mbluecpa

A good episode yesterday, and setting up for some good scenes coming up. I really liked the Bill/Naomi scenes, and think the performers really nailed them. Bill straddled the line between defensive and (I think) proud of his daughter while Naomi kept us wondering if she’d buckle or hold firm. I thought the Dani/Chelsea scenes were well-done too: Dani “grieving” in private while being supportive (well, kinda…”I wouldn’t say I’m OK” or similar line) to her daughter.

👍 So far, the writers are doing a good job of making me wonder if Dani’s headed for the (inevitable?) alcoholism story or for being successful again on her own (the way she lit up about her new “brand”) - or maybe somehow partnering with Chelsea and Kat. I like this exploration of the Dani character so far more than the Bill/Hayley/Dani conflict storyline, though it was the set up for where we are now. Yesterday we got a lot of Anita as matriarch/family leader and I’m here for it. Tamara Tunie looked fabulous, too. And one of the glares she directed at Martin was scary! We’ve had a couple of moments of Anita seeming to long for her performing days, so I wonder if something’s building there.

Just came here to post about that one, which I’ve seen a lot lately; the animation and computer voice are really distracting. It took me a while to notice two different ones by the same pharma company - one for a mental health medication and the second for an MS drug.

Whew! I don’t know how it escaped me that this season will be 15 episodes, but I’m glad to see this shift continue a little longer. Three short, relatively dialog-free scenes really jumped out at me: the woman crying in her wheelchair, McKay’s ex slowly taking in exactly what her world is on a daily basis, and Mel’s relief at the brief reassurance from Langdon. It was also good to see the administrator (Gloria) supportive of Robby/the ER and completely on top of everything needed to deal with the mass casualties.

👍 to both. The kids were a breath of fresh air in the Martin/Smitty dynamic, and though we saw only a couple of scenes it looks like BTG has cast two more strong young performers. Samantha had a couple of great lines, too: “that’s it? That’s not even interesting” and “x has six moms. His dad is always changing things up.” But Martin granting his husband permission to take one assignment was cringe-y for me. I’ve not yet reached for the FF, but Ashley/Derek/Andre are getting pretty close to it for me. All their respective interactions feel like the same scene over and over.

Bill’s little Google search (which, btw, nice mockup of the search results from the behind the scenes crew) and look on his face cemented that for me too. Someone last week or so suggested hate sex might be in their future and I could see that coming down the road. I liked the scene with Chelsea and Kat talking about Chelsea’s “situationship.” I don’t know if this will lead to a deeper storyline but it’s unique (to me) for daytime, and I’m enjoying watching Colby Muhammad (Kat). Add me to the list thinking that Martin is adopted given the ages. Every time I see him, I have to remind myself he’s Ted and Nicole’s son and not Ted’s brother.

Ouch, Dani - wasn’t it just Friday we had the “I’m over Bill” celebration? I do like the twist with Haley being the one to figuratively slap Bill back to reality, but if Karla Mosley is on a 3-4/week minimum then I’d really like to see a non-Bill storyline involving her. But being only 11 episodes in, I’m good to let this percolate a bit longer. I’m glad Ted saw and recognized LeslieDanaSherry, and noticed for the past couple of episodes we’ve gotten the “she’s crazy, y’all” background instrumental music in her scenes. I’m here for it. I guess I’ve seen too much GH in my day, so I sorta hand-waved Jacob arresting his own mother-in-law and the whole jurisdiction mismatch. They got patient privacy and HIPAA right, though, with the added twist of Nicole and Ted being both the involved parties and spouses.

I saw an Instacart commercial last night that was the best one I’ve seen in a while. A couple disagrees on storing ketchup in the pantry vs the fridge. The dialog (husband: “baby, your momma didn’t raise you right”) and punch line (husband orders two bottles on a 2 for 1 Instacart special and labels one “pantry” and the other “fridge”) is funny to me. It’s only 30 seconds but the actors have a playful chemistry.

I just saw a new (to me) one showing Mr White Teeth solo and a little more head-on and…wow. It’s even more blinding and makes his teeth look even bigger than the original. It’s so noticeable and unnatural that I wonder if it’s intentional.

…and for just hanging around the house at that! I’ll pile on to what everyone else has said about Martin, what a tool. I caught myself about to scream at the TV; I guess that means the writers are doing their jobs and engaging me as a viewer. It’s bordering on uncomfortable to watch but I’m guessing (hopeful) that this leads to a deeper plot line. Normally I’m not a fan of bratty teens/20-somethings (e.g. GH’s Joss) but I’m really liking Kat. Colby Muhammad has really solid chemistry with all of her scene partners. Not seeing the point of Ashley and Derek other than the Andre angle. Speaking of him, Andre and Dani have had sex three times in nine episodes, a pretty high hit rate.

Another good episode. I enjoyed today’s break from the wedding build-up, wedding itself, and aftermath; seeing some movement with the Leslie/Eva story and introduction of Kat into it was good too. Definitely agree with a couple of posters above that Martin and Smitty had a much more natural vibe today than we’ve seen previously. I still think Martin’s being written as an ass, though. 😀 While clearly intentional by the writers, I do like the parallel of Mona, Leslie/Dana, and their third friend (sorry, I’ve got almost all of the characters’ names down!) having breakfast at the diner while the Duprees are at the club. And shallowly, Trisha Mann-Grant is gorgeous and her voice almost hypnotizes me. I did have to laugh at the surveillance footage of the motorcycle/car chase - it looked like it was filmed on a bike path.

I started quizzing myself on Thursday’s episode just for fun and was excited when I remembered the details of the four characters in the restaurant scene…though Derek is still “dull as Michael Corinthos but hotter firefighter.” The episodes do feel short, or maybe as someone noted it’s just the choppiness. GH shows up at a touch over 36 mins on Hulu and usually wastes the first 60-90 seconds repeating a prior scene. The first week has me wanting more, so for me at least they’re succeeding. Friday’s wedding scenes were classically soapy and the non-verbal acting from Karla Mosley and Tamara Tunie was (chef’s kiss). With Friday’s reveal on Eva being Ted’s daughter, I think the clock is ticking on when we get to see Nicole as something other than always-in-control.

I guess this is technically Anticipation since it was presented on the eve of the premier: The Paley Center for Media had a sit-down hour with Sheila Ducksworth, Tamara Tunie, and Daphnee Duplaix. Some good behind-the-scenes and backstory stories of how the show came about. As someone noted above, even in a less formal Q&A format, Tamara Tunie REALLY commands a room.

That was so weird - I asked Mr. Mbluecpa if the actress had been eating Sprees before her scene. What was the sound that we heard during Martin’s dream? It sounded kinda like gunshots through a silencer to me. Vanessa is a soapy mess (a good thing). Wondering what her husband picked up from the new character/day player - a key card of some sort. I figured when they introduced Jacob as a homicide detective that it wouldn’t be long before he went to work; maybe today’s cliffhanger is his first case. I do feel like I need a flowchart to keep all of the characters and family relations straight and the actor/character age differences (typical for soaps I know) don’t help. But for throwing that many characters and potential plot lines at us in the first three episodes, the show’s doing a good job of laying the foundation.

I’ve been seeing this one off and on for a while, for a debt consolidation or settlement company with one actress (actual customer?) saying she “was drownding in debt.” The only thing that could make it worse is if she declared she was “literally drownding.”