Captain Asshat

Silas is Wolf Snack from 1988. He finds Isaiah as a boy when he gets waaaay older and is working with Aldridge. He takes the kid through a sinkhole to 10,000 BC for reasons. Because the show would totally do that.

So, using Handwavian Physics, I'm assuming the sinkhole something something intereferes something gravity, so that's why the people weren't killed by the fall. The same absolutely not made up science is why the cars never exploded.

This comment just made me feel like the old punk I am. lol The Sex Pistols were basically mainstream America's, and my, introduction to punk rock in the 70s. Johnny Rotten is known for being unapologetically rude, brash, and difficult to work with. He's been kicked off at least one talk show, and walked out of uncounted interviews. I would never have guessed this epitome of punk would do this show, which I guess was the point. After he was unmasked, and after I recovered from my shock, I was waiting for a string of expletives and disses of all the panel and Nick, but he was uncharacteristically calm and gracious. I'm glad he had fun with it, and I truly hope his wife was entertained. Alzheimer's sucks.

Well, he signed an NDA, ya know. Because THOSE are enforceable under penalty of jail. (eyeroll) My first thought? "Your kid didn't sign an NDA. She can blab about this all she wants." My thought: Every vehicle in your camp likely has a jack. Why not use those to lift large pieces of rubble?

So, IIRC way back to Christian's season, he ignored Tim Gunn's input more than once. I remember this, because I remember thinking, "Don't ignore Tim. Those who ignore Tim get aufed." Then Christian never was eliminated and eventually won. This isn't to say that Christian is wrong to ask questions about POV and design elements, because, a bow is *not* a POV, I guess I'm saying that ignoring a mentor is not always a bad thing. I agree that flirting with Christian is just...not a good look. The closest anyone got to that with Tim Gunn was Santino doing a spot on Tim Gunn impersonation and suggesting many questionable things...and a trip to Red Lobster...which cracks me up to this day.

The one designer...Katie, I think? I referred to her look as "Punky Brewster Goes Clubbing." It was horrible

Considering the way this show is written, I'm sure Izzy will find a way to stow away on the plane. Then the whole family, and the guy Mom cheated with, will all be there. You know...for DRAAAAMA.

Was just coming in to say this about Russel Brand. As soon as he mentioned he was banned from countries, my brain immediately went to him. Also? His altered speaking voice sounds like Dr. Nefario on helium, so I'm sticking with this choice. 😁

And my first thought was, "If you had actual standards, you wouldn't be on this show."

Ha! I just figured those considered too old just weren't granted admission. The Commonwealth is kind of interesting, in a Stepford kind of way. It's like the original Alexandria in that way, but there's also a culty, "Pleasantville" vibe around it...with happiness enforced by Stormtroopers. I wonder if THEY have pasta makers (RIP Shelly). So continuing your point...I get the feeling that expulsion from The Commonwealth is more execution than "we'll take you far away, and you can never come back." Or, you know..."Soylent Donuts are PEOPLE!"

I see the Reapers as a rehash of the Saviors as well. Pope is just Negan, but with military training and a real (albeit small) military, rather than just a horde of minions with guns. The other difference is that, at least the Saviors had some motivation. They were basically feudal warlords. They had their people, and they forced other communities to provide for them, or face brutal punishment. The Reapers attack others, because...um...why is that again? Did I miss some kind of pontificating speech about why they're decimating other groups? I got their backstory, sort of, because the volume was so low, I couldn't make out much. It just seems like they treat other groups as an enemy that needs to be eliminated. Didn't quite hear why.

Drink every time Coral is not, in fact, in the house he was told to get into.

Negan is protected by both plot armor and handwavian logic.

Here's my guess: Maggie has an understandable visceral hate for Negan. If Negan was on fire, she wouldn't even piss on him to put him out. I hope that hate never goes away. She is the only one on this show who seems to remember how ruthlessly and needlessly cruel he was. She watched him brutally murder her husband Glenn and Abe to prove a point that wasn't worth making...at least not in that way. If the writers have her let go of that, they will have lost sense of how this kind of emotion and hate work. In this episode, the foraging group is in danger as they go after food stores they need, because the Whisperers burned Alexandria. As a result, it has no food and no crops. Negan was undercover with the Whisperers at the time, so Maggie's bottomless rage at him puts the predicament on him, regardless of the fact that he was actually working for the "good guys." No, it doesn't make logical sense for Maggie to waste time blaming all of this on him. However, with a hatred this deep, I'm sure she would find a way to blame him for cracking the Liberty Bell.

