Irishmaple

Damn, I like the King!

Ezekiel and Carol live! I’m good now.

It’s Aaron and Eric. There’s a better chance of Judith killing some people.

Well, everybody is looking badass and ready to go. Who the hell are these people?

Heath? His show was cancelled, wasn’t it?

And coordinate that first appearance. They were all in unison. Like they’d been doing it for years.

I read a review that said the show is frustrating for viewers (like me) who want to see Richard and Pied Piper advance. The reviewer suggested reframing the show into the story of a brilliant guy who could change the world if only he could get out of his own way. This made sense. Next time I want to watch something depressing, I’ll go for season 4. Meanwhile, I switched to Veep. Season 3. I am so far behind.

Double post

Hyperloop?

I don’t see why TPTB move the team out of the Middle East anyway. The Middle East and the surrounding areas are absolutely crammed with story material, and the main areas of conflict (Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria) are familiar to most viewers. The arms dealer in Mexico storyline could have easily taken place anywhere from Turkey to Pakistan (not ME but closer than Mexico) Everyone and their grandmother could be buying weapons there. It’s got to be his largest market. This episode could have shifted too and still worked, even if the writers took their inspiration from the terrorist attack on the mall in Kenya.

Did Brian wait too long to release his primary? The guy on the ground seemed to be waiting for it and it took a while. Did the reserve fail too or did it not have enough time to be useful?

Honestly, that’s the only reason I’m jumping on it. I’ve seen a few Woman In Peril movies that start with the guy pushing past reasonable boundaries. I don’t pay much attention to Clay’s scenes but I think he was initially reluctant to have any contact with his father and only agreed when Stella persisted. Her showing up at the gate was played as cute when, reversed, it could be seen as controlling. I’m seeing red flags but maybe the show thinks its writing a fun relationship.

Well, damn! The show fridged Brian. Yeah, I’m not happy. If anyone’s parachute had to fail, Brian would not have been my pick. Now I get to enjoy more of Clay’s angst. I’m not blaming the actor because he’s doing a great job of personifying an entitled, defiant muppet but I wouldn’t miss Clay if he left either. Stella is coming off really weird and clingy to me. First she wants to meet the Dad after a handful of hookups and then she shows up at Clay’s work so people will know she’s with him. Time to dial it back, Stella, when your boyfriend is talking about feeling stalked. I hope Clay doesn’t have a pet rabbit. The embassy stuff was really good though. I was tense as hell as Jason, the guy whose name I don’t know, and the two extras were driving around the city. And then the interim ambassador left two people and the flag behind, giving Jason a chance to think on his feet and come up with a decent plan. I thought the CIA officer would notice that Davis had been left behind. The show really needs to concentrate on the mission end because the relationship drama is woeful.

Charlize Theron? She was born in South Africa and lived there during the apartheid era.

Does anyone in these parts watch Silicon Valley? I watched season 1 as it aired and, when I broke up with HBO, it was one of the shows I really missed. Long story short: friend near work has HBO and a cat who needs Prozac at lunchtime, HBO and I are back together. I watched season 2 a couple of episodes per day and felt kind of deflated. It wasn’t what I expected. It seemed very similar to season 1 but with new investors. I put it down to overinflated expectations and went for season 3. Honestly, if it wasn’t for Jared, Dinesh and Guilfoyle, I would have bailed. It’s pretty repetitive and nobody gets a win without losing ground right afterwards. Most of their situations could be cured with common sense and a good lawyer. Is season 4 worth it, or is it more of the same?

I’m glad I’m not sitting alone :) I work with toddlers so I see that particular stance and expression several times a day; it never ends well for me. That’s where I am too. He got detained so quickly I didn’t get to see him do anything to improve my view of him. Being detained isn’t enough to garner my sympathy given his responsibility for Lorna’s situation. And however many mutants crossed his path before her. Plus Stephen Moyer is further weighed down by the residual baggage that is my loathing of Vampire Bill. He’s got an uphill climb.

I’m so relieved to see I’m not the only heartless person around here! I couldn’t believe they did that. It didn’t seem like a smart use of resources. Leaving Maguire behind left the team down by two. At least Preach was providing useful intel. I was also surprised that the hostage takers didn’t separate the foreign hostages from the locals. The foreign nationals would probably be considered better leverage and would get more publicity. I liked the opening moment with Jaz and the little girl, especially since the show went on to display how some parts of her society place little value on females. I’m unconvinced that going to rescue the little girl was a good idea. She was well hidden and it seemed the best way to get her out safely was to go eliminate The Leopard first. I liked the Nigerian general. He had no time for niceties like international borders when there was work to do. And he wouldn’t have to get his men killed doing it.

I’m such a nerd. As soon as the mutant powers stopped working, I yelled out “there’s a Null”, and scared the cat. Well, that wasn’t the smoothest rescue I’ve ever seen but it worked! I’ll be at the table for one that likes Andy. He was relentlessly bullied so I’m not giving up on him yet. He’s afraid of the destructive force of his power too. Lauren is badass, goading her brother to get the job done. The show does need to do something to get the kids to look less hunched and constipated when they use their powers. Blink and John are getting interesting. She’s drawn to him because of the fake memories, and because he’s hot. He looks like he’s attracted to her too so this is going to get messy. All of mutants proved resourceful without their powers and Caitlyn fit right in. It looks like Pulse has been turned by Garret Dillahunt’s division? Interesting that Coby Bell didn’t want anything to do with that but will use an asset. The only character I find uninteresting and dull is Marcos, and he’s paired with Polaris, my favourite character. Maybe, now that they’re reunited, she can make him more bearable. I hope the Mutants keep fighting now. It sounds like Sentinel declared outright war on everyone allied with them so the stakes just got a lot higher.

