Bastet

Great game to end the tournament. The vaccine TS surprised me, and the apartheid clue had no business being in DJ, but that was it. Oh boy, this was another bad first round for me, thanks to the Greek, Weak and TV Theme Songs categories; I missed three in the former and four in the latter. In DJ, I sat and stared blankly at all but one of the Pop Culture clues, but got everything else. I guessed right on FJ.

Season five is uneven - inevitable, since Linda's attention was on Evening Shade and Suzanne's parts had to be written so they could be excised or redistributed if Delta wasn't available - but "Blame It On New Orleans" plays like an old-school episode. I love the disastrous presentation, with Julia surrounded by hungover Charlene, still drinking Suzanne, and morose Mary Jo -- not to mention a room full of podiatrists. And then the dueling wigs, when Suzanne doesn't believe the drag performer is a man. And, of course: Hey, hey, New Orleans. I am Julia Sugarbaker. I'm about to go sleep in Anthony Bouvier's room. I am white, he is black. We are not engaged. And he is significantly younger than I am. So put that in your étouffée and choke on it!

From what Padma said to her after announcing the top three, it seems like she was their fourth favorite.

It was a little bittersweet to see Nancy Silverton (I know her, but just as an acquaintance); she was working to feed laid-off restaurant employees in L.A. when she was diagnosed with the coronavirus several weeks ago. (Last I heard, she was doing very well.) It was pure sweet to see who ran over to check on Lee Anne’s mom, and when Stephanie told her husband, “I’ve got this; go help her” when Lee Anne was left alone to prepare all those dumplings, I teared up. I love when they do these challenges where the cheftestants have to rely on their family members for help; they’d have to bleep out half of what I said if I was in that position. Eric saving a little money in his Whole Foods budget to buy his wife flowers was cute. As was Gregory’s mom calling him “Chef”. It was interesting to see who paid attention to how well the product would sell on its own to a group of people and who was solely focused on the particular dish the product would be used in that day. And this was yet another EC where I’d be thrilled to eat the food; I am just drooling my way through this all-stars season. The dish I most wanted to eat was Nini’s ribs (turn that sauce into a glaze, and then slather it on ribs? I am there), so I was a little bummed for her not to win. I laughed long and hard at Malarkey being on the bottom after his little burn book hadn’t predicted that. I mean, I agree that Lee Anne and Stephanie are at the point in the competition that they are likely to go sooner rather than later, but the joy he took in presenting that list to the cameras, instead of it just being something in his head? Incredibly unappealing. I figured Jenn’s textural issue was going to send her home, but I was hoping for him to get the knife.

I'm going to be watching Top Chef instead tonight, so I just checked the archive. Nibir has certainly positioned himself well heading into the second game! The District Attorney TS made my eyes about bug out of my head. I had a stupefyingly bad first round, missing almost everything in the bestseller, movie comedies, and emoji categories. I did much better in DJ, only missing two of the songs. But I didn't know FJ; I think that's my first FJ miss in this tournament.

Not as good a game tonight (for them, or me), but, finally, a match-up in which "my" contestant wins (although, yeah, that Babe Ruth answer - oh, dear). The Alaska TS surprised me in that none of them even guessed a state. I had no clue on most of the Sing Out clues and missed two others in the first round, so I was not off to a good start. And it didn't get any better; in DJ, I didn't know a single video game, and missed one or two other clues as well. I rebounded with a lucky guess for FJ, but not a good game for me.

And that gender disparity is very common; widowed men are significantly more likely to move into another serious relationship, and quickly, than widowed women. Dan - a) having lost the woman he'd been with since he was sixteen years old (and b, unexpectedly which is also a natural and thus statistical factor), c) to whom he was contentedly married, not just still with out of inertia, and d) surrounded daily by his extended family rather than living alone - was the perfect candidate to be one of the exceptions who took longer to be ready. I've greatly appreciated seeing that time frame play out, and I resent this "he lead her on/they broke up/oh, that timid scoundrel Dan finally manning up" retcon. And I don't understand the trepidation behind it -- I don't think the writers need to falsely prop up Louise to get the audience on board with Dan dating; I think most are open to this relationship progressing into romance, precisely because of its natural trajectory.

