BusyOctober

I was looking forward to this coming back, but other than explaining why Charlotte’s 2 would be suitors were no longer in town, it felt meh. So, Esther’s husband is “away” ( in other words, the actor has another gig), but her goal is to get pregnant ASAP. But Esther is going to hang out some more with her aunt at the beach? Since we the audience know Lord Babbington is not coming back, I guess we will be getting another tragic death soon? I hope creeper Edward isn’t a primary focus this season. Why does Edward have facial hair when none of the other soldiers do? I don’t know for certain but I think beards and mustaches weren’t allowed at that time period. But, Charlotte’s messy long hair isn’t correct to the period either. Nor is the idea of shirtless men wandering amongst women in public. The best character in Sanditon? Is the Sanditon set. I love the seaside colors and all the buildings.

My mom’s best friend lives in a 55+ community. The HOA rules fill a 3” binder! Mom’s friend is an enthusiastic gardener and has always done gorgeous plantings outside her homes. She was issued a warning and a citation for planting “unacceptable flowers” in her window boxes. I think she planted the “wrong color” flowers with some ivy or vine and these were “expressly forbidden”. So, no, Oot-Box Inventors, not all HOA’s are OK with these additional space boxes. If the color of petunias sends the HOA a into a frenzy, there is NO WAY these mini dictators are going to be cool with ugly, electrified, mini shipping containers sitting on the property. I know several neighbors associations don’t even allow PODS or UHauls to remain on the driveway more than 24hours when people are moving in/out.

I thought it looked cool at first, because I am a little OCD, and obsessed with storage containers. But, as soon as I counted all the little gadgets, cups, tools to be washed afterwards, I thought it wouldn’t save me any time at all. Plus, in order to fill all the cute little compartments, I still need to get out all the produce and cut it to go into those cups. And I have no idea where I would store that big bin. I don’t have a lot of counter space, and I certainly can’t give up an entire shelf in a cabinet for it. I do cook quite a bit, and I was taught from a young age. I have enough prep bowls to do exactly what Prepdeck can do. I’m out. The beach chair looked similar to the ones I bought a few years ago…cup holder, shoulder strap, flipable sun awning. Mine even have a little detachable pillow. The only thing it doesn’t have is the one-click to close button. I think I paid $50 per chair, and I was hesitant then to pay that much. But we rent a beach house for 2 weeks every year, and the 4 I bought have lasted many summers. My $200 investment 4-5 years ago wouldn’t buy one of these Sunflow chairs today. I’m waaaaay out. I am not the audience for the ring or the people pods.

I avoided watching this when it came out because I lost a relative to an opioid overdose in 2008. It is still hard to think about him. He was a from a well to do family, grew up in a very nice neighborhood, played sports, had friends. He got hooked on Oxy in the late 90’s thanks to a sports injury. Heroin ended his life. His parents tried several rehabs, and even tried keeping him on 24 hr watch and lock down. Nothing worked to help him beat it. He stole from family members, from his employer. Lost his house. His marriage fell apart. All because the opioids made him believe that’s all that mattered. We lost his mom to cancer, and he fell further into the drugs. His childhood “best friend” was an addict too, and they worked together to stay high. The police found him in a parking lot at 3am with a needle in his arm and various paraphernalia around him. His buddy had been with him and abandoned him in the car when he OD’d. I finally watched this, and I am glad I did. I think it was very well done. I did cry often when they showed all the addicts getting high, especially the young ones. The young kid in the car especially hard. As despicable as the Sacklers are, they are not the only ones to blame in this tragedy. The pharma reps, the advertisers, the doctors, the bullshit “pain clinics”, and the government agencies all should answer for their complicity. It is disgusting how greed corrupts some people.

