North of Eden

Catching up on all the new episodes lately. Here’s a quick rundown on some of the cases. Cruise Ship mystery-the simplest explanation is the most plausible-she accidently fell off the balcony. I just pray she died when she hit the water instead of having to watch the ship sail away knowing she was doomed. Little Girl vanishing by bowling alley-Co-sign me to having contempt for the drifter’s girlfriend and neighbors who ignored a child crying out in a basement apartment. The apathy some people have is almost criminal. Bi-racial young man-I was pretty much him one of 3 black kids in an all-white school…and this was the 1970’s when it was much worse. I heard it all “You should find your own type” one girl told me when I was interested in her sister. I feel for this young man-he probably heard a lot more than he was letting on. I hope he’s off somewhere starting a new life. The vanishing teen-I’d take a close, close look at that uncle. There may have been a dark temptation dwelling within him. Sage Smith-I am almost certain that she probably hooked up with someone she met at the wing place. Things may have taken a turn for the intimate and if the man was unaware she was transgender he may have gone into a violent rage…text book crime of passion and killed Sage. She was a lovely young woman. It’s a shame. Very glad the show is back..now if we could just have more FEAR THY NEIGHBOR.

The cynic in mean believes that NBC is cancelling it but the silence is only because they are preparing their PR department to handle all the various protests from regular fans and celebrities alike.

Great final two minutes to the show! Not sure why the producers would end on a cliff hanger when all season it was clear the ratings weren't there. I think all series the end on a cliffhanger and then cancelled should be given a caveat by the network that they can do a final "wrap up" episode to air at the end of summer reruns (if they still do reruns at all anymore!)

Tonight on the SURVIVOR: The boot of a complete non-entity. Chelsea was invisible for about the first 3 episodes and only qualifies as notable for her ability to mimic an inanimate object like a tree and stand still in challenges and have even fewer lines of dialogue than "I am Groot" Every year I am still amazed that these people just saw their loved ones like 3 weeks ago and yet dissolve into a mass of quaking jelly as if they had just been liberated from Auschwitz. The only time I actually felt anything was years ago when a contestant named Katie apparently had such a sad life that the only person they could muster up for her to come out was her sister's boyfriend. I felt sorry for her. Oh, Laurel thank you so much for realizing you cant trust that pack of women...Kellyn and Angela would backstab her in a heartbeat! Wow, just wow at Dom's wife...she was a walking, talking stereotype. Also Aunt Patty will be so dismayed once she finds out Dom's word eventually won't be worth a red cent. Wendell's Dad looked like he was bored out of his mind and only there out of obligation. I bet that plane ride is a bitch as CBS probably didn't pop for first class. And since it needs to be said I remember when Angelia Jolie and her brother had kind of this creepy vibe to their relationship but Seabastion and his sister from the way he was talking were ready to out Lannister the Lannisters.

How was "No One Hugged Me" not the title over some throwaway line from Dom that really wasn't even true with a lot of players still to whittle down before the finish line materialized. An editing trick tipped the hand again for the first boot. All of a sudden after having almost no personality Jenna was edited as a villain five minutes before the tribal council by having her say insulting things about Donathan. There was no way they were going to edit those bits in and let a villain triumph...they wanted to show her get her comeuppance. Not sure how long the Dom/Wendall alliance will hold. There was some textbook passive aggressiveness going on during that challenge and that was a very half-hearted hug after it was over. Was very, very scared for Laurel. If she had gone out my interest in the balance of the season would have dropped exponentially without her in the mix. I hope Kellyn keeping her secret gets her on the outs and out of the core alliance. Ha! Des and her bitch face. I hope she had a good time bunking with her arch-rival Libby.