And in addition to the "we just hung out a couple of times and it was super casual," he also added "And our conversations were never as deep as the ones you and I have." Most women would infer all that as reassurance that their relationship with Brendan was on a deeper level. He's a jerk for lying and then trying to gaslight her. I really hope his follower count drops below the "I can make a living off this" level.

It's not just her voice. Her forced, fake laugh absolutely makes me twitch...and not in a good way.

Her intro scene in the credits is her literally stirring a pot. Producers aren't even trying to hide her purpose for being there. I don't like her, but I can't completely fault her for getting paid to have a free, all inclusive, vacation. I hope she socks her money away, because this fame will not last. She's not a good actress, her personality sucks, and she doesn't seem to have the skills for a real job when her fame whore money runs out. I'm sure there will be a "has-been of reality TV" show she will appear on one day.

Yeah. One will scream about catching a fish, the other will tell him to STFU and punch the fish.

I agree with you. Matt has always been really good at diplomatically defusing situations without backing down. OTOH, I can see things going down like this: Matt: Hey bro, can you keep it down a bit? I had a deer in my sights and you spooked it. Thanks! Jeff: Look. I'm the only one in this challenge who has done 60 days. I know what it takes to do this. Matt: Um...I never said you didn't. We would just appreciate it if you wouldn't scare away the big game and other land animals by screaming like drunken frat boys every time you catch a young gar. Jeff: But...THIS IS WHAT I LIVE FOR, BABY! My yelling isn't keeping ME from being fed, so this is your problem, not mine. If you can't feed yourselves, that's not on me, bro. Matt: Is it that hard to keep your voice down when you catch a fish? Jeff <blinks>: But...I ate alligator balls, so you know I'm a man! It's a man thing. Matt: What? How does that...? Ya know what? Just...Get out. Jeff: You're not the boss of me. Matt, stands at his full 6'5", crosses his arms, and glares at Jeff in "GTFO." Jeff: Fine. Give us our fishing hooks back. Jeff tells Steven he KICKED MATT'S ASS and now they need to go and find another camp and stop carrying these fools who totally would have starved without them.

Let the bear live! After eating the toxicity known as "The Other Guy," he deserves a medal, rather than to be eaten.

Producers: Dammit. We could lose EJ! Also Producers (to Max & Gary): Looks like your food reserves are getting low, and your low-elevation camp could be an issue. Have you thought about...I dunno, just spitballin' here...making a raft from the logs of your shelter and just moving to higher ground, say, in that direction? <points toward EJ's camp>

You're right. We don't know what we don't know. However, the show traditionally doesn't shy away from showing one or the other team member specifically refusing a cuddle for whatever reason precisely because doing so is HSR #1. Sarah has been shown as someone who isn't exactly proactive on interpersonal things, so based on these observations, I assumed that EJ didn't offer, and Sarah didn't ask. If either do an AMA, we can ask.

