SandyToes

"She has children?!?!" (Crystal, the bat-wielding visitor) Would be funnier if not so horrifyingly true.

Agreed. We were surprised, too. Impressed that so many of the first round dishes turned out so well.

I caught this one, too, and was pleasantly surprised. I think chocolate soup/pie didn't use eggs in his mixture. I remember watching it, and he rattled off his ingredients, then was interrupted by Duff, and I recall thinking Eggs! No eggs! So maybe that was what happened. In scoping out the comments on last season's (caught it today on the repeats), one of the posters with inside knowledge said the kids were allowed to bring a set of their own recipes, so they aren't necessarily creating everything from memory. That makes tons more sense, and even makes me feel like it lessens the stress a little bit on the kids.

I think it says something when people are GLAD they missed episodes. Producers, are you listening? We want WACKY, not crazy. I mean, at least give us some interesting fashion gurus! My episode descriptions are STILL messed up, so whenever anyone gets the info on when Patricia Bean reappears please send out a red alert!! I have life. Really I do.

AngelaHunter, I think you and 27bored both hit on what I've been feeling, too. Not so much fun (tho' the DeLorean case kinda was), but icky. I had wondered when the fall season started if we were seeing actors/stories rather than "real people!" and "real cases!" One reason I dislike parent/child cases, or those involving the elderly. I made the comment about a list of kids in jest (mostly), but isn't it sad? These are real kids, and I think in this case, whatever his troubles are, they probably aren't his fault. I always tell my future teachers to meet the parents of the kids they have the most trouble with. May not make life easier, but it often explains a whole lot. (And these aren't the parents who come to Parents' Night.) Bring on more wacky neighbors, people with magenta hair, and drunk, out-of-control roommates. Or Tupperware. I could do Tupperware.

DoctorK, you did see that his mom is a SCHOOL COUNSELOR, right?! OMG. We are doomed. We've got a list of drinking games, favorite sayings, and litigants we love. Do we have a list of "children who will end up in prison?" The boy may have been a little "special." But even so. Mom is at least 51% of the problem, I'm guessing.

I wondered about it too, so checked the credits. She's listed as a guest star in tiny type at the end.

seacliffsal brings up a fair point, and one of the downfalls of having a case heard outside of the jurisdiction, where the judge may also know the road in question. But I'm still with Spunky on this one. Good thing the plaintiff's flux capacitor wasn't damaged!

Re: The bike lane case: I was afraid JJ was going to rule for the plaintiff, but then he made the crucial comments that (a) another vehicle had stopped to allow him to cross (it sounded like Judy thought the traffic pattern was slow enough for him to go), and (b) his field of vision was obscured. In my neck of the woods, we have lots of roads like this - where you have to cross two lanes of on-coming traffic when you can. Often the inside opposing car will stop, but that doesn't mean it's clear to go - there is still the far side lane. Those folks are under no obligation to stop to allow me to turn, and cannot even SEE that someone (like me) is trying to turn across. Was the def going to fast? Probably. But even more reason for the plaintiff to make sure the coast is completely clear. Just because the guy in the truck motioned him to go ahead (I am surmising), that doesn't mean it was safe. Now had the defendant seen there was an obvious gap in the traffic near a driveway, she could have slowed to see if perhaps someone was wanting to turn. But she zoomed instead. An unfortunate set of events, but he crossed oncoming traffic. The burden was his, and someone speeding is exactly why people shouldn't pull out/across until they can SEE the coast is clear. Whew. Can you tell that case had me going? When we had our driving lessons here many (many!) moons ago, this was something that was really pounded into us - the only person who can legally tell you to turn is a police officer. Not someone being nice in another vehicle, because they ALSO can't see what's coming. Just my take on things. :-) LOVED the DeLorean case. Even moreso when Judy got into it. I really enjoy seeing her get tickled about things in the cases. It must really break up the monotony for her of loan/gift and dog bite cases.

Died at the cricket business! When it started, I was afraid is was a rehash of an old (really old) Dick Van Dyke show. But then surprise! And the bit at the end was really the icing on the cake. Lily's flirting caught me off guard, too. Really funny. Rewound and watched the "Fill 'er up!" scene a couple of times. Just a lot of surprises for me in this one. I don't watch it like I used to, but if this is an indication of how this season is going, I may jump back in.

Don't know whether that is good news, or very, very sad news. ;-)

Well that just about says it all, AH! Afterwitness? This should be in the lexicon! And pretty cool Officer Pham makes several appearances. Hmmm. Best part: "It was not half drunk! It was half empty!" I should have a t-shirt with that on it. Does this case exist anywhere? Why don't they rerun THAT one? Can we start a petition?