Kellyn you are not fit to shine Helen Keller's boots...I doubt she appreciated the spin you gave her in the grave by comparing yourself to her. Please fire the SURVIVOR editors who 99% of the time telegraph the boot in the first two minutes of the show. It was a huge neon sign over Des the minute we got this hitherto unknown backstory about her being homeless. Nothing says a boot like the sudden revelation of backstory. With that said it was glorious watching her self destruct...in an old Batman comic there was a great line as the bad guy was being taken to the electric chair "Lies never live to be very old"...that's you Des...you lied and lied and lied and now your out of the game...and in the most delicious irony she spent the whole game gunning for Libby and now she's got to bunk with her at Ponderosa. Speaking of Libby her Ponderosa hair in no way is as attractive as her "island hair" that was kinking up in waves. Only tonight did I realize she looks like a young Christina Applegate. Lauren is my hands down favorite to win...I was worried about her tonight as this is the first time attention was shed her way. Hopefully, she will be forgotten about going forward. Chelsea winning was no surprise...when you have the personality and charisma of a block of wood it's not a great leap of the imagination to expect she could stand stock still like a tree.

Well, snap! I didn't know about the relationship but it explains a lot if he learned from a master actor. Thanks for sharing.

Last week I thought man Jarred Harris can act when he was portraying Crozier's exhaustion but he blew me away with his drunk Crozier. This guy is an actor's actor! I would have completely believed Harris got drunk first and filmed his lines. He was that convincing. I hope he get some kind of nomination out of this role if not the actual award. Also a couple episodes ago someone was wondering if they used real names...Cornilous Hickey was indeed a REAL person...so I have to believe that the author and the network later had to do extensive legal research to make sure he had no surviving lineage in order to make him a villain. James Cameron took a lot of heat from the family of Officer Murdoch on the TITANIC after showing him gunning down passengers and committing suicide to I am sure AMC didn't want to raise any hackles with Hickey.

Well, snap. There goes my eye candy of the season. Those green eyes, that wavy blonde hair and that flat stomach. So sad. I'll miss you Libby. At least I still have Laurel. I squeed when I saw the Gross Food Challenge...to me that is SURVIVOR DNA far more than any hidden immunity idols, legacy advantages or the much-maligned medallion of power ever will be. It should be on every season! Appreciated the editor throwing shade at Desi...instead of going to a wide shot when someone said COATTAIL RIDER at tribal it immediately cut to her. Nice save by Michael but I don't see where he goes form here. Angela...may have had military survival training that got her through that challenge but she certainly has a screw loose with the weird body gyrations all through out that challenge. As they say "Somethin' aint right with that girl." Does Seabass not have a Ride or Die? As near as I can tell he has no friends or tight alliance. THis guy is a Star Trek Red Shirt waiting to get picked off the first time they need a boot that won't get you blood on your hands because not one person will care.

I just don't understand NBC. When they reversed the cancellation it was being touted as their "family friendly" offering and the creators were asked to make it more family-friendly and then it comes back to be buried at 10PM on a Sunday night when families are in bed?! If someone can explain that I would love to hear. Then going up against James Comey shoveled even more dirt on the coffin by losing viewers in what was one of the best episodes between the two seasons. I loved how they shook up the formula by having the show set take place mainly in the present day and still make it interesting with all the dynamics in play and Kennedy on the loose. C'Mon JFK...I was waiting for you to kiss that beautiful Asian baby! Yeah, the coin change was very confusing/misleading. I know people hate Emma but I love her for being what she is supposed to be...a mustache-twirling villain. She gave me the laugh of hte night when she said "With pleasure" at the notion of killing Lucy and her friends...that's how card-carrying evil bad guys are supposed to be played! Ha! Loved that Flynn is already swooping in to get him some Lucy loving! The episode count is running out producers...you really need to address why the Golden Gate Bridge is a smoking ruin in Jiya's premonitions...we aren't just supposed to forget that are we? The producers should start shopping the show around NOW so they aren't caught flat footed when NBC cancels it.

Ah, okay thanks. So if he's the step father its iteresting because he seemed really tight with her in the Christmas flashback but somehow became estranged later. Watching episode 2 tonight...maybe more light will be shed on this.

