shrewd.buddha

Good lord, Zoo ... if your show and it's sad backstories cannot even keep the bears awake, how do you expect to us, the endangered humans, to pay attention? (I actually did doze off at some point..) Girl Reporter seems to be missing a lot of logic when it comes to trying to get away with murder. It doesn't matter if he was an FBI agent or a homeless drifter -- you still need to show it was an act of self defense. And - you shot him with his own gun - so isn't there the option of hiding all evidence of involvement? When are the animal attacks going to begin in earnest? Get to it show , I'm getting sleepy...

She was taken from us because the television gods decided there were not enough characters making bad decisions on the CBS show Zoo. It would actually be interesting if they would recycle the entire cast into another hokey summer show next year -- like they do with American Horror Story..

It makes sense that Karen might be suicidal if she is modeled on Leo's mother who also committed suicide. But I'm thinking that both of Leo's parents committing suicide seems extreme and there is more to that story. Also Karen has always been told that her existence was a mistake and should never have happened. That probably doesn't lead to a healthy mental attitude.. I thought it was sort of funny how Joe was slowly getting out of the doghouse and then immediately got right back in when it was discovered he called the police. That guy cannot catch a break... Sad for George, Odie... and even Vera the nurse-maid. And surprising - I really thought George was a long term character and enjoyed his interrelations with the synths. Those British shows.... seems as if we may have another Game of Thrones "no one is safe" type series. (But this show does not have a cast of thousands as GoT does.) Only one more ep? I'm sad to see it go -- and a bit nervous how things will end up in the finale.

Just to be clear, the 'unspoken ultimatum' I was trying to imply was that sometimes, with some couples, there is the unspoken agreement/rule that any form of sexual gratification must be with the other person, or approved by the other person. When one party becomes unwilling (or unable) to participate, and no one wants to talk about it openly, things tend to go downhill.. I think Ms. Chaterley had that problem years ago.. ..And marriages , or long term relationships, are very complicated : because of children, finances, sex, careers, etc. It just doesn't seem logical that one rash sex act would be the undoing of everything they had -- unless one or the other was looking for one good reason to abandon ship.. (Things would be completely different if Joe had actually raped someone, robbed a bank, was discovered to be an undercover Russian sleeper spy -- or happened to be Ben Affleck.) I do think Joe did wrong -- but not by Anita, who, as far as anyone knew, was merely a nanny/sexbot. I have more issues with the notion of there actually being a nanny/sexbot available for purchase (I've ranted about that before).

I do believe that Joe f*cked up, but considering the circumstances : his wife has been distant both emotionally and physically. She is keeping secrets. The android nanny is making her look bad as a mother, cook, game player, etc, etc. . Yes, their marriage appears to be in the toilet, to the point that their own son feels the need to lie about who used the 'adult mode' , because he knows how rocky things are. .. BUT... in the real world, as well as the Humans world, nothing good is going to come of a situation where one half of a couple has the attitude of "I am not interested in sex, therefore you are not allowed to have sex until I permit you. " This is true for both females and males. It's an unspoken ultimatum that guarantees an unhappy outcome. Bottom line : Laura and Joe appear to have a lot of issues. If a fifteen second humping session with an Android can devastate a twenty year marriage, then it was pretty much over already. Just my opinion. ..

The embargo for some reviewers has been lifted. But the actors have been giving interviews saying they have not yet seen it. "Fantastic Four" star Miles Teller, who admitted he hasn't seen the film himself, revealed that he doesn't expect the film to do well critically but hopes audiences will recognize the originality of this latest adaptation during an interview with BBC Newsbeat.

I feel for the actors who have to go on interviews to promote a movie they themselves have not seen yet. That's got to be tough. One of the foursome said they were going to watch it for the first time at the Friday premier, along with the audience. I think that would be nerve wracking, not knowing what footage was going to end up in the film and how the crowd would react to it... Do actors get paid extra for promotional duties?

I was actually surprised when the Girl and Wounded Dog story tied back to AssHat Scientist. So, kudos, show. ..But killing an FBI agent seems like a bad thing. Will our heroes be on the run now? The story of the French Woman who can't hear or smell was comical .. almost unBEARable.. And she hid in the pantry -- where the food is -- but thankfully even the bear got bored before he could finish her.

This was almost worth it : (almost) : Claire : "We've all done things we wish we could take back." Lena : "I was trying to save my daughter. What's your excuse, ho?" (the 'ho' was implied, I'm sure..) It felt, to me, like a filler episode -- tho I admit to not paying full attention to all the talking and explaining and talking. I know the original Driller Killer is dead and the president may have start killing children, you know, for the sake of humanity.. As someone mentioned above, I find it hard to believe that the average child would go along with a 'game' that causes people to get hurt -- I think even young children have a concept of things that can cause pain and injury to others.

