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I found this disappointing, although it was very pretty to look at. I just had zero interest in Alina, who I found badly written and pretty tedious, a trait she shared with Mal. Who, I have to point out, wears a look of barely concealed rage for 90% of the entire show. And I'm supposed to SHIP him with Alina? Ugh. I know it's not the actor's fault (probably the director's, if anyone's), but he just came off like such a humorless douche -- and the scowl was still there even when they were reunited. At least the two of them can annoy each other now, and not me. I was also disappointed

I enjoyed the finale, although I thought it wasn't as good as 5 due to some of the revelations and big-picture inconsistencies in terms of character. I thought Sam was pretty well-served overall as a character, and his moments here were moving. I thought Bucky's arc was a bit more disappointing. It was nice to see Walker get some redemption, but I also thought the final fight scenes (while beautifully done) were interminable. Honestly, it's just me, but I'd take one "Bucky and Sam talk while fixing the boat" scene over "Bucky and Sam fight bad guys for 30 minutes" sequence. After awhile, I jus

Ack, I'm so conflicted. There are some beautiful things about this show (not least its production design, costumes, and gorgeous cast), but then we get some really ham-handed bad acting and writing, and I'm yelling at the screen. But so far I still want to know what happens, so here I am to complain about it while I keep watching. 😉 Also, can I just rant that the show's constant dependence on flashbacks to things we have already seen is driving me absolutely bonkers? Because it is. It's like the show thinks we're stupid, so it has to incessantly remind us over and over of past events, som

I was pretty happy with this season, although I was dissatisfied with this finale, mostly because of the fact that no self-respecting police person (much less Keith Mars's daughter) would've left the murderer's bag in that car for 5 minutes, much less for long enough for it to kill Logan. As far as Logan's death, I wish they'd simply broken them up. I thought it was clear from the season that Logan had far exceeded Veronica in dealing with his trauma in a healthy way, and he clearly wanted a grownup, healthy relationship. She resisted this at every turn, and I understood why, although it

I'm enjoying the show, and LOVE its diversity so much. This episode was a lot of fun (especially the bit with the goat, although since Jesper endangered them to begin with by screwing around with his mission, saving everyone was the least he could do). But I'd pay real money if the show would STOP with the SAME, NEVER-ENDING flashbacks to Mal and Alina holding hands in the field. I get it. They're beloved friends. I really do. So I wish the show would stop constantly reminding us like, "DO YOU REMEMBER? THEY WERE LYING IN A FIELD! HOLDING HANDS!" Gah. Also, there's not enough Ben Bar

As a fan of the book from childhood, I finally saw this, and had mixed reactions. I think overall it's a decent, and even brave, adaptation. I'm just not sure it's a successful one. I really, really disliked the Mixmaster editing approach to the storyline. I understand that Gerwig was probably seeking for a new window into the story -- and I would've liked it if it had just been more of a "bookend" approach (Jo in New York at both ends), but the way it was presented I felt vastly weakened the material. First off, the continuity was terrible. If I hadn't read LITTLE WOMEN a zillion ti

I enjoyed this season but agree with those frustrated at Chris ignoring THREE challenge directives and still skating through. As far as this finale, I was rooting for Cat, honestly. Elliot's stuff was so precise, and he was obviously hugely talented, but I was so frustrated that they kept asking for the contestants to be personal, to share something emotional, and Elliot kept NOT doing that. In his own way, he was just as combative as Chris that way, it was just more subtle. So with the finale art shows here, I just thought Elliot did a literal play on the situation that was beyond m

That video into THE TERROR, allowing us to go into Crozier's very quarters -- to see his actual desk, etc.! absolutely floored me. So incredibly cool. Meanwhile, I've so enjoyed all the conversations on this amazing show (and book) in this section. I wanted to alert you that I started a new THE TERROR Book vs. Show Discussion topic here in case it's of interest (no pressure) to those who want to keep talking about the show versus the real-life situation. Meanwhile, I really enjoyed this guy's historical analysis on YouTube: History Buffs: "The Terror" Like others,

Hey all, I'm reading THE TERROR by author Dan Simmons now, and I thought I'd start a topic for THE TERROR book discussion, especially on book versus show stuff, just in case anyone else still around is up for it? Needless to say, BOOK SPOILERS abound! I'm currently a little over halfway through the novel, and am kind of shocked to say this, but I vastly prefer the show so far. While superb -- the book is beautifully written, no question -- a literate and impressive achievement, there is a distancing quality to the book so far, and I found the time jumps in the first thir

Like some of you, this is a movie that I remember reacting to in a very divided way at the time. I saw it in my 20s, I was very much a "Muriel," and I loved the way it provided us with this nuanced, bittersweet portrait of Muriel, whose entire view of herself was that she was an ugly, fat loser -- when of course, she was anything but. And that once she allowed herself to stop caring so much about what others thought of her, she did blossom and we got to see her become beautiful just as she was (and, my favorite part, without losing lots of weight or something). All she really needed was a frie

That's a beautiful choice of contrasts. It's so true -- in the beginning, Lloyd is shown as conscientious but there is something disconnected about him. For instance, he is shocked at the number of diapers the baby goes through -- whoops. That's a Dad who isn't doing enough. And then like you say, we get that gorgeous late scene at his Dad's house, where he holds his son so tenderly and talks to him and truly sees him, and pledges to be a better father. (cries) Speaking of which, I loved Mister Rogers saying a special hello to the baby. Because he never forgets each person in the room, ev

The prophecy says Lyra will betray someone. It doesn't specify that it would happen immediately. Lee played the same role in the show as in book 1. He was responsible for helping to bring Iorek onboard, he (like Iorek) finds himself caring deeply for Lyra, and committing beyond that initial mission. And he's still trying to be there for her, and has an unfinished role yet to play based on the end of this episode. The ending of the show here was 100% true to the end of book 1. It brought in Will a bit early (which I think was dramatically necessary and well-done, so that we alre

I felt much the same. Although -- I felt like what the film accomplished in a very delicate way was the juxtaposition of Andrea's reality against Lloyd's. She is spending her days caring for their tiny, vulnerable newborn. Lloyd is running off in all these directions, AWAY from the nest she has built, and then that running seems fueled by rage in a way that I think mystifies and scares her. There is a very effective moment of Andrea standing there holding the baby at the reception, and Lloyd and his father are both bloody, and Lloyd looks legitimately scary. It's not an abusive vibe by an

A dear friend visited Bryan Voltaggio's restaurant about 3 years back, waited almost a year for chef's table, and said it was the best meal of her entire life. Bryan also was visible and came out and talked to her and the other diners and was kind and gracious. I don't get the pearl-clutching on this. It's hardly new. Top Chef has always included occasional and hilariously lowbrow food sponsors, all the way back to the beginning -- it's simply part of the game. Of course they included KFC here -- it's a Kentucky season. It's not like it should be some huge shock. They've previously had

I bingewatched the whole thing the past week or so, and thought overall that it was a fun, entertaining, and slightly silly homage that really expanded on the original movies in a respectful way. I'm grateful for it, if nothing else, for the seriously terrific performance by William Zabka, who was so good (and underrated) as Johnny in the original Karate Kid movie. But this show has definitely shown us his range and ability to play an array of emotions (and the comedy has been laugh-out-loud funny). I was delighted that season 3 finally shaved some rough edges off Johnny (and his rivalry with