snarktini

We saw this? I must have spaced! (Assuming it was this season, I have been watching with more distractions.) Thanks :)

I struggled a little bit with this one. I rarely watch "my" shows with my boyfriend in the room, and this one was definitely the wrong one to watch with someone who doesn't know/get it. Jason was exceptionally dumb. Gwendolyn was a cartoon character. Everything was turned up to 11. I was cringing half the time. I'm so glad Michael finally figured out that the system could be the problem, not intentional rigging by the Bad Place. Now we can move forward. The unfairness here is that weighing decisions as thoroughly as Chidi ALSO causes negative unintended consequences! You can't win. (And, literally, no one has in hundreds of years.) If the Good Place doesn't make decisions for hundreds or even thousands of years, then how do we even have rules about vanity license plates? (Assuming Michael's point system from Ep 1 was real.) Or even sweatshop labor, or greedy CEOs. Who writes / updates the rules? Even if the accountants make the rules, you'd think the GP/BP would have to sign off on new ones. And it's impossible to imagine a system from 200000 years ago could even include some of the things they're being dinged for today. I don't get that.

100% agree with Jasper going home -- that was awful! And the white lace on black plus seamed bodice screamed late 80s/early 90s prom dress. Just me? The other designer did poorly, and was saved by his being worse. I like Dmitry a lot but did not get his. I was hoping for a shot of Michelle's face in the lounge when they reported back who was top/bottom. After she said his was the worst, to find out he was in the top... lol. I like Michelle but wonder how well she controlled her expression.

I ignored the book phenomenon...the idea was okay but TBH I resist whatever the zeitgeist insists I participate in. Didn't plan on watching the series either. I'm already on a huge decluttering kick, didn't really think I needed any more guidance. But my BF is studying a lot these days and I have extra time on my hands so why not watch an episode? It was pleasant enough. The family didn't bug me much. Afterwards, I didn't feel particularly motivated to get up and change my life. I certainly had no intention of ever folding my clothes like that. EVER. And then...I did! While I was putting away laundry I gave it a whirl. Did a drawer. Then another drawer. Then a third. (Then I was tired and abandoned ship, LOL.) Holy crap. Not only is it absolutely delightful to open a drawer and see EVERYTHING at once, I'm shocked that more fits in the drawer this way. It motivated me to get rid of even more stuff. (Especially the second-string stuff I was tucking in the back, that's a big clue.) Will I keep it up? I don't know. The folding is tedious and I tend to try on 5 things before choosing an outfit, so it will be a daily chore. (Ha, who am I kidding? I don't put my clothes back away!) But it's such a different feeling and I like that. I doubt I need to see many of these. But I'm glad I tuned into 1! This is an interesting take: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/18/opinion/marie-kondo-japan.html

I was surprised when Kim Joy said it came solely from her imagination, when there are multiple mythological and pop culture references to the turtles + planet. It's of course reasonable that she didn't consciously remember them, I just expected her to have a story! Manon's sphere was so lovely. And her lipstick game is strong! While I don't mind Sandy or Noel, I honestly don't think I'd notice if they weren't there.

While it may have been impressive how much chocolate work Rahul did (and evidently it tasted great as well), I didn't actually find the cake attractive. I thought it looked messy and over-done. At least one idea too many. I caught Briony's hand out of the corner of my eye in one shot, but since it hadn't been talked about my mind dismissed it as a trick of the camera angle. How refreshing not to have it be a massive story point! Good. I definitely heard "pond water"

Yes. Yes, you did.

How was this not in the bottom? It was not fashion. Few made something that could be replicated. In some ways I'm glad when they don't pander, but it does seem to affect who wins. Did Irina not think about something like this, or did she just not care? And in the end it didn't even matter! Honestly, this may be the only explanation that makes sense.

100%. I so wish he'd backtracked on that when she confessed she didn't love him -- he could have just said that part was for the camera. A platonic green-card marriage might work out okay for them if they were both on the same page. But in his panic, he's set up a no-win situation. I've never watched an actual wrestling show in my life, but I love this show. <3

I had to skip through the last half of the wedding stand-up. My cringe-meter was breaking. No one should be getting a master's degree without some idea why! (Even if the answer is education for its own sake, if you have the time and money.) There were some female artists and teachers in that time...they gave up too easily. Is it too much to hope that this realization will lead somewhere for Rose? Sadly, though, that conversation rang true for today as well. For years a friend ran a linguistics program at an expensive private school, and she said most of her students were pursuing a MA/PhD without any clear path forward. They had vague ideas of becoming professors, without realizing only about 10% of graduates will find those jobs...jobs that are only getting less secure and more scarce. And the program did little to help them find other ways to use the education. This frustrated her so much she eventually wrote a book about applying linguistics to careers outside academia.

I suspected fantasy at first, too! How engaged and alive Abe was with the French men, it seemed like a vision of what might be from Rose's POV. And, yeah, it must be tragic to return to New York where there is simply no opportunity for art and creativity! *eyeroll* I wanted Abe to be better at this kind of conversation (but naturally he wouldn't be)... I wanted him to stop saying "we have to go back", to tell her he has to go back and wants her to be there with him, that she can keep exploring her art and she doesn't have to live in her (self-imposed) box. Happily, he at least knew what to do. I'd love share Paris with my partner. (I've been, he hasn't.) One day we will but I wonder how long that it will be until we can make that happen...it also makes me sad. IMO it's just ASP's banter writing. She's witty, like everyone in ASP's universes, but not a competing comedian.

I hated how the dining rooms were still being painted during food prep, and tables weren't in place a half hour out. Where was the design team? How could they train their (totally unqualified) waitstaff? That feels like producer sabotage.

