Ottis

This episode had either on-purpose fake outs or writing blind spots. I like to think these were intentionally misleading, but I'm not sure. - I thought Sally was trying to steal the superhero role by acting in front of Sian, but then it looked like she took the high road and truly did help her one student. - I thought Soho Hank had turned in Cristobal to the Columbians in order to get ahead alone, a betrayal that would have made SoHo unredeemable. But Cristobal lived, even though he was peeved, and Hank wanted to continue together (the fact Cristobal didn't, and what happened next, is a different matter). - Gene shooting his son, well, that was purposefully predictable and another example of how feckless Gene is when others aren't setting him up for success. - I have actually forgotten the point of Fuchs now. What was with all the helicopter noises? Were they like oranges in The Godfather? "That is one pissed off boy?" Because he yelled and wanted to fight? That didn't seem overly pissed off. But the point of Travis (and Frank) is Barry now has a kid with a temper, like he has? Side note, but ... I don't know why Last of Us is a success. The commercials alone tell you exactly what kind of show it is and you can guess what sort of things happen. I love Barry because of all the surprises.

I think that is the whole point of the series, really. They created an excellent killer in Barry (let's leave aside the fact he has at times not been excellent) and that is what he does well. When he tries to be something else, things go sideways. And he wants to be something else. But armed firefights? Barry is right at home! I really hope the series doesn't end with some sort of lament about Barry never having a chance, he was molded, etc. It isn't wrong. It's just cliche.

So Mark’s genius idea to avoid his family was to tell them one location and then fake them out by … going to his family’s restaurant? And he is the college boy, huh. Did that ep end abruptly with Neville and Dan leaving the bar? Our recording did. I think I side with Neville on the money. If nothing else, Jackie should have been honest.

This show felt *a lot* like Homeland, sometimes my mind replaced Kate with Carrie. Agree. He must have much darker motivations (and/or origins) than what we have so far seen. Or maybe he is a genius and playing a long game no one else knows about yet. Welllll .... intensity and dashing about for no real reason, maybe. Washington is so power focused, and therefore about appearances, that it can be annoying for anyone else who just wants to get stuff done and doesn't care about getting credit. And all the breathless stuff about who will be in at sec state and Kate being VP ... whatever. That may have been important to the characters, but no one in real life cares - especially about who is VP, unless you are avoiding a downside. There is no upside. And some of those balls appeared almost out of nowhere. Whose car was that which blew up, the Tory? Why assassinate him? There was no reason for Hal to have ever gotten into that car after the meeting, so assume it was about the Tory, or just someone with a remote *hoping* someone specific walks by? And the ship attack played some fine hands, it is easy to see why GB's leader would want to show that someone is paying. But the blytheness that he, and the almost feckless US president, decide to act in ways that could have catastrophic impacts was too much. Be a dick, ruin careers, put some people in danger, sure, but start WWIII over that? Or Scottish independence? No. It was very strange watching Hal, as someone who avidly watched The Man In the High Castle. Hard to shake off the Nazi stink.

I didn’t realize until this ep that their relationship was secret. No one seemed to be trying to keep it secret, and they work in a town that operates on secrets. And none of them should be in a position to be compromised. I assumed everyone knew. What really threw me was I thought his gf was way older than Stuart, maybe late 40s, and the actress is 31. This “who attacked the British ship” thing is going on way too long.

Just watch infomercials on late night TV. My MIL gives everyone at Christmas those goofy infomercial gadgets that never work, sadly earnestly and not as a joke. I had no idea Toro was del Toro, and I watched the scene. I lost track of who should ally with who to stop whom in this ep. Seems like the lines are constantly shifting, even for people who would prefer they didn’t.

That is for damn sure. Everything that happened, period, in season 2 was bullshit ... it was *bad* bullshit, too. So I enjoyed the fan service, thought the finale was satisfying emotionally, and will leave out nitpicks except for one question: When the Titan broke free and was buzzing through the fleet, firing, was it firing at *Starfleet ships* knowing that those ships almost certainly had crew members who were not yet assimilated (and could be fighting back) and that even those who were could be unassimilated if things went well? It seemed very un-Trek-like to be taking out their own ships. Did someone say they were only targeting weapons and I missed it?

