Bastet

Yeah, well, I'm a pre-Code fan. :-) But, Michael Gleason is thankfully no Joe Breen, and the drawn-out dance works for me for three-plus years. As this season wears on, with them decidedly engaged in a committed romantic relationship, it gets pretty hard to sell me on the lack of sex. I'm fine with it for now, when it feels like it's just a matter of circumstances - they keep getting interrupted - or even like it's happening but we're just not seeing it (which is what I'd long assumed was happening on Scarecrow & Mrs. King, and still do, so was quite surprised years later to hear fans thinking they'd abstained until marriage). But I live in apprehension of ye olde reset button on the horizon, when they regress and make sex a focal point, something that is purposely not happening because it's a major stumbling block that is now quite out of date. Coffee, Tea, or Steele contains one of my favorite Laura moments of the series – her flying tackle of Terry O’Quinn into the pool. “Now, what’s this all about?” as soon as they resurface. And he’s looking at her with this kind of admiration, like, “Did she really just do that?” Heh. When Steele comes to her hotel room, their vibe is that of a couple who is already sleeping together. There’s no seduction at all; he’s just getting the bed ready and starting to undress while she talks to Mildred, like it’s a given that when she’s finished they’ll pick up where they left off (they were about to kiss when the phone rang). And she just plops down on the bed, lying right next to him to talk about the call. I love that she puts him off by turning the tables on him – he’s taken such glee in their covers, and now she gets to use the “company policy” line on him. Fantastic. And, again, this vibe that it doesn’t matter that they don’t have sex tonight, because they have plenty of other opportunities. The Christmas episode with the Santas and the diabolical plant lady is another one that shows how far they’ve come, when he tells her that Christmas story from his childhood. I love the way he suddenly sits up, grabs her face, and then kisses her really softly afterward – it’s hit him that he can now tell her something ugly about his past, and she won’t fish for more, or make snide remarks, or do anything other than listen and then make a wonderful offer about a sled. So sweet. I get a smile out of him testing her, by not telling her the agency gun was unloaded and checking that his actions (or what appeared to be his actions) didn’t diminish her opinion of him. So very Steele.

I have a very hard time watching Faber's treatment of Roseanne; it's so well done that it's almost too real to endure. But I do love everyone walking out; my favorite is that older woman whose name I can't recall. In some ways, she has the most on the line; she's certainly the least likely of anyone in the room to be able to find another job. Her head down, that little hesitation, then placing her hands on the table to visibly gird her loins, and then joining the others in clocking out for the last time. I love "Guess we're not going to make our quota today, honeybunch," but that quiet moment from a character/actor I can't even name is the most powerful for me.

I like that, because if her "You're surprised, aren't you?" thing she does at the end was that he wasn't expecting to have VIP parking and tickets, rather than he wasn't expecting her to actually know anything about the team they were going to see, the commercial would not get my dander up.

I think she's doing a re-watch and making these as she goes along, so stay tuned for more.

They're still friends, because they were recently together and very companionable at a memorial service, but even if she likes him personally, that wouldn't surprise me because basically everyone who's ever passed by him on a studio lot and spoken about it has said he's a pain in the ass professionally.

Rubber gloves. I hate using gloves - my hands get sweaty, I can't properly feel what I'm working on, etc. - so I only do it with particularly caustic substances. But I'm off today to take care of a bunch of long-delayed little projects, one of which involves TSP (the real stuff, which the EPA will pry out of my cold, dead hands because once every blue moon there is something for which only TSP will do). So I dutifully put on a pair of gloves, and was annoyed within minutes. Dishwashing gloves, disposable surgical gloves, thin plastic lunch lady gloves ... I don't care what kind of glove it is, it bugs me. Thank you.

My reaction to the concept was, "Someone has too much time on their hands." Then I watched. And laughed so very hard. A fan uses her action figures to give a 6-second recap of each episode, starting from the beginning:

I never made it to the market this week, and I have dinner plans tonight through Sunday night so am not intending to go until Monday (I do not go shopping on weekends unless I absolutely have to). So last night's dinner was "pasta with whatever I can find in the fridge." It turned out tasty -- I doctored up some marinara sauce that had been included with my calamari order earlier in the week (I use tartar sauce for dipping it instead, but the marinara is decent so I saved it to enhance with extra garlic and basil), cooked some sweet Italian sausage, cooked some whole wheat penne, wilted in some spinach, and topped with a little Parmigiano-Reggiano and torn basil.

