CatWarmer

I was wondering... when Tim realized that Piper had lied and manipulated the whole family into taking this trip...was he thinking that is why he ended up so isolated and out of contact? And that if he'd been back home and gotten the first alert that everything was going sideways, he might have had time to protect himself and their money? His face was so subtle but it's the first thing I thought about so maybe he did also. I felt like he was on the edge of exploding but understood it no longer made a difference so just sank further down.

I suspect Bailey's risotto was a producer requested dish - for the drama of Oh No Risotto and to reference Sarah. And that she knew she wouldn't be eliminated. So she possibly said, fine, I'll make your stupid risotto but the rest will be something I want to cook.

They were never clear on exactly who Sarah killed. But after she was raped and later woke from a nightmare, she told Isaac that someone used to hold her throat and "take her." She said, "and then he went after Devon". So defending her son. Considering that her husband was out west prospecting for gold, and the deceased was apparently someone prominent, I assume he was a family member with whom they were living. Father, uncle, brother, cousin - someone like that.

Got my hair done yesterday and a young employee at another chair referenced “some actress named Elizabeth Taylor.” The (mature) owner and I burst out laughing.

Pam wasn't in a lot of scenes in Dallas Season 9, but that didn't stop it from all being her stupid senseless ruinous-for-the-series dream. Not that I'm still annoyed or anything...

And that's why they don't allow open flames on cruise ships. Any reputable obstetrician would have advised limited traveling at eight months, and especially no flying or cruise ships. That was one quick birth! But it would be considered a premature baby needing extra attention and care. The medical center may have had a baby cap and blankie, but it's doubtful they have a neonatal unit tucked away in all the empty space. I'm completely onboard with the Covid coma fever dream concept because that's the only way anything makes sense. And I think there's a television playing in the hospital room that influences those dreams. Today it might have been RuPaul and Full House reruns!

I guess it's possible Joan has been doing some funding for the families although doubtful it's a blackmail situation like Emily paying for school.

And perhaps this is why her kids nominated her in the first place for The Golden Bachelor. I'm picturing, "Really, Mom, it's fine, please go to New York - stay as long as you like. No need to hurry back. Take a few weeks or months. "

In all fairness to Joan and her dress, she did say she wanted to open her heart so perhaps she dressed for surgery.

A few episodes ago, the captain was lighting candles in his cabin with a fire in the fireplace. I was yelling. no open flames on a cruise ship! I remember on Top Chef Cruiseship or whatever that season was called, there was a lot of discussion of how the cheftestants could cook without being able to use an open flame grill, which is not allowed in the main galleys. They were only allowed in the specialty restaurant galley. And yes, I was thinking, open the fist. Not to mention just using a scuba tank and crowbar; surely if they could get a table saw, they could get those. And no crew in the costume contest. And about five hundred other activities that would never occur on a real ship. And how does anyone under the age of 50 know Captain Stubing, anyway? Something I would never do after reading old James Bond books involving moray eels! And for those wondering about themed cruises, they are very common but usually involve some kind of entertainment theme rather than medical emergencies. Halloween on the High Seas is one of them. And usually do not take over the entire ship, but do sometimes close off venues just for those guests. Cruise boards will always warn you to check for such (and other such large groups) before booking. https://travel.usnews.com/features/the-best-themed-cruises

I’m trying to remember if Joan ever talks about being married again, or just about finding love. I agree with others that I doubt she’s looking for an engagement - find someone interesting then take it slow! Re Chock, not my cup of tea, but he may be understanding Joan’s needs best at the moment. She’s talked about wanting to be seen and validated, but I think she really means she wants to be prioritized. After being a support for so much of her life, perhaps she wants to be primary right now. No longer a cog in other’s lives, but top banana in her own. She doesn’t want to be defined as widow-mother-grandmother, which could be why she went on The Golden Bachelor. Her role as mother obviously was most important and she dodged a bullet there for sure. But it did pull her back into her support role. So at the bowling alley, if she wasn’t fine with Chock monopolizing her (although a lot of that could just be editing), she had the freedom to get up. I think it’s great that the men have bonded and allowed themselves to open up and be vulnerable, and it’s a fun premise for a reality series. But Chock does seem really invested - he actually returned after his mother’s passing. Granted the mother had her second husband at her side and it was not a surprise, but still. I spent decades knowing I was second in priority to my MIL so it must have been flattering for Joan to realize he returned even under those circumstances. A lot of the guys are now pushing their relationships with their mothers/children/grandchildren to show their sensitivity, but not necessarily getting Joan to feel that she would be a priority moving forward. They want to be validated themselves, not validate Joan, as it were.

Sophie's Choice.

I did enjoy the episode and agree it was much more in line with classic Doctor Who plotting - and great casting and callbacks. The only thing that bothered me was that the Doctor seemed more reactive than active - spent a lot of time frozen and staring while events happened around him. I guess I was expecting him to take more control, or at least try? Also it took me a bit in the comments to realize people were talking about The Pyramids of Mars, not The Waters of Mars. Big difference, I gather! I likely saw the former in my youth but actually remember the latter.

I'm pretty sure they were cooking in the Tamarind specialty restaurant kitchen rather than the main ship galley. Not a fish eater so I wasn't that interested in the cooking (and good thing I didn't have to eat those dishes!). But I did enjoy seeing Curacao and the Eurodam. I've been to both Curacao and Half Moon Cay (on the Noordam) and sailed on the Eurodam out of San Diego, where I did dine at the Tamarind restaurant. It was the only really good food I had on that ship. Judges Table seemed to be filmed in the Tamarind bar, a beautiful venue. It was fun trying to figure out the ship's route. Apparently they filmed scenes out of sequence because you can't get from the ABC islands to the Bahamas (Half Moon Cay) overnight. The Morimoto dinner seemed to be in the daytime, the elimination dinner also while they were docked at a small pier at an island, and the night scenes were at sea. And there were no other passengers in most scenes! Very rare in my experience on a cruise ship. Also I don't think all the cheftestants were that excited to be swimming with the rays.

That was depressing but I did enjoy the brief Luke Skywalker reference. If only the singer had used the Force...