AllAboutMBTV

Agreed with everyone who would like Haigh/Lannan/HBO to revisit these characters (and San Francisco) every couple of years. Looking's characters in almost no way reflected my life as a gay man in SF, but I enjoyed them (largely...) anyway and, besides, I don't watch TV as a mirror. I had a few nitpicks with this installment (because there'll be more, RIGHT?!), like the storylines were tied up a bit too neatly and characters we didn't see (sadly) were mentioned in passing (Patrick's mom, Lynn, Owen, CJ). Patrick and Kevin's coffee shop scene at Van Ness and Market was almost difficult to watch, so kudos to Groff and Tovey. What I may miss most of all about Looking is seeing the city I live in on screen. The cinematography so perfectly captured the dusty pastels of this city and the hazy quality of the light here. In fact, I wish this installment had had more daylight exterior scenes, but given that it largely centered around a wedding weekend, it would of course be in bars and restaurants and City Hall. The final shot of them eating at Orphan Andy's at Castro and Market Streets was just gorgeous in a pre-dawn Hopperesque way. (I walk by that intersection nearly every day.) And if that's how I have to remember Looking, then so be it. But can we get a spinoff for Tyne Daly's justice of the peace? (Unmarried, yet wears a wedding band as a prop, "because no one wants a fat trainer at the gym." *That* made me laugh out loud.)

Ditto in San Francisco. Don't blow through the season, PBS! There's so little else on TV these days (my DVR is getting a much-needed rest) that I'm enjoying savoring the bakers.

I was spoiled, too, as to this season's winner. Curse you, BBC News app. I was reading a story there on Mary Berry, which was posted well after this season finished airing in the UK, and it still mentioned the winner -- and showed a photo of said winner with Mary. Argh. Still going to watch, of course, with an eye to how they edit the winner's progression.

Speaking of counting things on ATK, I often count how many bowls, utensils, pots, etc. are used (and, ergo, have to be washed) on screen to make a dish. Usually, it's between 30 and 40, but it's gone as high as 50+. Granted, a lot of it is those little glass bowls that have a pre-measured amount of salt or baking soda or garlic, but still. (And I'm not counting the measuring spoons that get those small amounts of whatever in the glass bowls.) I only do this because I do not have a dishwasher, and the thought of having to handwash all that makes my hands crack and my feet hurt. I've made many of ATK's recipes and even without the decanting mise en place it still looks like Napoleon's army marched through my kitchen. I shudder to think how many dozens of eggs/pounds of meat/gallons of stock go into the testing of the recipes. And what happens to the test results? Thrown out? Taken home? Some sort of charity?

It's airing this Friday night at 9:00 on KQED in the San Francisco area. I'm very happy that it's back, and my DVR will catch it no matter the night, but I like it better on Sundays. No idea if it will move back to Sundays after the Fourth.

It would be nice if it didn't appear like Jonathan Mangum weren't so clearly (at least to me) reading his lines off a teleprompter in Let's Make a Date.

Frances de la Tour can do no wrong. She can drop by my place ANY time.

Thanks to the various posters above re: Marguerite. I was hoping the director would address the timeline of their divorce and what happened to her and their surviving child. I certainly knew about the Rodney King and Reginald Denny horror show, but I had no idea about the Harlings murder. I can't say I'm "enjoying" this brilliant series, but it is utterly gripping (and, for once, I don't mind the commercials, as they provide a needed break). Still, I feel like I need a Silkwood shower after each episode. And huge kudos to our Sarah D. Bunting for her thoughtful... thoughts.

Thank you, BaseOps for transcribing Selina's *blistering* takedown of the Colorado senator. I was both cringing at the thought of anyone ever talking to me like that and laughing my head off. Jeezy Creezy, that clutch was hideous. It looked like a bedazzled cigar box. (Props to the prop department!) I loved watching it get passed around the periphery of Selina's scenes. And, of course, Six-Baby Vag took it home. I always watch every episode of Veep twice. This one may get four viewings.