I love this show because bad things and disappointments happen to good people, and so do really good things. If not for the abandonment, Alex and his mother never would have met Ron and Justin. I would consider the talent show another bad thing. That is my nightmare. I liked seeing Ron’s joy in introducing Alex and his mother to the family, and I was actually happy to see that two fictional characters are still together! I enjoyed Older Alex biting his tongue all through dinner, feeding the boyfriend enough cues so Abby saw for herself how insufferable he was. I really liked Adult Alex’s storyline because I recently met a friend’s biological father for the first time. They reconnected through social media a few years ago after a gap of over twenty years.

Yeah, Paul Gross. The man who gave us Men With Brooms (the reason I now watch Olympic curling) and Slings & Arrows. I think he’s great. I do suspect that supporting him is a condition of citizenship :) Hyena Road is actually on demand so all I need now is time to watch. Rossif Sutherland is in it too so I’m sold.

In a massive moment of serendipity, I just saw Hyena Road listed as the #5 Canadian movie of all time. Have to go see if Rogers is putting it up on demand.

I fell down the Canadian Forces rabbit hole yesterday. It’s disconcerting to think that I actually met some of those guys at an event without having any idea of what they did. I saw trailers for Hyena Road but it didn’t stay in the theatre for very long and then I forgot about it. I’ll have to follow up; it did look like a good movie.

I enjoyed the bulk of the show. I know Negan is wearing layers of Plot Armour and, apparently, has to go on and on and on, so I’ve decided I can live with it. I do my best to tune him out and use his monologues for posting over on the live chat. The show now needs to do its part by keeping Negan out of the line of fire. If he’s not supposed to die for a while (a short while, I hope) then have him make his speeches from cover and show that Fr Gabriel has lost his gun. Stop making it easy to kill him and then fail. It doesn’t look good on anybody. Same with Michonne and Rosita. Those women are badass. If they’re sitting out a fight, then both of them need to look like a truck just ran over them. I was initially confused by all the ammo wasted on the building but I’m starting to think it makes sense if Rick is looking at a war of attrition. As soon as the attack happened, Negan or one of his Lts called for a lockdown. Everyone is inside now. That’s great for them but not so much for Rick, if he had to besiege the compound. He doesn’t because the walkers are doing for him. The people in lockdown cannot leave now and the walkers aren’t going anywhere because they can hear and smell the people inside. They’re going to be motivated to get in and the Saviours inside are going to start freaking out. Rick can stay back, keep a few people on watch and wait while the walkers and the trapped Saviours solve his problem for him. I like seeing people like Tara and Fr. Gabriel level up, but Tara would never have gone back for Gregory and I wish Fr. Gabriel hadn’t. I love that he hesitated, though. Seth Gilliam was great there. He really didn’t want to go, but went anyway. It was boneheaded, but he doesn’t deserve to get stuck with Negan for it. Carol and King Ezekiel better be okay. Rick needs to talk to Carl about adopting strays. Looks like Judith will be needing a new babysitter though.

Jason Isaacs is absolutely rocking this show. I can’t imagine anyone else pulling off the blend of competence, shadiness, vulnerability and PTSD that he’s giving Lorca. Even if I hated everything else, I’d watch Discovery just to see what Lorca is going to do next. And he is shady as hell. I knew the Admiral was screwed the minute she promised to take Discovery away. No matter how good her intentions towards Lorca himself and the crew/ship, that was the wrong card to pull. I wouldn’t have been surprised if her shuttle malfunctioned. The Klingons did him a solid but I have no doubt had the conference gone smoothly Lorca still would have come up with something. He’s surrounding himself with shady people too. Michael is a convicted mutineer, infamous among the crew; Ash is a former POW, completely unknown to the crew; Stamets takes huge risks for science and is now loopy. They’re all questionable, and I really like them. Tilley’s grown on me because, under the chatter and charm, she’s pragmatic and ambitious. No wonder First Officer Saru is so edgy. Having seen the movie, everything about Vulcan is depressing. Mia Kirschner was a lovely Amanda but, again, depressing.

I had to bail before 11.30 because I have to be out the door at 6.15. I missed T-Dog? And Merle? And, okay, Lori? It was one of the better lovefests, but the thing that stood out for me was Kirkman. My only exposure to him comes from his appearances on this show and he never comes across well for me. He seems smug and arrogant, and I’ve never cared for his attitude towards cast members who have just been killed off. This time he seemed muted and he talked about hope growing instead of smirking at the grim darkness of it all. He looked humbled. I wonder if it was the criticism of last season and the falling ratings that got to him, or was there a pointed message from AMC to get their investment back on track? Melissa McBride looked stunning (as did many of her cast mates) but these big occasions do not seem to be her thing. She looked uncomfortable with the screaming and yelling from the fans.