Oliver, and this show, is so completely slanted toward whatever point he wants to make that I’m not sure why anyone thinks what he says is more than cherry-picked incidents to “prove” what he says. Most things he covers I don’t have much experience with, so I don't have a comment aside from journalistic observations. That said, I do have experience owning four houses in three very different states over the years, three of which had HOAs. We made extensive changes to our homes, as well as more routine additions such as fences and a new roof. All of those changes in HOA neighborhoods required HOA review and approval, and in every case we received it, with only one timeliness issue. Of course, we read the bylaws and info on what was allowed before doing anything, and in a few cases asked questions of the HOA board so we understood parameters (and sometimes they didn't know, and we worked through it together). The people who had problems with the HOAs? They bought materials or started (or even finished) changes without getting review or approval, and were pissed when they had to redo it. In one case, a family saw no issues with painting their home a near neon yellow, they thought it was pretty. Few others did. The poor people directly across the street said it almost blinded them in full sun. In another, a homeowner who wanted full privacy picked a solid, 6-foot wood fence that blocked sight lines and was expressly prohibited in the bylaws. In another, a cheap homeowner half installed a plain, chainlink fence before the HOA stepped in - it, too, was expressly forbidden in the bylaws and neighbors hated how cheesy it looked. In another, a homeowner wouldn’t trim an overgrown tree that blocked a sidewalk, forcing walkers and kids to move into the street. The HOA finally did it and billed him. We personally witnessed all of those examples, and more. And THAT is why HOAs are helpful. Of course, Oliver won't cover any of that.

Personal note … I actually did this, in the mid 80s. We had no money, single mom household, even back when college was relatively cheap. I went to CC for two years, talked constantly with advisors on which classes would transfer, and then did so. I only “lost” a few credits and a good number transferred as electives instead of what the class actually was (despite my best efforts at ensuring they would transfer as is, even advisors aren’t always right). I did have to take a dean- approved overload a couple of times to graduate within 4 total years (2 CC plus 2 state school), and one summer I had literally 5 jobs (a couple were occasional), but I did it and with no loans. It can be done with some thought and a lot of effort, neither of which are Connor family strong points.

You never trade a better thing for a worse thing. You could argue maybe the management job wouldn’t work out, and that’s true for the lunch lady job as well. Heck, Mark could flunk out. And they never addressed how much more the management job paid, so hard to do the math on that and benefits comparison, but it likely isn’t pretty. Plus she has burned bridges now. These are the kinds of decisions that end with the kids burdened with ill-prepared parents later in life.

Grogu’s existence has irritated me since it appeared (check past posts for those comments), and this ep showed why it is a problem. Either Grogu can handle itself and therefore there is no cause for worry when it is separated and fighting the three force sisters, or it can’t take care of itself and it shouldn’t be near that danger. It makes no sense to drag a clear liability into battle (the mech suit was a joke). The only sense it does make is merchandising sense. And no, just because Grogu managed to force-topple bad guys here and there doesn’t mean its presence paid off. May as well praise collapsing steel beams for falling in people as “good strategy.” This ep, like the Jack Black ep, felt kind of embarrassing. Like the show was made for 12yo kids, and offers nothing beyond that. It was pretty, sure. But it has become so simplistic (and cutesy, with Grogu) that it really does work better as a Saturday morning cartoon than thoughtful story telling.

