Bastet

This is the place to analyze the presentation of gender on television as a whole.

I consider Estelle Getty the weak link among the cast, but Sophia's unfiltered brain was an integral part of the show. I loved her "Picture it: Sicily, 1913" stories, most of her insults, and her relationship with Dorothy. I like that while she was not a particularly affectionate person, it was clear she loved Dorothy. And I like that she came right out and told Dorothy she was her favorite (this was when Sophia thought she was having a heart attack). Parents having favorites is a tricky area, but Dorothy had always been the most involved with Sophia into adulthood and by the point of the series was taking care of her.

Thank you, ABS (hm, that looks like I'm calling you Anti-Lock Braking System). He was only 13, and went into cardiac arrest out of the blue. I got him to the hospital, and they were able to resuscitate him after 19 minutes of CPR (which is virtually unheard of) and for three days in ICU it looked like he might be among the five percent of cats who (long-term) survive cardiac arrest, but on that third morning he arrested again. They called me several minutes into unsuccessful CPR, and with the underlying cause still unknown and thus the probability this would keep happening high, I told them to stop compressions. It was all very traumatic; my cats are family to me, so losing one is always devastating, but for it to happen so suddenly and unexpectedly was extra difficult.

Sarah Chalke's Becky always seemed like some generic blonde who had wandered into the wrong family. But Lecy Goranson's Becky was a wonderfully real character. Original Recipe Becky was utterly unlikable sometimes, as teens are, and that was an intriguing thing to see in a main character. Also, she said, "Moth-er" in the exact same inflection I used on my mom at that age, which was always good for a smile.

I liked Montana, Genesis and, especially, Kameelah from this season. Kameelah so deftly handling that little girl who said "I hate gay people" is something I will never forget. I also liked her schooling the guys at the T station on how to properly address a woman. If I'd had their job, I'd have pulled a Montana and given the kids wine so I could get fired and go work with adults instead.

I think this is the perfect title for our Small Talk thread. (And I love that we can have "meet markets" for every show.) It's nice to see so many familiar names from the TWoP forum.

Here we can pick apart the numerous continuity errors over the course of the series. The house used for the exterior establishing shots bears no resemblance to the layout of the interior sets, Dorothy married Stan because she got knocked up 38 years ago, yet neither of their kids is anywhere close to 38 years old ... the list goes on and on.

From the foolproof roast shrimp to the Honey Vanilla Poundcake of Doom, discuss your experiences replicating - or revising - the recipes seen on the show. My first rule for any Ina recipe: Cut it in half. Then cut the salt in half again.

It's nice to see familiar names from the TWoP thread, and I look forward to meeting new-to-me fans as well. And since we didn't have a Meet Market thread for BC before, it will be nice to get to know you all a bit beyond your postings. On that note, I guess I should introduce myself. I'm a civil rights lawyer living in Los Angeles with my cat Maddie (that's her in the avatar). My primary interest lies with women's rights cases (reproductive freedom, employment discrimination, Title IX, and much more) but I've had my hands in other areas as well. I like to cook, not so much to bake (which is interesting, since I generally like the more regimented and scientific aspects of life), and I eat chicken almost as often as Ina.

Thanks for starting this up, AntiBeeSpray (and thanks for converting it to our Small Talk thread, David). I look forward to reconnecting with those from the TWoP forum who migrate over here, and to meeting new faces that share my love for this wonderful show. For those who don't know me from the TWoP forum, I'm a civil rights lawyer living in Los Angeles with my cat, Maddie (that's her in the avatar, looking much happier than she does right now, having had three teeth extracted on Friday). Sadly, I lost my kitty Baxter - whose various travails were covered in the Meet Market thread over the years - unexpectedly just before Christmas. We live in a 1938 fixer-upper that, nine years later, I have finally actually fixed up. I finished all the major renovations before the end of the year (other than a total redo of the kitchen and bathroom, which is still several years away), and am STILL painting the trim work and new plaster resulting from my new windows.