Bastet

Oh, I see what you're saying, that what she switched his with was her card, not a replacement Alfie had somehow created. That would make much more sense, but, then, yeah, as you noted, it means she has to switch back now (especially if his card gives access to places hers doesn't). No, at least not that we've seen. When she is in the security office (where her info is already up on the guy's computer well before he scans her card, which bugs me), we see the side they scan is all black, and the other side just has the firm's name on it. But it looks like some sort of pouch, so it's possible there's more inside.

No, he knew what it was in advance, because when Hamilton was doing his "it's exclusive, are you sure the chili dump isn't the party you're attending tonight" digs at the haberdashery, Isaac said no, John Jay's to discuss the Declaration of Independence. (Calls Pete "Peter"). Yeah, she did it in this very episode (about Elias trying to drag him to hell last time).

They're still trying to make MWBSP happen. Stop it, Gretchen. They used to at least come up with a reason - one that only works on TV, but a reason - a trial was starting in just a few days, but didn't even bother with this one. Olympia has already met Alfie (early on, when she brought Matty's "forgotten" dinner to the Queens apartment [they lured her there to spy cam her entering her phone's passcode]), but everyone acted like Family Day was the first time. Julian did not meet him, but was looking for him even though he has no idea what he looks like; it's Family Day, it's not like he'll be easy to spot as the only kid in the firm. And Matty told Edwin about the 3:00 shift change plan in the morning before she left for work, but she didn't learn about the shift change until later that day at work, when she talked to the security guard who'd helped her with her purse (it's shown as a flashback, but she's in the same outfit). I was not as successful blocking out the nonsense with this one. Kennedy (Kennedy O; I love that there were three) intended Zoey to drink the spiked drink and get sick, but was she there when Zoey handed it to Violet instead? Intent transfers, but there's the added detail that everyone in the sorority knew about Violet's heart condition, which means Kennedy knew or reasonably should have known that if Violet drank it, she could get more than sick. If she just let that happen, thinking, okay, this way I still get revenge on her because she'll get in trouble, that's a pretty big deal. With Olympia saying it was an accident, and she shouldn't be charged, she should have said Kennedy wasn't there when Zoey gave her drink to Violet. I wonder why the ADA has it in for Olympia, and how his hunt that he's being patient about is going to create problems in a future episode. He bugged me. Matty getting stoned with Senior was fun, at least. As was Sarah's reaction to the sorority girls, and especially the kids (I love her and Billy yelling "No eggs in here!" in unison). But as for Billy and Simone: This. They disgust me. Simone has never alleged Sarah did anything to her in law school; it's been played like she hates her just because Sarah was so good, and so obnoxious about being so good. So this campaign of petty revenge is as pathetic as it is nasty, and Billy is a nice, attractive guy with a good job -- even on the rebound, he has plenty of better options, so choosing to go this route is also pathetic.

When she took his, she replaced it with another; they show her doing the switch when she takes his coat. How she (meaning, Alfie) managed to create a duplicate card that is working for Julian, they have completely ignored.

But the pest control worker who placed the 911 call said he couldn't get in, as the doors were locked, but he could see through the windows they both were down. Right now, we're suffering from a barrage of information without an investigation to put it all together. Yeah, in today's press conference, the sheriff's office said the dead dog was kenneled, while the surviving dogs were not.

The backstory is so very Isaac. "We're trying to form a country here" and he's fixated on a ruffle. I knew he was going to somehow be the source of "pursuit of happiness" and like that he gets that win but is going to be even more insufferable because of it. I enjoyed the Hamilton references. And "Yeah, Samantha, I'm telling you the story because everything works out" and, especially, "Did you just gasp at your own reveal?" But my favorite was Sam Adams suggesting beer as the third unalienable right. On the Elias front, I loved Trevor's reaction to his description of demonic existence: "This sounds a lot like my time at Lehman Brothers."

