Bastet

Almost all cats have been exposed to the FHV-1 herpes virus (similar to the number of humans exposed to HSV-1, the herpes virus that causes cold sores - around 90%); whether they ever have any flare-ups just depends on their immune system, as you only see symptoms when the immune system is suppressed by dealing with something else (including stress, or even age). L-Lysine (you don't need to pay for a special supplement; you can just crush/crumble the appropriate amount of a regular pill if you wish) will handle most flare-ups, so Alice should be fine and dandy, and the anti-viral Famciclovir can be used against the tough cases, so even if the L-Lysine doesn't work, you still have an easy treatment available. There is a blood test that can confirm which of the four viruses usually responsible for recurring cases of the sneezies (and/or runny eyes, stuffiness, etc.), but it's herpes in the overwhelming majority of cases, so I think it's better to just treat as if that's it and then test only if that's not working. As for the pupils, you may want to have her blood pressure checked next time, just in case, given her age. I love the name Alice - that was my cat Maddie's middle name (Madeleine Alice).

Good news about Mancuso, and about Chuck -- I've been watching season six of The X-Files lately, in which James Pickens Jr. appears as A.D. Kersh, and thinking it would be nice to see Chuck - and Anne Marie! - in the revival.

I don't know if the two shows share a production company or just a network, but Pit Bulls & Parolees has aired some stories a year or even close to two after they were filmed.

That was just on TV one night this week, and of course I had to watch it yet again, even though I've seen it numerous times and have the DVD. I primarily associate her with Steel Magnolias, Evening Shade, and Roseanne (Dan's mom, even though she only played the role in one episode).

I have never gone shopping on Black Friday, and never will. There is nothing I want bad enough to deal with those kinds of crowds (the sheer number of people, and then the madness of some of them, too).

Home kitchen advantage and judges who know him (and obviously know which dish is his, just based on the ingredients), I think. We saw him lose a lot more on Throwdown, when he was on somebody else's turf, and the judges were local to that area and thus looking for the traditional version, not the Bobby Flay version. I didn't notice the daughter tasting with her fingers rather than a spoon (not surprising; I don't care about that kind of stuff, so it tends to go right past me), but I liked her - she teases her dad without being a brat about it (some judges could learn from her). We need an episode where it's her and Michael Symon judging the first round.

Oh my. Complaining about a lack of realism on a sci-fi show can be quite ridiculous, but with S.R. 819 (which should be S. 819), it's not the nanotechnology stuff Shiban made up that bugged me, it was the numerous aspects of the normal stuff he got wrong. I talked to my TV so much during that episode, basically just repeating, "That's not how it works. That's not how any of this works." I'm not actually sure one single thing a nurse or doctor did in either of the two hospitals to which Skinner was admitted was accurate, there were numerous errors in investigative procedure, and it was pretty dumb when Mulder said Skinner getting the second "you're dead" call meant the caller "knows he's here (at the hospital)." Um, that's kind of a primary feature of the cellular phone, Mulder, that it's with you wherever you are. And how the hell did Senator Matheson know where to go to find the doctor? The greasy-haired dude following Skinner around told Matheson, "I can tell you where he is," and Matheson hung up without either of them saying any more. Yet, minutes later, there he is. It's not like "I'll text you the address" was a thing then. For that matter, how did Mulder know where the doctor was being held? That one was probably answered and I just zoned out while contemplating the many problems with the episode, although it's Shiban, so maybe not. The episode is altogether too testosterone-y for my tastes, including the Krycek appearance at the end. I think I let out a sigh of relief when it was over. So did my cat, because she was tired of listening to me grumble. Thank goodness Tithonus was up next, as I think that's a fabulous episode. Fellig is every bit as sympathetic as he is creepy, and I have no idea why so many Scully fans who think she's immortal are giddy about that notion; they want her sentenced to that heartbreaking existence? Because she hasn't suffered enough. Let's have her do it for all eternity, yay! The episode is a tragically beautiful illustration of why any romantic notion of living forever falls apart as soon as you really start thinking about what it would entail. Also, "Hi, this is Fox Mulder, we used to sit next to each other at the FBI." Hee. And Mulder is so forlorn at them being split up, even for one case. Maybe remember that next time you have the impulse to ditch her, Mulder.

Several episodes back, she invited him out to a nice dinner, then surprised him at.the.table with her rude as hell parents. He weathered it with aplomb, but after it was over, she got pissy that he only wanted to continue dating casually as they had been - even though he'd done nothing to lead her on that he was looking for something more involved - and told him to find a new fuck buddy. (Well, being network TV, she said "bang buddy.")