That drove me crazy too!

Nothing! In a TH, he said he was panicking and kept picking up flour for no reason.

I feel similarly. I like Jodie in the role. I like the companions. The "messages" are fine. Yet none of the episodes really held my attention. I don't know why.

I was wondering: Did the other team get to the meat counter first and clear out the other lamb, the less expensive option Eddie was planning on? They didn't show anything like that in the footage but it is the only thing that makes any sense.

I'd have preferred to see the first quickfire NOT be team and the first challenge NOT be catering. Let them settle in! Seemed like the tomato dish was just not right for this challenge. Tom said the tomatoes weren't cooked down enough. Cherry tomatoes seem like an odd pick for that reason -- by the time you do cook them down into a nice cobbler-y filling, they are all skin. He also mentioned her ricotta wasn't as good as beet guy's, where was that in her dish? And while biscuits are quick and easy, they lose their texture fast -- even overnight they lose quality -- so I wonder about that choice, too. Then the biscuits got soggy sitting around, seems like she put them on top way too early. Sounds tasty but not a great fit for a catering challenge. I make a great tomato tart, so this does get my wheels turning. :) I am super impressed the pork team salvaged their no-knife situation. Deep frying then pulling? Honestly I'm impressed that worked. Would not have thought you could pull pork cooked that way, so quickly. Cocky Guy is one of those people who needs to learn to say things differently. All of his pasta commentary was so patronizing! Even his congratulations. He wasn't wrong and I think he may actually have been trying to be helpful, but he just sounded like a jerk.

This is what I love about TV forums! They've taught me how much mileage varies, and that has truly helped me IRL. I'm not up for a full rewatch but I'll definitely need a refresher before trying S3. Not sure I remember what happened!

I assume the role of the arrests in the plot is that's what gives them leverage to make her spy. What I'm wondering is if she was involved in the experiments at all. She did have the burn marks but they also could have given her those and told her what to say. Because why would she go along with them if they'd tortured her the way we saw? Even coercion can only go so far, unless they are threatening her with something gigantic. (And even then...do I want to defect to the nice people trying to help me, or risk being jailed and tortured PLUS be responsible for the continued imprisonment and torture of many others? Do they have her kids or something?) I do like this show, in a silly, light way. But the timeline is bonkers. Everything is going way too fast. And the Case of the Missing Grandpa is ridiculous, as has been noted many times (in this thread alone!). He lost his wife, two kids, and a grandkid...and now that 3 of them are back from the dead he's nowhere to be seen? And Ben doesn't go there even for a night? It's dumb.

Until we met the new ADA, I figured they'd reunite Natalie and Cole. The boyfriend wasn't a throwaway, but also wasn't given much dimension or air time. Plus they've written her to be a well-defined character, played by a solid actress, so seemed like she might take on a bigger role. But as soon as I saw how they were writing Cole + the ADA -- and the chemistry between them -- I was like welp that's it, Natalie's going to turn him down and this will be the next love interest. (Maybe they'll surprise me and just have a woman who stands on her own without being a love interest. They do a good job with Bailey on that, Scorcese's obsession notwithstanding. Though maybe that's not a good thing -- it's often been noted that black women characters are less likely to be written as love interests.) As much as I wanted Cole to be happy, Natalie is making a good choice. She might have also been happy with Cole in another time or place, but she's already with someone she loves and has for a long time right. Agree that the maitre'd was a great character, he brought a lot of lightness and fun. This show is so much more watchable now. Less angst. I'll have to go check and see if we've learned any more about its future.

It was bugging me -- where did I just see a plot about a scifi story and a woman with 3 boobs? Falling asleep, I got it: Paul. It's a comedy with Simon Pegg & Nick Frost. It's a running bit in the film that Frost's character wrote a graphic novel about a woman with 3 breasts and male characters are always giggling over it. At one point, he says he's considering a 4th boob and the guy he's talking to says no, that's way too much. 3? Awesome. 4? Gross. Fun ep!

The teens have been really good across the board! Smart, poised, confident. A pleasure to see. I can't tell if an all-female final will lead to an epic number of "young lady" references or if having to specify which young lady will actually force him to use their names instead. I do hope Emma's voice shifts as she grows up -- hard enough to be taken seriously in this world without the complication of a tiny voice! My pilates studio has an instructor who still sounds a lot like Emma as an adult, so it's possible it won't. Such a weird thing to fixate on, I know, but I'm distracted by Claire's hair bow. Or what I think is a bow. In both of her appearances so far there is something visible on the back her head even though most of her front hair is down. That's not usually how bows/clips work.

HA http://mentalfloss.com/article/563423/alex-trebek-knows-he-sometimes-sounds-disappointed-dad-jeopardy ETA: Now that I see the Vulture piece above, this is mostly a rehash.

LOL, right? Thought it looked more or less like an "old-fashioned", which IS my fav donut. After watching the first two episodes I was wondering if the "reloads" were going to be too much. I am simply never going to bake potatoes a day in advance to fry them! (Well, I don't deep fry anything so all the fry recipes are entertaining but not useful.) Nor am I likely to spend an hour cooking a steak, even though the reverse sear sounds very smart. I'm an accomplished home cook, willing to do a lot of work but those particular items aren't worth the time to me. So I was glad the basic biscuit and cacio e pepe were easy recipes I can (and will) do.

Here in the SF Bay Area the episode aired on Saturday. (NBC 11 via DirecTV, if it matters) Typically we get an older rerun on Saturdays, but since football season started it's been a bait and switch, saying it's J! but actually being college ball stuff. But I always check my recording before deleting to be sure. Happily this time was the missing episode!