I am pretty sure that Don was the mechanic with the other female mechanic ( a redshirt if I ever saw one) that joined Dr. Smith at the end. I'll say this for the show and that is they had Brass Cajones for setting Will up to be a Wesley Crusher whiz kid with all the solutions (magnesium) that made the father dumbfounded. Given the reception Wesley got back in 1987 I'm surprised they would go there. Most curious about Judy being black. At first, I ran the scenario that she was the father's kid from a previous marriage but then Maureen referred to Judy as her baby girl so it seemed fairly certain that she was a biological daughter...so maybe she was previously married? I don't know. I'm sure they will explain it but I kind of wish it had been addressed in the first episode. Overall a good start and I'm in. I have a rule of thumb that anything Molly Parker is cast in gets props because I love me some Molly Parker...I even liked THE WICKER MAN!

Only a fool would not play their idol when a huge blinking neon sign is not required to let you know this is The Showdown between you and your mortal enemy. It was a deserved boot even if I don't particularly like Dom either. Who I surely do not like now is Des with her irrational campaign against Molo...get over it...there is no Molo anymore. And I am especially mad she was targeting Libby. Libby tonight really got my attention, not just for her beauty because she is drop dead gorgeous but she was very impressive in the challenge. I was dreading her boot because the anvils were all there between her and Jenna feeling confident and Des's fixation on her. Right now I would be completely happy with a Laurel or Libby win. Chelsea....Chelsea...Chelsea....you have all energy and charisma of a crash test dummy. I actually laughed when she showed up at the Immunity Challenge because I had forgotten her existence. I'm not entirely sure its fair to hold Immunity Challenges that can be affected by the weather such as the wind...it should solely rest on the skill of the player.

Tonight on SURVIVOR: The downfall of a man who would be king. Not much of a choice for this viewer. Keep some nice eye candy or lose a card carrying tool. In other news regarding Mike's idol (And I am saying this as someone who likes the guy) the producers must continually think we are either stupid or have never set foot in the vast out doors. How is it everytime one of their favorites desperately needs an idol they manage to find it in a sizable piece of terrain with out a little nudge and wink from the cameramen? Seriously, you wrap up a Timex watch or something in a piece of cloth and then go hide it ...doesn't matter if its the Adirondacks or Central Park and tell me that its going to be miraculously found when needed? Loved seeing Michaela again! One of my all time favorites!

It seems apparent that Probst hates Wendell the way he was remorselessly throwing shade on him about leaving the bag behind. I'm sure it all stems back to episode one where Wendell called out Probst on something though I don't remember exactly what. Also there seems to be plenty of hate on the editors for Chris the way they played the ridiculing music as he was pontificating. For a moment it looked like James was going to murder someone at that tribal. He should be the poster boy for someone who gets screwed by a tribe shake-up. He was sitting pretty before the shakeup. I'm sorry but mixing people back together means nothing because they switched in episode two before the majority of viewers had any idea who anyone was. So I couldn't tell you myself who was friends and on what team with what alliances back during the two-hour premiere. It really was a mistake to switch the tribes up as early as they did...especially now in retrospect because it gave up the team that always lost and engaged in textbook Pagonging. Wow, Lauren's got abs I never noticed before. Sweet and she's safe so that's all that really matters to me about the episode and I am kind of glad that the blond pixie Dom thinks is a threat also was safe. I already was warming to her but I think Dom was overselling her as Parvati 2.0. Had to give re-edit my post to give props for this GENERATION X "Random thoughts on episode 6 "James at 15" Now there is a reference that is going to fly over a lot of heads but I appreciate the shout out to the old NBC show of my youth!