I don't know, I've hung in there with a lot of stupid decisions from these characters because I understood why - between institutional barriers, limited personal experience, and human fallibility - they were making them, but if Darlene's attempt to have another fucking kid against every iota of logic and responsibility on this and any other planet succeeds, I think I'm out. This is ridiculous! "What the hell, woman?" indeed. If they stay together, Ben can be stepfather and uncle to the umpteen children that already exist in this family. You know, the ones this whole damn village can barely provide for as it is. I am so enraged by the utter stupidity of this, I can't properly appreciate the rest of the episode. But I do love sleep-deprived Becky. And she has a nice dynamic with Ben (that Darlene irrationally cannot handle because she's an absolutely horrible person in recent episodes), and Drunk!Dan with the bandmate was a nice scene. Jackie and Dan were terrific; for her to be the one to encourage him to take off his wedding ring is really something. The Becky/Darlene dynamic is always a plus. And Ben's response to the suggestion he head off to Mexico to have sex with Emilio makes it hard for me to remember I used to not like him. But I spent way too much time tonight thinking "I can't with this shit" because of this stupid-ass "I want a baby" (for, reasons?) storyline. Why is Ben always at the Conner house? Doesn't he still have his own crappy place to hang out in? Why is he always spending the night at Darlene's, who lives with a million people, rather than her staying with him? If he's yet another loser living under Dan's mortgaged roof rent-free, that's a pretty big thing not to mention. Louise was out of line saying Dan was stringing her along; he's been honest from jump about not being ready. He was never obligated to go at her pace; his obligation was to be honest, and then she decides whether to wait or move on; no one is wrong either way. Let's not rewrite history to create drama. But I liked her telling him this sending a message through someone else is high school bullshit and him saying, "the last time I did anything like this, I was in high school!" And "that must have been hard" being her first reaction to him taking his ring off went a ways toward bringing her back to the Louise I liked so much before she offered to skip the tour for him and launched into this revisionist history of their relationship (to be fair to her, the writers have imposed that last one on a whole bunch of characters). So if Darlene - please, TV gods - doesn't get pregnant (and realizes that's for the best as a bonus), and I re-watch this one secure in that knowledge, I'll probably like it; it was a good episode otherwise. But until then, holy hell, this:

I was rooting for her anyway, but between Joe writing his name as a cup of coffee and Nibir doing that damned "all in" move again, I was really rooting for Londyn. Alas, I'm 0-2 on getting my wish in the semifinals. I'm surprised brownout was a TS; I'd have thought the wrong guess would lead one of the others to it. Fiat was a little surprising, with three definitions to point them to it, and none of them guessing Titanic for a "doomed liner" in an $800 clue was downright odd. "What does ante- mean?" has no place in DJ. I didn't know the Harry Potter book (I knew it was a Harry Potter book, as I know platform 9-3/4 is Harry Potter, but that's it), or any of the Fantastical Substances clues other than my correct guess of Titanic, so not my best game. FJ was an instaget, so at least I finished on a high note.

I loved the cameos, especially Marla Gibbs being in apt. 227. And Alex's girlfriend's parents dressed as the Tethered. This episode was killing it with the witty lines, too: "He's like a pumpkin, he'll get thrown out in November." "Shouldn't we say 'person-made' climate change?" "I'm gonna go with men taking the credit for this one." "The prize is an iPad. I've never won anything!" "You're a rich, white, cisgender white dude - you won at life." "[Is it gross that I'm lusting after you dressed as a high school character]?" "Nah, every teen in [Grease] was pushing 40." "How many times do you want me to come out?" when Penelope asks Elena if the pregnancy test is hers. Penelope's "Don't do that" when Max tries to speak Spanish. And, even though I'd seen the clips, I still laughed at Alex realizing he's made a huge mistake with his silver hair, and at Lydia's "You are a cow, and you have stepped in the cow caca" guess. But if Penelope and Max are back together, I'd like a scene addressing the resolution of the reason they broke up in the first place; the lack of a knee brace was not their problem. We should see that he's decided he's fine not having biological kids in order to pursue a life with her; otherwise, the same impasse exists and they're right back where they left off (and, as I said, so help me if she decides, oh, sure, let me go ahead and have another child to keep this man because women are never actually done having babies).

I just watched the first two episodes on YouTube, and it came rushing back to me how much I loved this show. Like I've said before, it does not get its due in most discussion of TV's handling of race. I wish it would pop up on a streaming service and find a whole new audience. I appreciate that by the end of the first episode, we know the basics of why their friendship ended, and by the end of the second, we know that M.E.'s parents came to adore Renee -- the point is in seeing how everyone got from point A to point B, so there's no need to hide the ball. I like this from the start of the second episode, when they're meeting up for an early-morning walk, and Renee worries what will happen if they just don't like each other anymore: Well, let's see. Who do you believe: O.J. Simpson or Marcia Clark? Marcia Clark, even though she blew it. Bill Clinton or Monica Lewinsky? Neither. Did you see Titanic? Ugh, no. We're going to do just fine.

There's a thread for letting the forum organizers know you think a show is placed in the wrong genre.

"What do you think I am, some kind of pervert?!" I also crack up when she gets all riled up about public breastfeeding: It's an epidemic! Everywhere I go, there are women just whipping themselves out and acting like public filling stations. They act like just because there's a baby attached, it's not a breast anymore. Can you imagine if I unleashed one of these things outdoors? All hell would break loose.

I think Suzanne is at her hypoglycemic rage best in "Anthony's Graduation". I love "I am about this close from getting in a tower and hurting some people", "Good lord, why'd they even pick you?" when Anthony explains how worried he is about his commencement speech, and "Julia, just don't mess with me, okay; I have PMS, I'm hungry, and I'm armed." But my absolute favorite is this, when she finds out Charlene ate her rice cakes: You know, it's funny to me that you people can eat anything in the world - cookies, bread, potato chips, entire sides of beef. I, on the other hand, have been reduced to a couple of little pieces of crumpled rice, stuck together by some tasteless, low-cal fish saliva, and yet, for some reason, you feel compelled to come over here and chow down on it. Speaking of Suzanne's dieting episodes, I have no idea how anyone got through the filming of her invisible baton routine in "La Place Sans Souci" without falling to the floor in laughter.

