Souris

We Robert Finke’d it! I also loved the waterfall/rings lighting effect.

I appreciate that the Subway commercial just leans into Tom Brady being a dick. As heart-warming as the Jessica Long commercial is (and also technically interesting), I feel like I see it every commercial break. As much Olympics as I’ve watched, I haven’t seen many of the ads mentioned above!

Stunning. I watched in awe. The lack of splash!

Carl Lewis has some thoughts about the relay debacle.

Apparently the U.S. is good at throwing heavy things. Not so good at handing each other something.

I’m so sad swimming is over. It’s my absolute favorite event in the Summer Olympics. Along with Dressel and Ledecky being Dressel and Ledecky, Bobby Finke’s insane final 50s were my biggest delights. May have been even more impressive than “HERE COMES LEZACK!!”— which is perhaps my most indelible and beloved Olympics moment. A top-notch and 😲 combination of Finke love with Andrew schadenfreude:

Was it Latvia and Lichtenstein Luxembourg who looked like they went in together to buy Mylar in bulk for their outfits?

That’s my read on her laughing, too. It strikes me as a nerves thing. I tend to be a bit prone to that myself. I was honestly surprised that they eliminated Byron and didn’t have him go back into the competition, thus making LCK essentially pointless. I didn’t think they would want/allow that. Though maybe Jamie’s dish was just so much better, they couldn’t even fudge it.

I was less thinking that Esther was lying and more thinking that the writers didn’t put enough thought into explaining how the safe house came to be, or enough energy into conveying it to viewers. I like the ideas others have had, about a sympathetic Martha and guard, that makes sense, but viewers shouldn’t have to devise our own explanations.

I really don't understand how that farm/Handmaid Halfway House got set up. So the husband is senile, but Eyes, Guardians and other Commanders have been repeatedly coming around to rape Little Emma (McKenna Grace gets a ton of work -- she was also the daughter on "Designated Survivor") -- so how did it become this safe resistance spot? How did she get this cadre of resistance-friendly guards? The wife is so young, the husband couldn't have been senile enough not to notice the goings-on for that long. I couldn't wrap my head around its existence. Surely Gilead loyalists would periodically come around looking for another rape visit with Esther. June, if you're going to encourage this girl to murder one of her abusers, the least you can do is stick around to watch. Don't instigate and then bail on what you unleashed! Bad form. It didn't sit right with me for many reasons. The girl has been through enough, don't add murder to her list of effed-up things in her psyche. Like, I get revenge can be satisfying, but I doubt it was a helpful thing for her mental health in the long run. Am I the only one who thought that Aunt Lydia may have been acting there for a reason of her own when she was bad-mouthing June to the commanders? They'd just mentioned her "frailties," which seemed to piss her off majorly. Is there a particular reason she urged them to bring June to her if they capture her, rather than spite or wanting her own shot at June? It made me wonder.

As Hearst’s apparently “open secret” illegitimate daughter, she didn’t have many society options. Rich society guys would want a wife with “pure” society pedigree, so she was out of luck there. John needed her money (provided by Hearst as her “godfather”). She needed his society name. A classic marriage of convenience, in much the same way so many rich U.S. industrial heiresses went to England and wed cash-strapped Lords. Hearst was correct that it’s a transactional match.

I just realized, we never found out why Libby was taking the medicine that poisoned the babies, did we? Or did I miss the explanation?

That finale was a corker. So many heartbreaking aspects. I cried multiple times. While I didn’t like how everything ended, obviously, I thought it was an excellent season. Big props to the actress playing Libby. She really gave it her all. Learning Libby’s history was wrenching. WHY did Sara and Laszlo not call the brothers?? Like, I know they were in the middle of a bloodbath, but they had to know that’s where Libby and GooGoo were headed. Damn it, poor Marcus. I feel like the Moore baby is going to end up another one with a loving father and a crappy mother. I trust John will not end up like Sara and Libby’s fathers. John is not going to have a good marriage, between not loving Violet, how it started, and being a competitor to his father-in-law. Am I a bad person for head-canoning that Violet dies soon after giving birth? (Assuming she’s actually pregnant and it’s not a soap opera fake pregnancy.) Honestly, she’s not evil or horrible, just vacuous and in the way. Oh, well, I saw it coming, sigh. Poor Clara is really going to need some therapy. Got a bit of amusement at everyone just randomly and immediately walloping the hell out of GooGoo’s henchman. I feel like Lazslo and Karen moved awfully fast there. Was that new detective Kitty BYRNES?? Honestly one of the best seasons of TV I’ve watched recently.

