Anothermi

BINGOHail and welcome Pallas! Glad you're back in such fine fettle!

When we first met her Mel was big on beach bonfires. Mostly folks who stubbornly wouldn't accept the Lord of Light as the One True God. Even members of Stannis' family were burned (an uncle or brother-in-law?).Mance strikes me as a pragmatist and unlikely to be taken in by Mels' smoke & leeches. That's all it took for her to burn those others! I presume Stannis could be convinced Mance had more value to him alive which is why I said "if Mel has her way".

13. Other: Will Sam find a book in the NW library that will teach him wizardry? What about Sam Jr (not biological Jr) and Gilly? Re: Stannis and Co. If Mel has her way I wouldn't be surprised if The-King-Beyond-The-Wall will get to achieve his dream and be part of the "biggest bonfire the've ever seen" albeit as fuel.

Scrapped my response because WhiteStumbler posted while I was in the middle of posting - and explained it much better. Dany loves her Drogon but clearly couldn't control him, so the poor little ones got punished instead. I suppose that is because they, too, could possiblely do the same as Drogon.

Sigh. So true. Much as I love Arya and her serial-Father-Figure adventures, none of them have fared well. Regarding Jaqen (and you might remember this better than I do WhiteStumbler), I thought when he left Ayra, not only did he face-change, but he said - or perhaps implied - that Jaqen H'ghar was "no more". Because of that memory I don't think we'll see our beloved Jaqen again. So, I'm hoping that Arya will re-encounter Gendry who was last seen 2 seasons ago embarking on a sea voyage with no food, no ability to swim and no seafaring experience. The lack of human interaction gives me hope that he'll be fine, and as long as he doesn't try to be a Father to her.... or a Brother to her.... or piss her off in some way... he just might fare a bit better than the others.

Hee! I agree with your sentiments about the Mountain being revived. He is the only character who seems to have gotten weaker (OK, not talking physically here) since S1 - and less interesting. No character development for someone who has hung around in this story for so long. Unfortunately, it looked like we could be treated to some kind of "Mountain-stein" story line for him - which means he won't be any different than he was before. Hope I'm wrong.

For a change of pace; I stumbled upon this 10 minute video conversation (from Variety's Actors on Actors series which aired on PBS a couple of months ago) between Benedict and Edward Norton (Birdman). EN seems to take the lead in the conversation (but that's OK with me 'cuz I like him) but I found it interesting to watch two actors talk about their craft.

*Pokes head up from the earth under WS feet and shakes the dirt out of hair* **Feels refreshed and (dare I say) re-animated** ;-D Great find WS! I'm missing the post-season gabfests we had previously. S3 you say... I don't know if I have the fortitude to re-watch the previous seasons on my own. :-( Interesting that Craster cared enough about sons that he kept track of the number. Given the reveal (I'm assuming it was quite a while after that comment by Craster) of where the WW took the last Craster boy, it does seem there may have been some Faustian pact made between them and Craster that that bastard knew a lot more about than we were led to believe. Why take pride in the number of sons you don't have any contact with or control of? Perhaps he believes he will leave some kind of legacy because of his action? Or... perhaps he just thinks it's an indication of how 'manly' he is compared to someone with only one son? Upon reflection, I just don't see Craster as capable of any thoughts deeper than 'me Tarzan, you NOT'.

You are welcome. I forgot to say that it is from Season 10. (Top 18 episode is on the video).

I think I know which one you are referring to. Is this it? Group dance: "Pretty Face" (Nathan Lanier remix)—Sóley (Jazz Choreographers: Christopher Scott & Sonya Tayeh) If it is, I agree that it is beautiful - and very Chris Scott/Sonya Tayeh.

I'm sad that they changed actors for Caroline's oldest son, William. I'd grown quite fond of the other actor's pointy, slightly ascetic face. Now he's just another ginger haired guy.