Exactly. And as you note elsewhere, once she found out it was the Borg, Troi ran off like a drama queen, abandoning Jack (her patient, in this instance) in order to breathlessly say it's the Borg. Ugh. I remember a lot of time in the Ready Room in TNG, figuring out problems, and not so much various officers running off for attention. That's a reflection of who we are today. I very much think it does, writ broadly. I think essays have been written on this, even on Star Trek and its various series and how they reflected the times they were created in. But I also agree, and have posted several times in Picard seasons, with your point about the writers. My main issue with them, though, is they don't seem to know any better (or care). They leave stray pieces hanging, force illogical connections, etc. In season 2, it felt a lot like someone was pushing a very specific agenda around mental health that was out of place and awkward. Like this perfect example. It's like the writers let their need and desire for personal (meaningless) drama outweigh accurate and professional behavior, because they wanted A Moment. I can buy into some of the fan service when it doesn't make sense, because it's in the service of making fans happy.

This entire episode had me reflecting on how Star Trek (and other shows) mirror real life society. And all the angst and “look at me, I’m different” around Picard telling Jack about the Borg was so … today … that it made me sick. If this same plot had played out on TNG in the 80s, everyone would have gotten together, stated the situation, and worked on a solution. Today? Like social media and the me, me, me that runs through everything, so much of this ep, and its sturm and drang, felt just unnecessary. Like you had to wait for the temper tantrums, self-pitying blame and “I’m special” to play out before meaningful things happened. It isn’t that it was done poorly. It’s that it reminds me that we are so much worse as a species today than we once were. Also, having ALL of your ships in one place is stupid. The only good thing about Frontier Day is we made a drinking game out of it 4-5 eps ago… every time it was said. LATE ADD: Also, I enjoyed the fact that not only were the younger crew members useless, they were actually the problem. Shades of the working world.

Given they only do about 2 shows a month, it’s surprising how few original ideas they have. American Doll, Lisa from Temucula, average dude who married hot chick and live dogs have all been done on SNL, some very recently. They tried to recapture the surprise and success of the first time they did the skits, but that’s a fool’s errand without new/good jokes. The nail sketch had some originality, and was a bit weird. I enjoyed it even though it was uneven. Didn’t know the host but she seemed game and pleasant. Didn’t know the musical act, but for me, that’s not unusual.

I’ll never understand armor in Star Wars. Most everyone wears it, and it doesn’t protect anyone. Mandalorians continue to not be the sharpest knives in the drawer. When one see a massive hazard on the starboard bow, one turns port, not sharp starboard. Not a bad ep overall, though. Don’t think he sought back up, he was warning the fleet I assume. Hopefully that will allow them to avoid total surprise.

I’m not sure I can remember going so quickly from enjoying and even admiring a show to yawning disinterest. The overly niceness of everyone Ted interacts with started to get stale the last few eps of season one. Buy there was the team and the challenge of relegation and Roy as a back up, so I hoped season 2 would be more interesting. Starting with the story of Earl, and Rojas, and 7 straight ties, isn’t as interesting. And Roy's retired? That’s a mistake. And the “Lust” TV show is ugh, and a PL player in his prime left soccer for that? What? And Ted is jealous of the counselor? Why? This show aimed higher last season.

But they decided to kill her while she was restrained. That was the point of the discussion between Picard and Crusher.

Well if that is true, they could have just sent Worf alone and saved everyone else a lot of bother! Send Raffi, too, may as well.

It feels like the last episode will end on someone saying, "Family - that's what it's all about," and the cast will hold hands and bow. Data/Lore sounds like Nic Cage. I would love to hear the New Data say, "I'm going to steal the Declaration of Independence." This was the prior ep, but I don't but that Picard and Crusher would throw away their ethics that way (to shoot the captured Vadic). I thought they were going to let her go. I do believe Section 31 would experiment on Changelings, though the way they did it was pretty lax. At least Picard (the show) is consistent. That was true for season 2 as well. The warmth between Riker and Troi I appreciated, all the mooning over their lost kid, whose existence I don't remember, really dragged. And Worf shows up on the Shrike and escapes the crew and its capabilities by himself because ...? It would have made more sense to me that they appeal to Lore to help them in exchange for his freedom afterward, since once Vadic won Lore would likely be out a ship. That also would have added tension as we would never quite be sure what Lore was doing. The weird dream place where Data and Lore "talked" reminded me of Teletubby land.

