853fisher

Unpopular opinion: while the family plot lines got to be too much (particular lowlight: Kathleen running amok and needing to be set straight by Grandma Ellen Burstyn), in early seasons, I think the insight into Stabler's personal life was illuminating and interesting. I also really liked Isabel Gillies, who played his wife Kathy. I don't think she's acted in about ten years now, but I'd be glad to see her again if they could get her and she was interested. That said, if Stabler's no longer with her, I hope we don't get more of the kids. None of them really resonated with me. Especially not Kathleen, since nothing about "free spirited child of an authority figure pushes the boundaries" was done in a fresh and interesting way. For a second, it crossed my mind that the show may want to get Stabler together romantically with Benson after all these years. Please, Lord, I know I've done wrong, but do not do this to me and my Primetimer friends. How innocent the days were of considering the potential Ho!Yay of Benson and Cabot back on TWoP when this was a show I watched other than by inertia!

The show got me so good! Heidi and Jackie, two of my favorites, were a combo I was dreading in the bottom. I spent part of the episode thinking, "this is going so well, I wish no one had to go home." During the lip sync, I thought they were both great, but the judges seemed to like Jackie more. So when Heidi was called safe, I was surprised but resigned. Then, five second later, I literally gasped and my heart started beating fast What can I say? There hasn't been much entertainment these past several weeks. 😉 That was a great song too. I haven't really kept up with Alex Newell since forcing myself to watch the last several seasons of "Glee," but that was a jam. The closed captioning had the song credited to "Alexis"! I think not, thanks. I'm fortunate to be able to hear well enough to catch most everything, but I wish they could assign someone who knows queer culture to a show like this. A lot of references end up jumbled on this show. I couldn't've been happier to see Crystal and Jaida both succeed so thoroughly. With a less openminded partner, Crystal's makeover could've been a big disappointment, but they vibed so nicely together. I might've picked her to "win" the lip sync between the partners. Heidi really needs to stay out of the bottom next week: I believe no queen has ever survived a fourth lip sync before the finale. As for Gigi, while she continues to be gorgeous and pleasant enough, I still find that she's not showing us much beyond pretty. I scoff when people say this about politicians, but she's the one I'd least like to have a beer with. I'm finding the Sherry edit pretty seamless in the moment. When I pull back and think about how annoying it is that she's glided along to the top, it's there, but during the episode, her presence is really so minimal that I can enjoy it. That was a great pivot.

I have mystical powers, y'all. For absolutely no reason, maybe 10 minutes in, I thought to myself "hmmmm, maybe this could be a two parter, have they ever done that?" Totally unspoiled, I swear. Maybe I should be the next youth pastor! 😉

I'm also still enjoying this show! In usual times, it's great for the train, but these days, I often watch it over the dishes or whatever. The prizes are indeed relatively cheap. I just got done watching another game show from the 80s with a $25K top prize and losers regularly departing with at least $1K, and with inflation it'd be over twice those figures today. The excitement of the competition still works for me, though. I'm a pretty easy sell on these shows, especially word games. Trimming the fat on bids by having Meredith at least start lower sounds like a great idea to me. I've wondered a few times whether she's really scanning the list and thinking "oh, yeah, 23 words" and I think I've decided that the writers probably assign a value to them. Maybe they could mirror the three levels of the second round and do the first list easy starting at 16, the second list medium starting at 18, and the third list hard starting at 20. A month or so ago on YouTube (not sure whether what they upload match what's airing on television, since the uploads sometimes seem inconsistently timed) they were showing episodes I think were from their tryout on a few stations before being picked up nationally. Besides a few small tweaks overall, they had a fourth list in the first round, apparently at the expense of the cutesy "describe yourself in 25 words or less" bit. I don't truthfully care who the contestants are as much as I like that extra list! 😉 But I get that almost all these shows have a short interview, and I think most people are interested, so never mind.

I went to school not too far from where Heidi lives and performs in North Caorlina, and I think there's a definite riff on cultural values baked into her name that may not read to Ru. That said, I don't really get the sense that it's about that. I think Ru just got it stuck in her craw that she doesn't like the name, or she thinks it's a sort of amusing bit, or whatever. It doesn't really roll off the tongue for me, but it's not impossible either. Of all the names over twelve years to pick on, Heidi's wouldn't've been my choice.

