ML89

I will be the grumpy one but I thought the whole Miss HIggins story could have been missed, or at least put in another episode. So many other things were happening that could have been wrapped up better - running Sylvester out, settling May's story, and wrapping up Trixie and Matthew would been enough. Then you add in Mother of the Year, the mom with all the kids and her sister's kids on the bus and...that's way too much. I was also pretty grumpy about Trixie's brother telling her to go back to Matthew, who suddenly will be back in a few months? That whole storyline was a mess. Along with everyone else, yes, ugh at the Spirit Fire of Doom. The whole episode seemed like it was a series finale jerked back to a season finale, especially with the award for Sister Julienne (although that was great).

If you're going to have a fridge, why not a skin care refrigerator, which, I am given to understand, is all the rage AND goes with a bathroom and closet! The fireplace, I absolutely did not get (although I do love Keith and Evan). I also did not get the multiple laundry areas. Also, why did none of the teams put a powder bath down there by their elaborate first floor party areas? At least I think the twins put in an outdoor shower.

The one piece that does is Matthew hightailing it out of town to go follow his "pay off in five years NYC warehouse" (do they turn it into a dance club? Artist lofts?) folly. He was so completely sad sack, I was happy to see him get on the plane. He could have sold those warehouses, stayed in London with his law license and done something good. Instead, he goes chasing after a crazy dream. I wonder if that's why Lady Mom was the way she was in the last ep, because Dad had done that too? But they could have done a somewhat better job of setting it up. Violet telling him that he could get it together and go on was a great scene, but Violet has had to deal with reality with no fallback, unlike Matthew. Count me in the "Sylvester stops Joyce at the phone booth" gang and also in the "stepfather is the father from pretty much jump" gang. Glad Joyce told him off so thoroughly but it's going to blow up at the end of the season and yes, this is a soap but it's a feel good soap and this season has not made me feel good most of the time.

Serve it with a perfect Beef Wellington... If almost no one understands the challenge, then they aren't explaining it well. A production staff really listened to someone read that and thought "nailed it!"? I tried The Bear. I did not care for it and I really hate the Emmy rule that because it's half an hour, it's a comedy. Uh, no. Kristen's outfits are very hit and miss. That gray outfit was just strange. Hey, when Runway comes back, they can have a challenge to make her an outfit, right?

Now I'm imaginging Kirk looking at some of the performances on this leg with that same "oh, no" he had watching Spock in the aquarium... I think the music director at the singing passed Melissa and Yvonne because he wanted to spare his ears another rendition - they were the literal definition of "can't carry a tune in a bucket." He needed a gong... I have to say I've turned around on Rod and Letticia, they have been rocking it and way less "baby" so I'm enjoying watching them. Vinny and Amber OTOH...ai yi yi to quote the song.

Yes, an attorney but I can't remember if he's a solicitor or a barrister. Trixie was talking about getting him a job with her Lord friend who had chambers, so that would mean he's a barrister but maybe I'm remembering wrong. He doesn't seem the type to be hanging 'round the Old Bailey with Rumpole, but he's probably a Guthrie Featherstone/Claude Erskine Brown type, working the corporate side of things. Still with his raised consciousness now, he probably would be a Rumpole type! (Also, it's hilarious to think that if he was a barrister, he would be there with those characters, since the original Rumpole of the Bailey was set in 1969. Sort of similar to Jane Tennison, Inspectors Morse, Lewis, Daiglesh, Lynley and Havers all working at the same time. Wonder if someone's written a fic of them all attending some police all day training/seminar...but I digress!)

I managed not to laugh when they were praising Price and Maroun in that press conference and I was really shocked when Nu DA was all "yeah, we got this guy" - bit much. I was happy that finally, they won a motion, only to have the judge then deny the rest of them. But really, this lawyer who has gotten people exonerated makes a call that can be monitored with his wife confessing she did it? And how exactly did she do it anyway? That guy was really strong looking and had been in prison - I think someone even said that. I can buy her shooting him but stabbing someone? Okay. Riley and Shaw didn't chase anyone and had to rely on some good old fashioned shoe leather detective work again. Also, Mike turned the music down a bit. But I was watching one of the season 20 eps, where the whole case turns on the tax loophole for dying in 2010, and the snap to the scenes and dialogue is so much better. Cutter and Rubirosa would mop the floor with Price and Maroun.

