Maysie
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Posts posted by Maysie
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Logan, wow, there was a shot of her sprinting down the road, and she looked like a track star.
Well, as part of the paparazzi, Logan gets plenty of practice chasing "stars."
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I'm glad Ali chose student over girlfriend when it came to Leslie, but I don't know if student will be any healthier than girlfriend.
I have a sense with Ali she'll try to have it both ways. She's spoiled and entitled and doesn't seem to understand the word "no." Self-denial is not a strong suit with the Pfeifermans. And I agree with all the bullshit that the lesbian poet was spouting that the student role may not be a real healthy option. You know, the poet's neighbor made a point to say that the poet goes for young bodies. I also wonder if that also includes young minds -- minds that can be molded and influenced. Ali comes across as incredibly immature to me; I was frankly shocked that she was 33 because she behaves a good ten years younger than that.
Side note - Josh is the only family member who works. Where do these people get their money? Is Maura's retirement that comfortable? Well, I guess Shelly's very nice condo could be from Ed's money, and maybe Sarah is getting alimony from Len, but Ali is certainly supported by Maura. And even though Josh works, he's coming out of a period where he didn't have any income, so he was either smart enough to save or he's got money from the parents too.
Another thing I've been wondering about too. I was really pleased when Davina called Maura out on her privileged status, though I think it went right over Maura's head. There's obviously some pot of money or tree outside somewhere that they can continuously draw from. Hell, even a throwaway line about Grandpa Pfeiferman's shrewd investing or something like that would be welcome.
And I kept waiting for people to stop saying, "Oh, I wouldn't have brought you/would've told you not to bring her," etc, etc, regarding the music festival and just have one person say, "Oh if I'd known that was the policy, I wouldn't have gone."
This is a great point. It was never about not going; it was only about getting into/stirring up trouble. I also thought it was pretty interesting that neither Sarah or Ali seemed the least bit concerned with what happened to Maura. I never had the sense they went searching for her or even tried to call her (which begs the question: why just the note on the board? Are cellphones banned? I'm not snarking but genuinely curious). There was an instant when I was a bit concerned for Maura's safety because of the rather extreme response to the presence of men at the festival who were there to merely do their jobs. I understand why Maura wanted to get out quickly. It's probably the most I've ever identified with her; that was not a sympathetic crowd. And I also think it's pretty telling that the lesbian poet knew exactly how unwelcoming everyone would be but really offered no help or even sympathy to Maura or Ali.
For me, Josh's journey was sympathetic partly because Colton was a sympathetic figure and it was clear that Josh really wanted to do right by his kid. The writing has made it plain that ma and pa Pfeiferman pretty much stunk in the parenting department and Josh handled Colton like a stand-up guy -- far better than I would have anticipated, honestly. Josh's storyline is the only one I can think of when a Pfeiferman has actually put someone else first, so it was refreshing.
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I watched the second season over three days. It was just interesting enough to make me want to see how the season went but far from compelling enough to keep me interested for more than an episode or two at a time. I felt like most of the season was much weaker than the first season because it felt like it went so far away from Maura's situation. I am not a prude, but I got tired of all the sex, particularly with Sarah and Ali. I guess it adds to the storyline in that it's part of their character development, but I don't like either character and I'm not interested in their lives much beyond the ramifications of Maura's transition.
And am I the only person who was put off by Ali immediately removing her shirt in front of Maura as soon as they were settled at the festival? It felt weird to me. I get that she's a free spirit and experimenting and all that bullshit, but I was squicked out by it. Perhaps it was to signal that she's the one in the family who's truly accepted Maura???
