catray

Sympathy and likeability are not synonymous: I definitely dislike Beth right now, and my sympathy for her is slipping by the minute. She has targeted Ellie because she can't lash out at anyone else-- it's understandable to a degree but also infuriating. She is clearly in an emotional turbulent state, being pregnant and having to deal with the murder of her son and death of her mother, but she should be in counseling/therapy to deal with that; not taking it out on her former friend. The only time I felt remotely sorry for her was when she was pleading with Mark to go on a date and Mark was shoving her off (you suck, Mark) but otherwise she is grating. Count me in (maybe too much Law & Order) as completely annoyed and befuddled by how quickly Joe's confession was thrown out. I get drama, but that was just poorly done all around. Why didn't the prosecutor argue it?! Gah. Regardless of whether they actually chopped anything up or not-- that was just sloppy writing. Not sure where I stand on Claire yet-- I definitely don't think Lee kidnapped her; she's a grown woman and there was no sign of a struggle in the room after they disappeared. Not sure what's up with her yet-- it could potentially be an abusive relationship and she has some sort of Stockholm Syndrome, so seeing him again triggered the desire to be with him. I don't know. Definitely something weird there.

This show will probably drive me crazy, but looks awesomely trash-tastic.

I thoroughly enjoyed the premiere and am actually glad they are exploring the ripple effects of what happened. We'll see how well this works with the reemergence of the Sandbrook case, but I am looking forward to this season. Fundamentally, I understand why Beth is acting the way she is (feels guilty, lashing out) but I also want to smack her and tell her to recognize that it's not a) Ellie's fault and b) it's not going to change what happened. Furthermore, I really hope Ellie does not spend the whole season crying-- if this continues I'd really like her to confront Beth. One thing that I think is going to annoy me: the way they are dealing Reverend Paul counseling Joe. I feel like they are portraying it as if Paul sneaking around seeing Joe in jail, but really-- that's his job! Whether or not people agree with it, it's his obligation as part of his job, not to mention part of his faith. Yes, there are pastors that do specific prison ministry (at least in the US, maybe not in Britain) but because Joe is a member of the congregation, he has a right to request that Rev Paul minister to him while he is in jail. I can only speculate that when the townspeople found out (which they inevitably will) they will feel pissed off and betrayed, but it's not about whether or not Paul likes Joe and supports him-- it's his job as a priest to counsel those in need, even if that person is a pedophile and a murderer. It's not really any of their business if the Reverend is counseling Joe, as those sessions are confidential-- just like it's not any of their business if he were counseling anyone else in the town.

In swimming news: Phelps might possibly be reinstated for Worlds. Can't say I'm totally surprised, though nothing has been announced yet and I also wouldn't be surprised if he still missed it. In sad news, French gold medalist Camille Muffat was killed in a helicopter crash in Argentina. So sad-- I remember when she won her gold medal in London. Apparently Alain Bernard was also supposed to be in one of the two helicopters that crashed, but was placed in another due to weight restriction.

Finally, a Porthos story! Though too bad his family is batshit crazy. Poor Porthos. How long has Constance's husband been dead? Sheesh, dudes. I like Dr. Lemay but the proposal seemed sudden and out of the blue; clearly his regard for her has grown but I was expecting a request to court her, not marry her. I get the feeling that Constance is doomed to, but I hope I'm wrong. Poor Queen Anne-- Rochefort is one crazy son of a bitch. She probably shouldn't have told Constance, but I think it was bound to happen. I'm glad she stabbed Rochefort, as he totally deserved it for trying to rape her.

I definitely think it was implied that Xanatos was curious about the Eye of Odin and knew there might be some side effects from wearing. He better hope that Fox never finds out, because she would totally kick his ass.

To be honest, I was a bit surprised that Milady de Winter was the one who showed up in the fake Louisa's cell-- I was expecting Rochefort. She would be a liability, given that she knows he is a Spanish spy. Of course, it's possible no one would believe, but even insinuating Rochefort is involved with the Spanish could damage his ambitions. So I thought he would show to kill her. Now that Milady knows, though... ah yes, this is good. I would love it if she helped stick it to Rochefort. While I'm not surprised Constance's husband died, I will admit to it being a lot quicker than I would have thought. When they let him go without killing at first, I figured we'd have to wait awhile before he was gotten rid of. Rochefort with that ring was ridiculous. Ugh, I can not wait until he gets his comeuppance.

