30 Helens

Whatever is planned for Sonny and Ava, be it romance or double crossing, is bound to end up with Ava at the short end of the stick. So I approach this whole storyline with trepidation. TJ is approaching Drew-levels of awfulness. I can’t wait until Kristina decides she wants to keep this baby and raise it with Blaze. And I want her to win that fight, because a) I really like Kristina and Blaze, and b) it would smack the smug right off of TJ and Molly’s faces. I remember when Sam used to do stakeouts in those heels. I saw her chase somebody down a flight of stairs and through a window in those heels. They were her preferred footwear when navigating rocky hills. I believe she even gave birth (through her jeans) in those heels. So yes, Sam certainly, absolutely, without question, rode a motorcycle in those heels.

2/5, Cough and Gore. That could be either a comedy team or the symptoms of a very unpleasant disease. I’ll bring some chicken noodle soup, heated by a hole in the ozone layer. And while that simmers, I’ll go ahead and stock up on donuts, because I have a feeling I’ll be needing plenty of those in the next few weeks.

I forgot that things had moved to the ToC thread, but while I’m here, just let me say: @HissyFit, that avatar cracked me up.

That was hard!! I actually forgot this was the first TOC game (my DVR has been cutting off the first 30 sec or so of every game and I miss the intros), so at least now I have an excuse for my pitiful performance. Triple Rhyme Time was especially confusing. I could get two, but I kept getting lost on the way to the third. And I hate* to revive the old pronunciation debate, but moll/brawl/bawl was unfair for those of us who say “moll” the correct way: “mahl”, as in “Molly”. Those other two words don’t rhyme. *no, I don’t. Not really. 😈

Well, it’s not liked it worked, so…? However many rounds later and she’s still there. And even without Dan’s input, Trishelle had her list of Very Important Clues that likely would have put a spotlight on Phaedra regardless. Ok, let me get this straight… Peter has a one-on-one meeting with Dan, which people find suspicious. Then Peter has a one-on-one meeting with Parvati, which makes people suspect him even more. So to get the target off his back, he decides to.. have a one-on-one meeting with Phaedra? Good going, Ace.

Well, if anyone thought the celebrity would get an easy path, they'd be wrong. Ray is the second highest winner of the season, in both $ and number of games. And although I like Ike, I'll be rooting for Ray. He was one of my favorites. (I don't remember Melissa, either.) My morning would not be complete without the Wordle/ Connections duo. I also like Squeezy (wheezy version). I got a NYT Games subscription about a year ago, and am slowly learning how to be good at the crossword. I am sure I've learned clues there that have helped my Jeopardy game, and vise versa. But I think my favorite obsession is Spelling Bee. I have an unhealthy need to reach Genius level, but it gives my inner vocabulary nerd purpose.

I wondered if the exposition about Morgan and Olivia Jerome meant that Morgan is the mystery assassin. He has to be returning in some way; he’s been mentioned too often lately for it to be a coincidence. And why dredge up Olivia for no reason? But if Morgan is behind the shootings, I can only hope that his next target is Jason. I think Joss was telling Trina that the reason she couldn’t say why Dex left had nothing to do with their friendship (i.e. it’s not because Joss doesn’t trust Trina), not that the friendship was the cause for his leaving. It was a little clumsily worded, but thats just Joss.

Gore came easily yesterday; Earp not so much today. You know what you know, you don’t what you don’t. Or something like that. I ran authors, including the TSs of Amy Tan and Louis L’Amour. I also got All of Me (these contestants were too young for that one) and was proud of myself for figuring out Galapagos (if you’re going to overlook cute furry seals, it has to be because there’s something more famous nearby). Nice gutsy wager from Deb. Someone needs to make Jesse a good pina colada. Mira can go away. I usually look forward to the ToCs, but I’m pretty ambivalent about this one. Mostly because I have a bad case of tournament fatigue. And then there’s Yogesh. I am interested in seeing how Ike Barinholtz does (I’m a fan), although that’s probably a controversial inclusion as well.

And this would stop the writers because…?

When it comes to anything. This is a person who was driven all the way to the Pine Barrens (in the back seat, if I’m not mistaken), marched into the woods and confronted before getting a tiny inkling that he was the reason for the trip.

I don’t have answers to your questions, but I hope your spoiler is true, because I love a certain actor in a certain role and I would welcome their return, in whatever unlikely scenario. (Dry erase board at the cemetery, I’m telling you…)

Well, that sucks. Colonel Tad was never a fully fleshed out character but that wasn’t his fault. I don’t know why the show hires vets like MEK and RH if they’re not going to use them effectively. Just to cut them loose so they can afford to rehire a jackhole like SB and resuscitate his tired, played-out character. It’s all so pointless.

I would be grateful that the Hatman schizophrenia story is getting tied up and filed away, except I’m afraid this is just setting up a new story about what ailment he REALLY had and how it’s about to return, causing angst and misery for all involved— especially us. I don’t know where Joss is headed on her search and rescue mission, but I hope she gets lost and can’t find her way back.

The week started so well, I was hoping for a complete reversal of last week’s bagel. Then the arch “legs” confused me and I ended up with 4/5. But no complaints, I’ll take it!! So this week, I will bring nine-odd pounds of Southern fried chicken (with a little Louisiana hot sauce on the side).