Oh my gosh, y'all! Giant flyswatter!!! How anyone (including JJ) could stay focused on the case is beyond me. I think she should use the flyswatter every case. "Ridiculous!" Whack! "Your case is dismissed!" Whack!

I know, right?! "I wasn't driving." "Yes, I got the citation for driving." "Yes, I went to court." "No, I didn't go to court." "No, I don't know who was driving." Huh!?!? Where were these people from, so I can avoid being on the roads. I did appreciate the brother-in-law(??) plaintiff dropped charges so as not to deprive the baby of its daddy. For whatever good he may provide. The little boy/young man bike incident was another fine example of "I didn't see my son do this, therefore it didn't happen." The fact that other people saw it happen is, of course, meaningless. If mama don't see it, ain't nobody "seen" it. Sigh. And the puppy with the broken leg case makes me crazy. Any ideas when Patricia Bean will reappear? I missed her the first time.

Who was the girl whose name he never got? We cracked up at that. Did she stay? And he chose Shushanna? Does she speak English?!

I was hoping dentist Mandi would be shown the door before the ceremony. And I agree about the redhead. Maybe she'll get brought back somehow. Over Lacy. The show needs "drama" sure, but yuck.

Agree completely, wings707! Maybe they got rid of the cooking basics when more reality-show-hopefuls/actors came aboard. But I hope they are still getting the instruction. The pancake was a wonder - how did she not know? And put it on the plate when she had others? Trying to prove how "worst" she was? Hmm.... The jailhouse burrito was hysterical - loved that it turned out looking like a burrito! Who knew! As for trash on the floor (how'd I miss that?), I find that just disrespectful and rude. Pile it up on the counter, stash it in a bowl, something.

I'm wishing I'd tuned in today! Dang! Happy New Year to all the bestest internet friends in the whole wide world. Be safe if you are out partyin' tonight! Hope to see everyone back here safe and sound.

Okay, one of y'all is going to have to provide a screen shot. I'm currently in Non-JJ-land and can only imagine what this must have looked like. Although, the Prince Akeem reference sounds pretty close!

Exactly! It seems there have been several of these eps lately, where JJ will say, "What do you want me to do?" TV show or not, as a mediator, she still has to basically (ha!) follow the intent of the law, and just because something bad happened, it doesn't mean a law was broken, or a crime was committed, or you deserve to be "recompensated." Some cases she encourages one party to share the expenses if they are at least partially to blame, but will also point out that legally, they may not be required to do that. But because she acts as mediator, she also has the latitude to make discretionary decisions. (Like awarding the whole $5000 when one side really ticks her off.) This is one of those shows where I wish we'd get a "behind the scenes" look. We know there is more to the stories than we often learn, and I wonder if there are times when Judy REALLY lets go on some of the yahoos that grace her stage. Y'all do a good job of scouring the internet for some of the more memorable litigants, but I'd also like to know how much JJ knows before she walks in. Gotta believe her staff does some vetting of these folks. And doncha' know that a book of the defendants' filed answers to the complaints would be a bestseller! At least amongst us... For the legal minds: Are the original filed court documents public records?

Perhaps "limonia" is a lung infection resulting from eating too much citrus? Or cured by? Thanks for getting this posted, Angela. My go-to source when I'm feeling blue or furiated. And actually, I think "bicker-backer" may just end up in my personal lexicon.

Couldn't agree more! Jeffrey has never been on my radar at all this season. And every song seemed the same. I was hoping Leather and Lace would be really different, but not so much. I compared his "duet" with Blake and Emily Anne's where those two sang TO each other for most of the song, and Jeffrey rarely looked at Gwen. Kind of a "couple" song. And while I agree the show is about the VOICE, performing is part of the appeal. An iffy song by an iffy singer can still be great if it is something the audience can get into. A wonderful song by a wonderful singer can also put an audience to sleep. Plus there are more opportunities to be off pitch or tempo in the slower songs. Spot on about Blake's comments to Barrett. I thought the exact same thing!

I thought she and the cow defendant would make a great pair. Except they'd probably reproduce like rabbits, and then well, you know. Another fine example of "It's fine as long as I don't get caught." Sadly, she still got to "keep" the money, since he'll be reimbursed by the show. (Right?)

Or when they just make eye contact and try and see who can NOT smile or shake their head first! You can practically read their minds: "Not sure THIS is worth the $$." Be sure to check out the other threads. If you haven't checked the lexicon, you need to. Beyond hysterical!

teebax reports "begrade" is a new word for us! Yea for expanding our vocabulary.