I enjoy sci-fi, so I have no problems with a high level of suspension of disbelief. (Some shows manage to go too far, but HUMANS is doing a good job, imo.) In the movie AI (Stephen Spielberg), the android actors were given special makeup to make them look sort of plastic and too symmetrically perfect (sexbots as well as little boybots). HUMANS, while being interesting and well written, seems as if they really want the audience to anthropomorphize the androids by just using the actors with little or no prosthetic makeup to hide wrinkles, moles, freckles. etc. I think this is the kind of storytelling cheating I was talking about. Because, of course we are going to empathize with Anita/Mia as a victim because she looks exactly like a real woman - minus the blank expression and calculated head tilts. So, when I see Anita, Niska, Odie, etc , what I'm thinking is : The show doesn't have a budget to afford expensive special effects and prosthetics. But if it did they would probably not make the synths look so 'real' -- and then I wouldn't anthropomorphize as much. I know that if I lived in this world and could afford an android housekeeper, I would specifically request a sexless, non gender specific , faceless model -- because the last thing I would want is to feel so bad for the robot vacuuming the house that I would feel obliged to help out..

Currently, this is the show we most look forward to (until Walking Dead and some other shows start back up in the Fall). It's really hitting its stride and - for the most part - seems to be a well written show. I like how Mattie and Laura have emerged as MVP's - and more so because the show did not make this obvious from the start. I can sympathize with Joe. His character was set up to be a fall guy - but I think he isn't bad person basically (unlike the party boys who would have taken a de-powered synth, or passed out girl, and done stuff to her). Joe used an android that he bought - which clearly came with an "adult option" mode. And he took advantage of that. Joe's family was in a downward spiral and it appears Laura has been keeping him shut out - in many ways - for quite a while . (I believe some people actually want to be caught in order to finally "break the camel's back" when it comes to a relationship that isn't working.) (just my opinion) I feel it's the show's fault for setting up a situation where a robot that can be both a nanny and sexbot is available for purchase by a family. That's sort of cheating - just so we can have this sort of situation. Someone called one of the synth's "an invaluable piece of technology" - which makes me wonder how an average family could afford such an above-average android. It also seems like cheating when the show makes the androids look very human (because they are, actually). Why does George's nurse need to be frumpy and look middle-aged? Do the androids smell like plastic? Do they have pheromones? The fake skin technology is probably more of a sci-fi breakthrough than the A.I. emotions - but the show doesn't want to quibble with those details. Still - a really good show. And I'm wondering what Karen's deal is..

I will admit that the show is more watchable now (last season was so tedious and plodding that we basically gave up). Lucy's casual killing style was sort of frightening. The round of applause she received afterwards was also creepy (but in the good, intentional way). The Lucy and Ethan robot rebellion story line seems much more intriguing than the alien-sex-werewolf thing that Molly is going through. The show is still sort of a mess and all over the place, but this season it is not causing us to channel surf and never return..

Eh, the story seems to be chugging along at a not-exactly-irritating pace. But, more carnage, please. When Frenchie was on the balcony talking to McHunky on the phone, I wasn't really riveted with fear by the bat hanging near her head. It wasn't as if the bats had rabies -- or have they established that the defiant pupil thing is a virus than can be transferred to humans ?

It's disappointing that the role of 'hot female agent/love interest' is such a flavor of the month thing. The males roles don't appear to be so easily swap-able. ..Whatever .. maybe it's some type of homage to old-style action movies, ala James Bond and the interchangeable arm candy. Otherwise, the MI films are fun, fast moving and truly summer popcorn movies.

It is kind of sad to think that with 99% of the population destroyed and in the middle of an alien invasion/war, that the remaining humans would not put their differences aside to fight a common enemy. ..which is how the writers appear to think when it comes to Pope and Tom. ..Or are we supposed to believe that Pope has just gone insane due to grief - - and over-exposure to the Mason family's radiation of awesomeness?

Things are heating and up - and the show has gotten me invested in almost all the subplots, which is a nice treat - to have a show to look forward to during the summer-of-dumb period.. There is one (and probably others) aspect of the premise that seems like a cheat : why do all the synths that we see seem to be fully functional and individualized? Basically, I know it is because it is easier to get actors to portray robots.. But why would an upper-middle class family pay for a fully anatomically correct maid, when it seems logical that a robot with less 'options' would be more affordable? And where are all the previous, less advanced, models - like even pre-Odi ? It seems as if there should be a lot of them around. The 'real people' rally was sort of sad/funny/scary. As usual, the angry mob picks an easy scapegoat : the synths, who are merely the product of the actual problem : other humans. It was interesting that Niska seems to have such a superiority complex - was that programmed in? But like all life, she has the desire for self preservation and proliferation. I enjoyed her philosophical conversation with George.

When Pilcher was arguing with Pam about starting with a clean slate "Option C", I think I remember him saying that the Abbies would eventually leave the area during their annual migration and then they could turn the power back on and restart. The safety bunker that the Nazi kids had waiting for them may have had more supplies than we were shown and maybe some way for them to override control of the mountain bunker (I have seen lots of Star Trek episodes where things like that happen). Anyways... I am pretty satisfied with the ending --- mainly because it ended. Finally. It reminded me of a typical ending of a Twilight Zone episode. And Ben is the perfect replacement for his blundering dad Ethan -- those two were truly cut from the same cloth. These last few episodes were fast and fun -- despite having to wade through all the dumb-assery to get there -- but it wasn't as if I was missing a book club meeting to stay home to watch on Thursdays nights..