Celia certainly was a disappointment this episode. I kept having flashbacks to her characterization of her sister, Muriel, from S2. I wonder if she wasn't projecting her own need to make everything about her onto her sister? She has certainly invested her whole identity in being "the woman wronged". She couldn't even find the fact that Allan was attracted to Mary because he saw Celia in her as confirmation that she, Celia, was always special to him. She reacted as though he had cheated on HER! I liked that Gary's wife appeared to find his self promotion a bit wearing. I wonder if the "sinister" side of him might end up being insecurity... Always having to prove himself? His history of how he started his business - and her having to point out her role in coming up with the idea- seems to have happened before. Actually, it seemed like a very familiar married couple dynamic, so I don't find it all that sinister, but I did feel he was trying a bit too hard to impress.

I love the title of that song - and I especially loved the context in which it was brought up by Celia in the first place. Very cheeky of her. Re: the bold bit... Wikipedia states it was featured in "the London Olympics". It doesn't state where (as in Opening Ceremonies, or advertisements or such) but that may be why it sounds familiar?

Thanks for letting us know, Silverstormm. Thank you Which Tyler for your stellar defence of us unsullied and our very particular/peculiar requirements. I especially remember that you were up at 05:30 on your day off - and before even seeing the episode under discussion - to guard us all for the first episode that aired after TWOP forums shut down. I wish you the best as you move on.

I have to add to the chorus of acclaim for this Xmas special. Chummy was so...... Chummy ( & poor, lovely Peter being all alone for his 3rd set of exams). Cynthia's decision - as a non-reader - seemed pre-destined - but evocative non the less. The story line about the former mental patients being dumped into regular society had strong, painful evocations of similar situations created by short-sighted legislation where I live. The imposed sterilization especially. :-( It happened long before my time, but is non-the-less inexplicably painful.

Thanks, realdancemom, for the confirmation about Teddy. I looked him up right after I posted that and was happy to know the my initial memory was correct - although I'd forgotten that he auditioned as Hip Hop. Further, and effusive, thanks for your thoughts on the tour. I feel bad for these dancers - who are clearly great dancers - that they are on the down swing of this ride. :-( I'm glad to hear that the dancers that I thought should have been in the top 4 (Tanisha/Carly) got a lot more dance-time/recognition on the tour. Very sorry to hear that Zack appeared to be injured. I grew to love him! I agree with you that the proposed new format is better than no show at all, but I think there has been a war for viewers between DWTS and SYTYCD and the cheesy show has won (not for me). Sorry that Mary has bowed out (screams aside), but ballroom really was becoming a joke on SYTYCD for the past few seasons. I'll watch the new season - from behind a pillow - and hope for the best.

Thank you Beata for bringing these to Previously. You do a great job and now I know I can find new (and usually great) routines here. (big smile)

I haven't been to this thread since the end of the show, so I was very pleased to see your post(s) on the tour, traboule. Thank you for going to the trouble to post the review. Now I have to go and remind myself who Teddy is (how quick we forget). I'm thinking he is tall and thin, but then the short blond-haired Teddy who auditioned twice but still got cut in Not!Vegas jumps in and I get confused.

Thanks for bringing that over here. It explains Scott's dance completely. I also believe it exonerates Joanne from responsibility for that <loss for words>! Scott is NOT a dancer by any means, but he is also NOT suited to that kind of comic crap.

In the spirit of "it takes all kinds" I respectfully disagree with your opinion on Jake. I've found him extremely likeable (although I admit to being a little left-of-centre regarding my tastes) and merely honest/humble in his assessment of "peaking too early". He didn't know what he was capable of when he signed up. He knew he had musicality because he'd had drumming experience, but he didn't know if his body would be able to make the required shapes (IMHO) so when the Salsa was so amazing he was right to wonder if it was only down-hill from there for him. That's the way I see it, but of course, as I don't know anything about him, it's not more correct than yours. Cheers.

Thanks for bringing that. I'm liking this guy. He can sing, he can pick up dance.... he provides work and exposure for SYTYCD dancers! I like his music too. So good to see Paul again.

The judges have to walk a fine line on these kind of shows. If they were to tell Tim he really was a crap dancer, BUT they enjoyed his personality, even then many viewers would get up in arms at the rudeness and keep voting him back to the detriment of dancers who could actually have improved. It's happened on DWTS, on SYTYCD and on SCD. They've got to be subtle because backlash against their comments is a real threat.

