EC Amber

So, I've gone through the series twice and have come to these conclusions: I could go the whole series without Tom Haverford (Aziz Ansari). His self-absorption to the point of having a serious negative impact on his friends was galling. Virtually every scene he was in I wanted to smack him. I never found making fun of Jerry/Gary/Larry/Terry amusing or funny. Not once. It had the stink of Seinfeld - "we're so mean it's funny." No, it's not. It's mean spirited. Especially with a guy who was so genial and pleasant and genuinely good hearted. That's it :-) I think I love every part of it. Especially April who I wanted to adopt and keep in a giant bird cage in my living room.

Just stumbled across this scene. So funny I'm still laughing and I keep playing it over and over: Leslie: On three! 1, 2, 3... Ann: LET'S GO Leslie: GROUND BREAKING April: DARK FORCES ARISE!

Why wasn't Jam on the poll? I hate that guy. Of course all the town of Pawnee are pretty insane. Whoever that fundie woman with her effeminate husband should get an honorable mention, and the bitch running Sweetum's...

I didn't get that as insecure so much as cowardly. She wasn't being honest about why she voted against Shirin. She should have said "because you annoy me" and go on from there. Instead she lies and the lie she chooses puts her in the position of plausible anger. So now she just gets to be openly shitting to someone who didn't actually deserve it.

The humping! Oh dear god the humping! "Murmur, murmur... we're part of this" Brilliant! That line about god not wanting women to talk because their mouths look like their privates.... how can I love and hate a line so much? A whole show of Lillian and Jacqueline please. I know Kimmy is the focus, but I could have easily done a whole episode of those two in the car. There was a certain delicious irony to Brainwashed woman #3 (can't remember her name) being the one to point out the timestamp. There was a certain "save yourself" ring to it that made it so much better than if Kimmy really just came along to save the day. I'll watch this again because there are A LOT of subtle jokes and nods that went over my head. But this is a cute and fun show that has enough weirdly darkness to it to keep it interesting.

LandMall magazine! I want! I forgot!! The tv station is WDUR! "last one to the bunker is the mother of whores!!" Tracy Morgan's aquarium? What am I missing there...?

I don't know why, but the eye rolling from Titus and his adversarial relationship with the librarian was hilarious to me. The resolution with Christopher wasn't my favorite. Can't say I've ever been a fan of "potty humor" - but the theme behind it was pretty excellent. I will give up my portion of Jon Hamm's jon hamm. I didn't recognize him (never watched 30 Rock or Mad Men). More for everyone else!! On that note, I got the OJ references in that I recognized them. But I don't understand why they were used. The American legal system is an easy target to lampoon, but the references were for the audience - not Kimmy. They didn't need to be so outdated. As mentioned above - nice cameo for Fey, but for some reason that character didn't really resonate. More Carol Kane please.

Damn, was working on a response with what I hoped would have been thoughtful and interesting commentary. And the computer ate it. A summation: Rodney put his mom on a pedestal. He said he doesn't need a girlfriend because he has his mother (paraphrase). Essentially his mother meets all of his needs except sex. It is no surprise that he thinks women need to raise their standards. He probably ignore those that don't fuck him and hates the ones that do (for doing it no less!). This makes me hate the producers for putting someone on screen that makes me think about these kinds of things instead of watching a game show. It also makes me wonder how far they will go in terms of blatant bigotry (be it sexism or racism or against LGBT, etc etc). It seems there was some gentle maneuvering on Jeff's part in terms of addressing it. I can't wait for him to get off my screen. Please leave the game immediately. I'm intrigued with the Mike/Kelly duo. They had the potential to build a really strong alliance. I'm curious how that will work since they were separated relatively quickly. You two round out my upper middle listing. Dan - It's not that you are smarter than most people realize, it's that you are dumber than you know. You can leave at any time. Carolyn - one of my top three. Love her game and think she did right jumping ship. She could see she had numbers against her if she stayed and this gives her some inroads on forging new alliances before her name comes up. Having the HII just cinches her for the merge. At that point I'm not sure how well she'll play out (unless she can take the HII with her). Will - how are you still here? I'm not mad. I'm kind of impressed. Jenn - also in my top three. I weirdly oscillate with her. She definitely sets off strong emotions, but I think that is what tips me into liking her. She's funny and snarky, and she seems pretty bright. I sometimes question her perspective, but I'm wondering how much of that is immaturity. She's got the idol and seems to be in a pretty good spot. Joe - He seems to be staying off the radar and I'm not sure if that is a good thing or bad. He might be the one guy on the Adonis tribe that can get the female vote just on the default of not being a sexist pig. Given the bozo's he is surrounded by I"m not convinced this will dawn on them as a problem. He's three of the top three. Curious to see how his social game works. Apparently there is a guy named Tyler on this show. <shrug> Hali - I had hopes. Vince - I am so glad you're gone. I don't even want to think about the world of suck we would be subjected to if you were still around.Sad to see Lindsey go - especially when the other viable alternate is Rodney. Mostly amused to see Max go - From the cut he got I don't quite get how he was more annoying than Shirin. I still sympathize with her. We're quite a bit a like I suspect.

