snarktini

Wasn't the tie-in that he brought the solar ovens/stoves to *don't remember which* natural disaster, and now to the challenge? They're his pet cause -- solar cooking that saves lives. I thought it was confusingly worded when she said it (why say clean energy instead of solar energy?), but later when he spoke I understood the meaning.

Exactly. Their PR engine has cracked the code. (That's not even cynical, really. Press coverage is rarely accidental.) Yet another article -- this one talks about their marketing group boosting "integration" and partnerships. That generates a lot of media coverage. http://www.adweek.com/news/television/hallmark-channel-christmas-most-wonderful-and-lucrative-time-year-168275

I usually filter her imperiousness as an outsized TV-judge-persona, but this was spectacularly condescending. Grayson's snotty answer of "Well, i moved it A LITTLE" -- as though she couldn't be bothered to put in the effort -- made me think she probably didn't actually understand adequately. Not everyone struggled to get heat.

I did it! Deleted my Quantico season pass. If I thought I was going to solve the mystery in the near future I might have hung in there. Nope.

For a moment there I thought Boyle was genuinely asking Brian what the alternate scenarios might have been to avoid shooting Casey, through the all-seeing NZT lens. I thought that was an interesting character beat, with Boyle believing he did the right thing but still wanting to learn from the experience and play out the scenarios. (Because being responsible for killing someone sucks, even when it's necessary.) Or perhaps the scene would have been a learning exercise for Brian instead, realizing his scenarios didn't work as well as he thought and coming around to agreeing with Boyle's action. But a second later I realized I was totally wrong on that, so never mind.

Interesting. In the Jake Stone thread there's supposition Jake basically wears what Christian Kane wears. Certainly efficient from a wardrobe perspective, but less than ideal for character building and visual storytelling.

I didn't remember that her family booted her, good to know! Her entire manner -- not just wardrobe -- is that of someone coddled and moneyed, not someone who's been scraping by for a decade. And since I overlooked that crucial detail, I read her youthfulness as having been sheltered from the real world due to the brain grape. Since that's not the case, this is a big disconnect in characterization.

After seeing so many comments about Cassandra's wardrobe, it cracked me up to see a young colleague show up at holiday party dressed just like her. It's not just an affectation of the character, it's a real thing. Especially the tights and shorts. I'm so distracted by the incongruity in her age. To my eye, Cassandra physically looks like Lindy Booth's age (mid-30s), but her mannerisms and dress look 10 years younger. I can't tell what age we're supposed to read her as, if she's supposed to be improbably young or if the brain grape stunted her emotional growth or what. Have we ever been told her age definitively? I assume the character is supposed to be late 20s, going on 30 if she got the Library's invitation 10 years ago. If I recall correctly (no promises!) she said in the pilot she didn't show for her interview because that's when the brain grape appeared. And she just said in the college episode that she didn't get to do college because of the brain grape. So my best guess is that happened around 18 and she was called then. Which doesn't seem realistic, but ok. (Yes, AGE is what I can't handwave in a show about magic...) Ezekiel has the opposite problem. We assume at least mid-20s for him if he was called as a teen, but the actor was only 20 when the show started. Ezekiel definitely reads like a 22 year old, not a day older. Not sure why this distracts me so much!

I thought it sounded like Rene Auberjonois. But, then, I'm often not very good at this game. :)

I was hoping Ezekiel remembered and was just faking it -- and would still love it if that's the case -- but the look he gives at the end felt definite to me that he doesn't. He gets a wondering "could it be?" expression, followed by a "nah, no way" smirk . Granted, that's not dialogue. An acting/directing choice could be contradicted down the line. Agree with Chaos Theory that the writers might not want him to mature overnight. They show us what might be, but leave room to tell those stories. TBH, I was wondering how they were going to move forward with his character after the massive emotional growth spurt he was experiencing. He'd be a totally different guy. (One I like a whole lot better.)

I disagree that Justin chased off L&C's cabbie. That's not how I read the scene. Justin wasn't doing anything particularly annoying and they only exchanged a few sentences. It felt to me like the guy just wanted out of the whole situation. He didn't know where it was, or knew it was far and lied to play dumb, and said he had a phone but couldn't / wouldn't look up the location. YMMV. And while Justin was dumb about his situation, his driver was the asshole, not him. From the interview with Kelsey, I come away with the understanding that if the cab was rolling away with Chris and Logan, the cabbie may not have registered who was in the backseat. Kelsey said had returned to the cab, stepped away for a minute, and in that gap Chris and Logan swooped in. She indicated the driver was confused: Who are these people? IMO, the driver was not about to leave with a $100 fare unpaid. Period. Chris backed this up later, saying "he wasn't going to take us anyway". Last thing: Kelsey also said it was a risk and they only had $20 at the end of the day. She indicated that they owed the cab $100, which would break down into $50 for the fare (assuming the same as Justin and Diana) and 50 to keeping the meter running during the task. If Justin had paid the driver's $100 wait fee, would he have had enough money to get to Belmont? Assuming they would all pay similar amounts to get to the first task and to Belmont, and K&J only had $20 dollars left, Justin and Diana would have been short $30.