Honestly, I think the show could end right at this point. It feels like they aren't too keen on really delving into the interesting parts of Maura's transition. I think some of the bones were there: Maura's relationship with her mother and sister, the doctor putting her on the spot about surgery and sex, her relationship with other transgenders (especially Davina), how other women feel about her and how the kids and Shelly were navigating the change. However it feels like they basically acknowledged that stuff and otherwise spent a lot of time on Sarah and Ali having sex and Josh's messed up relationship with the rabbi. I was interested in learning what Maura was thinking about gender reassignment - why would or wouldn't she have it done, for example? You'd think someone that felt she was born into the wrong gender would have given at least a little thought about whether she'd have the surgery. I wanted to understand more about her thought process on that but oh well -- Sarah is daydreaming about the high school disciplinarian. Let's spend more time on that.
Though I like Cherry Jones I had no use for the lesbian poet. I guess I have a hard time with someone who bitches about patriarchy etc. yet at the heart of it, behaves very much like a man of her generation (always going after the younger women, making Ali choose between school and relationship with her). She's a man without the penis, imo.
However I fucking LOVE Buzz. I kinda liked his cheesy grilling and branding steaks, buying the margarita maker and all that, but he won me over when he saved the duck. And he is the one person who told Josh what he really needed to hear - I think it's the first bit of real parenting I saw the entire season. In fact, the last four minutes of the last episode were really about the best of the season for me. Buzz needs to run far, far away from all things Pfeiferman; he's way too reasonable and nice to be mixed up with this self-absorbed crew.
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I am a bit confused as to why Sarah chose to look for a booty call on the night she has the kids. That seemed a bit stupid - I mean, she has at least three nights a week without them, doesn't she? So why not hook up on an off night so she doesn't have to have her mom babysit?
Ali and the prof were predictable and boring.
Trying to find something good: Davina and her man. I liked that.
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Meh. I don't care about Ali's whatever it is she's got going on. Same with Sarah. I guess Josh's story is the most interesting of the three kids, but honestly, I feel like the show is getting away from its original premise and is developing into more of a prime time drama that happens to have a lead that's trans. I understand that it would be rehashing to go through how the family's dealing with it, and perhaps they don't want to delve into Maura's choice of whether or not to have surgery (and if she doesn't know, she doesn't know), but I feel like the trans parent is now just a snippet of the storyline. I might feel differently if I liked the characters more but really, it feels like the most interesting element of the show has been back-burnered.
I'm seeing a bunch of privileged, self-absorbed, upper-middle class Californians, and honestly, it's not all that interesting and I can't relate to much of it. I'll finish the season to see if it ends up somewhere to carry me into season three. If it doesn't, I'll call it done after this season. The acting is solid, and Jeffrey Tambor is great, but I feel like I've hit a wall with it.
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That mat chat is gold! Phil and the other racers had the look of "okay, here we go again" with Logan. I admit to feeling a wee bit sorry for Chris. I also thought it was pretty telling that C&L eventually made nice and hugged/congratulated K&J while Green Team just stood there awkwardly, though they eventually hugged the paps.
Perhaps this is why the reporters edit was so blank. I would have loved to see him follow through on his threat and be removed from the game. Better yet, the paps may have been removed as well, leaving perennial team #2 with exploding heads as green wins.
We see enough verbal abuse/sparring among and between teams on the race that I don't want to see any of it manifested physically. And Joey admitted on the mat chat that he wouldn't have physically removed Logan from the cab when she called him on it. I think his statements, while unfortunate, were mainly adrenaline-fueled at the time. I didn't like all the racers, but I never saw anything this season that would make me feel that any of them were capable of real physical violence (though someone upthread noted Chris was slapping at Logan at one point; I missed that). I do believe they would have crammed in the cab with Chris and Logan if the paps hadn't given it up. They may not have been able to get the paps out of the cab, but I believe that cab wouldn't have pulled away without Kelsey and Joey.
And even if they'd shared the cab, there's no way Chris and Logan would have won because they fell too far behind on the flag challenge. It would have been HI-LARIOUS to see that cab pull away with everyone but the Greens, particularly if the Greens watched them leave. Cue the tears.
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There have been quite a few Amazing Race situations where teams had to pay a driver extra to remain waiting for them. And many of those were not in the USA. Why would any cabbie hang around (for an indefinite period), and expect just the price of the trip to that point, and then the point beyond? He/she is earning no money for that dead time...unless he asks for money over and above the fares.
