Danny Franks

When it comes to macarons, I've found I either really like them or don't even want to touch them, depending on the flavour. These all looked pretty good, even the messy ones. I really liked the look of the little burger ones, and Janusz's watermelons were very well done. Garibaldis? Yeah, those are always getting left until the end of any biscuit selection. They're just so boring. But at least it was a challenge that everyone understood. I did laugh at Rebs saying "that's too many flies." Her winning the technical was a big surprise, because she seemed like one of the weaker bakers so far. Sure enough, she was completely thrown off by a mistake in the showstopper and survived by the skin of her teeth. I'm not sure she deserved to. The masks showstopper was another kind of weak idea and it seems clear they're running out of interesting things to make out of baked stuff. This is another one that seemed designed to produce embarrassing failures, and that's pretty annoying. I can see why Maisam left, even if it was a bit harsh. Everyone else was much more ambitious in their designs and really went the extra mile. Especially Scottish Guy No. 2, with his Pan's Labyrinth monster. She just didn't do much structural stuff. Syabira's freaked me out. It reminded me of a Clicker from The Last of Us. Maxy's absolutely looked like something you'd see in a carnival.

I'm not watching House of the Dragon but my girlfriend is. Every time I catch a few minutes of it, I'm even more convinced that it was written by a bunch of thirteen year old edgelords who want to make the 'most badass, cool show full of badass, cool characters ever.' Just saw Matt Smith in a bad wig apparently cripple a woman then beat her to death with a rock. So cool and grown up.

As usual, it's too early to pick out interesting personalities when there are so many people in the tent. Sandro seemed to have an eye for effective decoration and Syabira seems pretty good as well (yes, I did have to check the Guardian's episode review to get those names right). Janusz was very good too, obviously, and amusingly flustered by his victory. Rebs cocking up her bakes in two straight challenges was pretty sloppy. Seemed like nerves got to her, but she came up with an effective solution that saved her. The show does a good job of getting variety in its contestants, and here we have bakers from Poland, Malaysia and Sweden (technically) to add to the array of Scots and English and Northern Irish. Not a huge fan of red velvet cakes, but some of them looked really good. And the showstoppers were all fairly effective, even if most looked cartoonish rather than realistic (but how do you make a realistic looking house out of cake in just a few hours?). Noel had a couple of awkward moments, but he usually takes a while to figure out which of the bakers he can vibe with. While Matt just sort of blunders in with his dad jokes.

I've got to say, Lamar Jackson didn't really justify his $250m+ demands in the Ravens' victory against the Jets. A bit of a sloppy game and they'll need to tighten things up considerably to be Super Bowl contenders. I still think the Ravens need to pay him, but it has to be a deal that doesn't cripple the team's ability to compete.

I'm excited to see Bucky and Yelena get a movie, but I really don't care about anyone else on this team. I do like the idea of breaking Bucky away from being Sam's sidekick, but I worry that they'll just use him as a stiff, humourless foil for Yelena and Red Guardian to bounce off. I don't ever need to see the MCU version of Taskmaster again. I would say that I'm intrigued by the idea of this being an espionage thriller, with pared back action and CGI, due to the characters all being military/spy types. But I said that with Black Widow and we still got ridiculous action set pieces and non-superpowered characters doing superpowered things. Meanwhile, Captain America: New World Order (bad title) has cast a mutant character, Sabra, which is intriguing. They're definitely building up to the X-Men, and I really can't wait to see what we get with that.

Ah, they're just ensuring the movies embody the spirit and views of Walt Disney.... and not the predominantly Jewish writers and artists who invented comic books. Tim Blake Nelson already played the Leader (or the character who becomes him, who I think is Jewish) in The Incredible Hulk, so it's not the casting that's problematic, it's the title of the movie. They should really reconsider that title, as catchy as it might be. I had my eye on Shira Haas as a potential Kitty Pryde, if the X-Men movie cast her as an adult (and if Haas can do an American accent), but it would be good to see her playing Sabra. It's a shame most of the articles so far are using Sabra's old costume, which was very much just her wearing the Israeli flag. That's not what she wears any more, and I would wager it won't be what she wears in the movie.

