justmehere

https://usfigureskatingfanzone.com/news/2020/10/9/figure-skating-madison-chock-and-evan-bates-withdraw-from-2020-skate-america.aspx

I have Cox, which also includes Peacock Premium. If you have a voice-activated remote, you might be able to say "Peacock" into it (holding down the mic button) and have the access come up. Otherwise, it's available under my On Demand menu. Great news to have the season on this platform.

I found it odd that the judges told one baker that the dried mango needed to soak so it wouldn't be chewy and another that it was a problem that it was soaked because it gave too much moisture. Fine line, perhaps, of enough vs. too much. I thought Rowan would go. He doesn't really seem to care about improving or listening. I was sorry to see Mak go because he did seem to care. Does the technical not matter anymore? It seems a very important factor to me, testing general skills in new ways. However, never good to say that you're disregarding the brief in some way. I liked the creativity of the different showstopper ideas this week, but the sculpting challenges never seem to go very well. (Also, I'm tired of ginger-biscuits being the main option due to stability.) I did like the signature challenge.

Also watched on Netflix, and it had the Boris Johnson intro. Already liked Matt Lucas from Doctor Who and liked him here. He and Noel play off each other well. I also like all the bakers already. I wish they'd give everyone a pass on week one and then start eliminations on the second week, adjusting at some other point with two. Even if Rowan tends to plan more than he can execute, he seems quite good at improvising when it doesn't work. His signature was still very neatly presented, and I liked the hair on his Marie Antoinette. Mainly - I'd been a bit skeptical about watching after the last couple of seasons, but I laughed several times through the episode and realized that it's been quite a while since something moved me spontaneously - in a positive way - like that. A genuine lift, much needed and appreciated. Looking forward to more, now.

He did that with Lost, too, abandoning it pretty early on. Seems like a thing with at least some show creators. They've got other ideas they want to focus on and so they leave previous creations to others. Ron Moore has done it with Outlander. Phoebe Waller Bridge with Killing Eve. I'm sure there are others, but those come to mind right now.

Online benefit special with cast and creators coming up on June 26: Article: https://deadline.com/2020/06/walt-disney-co-fx-pose-a-thon-fundraiser-pose-cast-1202963402/ Direct page: https://www.fxnetworks.com/poseathon

The Kate character suffered from joining late in the series. - Much of that era was forgettable to me with sub-par writing. Not her fault - I barely recall Kristen Chenoweth being on in that phase. And unfair, IMO, to say the actress is forgettable for a 2-ep appearance in Newsroom. It was a short guest shot. Two great Mary McCormack roles where I adored her: In Plain Sight - USA Network show - played a U.S. Marshal with the WITSEC program And canceled-too-soon The Kids are Alright (ABC I believe) as the mom of a large Catholic family in the 1970s. Hilarious. She was also in Murder One back in the 90s. To each their own, but I think she's great.

Johnny also tweeted this:

Loved your whole post, tennisgurl. The last episode threw me, and I've been debating whether to watch the whole thing again or let it go. It was obviously a very personal project for him, and it's interesting to see that a friend (whoever it was - I like that he kept the characters as stand-ins for whoever engaged him in real life) led him to the real game. I had thought the real version ended with the documentary, but maybe there are different iterations continuing in different places. It's pretty brave to put himself out there like that. He could have ended the story in somewhat traditional fashion, but instead he revealed how he had been as lost emotionally as Peter and Lee/Clara - possibly with connections to the other characters as well - and then found a way to feel excited again about creating, and doing so in a way he hadn't tried before - taking a real risk with this show. By revealing so much personally, there's potential to reach even more people than simply watching might do. The scheduling of the show is interesting as well, given that so many people have enforced downtime (not everyone, obviously), time in which they might consider new directions for things that aren't working, rather than going back to "normal" when things open up. The show started airing before lock-down, too. Anyway - I'll be watching the series again. I paid attention to the personal aspects before, but this time I won't worry about the puzzle at all.

Interview: https://tvline.com/2020/04/28/better-things-pamela-adlon-season-4-finale-interview/

A little past the point perhaps, but in case you still haven't seen it, here is Jason Brown's free skate from Nationals. Bonus: no commentary.

I'm sorry to have missed seeing Jason's performance on my TV rather than my computer. Wish that NBC would have shown his after the press conference since they did Nathan's. I've seen Jason's program before but I think this was the best performance of it yet. Truly sublime. There's no commentary - just a beautiful performance (especially in full screen).

Some news, finally. https://deadline.com/2020/01/shogun-limited-series-re-adaptation-writer-justin-marks-headed-to-production-fx-1202832301/

Absolutely loving all these posts recalling the joy, love, and acceptance that were so central to this wonderful show. There was plenty of pain and horribleness, too, but focusing on the positive intention and expression is like a soothing balm right now when the energy all around feels so toxic these days. Thank you all for your posts. I'm truly grateful that we got the final movie to wrap things up, but, this: Me too.

And now Erendira Ibarra (Dani) as well. Odd that they don't mention Toby as also having been in Sense8. No mention of Max, but that doesn't mean he won't be in it. The IMDB listing is pretty sparse right now, matching the article. If that's their source, seems they didn't investigate other credits, re: Toby.