That's pretty much how I feel about the opinion that J&D's cab was extorting them. $50 for a cab ride all the way out there? Ummm, no. The cab wanted $200 bucks - the $100 agreed on for the ride out there and a second hundred to wait and then take them to the next destination. Frankly, I don't think that's unreasonable. Hell, they agreed to pay him $100 for the ride out, so what's wrong with $100 for waiting and a ride to the next stop? I agree that Justin was playing his "savvy New Yorker, no one can get one over on me" role more than he was racing. Playing for the cameras didn't help him out too much there.
How many times have we bemoaned (and cheered) the cab wild card? If you are a fan of Justin and Diana, I'm sure it does suck, however, it was only a wild card in this instance because Justin chose not to pay up. It's not like he got the cabbie who got lost, had to stop for gas, or some such thing. The cab left because Justin refused the terms of the deal. Justin controlled his own race destiny and he blew it, which is what makes this awesome in many ways. And not paying the cab to ensure he waited was good racing on Kelsey and Joey's part.
And I do understand that editing makes a huge difference in the way teams are perceived, however I don't think Justin and Diana got a villain's edit because they didn't win. I think they gave everyone plenty of ammunition. I think the editors work with what they're given and build from there. I may be in the minority, but I don't need a villain to make a season worth watching. I'd happily watch a race with competitive, solid racers who don't come across as assholes most of the time they're on screen. Everyone has a bad day/moment and makes an ass out of themselves, but some people just live like that. Watching them compete for a million bucks isn't particularly satisfying television - except when they lose, but that's never a given.
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I'm wondering where things are headed with the rabbi and Colton. I found it strange that she's ready to put him in the basement when the baby comes. Just how big/small is that house? You can't tell me that it's only a two bedroom house - not with a pool in the backyard and a playground (never mind the fact that it was the family home which means it probably had at least three bedrooms to manage everyone; I'm making allowances for the age difference between Sarah and Ali, so they probably only needed one room for a girl and one for a boy).
I'm a bit tired of everyone calling Josh "Joshy." I know it's a family endearment and all that but it's creeping me out a bit because he's a grown-ass man.
It's odd that I enjoy the show so much but there aren't many characters I'm liking all that much.
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Seeing Justin weep made the season almost worthwhile. Almost because he has that laundry list of prizes to fall back on. And yet . . . that's not good enough for him. I understand being in it to win it, but boy, talk about being an ingrate. He had a once in a lifetime experience (though because of the strong feelings he generates, they may get a second shot in an All Stars bid) and tens of thousands in prizes and he's still unhappy. I can't decide if it's his injured ego or if he was the kid who got the trophy just for showing up.
I had the sense that K&J and C&L's cabbies denied Belmont for Justin because they knew they were supposed to be waiting for their real fares. They may have found it easier to say "I don't know where that is/I can't use GPS" than be berated by someone for not taking them. (Because, really, I have a hard time believing neither cab driver knew where Belmont was and wouldn't/couldn't use the GPS). At any rate, it's squarely on Justin's shoulders because he was too cheap to pay his own cab to wait. Not only does that seem like a rookie mistake to me, it also kind of flies in the face of his "we're golden because I'm a New Yorker" overconfident talk. It seems to me the drive to the training center, as well as the space itself, would kind of alert you to the potential problem of hailing a cab out there. What did he expect???
I got a little tired of hearing Joey and Kelsey get all pumped up about how they would have tossed Chris and Logan's asses out of the cab, but I also figured they were pretty amped on adrenaline at that point.
The mat kind of became an uncomfortable zone for me tonight. It was bad enough to see that Justin doesn't have it in him to be a gracious loser but Chris and Logan's mat chat with Phil was a little weird. I don't know how that would have been handled better, but that relationship seems toxic to me and really, how are they supposed to respond to those questions? I felt like it was their first therapy session or something.