The bail TS surprised me, as did overtures a little, but that was a great game. It would have been ever better if Kayla had won. I ran the first round, but didn't come close in DJ; I didn't know the musketeer or Sirius Black, and only knew one clue in the set list category. FJ was an instaget, which I was certainly not expecting based on the category.

IMDb search says there were 30.

In a deleted scene, she was going to give one to Fritz.

Did anyone watch the new A&E Biography of Dolly Parton that premiered tonight? I really liked it. While also giving propers to her talent and impact as a songwriter, singer, and entertainer, it did maybe the best job I've ever seen in all the things I've watched about her in highlighting what an incredibly shrewd businesswoman she is - and was from jump; the sense of self she had as an 18-year-old country girl in the big city (Nashville) never ceases to amaze me. (And I say that as one who hates the over-use of amaze/amazing. She's earned it.) Good interviews, especially with the woman herself, Jane Fonda, and Linda Perry. And honest talk about the dark years of her career, and how she - who'd always wanted to be a star and known from age 10 she would be - made herself relevant again. And always showing how she remained true to herself despite deliberately crafting, and changing, a public persona. I recommend it.

Darlene was such an asshole once she went off to school in Chicago she was nearly sociopathic; I hated her every time she came home for a visit. So, while she has pissed me off mightily several times, I still like her far more in The Conners than I did during that era of Roseanne.

"Oh, alright! HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, LOIS AND SHIMMY!"

I promise this will be an abridged version since I raved at length last time it aired, but “The Deep End” has many things going for it, including making me laugh instead of my usual cringing at Rios’s childish antics (when she sticks her fingers in her ears and says “I’m not listening” to Andy’s conversation with Provenza about Nicole’s wedding) and, even more unusual, side with her position on a case; I really feel for her frustration with Provenza’s refusal to deal with the racial angle of this case. As always, I love the Sharon and Rusty interaction, especially her telling him there are only two things she requires of him in addition to taking his education seriously and staying out of trouble: Be kind, and be safe. Words to live by. I also love the way Sharon uses the case to knock some sense into Andy, without ever having to come out and say it. Once she learns he’s being an idiot about his daughter’s wedding, she makes him notify the victim’s parents, and takes him with her every time they have to talk to them again, giving him a much-needed but subtly-delivered perspective check that does its job. Well played, Sharon. The case is a gut punch, with so many heartbreaking moments. Again, I swear - abridged. But: When Mr. Torres realizes he inadvertently prompted the confrontation that ended in Matty’s death by lashing out with the truth about Coach Frey cutting him from the team, his horrified regret is bad enough, but when he realizes the son he’d regarded as an apathetic layabout was instead a traumatized sexual abuse victim? It’s brutal. The cast does their usual fantastic job in this one, particularly their mastery of nonverbal reaction – when they watch Matty’s video, and when they see the young victim (their one shot so far at a prosecutable case [due to the statute of limitations]) hesitating in the doorway, they showcase why they’ve had long and respected careers in an industry that tosses actors aside like used tissues. This episode is very light on humor, but Provenza’s attempt to be smooth with Mrs. Slater before he learns who she is, and, once she introduces herself, using Sharon-like hand signals to Buzz and Rusty is funny. And speaking of Mrs. Slater, when news broke of Lori Loughlin’s involvement in the college admissions bribery scandal, I said that I was well aware she’s known for “Aunt Becky” and Hallmark shows, but the only thing I’ve ever actually seen her end is this episode, so unlike those who think of her as one of those wholesome characters, I think of her as a sweet-talking but condescending rich lady. (I love Sharon’s “I’m sure she means well” reaction to her.)

I have more scallops to use, so I was going to make baked scallops au gratin tonight. But in trying to decide what the salad and vegetable side would be, I remembered that my friend will be dropping off some artichokes from her garden when she comes to get oranges and firewood tomorrow, and artichoke sounds really good with the scallops. So I'm going to make pork chops instead (with kale), and do the scallops tomorrow night.

I wasn't sure what y'all were talking about, so I looked up "hard ribbon candy" and, oh my. I haven't seen that in eons. I don't like candy corn, but I'd take it any day over that stuff; I don't like hard candy. I wasn't familiar with circus peanuts, and I'd take a hard pass on those, too. I don't like marshmallow to begin with, and the added flavors aren't appealing.

I thought she got kicked out of her retirement home, and was moving in with someone - first Becky, then Jackie - because of her age, not because of finances. Or maybe she just said she was broke. Bev kept ownership of the restaurant building secret so it would be money the rest of the family didn't know was coming to them after she died. She'd probably been playing "broke" in general a) to keep them from constantly having their hands out and b) because Bev is a passive-aggressive, manipulative person who rather enjoys games.