Kaiju Ballet

Me too. Or insist on sending Traill back with the means to start his soup kitchen. I also hope she had sent him the money for passage to and from seeing her upon her summons, especially as it seemed he used his own resources to help supply food (and sacrificed his own family in the process.) I think I was fixated on these details to distract me from the absolute horror of the Famine, as vividly portrayed in very spare scenes. Kudos to Daisy Goodwin and the original broadcasting network for airing it. What a fantastic tribute to her ancestor. Thanks also to the link above, @Evil Queen. It led to another link that helped explained why the potato farmers were starving, while loads of food were available for sale as Traill walked through the London streets. Nice contrast with the stacks of food Victoria offered Traill, and the storyline with Francatelli's book. I was surprised that Albert wasn't more involved with the discussion with Traill, or Victoria's distress over what to do. While he's normally the champion of the non-aristocratic masses (salary bumps and modern toilets for everyone!) here he was all "Meh, whatever my BFF Peel says." Wonder if anything more will come out of the Penge/ Miss Cleary confrontation, or if Miss Cleary's now outgrown her purpose in the storyline a la Eve Myles' Chartist family character.

This is such a great point. Isaac even emphasized that he had a lot of experience testifying when Annelise asked if he was prepared. Although that did seem like foreshadowing....on this show, whenever they say they're prepared, it's usually a signal that there's a blindside coming.

Brother looked downright murderous standing next to Tom. Joe and Fatima were lighthearted in comparison, and it was great to see a cheerful Tonya in the chefs gallery! Both Brother and Joe mentioned that Tom didn't eat all of the items offered, did Tom skip anything of Fatima's?

Thanks for reminding me, the entire episode wasn't a wash. Those were the only two bits of it that I liked. Oh, and Rowan/Eli was actually tolerable this episode. Soooo.....Huck is only conditioned to treat Command as omnipotent when it's Olivia's dad? And B-613 really goes to whoever Jake wants to serve, since he's basically all of B-613 in an empty pool? He's apparently all of the NSA, too, it seems. And the gang doesn't decide to go to Olivia's apartment when it's clear that she's not showing up at the press briefing? They go through that entire intervention nonsense only to realize that they really can't force her to do anything? That was the very definition of "We didn't think this through....."

Like Padma, I also put my face in my hands when Fatima was PYKAG’d. Fatima was so adorably shocked when she was picked first in the Quickfire! And then devastated to see her favorite Joe go. But her fate was sealed when one of the judges asked if it was fair to single out Joestachio for the mac and cheese fail. I also thought that Fatima would be dinged for using ready made nacho chips. It was really pleasant to see the chefs teasing Carrie for always winning with her unexpected flavor combinations. Joestachio started off the season the same way, but has been on a run of really disastrous results. Wished he had been sent home over Fatima. Other Joe doesn’t seem to fare well in the other Quickfire Carrie won with toasted bread. Oatmeal, Risotto—not his forte when time’s of the essence. It's telling that all the chefs thought so highly of him. Only two bears left at this point?

D’Awwww at Asher offering to “alphabet” Mikaela when “Little Asher” was still preoccupied with the class action. The three boys celebrating at finding their face case. Connor displaying what a good lawyer he is/can be, when he pointed out how a good prosecutor could establish Oliver’s guilt. Anneliese putting Laurel’s mother on the stand. Anneliese telling Laurel to calm her ass down, because everyone’s in this mess because of her. I worried for Nate when he left Anneliese’s apartment, with the camera ominously focused on him before he finally got into the elevator and the scene changed. Whew! This show has trained me to expect people getting jumped or stalked when that happens! (Still worried about Bonnie. The computer mirroring thing is super creepy!) Agree that it wouldn't have been surprising if Isaac had offed himself. That scene in the courtroom was bruuuutal. Where was the judge’s gavel? Probably in the same place as the army of expert witnesses you’d expect from Laurel's dad, to counter the one psych expert from Anneliese’s team.

