The Hound Lives

For real. This finale doesn't have me cursing a 2 year wait. The last one didn’t either.

I don’t know about that. Thinking about particular King in the North who listened to his Mother until it was too late. That aside, I like these characters, even the so-called “baddies”, but I have zero connection to any of them. They’re all one-dimensional. I am beginning to think the most interesting thing about the Targaryens is their dragons. Not that this isn’t bad ass but without them, they’re a bore.

And I find this so irritating. The throne is hers, no doubt, but I find her uninteresting and uninspired. She’s a bore. Emma is fantastic, fab with the tears, but the Blacks are a snooze fest.

I can’t be the only one who doesn’t find anyone intriguing. Emma’s Rhaenyra is a bit of a treat but I do still miss that smirking, somewhat cocky young woman we had early season 1. It’s not about Molly vs. Emma because both are outstanding, but the personality. I want to cheer for Rhae and I understand she is in mourning, the character just lacks any “character” for me. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Cole and Alicent have zero chemistry. I never felt an ounce of tension simmering. Can we get at least a little build up? Like the Larys foot jerkoff last season, can we get a glimpse of how this shit even developed? I know the build up for the war comes first, character development apparently second but this show needs some wit and intrigue. Blood and Cheese should’ve had the slow burn tension, similar to the red wedding. Instead it was just another thing that happened. Horrifying? Yes. But pull you in/don’t let go/talk about it for days? Nah. The tongues fandom wide are wagging about Cole and Alicent, when that should’ve been the “and then this happened”. Not a total wash but I’m not sad about the huge delays between seasons. It falls off the radar too quickly.

I wasn’t that familiar with Troy Sivan. I knew the name, online “star” thing but this is my first time hearing him perform. Bleh, his voice is mediocre but his acting was awful. Continued proof that a pretty face and a good web cam and you, too, can become famous. Lily-Rose just needed great genes and famous parents. Half boob, ass in the air and withering around on the floor isn’t exactly a resume builder.

Then I ended up seeing mostly eps where he won. Not a fan of the concept in general; “celebrity” chef takes on the average joe or wannabe celebrity chefs, proves he is master of the universe. Katie Lee, Jeffrey Zakarian (?) and Giada can go away.

What drives me nuts about this show is that you get these chefs in here who have a specialty and then they go up against the great Bobby Flay, and they lose. It’s kind of deflating. Of course, you can’t have the same person winning all the time but I swear it’s nine times out of 10 Flay wins. It reminds me of the other show that he did that was similar to this; the Food Network would travel someplace to meet up with home cooks that are well-known for a particular dish and they would “pretend“ that they were doing a little featurette on them for a FN show. And then suddenly, Bobby appears and wants to challenge them! So you get these little mom and pop shops that are known for, say, their biscuits. They get their moment in the sun, and then here comes Mr. Flay, ready to challenge them to see who makes the better biscuit. They always agree to do it but I feel like it’s kind of mean-spirited. So their brief little feature on the national platform like the Food Network turns into a competition, which they inevitably lose. Bobby knows how to make everything! Amd no need to visit their small, insignificant business because FN let us know that their biscuits aren’t the best. I know everything is staged, but it just bothers me. Flay doesn’t bother me as much as he used to, Guy Fieri‘s son is taking over the spot of my most despised Food Network “celebrity“. But I just wish that these shows were a little more fun and a lot less cringey. And Bobbys friends? Ugh.

All the comments about how Greg is nothing but a lapdog. With the sticker Tom put on his head, he’s been officially crowned the new Tom. The “yes” man. Willing to, metaphorically, suck all the dicks. Tom holds the brass ring; Greg is sitting pretty for the cycle to continue. This fear of Mencken and his fascist ideals didn’t make a difference, and it doesn’t because the Roy children care about power not purpose. And Mattsen, as progressive as he may seem, has proved to be far more dangerous. I’ll have to revisit the episode but it’s been an average HBO ride at times. I’m glad Roman got away from this family. For all the hate he received, and well deserved at times, he is nowhere near the level of some of these fools.

Tom has been very tired. There is so much going on and Tom needs to be in TopForm. Needs a boost. That boost is more cocaine. Greg can’t get it for him, probably because he doesn’t even try. He asked Kendall. Kendall is able to hook him up because he needs Tom on his side. Tom overdoses. Kendall has now contributed to a second death. He finds out about the overdose right as he successfully kills the merger with Gojo. The end. I just want Kendall to be haunted forever and ever.

But he doesn’t need to be focused. He just needs to play his cards right, have his eggs in multiple baskets and listen. Listen and absorb. The focusing will fall to whoever is surrounding him, or any leader/mogul. Like say… His grandfather? This season has lost me, it feels like a whole bunch of “middle” content we would get in season 2 or 3. What’s at stake for a hypothetical election? I’m more interested in the dynamics of how the shows namesake plays out. Plus, I can’t stand any of the Roy kids.

