Peace 47

Cecily as Suzie made my night, and I'm not even the most diehard Curb fan (just one by osmosis, because my mom was). Someone in one of the other show threads noted that Cecily doesn't get enough credit as an impressionist. She really does do a good job. That shipwreck sketch wasn't really doing it for me until Bernie showed up. Bernie's line about changing the surname to sound less Jewish and Larry giving an "eh, whatever" reaction was really funny, as was the stuff about the 1% and democratic socialism. As a Carolinian, I am geographically obligated to appreciate the Peyton-Cam sketch. Go Panthers; go SuperCam. Haters gonna hate. I like that Larry is becoming a Friend of the Show (the seeds of which were planted during that SNL 40th anniversary special, I think). When you have that kind of alumni talent, you should to exploit the hell out of it. I'm a little surprised he mentioned only his audition in the monologue and not his writing work there. Wasn't his quitting and then coming back to work as if nothing had happened the inspiration for his Seinfeld episode where George did the same, or did I imagine that? On the other hand, why joke about that anymore when he's already written the perfect joke on that in the form of that Seinfeld episode.

Objectively, I'm not sure, but whatever it was, I had fun and enjoyed it lots. DD was very good in that one-sided hotel conversation with Scully. And I missed last week's episode and haven't yet caught up, but did we know that Mulder's ringtone is the X-Files theme? Ha! I liked that Scully took care of business at animal control, but I would have liked to have seen how that happened. I'm not sure the 2 seconds of suspense as we followed Mulder from the graveyard was worth it. On the other hand, this episode was almost entirely from Mulder's POV, really.

I've been meaning to watch this, but missed the first few episodes. This was my first ep, and I really enjoyed it. There are so many morally ambiguous actions and reactions: it's very interesting how the writing will back you off rooting for any one person even as you're empathetic to their plight. I've kind of always had an irrational *like* for J. Lo for some reason, though I've never been able to get through her romcoms when I've come across them on TV. She's very good in this: I think she has a knack for playing hard-edged characters. She looks amazing, too. The only acting that I wasn't entirely feeling was Ray Liotta. I thought he seemed a little stilted in his delivery, except in his scene with Loman. I don't really know how to explain it except that I felt like others were really inhabiting a scene and I felt more aware that he was acting a part. Nothing entirely off-putting though. I'm looking forward to more episodes.

I'm kind of with you: I was never a hardcore X-Phile, but it was such a phenomenon back in the day that I certainly saw and enjoyed a lot of episodes. As someone coming at it from that perspective, I thought it was great.When Joel McHale, Mulder, Scully and Sveta (sp?) just kept talking and talking towards the end about the conspiracy and the Patriot Act and banks shutting down, I was just like, "Yes! I have missed this kind of crazy!" And Skinner and Scully talking in half-riddles to Mulder--how can you not love that? I wish I had been enjoying a glass of wine with the show. (I couldn't do that with the first go around with this show when I was like 14!) The professional critics are party poopers, I have to say. This is the kind of thing where you sit back and enjoy the ride and nostalgia. And don't overthink it by applying rigid logic. I mean, those classic opening credits? What's not to love?

I don't think they underused Ronda: she did rise to the occasion during the monologue, but in other sketches, you could tell that her limited use was really helping camouflage how very wooden her acting was. I will admit to having never heard of her before last night's show. I will also admit, that like others, I kept obsessing over how they got an audience and what hotel the cast and crew must have stayed/ be staying at to be there that night. I kept telling myself to chill out and focus on the show. I thought Tina looked and sounded like Sarah Palin more than ever before (and it was previously already an uncanny impression). The hair and costume and voice were 1000% on point. It's been said, but that "student sleeping with his teacher" sketch needs to die ASAP. Let's see how many writers who are fathers would really be thrilled that their underage son was being taken advantage of by his teacher. Ugh. My favorite part of the superheroes sketch was Leslie's character who could only fly as fast as you can walk, for 10 seconds at a time, twice a day. That was great.