It was great to see Kelly Rutherfurd on Dynasty. This show is starting to embrace more of the Gossip Girl campiness, which can never be too much for me. Tired of the Colbys. The actress playing Monique is beautiful, but her line readings are just there—so is she being deceptive? Or straight? What does she want? Hard to tell what's going on in her head, and it’s not for lack of gorgeous scenery to chew on. Contrast with Anders, who makes every line gold. I’m excited about the pairing of Sammy Jo with Fallon! That was a great way to bring the two onto the same side. Definitely looking forward to seeing those storylines. It’s super-sweet how close Fallon and Stephen are. His sudden decision to run for office did make me LOL, but it fit with how OTT the show is getting, so it's a thumbs up for me. It was also good to see Sammy Jo pushing him for self-growth, much like Anders did with SJ. SJ is really solidifying into a character that’s fun to watch, much as Fallon always is. The writers still need to figure Crystal out, although they get points for trying. Jeez, how well do Blake and Crystal know each other at all, even with all the reveals in the last few episodes? She doesn’t even know what kind of breakfast he likes, and he was right about her being hypocritical. Sure he has a shady past, but just ten minutes ago she thought she had murdered someone and was on the run. Fallon is still being shown with more drive to make her start-up succeed, than Blake and Crystal's hobbyist approach to the family biz. (Maybe that's why the threat to Blake didn't ring true. Why would he be so hands-off if it were such a legit threat? Federal prison--so sure, trust his judgemental wife with the inconsistent set of morals make the threat go away?) That being said, I do like that they’re integrating her Venezuelan past into the storylines, and giving her more opportunities to show that she’s really resourceful. I think the problem might be: everyone’s motivations are clear and believable except hers and Monique’s – which seem to shift depending on what the episode’s storyline calls for.

I agree about Kim. She did the responsible thing by leaving an environment that was in her words so “toxic” for her, and also acknowledging/apologizing for making a pretty messed up comment about Brendi’s family. Plus, I have to give her kudos for namechecking John Waters. But, it was hard to see her in so much emotional pain. I really hope she gets the help she needs. (Brendi too) FWIW, I thought the pink hair and cut really suited Kim. Bravo for Krystiana and Shanice! This bodes well for their post-ANTM acting careers, especially as once again the girls were thrown in with minimal guidance on how to act (that we were shown.) With actual training those two could go really far, ala Eva Pigford and Yaya DaCosta. I loved the shoot, it was very W magazine. Is “Twisted Horror” really a thing? As in both challenges, it was good to hear commentary from the guests and Drew. Although I have to admit-- it was a bit random to hear the director talk about the girls' pent-up sexual frustration. I wished he could have talked about how the sexual frustration, or any feeling, could be used in their acting, as opposed to making a pretty obvious statement and ultimately useless generalization. Tyra looked very nice tonight at judging. Big contrast to how she looked in the previously, where I wished for a Law Intervention.

Wow, she looks and carries herself much younger than her chronological age! If I catch the movie on, I may give it another chance. I thought of the character as a cooking and media prodigy, assuming she was about 15 years younger than what she must be if she's actually older than Rick Fox.

I watched the entire movie thinking it was Andrew Walker. I like Andrew Walker, but yeah, he's in a lot of Hallmark movies. (Not a complaint) I liked the friends, although it did seem kind of obvious that the only two prominently featured POC characters would pair up. I thought it was weird that he would want to rent the top-of-the-line, limited edition snowboard that was just put on display, if he had the ability to get two delivered to him. That part was super contrived, unless they gave an explanation that I missed. (I'm ok with the standard contrivance of bad snowstorm out of nowhere trapping them together. The mistaken booking so they have to share a space because everything else is sold out. And the head editor working around the clock with midnight deadlines. The packing of an evening dress and shoes for a ski resort weekend trip. I'm sure there's more.) That being said, I liked that it wasn't just a boy meets girl, fall in G-rated love, overcome some misunderstanding and live happily ever after. There was the development of a relationship between the two friends, and career and personal development for three out of the four. I didn't notice the wig, but the wooden acting....yeah, that was painful. Rick Fox was her dad's partner, so the romantic sparks they were trying to let fly were a bit icky for me, even though they supposedly had a romantic past. Maybe because he did look so much older than her, they kept mentioning the dad, and she had the same expression and manner towards him regardless of whether he was treating her as a suspect, or sharing a private meal. I had a similar reaction to a movie I just got around to watching--So You Said Yes, with Kellie Martin. The guy's mother looked like the same age as KM (and he's not meant to be that much younger than her, if at all.) The movie gets serious cred for name dropping Ethiopian and Tibetan food, but it kinda made her seem pretentious, just in a hipper way than his mother's more traditional yacht-club type of snobbery. For some reason, I can't really get into the same type of characters played by KM and Rachel Leigh Cook -- unless they're played by people like Rachel Boston or Autumn Reeser who somehow come off as charmingly eccentric and not judgmentally quirky.

