Madison

JMac had a conversation with James this morning. James basically told JMac that it was time to make a big move, specifying that he wanted to break up "one of the couples." James told JMac to vote however JMac wanted, stressing that he knows JMac is "independent." However, James did request that if JMac were picked for/ won the Veto, JMac needs to agree to do (or not do) whatever James wants with it. In return, James offered JMac safety. JMac agreed to all of this, which means nothing really.

So many things wrong with this. I'll just pick one to focus on: didn't Jackie herself literally tell Jeff that her plan was to not start playing the game until jury started? I know she obviously changed her mind with Jeff being evicted and her surprise HoH win but I don't see how she can find her own strategy so amusing.

I'm a super curious person so of course I had to look up the "Prisoner's Dilemma" but geez--I honestly can't even understand the Wikipedia entry on it. I promise I'm not an idiot; I'm just an English person. I thought for sure Wikipedia could dumb it down enough for me to grasp an idea of the concept (at least at surface level!), but ... not so much. Basically all I took out of it was the first sentence: that sometimes 2 rational people still won't cooperate even if that will ultimately work against their own self-interest. But, if it helps your impression of me at all, I swear I never attempt to discuss game theory. Maybe Vanessa can teach me something new this summer. (Also, Vanessa is much less attractive than I expected based on her interview with Jeff. HD does her face no favors.) I really didn't like the second group of contestants as much as the first group. I was also kind of annoyed that they showed--verbatim --the same clips for them as they did at the end of last night's episode. I know they also showed additional footage but come on, I remember things I saw 24 hours ago. I will never be able to like Liz now that the first thing out of her mouth was about how other girls will be "jealous" of her. That is code for "I'm still a 14 year old mean girl and I can't get along with others but I don't feel like that's my fault!" I already knew I hated John from his pre-show interview, but yep, confirmed. I really hope he doesn't last long. It was nice to see Phil last night; he's my favorite reality TV show host by far (Suck it, Probst: you're the WORST). However, I don't even remember Jeff and Jackie from last season. I'm really curious how they chose which team to transplant to Big Brother. Was there a large fan base for Jeff & Jackie that I don't know about?

I also liked the twin twist in S5, but I really loved S5 in general. And, no, you can't get an MA in anything that specific. I have an MA and am almost done with my PhD in English literature. Sure, you have to pick a speciality (mine is Victorian), but you can't even get a PhD in anything that specific. You can get both MA and PhD in one of three things for English: literature, rhetoric & composition, and creative writing. So perhaps he wrote his MA thesis on Medieval Romance Literature but it was a ridiculous statement. And also, I fail to see how an MA or a PhD in just about anything at all--much less something as random as Medieval lit--would help AT ALL in the game of Big Brother. Also, though, I now really want a PhD in Game of Thrones.

Joining the consensus re: displeasure over BotB. I didn't like it last season and I can't see why that would be different this season. I feel like it would make a lot more sense if the audience knew all the twists ahead of time; yes, that would hinder the "surprise" factor but it would also eliminate all the suspicion and anger over producer manipulation: this is what will happen, this is when it will happen, and it doesn't matter who is left in the house when it takes place. I agree that it was helpful in terms of keeping contestants straight to break it up into two different entrances but am also of the opinion that the 8/6 split makes no sense and it appears to leave the 6 at a disadvantage. At least if it was 7/7, even if everyone in both groups agreed to stick together against the other group, it would have to take some maneuvering to Pagong the other side. In this particular scenario, there are already bonds and alliances formed. It sort of reminds me of when Survivor does the random regrouping of tribes and inevitably someone gets separated from their whole alliance and stuck in a large group of people who have been together the whole time. That doesn't necessarily make for interesting TV. It's often frustrating and predictable. Hopefully it won't turn out to be the case here. I really liked all the contestants they introduced last night, though. They seem like a dynamic, energetic, interesting group and I didn't really feel that way about anyone in the dominant alliance last season. Only Caleb and Frankie were interesting, and even then only because they were too obnoxious for words (in totally different ways!). Cody and Derrick have to be two of the most boring contestants ever to be cast; yes, they ruled the game. No one can deny that. Doesn't mean that I wasn't falling asleep half the time as I watched them do it. Poor Meg. She's so hated already. She didn't really rub me the wrong way but I can see how that energy would be annoying if you were exposed to it 24/7. At least she has self-awareness!

