Avaleigh

I just watched the ladies short at 4cc. I think this was my first time seeing Yu Young and I feel like she has a lot of promise. I liked the Romeo and Juliet program and think she has the potential to be more than just a jumping bean. It'll be interesting to see her develop over the next few years. I definitely want her to work on her speed. I'm glad that Rika did well. It was nice to see how excited she got after hitting all of the jumps. I don't love her music choice here (or the dress if I'm being really honest) but I still enjoyed the program and am looking forward to the long. I thought Bradie's program was the best even without a triple axel. It would be really great if she (and Mariah) could get a triple axel because they'd really be the full package. Love Bradie's flying sit. She probably has the most interesting (and difficult) jump spin out of the top tier ladies right now. Kaori's opening combo was fire. Loved the energy she brought to the program. Johnny wasn't wrong though about it being strange that she wasn't called out on the loop being underrotated. I like Eunsoo's music choice and feel like it suits the delicate vibe she has. Wakaba's program was fun. There are so many strong Japanese skaters that I kind of forgot about her. She's obviously not going to make the podium at worlds this season but I'm interested in seeing if she's able to up her technical content within the next couple of seasons. Karen probably has the most beautiful spins in the competition. I'd like to see her give it her all once she graduates from college. If she has the determination and drive I feel like she could still improve on her jumps and pull a Mirai where she doesn't make it in 2022 but sticks around and surprises everyone by making it for 2026. I'm bummed that Amber didn't bring it since the short program is where she's usually at her best.

They had all night and all morning lol but yeah, I think Baby Bast came from the one encounter. You're going to enjoy the book. Makes me want to read it again but I'm behind enough on my reading as it is.

Regarding when Leonard and Helen had the opportunity to hook up--It was after the wedding. Jacky was sleeping off a hangover and they were all staying in a hotel so they were probably in Helen's room. As for Leonard finding the sisters at Howards End, IIRC he first goes to Wickham Place and the staff inform him that Margaret is at Howards End. I'm not sure exactly what Henry's thought process was regarding not allowing Helen to stay at Howards End. He's all about being conventional for the most part so it would have gone against convention to receive a pregnant unmarried woman in his home. Having her stay at a hotel, while not ideal either, at least shows that distance is being placed between his family and a society rule breaker. If Helen were not pregnant then she would be staying with them in the house like family. I also think that he was worried about Helen staying there one night being the so called thin end of the wedge. If she stays there one night what's the big deal if she stays there another and another.

Glad that more people finally watched this. It was a lot of fun and reminded me of my love of the book and movie. The source material is terrific stuff so I knew I'd like the series. (It would be nice if this could lead to a wave of more of Forster's novels being given the limited series treatment. A Room with a View? I love the 1985 version but would be happy to see a series where they have more time to tell the story.) I agree with those who didn't particularly care for the treatment of the Jacky character. I think that it was a mistake to make her black. It suddenly makes her story more about race when the core issues IMO were class and education. Jacky has zero intellectual curiosity. She and Leonard couldn't have any of the conversations that he could have with the Schlegel family. That's the reason why they're such a breath of fresh air for Leonard. He can talk to them about books, music, art, etc. and he can receive thoughtful replies in return. A key moment for me from the 1992 movie was Leonard looking at the stars and trying to point out constellations to Jacky. She doesn't understand why he's fascinated. She tells him "you'll catch your death" because it's cold outside. Then she giggles and covers his eyes to keep him from looking into the sky. When he gets a little annoyed with her she tells him "they're just stars". Later when she finally gets him to come inside, she can't engage him in conversation so she takes off her clothes. For Leonard to meet an attractive woman like Helen who shares his interests and to form an emotional connection to her it most have been beyond thrilling. Unfortunately for everyone Jacky pretty much ruins all of this but at the same time she can't really be blamed. I suppose maybe there is some element of an older woman taking advantage of a very young man but when she had no better options it's easy to understand why she thought he might be able to save her. It's funny how decisions of Henry's that seem minor at the time he's making them, end up having such an impact in multiple areas of Leonard's life. If he hadn't taken advantage of Jacky then maybe Leonard wouldn't have felt the need to save her years down the road. Without Henry's advice to the Schlegels, Leonard would have kept his job and might have gone far with the company. Without Henry deciding to involve Charles, Leonard might have lived and been able to experience fatherhood. The Jacky in the series seems more composed and less cheap. I preferred the way that the movie handled the scene at the wedding reception.

It took me like 30 seconds to recognize Brian. I haven't seen him in about eight years or so. Damn, I feel old. Natalia and Katia were always beautiful and I'm glad that neither seems to have gone the filler overload route.