Agreed. I was unhappy she went out so early. Ed was a bit of a surprise as well!! (in a good way) Thanks to inmyeyes for the info that Paul was also involved because I was wondering when Nappy Tabs learned all those ballroom moves. (I know Brittany is ballroom, but I was thinking about who showed Ed the moves.)

Jeez. Poor Judy. Well, honestly I can't see her being good in any dance style, so perhaps I will be pleasantly surprised. I hope Jennifer has enough stamina for the salsa! I liked the TWOP style of discussion (except that the hall monitors could be randomly strict), but I don't have the stomach for the sniping on DS. Guess I not the cocktail party sort?

Damn! lost my post... here I go again. I've been surfing on Digital Spy for this show, but conversing about it doesn't seem to be the culture there. So, this seems like a possible place for a decent exchange of ideas (hopefully). I don't know any of the Celebrities, so I'm starting without any pre-conceptions... The Worst: Agree with Occasional Hope - Gregg, Scott, Judy and Jennifer. But... Gregg: It seems he is generally hated on his home turf due to his MasterChef persona. However, I've watched some SCD site vids that show he is quite a card and I've enjoyed him in those, so I'm positively disposed to him (even though he's a crap dancer). Examples from Friday Frolics on that site: Gregg to Steve B: I see people liking your muscles (mussels) on the internet. I didn't know you were into shellfish! I am pleased. Steve: (seems to completely miss the word play) Steve: (commenting on how bad his dancing is) Gregg: I aspire to that! OK. Maybe it's not every-body's sense of humour, but it tickled my funny bone! Judy: She seems nice, but the best I can say is that I loved when she hit Anton in the head with the Tennis Serve he choreographed in for her. Finally something she can excel at! Scott: Mmmmm. He's a lovely guy. He casually talked about his boyfriend on National TV with out a brou-ha-ha... and he is trying his best. (no dancing ability) Jennifer: She is the best of this lot, but her nerves really do her in. I want her to stay because I want Tristan to stay. Jumping to the People I LIke: There are quite a few... and for different reasons. Caroline: She's partnered with Pasha, so I'm going to like her regardless of how she dances. But she is actually good. Not sure why her scores are so middling, but I'm going with the belief that the judges are expecting her to improve over time. Yeah. That's explains it all. Jake: Was hoping that Janette would get someone decent and boy did she ever! I've warmed to his "poker face" personality. Hell, he even cracked a smile this week, but he reminds me of Dee Caspary from SYTYCD, who NEVER cracks a smile EVER and because of that I find him entertaining. <personal quirk of mine I guess> Actually, Jake has a wonderful, dry sense of humour. In their rehearsal video, he's shown (all serious) worrying about the fact that Janette has told him if he doesn't catch her in the last lift her face will smash into the floor. He deadpans... If it does happen... they tell me I'll get another one. What?! ROTFL! Didn't see that coming. I Love that kind of humour (but maybe I'm a sick bastard?) So.. Good dancer and great - if dry - sense of humour? What's not to like. I'm not convinced he has dance training. Great natural musicality and acting ability, but if you watch the steps? Not much technique. Steve Backshall: The fact that he faked a good tango shows promise. Mostly I just like him. He's what I call "guilelessly charming" so I give him a pass on his Blokey Blokeness (which I generally despise). Besides, he does good work around awareness of our impact on other species - which I support (now I know about it). Tim: I've actually seen Bargain Hunt, but don't remember much about him. Like his eccentric-ness. Happy that he can dance a waltz with his wife now. Love Natalie. AND he knows that his dancing is rubbish so his "that was amazing" (or whatever he said 1st week) was bravado. Want him to outlast Judy. Sunetra: Don't know her from Eve, but she's impressing me. For someone with little or no dance training she's doing very well, and she's showing a good personality too. All the rest are a bit of a blur. The Pop-bot girls... The hunky boys... I'm happy Karen got someone with "some" personality who can actually move. I wish Iveta's celeb had a personality. I don't dislike any of the rest. They're just not making much of an impression on me yet. Oh yeah. I DO like Allison. Perhaps because I was expecting Lisa Riley 2.0 - and she is not that. She's pretty darn good on the dance floor but, yeah, hope the Aliaj objectification goes away. >.<