Oh man, I just read this whole thread, and there's so many favorites (had to hit the like button on many nearly 2-year-old posts). I have to say that, other than those mentioned, a recent favorite of mine is "Meet Your Second Wife." I've probably watched it 10 times on YouTube since the episode aired. "She's holding up five fingers. I believe she's trying to say she's five." Lol. It's some biting social satire, and as I mentioned in the episode thread, the horrified reaction of the live audience really sells it. Oh, and I want to add that of the classics, Phil Hartman as devious plotting Reagan (using the Girl Scouts as cover) and as gluttonous, super intelligent Clinton ("There's a lot of things we won't be telling Mrs. Clinton.") are also two classic favorites. All these years, and I still love and miss Phil Hartman quite a bit.

It is "Charlie Darwin" by The Low Anthem. I was obsessed with that song about 5 years ago, and so it made the sketch all the more funny to me to hear the juxtaposition of that mournful song against the debauchery of the Globes revelry. And it's a bummer that they cut the song and substituted another on the SNL app, because that song really helps make the sketch. Music rights issues are such a downer: it's like how that "Black Widow Trailer" sketch is forever missing something by not having the universally recognizable pop music in the background like you would expect a romcom to have.The only thing that I had seen Adam Driver in prior to this show was Star Wars, where I was not a particular fan of the role: I didn't expect to find him so likable and charismatic. He really has some comedy chops.

As a vegetarian, I use this exchange with my family (who humor my madness) all the time at seafood joints and steakhouses: Waiter: I’m sorry, ma’am, but everything on the menu has fish in it. Marge: What about the bread, does that have much fish in it? Waiter: Yes. Marge: Well, I have some tic-tacs in my purse. Waiter: Excellent choice. I was watching part of the New Year's FXX marathon, and during one of the (new-ish) episodes, I heard Mayor Quimby cheerfully announcing some good news for the town by saying something like, "Now Springfield need no longer be known as 'America's Shame,' " and the crowd cheered. I thought that was pretty funny.

It is interesting that the other women with speaking roles in Victorian times were all women who had a modern equivalent in Sherlock's life: Molly, Janine and Mary. Even Lady Carmichael (whom we had never seen before) eventually showed up in this episode as the pilot of Sherlock's plane. Yet this housemaid is someone we've never seen. (But perhaps she's just like Eustace Carmichael, in being the other main character to have a significant role in the dream but no modern equivalent.) The maid seems to enjoy needling John about the poor state of his marriage and doesn't seem particularly worried about repercussions, despite her subservient position. And she seems important in some way by being the person to have a significant scene with John in Sherlock's dream when Sherlock was not present.I'm once again impressed with the acting in this episode. Benedict's shaky, nearly cracking voice on the plane the first time Sherlock wakes up was very good at conveying how compromised Sherlock is. Same with the graveyard scene when he's pleading with John to stay and help him, but mind palace John walks away on him. I was also impressed with Martin's acting when Victorian Watson comes to 221b to find Holmes laying on the floor and drugged. Sherlock starts rambling about Moriarty being there, and Watson says shortly (and with disappointment), "Moriarty's dead" before really letting his emotions escalate.

On my second watch of the special, I had thought (and I've seen others reach this conclusion, too) that the gluttony displayed by Mycroft was more symbolic of Sherlock's own overindulgence with drugs and not necessarily a portent of things to come for Mycroft himself. That conversation among John, Sherlock and Mycroft in Victorian times echoed some themes of the modern conversation on the plane (e.g., John at first doesn't really acknowledge the problem, before becoming the most horrified). And the fact that Sherlock notes that Victorian Mycroft gained weight from one day to the next shows that the OD danger was increasing for Sherlock. On the other hand, there's certainly been speculation swirling about something terrible befalling Mycroft since at least S3, when there was concern about the imagery surrounding Mycroft (such as the "angel wings" framing Mycroft in Sherlock's mind palace in TSoT or the red stripe down Mycroft's track suit like the attacked guardsman). And there's got to be something to Redbeard that involves Mycroft. I also think there is something going on between Mycroft and Mary. I don't think the Victorian dream is a literal representation of the situation (Mary working for Mycroft), but as I mentioned in the episode thread, it's very odd that (1) Mycroft must know that Mary shot Sherlock and (2) Mycroft stands by while she hacks his government resources, when Mycroft is quite protective of Sherlock (like kidnapping and vetting John when John was on the verge of moving in with Sherlock).