It's Best Foods on this side of the Rockies, but, yeah, that's my preference. Duke's is great, as is homemade, but I prefer the comfort factor of the mayo I grew up with. I miss the canola oil version of about 20 years ago, which tasted just like the original but with less fat (it also had less vinegar, and I'm finicky about vinegar). That particular formula no longer exists, so I'm back with the original as all the existing variations have notable taste differences.

Studies conclude "money doesn't buy happiness" is true, but only once you're past a certain point -- having enough money to not worry about paying for bills and other necessities each month removes a giant source of daily stress, which significantly affects happiness as it's an entirely different way of living. But happiness doesn't keep increasing along with one's bank account. (And, on the flip side -- while accumulating wealth doesn't increase happiness, using it to help others does.)

I've done the first, but not the second -- because, yeah, that's weird as hell. And then she asked why not? What a wackadoodle.

I'm so happy Juveria won! I ran states, vowels, and pop culture and got all but Xbox 360 in X (I knew it was Xbox, but could have sat here until I expired without coming up with a specific model) and missed two each in the rest -- even though one of those was a mythology category. So I'll call it a good first round. I normally kick ass in anagrams, but I missed three. I missed another three in adventure (not my genre). If I could swap those out, I'd have had a good DJ; I ran use and got all but Swansea in British and all but pia in body and missed two in songs. I had no idea for FJ, though.

Ana thinks Buddha is spelled "Buddah"? This game was not off to a good start. But she made me laugh talking about it after the show -- "I misspelled buddha on national TV, how am I going to overcome that?" And with "I don't know how I knew that!" when she answered the Debussy clue; I have said that many a time. Her "I'm from Florida, it does smell like a sweaty foam finger" also entertained me (even as I got Oklahoma), as did her comments before the reveal of her FJ response. And Yvette jumping in as another child-free dog lady. They were a fun group, especially those two. I've only seen Yvette in a few acting roles, but I've seen her in several interviews where she impressed me as smart and passionate about all the right things, so I was rooting for her. I still don't understand how the champ is a celebrity. I can't believe, even for Celebrity J!, Wuthering Heights was a TS. I really enjoyed the 3+3=6 category. I dreaded FJ based on the category - childhood was a long time ago, and I'm a child-free cat lady, so if it's a book that gets read to kids rather than being a book kids read, I generally have no chance. But this one made me think of the caterpillar book, from years of it being asked about on regular J!, but I mistitled it the same way the champ did so I didn't get it.

She didn't write it, so no royalties for another singer's rendition.

I tasted Miracle Whip once, at an aunt's house when I was a kid. I didn't realize it wasn't mayo (I don't know if I'd yet heard about the sugary concoction that is Miracle Whip at that age; probably not, as if I had I'm sure I'd have thought to check, especially since we were in OK not CA) and slathered it on my sandwich -- which I was already bummed about, because she had white bread (it wasn't Wonder, at least) and I liked wheat (or sourdough, or rye). I got down half and just couldn't do it anymore; for the second half I just ate the meat, cheese, and lettuce.

Poor Claire really struggled on the buzzer (and had plenty where she just didn't know, but she was pounding away at that thing a lot). I always root for her after the horrible online bullying and harassment she endured after the Teen Tournament (she's the one who was accused, at 16 years old, of sleeping with Alex to get the answers, because of course a girl couldn't win on her own). I had almost as bad a game as she did, ouch. In the first round, I blew warriors entirely. I missed three each in novels and games and two in TV (not bad since Inside Man is the only show I've seen). I did manage to run February and Y. I ran alliteration and cities in DJ, but missed three each in animals, auction, and contemporaries, and two each in the rest. I capped it off by only coming up with Wilson for FJ.

I bet those same legislators lost their minds when the Obamas worked to improve access to nutritional food, especially for kids, and encourage healthier eating, calling it government overreach, but now they want this straight-up prohibition.