Mind. Blown.

Holy shit!! Alapaki wrote: And I just straight up lost my shit laughing!!

So, is Rod a toned down, less psychopathic but still crazy version of Brandon? Mike being a taskmaster didn't warrant Rod blowing up on him or Lindsey for that matter... but I could see that really getting on my nerves. Her blowout was out of line though. The content I don't have a problem with... but it was petty and done to hurt his feelings. I hate admitting this, but the kind of awkwardness I'm seeing in Shirin is the kind of stuff I pull. I would be completely talking to monkeys, stoked to see them bone, and excitedly sharing the details in a dramatic and rather ridiculous way. She isn't my favorite contestant, but I think we'd get along well. But she is destroying her own game by not taking at least one moment of self-reflection on how her social game is really translating. I genuinely think it's not even on her radar. And No Collar... Oh No Collar! I was pulling Nina would have pulled through that - especially when it was so close to the surface that decisions were being made for really bad decisions. Especially when they were so close to realizing that she would have been (likely) a stronger player - and a more loyal one- than Will. I still really like this tribe as a group of individuals, but the decision making is both predictable and horrible.

Here's my unsolicited $0.02... I like Nina as an individual given the tiny window we get to watch her through. She seems like a genuinely good hearted person, thoughtful, empathetic, concerned about the welfare of others and a strong sense of justice and fairness. None of these things make for a contestant on a game where people are not trustworthy or reliable. And she has a kind of naivete about her where she expected the kind of treatment she should rightfully expect in the "real world" but NOT what we see in a competitive game of this kind. Does she not know this is a show where a prosthetic leg was thrown in the fire?? People actively use disabilities as weakness and exploit them to remove competition. If Survivor wants to have people with disabilities, that is great. But I'd like a season where everyone has some kind of disability just to see how that plays out. But putting one person in a large group of otherwise physically healthy people (Will and his asthma not withstanding) just seems unfair. Especially with someone who seems tender hearted like Nina.

What I'm loving about this season is that we're on the second episode and I already feel like I know these people better than most of the previous season in recent history. Hell, I'm shocked i know more than 3 or four people's names! I'm glad Vince is gone for the sake of his tribe. I'm sorry he's gone because he was entertaining to watch. Will actually disappointed me. I love his game play, I love his attitude, I really enjoy watching him (and share Vince's concern about his health). But I'm unsure about his vote. He is definitely four out of four with the alliance he went with. If they picked off Jen, he was two of three (as he and Nina were tighter). It's too early to tell how that will settle out... Hali - she's my dark horse at the moment. She's quiet and off the radar... but she seemed genuinely touched that Nina felt left out. Jen truly seemed like a "mean girl"... which makes it hard to like her, because her glee at tribal was pretty damn cute. I'm ok with the nudity, but I'm a little irritated that it seemed more acceptable for Max to be nude... but when Shirin did it it was somehow less acceptable? The editing was rather offensive in this regard. (Yes, let's focus on her backside and her rash on her hip while we get humorous shots of Max floating on his back). Blue Collar seems to have their crap together the best... so I'm really looking forward to next week when we finally get to see where the cracks are. Edited to add: It just occurred to me why I'm reluctant to really like Joe on No Collar. He is Probst's seasonal crush who may get invited back in the future. It shouldn't be enough to not like the guy, it's not his fault.