The anvil I was waiting for was the policewoman coming back - they didn't even mention it outside of "we're not telling the cops as yet" or did I miss something? The board - which seemed to be eleventy billion people - dropped the ball too, they just want to make Matthew the scapegoat. He can't be the only person in all this, it doesn't blow up that fast. His mom was charming too.

As a Floridian, I was thinking that thank the Maker you've got two people from an island who know how to swim because everyone else was just standing there and no lifeguards either. Poor NuLucille almost drowned herself and there wasn't even a thank you really. What bothers me is now we've had two weeks where the previously on the ball medical people have fallen off. Why didn't Trixie give Fred a tetanus shot anyway even if he said he'd had one? Why did Dr Turner take Mae home without a checkup with as much water as she'd inhaled? YES Also, on a purely costume note, what is up with poor Trixie's hair? It is either really fried or an awful wig. Also, it's really cold, so why did she even get in and how did she get that far out? Who did she learn to swim from? Obviously not anyone standing on the shore.

The music is getting even more annoying - I don't know how much longer I can continue to watch. Whoever told Mike to flood the screen with hype music and then turned it up to 11 should be fired and if it's Dick Wolf, double it. I really wish Maroun had just turned around in that cross, got the woman to give her sob story, sympathized, brought up a little of her background, then gone in for the kill and said 'yeah, no one in my family conned one person, murdered them and nearly her husband, and then skipped blithely down the street to go con another family. Just sayin'." I join everyone currently at the Over Maroun, Can She Leave table. Although Nolan lecturing anyone on doing their job, considering some of the stuff he's done, was the height of irony. Also, seriously, do they even work together? They couldn't have done this, oh, I don't know, in trial prep? Then again, if they actually did trial prep, they might not have the problems they do. I would pay to see that scene. Maybe he can get a whiteboard as part of his office redecoration (did that even happen, it looks the same?). "It has been 50 days since Price and Maroun won a motion." The husband wasn't believable either, frankly. And why he wasn't suing in minute one to get his kid was unreal. Then again, do we really know it was his kid anyway? Did someone do a DNA test? Again, though, I will keep showing up for Shaw and Riley, who did some good old fashioned detective work and rocked it. Maybe they're saving themselves for the Olympic trials...

Survive and Advance? I recommend that to everyone I can, even non Terry/non basketball fans - it's funny and sad and uplifting all at once. Great documentary!

What has made me laugh so hard about this announcement - besides the outrage about Fallon - is outrage from supposed Olympics fans, about winter athletes hosting the summer closing ceremonies. Y'know, because they were so invested in the last summer closing ceremonies...hosted by Terry, Tara and Johnny. I felt sorry for Terry - every article had pictures and bio of everyone else, but tossed Terry off as "NBC Sports host" and often with no photo.

As a lifelong Floridian, that is exactly typical. We'll be in the 80s tomorrow. As for contingencies, those houses will probably be built with roofs with hurricane tie downs and impact windows but the insurance being right on that inlet? Yeah... If the hurricane is coming their way, there will probably be nothing left. The Gulf side has been getting hit a lot more lately and I don't see those docks lasting, especially anything on them. Also, I hope all the buyers are friends... The twins definitely added more value for the end but from a decorating standpoint, I did like the Baumlers this week. I always like Keith and Evan but their style isn't on trend for the HGTV crowd and especially not for somewhere it's not cold and snowy a big chunk of the year.

You’ll never guess who Adrienne met in London! There’s a photo too!

Anyone else start wondering when their last tetanus shot was or just me? I knew as soon as Fred cut his hand that we were heading that way. Parisi did a great job. I think all of you speculating about Matthew being less wealthy than we think are spot on. Especially now that we've seen Mr Greedy Condescending Slum Lord Councillor.

YES to the Olivet reveal because the second they brought it up, I thought of this ep. UGH that was awful. (Related - I began souring on House when they had Wilson be the same kind of hypocrite). I love that investigation, too. "First year guys are like puppies" ,"Oh Detectives Einstein and Galileo", "I missed your act at the improv" and yes, "Donny gets the toaster oven"! Plus Lennie channelling his character in Prince of the City while Logan is good cop.

