snarktini

UGH. It's OTT cartoon villain origin story, a single event (that he has wrong anyway) gave him rage to fuel a lifetime of machinations to lead to This Moment. It struck such a sour note. It's like a different show IMO. I realize "he was going to die anyway, and earlier" is a lame rebuttal to "you killed my dad" but...yeah. Now, if Ben could have tried to save Josh and didn't, that would have actually made more sense for Gideon's rant! The character development here is just so bad. I figured that the kid would be important -- and in fact that's who I assumed the leap was for when we met him, not the brothers. Same with the fire, when they said there was more to the leap. Never occurred to me he would be Gideon, mostly because I had tuned out that plot and forgot there was a Gideon. I have to assume Hannah died young, and didn't live to see this whole fake life of vengeance her son created. I think she said it had only been 7 days for her? Meaning 7 days of her life spent with him on leaps, over the many years. Hard to say how many months have elapsed in HQ time -- I'd appreciate having more dialogue markers for things like that.

Yes they said 6 months in the first episode, though the doctor noted that the first 2 she was in bed as part of his reasoning for why he wouldn't sign off on it. (That, and nerve pain in her arm.) In this episode, she was not actually back on duty. Amanda called that out, and it's why she went with. But now Amanda agreed to support her returning to duty. Y'all have more faith in the screening of cops for mental stability than I do.

WHAT WAS THAT, SHOW?! Just rude killing off Cricket like that. It didn't sound Georgia but I didn't give any real thought to what it did sound like -- that's it. Do they? They sound normal to me! It's totally in character for Angie not to care that her hair looks a mess. She has this cute new cut and still it's a wreck. There was so much commentary on The Diplomat about the lead needing to brush her hair, too, and it's a little extreme but character styling always is. Will wears a dull three piece suit, Faith wears quirky sweater vests, Angie has unwashed bird's nest hair. Each choice is telegraphing something distinct about the character. They've had a lot of fun developing Faith's style as one of contrasts. Everything is very conservative in coverage (collars, high necks, layers), but she plays with eye-catching patterns and details. She pairs grandma knits with corporate button ups crowned by a revolving door of young, creative hair styles. (Where I think they've dropped the ball is making her style SO distinctive, without making the character live up to that vibe. I like Faith fine, but she doesn't seem to be the bold, expressive, creative type her wardrobe would indicate.)

I'm so glad this comment section helped me out with this detail! I missed where the photo we saw came from and didn't remember the article. There had to be a trigger, some reason he was doing this to lure / hurt Will at this moment in time and not before. This tracks. Yes, I left that scene 100% sure that Amanda was getting busy with the journalist, and not for the first time. We also know that Amanda was married, Faith's mom mentioned that Trent was her maiden name. Did we learn who she was married to? I liked this show! I agree it's disjointed at times but I like the characters. We've certainly seen the oddball, trauma-survivor, hyper observant detective before but Will manages to feel a little different. I like that he has more humor and big-heartedness than this type of character is often given.

After we get everyone to say (and caption) gougère properly we can move on to mascarpone! Please and thank you. Yes they always pack their knives and leave the kitchen after presenting, so help is only available from those who haven't gone yet. Watching Jamie help two of them plate, it occurred to me it's a significant advantage to go early -- there is more of a chance someone will stop their prep and help you. By the end, they are no extra hands.

That got a chuckle out of me! To me it was definitely herpes, because he was promiscuous I didn't love or hate it -- it felt disjointed and needed an editor but it also made me think. It helps that I knew nothing at all about it until finding it on streaming, so I had zero advertising to mislead me.

Currently re-watching the series and had the same thought! Based on how hard they went with the put-downs it seems like the writers were setting that up and changed their minds. (And because I've forgotten at least 90% of the plot lines, I didn't realize that wouldn't ultimately happen until he gets serious with Paige.)