"Parker, is that the Gem of Gibraltar?" "Yeah. Happy Birthday Jesus!"

Is it me or was that Jim Jefferies dressed like Santa at the beginning being interrogated by Jake with the wacky slang?

Awesome catch!

Finally had a chance to sit and watch both episodes (yeah, coming in late...) I kept feeling this was WH13 and was hoping we'd get that Myka/Pete vibe, but kinda glad we didn't. It would just make me miss it more. I kept thinking of Gary from Alphas with Cassandra, which also made me sad. I didn't get the Leverage feel. This isn't as smart as Leverage to me. Besides without Nate (the sexy and smart Timothy Hutton) this just can't be Leverage. There's no "mastermind" as it seems all of them are new to this game. I suppose one could say John Larroquette's character is a "mastermind" of sorts. But I don't think so... this isn't a game of chess to him. He's not moving pieces in an elaborate plot. But like others, I fell for this guy way back during Night Court, so I'm good with whatever part he's playing. Curmudgeon professor of all things magical is as good as any. And I am not really one for "magic" - it's a lazy concept (one reason I kinda liked WH13 - at least they tried to make it have some relation to science). I can see that grating on me. So far I like the casting, though I could use without Romijn. I don't know why, but she is just wooden and her stunt fighting needs a lot of work. I kept waiting for Eliot, sorry Jake to blurt out "Dammit Ezekiel" because isn't that who he is? Parker and Hardison merged into an annoying Australian with an oddly biblical name? I actually didn't have a problem with absolving Cassandra for her betrayal. As someone with a chronic condition I'd probably pick someone who offered to heal me over people who don't - in context with no actual background on who these people are. What made it easier is she was pretty ready to flip back when she realized her poor judgment. And its pretty clear that she is portrayed as a fairly innocent and naive individual - the "heart of gold" girl. I'll keep watching, but my expectations aren't too high. Hell, I'll probably enjoy it more that way.

"This gun is really heavy. It makes my arm hurt."

I was put off with the 11th hour love connection. But then I binge watched the whole series and I kind of get it. I think the writers actually intended for this to be the outcome, only they were incredibly subtle about it. There were quite a few hints through the seasons that there was more there than a partners/platonic relationship going on.

I love the idea of having more "every day" cooks on the show... and maybe three easy items and one ringer. Just not baskets full of WTF head scratching. it's not much fun when none of it makes sense and it comes out looking like a half cooked casserole.

One of my favorite episodes was the Viewers Choice episode. I think it was Alex who once described it as "a punishment to both the judges and the contestants." Putting durian in virtually anything is liable to ruin the best of dishes without having an experienced hand. But to add imitation crab meat and lime jello? Unadulterated evil. But canned chicken and clam chowder? <shudder> On this side of the screen it was hilarious. Was it one of the contestants who asked the judges mid-cooking "What do you think is harder: cooking with these ingredients or having to eat what has been cooked." After seeing what they came up with, I think it was the cooking that is the hard part. Finally - I never thought marrow bones was that hard to use for dessert. But then I saw a sweet genius knock it out of the park once...

Best scene with Parker: 12 step job "I don't do drugs" ... <takes pill, chews it open mouth, makes face>

You know, if this is one big rip off of the movie "Freaks" I'm calling foul. I get a playful nod to the movie - but if they start lifting blatantly from the story line then maybe it's time to get a new showrunner...?

This is awful, but I've been looking for a place to get this off my chest. I hate Connie Britton. Not as a person, I don't know her. But as an actress. Every scene she was in was painful to watch. She constantly looked constipated and gassy. Everyone else - love. Great, great casting. Lots of fun to watch. I am just so, so happy that she has not revisited this show after season one. It would have ruined the other seasons.

Another one off question: anyone notice that the first thing Dandy pulled out of Twisty's bag was bloody, rusty scissors and just tossed them aside like "meh." Anyone else laugh at that?