That was also my understanding of the conversation in the workroom. I forgot to mention that I enjoyed seeing Raven, although she seemed a little shoehorned in. I guess I might've preferred one of the queens who did the similar debate challenge in 2012, who could've spoken to the format. Or, when someone asked about bouncing back from the bottom, I thought Raven might've mentioned that she lipsynced in 2 of the first 3 weeks of her season before she hit her stride, but nothing. If this is what it looks like to see Ru getting her feet wet sharing workroom/judging/etc time with a peer, fine, I'll get over it. But these cameos just seem a bit generic as they are. It beats sending Sherry around to ask questions and then having to cut around it in post. 😉

Michelle told fans on Twitter that she had to be in London during filming, and tried to get around it but couldn't. She'll be back next week. This season was taped in August or so, wasn't it? My guess is that London had to do with her time on Strictly Come Dancing, the UK's Dancing with the Stars, which would've had its ramp-up stuff around that time before the live shows started the following month. I thought this was a good one, and I really enjoyed seeing Jaida do well again. She, Heidi, and Jackie are still probably my favorites this season. Crystal is also growing on me more and more. I didn't think anyone really tanked in the debate challenge, and "retattle the retittle of her rebuttal" was funnier than it had any right to be. I actually didn't think Jackie did as poorly as the judges thought she did, although perhaps I'm biased. It made sense to me to pick a theme and riff on it, and I did think each of the jokes they showed was funny. I'd be happy to see either guest judge again. I don't really know who Rachel is, except in passing, but did anyone think she looks a bit like a younger Constance Zimmer? I'm genuinely surprised, especially after Crystal talked about her father's struggle with Parkinson's the other week, that Sherry seems to have done the same character agin without any specific comment on the difference between a general old lady character and what seems like a knowing riff on a neurological disorder. I thought it was pretty tasteless when she did it as Hepburn, aside from the fact that it just wasn't a good Hepburn, and she seemed to me to be doing exactly the same things again. They didn't have a single judge's comment or talking head about that? Hmmmm.

I'm really not into this. Far too much Drag Race for one night. The format is sort of like a less compelling Drag U, because there's not the suggestion of life transformation. And the casting just does not work for me. My tastes are a bit out of the mainstream, but I've genuinely never heard of Jermaine (or "Superior Donuts," which he seems best known for) or Jordan (although I have heard of "Riverdale," although I had to go to his IMDB for that since he doesn't even have a Wikipedia page). I had head of Nico, and remembered their name because it reminds me of a friend's, when they came out, but that's it. On the other hand, I virtually always know, and am often excited about, guest judges on the main show. So I'm not a hermit. I'm not delusional either. I wasn't expecting Obama, Helen Mirren, and Beyonce. And I don't mind folks from the C or D list on many of these shows. Their media training allows them to be interesting, whoever they are, while they learn a skill. But here, so much of the skill is a function of their partner that there's not much to that journey. And I just honestly don't care about the sort of personal insights that were offered into these folks who I still don't know from Adam. Sorry to be a downer. Just, as the queen herself has said, meh. I think they missed the mark.

Thanks for the tip! I'll have to look it up. I've always liked Kelli "as herself," and I don't dislike Rollins as much as others. These days she's written so inconsistently that I can just zip whatever I didn't like out of my head with relative ease. I think if Amaro had been developed less as Stabler 2.0 and Rollins had accordingly gotten something fresher to play off of in the beginning, the character might be very different today. When this show finally mercifully ends, I look forward to seeing what she'll do next.

I know Rollins isn’t the most popular character here, and with good reason. But her look after Kat’s “So what are you into? Oh wait…kids.” was one of the biggest laughs I’ve gotten from this show in a long time. I don’t know, I guess I’m just easy. On the other hand, Benson's "you're the only one who can save her?" floored me. Pot, meet kettle. I'm reminded of the days of T!I!P! at TWoP's boards. I thought it was a fair season finale, given that wasn't its original intent.

This is such a petty complaint that I almost feel silly bringing it up. But I hated that they did the "real John Oates" graphic during the tag at the end. Like, that's the joke. I tend to think it's pretty evident to anyone paying attention, and I thought it was cute. Until they literally pointed an arrow at it to explain it. I know lampshading isn't quite the right term for this, and I don't know what it is, but it made me roll my eyes, and I think it's not what they usually do with these cameos, which I always look forward to. Spelling out the gag just kills it dead. Is it just me?