Yeah, they're going to need to figure out a better hook for that movie than the incredibly overused, 'bad guys doing good things in a bad guy way' trope. Not only has it just been used in Suicide Squad (and the sequel, and the Harley Quinn movie) but it's also really, really tired and boring as an idea. You can't pick up a superhero comic these days without seeing a bad guy recast as a hero, reluctant or otherwise. I love Florence Pugh's Yelena, and really don't want this to be a waste of her character.

Faile and Perrin being annoying? Get used to that. They embody so much of what I consider to be an unhealthy relationship that I could never enjoy them at all. The ongoing joke of each of the three boys knowing nothing about women gets tired, but I do think the answer as to which knows the least is definitely Perrin. I'm a little worried about how this will be adapted for the show, after the trauma they gave Perrin when he accidentally killed his wife. It could work better or it could be awful and tasteless.

I thought Mark staying in Susan's old apartment for so long was meant to signify that he was just so driven and work-oriented that he didn't stop to think about trivial things like his living conditions. The show always makes the point that these people spent more time in the hospital than out of it, and so often didn't bother making any changes to improve their home lives. The only subplots I can recall about finding places to live were Carter and his occasional apartment searches, Carol and her disastrous house and then Mark and Elizabeth buying a house together. In season one Benton complains more than once about his salary. At one point he says he makes $23,000 a year as a surgical resident. That would apparently adjust to about $47,000 today. Which is low, considering the hours he works and the time he spent studying and training, but not shockingly low for someone two years into the job (though, obviously, the show might not have used an accurate figure). He usually complained more about his student loans, so I guess they took a big chunk of his salary. Anna also complains about being broke, in season four, and her apartment is really gross. She seems to think that's the norm for doctors. But that was more about setting up a rich vs poor dynamic with Carter. Later on, I remember them showing Luka as having quite a bit of money so he could indulge in his midlife crisis stuff - big loft apartment, Dodge Viper penis extension. It did amuse me when the show would give us a look at some very middle class, private doctors' office with nice furniture and clean walls and friendly people, and tell us, 'this is awful! Imagine working somewhere like here, when your heart tells you that you should be a noble, crusading doctor, healing the poor and the hopeless!'

Sadly predictable. The worst thing about this stuff is that, because social media is basically 'monkey see, monkey do' and everyone wants attention, loads more people pile onto the hate without even having the same garbage views that the original haters did. It just amplifies the whole thing and has people desperately looking for the smallest flaws and mistakes they can find, to hoot and holler at. I unsubbed from the LOTR memes subreddit because it went from being silly gags about potatoes and Pippin being useless to being a nonstop hate train for the Amazon show. This has happened to so many different pieces of media over the last few years - The Wheel of Time, The Last of Us, MCU shows (with She-Hulk now perfectly lampooning the utterly predictable reactions) and now LOTR. It's just such a nasty evolution of the internet and the ability for people who revel in cruelty and bigotry to find and egg each other on.

Oh my god, I didn't realise Dennis' last name is Bukowksi. That explains his toxic attitudes and how he reflects every online male's worst and most misogynistic views. I had the displeasure of reading Post Office a while back, and can totally see why that guy is held up as a paragon of writing by a certain type of man. Just another fun gag in this show that is really getting off on tweaking the noses of MRA types and those outraged YouTube videos that will definitely prove how women will cause your movie studio to go bust. Seeing them even more outraged, arguing that they never actually said the things that the show perfectly mimicked, then arguing that this attitude from Marvel will just alienate people more? Beautiful. I enjoy the fourth wall breaks a lot, and the more meta they get, the better. Jen arguing that this isn't a cameo of the week show, even though there are cameos every week, was funny. Also loved this bit: "After the break, She-Hulk will be giving us her diet and exercise tips." "I'm sorry, what?" Because, of course that's what vapid interview TV would expect her to talk about. Why else have a woman on if it's not to talk about how she keeps herself pretty? Wong is fun. Him having the ultimate 'talk to the hand' exit is always going to be funny, and Benedict Wong is so great with the deadpan reactions.