Apologies if it's already been mentioned, but for those looking to prolong their Olivia Colman love, check out "Rev." on free Hulu. She plays the wife of an inner-city vicar -- who's played by Tom (Corky) Hollander. It's ostensibly a sitcom, but it has some serious moments as well. There are 19 episodes over three seasons. Very enjoyable with a great cast. I hope a fourth season gets made someday.

I would totally pay cash money to see Donna Lynn Champlin play Momma Rose -- and I've seen Tyne Daly and Imelda Staunton play the part already. (White Josh could play Tulsa, and Darryl could play Herbie.)

A big, splashy production number for White Josh with a slammin' dance break in the middle. Shirts optional.

The above "two for one" discussion reminds me of Alan Bennett's "Bed Among the Lentils" monologue from his "Talking Heads" series. In it, a vicar's lonely wife says: "One of the unsolved mysteries of life, or the unsolved mysteries of my life, is why the vicar's wife is expected to go to church at all. A barrister's wife doesn't have to go to court, an actor's wife isn't at every performance, so why have I always got to be on parade?" And if you want to hear Dame Maggie Smith say those lines, you can watch all 50 minutes of it here. It is well worth your time, alternately hilarious and heartbreaking.

WHATHAVEYOUDONEWITHWHITEJOSH?

Which was why I just couldn't get past her now playing Sexy Vixen With Murder On Her Mind. Too soon! (Not the actress's fault, of course.) In the previous week's Cambridge Spies episode, I knew I knew one of the undergrads from some show -- turns out he plays Raff on Last Tango in Halifax; thanks, IMDB! -- but because I haven't seen Last Tango in months it didn't take me out of the episode like Thalidomide Mom's appearance did. TV: crazy! Hey, Amanda, want to do a little light shoplifting in the Cambridge high street? Don't wear a polka-dot dress! Honestly, she stood out like a neon sore thumb in that (admittedly fab) dress. No one else on the show wore such a bold pattern. Who wants to see a Leonard/Mrs. M spinoff? Me, too! If I can't have that, can I have the vicarage? Thanks.

On the plus side, maybe Leonard has a new friend. Or "friend." Honestly, I largely watch Grantchester for the scenery -- Norton, Green, Cambridge -- and the costumes and art direction (would I rather live at the vicarage or Amanda's?). The mystery is the least of it. I could have watched an hour of the opening picnic/swimming scene with the characters just sitting around talking (and Leonard snarking). Hey, PBS: Where's Life In Squares and/or Lady Chatterley's Lover? Because, what with War and Peace, Happy Valley and Grantchester, James Norton hasn't been in my living room nearly enough lately (an impossibility, to be sure).

I, too, missed White Josh, but given the Total Rebecca Focus of the episode it would have been awkward to shoehorn him in. In his stead, though: Dreamgirls! Now starring Brianna Barksdale, Worst Mother EVER! I had to laugh.

That was as fantastic as the first series. I watched it in three sittings and finished it last night. I guessed right about who the killer was (although not the possible psychological reason why). I kept waiting for it to have a slam-bang violent finish like the first series did, but it really didn’t and that was OK, too. Jaysis, is everybody in Yorkshire cheating on their spouse, a drunk (or a former drunk) or a nutter? There were a few things that were a little *too* coincidental ), but, eh, it’s a small town, I can let that pass. There really should be one more series — they left the door slightly open for it with Ryan (that poor kid...) sending a letter to his dad in jail. Is it Sarah Lancashire who doesn’t want to do another or the creator, Sally Wainwright? C’mon, one more! Make it a trilogy. I don't ask for much!