I also just rewatched "All Good Things" when it was on BBCA this week. It still stands the test of time for me as one of the best show finales I had ever seen. The pace seemed a little slower than I remembered (I didn't realize it took the entire first hour to reveal Q), but it's such a good story about reflecting on where they've been, where they are going and how it takes work to stay together (as a "family" of sorts) through life's future challenges. I liked the contrast of how the crew reacted to him through the ages because it said everything important about what the show did for their relationships with one another. Of course they are wary in the past when this man is giving them illogical orders and talking about alien threats; of course the present-day crew is going to be the first to believe him because they are all in their prime and work together like a finely tuned machine. And of course time (and illness and death) will take its toll on relationships in the future, but it's hard (here, ultimately impossible) to erase bonds that strong. Plus, I think Q said important things about the meaning of what the Enterprise crew is doing (and on a meta level, what the show writers are doing when undertaking a project like this): it's not about charting star systems and seeing what the next new alien race offers, it's about "charting the unlimited possibilities of existence." And I'm actually a sucker for any show finale that takes a "life goes on" attitude, with the implication that there are continuing adventures ongoing, even if we don't get to see them. I loved that final poker game where Picard decides to become actual friends with more than just Beverly. It still warms my cold, dead heart. :-)

Redbeard came up twice in the special. The first time was in the dream, when Sherlock and John are on the stakeout in what I thought was a greenhouse, but I read subsequently is the estate's aviary. Just as Sherlock and John end their conversation about "impulses," a dog can be heard, and Sherlock mutters, "Redbeard?" And then of course it appears again in Mycroft's notebook at the end of the show.Before S3 started, Mark Gatiss tweeted some hint about "Redbeard" and the diehard loyal fans worked overtime to speculate about the meaning. The first time that it was mentioned in the show was at John's wedding when Mycroft was warning Sherlock not to get involved in John's business and said, "Remember Redbeard." Then, when Sherlock was shot in "His Last Vow," Sherlock found Redbeard in his mind palace and cuddled with him for a moment. Based on the special, there has got to be more to Redbeard than meets the eye. Why bring up this dog twice more?

I read an interesting post elsewhere (edited to add a link that I finally found: link) where the equations are speculated to represent in mathematical form quotations from the original stories: "one fixed point in a changing age" and "conductor of light." Something about how the vectors are a mathematical representation of a fixed point in 4 dimensions (including time) and the energy equation depicts light in a vacuum, where it travels best.This person notes that Reddit people saw that Mycroft's notebook said "scarlet rollm[...]" and that rollmops are are a pickled herring dish, hence, "red herring." This person had a screen shot of the notebook on their blog. Their post is responding to the speculation that some of the numbers are a designation for a genetic disease, which this person is able to dismiss.

He OD'd before he knew Moriarty was "back," which he didn't learn about until he was on the plane. John looks at the list on the plane and notes that Sherlock could not have taken the drugs in the last 5 minutes. Mycroft then confirms that Sherlock did get high before getting on the plane; Mary notes that Sherlock didn't look high, and Mycroft says that an addict is good at hiding things.So if he got high before he got on the plane and was informed of Moriarty's return, we can infer that Sherlock was devastated about being forced into exile, loaded up on some drugs to get through that painful tarmac scene from the end of S3, said his goodbyes to John and peaced out. And the reason that I bring up the interpretation that Sherlock is in love with John is because of what Sherlock does after getting high and plopping down on the plane: he, per Mary, pulls up John's blog and starts reading about the time that he and John met. And when Mary calls him on it, Sherlock first shoots an alarmed look at Mycroft, tap dances around a story that he uses John's blog to feel more clever when he has to think deeply, and then Mycroft, ostensibly talking about the drugs, but subtextually talking about Sherlock's explanation, says something like, "You don't expect anyone to believe that, do you?"

