[S07.E01: All Stars Goes Global]

I'm in the minority in that I always liked Anya in her previous appearances, but coming back on an all-winners season and STILL NOT HAVING BOTHERED TO LEARN ANY TECHNICAL SKILLS? That makes her a waste of space; she should go sooner rather than later.

And really, has this season sat in the can that long? A year and a half? Yikes.

Not a big fan of Dmitri's personality but his skill and talent so outstrip everyone else's that he'll have to make a monumental blunder to not cruise to the end. His updated hippie peasant dress was gorgeous! 

The judges were correct about the Canadian guy's Mountie outfit -- remove the big brass buttons and you get a whole 'nother look, one that's a lot more sophisticated.

And even I, a clueless man of no fashion sense whatsoever, noticed how much better Alyssa looked! The key is to not cover her neck in any way -- she doesn't have one, so any coverage makes her look like her head grows right out of her shoulders. The outfits she wore -- especially the first one -- flattered her in the best possible way.

[S02.E01: Ja'loja]

I love this show and don't care who knows it! I forgive most of its transgressions and am just glad it's back!

I thought this was a great 'welcome back' episode -- even on an exploratory spaceship there's downtime and it gives us a chance to get re-introduced to the characters. I always enjoyed when one of the Trek series took a step back for an episode to let the characters breathe, and I enjoyed it here too. I like that Orville explores the mundane aspects  of a community-in-space -- parent-teacher conferences, bored teens, muddied relationships. Having families in space will necessarily make for a messier environment than a strictly military setup, and with McFarland at the helm, Orville gleefully goes for it -- annual urination, anyone? (ok, I guess I'm 12 too, because the whole concept cracked me up, both on its own and as a parody of classic Trek tropes).

Strangely, I think McFarland's real affection for his creation will make the parody elements harder to sustain as time goes on -- already the giant personal suites for each officer are looking ridiculous, even though we know they're a parody of TNG's equally ridiculous officer suites. And this is a medium-sized ship! What are the flagships like?? If the show was simply a satire, it wouldn't matter, but Orville's characters have sucked us in and we want it to be "real" (for a given TV sense of "real") in the sense that we want to suspend our disbelief and lose ourselves in it. Parody works against that, it keeps us distant, out of the story. This tension - between parody and 'reality' - will only grow as the show goes on. 

Well, so far they've more or less managed it, though it has led to some clunky, abrupt changes in tone, even within the same episode. 

[S00.E156: Resolution (New Year's Day 2019)]

18 minutes ago, ElleryAnne said:

This season has been so frustrating, because I like JW as the Doctor and I like all three companions, but something about the episodes keeps missing the mark.  It's like taking a sip of your favorite soda and finding it's gone flat.

So true. Another B/B+ episode when I was REALLY jonesing for an A+ Instant Classic. But to be fair, I've been waiting for one all season.

And why WERE the others just hanging out watching Ryan & his Dad fight for their lives without even reaching out a hand?

But yeah, it was okay. Which puts it miles above any Capaldi episode ever. What a waste of Who seasons THOSE eppys were!

[S02.E10: All Alone]

One of the underlying themes of the series, especially this season, is that Midge, wonderful as she is, is basically a very selfish person -- as all performers have to be. She basically abandoned her kids to her parents' care in season 1 when her career started to take off; she destroyed Mary's wedding just so she could be the center of attention; she arranged Imogene's party but then didn't even show up. 

In "All Alone" we see her starting to come to terms with who she really is, and accepting it, even if she doesn't like it.

Other thoughts:

I was surprised that Joel talked about starting a club with his $60k - I thought he was going to offer Suzie the money to buy in as Midge's co-manager. He may still. As we saw, sometimes in the macho showbiz world, you need a man to do your dirty work and Joel is good at it.

So do we think Sophie was serious about hiring Suzie, or is she just trying to fuck with'em both, and break up the potent Suzie-Midge partnership? 

As for Lenny Bruce - almost every word out of his mouth onstage has come from Lenny's classic routines. This recreation of his Steve Allen Show appearance is even more faithful than the rest (and is nakedly autobiographical). As Lenny said, it was his big chance to show the honchos of show biz that he could "play nice." 