He didn't hide it during the case where he and Olivia were on opposite side of the firewall (where she represented the widower against the company that hadn't maintained its buildings), when he was petty and vengeful because he was pissed she'd called things off. He wound up admitting it and apologizing before saying he was going to go work in the Dallas office for a while, but that kind of behavior is usually not a one-off. So if it turns out he's still playing games, just lower key, it won't be a shock. But I'd like if he's genuine.

I had surgery last year and the team spoke just like the doctors on this series before surgery, everybody confirming what was going to be done. It wasn't like that the last time I had surgery, about 25 years ago. I think it's like the implementation of Crew Resource Management in aviation, where instead of the pilot and surgeon being godlike figures no one else in the cockpit or operating room can question - which led to many problems, including things as serious as plane crashes and major malpractice like the wrong limb being amputated - everyone is empowered to speak up if someone does something/proposes to do something that is a mistake. How much communication went on during and after the surgery, I obviously have no idea, since I was out, but I think it remains procedure to say "Now I'm going to X" so there's a chance for objection or pointing out a concern. Plus, Lenox Hill is a teaching hospital, and some of the others may be as well. There's probably also a bit of layperson explanation added for the TV audience in a situation like this.

Looking up her credits, the only things I've seen her in are the first Black Christmas remake and a terrible TV movie I sat through because of Mary McDonnell, but I know who Trachtenberg is because she's been around since she was such a little kid. (Harriet the Spy was my favorite book as a child, and I still re-read it as an adult, so I've never watched the movie because I know I'll just fixate on the differences.) This is sad. Her poor mom, finding her child dead, and at only 39 years old.

Just mashed avocado? Yum. When I do that, I mash it with a little bit of mayonnaise because I like the texture as a spread better.

Ten years is from the statement the documents the firm hid could have taken opioids off the market ten years earlier (earlier than what?), from how long ago Ellie died, and how long ago Matty last practiced (so she probably retired to raise Alfie). Fourteen years ago first came up last episode, as when Senior poached Shae, when she was a marketing analyst for a third party company which had Wellbrexa as a client (with the theory being since she wasn't qualified, the Jacobson Moore hire was a reward for whatever she did re. Wellbrexa), and then in this was affirmed as when the documents in the Wellbrexa case went missing. He didn't say he watched it with her. When he said in the pilot they chose the name Matlock because it reminds them of Mom, Edwin said he can still picture her, glued to the TV and telling everyone she was going to be a lawyer just like her mom when she grew up. So Ellie watched it as a kid. Alfie has seen it, too, because he describes the pattern all the episodes follow, but never said he watched it with her.

Unfortunately, this is not an Only on TV thing -- a lot of people don't have paid leave (let alone laws protecting them from retaliation for using said leave if they do have it) so they'll come to work at the detriment to their own health, and possibly infect others, because they don't effectively have another choice. This dilemma is what TV largely ignores.