I really don't think White Josh has any ulterior sugar-daddy motives with Darryl. He seems to be a Be Here Now, in-the-moment character who for whatever reason likes Darryl and considers himself Darryl's friend ("Well, you've got one now.") Also, Darryl planted that kiss on Josh by surprise (and in his own giddy moment of realization). And while Josh didn't pull away or slug him (he merely smiled afterward), it was only a maybe three-second, closed-mouth kiss with no immediate resolution as the scene cut back to Rebecca and Trent. All that said, I'll be interested to see where the show goes with WhiteJoshFeather (hee!). But, please by the gods of Robbins and Sondheim, give White Josh a snappy musical number! With chorus boys! And breakaway costumes! And tapping! On a staircase!

Am I the only one who misses school figures? Probably... I mean, I don't want to watch hours of them, but I always enjoyed seeing them, especially with the ice dancers. Plus, if the commentators were good you'd learn a lot about edges and footwork and closeness of position and what to look for when watching a short or long program. Also, I am Old.

I've seen every season of SYTYCD except the first. But I won't be watching this one, which will surely be its last. I'll miss you most of all, Cat!

I SO wish War and Hats had been 16 or 20 hours (and on commercial-free PBS) like an old-school Masterpiece Theater series like The Pallisers. (I completely understand that that would probably have been prohibitively expensive.) Still, I enjoyed it enormously. I've never read the book (it's now in my Amazon cart; I just have to pull the pistol trigger), but I'm sure this adaptation left out numerous subplots and juicy characters (and Tolstoy gassing on about peasant's rights and The Land). But the production design! Give them every award in the book. Anatole and Helene got their just desserts in the worst ways, and yet the foolish, generous, optimistic Rostovs (well, the Count was all those things; his wife, not so much) end up doubly blessed with two of their children marrying into incredible wealth. (Although their youngest died, albeit nobly.) Poor Sonya! The Jane Austen character without the happy ending. (I loved the way Aisling Loftus spat "Yes, Countess" at her aunt when the latter made it clear that Sonya was to leave Nikolai alone so he could marry wealthy Marya.) Speaking of Austen, at some point early on I realized War & Hats takes place at roughly the same time as all of Austen's novels. So this is what the Russian aristos were up to while Lizzie Bennet was fending off Mr. Collins and Anne Eliot was pining for Col. Wentworth. If they'd done a fuller adaptation I wouldn't have to say, "More, please!" Or do Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin novels next -- all of them!

That was nearly as difficult to watch as the creepy drug-dealer scenes on last week's "London Spy." (What? I have very catholic tastes. And I still have to watch the last episode of "War and Peace.") Anyway, that was rough stuff. I get that Rebecca is self-aware enough to sing a song like that and that she is, perhaps, making baby steps in working on her issues (through the therapist I'm assuming she's still seeing). But, c'mon, show, the character is becoming awfully one-note with the wacky I Love Lucy hijinks (that's two breaking-and-enterings now, right?) and how it all comes right(-ish) at the end, even though Rebecca never seems to learn anything much. And still nearly everyone continues to enable her special brand of crazy. I get that there may not be a show without her crazy (or that it wouldn't be *this* show), but there needs to be some forward movement otherwise it's just rinse and repeat. Great to see more of Paula and Scott (their recitation of the theme song was the best), and, hey, there's Father Brah! More counseling sessions, please. And I MUST know what's going on with WhiJosh and Darryl! (I was all Sad Trombones when I didn't see the actors' names in the opening credits.) Is it wrong that I want to see more of the secondary and tertiary characters and less of the lead? Also: Mmmm... Fondue...

I know they filmed this in Lithuania, Latvia and Russia, but does anyone know if the "Czar's Palace" exterior is for real? Because that was spectacular. Ditto the ballroom scene. (Norton said in an interview they filmed it in "Catherine's Summer Palace" in St. Petersburg.) Gah... with the commercial breaks!

Have to say, this is tempting me to read War and Peace. I've read Anna Karenina twice, so I know the style I'd be getting into. (Skim Levin blathering on about The Land in order to get back to the good society gossip about the Karenins, et al.) Anyone have any recommendations as to a good W&P translation? The ancient Penguin Anna K I have is by Constance Garnett (I think...), and she seems a bit Victorian.