bourbon

So Beau has had B'way 2x, but Keaton has had ballroom 2x (I know disco isn't technically ballroom, but you get it). They really want Beau to win, don't they? Is it just me, or has the costuming been really off this season. From Carter's weird skinny jeans and white shoes look to their weird idea of 80s attire (including Waverly's wig), and Keaton's bad gold lame disco tunic that made him look like a gay Cossack. It hasn't been good. Sadly, I'm not enjoying this season. The judges always protect dancers that they like, even when the voters don't (Hello, Jenna), but it seems particularly forced this season. Thiago should not have gone before Carter. Beau should not still be here. It's just not fun. And I really miss the group numbers.

Ugh I know. It's not like it's even a big SAT word. I just never think it's as cute as kids think it is when they don't know words. Yes, I'm old. They're really leaning into this "you're not connecting" line. In a bygone era, they would have protected Thiago. I'm thinking of Jenna, who was in the bottom week after week, and Nigel would chastise the TV audience for it and week after week they'd save her. I'm not sure why they let him go. Did they not want to have the final 4 guys all be contempo/jazz guys? He kind of left me cold, but I thought for sure he'd be final 3. I feel like they're pushing for a Keaton/Beau final 2 guys. Yes, and add Carter's white shoes and ripped skinny-jeans look for the salsa. It was not a good look. Carter is very theme-parky to me.

I quite liked it. Erin Doherty was very good. She made a heroine who is a liar, a fraud, and a thief very sympathetic. No small feat. The mystery isn't terribly compelling, but as a character study, it was very enjoyable. It reminded me a bit of Talented Mr. Ripley -- a "nobody" suddenly getting with the in crowd, how they try to hold onto the power, and the utter devastation when they find themselves on the outside again. The one thing that didn't quite ring true...Becky is a friendless loser in her real life, but when she is taking on a new persona as Sasha, she is poised, witty, and charming. So...why doesn't she just act like Sasha when she's Becky. Clearly, she's got social skills. Why not exercise them all the time? One of the characters evens points out that everything Sasha is, Becky is, too. They shoehorn in a childhood trauma and sick mom to address why Becky is so insecure and lonely, but it doesn't quite work, and I never get why the poised and beautiful Becky is such a sad sack.

I wish they had three judges: one contempto/jazz, one hip hop, one ballroom. Between them, they should have enough vocabulary to judge the major styles and the other styles that sneak in there like Broadway, Bollywood, tap, or afrojazz. I don't *mind* in theory a judge who is not an expert in dance. I think expert judges get a little too wrapped up in technique or throw around terms that non-dancers aren't going to get (I still, after all these years watching, don't know what hip hop judges mean by "in the pocket.") and don't tend to focus as much on chemistry and audience connection. I think it can be helpful to have a judge who is there acting as audience surrogate actually watching in person. That said, Leah does not add anything to the conversation. It's not cute or funny to have a judge screech about the dancer's "flippy thing." It's an insult. I'd rather have Mary Murphy. Or aren't there any DWTS castoff pros who need a job? Hell, I'd rather have Vanessa Hudgens back. At least she has musical theatre experience. Beau just dances very heavy to me (no pun intended). It all just seems very labored. Don't know if he sings, but there are a ton of musical theatre roles he could kill. But here doing contemporary in a wind blown linen shirt? It just doesn't work. I liked Carter this time out, and I really enjoy Keaton's athleticism.

I do like that they've opened this show up as far as body-diversity. There are certainly dancers that Nigel NEVER would have accepted. It's just more interesting, and I like that having a larger or smaller dancer forces the choreographers to open up the storytelling, particularly with the contemporary dances. I feel like there are only so many times we can watch variations on someone is dead/dying/addicted/abused/estranged. Beau can sell the hell out of a dance. The technique isn't there, but the same can be said for a lot of dancers that have passed thru the SYTYCD family. I also liked Keaton, and I think that's another instance of the choreographers maybe being creative in their choreography with someone who isn't your traditional lithe male dancer. They've had bigger guys before -- I'm thinking of Will from S9 -- but I think it was largely done as a sight gag when paired with petite, pixieish Amelia. I'm interested to see how/if they use his size, as compared to someone like Waver I find it difficult to warm to Thiago. And I don't know what it is about many ballroom boys like Carter. There's sort of a bland slickness that seems to be trained into them. Lots of teeth, nice hair, meh. I don't think he's long for this show.

