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I was more scared that the government evildoers were going to vaporize Mr. Clarke than I was about any of the kids.* He's totally the girlfriend-having Bill Nye of Hawkins, Indiana! *I mean, this isn't the kind of show that's going to kill off its young stars.

Loved the DNC/Rocky I, II, III, IV segment! What happened to Michelle Wolf? Did she do any correspondent pieces this week?

The Orlando area PBS station WUCF excitingly stands for University of Central Florida because, you know. They operate it. Same idea with WFSU, WUSF, and WGCU.

I've wondered about her hugging/touching the male contestants. I think he's becoming too portly to tuck in his shirt. I groaned when Flora continued to waste time on unnecessary decorations -- the judges don't like it, Flora! I love her but have no hope that she's anything but out next week. Everyone's meat pie crusts looked to be about the same thickness to me (i.e., not at all the way Paul said he wanted to see them), but I also didn't see the difference in the one he called out as being too thick. I love a pot pie or Cornish pasty, but hells no to meat gelatin.

That parka should have had top billing in the credits.

Ha! I didn't bother making a couple of online clicks to catch the end, either.

It's bad enough that Tom was cast despite the bus and slacker surfer persona, but choosing Lillian was an even bigger mistake to me because of her age and seeming neediness. She couldn't even stand up to her mother over a trifling superstition. Then putting together the exact two people most unsuited for (1) the show, (2) each other, and (3) any kind of permanent commitment? Feh. Who knows what happened to Cilona and his vaunted "instruments," but we were told the applicants do complete a detailed survey. Okay, peachy. Any of us would then tabulate the results and start by selecting people with the highest percentage of matching answers. (If any thought was put into this, the answers would also be weighted, with some assigned more importance than others.) Any potential couples with less than -- what, a 70% match score? -- would be rejected. Then review the deal breakers and pluck out anyone who's a no go because of those. Present the remaining pool of potential matches to the god-help-us-all "experts" and they take it from there. Somehow I don't think that's how it actually goes down.

First of all, I am under no illusions that my social security number is private. Every insurance company, employer, government agency, mortgage lender, credit card company, bank, doctors' office, etc. has access to it and numerous "exposés" on local news programs have shown how easy it is for someone to buy a $39 background check and get all my info online. So today I get an email from the SSA saying they have instituted a multifactor authentication process for logging into my account that involves sending a one-time security code via text message. And here's the kicker -- if I don't have have a text-enabled cell phone? I "will not be able to access your My Social Security account." So TOUGH SHIT from the government. Oh, and any applicable text message fees apply. I understand the need for security measures and I probably only log into my social security account once or twice a year, but it's still irritating. They already force me to change my password every 3 months or so.

I mean, I enjoy Seth's topical/political satire a lot, but I just might be able to watch Jokes Seth Can't Tell on a constant loop. Have the two writers always been the same women? I should pay more attention.

Well, we were warned! From Al Lowe's Wheel of Murder series: "Even season one of Happy Valley, the most muscle cramping show I have seen in years, had moments of levity. ... Marcella ain't got any of that. It's straight on through to the other side of Angstville and then back again on a loop." Despite everything, I liked the show very much. The Guardian did recaps and the amusing comments section kept me chuckling -- it's always fun when others reflect your squinched-up face: "Wha? Seriously, what is happening?" The dumbest sticking point for me is that the title and protagonist's name, with the "ch" pronunciation, comes off as Hispanic/Latin to my ear and I get it confused with another show I'm watching, the telenovela Queen of the South. I said it was dumb!

Here's the other thing -- if Tom really is serious about truly making it a luxury bus, it's going to take up most of his free time on weekends and evenings, and he'll probably want her to pitch in (says someone who was once engaged to a man who restores cars as a hobby). I got no beef with the producers trolling dating sites or social media to find participants, but are these guys seriously the best they could do? Out of every unattached person in the Miami metroplex? I didn't think that 6'7" guy was suitable, but they seem to have overcompensated with some shorties. It's early days but Nick (paired with Sonia) seems "low key" to the point of "comatose." I realize the men's haircuts are the thing now, but those squiffy coxcombs in front still look ridiculous to me.

