kirinan

The Christmas movie intel is starting to trickle out. Lacey Chabert and Kristoffer Polaha will co-star in a movie this year.

It's a plausible way to handle it, but I really hope they don't do this. I like Francey, and I like her friendship with Margaret. I'd miss her on the show.

I wanted to smack the bejeepers out of Lyle's selfish diva mother, but their bonding together at the end was sweet. And I'm hoping Allison does start getting herself back into a real life, because despite myself, I'm liking her more and more these days. The bonding moment between her and Todd made me "Aww!" out loud. I also really don't get where they're going with Beverly; I'd like some movement on that front (preferably out of the firm, because I don't trust or like her). But the best part for me was the preview for next week—looks like Dean Winters will be back! Although much as I love him, his character could get overwhelming really quickly, so I think he'll probably be best in small doses. I would like to see Gus again, too, who I can take in bigger doses.

Hmm, this is an interesting if cryptic article: Ryan Paevey to Take Acting Break, Says There Is ‘No Word’ of Upcoming Hallmark Channel Movies

Anyone catch Blind Date Book Club last night? I liked it. Granted, I'm disposed to like anything with Robert Buckley, who's one of my favorites, but I even liked Erin Krakow, who isn't normally someone I go out of my way to watch (I don't dislike her; I just don't go out of my way to watch her movies). I liked the plot, I liked the chemistry between the leads and I liked Alice, the other bookstore employee. It was a pleasant way to spend a couple of hours. I would watch it again. And then I watched Shifting Gears, which was on right afterward. I wouldn't put it in the top half of the Tyler Hynes oeuvre, but I liked it better than I thought I would.

First, this episode was (understandably) a little frantic, but it kept my attention the whole time, although some parts were a bit confusing to me. One of the things I look forward to most for next season is that the General stepped into the portal to the base (I would guess), so we'll hopefully get to see her and Harry and Bridget fight their way off the ship together. That should be some comedy gold. Second, I echo the love of the Enver Gjokaj/Alan Tudyk scenes. They're so funny together. Third, I'm glad Darcy didn't die. She's a hot mess, but she's a hot mess who has grown on me. Fourth, the Alien Tracker was SO creepy in his RoboCop getup, with his complete lack of emotion. But when his consciousness/emotions came back, I teared up instead. Terry O'Quinn was awesome in his scenes. Fifth, I wouldn't have expected me to say this during season two, which I didn't enjoy as much, but bring on Season Four!

Totally agree with seeing all three women back next season as recurring! Roz is a given, of course, but I've also been a fan of Julia Duffy's forever. My mom used to watch the soap opera The Doctors back in in the 70s, where I first saw her, but my favorite of her roles was in The Blue and the Gray Civil War mini-series in the early 80s. And @giovannif7, totally agree that Gigi Rice was an excellent choice for Christine's sister. BTW, I looked her up on IMDB last night and found out she's been married to Ted McGinley (from Revenge of the Nerds and The Love Boat since 1991). I never knew that!

I love that if they gave Christine a never-before-heard-of sister, that it was Gigi Rice, who I enjoyed with John Larroquette on The John Larroquette Show. Kind of a full-circle thing. And I adore Dan and Roz scenes; they are so good together. Also great to see Julia Duffy again, and oh, that ending!

Sometimes I get impatient with all the extra storylines in this show, but I really liked this episode. I love the friendship stories: Dan and Mike ice fishing; Mike standing behind Liv with her grandmother—and good for Liv for finally getting it all out, although I'm embarrassed to say I laughed out loud when Grandma dropped; Asta and D'Arcy and the passive-aggressive fight in the helicopter, which cracked me up (as did them arguing at the cabin, with Harry interjecting the occasional laugh-out-loud comments), and the way they were finally honest with each other. I was also happy to see Joseph again (can't help it, I really like Enver Gjokaj, even as a bad guy), and I loved the scene of him and Heather arguing the nuances of "niece." Oh, and of course Bridget! I can't wait to see what happens there...

My husband was thrilled because he recognized him as Norman (the Harry Potter fanboy) in one of his favorite movies, Yes Man. I was so pleased to see Dave Foley. He has the nicest head of white hair now, just like John Larroquette! I'd love to see them both come back in a future episode.

I never saw M. Spade, so I can't speak to that, but it did occur to me that Franks the detective is very much like "Mayhem." He always makes me laugh in those commercials, so I guess that's why I liked him so much in this show. And oh, wow, talk about a show I really mourned the loss of; I LOVED Battle Creek. I'm glad I'm not the only person who remembers it fondly.

Dean Winters is one of my favorite actors, and he didn’t disappoint. He and Skylar Astin were great together. I hope crazy Franks comes back. Loved the Lee sisters, too, and wouldn’t mind seeing them again. Also, I can’t quit laughing at “the Karen room.” So silly, SO funny.

Some of these look kind of promising, and in a slightly different way from the usual Hallmark storylines (IVF single mom? A female mechanic? Okay, I'm interested). Plus, Tyler Hynes, Robert Buckley, and Sarah Drew are three of my favorites.

I'm in complete agreement with this. As much as I liked the Duke, I knew there was no easy way to reconcile their lives so they could be together. In my case, I'm not giving up on the show because of the loss of the relationship; I thought Eliza was good with Nash, too. I just don't like the character of Eliza enough to watch a show where she carries even more of the story than she does now. The dumb things she does that endanger herself and other people, the selfish way she doesn't seem to care how what she does affects other people, even those she loves—I don't see how I can sit through another season without a main character I like to root for, which was the function the Duke fulfilled for me. Moses and Ivy and Fitzroy could, but they're not on screen enough (if at all, in Moses' case) to offset Eliza for me. It probably doesn't help that I'm so-so on mystery shows in the first place. I'll watch them occasionally, but for any show, I'm in it for the characters, not the plots.

I think I am, too. I have all six episodes from this season on my DVR and I haven't watched it yet. I just haven't cared that much, since I know from hanging out here that Stuart Martin hasn't been in several of the episodes. He's always been the reason I watched the show, since Eliza annoys the heck out of me and has since day one. She's always reminded me of a Victorian Stephanie Plum; she never seems to learn or grow from her mistakes. JMHO, of course—other viewers, I'm sure, have a much different take on it.