I didn't think the Jazz wanted to trade for any long term contracts. They're in full blow-it-up mode. But I also don't think the Knicks will work with Barrett, Brunson and Mitchell. They're not complementary pieces and Barrett is probably best suited to play shooting guard anyway. I suspect this might be the Knicks pulling the plug on trading for Mitchell, or at least challenging Ainge to drop his asking price considerably.

I'm sure Neil Gaiman will be delighted with complaints that his pride and joy is too woke. He'll probably try to make it even more woke (although that doesn't really mean anything now except, 'it has things I don't like. Such characters who aren't straight, white men') in season two. As for the HBO thing, the guy in charge sounds like he'd be far more at home running CBS, which caters almost exclusively to "Middle America" and never asks its audience to consider challenging ideas.

I'll be forever thankful to Sense8 for helping me realise that it's not weird to either be, or be attracted to, a trans person. When I was younger I lazily bought into the 'trans people are weird and make me uncomfortable' line of thinking. I'd never knowingly met a trans person, or even seen one in any context other than situations like in Trainspotting, where Begbie is hooking up with a woman, only to realise they have a penis. Essentially, they were the punchline to an insecure joke. But after just a couple of episodes of Sense8 I came to terms with the fact I found Jamie Clayton attractive and it was fine. She's a hot woman (although if I still think she's hot when she plays Pinhead in the Hellraiser remake, I'll be concerned). It should be required viewing for anti-LGBTQ people because it forces you to see them as people, to empathise and really care. No one who watched that show could fail to love Nomi/Amanita and Lito/Hernando as relationships and as characters.

Yes, that's generally true. Especially when it comes to talking about comic book characters.

I like how genre-savvy Jen is. Being a superhero is for billionaires, narcissists and "adult orphans, for some reason"? Let me ponder for a moment just how many characters fit one (or all) of those descriptors. Meanwhile, she has two supportive parents who are happy and successful. No wonder she doesn't want to be a superhero. There's a bit of a disconnect between how casual her family is about the whole thing and how Bruce was literally hunted by the army, but I don't really care that much, because the whole 'I'm not safe to be around anyone' is Bruce's thing, not Jen's. Jen's office is definitely worth being in Hulk-form full time. And she really is determined for this to be a fun, lawyer show. But Ally McBeal never had to represent the giant monster who tried to kill her cousin. Tim Roth is looking old. Blonsky had a good point though. Why is he in supermax while Bruce gets his own paradise island lab? But if his haiku is truly heartfelt, then I guess he's made his peace with it. Bruce loving She-Hulk while Jen hates it is so perfect. Guess he's off to do the Planet Hulk storyline, now, so this is probably the last we'll see him in the show. Loved the post-credits scene of her dad completely taking advantage of her super-strength. That's definitely what most people would do.

Holy crap, are people aware of how much Kevin Michael Richardson, the actor who played Patrick in season one, has done? He's basically been a voice actor in every cartoon series produced in the last twenty years. He might be one of the most successful people who appeared on ER.

Doug is such an arsehole in season one anyway. I just watched the episode where he turns up to Carol's engagement party to tell her he loves her. It's the most selfish, stupid thing he's ever done because there's just no conceivable way that she would ever welcome that. In season one I can see that the show wants me to sympathise with Doug, but at least they didn't lean too far into his woobified, 'woolly hat and morose face in the Chicago snow' act and expect viewers to feel sorry for him when he's clearly in the wrong. They definitely let us see what a selfish dick he is. Linda Farrell may be a bit of a pain, but she's amazing to Doug (she's also pretty nice to everyone else in the ER, so I don't know why she's often disliked by fans) and he treats her very shabbily in return, just because he wants something he can't have. But I get the feeling this is how Doug treated any woman he dated - always one eye on someone else, always one foot out of the door and resentful that someone has expectations of him.