Did this show just go bat-shit crazy ?! Bravo! I will stick with you until the bitter end (which better be 10 episodes, tops.) I enjoyed flirty Lunkhead Detective who was hitting on French Chick at the bar. I'm guessing he's there to create the required TV love triangle, but it's refreshing that he is more perceptive than he seems without being overbearing. Carry on, show.

No, Toby has not yet checked Anita's "oil level", but it's clear he is heading in that direction. If he can't figure out how to bypass her protocols, I would imagine that he would still not be happy to discover that his father has already been plugged in.

Something has to be done with that Minx child. Seriously. (And the name is making more sense now...she just can't be reigned in.) It seems as if someone is always preparing snacks for children -- with huge knives -- while they are up to no good. At this point, I really think it would be acceptable to lock them in the basement with the lights off. I did appreciate that Wes' first instinct was to distrust his adult wife, but believe his six (?) year old child who has proven herself to be untrustworthy and has even hacked his computer. What's happened to Harper? My guess is that the actor became unavailable so they dropped that character - but I'd love for her to make surprise appearance at the end and be the Keyser Soze linchpin to everything.. Obviously Lena's brain is not fully developed, so maybe Drill can communicate with her better than most adults?? Or a wizard did it..

I like that Cochise proved you can run a trillion light years from home, but you can't escape Daddy issues. ... And somebody had to die, so it might as well be Daddy-Cochise... "You can quit trying to revive him. It's been nearly ninety seconds .. I'm sure he would be totally fine with it.." I wished Anne had left with the car battery in the middle of Tom and Pope's pissing/gun match, instead of after - - confident that those boys would always be fighting something. Pope just needs a really long Mason Family Hug, It makes all your troubles go away .. (to other people).

I like the fact that Laura and Mattie slowly emerged as sympathetic protagonists, but still having significant flaws and annoying traits. Most television characters are almost literally given a white hat or black hat when they are first introduced because the average writer can't imagine the average viewer being able to appreciate the concept of layers. Pete seems headed towards a major wig-out - probably with a lot of collateral damage. He's going to blame the synths for everything wrong in his life and when he discovers the secret that his most loyal supporter is keeping .... I am torn on the Joe/Anita situation... Anita is supposed to be an appliance. Would Laura have any more cause to be upset if she had walked in on him having a wank in the shower? Again - no good can come from putting faces on robots.. I am NOT torn on the Toby/Anita situation. That kid needs help. .... although, I would like to see the reaction if/when Joe and Toby discover they have been "using the same toothbrush" ...

...Not much different than how some people isolate themselves with obsessive/exclusive relationships with their pets - to the detriment of improving, or even bothering to create, relationships with other people. Yes, pets are easier to get along with -- because you completely control their existence and it is a one-sided power structure. These synths create the illusion of a relationship. The movie "Her" did a good job of portraying how that might go if the A.I. personality had the option to make their own choices. And yes, it is a bit sad, and more than a bit creepy, that many guys would rather go for the 100% guaranteed compliance of a virtual or robotic sex 'partner' than deal with possible rejection, or being forced to meet another person half way, or, god forbid , deal with the expectation of reciprocation. (But our screwed up culture of sex=bad and violence=good can take some blame for that.) A sex-bot would basically be a masturbation outlet and not an actual sex partner at all.. ...might as well put a wig on the vacuum cleaner and go for it.. I don't think HUMANS is getting all these issues completely right Why would an android maid or massage therapist need to have sex organs? Or have features that make them exceptionally attractive? Or for that matter, hair? But the show does pose many interesting questions. Does anyone know if the original version is better/worse than the AMC version?

So, if Ethan had a clue, wouldn't he realize that the person most in need of a reckoning is David Pilcher ? Seriously - it is not as if Pilcher is displaying any sort of genius with regards to planning or reacting to threats - real or imagined. Yes, he had the money and means to populate a town full of kidnap victims, but now seems completely lost as to how to proceed -- and he seems to have no concept of how human behavior works. The jailhouse slaughter was brutal - a real game-changer for this slow moving show ... but Ethan seems to running things as if he is living in Mayberry "Oh, I reckon' I'll mozy on down to the office now ... I know we have all these cameras and phones and fake townspeople .. but why bother using them?" Now we are left with five groups : 1) Cowardly, in denial townspeople 2) Nazi-type teenagers, now with guns 3) The behind-the scenes technicians 4) The rebel fighters with Kate 5) The Abbie-normals ..And I have no idea who to root for ... (but definitely not the Nazi schoolkids)

Extant , season 2 -- or "How Molly got her groove back" .... uummm.. by hitting on her alien hybrid son in a bar .. (Those 'getting your groove back' hook-ups never seem to work out well, do they? ) And I'm starting to like Julie more -- but only if she continues to ramp up to a totally evil, mustache-twirling, cartoon villain. With the robotic tech at her disposal, she could totally create her own army of two-foot-tall child minions. Now that would be a show worth watching..