You're completely right, and I was completely wrong: I did misinterpret where the break in the modern scene was (where we transition back to the mind palace). I would go back and edit my post, but then yours would not make sense. I was thinking that we surreptitiously transitioned back to the mind palace while Sherlock was on the plane, and there was that subtle "whooshing" sound. Mycroft made a comment about Sherlock knowing some things that Mycroft did not and they started talking about the list. This was an error on my part because I was misremembering that there was a more obvious break--Sherlock went back to Victorian times while still on the plane, then "woke up" (not really) on a gurney before they all ended up at the cemetery (which was the dream). So thanks for the correction.Separately, I was thinking about the posts that wish this had been a one-off, when to me, there is nothing I would have hated more. I think what it boils down to is that for me, this show is my soap opera. I am invested in the continuing storyline and the relationships between characters. It's not a procedural for me like, say, Law & Order was, where it was just relaxing to check in with characters I liked delving into an interesting case while exchanging some witty banter. This episode kind of seems to demand extreme emotional investment in where this journey is going to spit Sherlock out at the end.

Almost everything we saw of Mary was entirely in Sherlock's mind palace. The first set of modern scenes was still taking place in Sherlock's mind (when she was cracking MI-5 security). That is not Mary, but how Sherlock sees Mary, which seems important in ways I haven't fleshed out yet. He underestimated her before; she shot him; he has subconscious suspicions about something going on between Mycroft and Mary (hence Mary working for Mycroft). The episode was about how Sherlock consistently and brutally underestimated everyone around him (John's intelligence, yes, but also every woman he's encountered: Molly, Janine, etc.) But Sherlock realizes now that he can't dismiss "one half of the human race." Given the ultimate conclusions of the episode, I wouldn't be surprised if Mary is the one with Mycroft under some kind of control (how else to explain Mary shooting Sherlock and Mycroft taking no action on it when he so clearly desperately cares about Sherlock's safety). I truly think Mary is the next major villain that Sherlock must confront.The morning after, and I'm still further impressed by how brilliant that episode was. Every line was laced with so much meaning; the callbacks (on a psychological level) to past episodes were so tightly scripted. Example: that midnight greenhouse conversation. Nearly every character in Victorian times is just a representation of Sherlock's hidden desires, fears and hopes about himself and those around him. So when Watson pushes the point about why Sherlock is always alone, and Sherlock cannot answer, that's Sherlock pushing himself to answer that question. The line where Watson says that the "calculating machine" is a front that he writes, but that he knows that there is an emotional man underneath: that's what Sherlock hopes John thinks of him. It's all so poignant. This portion of this review is honestly not a bad description, although I think the reviewer overall erroneously chalks up a couple of things to being "not clever" when she missed the point that those were Sherlock's clues to himself to try to wake himself as he was sucked under the tide of the OD:

I loved it. Really, truly loved it. Unlike some of you, I would have had an absolute fit if it had not been connected to the modern story at all. 2 years and no mention of the S3 cliffhanger would have sent me off a cliff. So the fact that the Victorian story only existed to compliment the modern one was right up my alley. The pacing was great: there were times during a couple of the S3 episodes that I was checking the clock in a couple of draggy places. Here, it zipped along. I enjoyed the psychological exploration of how terrifying Moriarty is to Sherlock. Moriarty had been haunting Sherlock since Sherlock hallucinated him at Baskerville (not to mention in the rubber room in "His Last Vow"). Here, he relied on "John" to get past the terror of it--letting John in helped him defeat Moriarty. And the acting by Andrew Scott was really great. He is such a gem. I know some hate when I talk about this, but I also think this was an episode that further shed light on Sherlock's attraction to John. If Sherlock is not eventually, explicitly, textually revealed to be in love with John, I will eat my deerstalker. I mean, his mind was forcing a conversation with "John" (when they both were waiting for the ghost) that revolved all around Sherlock's sexuality ("impulses" and "experiences"). Sherlock is making comments before they confront the society of women about how he and John have drifted since John's marriage. His fantasy is John saving him from Moriarty. Sherlock got high before getting on that plane (before he knew about Moriarty's "return" at all) and was reading all about how John and he met for the first time. That boy is in love.