God, how could I have completely forgotten that scene? I love CJ, I like Amy, and, more relevantly, I think Allison Janney is tied with Gillian Anderson for the greatest laugh in the history of civilization. But that rang absolutely no bells. The aliens have stolen my memories! Oh, wrong show. Maybe I was drunk when I watched this episode originally (I have yet to watch my season four DVDs, so it has been a very long time since I've seen it).

I only made it through Premium Steele last night before falling asleep, but I love that one. (And we get another "I'm committed," this time from her.) The ending scene, when she's out on his balcony thinking about how her friend is going to lose everything due to what she uncovered about the life insurance scam and he slips his arm around her from behind, is just lovely and a great example of something they have both always been adept at: being tender with the other when she/he needs it. At least the writers are honest about the fact that, starting at the end of season one, they wrote episode after episode as if they'd be going home to have all the sex, and next episode after next episode as if they weren't sleeping together, and I'll accept their "hey, it's television" excuse for about three seasons. But now, I'm getting antsy.

I missed the episode, but as Caitlyn is how she is now known, that's the way to refer to her in almost all circumstances. There may be times when it makes sense to reference "formerly known as Bruce Jenner" or similar, but this doesn't sound like one, any more than referring to a woman who goes by her married name by her maiden name just because she happened to have gone by the former name back when she said/did the thing being discussed. Now, while the GLAAD Media Guide is clear on this point, I don't think it's something that everyone knows, including many who have no wish to offend. So I suspect they'd have accepted either answer, perhaps with a clarifying statement by Alex (which I shudder to imagine). Because of the potential for offense, I'm a bit surprised they went there.

And it's demented. Give me Jeopardy! Matt's serial killer smile over her Joker smile any day.

I can see that. I obviously don’t agree, as I find “we should take time to think about what we want” inherently non-decisive, even setting aside the rest of the conversation, but I can see that. Since my problem is not with him leaving, but with him emptying his apartment and not leaving any communication, ultimately it doesn’t matter to me. If instead of what she did say, she’d told him, “We’ve tried for three years to combine pleasure with business, and always been tripped up. Clearly, the romantic is not meant to be. I’ve met someone, and we’re going away for the weekend to see what may come of it. Let’s just get the license back and decide what we want to do professionally,” and proceeded to spend four days getting it on with William Westfield, it still would have been a low blow to send her the agency’s license and disappear with all his stuff, indicating he no longer wanted to be Remington Steele when that was not the case. At any rate, even though I know it's going to frustrate me, I'm glad to be onto season four -- this episode was brutal.

Ugh, yes. Sharing an umbrella takes Astaire and Rogers level of synchronization, and requires walking a lot closer together than interests me. No, thanks.

Okay, so Steele Blushing is the episode where I draw a line in the sand and say there is just no reason for the series to pick back up afterward and say they're not sleeping together. The season opener in London is huge for their relationship. He's finally willing to give her some answers about his past ... once he finds them out for himself ... and, despite his nearly unpardonable sin of making it look like he was gone for good, she tracks him down, helps him, and gets him a passport that will allow him to return to life as Remington Steele if he wants. And he wants. Boom, done. They're finally committed to a personal relationship (and he admits as much to Felicia). Now it's just a matter of time -- as soon as there's no case (or Mildred) to interrupt, they will finally consummate it. Which brings us to the end of Steele Blushing. The case is done (and they've saved two people's lives, which has to feel pretty good). Mildred is not there. It's just them, some after-dinner drinks, a fireplace (and stack of porn magazines, heh), and we end on a horizontal kiss. So ... she got up and went home why, exactly? Grrr. So frustrating. I guess I have to fanwank an interruption. Because they're ready to get it on in the next episode (Grappling Steele), but Mildred interrupts. Then there's Forged Steele. Oh, let me count the ways I love this episode. He disappears (again) and seems to have gambled away her agency. When he wanders in, is Laura's first reaction to throttle him and demand answers? Nope. She throws her arms around him and says, "Thank god you're alright." We are talking serious relationship progress here. She knows he wouldn't do that to her (otherwise, as she explains, she would have to hunt him down, tear out his heart, and throw herself off the nearest building, heh). The set-up is elaborate and air-tight, but she doesn't waver. Then we discover the diamond heist. She has a flicker of doubt, but hates herself for it. She tells him, "I know I can trust you." He tells her how happy he is they're together (!) and that he's not going anywhere. These are two very different people than they've been. They're two people who have worked through some big issues and are actively working on themselves not to repeat past mistakes. It's lovely. They've earned it. We've earned it. But it just gets dragged out, with silly interruption after silly interruption, and then a total characterization shift (or reversion, really) in the season finale. I'm enjoying these episodes, but also getting pre-emptively annoyed.