She has one other season, which might not technically count as TC -- she was also a returning contestant in Last Chance Kitchen in Season 15, Colorado. She didn't make it back in.

Because if you leave them in the unlocked car, you can't lose them and never get locked out. (What that means for house keys, which are usually connected to car keys, I don't know.) I'm just now watching this series. Not sure I'm sold. I'm weirded out by how weird he is. I mostly like it but my cringe meter is having a hard time.

This was good! Definitely worth a watch.

I'm glad Michelle wasn't derailed by this one. I feel bad for the chefs when the challenge hits on their trauma. The family challenges always run that risk -- not everyone has positive memories and it has sent cheftestants into spirals. It looked even worse from the other side of Covid! I realize this is how kitchens and chefs usually do things, but it's not okay.

I think this is right -- it's the 70s and a trusted school, many parents would have been fine with it (possibly because they feel guilty about the holidays). The one I'm not sure I buy is the LDS missionaries agreeing to it. That boy is more likely to be at the school simply because the parents were living out of the country not because they are part of that social set. I believe it was Korea and Paraguay. Yeah I might have preferred no other kids left behind but it did work to make Angus extra rejected when they all escape. However, once introduced, IMO the storyline wouldn't have worked with one of the young ones staying -- it would have changed the dynamic too much. Paul wouldn't have agreed to Boston, they wouldn't have had the adult conversations. Paul would have remained more closed off if there were more boys. And Angus, too.

I thought it was pretty good! Definitely a step up from Crystal Skull. De-aging CGI has really come a long way, that's for sure. I appreciated that we saw an old man who was less spry than he once was but still wily. The FBI underestimated him, which is right for the character. (He underestimated / over-trusted his goddaughter, also right for the character.) The villains were cartoon cutouts, but they always are in Indy films. Good sidekicks, and loved seeing Sallah.

I don't think my physical form would have been able to do that at all. (Same with the massage -- that would have been physically unsafe for my back, and even if it hadn't created injury some of those moves would surely have given me a debilitating sciatica flareup. I know my body, and that would have damaged it.) Then again, my physical form means I would never have made it through the race at all lol. I loooove those views! It was maybe Corey who said he was taking a beat to take it in because "when will I ever have this kind of view again" and I thought...just come back tomorrow and you can see most of it from the observation deck. Yeah, I live in Silicon Valley and know a lot of tech folks. I can't speak to entry level but a friend at Google earns 250K (they have more years of experience, but not in a tech role) and others in mid/senior but not management tech roles can earn 400K+. (I don't remember if both are at Google but at least one is.) Need has nothing to do with it, and shouldn't have anything to do with it. They earned this! It's a competition they wanted to experience and they did. But yeah sure they don't "need" it as much as a delivery driver trying to get a service dog for his special needs child. With their publicity he'll surely be able to achieve that goal.

I found it surprising that at one point I thought I saw Rob sign out "roadblock" using individual letters. (But not knowing ASL, maybe I got that wrong.) I would have expected them to create some custom gestures for key race terms (and competitors). Seeing how Tasha did that on GBBO it made a lot of sense. Both fun and expedient! I was also a little surprised throughout how little not being able to hear affected their performance. The glass blowing in the finale looked like one of the tougher situations -- the ability to hear your partner say "keep turning" or "stop blowing" without looking up or using hands would have been helpful! But they made it through without a big deal.

(This was about Corey's title, something something client strategy and analytics.) I have Strategy in my title, my colleagues have Analytics, and all our work is client/account based...and about the last thing we do is Sales! Of course I can't speak for what he actually does but I doubt it's that. Data is a good guess. 100% agree. They are flat-out impressive, and have clearly had a broad and rich education in their lives. Language, music, technology, even kayaking. They are so smart and have their shit together. Good for them. Rob and Corey have my heart vote, they are just pure joy. They were called goody two shoes above -- why is that bad?! They are so kind, and I love that. But I can't say a bad word about the any of the final teams. They are all great pairs, supportive and capable.