If you want to hear Lenny Bruce at his peak, seek out "Lenny Bruce at Carnegie Hall." It's a complete show,recorded at a midnight Carnegie Hall appearance in the middle of a blizzard in 1961. Lenny thought the place would be empty because of the weather - it was packed to the rafters. And the first ten minutes is all improv - Lenny talking about trying to get to New York City from Miami in the middle of the blizzard to make the gig. There's nothing dirty or controversial about it (that comes later) and it's utterly hysterical. The show also contains peak versions of Christ & Moses and several other routines.

[S12.E10: The VCR Illumination]

I should be super-annoyed at how gimmicky the last 2 seasons of TBBT are, what with all the retrofitting and crossovers going on with Young Sheldon.

But they're doing it so well!

Tonight was one of the best yet. Sheldon's reaction to his father's image and speech were touching yet in-character. I do like how whenever Sheldon references his dad now, there's always an undertone of regret that they never had a chance to grow older and get closer. I also appreciated Sheldon's belated realization of his similarities with his father, when all his life he's worked as hard as he could to emphasize the differences. 

The B story was meh, barely okay. Way too pat and sitcommy to be the counterpoint to such a rich A-story. Though I will say, we've seen Bernadette's competitive side before, but I think this is the first time we saw Bernadette Rostenkowski, Pageant Girl, in all her glorious obsessiveness. That was kinda fun.

Leonard's buttons are so easy to push. I wonder if he ever followed up with that therapist? He should. 

So how's the season going to end, with Amy discovering she's pregnant? Leonard & Penny discovering same?

[S37.E11: So Smart They're Dumb]

Of course, the flip side of not being seen as a threat is not being seen as a player, either. If Davie makes it to the end, he better have a damn good speech ready to make his case. 

[S37.E11: So Smart They're Dumb]

One of the funniest Tribal results I've seen in a long time! Man, Gabby, I like you but you are SO BAD at this! You practically TOLD Christian at Tribal that you were voting for him. Even if Davie's warning hadn't put him on alert, you gave away your whole game right there!

I don't get the hostility to the raw emotions on display at the family reunion episodes. Kara hit it right on the head -- You go out there for 20+ days in the rain and wind and deprived of food and sleep, surrounded by people none of whom you can really trust, and you will be desperately grateful to see someone who loves you unconditionally, whom you don't have to hide anything from, who you don't have to fear is doing you dirt behind your back. 

I always enjoy those episodes because, like Mike said, it gives you insight into the competitors and humanizes even the worst villains (THIS STATEMENT INVALID IF A HANTZ IS ANYWHERE IN THE VICINITY.)

It STILL cracks me up when the jury marches in and it's a parade of Probst's beloved BAMs (Beefy Alpha Males). If jury facial reactions are anything to go by this early, the rest of the contestants had better get Christian out or he's going to win unanimously.

Angelina's bragging to mom about the rice buy-in was such a little kid moment - Mrs. G. found it obnoxious but I found it endearing. "Mom, the teacher put MY drawing on the bulletin board today!"

Best cast in years, good editing, challenging challenges that don't obviously favor male upper body strength -- I don't even care who wins at this point, I'm just having so much fun watching this season!

[S11.E09: It Takes You Away]

Not bad, a lot of good moments, but that's been the whole season, no? Wanting it desperately to be an "A+" across the board when it's actually maintaining more of a solid "B".

Loved Graham and his sandwich. He's turning into one of the best companions ever. And for the first time, we got to see his wonder at all he's seen when he was excitedly telling "Grace" all about it. Nice to see beneath his phlegmatic exterior.

The only thing that really rang false -- and more, it left me furiously angry -- was the finale, where we saw Eric and Hannah happily hugging as if nothing had happened. Her father TERRORIZED AND ABANDONED her, show, no matter how he rationalized it! Leaving them together is NOT a happy ending, the guy should have been reported to the Norwegian version of Child Protective Services, at the very least. That left a very, very bad taste in my mouth.

So is next week it for real, or is there a Christmas special?

[S37.E10: Tribal Lines are Blurred]

Late to the party so I'll make it quick:

1. Still loving this season.

2. Still loving Gabby & Christian; not sure they made the right move this week but I sure understand why they did it.

3. Carl's lack of self-discipline did him in, yet everybody's talking about Gabby's lack of self-discipline instead, and SHE's still in the game. 