THIS. So much. Because the Piper we came to know (and hate) in Seasons 1 and 2 didn't behave this way. And while I agree that much of it is practical in nature--the mistaken belief that the show needs Piper--it also seems super weird and out of character to me. Like, yes, Alex has grown uptight and paranoid but at this point she's sort of morphed into Piper (obsessive, anxious) and Piper has morphed into Alex (brazen, reckless). And for the love of God, they are the two WORST characters on the show already, so some character consistency wouldn't be the worst thing. On the other hand, though, I actually like Piper better now that she's less sanctimonious and holier-than-thou. Since Obamacare, it's basically true that if you have full-time employees, you must offer benefits, regardless of whether or not employees are unionized. http://obamacarefacts.com/obamacare-employer-mandate/

I don't feel like the Mary Beth/ Travis breakup was character assassination or out of the blue. For one thing, I think Mary Beth did a very nice job of articulating herself during the breakup, particularly when she expressed what he had meant to her (her first love, first sexual experience, learning a new language for him, etc) but concluded "this relationship isn't right for me anymore." There's no reason, especially when you're very young, to force yourself to try to make it work with a person who has different priorities than you do. When Mary Beth began dating Travis, he was very lonely and didn't have a lot going on in his life; he fit with her. Both of them filled a need that the other one had. His decision to join the baseball team, while understandable (especially given the already-stated loneliness and lack of anything going on), also changes his life in a very real way from his schedule to his social group. In other words, I don't think it's JUST her insecurities that were at play here, and I think it was very mature of her to recognize that they were not only a factor in her feelings but also were likely irrational. I'm guessing that Travia WILL end up getting plotlines about new "groupie" girls and that Mary Beth just managed to save herself some time and pain by ending things now rather than waiting for the inevitable to happen. Nonetheless, as a person who is more confident and 10 years older than Mary Beth, I also would have no interest in dating someone who wanted to pursue athletics regardless. It's a perfectly fine option, but it doesn't mesh with my personality or my vision of the future. I can't fault her for having the awareness to see that early on rather than needlessly dragging the relationship out. Not everyone wants to be a baseball wife--or to see Katherine's musical on them. Part of me feels that Travis was holding on tightly to the relationship despite also being aware that it was coming to an end. It seems similar to what Mary Beth pointed out to Bay about how she was projecting her emotions. Bay's over-concern for Travis and Mary Beth came from her concern for her own relationship; similarly, Travis' sense of desperation/ need to save his relationship seem as likely to come from a sense of anxiety that he might be growing apart from the first person who ever loved & supported him (in a romantic way). Given that he no doubt has fears of abandonment stemming from his childhood experiences with his family, it's hard to separate out how much of his last ditch effort was really about believing he still belonged with Mary Beth. He certainly offered no concrete solutions in terms of her objections to his new lifestyle (like his "groupies"). In fact, he appears to ENJOY the attention and acceptance that come from being part of an "in" group for once. He SHOULD be free to enjoy these things, but it doesn't mean that she should have to stand by him. In terms of the Bay/Daphne plotlines, I think that Bay is actually finally catching breaks: being let off probation early, figuring out how to offer Tess support, getting her bench idea approved, and even deciding to go to L.A. Part of the reason that Bay is probably piled on is the Meredith Grey effect: people have some sort of fascination (or maybe just "show writers" have it) with watching their beloved heroine struggle against a long line of increasingly improbable obstacles. Given how superior Bay's acting skills are to Daphne's, it makes sense that she gets some of the meatier plotlines. But it looks like next week Daphne is going to fail again at her new life passion ("pre-med," everybody drink). The sorority plotline this week was pretty tame but I also enjoyed seeing Daphne get her comeuppance.

If anyone has the time/ desire, could I get a (brief) summary of the episode? I haven't been able to glean too much yet; I teach until 9:45 on Thursday nights and won't be able to watch the episode until Tuesday at the earliest. I feel like it's a cruel punishment given how long I've waited for Grey's to return and continue disappointing me!

Caleb has used the "not the brightest crayon" line two or three times before now. Julie is referring to something Caleb said during the episode where they had to roll the dice to land a certain number on a platform. Caleb told us all that his mother always tells him "I'm not the brightest crayon in the box but at least I'm in the box."