Yeah, well, if the guy who wanted to marry me, then didn't, but still wanted to date me, then sent me a Dear John letter, was suddenly in front of me for the first time since said letter and before we could even exchange pleasantries I learned that approximately five minutes after breaking up with me he'd impregnated someone, I'd indulge in a moment of snark, too. I like the "So we're okay?" conversation they have in the trauma room. Also the "You're going to be a great father/You're going to be a great doctor" scene in the NICU episode. It reminded me I liked them as friends. I hope Carter shaves soon.

I love Gruyere, and don't happen to have any right now. I'm grocery shopping in an hour or so, so guess what's going to be added to the list thanks to forum-induced craving.

"What, did he knock her up the minute he got there?" Ha! Abby earned that one; she was nice and gracious while they all talked, so she can have her moment of snark once they walk away.

Gallant probably can't afford a two-bedroom apartment, so did his sister just have sex in his bed? Gross; go to Pratt's place.

Let me make sure I understand this: Kem has dedicated her life to HIV prevention and treatment, Carter has recently immersed himself in this work, yet neither know you have to use protection every time you have sex? And wouldn't you be extra careful when living in a refugee camp, involved in a new relationship, with someone who lives in a different country? This is the worst yet of all the stupid "we're health care workers, but don't understand how reproduction works" pregnancies.

I like the twist on the usual storytelling that Crump is an asshole, and specifically an anti-Semitic asshole, and Mulder does not hesitate to treat him as one should treat an anti-Semitic asshole, yet Mulder is still upset at not being able to save him. Scully slapping a piece of paper with her cell phone number on it up against the glass is irrationally pleasing to me. Oh, I don't think that's how they should have shot it, because for the great stuff it would give us, it would take away several great things. I just lament that in shooting it "the right way," we have to give up on seeing Mulder as Scully sees him, when she's trying to figure out what the hell is wrong with him. I so frequently want to strangle Mulder that I really enjoyed that aspect of the episodes, too. Morris Fletcher is thrilled at the chance to implode Mulder's life, and doesn't give a shit about what's going on back home until he's confronted with it. Mulder, on the other hand, is trying to do as little damage as possible for however long he has to exist in this identity. Now, yeah, putting porn on the living room TV when there are kids in the house is not a good idea. But other than that he really tries to do everything right, and it just doesn't work, because a) he doesn't know what he's doing and b) his family has dealt with Morris's shit for years and is thus not at all inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt. I grumble about it every time it comes up, because I'm just that annoyed that such lovely flash is marred by such inferior substance. The period costumes and hair are so pretty! Each act is one continuous shot with well-hidden edits! They're on the Queen Mary! Yes, those things are all true, and all great. But scratch that surface and you find a big pile of nothing, so settle down.

We talked recently in the Episodes thread about how Paul McCrane branched out into directing on ER, and parlayed that into quite a respectable career directing episodes of numerous TV shows. So did Laura Innes; shortly after her ER directorial debut, she was tapped to direct an episode of The West Wing, and she went on to direct half a dozen episodes for that show, a dozen for ER, and has directed episodes of shows like Grey's Anatomy, How to Get Away With Murder, and House. McCrane also directed an episode of The West Wing, House, and Grey's Anatomy, along with episodes of shows such as Major Crimes, CSI, Glee, and Scandal. (He directed nine episodes of ER.)