My next question is: is they had to do multiple takes, why the hell did the producers choose to air it? There were lilterally hundreds of other celebs and dresses they could have picked to comment on. The comment Guiliana made is still dumb, but the producers could have chosen not to air that particular segment. Hmmmph.

Woo! I just started reading a book that features the Norse gods today and that got me thinking about the show.... so I decided to check the forum to see if there was an update about the show (it seems SyFy has abandoned it). But the fact that they are releasing all three seasons on DVD is good news! I think I will go preorder mine now-- should be we do a season 3 (re)watch in May? Edit: I see that Amazon (and iTunes) has season 3 as digital content... apparently I am behind.

Putting aside Guilana's comments about Zendaya's dreds on the Oscar carpet, I am enjoying the current iteration of Fashion Police. Mainly because I think Kathy doesn't claim to have any fashion cred and they mostly just snarking on the outfits. Joan, who did have the cred, focused too much her own brand of comedy and it became less about the fashion and more about which outrageous jokes she would make (imo). While I certainly wish there was more actual fashion critique, I feel like this version of the show is more authentic than when Joan was heading the show. Maybe that doesn't make any sense to anyone but myself: long story short, I still like the show. I miss George but so far Brad has been pretty good. I could take or leave Kelly (the fact that she's still "obsessed" with everything doesn't make her an expert by any stretch) but so far am liking the chemistry between the group.

I think Guilana's comment was undoubtedly stupid and insensitive, Guilana has apologized and Zendaya accepted her apology-- while I think there's certainly a dialogue to be had over beauty standards and race, so hopefully people can move on to have that discussion instead of just being outraged. As for Kelly's ridiculous statements about people needing to make it right and thinking about quitting the Fashion Police-- don't let the door hit you on the way out, Kelly. For someone who says she is a friend of the victim, she certainly didn't stand up to Guilana on air (which, maybe it got cut for time or something) but seriously-- getting on the internet and demanding people apologize is much easier than saying it to their face and Kelly would have been a lot better served to have been upfront with Guilana, not threatening to quit the show via Twitter. I always hated Joan ragging on people's afros (Solange in particular comes to mind), so I'm not upset Guilana is getting reamed for this. I honestly don't think she meant to make a racist comment, but it was ignorant and she really should think before she opens her mouth.

I pegged Leland Spears's neighbor as the bad guy the minute he showed up-- something about his ridiculous hair. I figured he would pop back up again. I liked Gibbs going undercover and everyone's incredulity that he could be an IT guy. But Gibbs is the master of reading people, not necessarily knowing everything so I thought that interplay was amusing-- Abby and Tim freaking out that he was going to blow it and Gibbs totally working the security guard without blowing his cover at all. I continue to appreciate the mentor/mentee relationship between Bishop and Tim/Tony. This week she spend more time with Tim and I like that they both treat her as a competent adult while still teaching her. I also like that she hasn't become a super NCIS agent over night. She's capable, but still looks to Tim and Tony for guidance and assistance. Additionally, I thought her worry about potential undercover work was realistic, given her marital status and the fact that undercover work is often portrayed as involving relationships with the target. I'm happy we didn't get any flashbacks to Gibbs and Jenny undercover. *whew*

Not a big fan of the Athos angsty man-pain episodes, but this wasn't a terrible episode. I like the Musketeers, including Treville, coming to the aid of Athos and then aiding the villagers in their quest to keep their land-- and helping snap Athos (mostly) out of his funk. I especially liked the moments between Athos and D'Artagnan in the armament cellar. Catherine was a piece of work, I like her. She seems like she's off her rocker a bit-- but it seems like she might pop up again trying to kill Milady, which has some promise. I would certainly be ok that. Or she'll just be out to get revenge on Athos, which... yawn. I'd rather see her take down Milady.