What @peachmangosteen said. ^^ And as for the slowly melting humanoid candle formerly known as Dr. Will: If only he were talking about himself.

Yeah, the only thing Danny is “hard wired” to do is wear a reindeer sweater. Later, Sam did switch to talk of Danny emulating Jason, which makes more sense and made me wonder if the writers know what “hard wired” means. I’m not up on casting news, but I fully expect Dex to return, possibly just in time to save Sonny from Jason’s* next attack and be redeemed in Sonny’s eyes. But if he is leaving, even temporarily, why for the love of all that is good and holy couldn’t he take Joss with him? *my assumption; not a spoiler And let’s not forget how quickly Felicia went from being fierce mama bear to deadbeat child deserter hanging out in Texas.

Oh, look! They dragged the reanimated corpse of Dr. Will down from the Big Brother balcony and propped him up in Alan’s cabin! If you look very, very closely, you might even see the strings holding up his hands when he gestures. Aside from the cabin creepiness (and yes, I mean Will), this was a fun episode. I thought Parvati really had John with her crocodile tears. And as much as I dislike Peter, his reasoning was solid. Try a Phaedra vote this week while you have a chance against the ‘wives coalition, and save Parv for an easy boot next week. But it seemed very few people were interested in playing a long game. Still, did you notice how much it pained Peter to pass the talking scepter and listen to Trishelle’s theory? Heh. If I were Phaedra, I might have tried to re-recruit Peter. He couldn’t say no this time, and with the wave of suspicion floating toward him, there’s a good chance he would be voted out next time and Phaedra would be considered exonerated. But Kate should be a fun traitor to watch. How many episodes are in this season? Because if it’s 10, we’re in for a bloodbath. Shut up, Sandra. Your “queen” bullshit is tired. And you’ve done nothing to brag about here. You can step off your fake throne and sit on the floor next to Peter. I’m going to miss Parvati. Sniff.

I have never heard of a distaff Odd Couple, but a play with two characters, names starting with an O and a F, led me quickly to the answer. I was rooting pretty hard against Vince, once he mentioned Yogesh as an ally. So of course he won. Ugh.

Or those of us who play 90% aurally because we’re also making dinner. I don’t even notice most of the time, unless the category name is especially long. And then I think we can agree, it’s annoying for everyone.

If Laura is going to parent Ace, can she start by giving him a real name?

I’m of two minds about this show. I really enjoyed the episodes as I was watching them, and I appreciated the slice-of-life structure of the annual vignettes. Because we were always dropping in on events already in progress, it really felt like a natural glimpse into an evolving relationship, with no forced plot points or manipulated emotions. Until the end. Did we really need the tired old trope of Young Love Cut Short by Tragic Death of Heroine? And while I understand the narrative need to have Emma’s death occur on camera, the coincidence of it happening on that day was too much. In that moment, the show changed from stylistically natural to plot-driven, and I felt cheated. (I also hated how the accident was telegraphed in all the standard cliche ways. Nope, couldn’t see that coming from 10 miles away.) And perhaps because of the way this plot turn was presented, it left me feeling hollow. I got nothing of value from Dex’s widower journey, and I didn’t feel like he really did, either. I did like seeing the evolution of the relationship, though. I never really felt any sexual chemistry between the leads, but what they had at the end felt very real. The transformation of unlikely friendship into deep, mature love is something that isn’t often portrayed effectively. But these actors sold it, and the way the episodes were structured made it possible. Which makes the ending feel like even more of a betrayal of the overall aesthetic. It’s like the producers felt the need for a Big Ending, and came up with the most melodramatic/ least original one possible. But if there was ever a series that didn’t even need an ending, this was it. It would have been much more satisfying if the show had simply given us a hint of what might lie ahead for these characters, and allowed us to imagine the rest. That would have been more in keeping with the spirit of what came before. It just makes me wish the creators of One Day had trusted their own show.

I know! It’s actually fun to say. (Athough, to be precise, it’s Fiddy Cent… no “s”.) The husband and I both preguessed Huey Long, without conferring. Although, to be fair, does this show know another Southern politician?

It definitely doesn’t, but for the record, Parvati was married to a man (another Survivor contestant) for several years, then came out as bi after her divorce and is now dating a woman. Which makes it a shame she retired her patented flirting skills before this show— she could have charmed the whole house, lol!

Statements like this don’t bother me because characters don’t always speak the truth. Their viewpoints are informed by their own biases and influenced by those they trust. That’s why the Corinthii have a hive mind: they’re too insular. If anyone is being gaslighted in this scenario, it’s Willow. I had nothing but eye rolls for Carly’s plea for a non-dramatic, conflict-free life outside of Nina’s orbit. Like she didn’t play up the surprise reveal of herself as Crimson editor for full effect. And like Drew is forcing her to stay in the job. If it’s causing you so much angst, quit! Go back to Kelly’s Bobbie’s! At this point, they should just put up a dry erase board at the cemetery entrance so they can add and subtract names at will.

Instaguess for me. I wasn’t completely confident, but no other numbers were popping into my head, so I went for it. What was Donna referring to with LXII?