Started watching this because of JGL and my long time tv boyfriend, Kyle Chandler. I knew nothing about the Uber founder, or the history of the company. I have only used Uber twice, in 2 different cities, and both times sucked. But I wanted to check it out mostly because of Kyle Chandler. I don’t know if I will go further than this episode, despite my irrational crush on Kyle. I watched “Inventing Anna”, and I am currently watching “The Dropout”. Both series are much better at telling stories of unlikeable people who did bad things than this shit show. I HAAATTTE this Travis person. I loathe all of his frat bro douche bag boys club assholes. I would rather give Anna Delvy my credit card while having Elizabeth Holmes personally test my blood than learn any more about Travis and his band of merry dickheads. I hope the real Angie got out of this asswipe’s orbit and never looked back. Time to find old episodes of Friday Night Lights and Bloodline…

I binged all 6 episodes between last night and this morning. I like it…goofy, fun. Rhys Darby is enjoyable, I liked him on Wrecked. And Leslie Jones and Fred Armasen were pleasant surprises.

I deleted Friday’s ep about the missing woman in St. John as soon as Andrea asked her typical stupid questions. I just can’t watch her pretend to be a serious reporter and interview people anymore. She is awful. The voiceover describes the action: “the police went to <insert suspect’s / dead or missing person’s name here>“…. The interviewee makes a statement, “ we entered the home and found a trail of blood and several spent shell casings.” Andrea, wide eyed and incredulous, “Oh my gosh! What did you think you were walking into??” My fantasy is that the cop would reply, “ Um…a murder scene? I’m a homicide detective, I wasn’t responding to a missing puppy call.” If Andrea is “reporting”, I will skip the story from now on. Especially since 20/20 and 48 Hours will have already done the story, or will in a week or two.

There were a few points that took me out of the Maisel world… Jackie Kennedy wouldn’t have lost it like that in a room full of donors/strangers. She had poise and was raised with the old fashioned notion that one’s personal emotions are not for public consumption. If JFK’s very real philandering had been brought up in a public forum, Jackie would have smiled demurely, then firmly, but politely shut that shit down, and changed the subject. As mentioned above, Croatia wasn’t a country in 1960. And I am not a geopolitical scholar, but Yugoslavia and the USSR had conflict between them in the late ‘40s. Yugoslavia was not a soviet ally, but it was a communist country. America had suspicions/concerns/fears about Communism and Russia/ USSR going back to WW II. I don’t think most Americans would have been so keen to travel to Yugoslavia or any Eastern European country 1960-61. Maybe it was a way to make the audience worry for Midge’s safety in 1961 if she took the gig? 1961 = Bay of Pigs and the Berlin Wall

This story fascinates me. I read “ Bad Blood” and got hooked on how delusional and fraudulent Elizabeth was. Much like Anna Delvy, Elizabeth was always looking for the fast track to fame and fortune without working for it. They both were able to charm people around them into investing in their dreams with very little (or zero) accolades to back up their claims. The cast is great. I was happy to see Stephen Fry in the cast, but when I saw which character he is portraying, I was sad. Laurie Metcalf is so good in everything, and she really nailed the the tone of the professor. She knew from the jump that Elizabeth was reaching for the stars before she could learn to walk. I was a little surprised when I saw Nareen Andrews as Sunny though. The beautiful Sayid from “Lost” is playing that despicable wart hog? So far, loving this series. Can’t wait to see the downfall of Theranos, and if they will stick to the book.

I would never be on TAR (for oh so many reasons),but tasks like the rock flipping would not work for me. I could never be sitting on the ground or crawling on my knees for more than 20min. Plus the sun factor. And I have a low threshold for frustration. Dusty isn’t my favorite racer, but major props to him for recognizing his anger situation and dealing with it for the sake of his son. And Ryan was dealt a very bad hand with his wrongful incarceration, but his demeanor and ability to take a moment to put things in perspective is truly admirable. Whenever I see the plate breaking thing on tv or in a movie, I just think about the waste of it all. Can porcelain or earthenware be recycled or reused elsewhere? Does it all get swept up into a landfill somewhere? My 15 yo just kept yelling at Arun, “pull over and let your daughter drive! She cannot possibly be any worse than YOU!”