I remember getting a gift box with quite the collection of those about 20 years ago. It was fun. Two of my favorite things - chocolate and liquor. I think the one with Grand Marnier was my favorite. I love cooking shrimp with the shell on, but not so much eating the shell, because of the texture. I make an exception for the absolutely delicious whole prawns at one of my favorite Thai restaurants, though.

I share many of your season four impressions, but especially these two. I greatly enjoyed him on Sports Night, even though Jeremy could drive me up a wall, but I don't connect with/get interested in Will.

Yeah, it seems to me it's supposed to be this endearing surprise to the guy that she actually knows about football rather than just playing dress-up and staging a game-watching date to be cute. Because, you know, women being knowledgeable sports fans is rare in this the year 2015.

As I've said before, looking at life through a viewfinder is not my idea of a good time. I don't understand people who are too busy documenting their every activity to actually experience them. The same friend who records every concert comes home from every trip with approximately one gazillion photos. Listening to her recount her travels is noticeably different than listening to someone who didn't spend as much time with a camera between them and what they were seeing. It's all laid out there on the screen, but it's not in her memory the way it otherwise would have been; there's no depth. No skin off my nose, but I don't get it. But what is a peeve? Expecting me to look at all gazillion photographs. Just the highlight reel, please.

He was a caricature rather than a character. I didn’t care one way or the other about the pairing of Zoey and Charlie by then – it seemed like the relationship had run its course – but this new guy was just ridiculous.

Interesting. They put on great shows back in the day (at least when Axl showed up on time ... and didn't stomp off stage early).

Copyright? I got caught up talking to a neighbor, so I missed most of the game; I came back inside just in time for the copyright TS, and was surprised none of them got it. I wouldn't expect any of them to specifically know that's a law (I didn't, and I'm a lawyer, although not an intellectual property one), but I thought the wording of the clue pointed pretty clearly to copyright. I got FJ, but I agree it was a poorly-written clue because "conforming to orthodox opinion" is a dumb definition of political correctness. But somehow that stupid definition combined with the year did get me to PC, and when that also fit the first part of the clue, I figured I had it.

Yeah, we definitely see it differently. To me, "We need a break/some time to think" and “we’re through” are two completely different concepts, which is why both Rachel and Laura said the former rather than the latter. (Thus, my feeling both actions were grossly disproportionate to the situations at hand.)

I have a friend who records (audio) every show she attends. When I go with her, it drives me nuts. We recently saw Dar Williams, who invited the audience to accompany her on As Cool As I Am. I am normally not a fan of audience participation, but that has always been my exception -- an intimate venue full of people, mostly women, sharing that song is always a joyous, uplifting experience. But when I know the moment is being recorded right next to me and will be traded over the internet, I'm very conscious of that and thus pulled out of the experience I should be having.

Going off on both of them equally would have been playing favorites, given the action she was upbraiding Laura for paled in comparison to those she was giving Steele grief about. But she didn't even do that; she used much harsher language with Laura, disproportionate to the situation. Her long-standing soft spot was still in effect. But at least her blinders are off now. It’s an interesting return to the season one scenario, where everyone at the office knows it’s really Laura’s agency. It plays out differently with Mildred than with Murphy and Bernice, of course, given the respective relationships, but the evolved dynamic is appealing. And I love her telling Steele, right before they present him with his Remington Steele passport (one of my favorite moments of the series), that she really doesn't know how she feels. As much as she adores the guy, she had a whole lot of illusions shattered at one time, so it's good they acknowledged her conflicting emotions.