In the hands of a more skilled editing team tonight's boot wouldn't have been telegraphed. I mean c'mon...when we got Stepanie's full bio including the fact she quit the Mormon faith when she was at Ghost Island could there have been any doubt she was leaving? Many times we suddenly get the complete dossier on a castaway because their time is up. Anyway I amused myself when I kept making a lot of movie connections with what I was seeing on screen. Here are a few. *Bradley is right out of Central Casting for the stuffy, A-hole current boyfriend/fiance who must inevitably be jilted in every Romantic Comedy ever made. *The Castaways being pulled through the water was reminiscent of the scene in Jaws 2 where the boyfriend is propelled through the water by the shark before being yanked under taking a piece of the sailboat amidst a bubble of blood. (Is that a spoiler for a 40-year-old movie LOL) *Loved, absolutely loved the Rube Goldberg crank they were using to pull them. Looked like something Doc Brown would have constructed in Back to the Future III. *Suddenly it hit me that Jenna could be the female fraternal twin to movie star Will Poulter. *And I don't' know what movie or tv show I got this from but the dullard that is "SeaBass" was speaking at TC I was reminded of one of the best lines ever. "Six million sperm and you're the one that got through!" Truth! He seems like such a vacant wastrel...do not like him. *Has all that HYDRA imagery with the octopus been on all season? This is the first time I noticed that it was EVERYWHERE...Probst being HYDRA could well explain some of his evil actions like throwing the three Malolo under the bus right after they lost the IC by basically calling out/taunting that they were dead men walking. To close out I began bagging on the editors but they did have one moment where Jeff says something like "So and so are both flagging/exhausted/winded and immediately cuts to the woman still on the beach and the man already out on the platform. Jeff I don't think the dude was that exhausted.

The actress that plays Sandra needs to fire her agent. For the life of me I can't figure out why he would not have renegotiated her a contract to become a series regular. She's easily one of the best parts of the show and seems popular based on comments on this board. She definatly should be upped to the main cast. Minor characters breaking out goes all the way back to Fonzie and probably before him.

That was masterfully played...I was so sad when it didn't work out. Now I don't see where that subgroup can go from there since they now know that he outright lied about it being able to save two people. Now as for Bradly during the whole episode I didn't know if the editors were geniuses at their job for painting him in the worst light possible or if he was some kind of a CBS plant meant to act as douchey as possible because it's hard to believe someone could be that massive of a tool. I had to laugh when suddenly there was a Chelsea on the show. Was she helicoptered in just for this episode because I surely haven't seen her in any of the prior episodes this new season. Cheered when purple won...for two reasons. Laurel is now my favorite and she stays safe and I was not ready for the Chris/Dom feud to be wrapped up tonight.

The mothership being state of the art I would imagine it's not only roomier but either has safeguards against a Jiya situation or safeguards aren't' needed just because its designed for more people.

Good return over all. I probably wouldn't have gone with a WWI setting though as that conflict is something of a cypher...The Bob Dylan song says it best "not really sure what we were fighting for"...not like World War II where it was so clear cut good guys verses the Nazis. Simple and easy. Eliminating Mason Inudstries whiffed of budget cutting so as not to have to pay all the extras on hand. "You haven't lost me." awesome...just great. A nice moment. What I don't get is this new timeslot. When it was renewed I distinctly remembered it being touted as making it "more family friendly" so why stick it on at Ten O'clock when the kids are in bed for school on Monday morning. Makes zero sense.

I'm sorry but the decision to do a tribe switch this early was an epic fail. It's impossible to know who everybody is and what their alliances are this early and then to scramble them? The majority of people who had prominent roles this episode I would swear on a stack of bibles weren't even in last week's episode. Where did the Army woman suddenly come from? Who was Morgan? Did she speak at all last week? Suddenly there is pixie like blonde who may or may not be a liar? Did Laurel speak at all this week? I know Desiree didn't let alone have a confessional. Why is Chris bawling? He's only been gone for a week or so and BIG BROTHER contestants go from early summer until the leaves are ready to fall without seeing their loved ones. Plus with guaranteed immunity, you would think he would be happy. Ghost Island itself so far has been underwhelming...it's just Exile Island with a coat of paint slapped on it. If they want to bring something back from the past where the heck are the Gross Food Challenges? They have been AWOL for ages now. I hope its not Political Correctness seeping in for fear of presenting a different culture's food as disgusting and something to be horrified at. As far as I am concerned those were one of the tentpoles that SURVIVIOR was built on, not endless hidden immunity idols that can be conveniently found in an endless jungle, or a Legacy Advantage or a Medallion of Power (Sorry I couldn't' resist throwing the MOP under the bus as it was one of dumbness, worthless "twists" ever devised) anyway bring back the Gross Food Challenge...pulsating larvae and all!