I was distracted during part of Thursday night's airing, and now I've re-watched: The flashbacks to the custody dispute gave great insight into the family dynamic, particularly Ellie crying to Edwin, "Dad, make her stop," and Edwin mouthing, "I'm sorry," after Matty did the hard work of testifying that Ellie is a completely different person when she's using and should not have custody of Alfie at that time. Regarding the discussion of whether Matty meant Ellie could have supervised visitation now and regain custody after a year of sobriety or nothing until Ellie put together a full, consecutive year: On first watch, I thought nothing other than the former. Upon re-watching after reading the discussion, that's still where I come down, even though I see the ambiguity. The only thing that, in my mind, supports the other theory is telling Ellie to hold onto the toy, like she won't see him at all in the interim. But I think it's just telling her to keep something he loves at her house, so it can be a treat when he returns to living with her rather than only seeing her when she comes to visit. Matty has heard Ellie say she's clean, she's working a program, she's been scared straight, before -- including when Ellie said she was clean in announcing her pregnancy and then Alfie was born addicted. Now she's just found out three months was a lie, it's actually just a month. Ellie begs her not to take Alfie away, which prompts her to mention the year -- I think she's saying they'll have custody for now, but if Ellie can manage a year's sobriety, they'll relinquish. Ellie offers, "You can test me every single day," and Matty parrots, "You can have supervised visitation every single day." I take this as her saying yeah, we'll take it day by day, you seeing him safely and proving your sobriety, and revisit this in a year. This tracks with how you acknowledge addiction is a disease and the person is fighting it needs support in that battle, while also protecting the vulnerable child who can be - and has already been - damaged during the times addiction wins -- knowing Ellie should not have custody, step in to provide that, but maintain a relationship between mother and child via supervised visitation until Ellie emerges with the upper hand and tools for ongoing success against the disease, because reunification is the goal. The guilt and anger Edwin and Matty each feel, sometimes in conflict with each other, is so realistic in being completely natural yet objectively not wholly justified. The "Do.You.Blame.Me?" confrontation and "Sometimes" admission was very well done. Olympia and Julian jailed for contempt and realizing how low they'd sunk, not as well, but it had something to it and I did enjoy - despite the Tums product placement - the judge's increasingly agitated reactions to the antics of Frick and Frack. I saw criticism of Olympia's juvenile reaction to Elijah's text, and I agree, but also think it somewhat worked (at least in this show's universe) in that she shared it with Matty because it happened when she was right there (if Olympia had done it later, I'd cry every kind of foul), it was brief and she switched her attention to Sarah, and as soon as she realized what had really happened after mentioning it to him, she played it off well. I came into this thread expecting to see criticism of the ex-husband in the case as a caricature, and am glad not to find it. The moneybags who hides assets in having child support calculated, walks out with the walking stereotype of a trophy girlfriend who started as his affair partner, claims "parental alienation", and ultimately files for full custody he never wanted until it became an act of revenge and a way to get out of paying -- been there, seen that time and again even in my limited dealings with family court (I used to run the legal clinic of a DV shelter, so divorce and custody was part of that) and a frequent story for those who handle it regularly. Paloma's desperate panic given his power was nicely established. Sarah's ignorance of pop culture from before she was born nicely popped up again, this time with not knowing what "Let's get ready for Kramer vs. Kramer" meant. She was also funny visibly counting to five following Olympia's recommendation -- and when she failed to, leading to the wildly inopportune yet wholly accurate description of neighborhood watch organizations (and I got a chuckle at the neighborhood watch lady joining the chorus of calling Sarah and Billy "You two"). I hope they tone down her lack of social skills, as she's funny as a cartoon but a much more interesting character when they give her layers. While I'm being verbose, let me finally highlight a set decoration and wardrobe choice I love every time, seen again in this episode's opening scene: The Kingston bedroom scenes are perfectly done -- that luxurious bed she climbs up into and the collection of silky pajamas they wear.

I was rooting for Robin, but Ray was my second choice because he's a union man who started the champions' boycott of the ToC that was scheduled to be filmed during the WGA strike. Poor Ryan; for a bit I thought he was the Ryan of the terrible puppy story so was rooting against him, but then I doubted myself and looked it up. I missed three in read, so not a great first round, but other than that I was okay; I only ran lake cities, and missed two in IC, but only missed one each in the rest -- prairie schooner in words, Love Island in TV (I have zero problem missing something like that), and monorail in transportation (due to Ken's laugh, I knew North Haverbrook was a reference to something in pop culture, so looked it up -- The Simpsons). I didn't run anything in DJ, but did pretty well; I missed two each in religion (I know, right?!) and fascism, and only missed one each in the rest -- The Fire Inside in composers, Fingal's Cave in possessive, anole in evolution, and Chapman in language. I had no idea for FJ.

Not this one's; he's still an annoyingly archetypal character played by an inadequate actor. They've now given us more information about him, but that's all that has developed thus far.