My favorite part of the feeds from last night was one amazing conversation between Nicole and Christine. I did my best to summarize / capture it, but it takes place between 2 and 2:30 am PST.Lying in bed together, Christine and Nicole discuss Donny. Nicole: Donny is smart. Christine: He is very smart! Nicole: I think he’s more than what he says Christine: Actually, I didn’t think that at first, but I really think that now. Nicole: And that beard! Christine: He could be a professor of medicine because his best friend is a professor of math. Nicole: I think he’s a professor….I think he’s a freaking professor….I can’t wait to find out what he is. He knows how to play chess. No one knows how to play chess in the country….He’s like a biology professor or something. Christine: Oh my gosh, I bet you anything….He could even be a professor in the army or something. In the middle of this conversation, they see a light shining on them which they figure out is coming from the exit sign. Nicole keeps saying that she "hates this room" and that she doesn't feel safe because she doesn't think that she and Christine could defend themselves. Christine suggests that they invite Hayden in, but Nicole insists that would be too sketch and then adds that even though she thinks Cody is the hottest guy there, she is "intruiged" by Hayden. [Nicole goes on to say that Cody is too big of a flirt and couldn't be trusted in a relationship]. Christine reassures Nicole that Hayden & Nicole won't become a target because they're a showmance. Nicole agrees, saying that Hayden is careful to make sure they're not together too long. Nicole admits he tried to kiss her the other night and both girls adorably wiggle around in bed. Apparently, they were snuggling together one night and he leaned in, so she turned her head, and he kissed her cheeck instead. Christine concludes, "That is so awkward !....That is so hilarious and awkward." Nicole is afraid that Hayden will get tired of hanging out with her. After talking about Donny and Hayden, they move on to discussing their goodbye videos to PowPow. Nicole says that hers sucks and she hopes they won't show it; this naturally transitions into insulting the BombSquad and Devin, then debating how HoH might play out. Nicole hopes that Brittany will win because she trusts that Brittany will make big moves--without Nicole herself having to do it. However, things are complicated on the Brittany front, because Brittany considers Christine somewhat of a target; Nicole argues that she can keep Christine safe from Brittany but says that she's nervous because of how much Brittany still trusts Cody and Derrick.

Despite the fact that I agree that the episode might have felt like a cheat because we knew it wasn't "real," I very much enjoyed it. Most of the reasons have already been listed above: Sandra Oh's acting, how the plotline seemed to be working to set up her exit, and how it finally resolved her back-and-forth relationship with Owen. More than all of those things, though, I just thought the episode was really touching and a tribute to Cristina, Cristina/ Owen (both the good and bad), and Cristina/Meredith. I loved getting to see things that will never happen (like Cristina as a mom and Meredith standing by Cristina at the awards ceremony) and I loved the (heavy-handed) parallel between the patient choosing to live or die and Cristina choosing a path that will let both herself and Owen live. Grey's Anatomy is big into the heavy-handed patient/ doctor plotline parallels and this is usually somewhat hit-or-miss for me. However, in this context, I thought it seemed to speak more to a general human plight that everyone can understand: "Do you know who you are? Do you want to live this way?" I wish Sandra Oh wasn't leaving Grey's, but I'm glad she got to be the center of an episode first--an episode that celebrates her long-lasting friendships, capacity for love, and passion for her career. I guess part of the reason I was able to embrace the episode is because I once 'shipped Owen/Cristina and have been a lot more patient with that story than many other viewers. For me, it wasn't always clear that they would never work out, particularly when Owen seemed to realize that he didn't want a wife who would stay home and raise kids, but once who would come home and share "war stories."

Rachel is one of those people who I feel like I would actively dislike if I knew in real life, but love to watch on TV. For example, I completely agree with the above sentiment but that's exactly what makes her such a pleasant train wreck. Her constant whining, childish attitude, and outfits all make her obnoxious--in the best way possible. She's one of those people where you wonder if she can really behave that way in real life, or if she's managed to find a perfectly tuned persona that works for her (ie gets her a lot of attention). What's most interesting to me is that on both Big Brother and Amazing Race, Brendan has come across as mostly likable: smart, level-headed, patient, and nice, if also boring. I wonder if the two of them work because they are exact opposites and he enjoys taking care of a woman-child who could not survive without his manly aid or if they work because there's something we're not seeing (like he is often immature, or she is deeper sometimes than she appears).

Glad to see so many fellow TWoP transplants over here. Amazing Race is one of my favorite shows, so I haunt this forum pretty regularly. In my time at TWoP (since Nov 2003), I only made 91 posts, so I've always been more of a lurker and never much of a talker. However, that's vastly out of character for me as I spend most of my time talking way too much about absolutely everything. In the spirit of this thread, I'm an animal lover. My husband and I have three cats (Alice, Hazel, and Tess) and two pitt bulls (Rosalie and Desdemona).