Last week, when it was revealed that Agnes was Michael's daughter, I immediately knew that he was having sex with his daughters to get more daughters... ICK. Of course that would be happening on this show. Due to that, I decided that I really like Amy-- no wonder she wants to jump Dr. Texas's bones and get the hell off the island. She might be a bit crazy, but given that she would basically be forced to raise her father's baby, yeah, I can't blame her. My sneaking suspicion about Caleb is that he is actually Alan and Sarah's son if she ever manages to give birth-- which, since it looks like Michael gets his hands on her in next week's episode, might just happen. Apparently no one cares about Peter. I find it funny that he's been gone for over 24 hrs and yet... no one cares enough to actually try to look for him. The outbreak helped divert some attention, but seriously, neither Sarah or Dr. Sommer care enough to try and find him. I guess I had to pick a Farragut brother, I'd probably pick Alan too. Ok... so Illaria is trying to kill 75% of the human race so that they have more control over the world by using a Narvik virus, but Michael is working on the same thing (sort of) by using selective breeding on St. Germain. Basically, immortals suck. And their planning is pretty terrible, as others have pointed out.

I really liked the Gibbs/Fornell stuff, especially when we learned about just why Fornell is self-destructing in regards to the fight and voicemail he had with Diane. Add me to the list of people that was glad their fight wasn't about Gibbs, although I don't think that crossed my mind when watching this episode. That would be way too soap opera for my taste, but Fornell's grief over things said and left unsaid felt right, maybe because Diane theoretically wouldn't have been in a situation where she would have lost her life so suddenly (compared to say, Gibbs or Fornell's line of work). Was anyone else hoping that Gibbs would say "PS-- I didn't shoot Ari, his (half)sister did" and then have Fornell shoot Sergei? Because I kind of wish that had happened. And with that, I really implore the writers to stop trying to bring up Ari/Ziva/Israel and move on to greener pastures. I was glad though, that there wasn't a lot of beating around the bush-- once Tony and Tim heard Russia/Palestine all the pieces clicked into place. I do like Anton though and his shades of grey (morally, not the book/movie) character, so I wonder if he will pop up again. I wouldn't be opposed. In any case, I feel like killing Sergei was a little too easy after he had been giving them the run-around in previous episodes, but... I also don't really care because I'm super tired of the "I'm getting revenge on Gibbs by targeting his loved ones" trope that this show constantly plays to. Yawn, show me something else.

I was disappointed that Tony's former coach might be involved with the murder/suicide-- I guess he was tangentially by allowing the honor corps to continue, but I'm glad he didn't actually commit or cover up the murder. I thought the flashbacks were just right here-- not too much so as to overpower the episode but enough to give us some insight into Tony's background and character. I thought young Tony was cast well. The only thing I'm not sure about is how Tony got on the Ohio State basketball team after playing one year of varsity bball, unless it was as a walk-on. (I am probably overthinking it just a bit, as well.) I thought Jake being all "what happens in the diner stays in the diner" about his talk with Gibbs was hilarious. I think Jake feels out of step with Bishop's new job, but I think Gibbs's approaching him about intel helped them feel more on a level.

This show is pissing me off. Others have stated their issues, probably more eloquently than I can. I hate that the King seems to be back sliding into a complete prick-- it's lazy writing. I wish we had more of the relationship between Anne and Constance. I agree that Rochefort just needs a mustache to put him over the top, but he plays the creepy obsession with the queen well. Agree with the general sentiment here of more Musketeers, less everyone else.

BBCA is no longer airing Graham Norton?! Damn it!! I love the GN Show-- why would they pull it?! Gah this sucks.

I like BD Wong, but did they have to steal this plot from the Mothership? In any case, it was still a pretty good episode and I enjoyed the interaction between the two brothers. The wife herself didn't set off my guilty radar, but her chirping on and on about plastics! sure did. Yay, Borin is back!!! I think it would be awesome if she did join NCIS; I feel like with her experience puts her on par with Gibbs and Pride and even though she would have to learn the ropes, I don't think she'd be a probationary agent. I think it would be awesome if she joined the New Orleans team, though I'd miss her popping up in DC. I liked her and Brody interrogating the suspect-- that was great.