It seems to me that Chris and Logan bumbled their way into the final three and I wonder if they were truly surprised by their showing. I can't even fathom running that race and 1) not getting acclimated to water, 2) not expecting to do something that tests your comfort with heights, 3) not knowing how to drive a stick shift and 4) not paying attention to where you raced and know the basics, including the flags. Chris admitted they hadn't paid attention to the memory task details which boggles my mind and makes me question whether they were ever really serious about the race until close to the end.
The other interesting thing about them was when he did the fireman training challenge, I had the sense he was having a difficult time following his lead's instructions but then he snapped out of it soon enough because this was some potentially dangerous stuff. It made me wonder if he ignores/tunes Logan out because she's Logan (God knows I would) or if it's part of how he's wired.
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You know, Khloe's Thanksgiving Pie Controversy is the first thing I've read about this group in a couple of weeks because I've been busy and am not all that engaged with the family (I saw here Kim popped out the kid - I'd avoided that news!). Anyway, I could give a shit about whether or not Khloe baked pies. However, instead of hurling vulgarities at her fans/followers, it would have been far smarter to say "you know, it's been a busy time with a lot going on and yeah, I took the easy way out and bought some pies. They were awesome." Most people would have understood and related to that. But no, she had to get nasty and vulgar, which I guess is who and what she is at heart.
The other interesting thing is that the Kardashians are supposed to be super savvy about social media. They are on it all the fucking time. How on earth can Khloe be surprised and/or offended that people snark on her fake bake? What did she expect?
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Of course if any other team does win over Green, I know there will be more camera time for Justin's tear stained, snot laden face.
I love this. Any and all of Justin's expansive screen time will be worth it all if the last shot of him is his tear stained, snot laden face. I think I'm going to record the finale, check the forum and delete if Green Team wins. I just can't bear the thought of watching his pompous, entitled crowing if he wins. I've already skipped a few episodes this season; I refuse to watch this jackass win.
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Lantern7, you make a compelling argument. Of course, if they came back in All Stars and had to race against a tougher field, it might be worth watching that. But no, no, you're right. Get him off the screen for good.
As a Supah Fan, Justin must read some of the forums . . . maybe? Sometimes I wonder if he wanders around in here and sees what kind of impression he's making.
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Yes Chris is annoying but holy moly Logan is a nasty piece of work. It really makes me wonder: if my only way to get on the race was to run it with someone who brings out my worst qualities, would I run it? How important is that race? I sense that Justin would run the race with the devil himself but I don't see much passion about anything from Chris and Logan, so I'm perplexed why she would undertake a grueling trip around the globe with someone she doesn't seem to like or respect much.
And I'm in the camp of Justin is performing the race more than running it (whoever posted that on page one nailed it). He can't just do a task. He has to shout, flail and "engage" with the locals, though jumping around and yelling woooo wooo or amigo or whatever the word of the day is hardly engaging them. I can't put my finger on why, but when I see Justin go through his paces, he seems insincere or forced. I will concede that it may be extremely difficult to turn "off" his persona since he is a morning radio personality. Given that he has to have a big personality on the air, it may be that Justin is one of those people who's always on, which means I wouldn't like him if this is his natural state. I guess that means he's in a no win situation with me, which isn't fair, but there it is.
I do believe he's sincere in his fandom. I wonder if he'd be so enthusiastic on a more difficult version of the race. They're basically walking through this race (I'd love to see them go up against some really great teams of days gone by) and it'd be interesting to see how he responds to a needle in the haystack kind of situation or some other real threat or adversity.
Kind of hoping the reporters get the win, bland as they are.
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I got a different impression. I think he was angered that the honor his deceased wife received was diminished by Glamour handing the same award to someone who has done absolutely nothing except parade around in designer clothes, pose for pictures, and improve her own net worth.
The undertone of transphobia -- which I don't see as transphobia but rather as him expressing a viewpoint many people hold, a viewpoint I believe they're entitled to hold AND express -- sounded to me more like a by-product of his overall anger at the situation.