I'm sure we've had at least one or two "Goldbergs" episodes the moral of which was that Adam shouldn't try to change who he is for romance because the right person will embrace him, eccentricities and all. I understand that's a different show. I get that it's a sitcom and I should get over it. Etc etc etc. But it's hard to be invested in watching a 30ish-year-old adult learn the same lesson. This is a cute show and I like having something light to watch, so I don't want to tear it to pieces. I guess that just was a plot line that really, really didn't resonate with me.

I certainly recognized more of what others have disliked about Jan this week. When she got an edit that hammered the try-hard of it all bluntly enough for me to agree, I started worrying. I think she had more to give on the show, but the profile lift she's gotten isn't nothing. I'll certainly look for opportunities to see her near home. Heidi and Jaida are giving me life. They're both continuing to impress me and seem very versatile. I'm really enjoying Jackie too, although maybe she has shown fewer sides. Crystal is also a delight, although I felt robbed of a "rhythm of the night" moment this week. I would be very happy to see them as the top four, although I believe that is unlikely. Gigi, while definitely skilled and not an unpleasant personality, just isn't someone I've connected with. Widow might be doing better without such stiff competition, but maybe her pep talk this week will really help her out. Side note: does anyone else watch on VH1's website? The A/V sync is absolutely terrible, even if I refresh the feed every five minutes or more often. I'm trying to keep a sense of normalcy and enjoy it live on Friday night as I often would out with friends, but the lousy tech is making things pretty difficult to tolerate.

Exactly right. They don't seem to allow the names of brands or celebrities in the girls' names, I assume for legal reasons. And in response to the comment that prompted this answer, I hear you! I do feel that we've gotten a little more out of Jan. I remember her telling a story a few weeks ago, when they did the sports-themed runway, about how she was an avid soccer player when she was young and about how the worlds of sports and performance collided for her. But I can understand wanting to know more. I feel sometimes that the show focuses on stories of adversity or pain to the exclusion of general backstory, which certainly makes good TV but possibly is to the disadvantage of those who don't have, or don't feel comfortable telling, some of those stories. I hope that doesn't sound too flip or cynical. Either way, I know Jan is also perceived as a bit of a try-hard by some. I don't really see that either, but then again I'm a bit of a try-hard myself if I'm honest. 🙂 I like her and do think she was robbed this week. I hope she won't let this, and how other queens might respond to her, derail her progress in the competition.

Normani certainly looked beautiful, and many of my friends were excited that she would be appearing. I was disappointed that she added so little, although she seemed quite engaged. I know I'm kidding myself, especially now that we're on VH1 and not Logo, but I would rather see lesser-known or longer-ago celebrities or even non-celebrity figures in the queer community than bigger names who don't really seem to speak the language, as it were. Even ten years ago, I think it really meant something when allies whose names we'd know appeared on shows like this. It certainly did to my It-Gets-Better-watching self. Today, I think that packs less of a punch, and I'd prefer they think about booking people who will be entertaining. But maybe that's the privilege of living in the Castro and not lacking connections talking.

I'm not sure how much editing to expect re Sherry. I think the process is more time consuming than we might guess. Apart from that, I'm not sure I trust the producers to do subtle. Ham-handed cuts around her could in their own way draw even more attention. Whatever they do, I'm glad VH1 and WoW got out in front of it. Re Sherry's placement/disqualification:

Well, it had to happen sometime. This show has been a very guilty pleasure for a long time, and more recently has made great "noise" to fall asleep to, because it's so formulaic. One thing that's brought to mind for me, as I wonder how exactly reruns will be leveraged, is how the hairstyle change will play into things. Maybe I'm overthinking it, but I felt most episodes were pretty timeless, save for minor things like a flip phone here or a "we separated last June, June 2009" there. The graphics package hadn't changed in a long time or anything else. It seemed strange to me, even before it was announced the show would end, that she would draw a sort of virtual line in the sand, making clear which episodes are newest. Folks, like some relatives of mine, who are at home much of the day with the TV constantly on, will notice, and may decide they don't want to watch old episodes. Could it be that the newest episodes will rerun on television, and others will be available elsewhere alongside the new show?