I'm a bit picky about pronunciations, even if I admit some of mine are probably wrong. For me it's always Mwah-rain and Kai-ree-en. Nynaeve is the on that often flummoxes people, but that one always seemed very straightforward to me, as a Gaelic-derived name. I never did audiobooks - for this series or for any other book, really - I always went with paper. I have bought Rosamund Pike's EOTW audiobook and will buy TGH too. I think she does such a good job of injecting life and fun and personality into her reading.

Saw ten minutes of House of the Dragon and that's enough for me. So much overacting, actors randomly shouting then whispering for no reason other than drama, terrible wigs and gloomy, barely lit shots. No thank you, it looks like all the worst parts of Game of Thrones, with none of the good. Boobs! Betrayal! Characters so evil you just love them (except that was never the actual appeal of ASOIAF)! Nah, I'm good.

I like the first paintball episode. It was a great idea and I think they executed it really well. But the second and third episodes just didn't work for me. Simultaneously too ambitious and too derivative of the material they were lampooning. They were too muddled and didn't really achieve anything. Harmon even seemed to realise that by calling back to a fourth paintball episode we didn't see (in the season three episode where they show clips of the Dean always caring about the study group), where Abed described it as a tired concept.

Hooked. I love Tatiana Maslany She's so freakin' funny but also an amazing dramatic actress. This show is immediately sharp and exactly as self-aware of its own ridiculousness as the Shulkie comic book. The origin of the character has always been daft, so they don't dwell on it, and the fact that she doesn't have a dual personality has always been odd, so they don't dwell on it. I have to laugh at Tatiana 'accidentally' calling her character Shrek multiple times on the CBB podcast, because there is a hint of that. She's a bit too smooth textured to look quite real. But the CGI is definitely better than it looked in the early teaser. I really enjoyed the interplay between Jen and Bruce - his tinges of jealousy over sharing his powers and his proprietary attitude towards Hulkiness. But there's such an undercurrent of sadness in Bruce, with his reminiscing over Tony, Nat and Steve, hiding in his lab and the sense that he was also happy to share his life with someone else. The petty, childish aspect of their Hulk-fight was very sibling-like, and sold me on them being cousins who've always been close. It was on the nose, but I enjoyed the point about women always having to reign in their anger for their own safety while men are generally able to just act out and rage about things without suffering serious consequences. I'm sure that scene upset a lot of a certain type of person.

The show started off as very warm and positive about friendship. You see rapid growth of all the characters as they embrace being a group of friends and start to share more and more of their lives together. In fact, it happened too quickly - Dan Harmon said that the Christmas episode in season one had scenes in it where he realised, 'this is it. This is the gang of friends I wanted to create.' But he'd planned to only really have them get to that stage very late in season one. He spent much of the rest of the show exploring his own (countless) neuroses and delving into how toxic groups of close friends who unconsciously exclude others can be. Friends did that occasionally too, and it's a fun avenue for comedy to see the group you love through the eyes of someone else, once in a while. But when the show keeps rubbing your face in how dysfunctional the characters are, it can get tiring. I still love Community, but I definitely see how Dan Harmon's issues coloured it, from season three onwards. Until the last season had a whole episode about Jeff's inability to accept he was turning forty that happened to coincide with Dan Harmon turning forty. But nearly all of Dan Harmon's writing ends up being about his own issues, in the end.

From the trailer, it looks like the big rivalry will be between the senseis - Daniel, Johnny and Chozen vs the B-movie bad guys that Silver brings in. The kids all seem to be carrying on variations of their old rivalries, which may well stop being inter-dojo now they're nearly all in Miyagi-Do. I wouldn't be surprised if even Tory ends up joining by the end of the season. One thing that will bug me so much - Amanda suddenly becoming a karate expert so she can fight the female sensei that Silver brings in. That will really be a jump the shark moment for a show that has already made it seem like anyone can learn the most advanced karate techniques in a matter of weeks.

^ I'm listening to that episode of CBB at the moment. Tatiana Maslany is awesome, as she always is when she appears on it. She spent the first few minutes recreating the noises that the Turtles make in the opening scene of The Secret of the Ooze. I wonder if she also auditioned for Sharon Carter. I remember a lot of names being linked to that role, then being very underwhelmed with the pick.