He definitely said that he has never been a server. Watching him I was sure he had been, by how easily he slid into that hospitality patter when greeting the table and and setting down each course, and how quickly he knew to create a circular serving order around the table. But nope! He's just an observant person. (And likely one who's eaten in a bunch of nice restaurants.) This is the most likeable cast we've seen in a long time. Ever? I tried to watch the earliest seasons last year and the screaming and bickering chased me away pretty fast. It's rare to have multiple teams that are so likable AND so competent. Pulling for the brothers or Corey and Rob, and would also be happy for the friends. I love how steady they all are -- just plain good people having a great time. AL & Steve are my last pick and the least likeable but damn if they aren't good racers. They get the job done even with major setbacks. In other seasons, they wouldn't be anywhere close to the most irritating ones.

Finished my season rewatch. I think Sara might actually have won this if it weren't for the liver. I will never not think it's mean to have the last chefs eliminated be the sous in the finale! Even propelled by professional pride and camaraderie, it's got to be hard. Your dreams have been dashed, you're tired, but instead of recovering and feeling your feelings on you have to bust your butt to help someone else win something you were hoping would be yours.

I am often sympathetic to chefs like Buddha who are incredibly talented and meticulous but can be perceived as sore losers or arrogant or even faking humility as noted elsewhere. (I'll put Blaise into this category. And Ruby from GBBO who was sure she sucked even when she was winning.) Overachievers are driven to be perfect / the best and what's hiding behind that -- what is doing the driving -- is often anxiety. A fear that you really aren't good enough. So it's not unusual to find a mix of confidence and anxiety. Yes, I've won a lot and that proves something objectively, but what if it's not enough? What if this is the time I fail? In the creative world, that's always possible! (And if it does go poorly I interpret their sour faces as being upset with themselves for being imperfect, not directed at others.)

Definitely underwhelming style across the board, but I thought Matty's was way better, decoration-wise, than Josh! Matty's was more modern and and had a stronger, more professional aesthetic IMO. No one won for decoration in this finale, it must have come down to flavor -- and Matty had that. After their initial tasting comments it seemed likely to break his way. Have we ever had an all-men final before?

To your first point: definitely! To your second, for sure the veggies pushed their creativity and they did a fantastic job. Proves something about veggies as the star. But worth noting those were decent ingredients -- peas, red peppers, and avocado can all be the center of a savory dish. Not to mention they are vegetables! Getting stuck with prickly pear and orange is a disadvantage. Dessert or salad is about it? Sweet, watery fruit is not very versatile and they didn't have access to something like fish or chicken.

I didn't like it at all, frankly. Too disturbing, too violent, too torture-y, not enough humor. The other films had disturbing violence too but on balance it tilted a lot more toward light-hearted space opera. This was a slog of pain and grotesque human & animal experimentation. I was really excited for a fun Saturday night flick and ended up needing to take a couple hours afterwards to regulate my nervous system before I could go to sleep. And honestly I'm not even that sensitive to animal cruelty, it's not a big trigger for me. So, I don't know, this just wasn't the right movie or the right day for me.

Mimi's superpower is her "cat that ate the canary" look. She always looks like she knows something delicious that you don't. It's in the eyes. Tyra would approve. I did appreciate having a native speaker say avant garde! Somehow it's less pretentious that way. I haven't always been a fan but this time I liked Laurence best. By a mile.

It's not the best movie, plot/screenplay wise, but it's visually stunning! The color palette (especially the color palette), the sunlight, the staging and blocking, the quirky details like the ramp to nowhere. It's just gorgeous.

Oh dear. I'm doing a rewatch and it has been my happy place! I often stay up a little too late because I'm having so much fun watching. It's been total joy (except Gina, but the rest is awesome enough to overcome). Very sad to find out I've reached the point in the series where Adrien Pimento enters. His manic energy is grating.