My thoughts on this episode. Jeff and Steven: You guys caught a fish, which is great. Bait your gator hooks and keep catching fish until you get a gator. They seemed to have done that after they caught the first fish. Were they doing that before? It seemed like they were concentrating only on killing gators. Which takes me to...the need to emphasize the word "kill." I'm not naive. I know that hunting and fishing involves killing. But even in Jeff's intro package, he is talking to his dog all cutesy saying, "I'm gonna go and kill some gators." It just makes it seem like that's his only reason for going on this challenge, and that he revels in killing things, rather than seeing hunting as necessary for survival. When I hear "hunting" or "catching," it seems less...pathological, like "we are doing this because we must eat to live." They catch one fish, and Jeff starts screaming. I'm thinking, "Thanks for scaring off whatever other fish are out here. You might have had more. Jeff is now, and always will be, a chest thumping tool. Steven is alright, but I fear he's gonna catch himself a case of "The Jeffs" and go down to his level. EJ and Sarah: While Sarah needed food, for sure, and being fed does provide your body with the energy to make warmth. But shivering cuts through your energy reserves, she also needed outward warmth. EJ, wrap your bear self around your freakin' partner. Her survival helps ensure yours. That fire is essential, and now he has no one to stoke the fire while he is out hunting and trapping. I hope he is as good at making fire as Sarah is. No fire means that, even if he does capture food, he will not be able to eat it. Max, Amber, and Gary: Max didn't seem as douchey as he has been, which is good. Gary is just trying to create a weird, gross survival brand for himself. "I eat everything. Nothing goes to waste. That's true survival!" He seems to forget that he wouldn't have any of that meat to survive on without the other two, especially Amber, who processed it for the team. So, yeah, hunting and trapping is also "true survival." Amber, who has experience with this environment and with alligators keeps telling him what not to eat. He keeps eating those things out of spite. He revels in being gross, and he gets bent out of shape when people disagree with him. He's an ass. Matt, Riley, and Ryan: They work together so well, and I love watching how Matt continues to problem solve with their hunting tools. His ability to quickly assess the issue and quickly adapt the arrow for weight and buoyancy, combined with using the twine was great, even if it did fail. We were just wondering why they didn't test the twine tactic on land to ensure they wouldn't lose the arrow. Matt is a natural leader in that he is good at what he does, and he values his teammates and their abilities well enough to delegate the proper tasks to each when they're hunting. I love his humility, his personality, and his humor. I hope we don't lose him to nutria itch. This team works together so freakin' well. There's no drama. I hope they can stay together and replenish their food stores.

Gary seems to be the one who wants to be the one calling the shots, being the tribe leader, and providing for the tribe. He did the same thing in another season of XL when Matt showed up with real, non-rancid meat as he was boiling meat from the nasty carcass he found. He got very chest beaty with Matt, and he was insulted that no one wanted to eat the rancid meat he brought back. IIRC, he ate it out of spite, and did wind up having some...issues. Like you, I don't remember Max being so douchey. I'm pretty sure Amber has stated to the team that she has experience wrestling alligators, but they don't seem to have absorbed that info. Amber: I have literally wrestled alligators. Here's what we need to do here. Max: I've never done this before, but I think we need to do this a total other way. I'm glad he wound up taking her direction and advice when pulling it in.

I think that, in Su-Zaaaan's previous challenges, the issue was a combination of her proactive defensiveness and her partners' attitudes. In her first challenge, IIRC, she came in saying something like, "If my partner is a typical man who comes in expecting to take the lead..." and she seemed to be defensive from the get-go with him. Yep, he stupidly refused to drink water, but she spoke to him in her condescending fashion, which never goes well with any adult. Rather than talk to her about that, he just continued to stupidly not drink water, then wound up needing to tap. Fast forward to the last XL. Su-zaaan certainly drew the short straw with Seth, who was the dictionary definition of useless, not to mention a rageaholic and a misogynist. Plus, she came into that season with "In my last challenge, my partner didn't listen to me and tapped out. I hope I get a partner that listens to me." She always wants people following her lead. I know I was vocal in my opinion during the previous season that TPTB put her with Seth precisely because they would clash. But it wasn't just Seth. She even treated Makani horribly, up front, until she realized Makani wouldn't challenge her. After Su-Zaaan self-banished and found Wes and Gwen's tribe, she toned herself down. I think that's because she was the newcomer to a functioning, established tribe with food and a water source. She appeared in NAA a few weeks ago and was paired with Wes. They knew each other from the last XL, she had nothing to prove, and they worked fairly well together for the few days she was there before her medical tap. In short, my impression of Su-Zaaan has not changed. She feels she needs to make her mark on everything by inserting her opinion on everything, especially if she's paired with a man. This XL challenge is no exception. She said she didn't want to be EJ's sidekick. Everything EJ suggested, she wanted to detail to death. He stated the type of shelter they should build for the environment they're in, and she wanted a meeting about it. As they built, she kept "correcting" EJ on everything. She has no concept of "team," unless she is running the team. Frankly, that it took until Day 3 to get a shelter is squarely on her. Personally, I run hot and cold with EJ. He sometimes bugs the snot out of me, but I do have to admire his patience with Su-Zaaan. He is definitely picking his battles. If he, Jeff, and Su-Zaaan are all still in it when they merge...oh, there will be fireworks...and lots of stank face. My only hope is that Lacey is there watching, eating metaphorical popcorn, and saying she's happy she's not the resident problem child for once.