You might be thinking of Jay Jackson, who performed drag under the name Laganja Estranja, and has now transitioned.

Oh, well that's OK then. 🙄 I'm struck but statements that the Catholic Church is, on its face, a misogynistic and homophobic religion. Would they feel that comfy saying the same of Islam without being called out as Islamophobic and hateful? Just wondering. Personally, I don't agree with Matt's stance on homosexuality and prolly a whole LOTTA things politically, socially, and theologically (abortion, women in the priesthood, etc.) but I admire his integrity and what seems like his genuine desire to build bridges with Danny and to love him and wish him nothing but the best. YMMV. Danny needs Matt to say that he accepts him unconditionally and isn't just "overlooking" his "sin." Matt needs Danny to say that they can be friends despite the fact Matt is still struggling with his and the church's views on homosexuality. Both stances are understandable, but neither one is ready/willing/able to say what the other needs to hear. Sometimes friends need to wish each the best with love and walk away. That said, I was really moved by Matt and Danny's conversation on the park bench. I think they're good people with differing views who were able to engage each other respectfully and honestly. It was refreshing. More of that, please. I feel Kelley. Gossiping about hook ups was fun in college. It's just exhausting in your 40s. I think Julie genuinely loves Spence, but I feel like she is skirting pretty close to emotional infidelity with Jamie.

This is, first and foremost, a TV show. FN wants narratives, arcs, and diversity. Romy didn't fit that narrative. FN likes scrappy small-business bakers (Jaleesa), inspirational stories (Dennis), and redemption arcs (Carolyn). Romy didn't have any of that. Except for the last challenge, he didn't talk about being faraway from home, didn't talk about family, didn't cry about obstacles he'd overcome, etc. He just put out great bakes time and again and got punished for it with the inane sprinkles challenge. That challenge -- baking with literal sprinkles -- could have been a fun(ish) and goofy pre-heat. "Every spring, PTAs and youth sports teams hold bake sales to raise money. And what says 'bake sale' more than a cookie, brownie, or bar with sprinkles!? You can choose from rainbow sprinkles, chocolate sprinkles, non-pareils, or dragees." They could have done for the sudden death an *elevated* dessert that incorporated sprinkles somewhere in the dish. Instead we got this frankly insulting challenge. Those cookies Molly held up as an example were ridiculous. This is what you want? To decide $25,000? I mean, I get that the best person doesn't necessarily win any of these reality competition shows, but please don't insult the competitors. Or the viewers, FN.

Man, I've had my fill of incompetent judges this week...

Yeah, something stinks in the kitchen, and it's not just Carolyn's camembert. There is NO WAY Tom should have been eliminated over Jaleesa. In not setting the right temp, Jaleesa made a very basic error in baking her cheesecake and then did not have the basic technique to try and remedy the error. That *alone* should have eliminated her from being in the final of a *championship.* Not to mention that she also basically forgot her wine element and slapped on a bunch of flower cutouts AND has had a wildly inconsistent showing all season. By her own admission, she had the easiest cheese -- mascarpone -- and should have had this running away. Instead, she was in the bottom 2 for a rookie mistake. Tom's wasn't much better, but Jaleesa should've gotten the boot. Of the remaining bakers, I like Rome the best, but Carolyn is bound to win, and this will be all about her redemption arc. I'm puzzled as to why the judges brought her back. Was it because they thought she was unfairly eliminated b/c her bake wasn't the worst? Or was it b/c her dish was the "worst" during a week when everyone knocked it out of the park? If it's the former, then sure... but it seems deeply unfair to wait a couple of weeks to bring her back when she could realistically been eliminated during any of those intervening weeks. If it's the latter, then they should have done a no-elimination week and then ejected two the next week. Or stuck to the rules and eliminated her. The thing I like on GBBO is that someone can go from being star baker one week to eliminated the next. That's what makes it suspenseful. If we know a strong baker can be invited back, what's the point? But I don't like Carolyn and her over-reliance on Hawaiian flavors. And I don't know...she's got a weird, entitled, snarky vibe she tries to hide with this cutesy "aloha" thing. Not my favorite. Speaking of not my favorite things, I'm not loving Molly. I found her grating in the first episode and considered turning it off for the season. She's grown on me...very, very slightly, but she really adds nothing and in some way, she detracts. You'd think it would be better having an actual chef as host, but she adds nothing in that respect except wandering around and saying "Yum!" when the contestants tell her their ingredients. Her only other contribution is saying "Aw!" and sticking out her lower lip when a contestant mentions their pet/child/grandma/spouse. Her voice is like nails on chalkboard. I also don't want to see her gums all the time.

