snarktini

I got SO lucky on FJ. During the break, I said to my BF I'm terrible at capitals, I can never even remember for sure if Germany is Berlin...but as I talked out loud I realized Berlin would make sense post-reunification and that will make it easy to remember. So my mind was totally primed when it came up and it was an instaget for me. I'm not sure what to think of James. He's a little odd but I respect his knowledge and confidence. I'd be the one waiting too long to buzz in and wagering too low on DDs because I don't trust my memory, so I respect bold game-play. Hey, at least he's not a buzzer masher!

I caught that the EMTs and deli jerks were the same and thought I'd found an interesting clue -- she ends up tangling with the same guys two different ways, like it's fated. But then I heard someone describe the deli guys as Wall Street types so they couldn't be the same characters and I didn't know what to think. Glad I wasn't nuts. In my head I think of it as a bodega, esp since it has a Bodega Cat! I'd never heard of a deli cat but according to a quick search that's a common AKA so that shows how little I know. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

That's the impression I had, because they're going to time travel with Five. That's not a time reset, just transportation to another time when they can "fix her". I assume back in time, because we saw them de-age, but then there'd be two sets of Hargreaves, so...I dunno how it will work.

I'm okay with the reset. It gives us a chance to answer the question: Could Vanya have been saved? If RH hadn't been a horrific "father". If Allison had explained things better. If Luther hadn't locked her up. If the siblings had overruled Luther. If they hadn't rushed her on stage. She did many horrible things, as a child and as an adult. Maybe that's just who she would always be, out of control, vengeful, self-centered, and she had to be neutralized. Or maybe not! Without a reset, we basically have Vanya the Villian up against her siblings and that's not that interesting to me. Even if they'd stopped the apocalypse then what's there for future seasons except fight after fight? Not seeing the point of that. Interesting that the apocalypse still happens, just differently. As many have said, Vanya was treated badly by RH but not necessarily worse than the others so that's not an excuse to be homicidal. OTOH, when Allison was watching the surveillance videos she noticed how the siblings behaved towards Vanya and said if anyone had treated her daughter the way she'd have gone ballistic. This may have been a lousy writing choice, telling instead of showing, but if Allison's observation can be trusted then maybe I have a little more sympathy for Vanya. I really, really want to know the backstory of Reginald. At first glance it looked like alternate Steampunk timeline (Victorian + rockets) or post-apocalypse future, but can't reconcile "future" if literally everyone was wiped out in 2019. (Which, that's a whole other thing. How does everyone get wiped out and yet leave a hospitable environment for Five?) Being from another planet, either as an alien or returning from a human colony, makes more sense. The firefly-magic release felt like he created the superpowered children. But that was like 70 years before they're born, so ? About all those extra kids...how could RH be so sure Leonard WASN'T special? (Reminded me of Syndrome going villainous due to rejection by Mr Incredible.) There were possibly more superpowered kids running around in the world. And not necessarily only born on that day, either. If magic kids are possible then more magic kids are possible. The best explanation I have for why he was able to buy 7 children is that none of them planned those kids, and they weren't even pregnant more than a few hours. I can see why those parents would be much more willing than usual to sell their kids. It's not really their kid. The fact that 40 kept them and they aren't all locked in up a science lab is the bigger mystery. I think the numbers did mean rank order. No idea how that translated to the pram numbering or at what age that becomes set in stone, but they do seem ordered by priority/power -- Luther, Diego, Allison, Ben, Five, Klaus, Vanya. At the end, Diego challenges Luther's leadership and says if he wants to be/stay #1 then he needs to lead. Luther didn't have any obvious powers that I saw (I'm assuming strength) but he did seem to be treated as the "eldest". I had a hard time remembering they are exactly the same age!

Lol, of course -- can't believe I didn't think of that possibility. Thank you!

It sure seems like he should be someone important -- it looked like a cameo, otherwise why would some random guy even be there all up in Evan's personal space? I asked my hip-hop-loving BF and he didn't know.

So...they had enough in an IRA for early retirement, but when it was cashed out it only paid for a few extra classes at a local U?! Also, IRAs have annual contribution limits, so it's hard to believe it had much in it anyway -- I may have heard wrong but I thought Louis indicated it had only been a few years. Jessica would have had to have a lobotomy to pay the early withdrawal penalty. Not one of my fav episodes. Appreciated the SatC references, how big it was at the time. (I was a Miranda, BTW!) Glad Eddie figured out he was the one bailing on his crew and not the other way around. That was the best of the plots, but none were stellar.