From your keyboard to Julian Fellowes’ ears. Marion is the worst part of this show. I don’t know how old Marion is supposed to be, or how old the actor is, but I’m guessing Marion is 20-23?? Any older and wouldn’t she be considered an old maid? But the actress looks 30-something IMO. Even if Mr. McAlester was from the South, and as much as I love Nathan Lane, this isn’t the right role for him. It came across as a character actor doing a caricature portrayal. I think I am officially hate watching now. Aside from the architecture and some of the clothes (NOT Marion’s endless yellow, blue or yellow and blue frocks), there aren’t very many storylines keeping me intrigued. Another poster said everyone’s delivery is flat…agree 100%.

Ava killed it this week…”Are you suddenly Mormon? Just asking cuz you need Mo’ Men!” Loved that Barbara acknowledged Ava’s sick burn. Tariq was so engaged with the kids, even if some of his rhymes were inappropriate for the audience.

I had seen several shows about Anna before this, and I was aware of her fraud case. This show admittedly made some shit up to make a better story, so I don’t know how many of the details are real or fake. I just know I hated almost everyone by the end of the final episode. Jack, Todd’s wife and the judge were the only 3 characters I liked at the very end. I was loving the sage residents of “Scriberia” until they were all rooting for Anna to be found not guilty. WTF? They worked on the story with Vivian, and knew what a sociopath Anna was. Vivian was horrible. If I were the real New Yorker writer, I’d be embarrassed by my portrayal in this shit show. She was shown as a selfish spouse, and bad mother (although I personally think those labels are sexist and misogynistic because historically men are lauded for their dedication to work over family). She was shown as a lazy writer who lacked respect for deadlines and without professional objectivity. And why didn’t Netflix use her real name? Jessica got mentioned in the credits and in the epilogue notes, so everyone knows her real name. All the other characters in Anna’s orbit had their real names used. Rachel may have been opportunistic and she got swept up in the jet set lifestyle Anna was pretending to share with her ‘friends’. I can understand how a 20-something woman (or man) could get sucked in to lavish parties, trips, clothes, spas days, etc. However, there is no way Rachel was more corrupt than Anna!! And for Neff and Kacy to take the moral high ground over Rachel was a bridge too far for me. Kacy and Neff witnessed Anna’s fraud and manipulations firsthand! As for Neff, for someone who was living modestly and complaining about struggling to make rent and pay bills, she all the sudden had some amazing designer clothes for the trial. Did her stylist friend offer her outfits too? I don’t think she could afford the $1200 per diem fee Anna was being charged. Anna should have done more time, but white collar crime is not taken seriously. She will continue to con people for the rest of her life. Just like Martin Shkreli and Billy McFarland…they are all missing the gene for compassion, they have no conscience and only think of satisfying their own warped sense of self.

The more I think about the title of the finale, the more I think the writers meant it for the weary audience. They granted us clemency and put us out of our collective “WTF?!?” every week.

My 15 yo and I watch TAR together, but after I read the episode description, I told her we’d let it record until 9:40, then start it so we could FF thru the cheese thing whenever it came up. Thankfully it was in the beginning so we didn’t miss much. I have a very weak stomach combined with a very strong gag reflex. My daughter isn’t usually squeamish. Her only deal breakers are worms and caterpillars. She knows that maggots are teeny worm looking things, so she was not going to watch any of those scenes. I would rather jump off the world’s tallest bridge than be within 10 feet of that cheese. Father /Daughter team is exhausting. Who knew a sweet dad traveling with his very nice daughter would be more annoying than a couple of “social media influencers”? As for Kim and Penn, they really are growing on me. I hope they are in F3 with the flight attendants. I’m sure Dusty and Ryan will be in F3, but I don’t mind for Ryan’s sake. That guy deserves as much fun, travel, limelight as he can grab. Not so much his racing partner.

I’m not sure if it’s the writing or the directing, but I cannot warm up to 98% of these characters. I have seen many of the actors in other tv shows and a few on Broadway, and they were spectacular. Are these talented, capable actors being told to dim their sparkle for some reason? Or to speak in monotone, low energy voices with cold dead eyes? Yes, the Gilded Age was repressive and one’s comportment and modulated voice was being judged constantly. It was a time full of snobs who used complex etiquette and social mores as weapons to embarrass and shame those they considered unworthy. However, even Downton Abbey’s Violet was witty and snarky and crackled with energy despite being a member of the British peerage and living through the Victorian Age. I have enjoyed most of Julian Fellows work over the years as well, and this was on my watch list ever since I had heard he was doing an American period piece. I am having a very hard time getting into this show. I am enjoying the scenery, the costumes and set design, so those are what I look forward to most. Marion needs to zip her lip and take a seat at these various charity committees. I think the goal is to make us see her some kind of “new age” young woman, embracing new ideas and politics and challenging the old guard. But this actor’s portrayal of Marion is not giving me that. She’s just annoying.