Ugh, this is really dreadful. The reviews weren't good, but I thought surely it couldn't be THAT bad. Oh, it's that bad. I was really looking forward to this when it was announced, as all three actresses are amazing. I was a little iffy on Viola Davis -- she's great, but she seemed too old for Michelle Obama. The thing about the Obamas that was notable and appealing for many voters was their youth. The were (relatively) young and glamorous and had that youthful, idealistic energy about them. They were equals, partners. Now, Viola Davis isn't exactly a tired old hag, but she's clearly in her 50s, so we're losing some of what made Michelle Obama different and appealing. Not to mention that she is clearly a good decade older than O-T Fagbenle and seemed in some of those scenes where she was chastising Barack about the secret service more like a nagging big sister than a wife. And for heaven's sake...WHAT IS WITH HER MOUTH? I mean, Michelle Obama has that slightly slurry "overbite" S sound when she speaks, but it is barely noticeable. What is Viola Davis doing? They way she lisps and rolls her lips back and pinches her mouth. Gah, it is so weird and off-putting, not to mention having very, very little to do with the way Mrs. Obama actually speaks. She's a great actress, but she is just not good here. And Gillian Anderson...she was so good as Thatcher and really showed she was good with real people and different accents, but she's totally missed out on Eleanor's distinctive patrician accent. It kind of wanders in and out from scene to scene. It's not good. (I do like to see Jackie Earle Haley getting work, though. Yes, I'm a 70s kid.) I knew little about Betty Ford, so I *am* enjoying that segment. I'm thinking I will wait until all episodes are released and then just watch the Betty Ford bits and FF thru the rest.

By far my favorite exchange was when Nadia told Maxine she had looked something up on the internet. Nadia: Don't worry, your nudes were very tasteful. Maxine: (disappointed) They weren't supposed to be. Greta Lee was great, but I really wanted to see more of Nadia and Alan together. I kept thinking that their stories would somehow merge -- that Nadia would take a trip to Berlin to track down the loot the Nazis stole, and she'd run into Alan. Instead, their stories just merged when Alan's grandmother Agnes turned out to be the MTA worker who helped Nadia. I just didn't otherwise see the point of his story at all.

I thought this was fun and funny and light and the perfect antidote to a gloomy February afternoon. I think the success of it depended on how the celebs approached their role in the show. Conan, Sharon, and Marshawn appeared to be playing roles, *versions* of themselves, rather themselves. Conan was playing hard boiled detective, Sharon was the deadpan, no-nonsense partner brushing off Terry's flirtations, Marshawn was the gung-ho new recruit (Bagabiche! It's French!). Ken and Kumail were just kind of themselves with Kumail refusing to go along with the questions about his girlfriends and Ken just a giggly mess. I thought it was most successful when there was buy-in from the celebs that they were actually playing roles and not just appearing on some reality show skit. Marshawn Lynch was hilarious. I'd love to see him do more comedy or host SNL or something.

When I saw the preview clips for this episode, I thought it was going to be an unconventional challenge from the dollar store and Prajje and Chasity got toilet seat covers and Octavio and Anna got Hefty bags and leopard-print muumuus. The guest judge who thought O and A's looked like Flintstones realness was spot on. Not a big Bones fan, but he was in the right about his argument with Aaron. I'm also not a fan of people who call out bad language when other people are arguing. They're all adults. People are going to swear in the heat of the moment. If you're that offended by F bombs, maybe you should step away.