4. I winced at 'call a spade a spade' but it seemed innocently intended to me. Davie sure didn't flinch.

5. Has there ever been a season when all of Probst's beloved alpha males were ALL targeted and evicted so early? LOL!

6. Hyde-Smith is a pro-Confederate* racist from way back. Context matters. Excusing her 'public hanging' comment is racism defending racism.

(*You remember the Confederacy, right? The traitors who waged war against the United States?)

[S12.E09: The Citation Negation]

Has it reached the point where the writers just hate these characters and want to make them suffer? Sure seems like it --

First we had the guys working for months on a guidance system they hoped would net them a lot of money and fame in their fields, only to be told the university would take 75% of whatever they earned, and then the military took it away completely under a lid of secrecy -- so no money, no fame, nuthin'.

Now we have Sheldon & Amy working for months on a project, only to discover at the very end that their hypothesis was (supposedly) disproved 40 years earlier (and how did an initial review not turn that up??).

Why is any of this nastiness necessary? To keep these 40-something men and women in the same exact place, socioeconomically and professionally, that they were in when the series started? My god, that was 12 years ago, do they really think the viewers, who accepted them getting married, having kids, growing up, won't accept them having some success? Or is it, as I postulated above, that the creative team is just so tired of it all that they've come to hate the characters and have no reason to hide it anymore?

In any case, this episode left a really bad taste in my mouth. The final scene was depressing, not amusing.

[S37.E08: You Get What You Give]

Not much to say except that this season continues to look like it's going to be remembered as one of the Classics! One of the craziest, most fun TCs I can remember! The Davids' plan was masterful, and masterfully carried out. Goliaths may think they still have the numbers, but with Nick's vote-steal, it's effectively even or better for the Davids now. Sorry to lose John (first Survivor dudebro musclehead I've liked in a long time), but his exit was classy and I hope we see him back soon.

Nahville, sorry, but I have to disagree with your TC analysis on the basis that we only see a fraction of the entire thing. Gabby may have spoken, and they may have talked about other people than Angelina and Christian; that's just what the editors and producers wanted to focus on. So yes, the Davids were good and pulled it off, but I don't think it was quite as dramatic as you paint it.

Davids + Alec can wreak a pagonging of the Goliaths now if they want to. But these contestants are having way too much fun playing the game to settle for the safe route. Someone will get impatient or itchy or paranoid and everything will realign again.

Again:  LOVING THIS SEASON!

[S12.E08: The Consummation Deviation]

14 minutes ago, Katy M said:

But, we've seen him eating at a table with Amy.  And he eats at tables at restaurants.  And when he goes home to visit his mom.

Hey, I'm trying!

Back in the 1960s, Stan Lee, legendary editor of Marvel Comics, got a little fed up with readers pointing out mistakes, so he asked them instead to come up with creative solutions to cover the mistakes, and he would playfully award "No-Prizes" to the best ones. I guess I'm trying for a Big Bang Theory No-Prize!

[S12.E08: The Consummation Deviation]

1 hour ago, LoneHaranguer said:

Considering Sheldon's interest in cleanliness, why is everyone using their laps and furniture arms instead of having foldable eating surfaces?

Sheldon is also very much a creature of habit. As we saw in flashbacks, he found it difficult to accept any furniture at all when Leonard brought in the couch. So the fact that they've been eating like that since they were poor assistant professors (or however they started their careers) means it will be very hard for the gang to get Sheldon to graduate to eating like a grown-up. They tried a couple of times, but it didn't take!

[S37.E07: There's Gonna Be Tears Shed]

Unfortunately for us as viewers, a Pagonging really is the best plan for the Goliaths. Any David who survives from here to the end would have all sorts of underdog cred, plus the fact that the jury will be stuffed with Davids. Plus, if you can pick off 5 people -- that's over two weeks of survival in Survivor time -- with no threat to yourself or anyone you're allied with, why not do it?

But luckily, there appear to be a couple of people itching to make a big move and shake things up, whether it's smart or not -- good! (For us, that is.)