I guess it depends on the skater and their team but senior level skaters generally seem to have input along with the choreographer and primary coach. (At least US skaters do.) Adam Rippon has talked about, Ashley, Johnny, etc. It depends on a variety of factors and maybe because Eteri's skaters are so young that's why they have minimal input at this point. It's not exactly a wild leap to think that it might be helpful for skaters to skate to music they actually like lol. Interesting that Gracie hasn't had much say until recently. Hell, even some of skaters from the rigid Soviet era had input on their music. I remember Ekaterina Gordeeva talking about how when it was decided they would do a Romeo and Juliet program that they listened to Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev selections and decided that she and Sergei by far preferred to use Tchaikovsky for their long.

I finally finished this. I thought it was well done but it is frustrating that this guy continues to get media attention. I had no idea who he was and knew nothing about his crimes until I watched this documentary. It's weird, I thought it was an interesting story and was well done but I kind of regret watching it if that makes any sense. When it comes to these evil people who are killing because they want fame and are seeking notoriety I kind of wish that their names would never be released to the public. I know that's an impossibility but it is sad that more people remember the names of the killers as opposed to victims like Jun Lin. I agree that this asshole would have killed even if this group hadn't been looking for him and feeding his ego. Something was deeply wrong with him before he even posted the first video.

They are talented and I sometimes feel like the criticism that they receive is more about not liking Team Eteri as opposed to her skaters not being legitimately worthy of the placements and attention they receive. I do wish that they were more interested in developing things like good technique, beautiful lines, holding positions, not rushing through every element, etc. These are valid points. At the same time, something about their approach *is* working to the point where it seems almost set in stone that another Russian lady will win in 2022. I don't think any other country that has top skaters in this sport is as much of a guarantee as Russia is right now. Mariah's long was easily my favorite moment at Nationals. It is frustrating that she couldn't win with a performance like that but I understand why it couldn't be when I consider all of the factors. As refreshing as it was to watch a performance like Mariah's, I can't pretend that I wasn't just as excited to watch the A squad do their thing at Russian nationals and Euros. They're pushing the sport in ways I wouldn't have predicted five years ago and it makes for compelling viewing. I disagree that it has to be an either/or thing when it comes to jumps and artistry. At the end of the day I feel like the best example of the full package is rewarded more often than not. I'm not convinced that the rise of Team Eteri is evidence that the sport is moving in a bad direction. In terms of the whole assembly line aspect--I do wish they could find a balance so that more of a skater's personality could shine through. One gets the impression that the girls have minimal input when it comes to music, dress, choreography, etc. They even look alike in a way in terms of styling. Waist length hair, tiny bodies, pretty faces. It would not surprise me at all if looks were also a factor for Eteri agreeing to take on a student.

I literally yelled "Fuuuck!!" when Mariah fell. I was thinking that she just might squeak ahead of the pack and then that happened. Little flukes like that seem to happen with my favorite skaters. (eg Sasha falling on a flying camel at worlds after hitting all of her opening jumps.) So frustrating but I still love the program and hope that she has a clean long. She's probably my favorite in this group of ladies. Amber, wow! Her jumps seem effortless and she has an overall maturity that's refreshing to see. I really hope she makes the podium. The US ladies are looking a lot better than I was expecting. The Russians might have a deeper field at the moment but we still have lots of potential. I only wish that Ting Cui were competing. I was curious to see how she'd fare this year since she was so awesome at Nationals last year. I hope she'll be back next season. I loved Gracie's dress. I hope she isn't discouraged. I agree that it was hard to listen to that interview. She seems emotionally fragile. Karen looks good. A lot of times when a skater goes off to college the skating suffers (eg Rachael Flatt) but she's looking pretty on point for the most part. Her spins are beautiful. Bradie's skate was wonderful. Very solid. Loved the speed and her death drop. She was so clearly on fire. I hope she keeps it up. I'm always rooting for Starr I just wish that she would work more on her skating skills and up her technical content. I also always feel like her music is a miss. Alysa is fun to watch and still has enormous potential. A lot of the wind is sucked out of her programs though when she doesn't hit the big jumps. Regarding having a technical and an artistic program and medals for each--would there also be an all around medal that would be the ultimate crown? Would skaters have to compete in both artistic and technical or would they be able to have the option of doing one or both? I'm on the fence about this but I would love to see the spiral sequence brought back for the short or an artistic program. The long already has a required step sequence so why not replace the step sequence with the spiral? Or just put the spiral sequence back in as it used to be. Tara was right when she pointed out that the spirals are a much missed element that always get a strong audience reaction when done well.

I agree that good double axels seem to be in short supply these days. Sasha had one of the best IMO. Mariah has a nice one. Gabby actually has a pretty good one too when she's on.