While I'm on the topic, why is disagreement immediately interpreted as phobic? People can have a legitimate dislike about anything without it necessarily being related to fear. There are many aspects of life that I don't like -- does that mean I have a phobia of them all? Or any of them? Of course not. Why discount the possibility that people can look at a situation like this and decide for themselves whether they like it or not without fear ever entering the equation?I do see your point and agree that Caitlyn's name on the Women of the Year list would appear to minimize his late wife's honor in his eyes. However, I still think there's an element of transphobia in it due to his unwillingness to even accept Caitlyn as a woman. He refers to her as "him" and "Bruce" throughout the quote I read and to me that's a pretty big red flag that it's more than a personality dislike and indicates his disapproval of transgenderism in general.
I think Kromm's post really illustrates your final point: Rose McGowan calls out Caitlyn on a mind-numbingly stupid statement on the difficulty of being a woman and has to walk away from it because she's going to be labeled as a hater or whatever. It's ridiculous. Perhaps picking out what to wear is Jenner's greatest challenge as a woman (and I think that's probably true for her) but she has no idea what it's like in the real world for the rest of us. She's never been paid less because of her gender. She's never been harassed or stalked or threatened by a man. She hasn't been considered basically useless because she had the audacity to age. Rose McGowan just stated what most women know and the sacred cow really shot herself in the hoof with that statement, in my opinion.
My hope is that as Caitlyn continues to make these stupid pronouncements she'll be seen for the vapid cow she is and that the shine will start to dull and media outlets won't be in such a rush to laud her "accomplishments." Honestly, statements like that really make me wonder if she is transgender or simply was more into cross-dressing (and I'm sure that's not a pc statement, but frankly, I don't see much of anything else that suggests to me that she's really embracing being a woman. If she doesn't understand that it's beyond hair, makeup and clothes, than I have a hard time accepting her as transgender.)
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I don't believe Caitlyn is a great choice for the face of transgenderism for the reasons you state millennium. But I do believe that overall, conversation is a good thing because it offers the chance to dispel myths and provide factual information. Of course, there has to be a lot of conditions in that: the participants need to have an open mind, be respectful of differing opinions, willing to concede a point, etc. Transgenderism is one of those topics where many people have already formed strong opinions; Jenner may serve only to reinforce those opinions, negatively or positively. For the people who don't have an opinion, or are soft in what they believe, I can see the concern that Caitlyn is serving up a wretched example. However, it's the opportunity for positive role models to emerge, too. When people lament the poor example Caitlyn makes, she's often compared to a much more positive alternative.
Like you said, the attacks have prompted the discussion about the Syrian refugees. In response to the inevitable reaction to shut down the borders, people have begun to post the other side to that, including some very disturbing and moving images of the children that are among those refugees. That's way off topic here, but it goes to broader point: when there's discussion, there's always an opportunity for the other side, good or bad.
My personal belief is that the people who are deeply offended by transgenderism only see Caitlyn as a "see, I told you so!" kind of thing. I think the people who are more accepting will be able to see past her weaknesses and not paint the population with such a broad brush. My hope is that the people who simply don't know are opening their eyes and minds to explore the movement beyond what one person is.
As for the guy who returned his wife's Glamour Woman of the Year award, it wouldn't have mattered if it had been Caitlyn, Laverne Cox or another woman representing the trans movement. He was offended by the idea, not the person representing it, in my opinion. And I don't think a more suitable choice or anything else would ever change his mind on that score.
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Honestly, the issue I have with Kim's pregnancy clothing choices apply to anyone. So a sheer top on the blog writer does no more for me than it does on Kim (and I hate sheer . . . the fact this woman wore a sheer top to work is a little mind-boggling to me). I thought the pink outfit was fine on both women - appropriate and stylish. That lace up number - yikes no! And frankly, it looked worse on the blogger than it did on Kim. Who thinks that look is appropriate for work? Where does she work anyway that a sheer top or a dress that literally laces more than halfway down your abdomen is acceptable?