The copyright issue seems to be business as usual. Same thing happened to Letterman when he switched networks. And to me, since I signed a contract with my company about their intellectual property should I leave. Seems like Stephen is grasping at straws due to his ratings problems. If he wanted to do the same show he should have stayed at CC. I also didn't much care for Jon's appearance since it was the same old gripes about the media/Fox News. He rode that particular hobby horse for years and this newest rant didn't add anything to the discussion.

Heather's was two sizes too large and looked bulky on her. I get that they had to pick off the rack, but surely some time could have been spared for alterations. And yes, ditch the dime store looking veil. Her hair is thin and wispy for sure.

Right? I can't stand her and dislike Rory so this doesn't in any way top my list, but will probably watch to see how bad it is. I wouldn't mind catching up with some of the ancillary characters.

I always forget that they annoyingly tease out the weddings until the second episode. Was mentally mocking the cheesy hotel conference room setting after last season had such nice venues, but at least it was out of the rain. Seriously, there were 20 people total. Go huddle under the nearest porch or something. Probably the camera crew meanly made them stay outside since all the lighting and set-ups were in place. Couldn't Lillian have done something about her ombre hair before the ceremony? Looks like we're stuck with it all season now. A bus is just as roomy as a single-wide manufactured home and I wouldn't have a beef with that in and of itself. I would take exception to Tom's particular bus being old, rickety and not looking terribly clean. So far the two new experts are a big improvement over the former wienies, and three is more manageable than four. Dr. Schwartz can be a bit loopy she doesn't bother me. I think her heart is in the right place and she always seems to be the most emotionally connected with the participants. I'm not sure the experts were seriously considering matching that Caucasian/African-American couple, but that seems like a whole lot of extra strife to add to an already shaky situation. Even if the participants said they were okay with it, we've seen how things like that played out before when reality hits (i.e., they're not okay with it at all.) The guys all seem pretty low key so far. I've taken a small dislike to Heather for no good reason.

Sure seemed like they were fondly recalling killing someone when they were kids! It was creepy. She's still alive so I have to think that thread is eventually going to go somewhere.

So long Stephen. I guess he stabbed himself to death? I was a little surprised that Karl didn't even try to lie to his wife about schtupping a witness. Seems like he actually has very little invested in his marriage, which was initially portrayed to us as happy. Are we supposed to believe that the case has affected/tainted his personal life? Because he seems fairly phlegmatic to me about multiple gruesome killings. Elise doesn't lie so I have to believe she didn't have sex with Adam, but what the hell. Are we done with Sophie now?

Article about Ronny on TDS and his new pilot for ABC Australia. "Asked about what he looked to for inspiration, he rattles off a list of some of the best shows on television: Louie (because of the autobiographical element), Community (set at a university – and it’s “very silly”), Scrubs (that absurdist tone), Broad City (its pace and its humour). “I tried to make the best television I could – cool television without ego,” he says."

Ryder has definitely been employing the clomp-walk and scuttle-run method of acting.

You know when Canadian actors are pretending not to be but let slip the occasional "aboot"? It happened twice last week in different shows and I don't get why no one on the set noticed, or maybe they did and didn't care. It jars me out of the scene.

Honestly! It seems like the writers originally intended his name to be kī-len but the actors kept mispronouncing it so they just let it go.

I've always been unsure why Whitney seems to think she invented no body shaming. The HAES (Healthy at Any Size) stuff has been around for a while, and Big & Beautiful even before that. The message has always been one of acceptance and anti-discrimination. The general idea is that: This is the way I am. I'm not filthy or ugly or a slob and should be allowed to live my life and go to the beach and date just like everyone else. If people have a problem with me, it's on them. But I've never heard anyone claim they like being 250 pounds overweight and prefer to stay that way. Nobody with a healthy psyche enjoys feeling like they have a piano bench strapped around their middle when they try to bend over and tie their shoes! NOBODY. Whitney's entire platform makes zero sense to me with her as the figurehead, because her denial about her disordered eating and physical limitations undercuts everything she espouses.

It made me turn down my mouth, too, but when I thought about it, fish and citrus have always gone together. It's usually lemon or lime, but there are a lot of recipes for mild white fish baked or simmered in an orange sauce.

No kidding. I think season 2 will likely have some mind/personality control and strangers among us stuff going on.

I've never mastered creating a poll topic here, but it would be interesting to see a count of how many people liked or disliked One. He was certainly one of those divisive characters who provoked strong feelings.