I don’t know anything about Cricket, but the sporty clothes people wore in the late 1800’s 1900’s up to WWII fascinate me. White flannel trousers and white sweaters to play a game on grass and sometimes mud? I know poly blends didn’t exist, but why not gray or brown pants? But these are people of the same generations who explored the Arctic and the Himalayas in cotton and wool and leather. Glad Helen and Hugh hashed it all out. I hope we don’t have to see James moping around with jealousy over their relationship anymore. Helen declared she loves James, Hugh has moved on to the Jean Harlow wannabe, so time to move on and enjoy life with Helen. I haven’t read the books, so I don’t know if Mrs. Hall ends up with Sigfried, but I would rather see her with the clock repair guy. Sigfried s a big baby, and Audrey already raised a child. Let her have some fun with a kind man who obviously likes her “in that way”. Please let us see the pups from Tricky Woo’s dalliance with Bella!

Can anyone just cruise into a Cuban marina and settle in as a resident? I guess it’s as plausible as anything else in the Desna universe.

Loving this! On the 3rd episode and Kumail is fantastic. Major props to Marshawn Lynch too…never knew he could do improve so well! I so want more than 6 episodes.

Although I don’t watch anything Mario Lopez has done, I found him very charming. He learned some disturbing info about his family, and handled it really well IMO. He (and I) was shocked to find out the US government freely used the term “wetback” in their attempt to deport Mexicans in the ‘50s. Horrifying and hurtful to know your family faced such first hand racism. Then a while later he discovers his European ancestors were involved in the slave trade, silver mining, and aiding in the dehumanizing of indigenous peoples. The biggest lesson I’ve taken away from watching this show is that most humans have complex histories. We all have some unpleasant or even despicable characters in our family trees. They don’t have to define who we are any more than having genealogical ties to Charlemagne or Florence Nightingale determines how “good” or successful we are. I hate it when the celebrities on this show try to run away from the negative discoveries, but fully embrace the ancient, tangential link to European royalty. You can’t pluck the perfect plum off the tree without acknowledging it came from a gnarly branch. Like a wise person once said, “You take the good, you take the bad. You take them both and there you have the facts of life.”

Did Deja and Malik just assume Randall and Beth would foot the bills for the costs of moving, living and attending school in Boston? Malik may have a scholarship and maybe even a stipend for housing, but as much money Harvard has in endowments, I doubt they have grant money earmarked for their students’ significant others to attend or live there. Add me to the confusion of Deja’s education plan. First of all, she said she picked up 3 additional AP classes to earn more graduation credits. Um, how did helicopter parents like Randall and Beth not know their daughter added more classes? Then she says she has enough credits to graduate at the end of the semester, but will also earn her GED awhile in Boston. Deja maybe bright, but that is a stupid statement. A GED is not necessary if you earned your HS diploma. Still don’t get how Malik’s ultimate life goal is to be a world class chef, but is studying Russian lit at an Ivy League school. What the what? But this show, very much like “Parenthood” did, looks the other way when it comes to reality based careers. Kate is a prime example. She has a moderately decent singing voice and played a few paying gigs, so therefore Kate would make an aaaahMAZE-ing teacher. No credentials in education, not to mention no certifications in Special Ed to teach blind kids, but she can sing and play piano, so she’s hired. That school is private and probably not cheap to enroll in, so if I’m a paying parent, I would want a little more vetting than knowing my son’s teacher can do awesome covers of Stevie Nicks songs.