Seeing Kelsey's husband at the final judging cast new light (for me) or her "Who's watching my child?" question when she first saw her mom. It really rubbed me the wrong way at the time, her assuming Mom had that responsibility and not Husband. Now I see it differently. While Kelsey probably knew/suspected her husband had been flown over, but the moms/sister were a surprise. That's probably who was agreed on as their designated childcare hitter when she and her husband had the "what will we do if you get into the finale and they fly me to Macau" conversation before she left. I hadn't thought about him being there, too.

The crawfish was in her first dish -- it was diced up a little bigger than the fruit, so it blended in visually. I could see it in the close-up vanity shot. Also, I think they showed that same "after" footage during the taste-off round... I remember seeing what looked like shrimp in the picture and wondering about where that came from! Agree that Eric's food story was more interesting.

Interesting, I had that reaction about Sara, not Kelsey. I appreciated her menu more because it crossed Southern and Macanese. It felt to me like Sara really benefited more from the trip in her inspiration. That said, it was very confident (brave?) of Kelsey to do a no-meat menu! Have we ever seen that before? All subtle, all seafood. That's unusual for TC. Eric Ripert would have loved it 🙂 It wasn't clear to me that she really did articulate that to Eric. We saw him ask for them to "poke holes" and her talking head saying he wanted them too thick to fry well, but I didn't hear her say it to him outright. I hope she did. I would never pick the last chef out for my Finale team. They are probably more tired, and definitely more disappointed. It just doesn't seem kind to them. Oh, interesting, I didn't think of that! I noticed all the "back home" references and thought that was weird. Why would you build a menu around what you could get in AL or KY, all the way around the world, rather than what was fresh in Macau?! That could explain it. If Kelsey truly used frozen soft shells that was a DUMB move with all that awesome seafood around.

Watching a couple buying in Nashville. He wants to downsize the yard (because he maintains that) but still wants a giant house. She wants to downsize the house (because she maintains that) but still wants a giant yard. 🙄 Maybe they should switch jobs for awhile. They had some interesting ideas about how big rooms have to be to count as "large". Lol. I live in a 3 BR 1300 sf flat and to me that's plenty large! Also, they require a rec room and it seems very important for one of their kids to have a "teen suite" 🤣 They are more positive than most couples, which is nice to see. Less bitching about fixable, unimportant things. It helps they have the budget so they can be demanding all they want! (615K in Nashville goes a long way.)

Agreed!

Oh, I didn't know until she stated her heritage. Based on something she said in the very beginning about her grandmother, I might have inferred Mexican or Native American in part. But I've lived in the Bay Area long enough to know I am a terrible guesser. And I actively try NOT to spend time guessing "what" people are. If it's rude to ask, which it is, it's probably not much better to be wondering. When I find myself doing that, I stop myself and focus on something more important about them. ETA: Hope this doesn't sound preachy or shaming, that wasn't my intent. It's just something I'm personally working on 🙂

That's how it shook out to me. Michelle was my fav of the 4 because she is so low-key, but she did fail the brief. It appears her mistake was in the very beginning, trying to merge Mexican AND Italian with Chinese. The dish seemed like a mess IMO. From her convo with Mom, I expected a more literal cioppino (with liquid! what you call it matters!) with beans and mexican herbs in it. Instead...a smear of tomato stuff? A smear of bean stuff? And some naked seafood? That just didn't look interesting. She didn't even succeed in merging the heritage side, it's no wonder she didn't also manage to make it local. There was a brief moment I wondered if Eric would actually go home when one judge said she had to spit something out on every bite and two noted his quenelles were weird. But not making it taste local was the death knell. Eric is my 2nd pick, I like his energy and different viewpoint. Then Kelsey or Sarah, not sure if I care there. I don't dislike either one (Sarah has grown on me), but also don't feel attached to either. That's probably true of nearly all the contestants this season. They're all pleasant, and I prefer that to bitchiness, but I'm not on Team Anyone, really.

Well, I'll walk out on the ledge...I really liked Michelle's! There are some things I'd have fixed...change the neckline, add a hood. But the fabrics were a great combination IMO and the idea was the most inventive and transformative. Tho I preferred it before the transformation, visually. Irina's was my second pick, but I agree with the judges those pants were bad so I'm not surprised she didn't win. It wasn't just the color, it was also the fit and the leg shape. They just clashed with the head wrap, which was fantastic. I was a little surprised Christina went home, but of the two it was a toss-up. The judges being polarized on some pushed two well-executed but boring designs down to the bottom. Her bathing suit and caftan were really pretty, but I do believe she didn't create anything new nor did she "transform" anything. His was slightly more interesting. That said, my personal pick for worst was Anthony Ryan. That was terrible.