I really liked Sandi and her warmth. She joked with the bakers but when needed, she was always supportive and kind. Understandable that she wants to focus on other work, but I'll miss her.

This is basically my reaction. It had various issues and was mostly OK, but I really enjoyed watching it. Multiple timelines and the amount of time that passed were most confusing. I thought they should have borrowed from 12 Monkeys and flashed the dates on the screen - in whatever format they chose - as they switched around. Still, it was satisfying when everything started coming together. Hopefully everyone's in the same zone now. I liked Geralt, but he did sometimes seem like more of a supporting player than the lead. Hoping that the hint, finally, of his background means there will be more to come. I really liked that despite his lack of emotion, he cared for Renfri and Yen - and that he's not mindlessly destructive, even of monsters. And I liked the confrontation with his mother, especially about what was done to his eyes. Definitely want more background. Side note: while I enjoyed the shirtlessness at the various times, hearing Henry Cavill explain what it takes on Graham Norton (about 8 minutes into the video) - basically dehydrating for a few days, which sounds terribly dangerous - made me feel a little guilty. I had no idea. I liked Yen despite her issues and the other characters well enough. Loved the golden dragon in both forms and his guards. Not as enchanted with Jaskier as some are but no particular problems with him. Could do with a little less graphic gore and repeated bashing of skulls. And, here we are again with unequal nudity. Way too many naked women, including too much of Yen. But - I'll be looking forward to more of the show. Edit: For those feeling like this was all setup or an 8-episode pilot:

My reason for wanting to binge is in feeling the tension and seeing how off the rails characters have gone in their desperation. Elliot crosses lines. Dom can't bring herself to cross them. Krista may or may not have crossed one. Whiterose crosses lines without a thought, but I want to know what she meant about Elliot and whether her assistant is about to do something out of line. Darlene, the most cynical, has revealed herself as quite caring. I'm not at all bored; I want to know what's next. At the same time - I want it to last because I love this show. It can be frustrating during the course of a season, but then re-watching altogether - including season 2 - I have much greater appreciation. MMV.

Wishing right now I could binge this season. Hard to wait a week between episodes.

Thanks healthnut. If P/C's elements have greater difficulty, that makes sense. I guess I'm wondering about quality of skating in general to get such consistently high GOEs over everyone else. Are they really that much better? I will say that I loved their Free Dance today. The spoken aspect was fine - neutral there. However, I thought their performance was incredibly beautiful.

Would someone who knows ice dance be willing to explain, please, how Papadakis/Cizeron are apparently so much better than Chock/Bates? I personally think the latter are far more entertaining, which is certainly subjective, but the technical difference - where the scoring spread was greater - baffles me. Watching the little box in the upper left corner, it seemed like P/C automatically got high execution scores on everything vs. more average ones for C/B. Are P/C's skills really that much better?

The Lord of War and Thunder was really good. The pilot was excellent. 1-2 through 1-4, and 1-6 are really the only ones that fall into the "just" enjoyable category. I blame the early style on network interference (though I have no proof), thinking they shouldn't jump into long story lines so that people wouldn't be confused. A wise choice, whoever made it, to abandon that track. Agreed about the Winona subplot. But season 2 still has an edge for me with the Bennett family. It's close, though. Oh man. I did a re-watch earlier this year. All this talk... I may have to watch again.

Agreed about the even seasons, though I also think season 1 got quite good once they got past the sort of procedural episodes and Boyd returned.

Cleo -- Justified is one of my all-time favorite shows. However, season 5 is my least favorite. If you find your interest drifting as you watch, hang in there because the final season is really great, with one of the best endings ever for a series.

Joining in the disappointment re: Tyrell's undeveloped character. I don't know if the actor had other jobs that limited his involvement, but it really feels like a wasted opportunity. The walk in the woods did have some pertinent reveals with Elliot and Tyrell's honest admissions about each other, Elliot admitting how poorly he treats Darlene, and the acceptance that none of this will end well. (I'm half expecting a Shakespearean tragedy type of ending.) I don't mourn Tyrell himself as much as his lost potential. I thought something interesting could happen with him as CEO of E Corp, even if it was supposedly in name only. He would have been inside where he could have pulled strings. The scenes with Dom felt pointless at first, but it recalls when we first met her. She was aimless and didn't have much going for her in her work or personal life. Cluing in on the Dark Army gave her purpose, made her life exciting, and eventually put her in a position of authority. I don't think she likes Darlene as much as Darlene is a symbol of the interest and excitement Dom experienced for a time. Now her life is a nightmare. She has no authority again, no direction, and worse, she's terrified. Any personal encounter - even someone online - could be part of the D.A. So she's back to a limited existence and now is afraid at the same time. As for Darlene, perhaps it's a bit similar. In season 1, she was active in the initial take-down of E Corp. When Elliot was in jail, she was in charge. Now she's taking orders and has no control. She was moved by the drunk Santa and thought she might be able to help. As cynical as she generally is, it was telling that she cared. Then she found out her input was meaningless. Which is how she's increasingly felt lately. I'm hoping that Elliot's realization will help them work together going forward.