John: “Bitsy, please! Will you have a little decency and not pound on my door like some persistent woodpecker!”

With cake!

There was the quick scene in the restaurant with Violet and the group earlier where John went to the maitre’d and said he knew he owed them money but was hoping to put the meal on his tab, but then the maitre’d said Violet had already taken care of it. I think John is one of those formerly well-to-do society people who no longer have the money but still have the “name,” so they get by a lot on a shell game of breeding, reputation and credit. And he’s very charming, so that helps. I am really sucked into this season more than the first. So creepy and involving! Glad to see more of an emphasis on Sara and female characters in general. Laszlo’s speech to John was shockingly lovely and well-done. And affecting for several of them. Very amused by his encounter with the female alienist! Curious to see if she will be a love interest or a foil. I have tried very hard not to ship Sara and John, but dang it, they keep trying to reel me in. That was a rough scene, but they both had points. For John’s sake I hope he and Violet do not actually get married. They’re a terrible match. He won’t be drinking water for much longer if they do. That cake scene was bonkers. Bitsy needs to work on her questioning. Subtle, she wasn’t.

I would have been happy with any of the three winning, but Melissa was my top pick, so I'm super thrilled. She is so creative. Tiramisu is one of my favorite things in the world, and I'm an absolute sucker for tea to an unhealthy degree, so I desperately wanted to devour that tea-ramisu of hers. (Thank you akr for linking the recipe!) To be honest, I want to devour all of those desserts. Sticky toffee pudding is amazing, and to paraphrase Gail, "I care about nothing except dark chocolate." All the food looked amazing. Except for Bryan's beets, because beets taste like nothing except pure dirt to me, regardless of how wonderfully they're prepared. The pastas especially sounded fabulous. I feel bad for Bryan to be runner up yet again. And he even got runner up on Fan Favorite too! That has to be wearing. Sorry, Kristen,, but I want to be BFFs with Stephanie. I think she may have gotten the most out of the season of anyone. So happy for her that it put her in a better place after her grief and sadness, and built her confidence. Gail got so emotional over Stephanie's brother, twice, that I wonder if she's lost a brother, too. Still sad Gregory wasn’t in the finale. But what a GREAT season! And a great finale. I was text-watching with two friends, and one remarked that she had never in her life seen anybody as happy as that Italian butcher. He was so fab! I loved him. And then he got so emotional over Melissa's tiramisu. Seemed like such a lovely man. (And his shirt had little cows on it! It was the episode of fun clothing, what with that and LeeAnne's bacon-and-eggs scarf.)

That line made me recoil. What a crappy thing to say when his supposed friend is hurting over the soul critique. Glad he was the one PYKAG’d. I really felt bad for Bryan; what harsh feedback. You know that stung. Still sad Gregory is gone. I want Melissa to win. I want to be besties with Stephanie. So cool to see her come on so strong lately. She looks so shocked when she gets kudos. I hope this is boosting her confidence. Damn, I am craving some fresh pasta after this ep!!

I love the blind taste tests! So fun. I would like to have seen more of it.Stephanie smoked that! I don’t think she’s the strongest chef of the group, but I like her and was pleased for her win. So happy Melissa and Gregory survived. Ouch! at Malarkey calling Bryan “Michael.” How many times has that happened to him, I wonder? Rough. I didn’t love the challenge. Too specific IMO. Plus I’m a huuuuuge Olympics slut, so it made me sad. I squealed when Stephanie was plating her dessert, because the bowls are my exact dish pattern! It’s called “Cherry Blossom” from World Market, and they’re made in Japan. So they went even that far with the detail for this challenge.

Well, boo! I don’t want to have to sign up for yet another streaming service.

Interview with Yul about Jonathan Penner’s wife having ALS. Truly heartbreaking, especially since her type is genetic and their kids have a 50/50 chance of developing it.

Just binged this show. Really enjoyed it! I knew cheerleading was dangerous and injury-filled, but damn. Panera had Jerry talking you through the Daylight Saving time change.

Incredibly sad news. He was so talented.

Quite a few Top Chef alums in the latest list of James Beard semifinalists.

I’m assuming Jenn’s crush on Justin was a long-standing thing that Kat knew. Although given that Kat already slept with him a year ago, maybe not.