The other issue I have with the piece is that part of Kim's issue comes from wearing ill-fitting clothes and wearing stuff that is fighting against her body's response to pregnancy. That lady's feet were not busting out of her strappy high heels, though the bra she was wearing beneath the sheer top was too small. She kind of proves my point, actually: by all means be comfortable but wear clothes that fit - that's your best chance to look good when you're dressing for pregnancy (and any other time for that matter). Kim wouldn't be getting so much criticism if she wore stuff that actually fit her, though she'd still get slammed for all the see-through lace crap (and rightfully so, imo; I don't care who wears it: it's become so overdone that I'm tired of it and cringe when I see it).
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Well, with everything that's happening in the world right now, I think Time may go to a more political "person of the year," perhaps even naming ISIS or some such symbolic thing (it's named "whistleblowers," "scientists," "peacemakers," etc). If it's Caitlyn, and that's a big if, it will open the door to the discussion that Time's Person of the Year is not necessarily an honor. It's an acknowledgement of someone who changed/influenced the world for "better or worse." That's how you get the likes of Hitler and Stalin on the cover.
She may get the cover, and if she does, my guess is that it will be a more in-depth treatment of Caitlyn and her impact on the trans movement -- and there is no denying her impact. Like or dislike, she helped spawn a discussion about the movement in a way other trans people have not been able to do. I don't know if that was ever her intent (I doubt it) or if it became a profitable way to make some lemonade out of the batch of lemons most trans people get served up in the process. Personally, I think if we're going for a cultural change, something highlighting the acceptance of gay marriage and the supreme court decision supporting it would be more appropriate. In my opinion, that greater acceptance has made it much easier for the Caitlyns, Chazs, Lavernes of the world.
The possibilities seem endless. How Time chooses in a year that had Caitlyn, Trump, Bernie Sanders, Black Lives Matter, ISIS and the acceptance of gay marriage is mind boggling. When I look at that list, Cait is at the very bottom of that pack. I guess it depends on how many magazines Time wants to sell (says the cynical me).
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I wished the museum had been a field trip or something along those lines after the leg. I seem to remember a season when the teams actually did some physical labor or something at an orphanage at the pit stop after the leg was over. It wasn't discussed until the following week when some snippets were shown of them doing stuff with some talking heads about what they'd done/learned (if I remember correctly!). As it was, I felt like the racers had to interrupt the race for a Very Special Moment and I am sure every single one of them felt like they had to show the proper mix of empathy, respect, emotion etc. because it was all being filmed. In the end, no one was getting delayed by the tour because they all had the same experience, but when you're in the momentum of the race and all you're thinking about is keeping in the game, it must have been jarring for everyone to be taken out of that context so suddenly and then thrown back into the thick of competition.
I just think there could have been a better way to get Schindler's museum into the episode.
I don't know what you mean by an ironic edit but the Green Team has been getting a strong losers edit all along.
The ironic edit I refer to with Diana and Justin is if the "invincible super fans who win every leg and are the target of all the other teams" turns out to lose in the end. I'm not getting a loser edit from Justin and Diana - maybe it's the new Supah Fan edit. I don't know; I suppose we interpret it differently. I don't like him and when she weepingly apologizes for being a less than awesome teammate, I don't care much for her either. I started giving him the stink eye in the first episode when he cried over the fast forward and he's been on a slow, steady decline ever since. To me, he comes across as a dick, but he's cloaking it in his fan boy love, which I guess is supposed to excuse his behavior. Part of it is I don't like playing for a camera. I'm sure it's hard to have a camera on you all the time and everyone wants to put their best foot forward, which is hard to do when everything you're doing is documented - we all have our dickish moments. However, the rest of the teams seem to have become accustomed to the cameras and don't seem to be as "on" and showy as Justin is. I don't get the vibe from Diana so much, however.
It's ironic to me that the racers who appear to work the hardest to come across as likable usually seem the most obnoxious to me. Justin fits that category, for me.