1) That's a very broad statement that I can't either agree or disagree with, and that's the problem 2) what was her "harmful" behavior? Annoying and overboard yes, but harmful? I'm not buying it. And how did she whitesplain? How did she have microaggressions? And how on earth did she do "cultural appropriation?" She was trying way too hard to show her liberal cred, but it seems she was in a no win situation. Be interested in my problems, but not *too* interested. Care about my culture, but not *too* much. Take the blame for my lot in life, but not *too* much blame. Apologize to me, but not *too* much. Someone like Meg is more likely to have privilege and power in many situations. But -- for a variety of reasons -- not in this workroom. But anyway, it's a show about fashion not Sociology 101.

Exactly. There was nothing hateful and probably nothing "fake" about Meg's conversation with Prajje about being "offended on [his] behalf" about cultural appropriation. She was guilty of nothing more than being a try-hard. It's awkward but well-intentioned and if Prajje, as he said, was uncomfortable, he could have diffused her rant there and then with "Yeah, I get it." This was about "privilege" and power...but Meg had none of it. Kenneth and Prajje were holding all the cards, and play them, they did. But...this show has long had a bullying problem.

Meg's woke rant to Prajje was annoying, but that was some bullshit right there. Wait until the last minute to swap on some BS "I design Asian inspired wear" story. And I call bullshit on the other contestants saying all Meg had to do was say No to Kenneth's request to switch models. Had she said that, they would have called her a selfish racist bitch. She was in a no win situation. Her best (and only) play would have been to bite her tongue, smile through gritted teeth and give Kenneth her model. The only person attacked was Meg, and I don't even like Meg. Prajje took advantage of a volatile situation to isolate Meg, and everyone jumped on the woke bandwagon. Prajje and Kenneth and anyone who clucked their tongues about how awful Meg was can't go home too quickly for me.

Evan Peters not only was great in the drunk scene, but he's the only actor doing the accent consistently. (I'm a Delco native) Despite all the articles online about how much work Kate did on the accent, it's not great and NOT consistent at all. She's doing the O's pretty well -- words like don't and phone, but she's missing the other markers that make the Delco accent distinct. Evan's getting the flattened O's ("you owe me a Cewke.") But he's also getting the the I in words like right and nice, that sound more like roight and noice. He's also getting the flattened A. While most Americans might pronounce the A in words like bathroom, after, and map the same way, the Phila accent will will have the A in bathroom and after more like the A in words like dance and can't. Peters is getting all of that right (or roight!), although I think his accent might be even thicker for a kid from Ridley High Class of '05.

Wow, I just did not like this show. I had such high hopes after WandaVision, but even that kind of missed the mark in the finale. This show just left me cold. It just didn't seem to know what it wanted to be. It felt like any time the writers didn't know what to do, they would just throw in some whacky bro-tastic bickering between Sam and Bucky. And I'm all for layered villains, but there's a difference between that and just not really knowing how to handle a character. John Walker? Hero or villain? The lack of certainty about that seemed less like a writing choice and just the writers having no idea how to handle him. And speaking of villains, I was not feeling Karli as a villain. Didn't care about her. Didn't care about her cause. I kept feeling like we were supposed to be conflicted about the Flag Smashers and draw real-world parallels to refugees, but it was all so heavy-handed. This isn't why I watch MCU. If I want moral ambiguities, I can find that done better elsewhere. On a side note...someone referred to Bucky as "Sgt Barnes." That poor guy still hasn't gotten a promotion in 70+ years?

