspotlightcollection%2Ftv-recaps

Given the past few months, we'll probably all soon be candidates for liver transplants.

Yup, but given that she probably only weighs about 85 lbs dripping wet, she sure is badass.

You raise an interesting question. My theory has been that Oleg's mother and other women in the camps were used for sex by the guards and whatever Soviet bigwigs were in the vicinity, based on her saying "I did what I had to do" and the father saying that a lot of men divorced their wives after they got home from the camps while he stayed married to her. That doesn't seem like a good reason or him to be rewarded with his ministerial status, however, so I'm probably wrong (not for the first or last time).

This was my favorite episode of the season so far--Coenesque, and I didn't have to look at Ewan McGregor or David Thewlis (although I did miss Michael Stuhlbarg, and Ray Wise was a nice addition). And if anyone wants to produce a series starring Carrie C*** and Frances Fisher, I promise to watch.

Here's what I don't get about the Tuan situation, in addition to not questioning him about his activities the previous night. Three agents followed him to IHOP; did none of them stick around to see what he did there? Did he actually just make a phone call, have a cup of coffee by himself and then leave? Or did he meet with someone? Or possibly leave something in a dead drop (like the bathroom)? Was it really enough just to know his destination? Didn't anyone have eyes on him when he was inside, or do a search after he left? Other random thoughts: as someone above pointed out, there's no reason to write Henry off the show since there's only one more season and he generally does not appear in every episode anyway. (Although I do have a feeling that the polarized politics of the two kids will be an important factor in the final season, but what do I know?) Why do people keep referring to Stan as being selfish for going to Gaad's widow? Stan is being anything but selfish. He's trying to keep the FBI/CIA from using Oleg in a way that would put his life at great risk. He was looking for affirmation in his desire to leave Oleg to live his life in peace. Instead he basically got "leave your emotions out of it." Watching two terrific actors like Langella and Wright is always a joy, but that scene made me think that if one of them does commit suicide, it will be Gabriel not Martha. Or perhaps both will.

Yup, yet one more display of the basic incompetence which this administration has raised to an art form.

And like a lot of young dorky guys who become rich middle-aged guys, he thinks he's cool because now everyone laughs at his jokes, goes out drinking and drugging and whoring with him, and generally sucks up to him, and he can get away with saying anything because nobody would dare tell him to shut up. In truth, without money he'd be sitting home alone every night (just as he did when he was young) because he's basically an unlikable jerk.

Hollywood legend has it that director Mike Curtiz put off filming the ending of Casablanca until the last day of the shoot because he hadn’t yet made up his mind whether Ilsa should end up with her husband or with Rick. He decided to film it both ways and see which ending worked best. SPOILER ALERT FOR 75-YEAR OLD FILM: after shooting what turned out to be the actual ending (i.e., Ilsa going off with Victor and leaving Rick behind), Curtiz didn’t bother shooting the alternate ending because he knew that what he had was perfect. That said, I think the real mistake TPTB made this season was in allowing external events to influence what they put on the air. Assuming they had a story arc in mind before they began shooting (perhaps not a safe assumption), they should have stayed with it instead of trying to keep up with the realities of the political landscape which, in my opinion, threw them off their game. Sorry if I'm rambling, but I just think that creative people do their best work when they follow their instincts rather than when trying to keep up with what's current or trendy.

And she never will, because that's the premise of the show. This seems to me like a (supposedly) comedic version of the film "Terms of Endearment" where it's obvious that the mother is in complete control of the daughter's life and the daughter never seems to understand that she doesn't have to put up with it. Despite the abundant talents of Martin and Higgins (and Fey), I found this to be a major disappointment.

Don't they also have something like 5 homes? She could be at or on her way to any one of them. Police wouldn't be in any hurry to start what would likely be a waste of time.

Referencing Godfather, Part 2. Axe had referred in an earlier message to being struck like a lightning bolt when he first met Lara (as was said about Michael Corleone when he first saw Apollonia, who was later killed by a car bomb which had been set to kill Michael).

Am I the only one who's disappointed in the way Taylor's transformation has been written? I understand that money is a corrupting influence but this hasn't been a gradual transformation; it's as if someone flipped a switch. We're supposed to believe that a former Occupy Wall Streeter is now willing to participate in an enterprise that (unethically and perhaps illegally) screws over anyone and anything in its wake just to make a few more bucks that none of them will ever be able to spend, and then be all "Fuck you, Brian. Ya got nothin' on me." Early in the season they were saying "I don't know if I can work in this environment" and a few episodes later they're practically drooling while stroking the leather seats on their private plane? I swear, even Dollar Bill is written with more subtlety. How about some introspection? Does this person have any close friends or confidantes (perhaps from their Occupy days) to whom they could express some second thoughts or doubts? Could they have had a moment when they at least thought of renting a slightly less expensive apartment and perhaps giving some money to a political cause or charity? Nope, they seemingly turned on a dime. I really like this show a lot and the cast--in even the smallest roles--is wonderful, but it's just good enough for me to wish it were better.

emphasis mine. This is why a lot of people think Ivanka Trump is more reasonable and level-headed than her father. She speaks calmly in a well-modulated tone of voice. I'm not comparing Ossoff with Ivanka--politically or otherwise--only pointing out that sometimes the way people say things may distract from the substance of what they're saying (and don't even get me started on attractiveness, apparel, and other elements of appearance that influence the public's perception).

This show needs to be renewed because it's hilarious and we need this now! We need the bellylaughs. We need to know that one night a week we can rely on LOL-ing and ROTFL-ing no matter what else is going on in the world.

He's been in at least one other episode this season, and possibly two. Oddly, however, IMDB doesn't show him with any appearances on this show.