I rewatched the cab scene: Justin asks if the driver could stay, offering him $100, meaning $100 total. The cabbie wants that $100 to be extra, not including the fare. Justin says he won’t pay $100 more than the fare, he’ll just pay the $50 they owe. Then he asks the cabbie to take off the $5 toll charge, which Justin said he’d previously paid $8 for. (Maybe he paid cash for that at the toll plaza?) Justin hands him the $50, and the guy says “No tip?” and Justin ignores him. My assumption was the toll charge wasn’t removed and Justin, annoyed, applied that $8 as tip. Not a good one, but something. Justin doesn’t bug me half as much as he bugs many others here. But this was a really stupid decision. I think his city sensibilities got in the way, mistrusting the cabbie and feeling ripped off by a high fare and further gouged by a $100 wait fee. A hundred bucks just to hold the cab? And being double charged for a toll? In that moment, he was thinking like an annoyed customer not a racer.

I was floored when they said they thought navy and fuchsia represented the 60s. Did they just make that up for the runway story or was that a real guess? Navy wasn't great for any of the 60s mini-eras. Fuchsia would have been better mixed with a different color (or five, considering the period). However, I tend to agree that this is the kind of thing a kid isn't likely know. Maybe if they're obsessed with fashion history or old movies, but overall a kid isn't likely to know iconic color palettes from before their mom was born.

Lao Ban means Boss. She's the Boss Santa, and all the white Santas work for her.

I was pleasantly surprised the writing didn't have Eddie take any of the credit for Emery's gift in the end. They ride the edge of Eddie being unlikeable at times, and I appreciate when they give him some balance. And while I know it was to set up Lao Ban Santa, it seemed odd that no one had ever heard a multi-cultural Santa explanation before. Non-white kids often experience Santa as sharing their race/culture, explained by magic (or sometimes not at all). P.S. Whoever provided the hint that the boys' names are in alpha order has made it possible for me to keep Emery and Evan straight! Thank you!

The "Frenchman" Barry said was the potential investor would be Pierre Omidyar, who founded eBay IRL! French-born Persian. Not sure why Omidyar would have been in New Delhi at the time, but it's so specific my guess is it would check out.

After the Christmas special, I'm out. Removing a season pass is a difficult, highly unusual step for me after getting invested, but I'm not enjoying it anymore. The past two seasons have been a slog. Beyond the stories they're telling not appealing, I've never warmed up to 12 or Capaldi. I'll check back in with the next Doctor. Recent companions have been The Most Important Person In The Universe. Could we get someone a little more ordinary next time? Rose and Martha became world-changing, but at least they grew into that role. On the other hand, Amy (who I liked very much) and Clara were both DESTINED to be TMIPITU. Meh.

I believe you're thinking of Karen (red bangs) on the Korean team, who used a red pepper paste to save her short ribs after the marinade failed. She actually did know what she was doing -- she runs an Asian fusion restaurant and in her TH she said she uses Korean flavors all the time. Huge advantage! (Not that prior experience saved the Mexican team...)

I couldn't get a good look at what he put out so no idea if it's similar, but my ears perked up when I heard him say that. In Tucson, carne seca is a local specialty made by shredding beef and letting it dry in the sun. It concentrates the flavors and makes it saltier and chewier. If shredded beef and jerky had a baby, this'd be it.

Or, it could be as simple as the producers wanting 4x4 teams for the popup challenge, so they had to start with the odd 17!

I've avoided getting an account for YEARS because I know getting involved in conversations will quickly become an obsession (like I don't spend enough watching and reading about TV already!). What finally broke me? Needing to say this: Someone's been watching Doctor Who! This took a page from The Doctor's Wife, where the Doctor meets his Tardis in female human form. Flynn being so giddy to be with his Library and wanting to keep talking as he vanished into gold dust, felt just like it. Not that I mind -- this show is already one part National Treasure and one part Warehouse 13 with some extra magic thrown in. All of which works for me. And bonus Christian Kane, who I'd watch in almost anything. :)