If she were interested, it would be nice if she could skate for another country that doesn't have as much of presence in the sport. Maybe give skating some additional exposure. Belarus? Knowing how deep the ladies field is in Russia, I wonder if the federation would give her a super hard time if she wanted to try skating for some place else. It doesn't seem like it would hurt them. Makes me wonder what the rules are for dual citizenship in Russia.

I watched the top five ladies at Canadian nationals plus Gabrielle Daleman. Yikes, Gabby. That long program was sad to watch. When I heard that Alaine Chartrand wasn't competing this season I figured that Gabby would step up, but she's still clearly going through a lot of issues. Two jumps into the program and she just seemed utterly defeated. When I think of bad performances it was right up there with Alissa Czisny's disastrous long at worlds 2012. It was sweet to hear Tracy Wilson rooting for Gabby to pull it together during the commentary. Probably the best thing I can say about watching that. In general I'm surprised at how underwhelming the ladies were. Only a few years ago Canada had Kaetlyn, Gabby and Alaine and seemed pretty strong overall. As I watched I kept thinking, even if the A squad Russians had no quads or triple axel, there's no way that Emily Bausback, Alison Schumacher or the others would be able to come within striking distance of them in competition. People complain about the skating skills of Eteri's skaters and while I agree that there's definitely room for improvement (particularly with Trusova) they're still *way* ahead of the ladies I watched just now. I'm honestly a little shocked. They're also a long way behind Rika, Mariah, Bradie, etc.

I think you're more than likely right. The odds are so stacked against her. That being said, I don't think it's *impossible* for her to improve on her technique and she comes across as being very determined. She wants it so much that she might be able to fight against the odds. Even so, assuming that she gets back to the point where she's able to do triple triples without the underrotation issues on the second jump, will she really be able to get a consistent quad? Also, even if Trusova and Anna aren't able to maintain their jumps after their growth spurts, Kamila and Ksenia are waiting in the wings to take over. It's hard to see Evgenia ever winning nationals again let alone the Olympics. Her entire reason for staying in the sport seems to be because she wants that Olympic gold and it seems like an unrealistic goal unless she's able to improve a lot in a short amount of time. I don't think a growth spurt will be an issue for Aliona. She seems like she has superior technique to Eteri's other skaters so I feel like the growth thing will be less of an issue for her. Does anyone know---has she not been with Eteri as long as the others? Is that why she has better technique in basically every area? It's interesting that Aliona is the only one of Eteri's girls who can consistently do a triple axel. The others don't have good technique on their double axels so it's no wonder that they'd struggle to turn it into a triple. I agree with those who think Aliona has the best triple axel I've ever seen from a female skater. It's looks so effortless and smooth. With Elizaveta I kind of hold my breath while I wait and see how it turns out.

I really enjoyed watching the A squad do their thing. Anna and Aliona both seem like the real deal to me. I think they've demonstrated that they're a lot more than jumping beans. Both gave beautiful performances and both have qualities other than jumps that set them apart from the other skaters. Trusova has shown that there isn't much to her programs once you take away the jumps. It's too bad that Elizaveta was having an off night because she could easily have been third. Too bad about Evgenia withdrawing. I was surprised that she wants to try to make a quad happen next season. We'll see but I feel like it's a long shot. I am rooting for her though. Maybe it was a little easier for Alina to retire take a break because she's already won everything there is to win. Evgenia still really wants that medal so she's willing to try to learn a quad. Hey, if Mirai was able to get a consistent triple axel in her twenties maybe Evgenia will be able to get a consistent quad. Stranger things have happened. Elizaveta has shown that the idea isn't laughable. I'm not sure when I started getting more excited for Russian nationals but right now I've been finding it more interesting than US, Japanese or Canadian nationals. Even the men's event was compelling and I thought it would be the least interesting. I'm keeping my eye on Anna Frolova. The artistry isn't there yet but those jumps are very nice.

This might not have been the most realistic episode but I enjoyed it. It was so nice to see Whiterose panicked and angry. She's lost control and is finally realizing that even she has to deal with the consequences of her actions. It's not so funny when she's the one getting a her hand slapped. It was obvious that the death of Price was coming, but I thought he went out in a good way. I liked that he was briefly hopeful about Angela only to realize that he'll never get her back and anything Whiterose might offer would be totally poisonous. I thought it was weird that Whiterose doesn't realize that Tyrell is out of the picture. When the bit about the key came up a couple of episodes ago, I remembered how the key was in the dream sequence where Angela tells Elliot that he is only six months old. Tyrell was the character holding the same key. I won't be surprised if more things from that dream sequence end up being mentioned again. Elliot's "monster" is mentioned in that dream sequence and that also got a mention a couple of episodes ago.