You're not wrong 😉 but I think this construction is pretty standard in the "Variety"-esque school of writing about the media. Every TV series is the "[star]-led [genre of show]." She's been top-billed on her own for a good five years now, at least, so I don't think this indicates some fresh era of fealty to her. It's just what they say.

@Izzy85 and @Tachi Rocinante have made me feel that my head might not be screwed as loose as I thought. ;) I watch with captions and they definitely rendered it as "Wayland," not "Waylon," the established character name. Maybe the joke is that Monty, er, Burns doesn't really even know his name?

I also thought this was one of the better ones of the season, although I felt O'Toole's last speech went a little over the top. Throughout the episode his predation seemed not to have much to do with immigration, except inasmuch as their status made it easier to take advantage of the women he victimized. The despicable little speech about an immigrant invasion seemed shoehorned in, a kind of cheap moment somehow. For me, it was akin to Serena Southerlyn's "is this because I'm a lesbian?" Dropped in out of nowhere, not addressed further, just kind of off somehow. I let myself hope for a few seconds during the "hmmmm, that officer filling in with us really did great work, what an interesting person..." conversation that perhaps we would be getting a new face in the squad. I guess we don't know that we won't. I wonder whether the show really thinks more viewers would rather Rollins get a boyfriend than the unit get another cop, and I wonder whether they'd be right.

I thought that was a strong episode. One of the better college plots, sitcom-y outlandish but not too much. I liked the Adam plot less, but we can't have everything. After so many years, I understand that I need to watch out for guest stars who seem highlighted. I'm terrible with faces but always excited to get the cue from the show and try to figure out who it is. This time, Tommy Lee from Mötley Crüe! That's always fun for me. At the risk of taking things too seriously, I would've loved it if the JTP "date night" didn't culminate in "damn, we all need girlfriends." They have always been a bright spot in this show and I think it could've been played sincerely. I am not sure this show has more than another season left, and I selfishly hope they'll spin off with a Golden Girls setup. 😉

I enjoyed this episode too. I could've used more plot development, but the end left me feeling "wow, it's over already?" and not "God, that dragged." The post-show was interesting. I adore Wil Wheaton but think it could've been half the length. Akiva Goldsman didn't add much besides meaningful nods.

I resisted this series despite the great buzz in part because I don't care to support the fracturing streaming market, but a group of friends gets together on Sundays and we voted it in as our new selection. I'm glad we did, because I found it a thoroughly entertaining. The dialogue was sharp and I was interested in the physical characterization of Picard. Stewart is as vital as ever, but I believed Picard utterly. I am looking forward to the second episode tonight. I've always liked the values I associate with Trek and find the fandom interesting, but I haven't had the time to properly dive in. I've watched about half of TOS and picked up chunks of knowledge from later series, either by osmosis through friends or references in other media. I know who Data was and that there was a movie called "Nemesis," but couldn't have told you what happened to him then. I know generally who the Borg are, but couldn't have told you that the object we were shown was a Borg cube. And so on. I say all this to make the point that I found the show very accessible and interesting. I didn't feel I needed to know what a Borg cube was to be interested in the object we were shown and how it came to be there, for instance. I appreciate being able to come here and get more context, which has certainly enriched my appreciation of what I watched, but I hope nobody who wants to give it a whirl will worry about not knowing enough backstory.

Regarding one response I read a few times to those who felt there was too much telling and not enough showing WRT characters reaching contentment in the real good place: I can generally agree with the broadly stated premise that “happy people don’t make good TV.” Maybe “happy” is too simple a word, but there’s a reason well remembered series don’t have plots like “Scooby, Shaggy, and the gang enjoy a pleasant day at the beach without any mysteries” or “Lucy and Ricky calmly discuss her interest in a show business career.” Several weeks of the foursome just enjoying themselves would likely not work for this show, at least for most viewers. But I still think, narratively speaking, that the characters could have been in the real good place longer from our perspective, perhaps with conflict principally experienced by other characters they ran across. (I’m thinking of a reworked version of the test subjects, with the stakes realigned: maybe they do not know about the new system somehow.) We could have observed, through small character beats, their ongoing responses and how things developed. It’s all very easy for me to type this, of course.