First up the most obvious question must be asked...did Jeff and the producers go knocking on the door of all those past SURVIVOR contestants and ask for all those original trinkets back? And did they have to get the records from the Glaser Foundation and track down all the stuff auctioned off and buy them back? Okay...breaking this down *Sad that all the interesting people so far are on the team that is losing *It was so sad that it came down to Gonzalez and Donathan because I didn't want to lose either one of them. Gonzalez was smoking hot eye candy and I liked Donathan's naivette and enthusiasm for meeting diverse people. *I really, really wanted frizzy headed Stephanie to be a target for the first vote. INSTA-DISLIKE for her. She's sneaky, trying to hard to be a puppet master early on and I really don't get where Jacob was coming from pegging her as some raving beauty? Are you serious? Her body is off the charts but that's it. *My DVR cut out but I am assuming Gonzalez didn't get a final words clip which is a really lousy thing to do to the first boot. *Like Laurel but am disheartened that apparently she's falling in with the unpopular "losers" instead of being in a dominant alliance. *Glad Jacob went out....I had a sinking feeling they were trying to make him the next "character" of the season ala Cochrane and the guy with the red Gilligan shirt last season but after he went out I realized....its the vile Stephanie that looks like the one they are going to be fixated on. When Desiree was sinking those baskets I thought she was "going full Dora Milaje" and she sinks the winning basket. Wakanda Forever!

Ha Ha Ross got Paul-ed! Because I savor it let me say again Ross got Paul-ed!! And that was despite the fact Marissa had set herself up to be the next Cody (not the good one-the dumb one that gave away the half million dollars to Derrick) The only way it could have been better is if America didn't vote for him because he's such a goon but whatever. Honestly, I don't know what to do here. I detested Ross and famewhoring but that had to be one of the least deserved wins out of any incarnation of BIG BROTHER. Marissa winning was like someone ahalf mile from the Boston Marathon slipping into the race and crossing the finishline first. Good Grief...she didn't even answer Shannon's question about why she deserved to win other than saying Ross did everything...worst answer yet and still she wins! Oh, I so wanted it to come down to Metta's random vote sinking Ross's ship but oh well. Best part is until they trot Ross out as one of Grodner's perennial pets like trained ape Jesse and Paul aka el Douchero I never have to look at his doughy face again while he squeeks out his inane commentary. So this reality season closes out with a wash...my team won TAR and BIG BROTHER Celeb ended with a botched lesser of two evil wins. Bring on SURVIVOR!

I knew....just knew Ross was going to win that veto like the proverbial cockroach. I've wanted him gone since Day One...his being "on" 24/7 is just such a tiresome schtick. When Omarosa tied during the competition I watched his face filled with frustration and disgust and it was a thing of beauty...and yet in the end he is STILL there with his closest Allie. Poor Omarosa....she can't ever seem to get her targets out no matter how man HOH's she might win. Ari or Mark getting HOH is her only hope left now and its a small one. So glad Julie called out Brandi about the dare to talk smack about her...if she had let that pass she would have had to turn in her microphone and call it a career.

Just watched now and that.......was.....awesome!! I loved Cody and Jess on BIG BROTHER and remember thinking then how great it would be if they turned up on TAR. I was completely unspoiled when they showed up in episode one and was beyond thrilled. And now to have it end like this! I couldn't be happier for them. It's bittersweet because it the last we will see of them no doubt since there would be no reason for them to turn up again on an "Unfinished Business" season or somehow return for another season of BB since they are millionaires. Good for them and it was priceless seeing Cody show the most emotion we've ever seen out of him when he was stunned at their win. With all that said I really wish they would stop with confessionals interspliced. It is SO EASY to tell who lost and who won. I knew TEAM INDY was eliminated based on their subdued confessionals and a had a pretty good idea that Cody and Jess won because at this point I am pretty familiar with Jessica's on-camera behavior and she was way too chill during the confessionals. I feel if they had lost she would have been very sullen and would not have been able to hide it. Henry needs to run away now! Evan will no doubt be excoriating him for the rest of their lives for not calling for a check when he had it right.