[S12.E05: Guess Who's Coming To Dinner]

My issue with Jo is how they are writing her.  Putting aside the fact that she has the right to be annoyed by Alex and his friends, SHE needs to either do something about it or stop complaining.  She is being completely passive and reactive.  Her reaction to Alex, to Stephanie, to the attendings' treatment of her is to complain and then do nothing about it.  You feel like you are being disrespected by your attendings?  Kick ass at the hospital and make them notice you.  You feel like Alex's friends are mean to you?  Don't just sit by with an annoyed look on your face when they talk down to you.  Put them in their place or try to find some common interest.  If they already don't respect you, what can it hurt?  Alex is ignoring you?  Get a fucking hobby so that you have something to talk about besides him!  Go to Joe's with the interns, join a book club, something and let Alex see what it feels like when you don't have time for him.  Ugh.  I really like Jo, but this has to stop. She is one self-righteous speech away from becoming Izzie* and I just CANNOT have that.

I agree with all of this. I also still feel that in this instance Jo completely misread the emotional context of the dinner and chose to complain when Alex clearly had a reason to be worried about Meredith. She was at the table when Meredith dropped the Penny bombshell--they all clearly saw how upset she was! I definitely don't solely blame Jo for the Alex/Jo drama, but IMO this was clearly not the time to make a situation about her issues with Alex/his friends when Meredith was freaking out and really needed a friend (even if she isn't a perfect friend herself).

 

ETA: I think the earlier posts suggesting the possibility of purposeful character assassination raise an interesting point. This character has really departed from who she was when we met her.

[S12.E05: Guess Who's Coming To Dinner]

The Stephanie telling Jo she was better than her felt almost out of place until you place it in context with what she said earlier and even what happened last week.  Last week I felt there was an argument that the confrontation with Weber had a leetle tendril of a racial undertone.  Where the black characters might feel it in the room, but the white characters were blind to it.  But I put it aside because it wasn't really overt and felt maybe I was projecting.  But this week when Stephanie brought up again "they barely know who you are and yet they automatically believe you over me." made me feel that leetle  tendril of racial undertone again.   So of course when Jo mentions Stephanie's illness in relation to her accomplishments and drive that probably set off a red-flag in Steph's head.  Because black students can be so very aware that they have to to work twice as hard to be considered half as good.  And reasons are given as to why are excel -- except the obvious ones like smarts.  And like it or not, Shonda can be subtle when it comes to pointing out microaggressions.  I remember in an ep of Scandal Liv and Abby walked into a room to meet a new client, and the woman walked over to Abby and said 'You must be Olivia Pope.'  Nothing else was made of it, Liv just corrected her and introduced herself and that was it.  But as a viewer everyone got what just happened there. So I think there may be a little of that going on.

I think you are right on the money with this. I also wondered if racial undertones were meant during the Weber convo last week, especially when Amelia looked so immediately ashamed when he asked her why she was so willing to believe Jo when she knows Stephanie so much better. I got the same vibe this week, even if Jo was obvlious and Stephanie may have been jumping to conclusions. I do think that the example Jo used was clunky and made things confusing. She tried to link challenging life experiences to motivation for performance (not to intelligence or actual surgical ability) so Stephanie's rant fell a little flat to me even though I know what she was going for.

 

In any event, I think that what this really points to is that most of these characters can be, um...let's call it challenged with reading nuiance or exhibiting basic emotional responses outside of themselves. Penny is clearly uncomfortable? Callie: "Stay here when I leave!". Amelia is blaming the world for her grief? Owen tells an awkward story that isn't exactly addressing what she said. Alex goes to comfort a clearly grieving friend of many years? Jo: "Alex is ignorning me!". On and on...

[Beyond Season 7--Virtual Gilmore!]

I hope I haven't missed a discussion on this topic, but I am currently obsessed with Virtual Gilmore and am hoping that some of you are as well and would like to discuss it! I recently discovered these excellent additions to the Gilmore universe. For those who don't know, Virtual Gilmore in an incredibly detailed imagining of Seasons 8, 9 and 10. They pick up directly following the series finale and resume a protrayal of every aspect of Stars Hallow characters and storylines. Every plot is covered and all characters are re-visited, ranging from the development of Luke and April's relationship to Rory on the campaign trial.  I am still reading Season 8 (I can't believe there are actually "scripts" for 22 episodes in this season!) and I am really enjoying the plot developments. It actually feels like the story has continued on in a very authentic way--almost as if they are true cannon of the series. Has anyone else read this?

 

 

[Pharrell Williams: He's Happy]

I don't know what is going on, but Pharrell is slowly wooing me. I think I am falling in love. He is just so. freaking. cool. I could watch an entire show just of him!

[S19: Keoikantse "Keo" Motsepe]

I was really looking forward to seeing more of Keo, but considering that I cringed every time Lolo was on the screen I am sort of relieved that their partnership is over. I wonder why TPTB chose to pair a first-time pro with a celeb who is known for being exceedingly difficult? I feel like one of the seasoned pros could have been more forceful and handled her attitude (can you imagine her with Maks?!).

 

I really hope we see Keo in lots of pro and group numbers in throughout the rest of the season! The dance with he, Artem and Allison was incredible.

[S19.E02: Week 1: Results & Elimination]

Did anyone notice the Season 18 champ wasn't included when they talked to celebrities in the ballroom? I guess she and her showmance partner were too busy chasing down reporters to take pictures of them so they could stir all that crap up again. But it sure was great to see Charlie and Ralph!

Meryl was on GMA yesterday so I am guessing she was still in NYC during last night's show.....although I did see a picture of she and Max in the audience on Monday night!