This is exactly it. I have never heard Shiv discuss any political leanings. I’ve never heard her say anything pro this or pro that. No matter who’s an office, it’s not going to hurt them. The mega rich, stay mega rich, whether it’s left or right. None of that matters. It comes down to access. I have a close friend who works for major media outlet. I was told early on to take all the clutching pearls and crocodile tears with a grain of salt. If a news outlet gets the results they want (preferred candidate winning), it means plenty of access. They set the narrative. If the outcome is not what they were hoping for, doesn’t matter, they have four years to blow apart every single thing. It makes for great TV. They all run in the same circles and have the same brokers, investments, etc.. It’s all smoke and mirrors. That is the one thing the show has done pretty well. Greasing palms and empty promises on both ends. Honestly, the only thing I enjoyed about the episode was Greg and the smile he sent Shiv’s way after talking to Kendall. I was kind of high on Shiv for a long time. But now, for a show that desperately needs a strong, hustling woman, she’s not it. She’s not clever and I really want her to be.

I think he’s weak but not dumb. Glaring insecurities about his position not only with the company, but in life overall. This is why his “friendship“ with Greg even exists. He views Greg as being beneath him, less intelligent and soft. Therefore, he continuously tries to shame or embarrass him. Doesn’t matter, because Greg doesn’t catch onto it. Greg is his version of a monster truck. Compensating. What does disappoint me is I expected Greg to be more of a player early on. He comes off as a dim bulb, but every so often, like when he was copying Tom’s documents when he was supposed to be shredding them in season one, I saw him as a potential piece of the puzzle. Somebody who plays the dullard, but actually is absorbing information to use to his advantage to propel himself. I obviously thought too much about it because he’s nothing more than a comedic foil. I really wanted him to be the best of all of them because the Roy kids, and Logan himself, definitely need to be kicked off their perch. I am so happy the show is back, but at the same time, I don’t feel the intrigue, or that the stakes are high. It would be one thing if this was a family of people who despised each other, but deep down, they are all seeking daddy’s approval.

I know this is probably an unpopular opinion but Matt and Emma have zero chemistry. They are both playing their parts, eh, okay but I don’t feel this powerful, bout-to-fuck-shit-up, pairing. They’re just flat. Aemond is a pos but some great riding to kick things off. Laenor leaving was perfect. Don’t know the actors name offhand but he’s got “it”. Was it confirmed a ruse because Rhaenyra is an asshole? Her having him assassinated wouldn’t shock me. I am liking the show enough to stick with it but it hasn’t reached the Sunday telly commitment schedule. It’s more of a “catch it when I can” show. I hope that changes. Even knowing what’s to come doesn’t have me pumped because these characters are feelings like caricatures.

Okay maybe I am pulling this out of left field but this show is as subtle as a, sorry, heart attack. When Carrie was doing the podcast (which wasn't funny in the least), the camera panned to a really good looking guy twice. I assume he was the engineer of said podcast, since he was behind the controls. When the camera went to him a second time, I took notice and felt that was intentional. So, Big dies and Carrie grieves and then the plotline comes in about how soon is "too soon?" for the sex to come back into SATC? I can't see the writers having Carrie grieve all season without some type of romantic possibility coming up. Could this show really focus on the relationships of Miranda and Charlotte and the other newbies, more so than Carrie? Carrie's relationship is with her grief and working through that? I just can't see it. I can't see them not having a single woman in this show to represent the other side of life at 50-something. Big had to get out of the way for Carrie to have new material to write about (dating at 50-ish) and new eye-candy to be explored. As shit as it is (and I wasn't a big Big/Carrie fan), he had to be sacrificed to keep Carrie interesting. So, back to the engineer, I think he is supposed to be the new man that will be a tease all season. The will she/won't she. Yawn but I can't imagine however many episodes they intend to do without Carrie being some kind of catch. They have always tried to position her that way.

I know there isn't much activity in this thread. Maybe not a lot of interest? Maybe too early to speculate? But early on I felt the "dark horse" would be the biggest bumbling fool (or so we are being lead to think) of them all....Greg Hirsch. It haspl probably been mentioned in multiple threads here but I have to get this off my chest! He has proven to be smarter than we think, making those copies; he lurks in the shadows; nobody seems to think twice when he is around. The "Oh it's just Greg!" response. Grandpa hates his bro, Logan. That bad blood runs deep and if that family is filled with anything, it's bad blood. Love? Sure, I will say those siblings "love" each other, even love dear old Dad (and are they desperate for his love!) but toss the coin and on the other side, they loathe each other. Greg has caught onto all the dynamics while playing stupid the whole way. A good ole' boy. Kendall is going to destroy himself. Shiv is going be destroyed under the weight of her Father's empty promises. Roman is going implode when his ego comes back to drag him to his knees. Logan will eat a bullet before he does prison time. It'll be Greg in the end, boarding the private jet, after his first "shareholders" meeting, or whateverthefuck, where he has his Alexis Carrington-Colby-Dexter moment and fires Gerri, Tom and any other Logan/Roy family bootlicker. The end. That family is so fun to watch and their downfall will be even more delicious.