That dress, and Padma in it, was STUNNING. That's not how I read it either. If I'd been Michelle, I might have picked Eric last because he's been doing so great lately. If there was a bias, gender would be my first guess because he's the last man standing in a group of women. And Justin had the worst basket by far (coconut, lychee, water chestnut) so it didn't surprise me at all he was left to the end. Eric got his BFF but lousy ingredients. LOL, I had the same thought about Barbie and Ken.

Not at all something I would have picked -- A beauty pageant? Lightweight Aniston flick? Pass! -- and indeed I'd passed over Netflix's suggestion of it several times. But a friend posted about it so I watched the trailer. And then the movie. It was sweet, in a good way. Glad I watched.

FWIW, I've only been watching for a year so I actually don't know the players! I appreciate some introduction and back story. (Maybe not quite as much as we're getting, but the challenge may have been there wasn't enough room to do any in a single half hour but there's too much room in an hour so it's padded out quite a bit.) The only one I'd ever heard of before was Ken. And I watched last year's ToC so I know Buzzy, Austin, and Alan. I don't usually post here because we record and watch a day later, which makes it hard to interact with the forum. I don't want to see spoilers for FJ -- that's not fair to my BF whom I watch with -- and by the time I've caught up it I don't remember what I wanted to post and the next day's comments have arrived anyway. None of the players bug me much, thankfully 🙂 I guess I like big and quirky personalities? I have been accused of being one, TBH. And if the chatter annoys me I always have a FFD button. I understand that networks need gimmicks and promotions. It is what keeps money coming in and shows on the air. I'll be happy to go back to regular game play but this is a decent diversion. Recording does seem to be the key. Watching live would be maddening! The only thing that's bugging me is "tell me how Jeopardy changed your life" framing. It feels very self-serving for Alex & the show.

What struck me was how advanced the decomposition was on some. They went through ~15 reboots? Something like that. Most one day each, some two-ish. That was a lot of mold on oranges for a week or two! (Depends on the fruit. Peaches mold fast. I thought I remembered some oranges, which definitely go a lot longer than that. The flowers made sense.) Also, why did no one else seem to notice? Could only she see that, because of how she was experiencing time?

Yeah, the Sara footage was unnecessary. Kelsey did the logical thing, raise/cross her arms to cover. But Sara didn't, so maybe she doesn't/didn't care? (FWIW, if I were staying in a house with a group and on camera "always wear a sleep bra" is exactly what I'd have done!) The minute Justin said two ways my mind went <sad trombone>. I thought they usually only took 3-4 people to the finale. 5 seems like a lot. Since I didn't see anyone else comment on that, I'll assume I'm misremembering.

My BF, who's been watching the last two seasons but missed the first one, didn't even realize they had a baby at all. Harper has been nearly invisible! I know babies are expensive and challenging on set, but they don't even mention her.

That thought crossed my mind, too, when we learned he was writing a novel! Or maybe they DO exist, like in the movie Stranger Than Fiction, but their lives are being controlled by the writer.

BTW, is anyone else having trouble getting Nadia's Reboot Song out of their head?! Gotta get up, gotta get out...

I found her more annoying than likable. Happily, just about the time I was wondering if I could make it through, Alan appeared. I liked and identified with him a lot. He really grounded the story for me. The other characters were good, too. Her friends were fun. I'm wondering a little about this too. What bothers me about the explanation that she had to meet the girl is that while it gives Nadia an opportunity to be vulnerable and connect, it also was somewhat inappropriate and insensitive to Ex and Daughter. When she bailed on meeting Daughter the first time, I inferred Nadia realized she was stringing him along and creating chaos for them -- I took that as growth on her part. If she didn't intend to stay in the picture, why should she meet the daughter? It closed her past loop perhaps, but it shifted some chaos to them. My nutshell: She had to stop being so self-absorbed and help someone else. He had to stop being so self-reliant and accept help.

That's exactly what I came for! I missed his age on the lost poster... the character supposedly being 36 makes sense. But based on the dialogue, he was 15 in 2006. Waaay to much gray in his beard for that. I loved Matt Long on Jack & Bobby (he was hard to like on Mad Men) and am looking forward to having a new dynamic on the show. :) Crappy writing is the answer to every glitch on this show. Same reason Grandpa finally showed up. Why M & B aren't mourning their mom. How they get apartments and jobs set up so fast. How everything has happened in less than a month. LOL. That was super annoying -- get a blade, people. And what was Ben doing creeping around after dark banging on the front door, just after they had a big scare? Did he just bring buckets of water with him? Crappy writing! His anger was understandable, but going to confront the guy was not. Jared could have told him, you're right.