Oh em gee. I thought I was the only one that had a Room With a View moment!!!! I was surprised that Miss Coke wasn't more shocked at the sight. I did feel bad for her being burned by Ernst. And thank goodness that Mrs. Skerrit was so restrained with the rouge. Given that she had never applied makeup before, with the purchases I was worried we were going to see Whatever Happened to Baby Jane, English Queen style. Albert was so goth, especially the melodramatic pouring of the black ink over his incomplete self-portrait. His fascination with Byron's daughter now makes sense. Oh my, thanks for the link. Eek! I did like the Dutchess' sneering at French food--who knows what they're hiding under the sauces?

I too was slow to jump on the bandwagon. The tweet on top shows me that it's her true personality, and not producer/editor shenanigans. That being said, I recall she claimed in an earlier episode--possibly the one featuring her first elimination--that she was a witch in terms of her spiritual practice. That makes me very uncomfortable hearing "witch" used as a pejorative for her (or for anyone, really, but I digress) Aside from that, I'm glad that her bus-throwing tendencies were already obvious to her chef-mates. I don't think it was a conscious factor in Chris's decision to make her EC -- his insistence that he would take responsibility for the team's flameout because of her failure as EC seemed sincere. It may be true that line chefs are less prone to getting PYKAG'd, but it also takes a certain temperament to be a line chef. Chris had already seen what happened in a team challenge --Claudette doesn't play well with others--and her sour demeanor and eyerolls makes her less of a viable FOH than the others. So I think EC for Claudette was a reasonable choice to make. Especially if he had no reason to think that she wouldn't be tasting all the food before sending it out. I was pleasantly surprised by Bear-faced Joe's performance as FOH. I love Fatima, but the contrast between how they both described the food was quite stark. I wonder if they both had inexperienced waitstaff, but Bruce (as EC) had no trouble barking at them to use the right initials so orders could be expedited better, while Fatima may have been hesitant to be as direct.

I have to admit to LOLing when the horrible thing that was done to Fallon with a menacing knife was….BANGS. And the “we should have kidnapped the other one.” This show is so much fun when I turn my brain off and just let it be stupid-soapy. Agreed that Crystal was bad-ass with the lighter and aerosol can. More of that Crystal, please. And while it was beyond dumb that she tried to go rescue Fallon on her own, it’s now consistent with the semblance of a real character emerging. (She’s always trying to fix situations on her own, behind Blake’s back, and is pretty impulsive) Smart of Jeff Colby to put a tracking device in with the ransom. I wish they’d style him differently, his clothing choices are very comic-book villain-ish (Joker, Riddler, etc.) Anders and Sammy Jo – D’awwwww. And more of Anders badassery—he was going to be part of the strikeforce! Also glad that Blake let on that he knew about Fallon and Michael. He's been Captain Oblivious so far (although Grant Show is awesome as Blake)

Thanks—this helped me appreciate better why this episode moved me so much. There wasn’t a disconnect for me. For a show that promotes using your physical appearance to get fame/work, the reveal of one’s vitiligo or alopecia was sensitively presented as another viable option for beauty. For me, Jeana was given another choice other than her life-long shame and compulsion to hide the effects of alopecia. It’s now a conscious choice to wear wigs or headwear to be a better model if that’s what the editorial vision calls for, and not because she feels less-than a model who doesn’t have alopecia. It’s a radical shift in self-image and self-acceptance that’s empowering and inspirational. Drew has the same choice. The foundation he wears is another accessory and deliberate choice, much like the cosmetics that most people wear to feel more beautiful and confident. Now that he’s revealed what he looks like barefaced, literally on national TV, I hope the use of foundation is no longer about hiding how he looks, but about enhancing his appearance. I think Jeana, Law and Drew were incredibly courageous.