In adjacent to skating news, for US folks, the men's basketball final four is this weekend and Terry Gannon is attending to cheer on NC State. He's done several interviews this week for publications and he was on ACC radio and PGA radio on Sirius (you can find them if you're a subscriber and so inclined!). The game is Saturday starting at 6 PM Eastern, on TBS/TNT/TruTV. I laughed when I was watching the women's long on my own tape delay and stumbled over their Go Pack banter when they were waiting for Nina Pinzarone to get on the ice. Also, the NBC wrap up show is on next Sunday, April 14 at 3 Eastern. Not sure what they'll show.

I am officially old - all those folks picking coffee in Colombia and no one made a Juan Valdez reference? YES. Love Sunny and Bizzy, but those glasses. Also, if that football player calls his wife baby one more time... I can see why they went with last season's eps first - the difference is night and day. By this time last season, I knew who racers were, and was really impressed with the competence. This edition, I am constantly surprised by teams that end up on the mat because I completely forgot they existed. I cannot even imagine climbing all those stairs, so props to everyone but I would have been sitting down on the boat and massaging my feet before the next task, not screeching "rapido" at the boat drivers. Also, all this colorful city and they made a plate of food and went up into the mountains to pick coffee and climb stairs? I don't know, I'm doubting these Expedia curated experiences. I know when Phil was reeling off what Cesar and Ricky would be doing in Capetown, the only thing I liked was meeting the penguins. Bye, Twins. My mom was asking if you were really like that or if it was just an act. I think you answered that one last night.

Okay, my first install would have been a downstairs powder room because I am not hiking up the stairs to the bathroom while I am watching a movie on that itty bitty screen from the pool, or making something on the teppanaki grill. So many new houses in Florida are built exactly like this, even as pricey as these will be. There's a development near me with a fake lagoon and million dollar duplex townhouses like these. Also as a Florida resident, you couldn't pay me to move there. Next hurricane from the Gulf, those places are gone. I was in favor of Keith and Evan, but I'm okay with the twins, if only because it probably grinds Paige's gears while she copied their plunge pool. Also the "look at that old looking tile" vs "it looks like shells" was terrific. These teams either really don't like each other or they are being told to take this to Survivor territory (really, the revenge/redemption thing is so overdone. I guess they can't say "I'm not here to make friends" though).

Back to last week's... Where is the linen closet? All those fireplaces and champagne bars but no linen closet for those enormous bathrooms? I liked Keith and Evan's because they gave them a regular laundry room, not a washer/dryer in a closet. Right??? Also, since I had a washer flood on me, I worry about that too. Count me against the ginormous bathrooms with tons of tile to clean as well. I had never thought of that with all those closets but YES. Also, are those balconies braced to put those showers or tubs on them without collapse? That bothered me so much.

I know she usually lands them, but she leans so far forward on some of those takeoffs, I keep waiting for her to pitch forward!

My vote, since they did NOT take my suggestion that we should have seen Terry playing some basketball with Nathan Chen, is that they have Terry ask Ben to demo various edges and Johnny some jumps, for video. I know that they did that in those various "Ice" shows during the Olympics, and that should be posted somewhere. I think Scott or Brian or Ashley did some footwork demos. Why wasn't that extracted and posted?

I’m guessing that he or someone thought that more young folks come over from those sports so it sounds cool for new viewers but could we get say Ben Agosto to make us an explainer on all of it? Although I watch snowboard stuff and am confused (I still don’t know how slalom works either). Sports need more explainer content, which seems to me to be a perfect thing to put on the NBC Sports website.

He was referencing skateboard/snowboard terminology - those sports call their rotational jumps by reference to 360 degree multiples instead of just single/double/triple rotation.

So happy to see the back of Hat Guy. Him criticizing Tom's hat game while wearing that trash looking cowboy hat and then whatever dirty hat that was in the elimination round was something. And wasn't he the one calling everyone babe or baby? Ugh. Rooting for Michelle the pitmaster/stealth pasta expert.