He does feel the pull of the light, which may be a bookend to his grandfather's journey in the prequels (and that pull may still be there despite Ren murdering his father in cold blood, which actually could be another bookend to Vader saving his son at the last minute). Ren's whiney-emoness over all this still wore a little thin with me, though.I 95% think Rey is Luke's daughter (why else have that exact scene on the mountaintop end the movie, with the girl who thought she had found a surrogate father in Han having to seek out another man to fulfill that role). On the other hand, would there be more symmetry if Ren and Rey were siblings instead of cousins? (To contrast Luke and Leia being on the same side?) With Rey being Luke's daughter, though, you get the whole possibility of who's the mother, is she dark or light, what's her deal, etc. The movie did a great job of building all this mythology. Lots of interesting questions raised.

I am 1000% on board with you on the fact that they should have gone for the Picard-Crusher romance. They had amazing chemistry, and if "Attached" showed us anything, it was that when they had access to each other's inner most thoughts and desires, they appreciated each other all the more. They were both getting turned on by the intimacy of it, frankly. And eating breakfast together every morning? At first I thought they had a "friends with benefits" thing going until the end of "Attached" made it clear that they did not. Riker and Worf were probably not my absolute favorites in my prior rewatches, but I have new appreciation for them both this time. Although I do find the Klingon mythology to get a little bit tiresome, Michael Dorn really did all he was asked and more to bring gravitas to the character. Like that "Kaylis (sp?) returns" episode. Dorn really did a nice job with the crisis of faith Worf was having. I tend to avoid the "Alexander" episodes, though, since as I said above, I'm just cherry-picking. Lastly, I have a question about the episode that I think is called "Violations" (don't want to page off to check because I am on mobile). Those aliens were mentioned to be tapping into a memory center of their subjects. And I assumed that Beverly's memory of having to see Jack's body was something that really happened? How much of Deanna's encounter with Will, then, really happened? Was he just suggesting sex in the original memory, and then the alien came into that memory and had Will force himself on her and try to rape Troi? That was very unsettling.

That would be me. I had no idea why he was named Ben, but I didn't dwell on it. As soon as Han stepped out on the causeway, I knew he was dead, and so I was caught up in how that was going to go down.I saw the movie tonight because I got a free ticket to it, even though I'm not sure I've ever seen any prior Star Wars movie all the way through. (Maybe the original a thousand years ago?) But the whole of the stories have seeped into my consciousness through various and numerous pop culture references, and so I am familiar with all of the major story beats. All that said about being a non-fan, I thought it was an extraordinarily well-done film. I actually like the beginning to middle a little more than the end, just because the early story beats seemed kind of like "scrappy, humorous action" that was exciting and fun before the story re-centered itself on one of betrayal and legacy (which is sort of a downer). If there was one weak spot, I thought it was Ren. Someone upthread called him emo, and that's not a bad description. I was super-bummed that Han kicked it mostly because I had quickly grown attached to the little makeshift family of Han, Finn, Rey, BB-8, Chewy and Leia, and so I guess that made me dislike Ren all the more, lol. I loved Rey. I kept thinking that J.J. Abrahms channeled the legacy of Sydney Bristow nicely here. Rey was principled and kind and tough and smart. It was nice to see a female action star (and let's see the toy companies not make an action figure for her, a la the Black Widow situation). I loved Finn and Poe, too. They had a great instant chemistry with each other, such that when they hugged upon seeing each other again, I really felt the joy of that reunion. BB-8 was a great invention, even though it made R2-D2 seem a little stodgy in comparison. And I vote "like" on the Grunberg cameo: I like to know I'm watching a J.J. production. And the end was powerful and well-done.

The horrified/ scandalized laughter of the audience during all the "Meet Your Second Wife" jokes was the absolute best. That sketch served up great, cutting satire.