I must be mellowing out in my dotage. I liked nearly all of the “Ty-Overs.” -- Liberty’s Fire Crotch, heh. So now it’s easier to pick out “Trump Girl” in that crowd of girls. Agree it should have been a more intense red, but it did the trick of making her come alive in the video shoot. -- Lol at Twitter, and the clip from Good Times with Ivana’s new hairstyle (the Florida Evans) -- I was stunned when Ivana unironically stated that her role model was Nomi and then wasn’t shown to do the Nomi signature move (something involving flailing forearms and fingers) It was also a startling disconnect with her honor student background with little payoff. Then again, that haircut was….not good, in contrast to what she walked in with. -- I teared up for Jeana, and if I was on the fence before, I’m now all in for Law and Drew. Their being there for Jeana, and then showing they weren’t just mouthing platitudes to her was ….oh, dust got in my eyes….And then along with Rio, Jeana was offering support to Brendi who was freaking out over her makeover. -- Speaking of Brendi. The show is giving her a LOT of airtime. I do think she’s striking-looking, especially with the bright buzz, and the camera loves her. I had a lot of compassion for her, still do, but seeing her carry on when Jeana pulled herself together enough to offer support to someone else in pain was just extra. -- Agree with comments about Liz being “off”. Her Ty-over suits her, and that video shoot was beautiful in an uncomfortable way, like something Ryan Murphy would do in American Horror Story, or the Floria Sigismondi-directed videos for Marilyn Manson. But she can go at any time. -- Christina –actually I hope she goes first. She does have an editorial face, but what an ugly personality! Which means she will go far. -- I LOL’d when Drew snapped “You better do something with your hair or you’re dead to me!” -- Director X reminded me of one of the earlier cycles when Bennie Ninja kept snapping “Correct.” or “Incorrect” as the hamsters went through their voguing challenge. Are these girls getting any instruction any more before or during challenges? -- Jeana was stunningly gorgeous before, but is freaking ethereal and otherworldly now without a wig. I’m rooting for her and Rio. Agreed. She should have gotten FCO.

This makes sense. It did take me out a little bit to see AK running around in still-wet blood-splattered clothing, spreading blood-borne pathogens everywhere. I agree with the total handwavey approach to legalities in this show. I guess I was confused because there was that scene where Bonnie's conflict of interest was discussed. Also, wasn't Laurel Bonnie's intern? So within the confines of the show, it almost looks like Bonnie is daring Denver to be suspicious about her involvement with AK, as AK is directly linked to the scene from which Laurel's bag was retrieved. Or maybe this is the beginning of Bonnie returning to AK.

I like the way all paths lead back to Annaliese. Hoping there’s a way to keep Tegan, although I can’t imagine how she could ever trust (or even stand) Michaela again. Even without knowing the full extent of Michaela’s betrayal, Tegan doesn’t look the type to tolerate being lied to. Hooray for the return of B613 (boo)/super secret agent man Frank! I'm relieved that the baby survived, that Connor wasn’t killed by Dominic, Laurel reached for Anneliese’s hand, and even Frank seems to have repaired some of his relationship with AK. Ouch moments—Anneliese blackmailing Isaac into giving Laurel a psych eval, then screaming at him about his daughter’s suicide. Hope they give Karla Souza a chance to move beyond the way they’ve destroyed Laurel’s character this season. Connor laying the guilt on Michaela, when she’s already distraught. Never change, Connor. Oliver and his indignation, a bit late. As usual, I thoroughly enjoy the episode as it unfolds at a breakneck pace, and it’s after the credits roll that the questions start. When did the scenes of Annaliese sitting in a shower, fully clothed and drenched in blood, take place? How was Bonnie able to sign out Laurel’s bag and contents? A) At what point was that elevator scene no longer considered a possible crime scene? B) wouldn’t there be a record of all items retrieved at the scene/logged into evidence? Either that drive was taken before Bonnie got to it (the camera did linger on that drive spilling out of the bag) or Bonnie has some more tracks covering up to do. How were the cops able to search Anneliese’s apartment, just based on that cop recognizing her name?

Well, I finally get it about Claudette. And if the audio was able to pick up what one of the Bears (Joe?) said to Adriana, chances are that was relayed to the judges as well. That almost guarantees her going far. The team was sunk because Tonya was silent-- not only about wanting to do "speed", but with her not fessing up to her less-than-precise knife skills. Not to mention that she's a "by-feel" chef, the very opposite of precise. She seems very self-aware, so being designated the "precision challenge" person should have had her sounding the alarms. And not just under her breath. I'm not sure that the team's lukewarm/cool sendoff to her was about her demeanor over the weeks ( I still want to believe in her! Or at least in her edit until this episode!) To me, it seemed it had to do with the tension in the stew room and the judges table. The heavy handed Editing wasn't just for erasing all traces of Besh! So were all chefs guaranteed a burner for the quickfire? Otherwise it would be extremely unfair and unsafe. It was interesting that the unlikely combination of flavors that helped secure the win for Carrie in the quickfire led to her serving up something that people hated in the elimination challenge. I'm kinda reserving judgment on her being told to "get woke!" without sufficient context, but the way it's shown is not a good look for either of them. I loved the cheftestants staying up to await good news--the sight of Fatima curling up in a couch, the surprise baby shower--it's a welcome camaraderie that's a huge contrast to Claudette's behavior at the challenge, and why it might have been difficult for Tonya to be direct. Once Tonya didn't speak up, there was almost no way for her to handle Claudette's behavior without it being detrimental to the team performance as a whole. Chris was wise to recognize this, and steer clear.