This looks pretty dormant, but I just finished bingeing on Netflix, so... There are a few shows with finales so bad, so confounding, so WTF, that they ruin the entire series for me. How I Met Your Mother is one. Ashes to Ashes another. I'm not sure this finale falls *quite* into that category, but it is pretty darn close. I appreciated that Augustus Dove and Nathaniel were complex characters. I actually liked Dove and was rooting for him until he killed Robin. I kept hoping he hadn't actually done it, but alas. I think he really cared about Rose and Connor and wanted to do right by him, terrifying governess aside. And daaammmmn was that last season grim and utterly hopeless. I was so hoping Rose and Drake would reconcile before his murder, but no. The love between them was utterly broken, and she goes off, leaving Connor basically motherless and alone. Again. They had painted Susan into such an unsympathetic character since S3, I wasn't sorry to see her go, but I wish they'd have done it a season earlier. Watching her skulk around London killing people and spying on her kid did not make for good storytelling or character development. And WTF was the point of killing Jackson? I get that they wanted to leave Reid utterly alone without his friends or family, but *he already was*! Drake and Susan, dead. Jackson, Rose, Mimi, Mathilda, moved away. Why kill him? To what end? Even Drum and Tilda's ending wasn't terribly happy. They were cute, and I think he really did love her, at least, but they seemed so mismatched. Not to mention the fact that he really did betray her by lighting that candle, and she pulled a gun on him. It felt to me that when she found out she was pregnant, she agreed to marry him b/c she didn't have any other options, and she moved away to start again and make the best of it. Reid's ending was so grim. I figured there was no other way it would end. He wouldn't retire and would continue to police Whitechapel. But it was just sooo dark. He wasn't a dogged cop protecting his people, he was an obsessed and mentally ill cop who had murdered multiple people and had lost everyone he'd ever cared about. Feh. I liked it, but that ending. Won't re-watch.

Not a huge Kelli and Judy fan, and it really isn't any candidate's job to make K&J feel less bad about cutting them. I also don't follow any DCC on social media, and I don't know what went on with the cut vets raising concerns about "the bubble." That said, I'm not terribly sympathetic to Hannah, Brennan, or Lily. They were given parameters from the get-go about what the TC would be. They chose to participate, and Hannah seemed checked out from day one. She appeared to not want to be there. Then...don't? Brennan was also given a chance to bow out gracefully and earn an automatic spot in next year's TC, and she didn't take it. How serious could her concerns have been. All 3 are aware of all the decisions that go into choosing the final squad, e.g., that it is highly subjective. Sure, I know it must have hurt a great deal, and I understand their frustration at how it went down, but it wasn't the first time any of them had been called into the office this TC. Brennan and Lily were multiple-year cuts and got in each time by the skin of their teeth. Should they have been cut before Alora-Rose or Jessica? I don't know, but I don't think the case for the vets is so much stronger than the case for the rookies to be outraged by the decision. And certainly the case for them isn't so strong to merit the attitude with K&J and the subsequent cries of being the victims of politics. But I don't follow DCC on the off-season, and I don't watch football, so I'm not privy to the politics of it all.

This was a whole lot of really unpleasant people, but I suppose they're no different than participants on any other "candid" reality show. If that was the point they were trying to make, they were successful. My daughter is a hearing ASL interpreter, and she works a lot with students and staff at Gallaudet. She's commented about the whole "elite" deaf of deaf group. Tessa and her crew came off like a bunch of Mean Girls.

I like it. It's charming and sweet and full of likable people. Even the "villains" are surprisingly likable. It's refreshing to see a show with characters who are decent people who sometimes do the wrong thing. Perfect show for this silly season.

I enjoyed this. It was completely bonkers, but I enjoyed it. I suspected Meyer was not who he said he was, and perhaps he was even a Nazi. When we met him, he was watching "Seconds," essentially a movie about plastic surgery or assuming a new identity in a new body. And when he was meeting with the Swiss banker, the banker commented that Meyer's German was excellent. Not sure I bought the twist, but it was interesting. However, it never solved the question of the impossible chronology. When did OG-Meyer and Ruth have a baby? He "disappeared" in November '45, which means Ruth would have to have been pregnant already. So, even if she gave birth in early 1946, her child Naomi would only have been 12 or so when Jonah was born. Or did they have a child before the war? I don't recall that being mentioned. It didn't make sense and seems kind of sloppy. Two other things: there were references to Kramer vs. Kramer and Saturday Night Fever. Both of which came out after 1977.

Ugh. I hated the hijab storyline. HATED. Marjan snapping "IT'S A CHOICE!" about it was offensive to the millions of Muslim women around the world who have no choice and are beaten or murdered for making the brave choice NOT to wear it. Where are those stories? I'd rather see them than the trite bullshit of the oh so brave Western woman making the oh so brave choice of wearing a scarf.