I watch this show infrequently (as I've never sat down and given the show my full attention from the start of at least the "new" episodes), but I have a superficial understanding of plot points and story. (In the corners of the Web I inhabit as a Sherlock fan, lots of people watch and love this show, too, and a good friend in real life is a super fan who makes me watch from time to time.) And I wanted to watch this episode because I actually really like Clara and wanted to see her final scenes.All that said about my non-credentials as a true fan, I thought it was a pretty good episode of television. (I found it really sad, though, which I think is part of the reason I shy away from dedicating myself to the show--I often find it crushingly sad when not finding it confusing as hell.) It was rather beautifully shot (the colors were so vibrant), and the scenes well-acted (Peter and Jenna and that woman who played "Me" were quite skillful in lending emotion to some of the more ... shall I say philosophical? ... lines, like the ruminations on beauty, sadness and loss.) It was a great bit of theater at the beginning when the soldiers/ general/ president all came to call on the Doctor and great when everyone sided with the Doctor against the president. And I know it's generally verboten to embrace given who the Doctor has been, but it seemed that 12 was in love with Clara (and she with him). To know that he endured 4.5 billion years of torture (or whatever portion of that he remembers) to try to save her was quite an act of love. (I was a little confused as to how he knew Gallifrey would be "out of time" near the end of the universe, though, and that if he stayed in the confession dial long enough, he could meet them on the other side.) I do wonder what they said to each other when she said, "People like me and you, we should say things to one another." I'm not sure how I feel about a memory wipe being preferable to accepting the loss (as someone noted upthread). The Doctor couldn't let Clara go, but is it really preferable in terms of moving on not to remember what you loved about a person? It's easier for sure, and I guess if those good times are gone, there's not necessarily a point to those times bringing sadness, but that was a beautiful speech Clara made about no one being promised tomorrow, but the past was hers, without a right for that to be taken away.

Good point about Riker: the whole crew just really adores him. I continue my rewatch, somewhat out of order because I just either (1) happen to catch some eps on BBCA while I'm doing housework or (2) cherry-pick my favorites off Netflix. I've read about how people cite "Remember Me" as a great episode, and I couldn't agree more. It captures one of the best motifs of science fiction: taking a tragedy of the human condition and amplifying it. We worry about the mark we will leave; we worry about being left alone and how to hang onto the memories of the people who are gone. And with this epsiode, there's this awful surreal overlay to it because all those crises happen at once and seemingly without explanation. Beverly was very smart to figure out what was happening basically all by herself. It's chilling when the computer describes to her the exact size and nature of the universe, and I actually got a little misty when she was pleading with Captain Picard that their friends deserved more than to be forgotten. "They all deserve so much more!" But I also had an lol moment when the Traveler was pontificating about the warp bubble, said that Crusher was alive "as long as she believes she is alive," and Riker looks 100% done with everything and replies with "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" When I was young, Bev was my co-favorite character because I was always on the lookout for great female characters in media. (My other fav was Geordi because I was a child of the 80s, and "Reading Rainbow" love dies hard, y'all.) Maybe I'll go watch "Disaster" so I can see my two old favs working together.

I don't know: the Moriarity connection was made by Gatiss before S4 was little more than a twinkle in his eye. I was basing the Moriarty speculation on this Radio Times interview, but that was from almost a year ago, so maybe things have changed, and like I've noted before, they are not exactly consistent in their comments about where the show is going. The article said:

I thought Ben Carson Theater was great: I'm constantly flummoxed by the sometimes ignorant, sometimes terrifying things that Carson says, and I thought putting citations in the sketch to actual Ben Carson quotations was very clever. The audience was not feeling that sketch though. Elizabeth Banks has a crazy amount of charisma. I don't understand why she's not a bigger comedy star. I think in particular the monologue last night would have fallen completely flat with anyone else trying to pull that off. On Update, I thought it was cute that both Pete and Colin were somewhat caught off guard at the audience's extended giggling about the murder of a toilet paper man in the ladies' room. They didn't think it would land so well and had already started to move on, but the audience loved it. (It's funny because it's true.) I have to plead a mea culpa on Michael Che: I thought he was beyond dreadful and beyond hope last year, but he has really improved. He doesn't mumble his words and flub his lines anymore, and his attitude is more chill and less "too cool for school." People say Colin Jost has improved, too, but I see him about the same as I did. I attribute improvement in Update mostly to Michael.