Please tell me the Uncle Daddy montages mean I will not have to see him or Wanda or any of his freak show circus train in the final episode. I hate that character and the actor so much. How was Desna planning to frame Clay with the gun Bryce used when her prints were all over it…even before she shot Clay. Bryce’s prints are on it too. I guess she has an excuse for her stupidity and spin it that she used it to kill Clay “in self defense” or maybe as pay back for killing her “boyfriend” Tony. All of these people can drown in the swamp for all I care. Dean is the only person worth serving this shit show.

Soooo sooo soo many questions and they all start with the letter WHY. Why was Dave never the person called when Megassie ( love that, BTW) realized any of her kids were missing? Why wasn’t the UK equivalent to Child Welfare called to investigate why the kids were left unattended so often? Why would Dave be so jokey and all “OMG! You will never believe what I did to help our daughter without telling you when the shit was raining down upon our family and especially after I told you our relationship needed a break because I was so traumatized when you confessed you actually had a life in the years prior to meeting me!” I know Dave had no clue the creepy would be daughter rapist was in the trunk, so he thought he “only” hid potential evidence. However his deep sigh of relief after confessing his deed was so cavalier in light of how butt hurt he was that his common law wife dared to date and be engaged before he rolled into her life. Why bother to put Megassie and her family in protective custody if strangers can approach the safe house, with a cop casually watching the conversation 10 feet away? Why would the ‘protect-EE’ be allowed to leave the safe house and hop in her car without an police escort? Why did it take so long to find dead red head boss cop in the basement? He turned out to be crooked, but no one knew that until later. He was a lead detective and had on going cases and other subordinates aside from Boome and Erin that would’ve needed his attention. Why was Megassie always the one to go see Dave’s mom? Why did the tell us in the beginning that Megassie had a job, but then never mention again? Did she just happen to be on vacation the week all this shit went down? She was always driving around or coming back to her house from a jaunt about town. Why would anyone think settling into a suburban neighborhood 10 miles away from their previous residence would be the best place to hide from your stalker boyfriend(s)? Lastly, a ‘How’….How did Lorraine get the men she murdered into a neat little pile in that bunker? We saw she lured them to the woods, slit their throats and then use a hand truck to move them to the hatch. OK, so she opened the hatch, rolled the bodies into the hole, then what? Are we supposed to believe she tossed or carried the hand trunk down the ladder to wheel each of them to the heap? That’s a hell of a workout, even if it’s only once a year.

Totally agree. I don’t even know the other models’ names. Every time DD or Mimi walk down the runway I feel like they get showered with cat calls and “Workit, Grrrl!!” from the judges. Other than being trans or non-binary and super thin and flat chested, I don’t find them any more or less remarkable than the other models. And for all Nina and Elaine’s babbling about inclusion, diversity, and breaking down barriers in fashion, they are full of shit. The skinniest models get the praise, and most often, the win or Top 3. I don’t think PR needs to have all size 14-18 models, but it would be nice to see a true range in shapes and sizes. Instead we get to see a “range” from size 000 to 1, and then one or two “plus size”. There are plenty of size 8-22 people who can wear the Hell out of clothes.

Heather is not as amazing or creative as she thinks she is. The lame-ass “decor” she puts out for the stupid theme parties is pathetic. Maybe her creativity starts and ends with Bravo’s line of credit at Michaels and Hobby Lobby, but she is always sooo impressed with the results. A limp rag or two as a table runner, a dozen balloons and half a roll of paper streamers, some beads scattered around and feathers aren’t gonna get a $30k tip outta anyone. I also don’t think she is seasoned enough to deal with the leadership role. Despite being a chief stew, she is not very good navigating the manager/subordinate relationships. There’s a lot more to it than just saying “I rank above you, so do what I say”. She’s catty and immature IMO. She always has an excuse for Captain Lee or her coworkers, and even guests if she’s called out for some discretion. I know they get preference sheets for meal planning, but in non- televised yachting, do the chefs run their menu ideas by the chief stews at all? Maybe a 2nd set of eyes and ears would help prevent “forbidden foods” from being served? I can’t believe another item went in the water with this crew. Luggage cart, cushions, fender covers, water toys, jet skis set adrift…if this crew comes back next season, I am creating MySeanna BINGO cards to track the various flotsam and jetsam they leave in their wake.