Stumbled upon "Mike and the Mad Dog." I feel like someone just told me the U.S. had another civil war that I had never heard of. I grew up in Northern Virginia in the 70s and 80s, was very wired into media like the WaPo (I knew Tony and Mike as sportswriters), as well as other area newspapers. Howard Stern was local. Greaseman was local. I watched late night talk shows. I have never heard of Mike and Mad Dog or their show until now. Never. Ever. It's jaw dropping to me that they were apparently A Thing. And *now* I better understand why Russo is on First Take, and why they all defer to him. He showed up one day and I had no idea. Sheesh. I need to lie down.

I’ve always liked Molly Shannon, but she seemed weirdly nervous and out of breath a lot of the time. Pulled me out of the show. Loved Trump comparing himself to Jesus. Needed to go further tho. A lot of the skits were odd. Like pregnant/gas, I thought she was pregnant but just with gas for a bit. Then couldn’t tell if the angle was she was dumb or manipulative, so some lines were iffy. The valet skit was shaky and awkward. The Molly Shannon game was a good idea but not funny. The weird play “life story” was just not funny, period, until Keenan came out. The audience seemed hesitant for all the Trump jokes in WU. That was interesting. Nice reach with the shine box/Goodfellas joke. And the “YouTuber shot” (“good!”) represents a weary nation. I remember Mary Catherine Gallagher, but not Sally O’Malley. Guessing it was a skit I used to FF through like I wanted to tonight. Of all things, the Jonas Bros kept me tuned in with their willingless to be silly.

I liked this show, but was disappointed by what the end of the season seemed to indicate was at the core of the plot. The moral implications of forcing a “work me” to only work while I have a life was obvious in the first one or two eps. Outie Helly said innie Hellie allowed the outer people to live. That’s not interesting to me (and the outer lives seem pretty uninteresting, for the most part). I hope season 2 focuses more on what exactly innie’s are doing, and the departments and wider situation on Earth.

I’ve watched 2 eps. It’s bizarre that the one woman was crushed by the delivery truck and it doesn’t amount to anything beyond having to fix the garage door. I never watched Mad Men, which this kind of reminds of in overall theme, so I don’t know how much Mad Men focused on charlatans. That’s not a winning hook for me. Aside from the look and feel and set design, nothing really is appealing so far.

That ep was just cringey. From the rogue droids to the “m’lord and m’lady” to the challenge to lead the mercenaries to the “she who owns the blade,” it felt more like a Saturday morning cartoon than a TV series. Not worth further comment, at least by me.

I read Asimov, decades ago, but I don't hold the show to that standard. And I (eventually) enjoyed it as well. Some parts were very slow, but in the end a number of threads came together. And I liked the basic archetypes, i.e. the all-knowing but doomed Empire (and its vengeance, yikes), the agents of change who don't even understand themselves, the religious fanatics (women again, like Dune, hmmm), etc. I try not to let esoteric issues get in the way of enjoying Foundation. I could puzzle over the circumstances that would suddenly kill more than 1,000 people, who must have been in different settings of their lives and who either were seen die, discovered dead or disappeared, and no one anywhere would wonder what happened to any of those individuals. The implications are many (is Empire really, really good at making that many deaths look like accidents? Do so many people disappear that way, and Empire is suspected, that populaces everywhere are terrified to ask why? Does Empire just snatch people off the streets? etc.). I felt the dread of the "different" Dawn, and of the woman rebel. I also felt the fear and discomfort of the "infallible" Empire at its end and, later, at its imperfection. When the robot guessed that Day made up the whole religious vision thing, I was disheartened at his manipulation and apparent constant focus on his own genetic success after what briefly appeared to be evolution. I cared about some of what happened on the screen, which is rare on TV these days. I didn't understand why Gaal would think anyone would be around on her home planet years later, given she was the one who warned of coming environmental catastrophe. I guess it didn't matter, since she found her daughter (and I don't quite follow that, but OK). The Huntress was an impressive, hate-filled character. I'll watch season 2, for sure.