Ugh, this season. It's like season four, in that it has episodes I love, but then a whole lot I don't care about. The Beginning pisses me off because Mulder pretty much reverses his attitude from the movie, which makes it sound like he only said those things in his hallway to manipulate her to stay. Which would be a dick move even for Mulder, and I think he was 100% genuine in that FTF scene. So fuck the nonsense in this episode. I didn't remember Drive at all, but that was a good episode - surprisingly good for something that has them working separately the whole time. But I loathe the line at the end, when Scully is talking to Kersh, about how Mulder's work led to the DoD disbanding its program. Um, no. Mulder's work was to cart Bryan Cranston around; Scully is the one who was out in the field doing all sorts of cool things and who put together what was happening. So typical of the writing for this show. My kingdom for some estrogen in the writers room. Shooting Dreamland so that we see the real person, rather than what everyone else is seeing, gives us the mirror dance scene (something I actually find distractingly hokey, although I love what Mulder does when Morris's wife walks in on him), the lovely scene between Scully and Mulder when she's telling him the infinitesimal odds of putting things back to normal, and the amusement of Mulder navigating Morris's family life. But it also denies us seeing "Mulder" (Morris in Mulder's body) as Scully sees him, when she doesn't yet know what's going on. To have seen Mulder (meaning DD rather than Michael McKean) behave so oddly would have been great, and it would have made Scully's confusion so much more profound. Sitting there watching a different guy lessens the impact of Scully watching her partner act so out of character. Apparently, the reason Only Happy When It Rains was the sole thing I remembered from Terms of Endearment is that I'd repressed the many things I dislike about it. Forget Home, ToE is the gross episode for me. What Wayne does to his wives is gross, the bullshit abortion law they arrest the latest wife under is gross, Mulder leaving Scully to clean up his mess is gross, and "I'm not a psychologist" is such a stupid line, it's gross, too. Shit episode - that Scully is barely in - but the demon wife driving away with her demon baby in the end is a high point. Every time I watch Rain King, I'm surprised anew by how much I like it in spite of Victoria Jackson. I can't stand her, and Sheila is a total drip, so it's not like she's redeemed by the character she plays. But everything around her is so great, she doesn't ruin it for me. I love so much about this episode. "I brought you a leg." Every single one of Scully's reactions to Kroner and its inhabitants (not to mention her crazy partner); GA is on fire in this one. "He's my partner, and we prefer separate rooms." Swaying to the music at the reunion. "The blind leading the blind." Sheila and Scully's conversation in the bathroom. "I do not gaze at Scully." There's a whiff of nice guy entitlement to it, that Sheila has to return Holman's feelings, but the fact Holman isn't among the people who acts that way salvages things somewhat. HTGSC is so good I always forget it was written by CC. I fucking love that episode, and need to watch it more often. Triangle, on the other hand, fairly screams "written by CC." Jessica's TWoP recap skewering the hell out of it was gold, Jerry, gold. CC did a beautiful job directing it, but the writing is just bad. It's a typical gimmick episode; all hat and no horse. When you write to a location, and to all the cool shots you can use, rather than writing a story and then matching those things to it, it shows. I kept falling asleep, and finally gave up trying to rewind and start over, lest I never get past the first disc. I did wake up for the dimly lit kiss and punch, and heard but was too tired to open my eyes to see the scene in Mulder's hospital room. "Oh, brother." Thank goodness for Tithonus on the next disc, because S.R. Whatever and Two Fathers/One Son are not exactly calling my name.

Wyle was doing other projects, yes, but I recall this time period also being when his contract was coming up for renewal, he'd had a kid, and he was just all around feeling like, "I signed up thinking months, maybe years, but not decades," and thus they were trying to give him a break during his final contract season to entice him to re-sign. Ultimately, they got him to sign on for reduced appearances in a couple of seasons afterward, and then come back for a limited run as the series concluded.

We saw him, bearded and brooding, with Kem, who has astoundingly sleek hair for someone in a humid refugee camp, in a brief shot in Freefall, so he'll be back on screen in tomorrow's first episode and back at County in the next one.

I don't exchange presents with many people anymore -- my parents and a couple of close friends -- but I'm gobsmacked by the idea of not even acknowledging that someone has given you a gift! We're talking not just the lack of a proper thank-you card/note, but not so much as an email or text message? That's so crazy. If I had tried that as a kid, I'd have been told I wasn't playing with/wearing/whatever said gifts until I got my thank-you notes done. I can't even imagine doing it as an adult.

Yeah, he did; he directed nine altogether. He's pretty good behind the camera; he's directed about half a dozen episodes of Major Crimes (quite a few other shows, too, that's just the one I watch).

Sam's son is creepy! I'm glad they stayed realistic, and didn't have the characters suddenly talking nice about Romano, but I think Susan would have wanted to attend the memorial. They got along in an odd way, so while I completely buy that she wouldn't want to speak, or be upset in the way Corday is, I think she'd feel obliged to go. It's really cute that Corday put that picture of her and Romano in the memorial display in the ambulance bay. Now I have to worry about Romano's dog; I hope she has a good home.

Oh, @ABay, I'm so sorry to read that. You gave more love and care to a cat you couldn't even pet than some owners do to sweet cats pleading for attention. I know the first day is rather surreal, as you struggle to wrap your mind around the fact he's gone. You will be in my thoughts as you slog through this beginning part of the grief process. I hope girl cat gives you a good snuggle.

Quoting myself to say: Yes. Yes, it is. From the moment the Free Falling elevator music starts to the one where Romano yells rather than runs, and all the bad special effects in between, it's awful. And doesn't the episode end without anyone knowing he's under the wreckage? This has got to be in the top ten of horrible episodes of good shows.

I dread what's coming, but in a sense I can't wait to see if the Helicopter of Doom really is every bit as horrible as it is in my memory. Susan has always been a good teacher. In the early days, she was the one who made sure Carter was included and got practice. And now she's really good with the way she teaches Abby. She's also very good with patients. I think she's one of the best overall doctors the ER has had.

Shooting and its aftermath