Ohhhh, that's a toughie! Season 3 is probably one of my favorites because that's the year I started watching, followed by season 2 and the current season, 12, which I am enjoying. After that, seasons 1, 11, and 4/5 (those two blend in my mind because of the overarching Jenny stuff). Then 8, 9, 10, 6/7. I initially put 8-10 in the bottom because a lot of the episodes were convoluted and uninteresting, but then I went back and read through some episodes and put 6/7 in the bottom because those seasons contained the worse storyline in the series: Rivkin and the assassination of Ziva's character. Oh, and 7 introduced the worst character EVER in this series: M. Allison Hart. The worst! So: 3, 2, 12, 1, 4/5, 11, 8, 9, 10, 6/7. (I can't do it without tying!)

Oh Palmer, your naivete in rejecting DiNozzo's gift just screams first time parent. In three months you will be so grateful for ear plugs, wine, and cash for take out. But yay for Palmer's baby-- at least it took at least two days and not a typical TV 2 hr labor. Liked Hollis back and liked her approach to Gibbs's grief over Diane. I also liked her shutting down his usual "it's all on me, you're not safe" bologna. Agree that the case was way more convoluted than it needed to be-- I feel the Admiral underhandedly disgracing gay servicemen wasn't needed. While I'm sure things like this happened (and are maybe still happening) I feel like their were other shout-outs to the hardships that gay service members face.

Now this is the batshit crazy Helix I love! Otherwise, it's such a mess. I agree that I wish this would commit to either the anthology format or actually continue the freaking storyline, because there is so much they have dropped. The beginning totally didn't phase me either-- of course Sister Amy would be giving Landon (? The bald dude) a hand job. Because why not? I figured cute Texan CDC doctor is going to bite it, so I was surprised he survived the kids' attack. Some of those rocks were pretty big. But typical tv injuries/recovery, I guess. I fully expect him to die or get infected in a future episode. Happy that Hataki is back, but he has apparently gone insane. Which is kind of awesome and kind of sad. That last scene was epic, though. I hope he'll get some clarity and kick some ass in future episodes.

Some good stuff there, hopefully! Looking forward to seeing Jake again, along with Fornell and Emily. A flashback episode to a young Tony could be bad or good. I didn't hate the Abby flashback episode, but so far the Ducky flashback episode has been the best (followed by flashbacks to a young Gibbs, not the icky Paris stuff with Jenny).

I finished up watching the men's free skate earlier this week and I have thoughts: first and foremost is that I really want Joshua Ferris to succeed. He seems like he might be "the complete package" in terms of jumping/choreography/artistry and not a mental basketcase ala Jeremy Abbott (who I think it a truly beautiful skater who is not at all cut out for competition). I still like Jason a lot, but I think he needs to be careful of not getting stuck in a rut and try to mature a little bit in terms of his programs and costumes. While I am less enamored of Adam Rippon (similar to Gracie, his skating doesn't grab me and I don't feel a connection to him), he skated an awesome free skate and totally earned his spot on the podium. Good for him!

I like both Mirai and Ashley. I really wish Mirai could have stayed on her seemingly upward trajectory after the 2010 Olympics, but she definitely struggled between Vancouver and Sochi and figure skating seems to operate with the long-haul mentality-- if you screw up frequently, you will dig yourself into a hole that's hard to get out of (Mirai) and if you are consistent (not even that great) you get more leeway (Ashley). I'm glad Ashley skated lights out last night. Gracie's skating still leaves me a bit cold, even though she is a good skater. I personally just don't feel like she grabs me, whereas Ashley does. You can definitely tell Polina is starting to fill out a little and I hope she can weather puberty because I think she has a lot of potential and has such beautiful long lines and gorgeous spins. On the shallow side: I totally agree about the braids-- they need to go. And Karen Chen is nothing to sneeze at either, though I tend to be wary of those small little sprites because you can't tell what's going to happen after a growth spurt. Ashley and Gracie definitely need to watch their backs.