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Well, as much as I don't really like Caitlyn, I applaud Glamour for sticking by its guns. For one, Cait is one of a variety of women honored. And another, the husband is still referring to her as a man, as Bruce, etc. Of course he's not going to understand anything transgender. I think she did a brave thing; I just wish all the extra accolades would have waited a bit beyond the transition.
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I hate Phil asking other teams to talk about how wonderful and dominant Justin and Diana are. It's gross.
And it's tiresome, which is what the season has become. Honestly, I'm watching to see if Justin and Diana are going to take the whole thing or if they're getting a bit of an ironic edit (which is my hope).
It really bothered me that they had an almost 90 minute lead on everyone else. There was no suspense on this leg because there was nothing that put that leg in jeopardy - no delayed openings, no bunching, etc. With one team on the flight just walking its way through the tasks there's no surprise they came out on top on this leg. I don't suspect shenanigans but I would have loved to see a second team on the earlier flight. It's hard for me to consider Justin and Diana excellent racers because I don't see where they're doing anything particularly outstanding. I think most of the other teams are just that underwhelming and many of the race requirements haven't been particularly challenging, either. So in my opinion, Justin and Diana are good racers in the pack of mediocre opponents. Now if they hadn't had a 90 minute jump on everyone and burned through the tasks, or if they came from 90 minutes behind to win the leg I'd have been impressed. But really, I'm not feeling it. It will be interesting to see how big their lead turns out to be next week.
When the cheerleaders were failing miserably at the roadblock my husband was disgusted. As he put it, they're performers for God's sake. Do some cheers! Put on a show! That would have been much more likely to bring in money than "here! I'm hot! Kiss me for money!" Ugh. I'm guessing their type of cheerleading is basically waving their pom poms and making the duck face when the camera pans on them. I don't dislike them but they lost a lot of points at their pathetic attempt to busk.
I don't like or dislike Team Texas and am not really swayed either way by them giving over second to last to the girls. I don't think they're particularly good racers either, but I do think they were in a damned if they do/damned if they don't situation with the mat being so close to the final task. There was no way to really have any kind of a footrace to the mat the way that was set up. I hope they don't do that again.
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Well, she ruined the above great look with this monstrosity.
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Diana should just let Justin decide everything. No really. Just let him make all the decisions. She can then avoid his constant abuse of her when she makes even the tiniest of mistakes. Speaking of which, since Justin is such a pro at all this he should know to take a taxi whenever you can. You go straight there and, more importantly, you do not start out what will of course be a physically demanding day with one mile race.
You know, if my husband gets too bossy (like, "hey, don't you think you should stir that sauce a little more") I just give him control. It doesn't happen often, and as the years have passed it happens a lot less often now because I developed a response of "fine, do it your way." There's no arguing or "I told you so." Just "alrighty, take over and deal with it." Over time we've both learned when it's worth second-guessing each other and when it isn't. It appears Diana has not learned to take this approach. Instead, they discuss their mistakes every evening so "they" can learn from them. And I imagine that discussion entails something like:
"That wasn't a bad leg, Diana. Thank GOD we came in first again; I don't think I could continue if we didn't. And I have to admit, your insistence on walking did give us an extra few thousand dollars. However, if you'd done it my way, we would have had a much larger lead. But you really messed up on those sunflowers. I mean, come on. How hard is it to pick out a painting? And if you'd been friendlier to the judge, maybe throwing in a little Dutch or something, he may have given you the painting. You saw how that worked for me in Argentina; they LOVED my 'amigo!!!'. Anyway, we really lost a lot of time because of you. And we weren't first anymore. If we aren't first, what's the point?"
"Well, it was really hard to tell the paintings apart. The flowers were different and the vase-"
"Obviously you didn't work on your observation and memorization skills sufficiently before we began the race. I think we're going to have to spend an extra hour running through our review of all the places we've been on the race so far. Where's the book of world flags and the inflatable globe I brought with us? We need to get to work on that for the final leg. We can't risk that you'll mess up on a memorization task . . . "
Watching Teams eliminated because they made completed bone-headed mistakes is one thing. But watching Teams who make bone-headed mistakes saved because another Team (or Teams!) made even worse mistakes is not the Amazing Race I want to watch.