All that was missing was a talking dog and for Sammy Jo's father to sneer "those meddling kids!" So is Steven leaving for a while to hopefully be replaced by a different actor? At this point, Sammy Jo is way more interesting. (Although I did laugh when the father was like "it's like looking into a mirror! We look exactly alike!" No you don't.) More Anders, please! Loved his yanking back the curtains when Crystal said she preferred it dark.

Ugh, what a tease. Kept waiting for Charlie to shoot Rowan with the Quinn bullets. Felt like we'd been through this grieving episode before. Was I the only one who went "Enough with the bones already!!!!" ?

Jeana is so incredibly beautiful. I lol'd at Drew saying she brought the MILF. I'm liking Drew and "I'm going to buy a uterus on Ebay!" Law. Stacey McKenzie should get her own show (and still show up for ANTM) "White Picket Fence" went home! Brendi -- the show did a great job of making me learn her name and hey, did you know she lives in a car? After even Tyra mentioned it, we knew it was going to be her pho-TO in Tyra's hands. Not that I'm complaining. There's definitely something there. Based on the edited comments, I was super confused with the order of the pho-TOs.

Oh noooo!!! When Brother chose to do an egg roll his fate was sealed. The son of exotic dancers? I also hoped that they wouldn't eliminate anyone with Leann's departure. Hooray for Tanya. I thought it was odd at the time when she said that thing about being reminded of her gender and skin color in the States while shopping at Whole Foods, but it came together with what she said at the end of the show, being inspirational to other people who look like she does. It was funny how they made a point of showing Adrienne next to two chefs she worked with-- Eric Ripert and-- I want to say Marcus Samuelsson? So now I'm guessing which chef gave her that advice to undersalt. I also enjoyed the fact that "the team" helped Chris figure out his radler, since he was upfront about being an alcoholic. I also thought that Quickfire was great! What they showed of Chris's video made it look tasty and easy to make. It was inspirational when he said something like "Yesterday I was on the bottom. Today I'm on the top. That's why I don't carry baggage. Every day's a new day." The Quickfire was also fun to see with all the standout eyeglass fashion on display--Tanya's, Claudette's and Blais's.

I was kind of in a funk, and then this show came on. Instant cheer! And on top of that, Tyra’s back! I also liked the judges, and what they said (that we were shown). Not sure what I think about the lifting of the age restrictions and the “most diverse” range of body types. It’s like after Nyle, the show’s given up on spitting out a winner who could have an actual, successful fashion model career and headed straight for reality show stardom. I kinda dug the shoot, the OTT clothes from Lady Gaga’s designer and impromptu runway. Ready for another cycle of Ty-rany! Yay!!!

Not taking away from Bruce’s resourcefulness in using the mandolin, but unless the flavor was that much superior over the upside down cake, I felt that Carrie deserved the win. Bruce succeeded despite the limitations of the challenge, Carrie embraced the challenge fully and made something delicious that only existed and isn’t easily reproducible because of the constraints. ITA Fatima is delightful –“she’s got pregnant woman focus!” and I’m always happy to hear from Brother. I didn’t care for Claudette at the time of her elimination, but asking in all seriousness why there’s so much vitriol (here) towards her now? What am I missing aside from her throwing shade at Ms. Bernardin? Or is it that she's the least pleasant in an otherwise unusually happy, good-hearted bunch of cheftestants? (Although if she’s been mean to Fatima I will join in on the hateration!)

My BF and I are in that sliver. One of the (many) great joys of watching the Crown was learning several episodes in that the actor for Tommy Lascelles is the same as for Herr Starr. I wouldn't have guessed otherwise--Pip Torrens is THAT good. Both are standout, mesmerizing characters. As for Uncle Nazi, I just rewatched the S1 episode where he comes to London to see his mother. I had no awareness of his Nazi past when I first watched it. It plays completely differently, now that we know of Tommy, "Cookie" and his mother's knowledge of what he's done. In that episode, he's almost a sympathetic figure, in that people seem to blame his abdication for George's death. And his surprise that Elizabeth would ask him for advice is now even more resonant, in that he would have traded her life just so his awful wife could be a puppet Queen to his puppet King. It grossed me out when he tells Winston that he's Elizabeth's favorite uncle. I really liked the Billy Graham discussion, and that insight into Elizabeth's interior life in her struggle to be a good Christian. She wasn't going to let being the Head of the Church of England get in the way of her literal soulsearching!