Yes! There are some flashes of good racing, to be sure, but overall, I'm not all that impressed with what I'm seeing from the racers. It's nice that Team Texas appreciates the travel, but I had to roll my eyes at the idea of them actually taking time to play tourist instead of hustling to move on. And I had no real opinion of Chac Attack (other than hating on that stupid name) but I could not believe they would actually willingly sit for 45 minutes and do nothing all in the quest for a bus. There's not another team in sight and the idea of a cab is dismissed as soon as it's brought up - what the hell? In my opinion, the only time you sit around doing nothing during the race is if you're sitting out a penalty or waiting for a task to open/board your plane. It was painful to see them just sitting at the bus stop.
Look, I can forgive not knowing country mottoes and mispronouncing names. I can even overlook The Hague (though it's disturbing that a news anchor does not recognize it, which is a whole different conversation). I'm having a harder time with the math (because that was very basic math and they had paper and pencil). If I'm feeling charitable I would write it off to fatigue and stress. But it's more than bad pronunciation and inability to do grade-school math; it seems like there's some basic bad judgment going on here. You don't need to be a rocket scientist to win the race but you should be able to rely on some sort of logic and critical thinking to get through. In my opinion, this has not been all that difficult of a race so far. I'm not saying I'd blaze through the tasks (like ship vs. double dutch - I'd have been screwed on that!), but this season doesn't seem to be as mentally and physically taxing as years past and it seems like this group of teams is barely up to the challenge. It'd be interesting to see Diana and Justin go up against some of the really strong teams from past years.
And I wonder if the cheerleaders' comment about not really knowing what country they're in is a hint about the final three? I am unspoiled; I have no idea if they make it that far or not, but it could be foreshadowing for that final task.
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They are going to be an absolute disaster if they end up in the middle or the bottom.
Well, based on Justin's crying in the first leg when they weren't able to do the fast forward, I'd say a melt down would be pretty much a given. I don't like him at all, for many of the reasons already stated here. I feel like he's really made for television; I haven't had so much of a "the camera's on me vibe" since the hippies. He seems very contrived, which is one of the things I hated about the hippies, too.
I expected to dislike the cheerleaders, the paps and the anchors for purely superficial reasons. As it turns out, I like the anchors and the cheerleaders more than I anticipated and the paps are worse than expected. It really is a blah season and I kind of feel like it's more about rooting against Justin and the paps at this point. I agree that some real tasks requiring skill would make a difference.
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Is she THE woman of the year or one of the WOMEN of the year? Because I can see where she'd be one of a collection of notable women for 2015. While I don't have much use for her and am pretty much over her too, her transition has called a lot of attention to the transgender community. I love me some Laverne Cox and agree that she's a better role model (if that's what you're looking for for that particular movement), but it's hard to deny that transitioning from a famous Olympic athlete (albeit, the world's best athlete as he was known at the time) to a woman is noteworthy.
I don't have much more to add about why I'm over Caitlyn or about what kind of ambassador she is for the movement; choosing her simply on those merits is weak, in my opinion. But if it's about generating discussion, then I have to admit she has done that in a way that Laverne Cox has not (was she even famous pre-transition? I don't know and am sincerely asking that question. Seems she's famous more for her work than being a star who transitioned, a la Caitlyn and Chaz).
I look at it similarly to Time's Person of the Year, which isn't necessarily a compliment.
Edited to add: I haven't read the story so I don't know if it's a fawning puff piece or what it's slant is . . .
S27.E12: We Got A Chance, Baby!
in The Amazing Race
Ay caramba. How awful yet how unsurprising. And this is why they'll end up on an all stars edition. The only thing we can hope for is that any all stars edition J&D participate in is packed with some good, solid teams that can eliminate the Greens early on.