I get Gabby's frustration at Tribal. If you're targeted and you know it, you're damned if you try to do something about it and damned if you don't. 

But I do love that this whole cast are players who not only know Survivor but know that everyone else there knows Survivor, so they're talking openly about stuff that was always alluded to (in ridiculously roundabout ways) in previous seasons' Tribals. So Gabby's exclamation (Of course we're trying to shake things up! Of course we're trying to exploit fractures!) was a breath of fresh air compared to those stupid wink-wink tribals of yore when no one would say anything in a straightforward way.

Not the best merge episode ever (Elizabeth going was pretty much a foregone conclusion) but I'm still enjoying this season. 

[S10.E07: Did the Chicken Cross the Road?]

Glad they're advancing the Dunphy kids' stories as the series winds down. I've liked most of Haley's boyfriends - Dylan, Andy, Arvin - all for different reasons. Dylan is the funniest, Andy is the one I'd most want her to hook up with in real life, Arvin was a sitcommy 'opposites attract' kind of thing that was amusing but not very original.

With Dylan in nursing school and Haley desperate for direction in her life, this could be either the best or worst thing to ever happen to them. Of course, this being an American sitcom, abortion is out of the question so I'm guessing the wedding (with a super-preggers Haley) will be the season ender?

So Luke - salesman, hustler, psychologist? Interesting evolution. 

Gloria, usually funny, was so obnoxious this episode. Jay wasn't much better. But Joe was hysterical.

They've done the Mitchell-Cam O.Henry-style switcheroo ending too many times. "I actually want what I thought YOU wanted!" "And I actually want what I thought YOU wanted." Yeah, sure, whatever, dudes.

Still funny as it winds down. Not bad at all.

[S37.E06: Aren’t Brochachos Just Adorable?]

25 minutes ago, blackwing said:

I found it sad because while it does seem that John and Dan have genuinely formed a bond with him, he with all of his intelligence would have to know it's probably only because of the situation they were thrown in together. 

I like to think the Brochachos are just as bemused to find themselves bonding with Christian as the other way 'round. And both Dan & John seem to be insecure guys at heart, so there might be more basis for a bond there than we think. 

And many of our bonds develop only because we were thrown together -- many years ago I remember reading about a study that said one of the most important factors in friendships and love relationships was ... proximity. How much more likely in an artificial high-stress situation like Survivor, where you not only depend on each other to move ahead in the game, but you're together 24/7 ?

Though I would love to see Dan and his 2 idols get blindsided, then maybe John and Christian can bring in Gabby and have a solid 3 going forward (I can dream, can't I?).

[TBBT vs Young Sheldon: Nitpicks, Anomalies, and Historical Facts In An Evolving Universe, presented by Sheldon L. Cooper]

Now that YS is in a second, creatively successful season, I'm starting to wonder about something --

Traditionally, a sitcom has to last at least 7 seasons for syndication viability. Sheldon's now 10, or still 9? Either way, it's been established that George died when Sheldon was 14, 4 years (or 5) from now. Sure, major characters have been killed off on sitcoms before now (thanks a heap, MASH, for starting that trend), but are they really going to go there? And if not, how do they reconcile it with the backstory already established?

Possibility 1 - they DO go there. Not a lot of laughs.

Possibility 2 - they ignore it.

Possibility 2 - Revisionist history - maybe 14 is when George and Mary divorced so that George becomes "dead" to the family? Not exactly ha-ha either but less grim than George dying.

Any thoughts?

[S12.E07: The Grant Allocation Derivation]

I agree with most of you that this was a really fun, well done episode.

Can I just add that I love seeing the Dean Seibert character back? It's been years!

[S37.E06: Aren’t Brochachos Just Adorable?]

Another fine episode in one of the best seasons in a LOOOONG time!

I'm sorry Lyrsa went but at least I understand the thinking behind it. Which is a tribute to this season's editing -- i.e., it's finally making sense again. (How many seasons have we suffered thru where it was just one thing happening after the other with no context, no back story, no nuthin'?)

Dan, 320 pound Dan called, he said stop talking about him, you're embarrassing both of you.

As most of you know, I've always defended Probst's patter during challenges as more than just his annoying personality but as a very real part of tearing down players' defenses. Well, fuck that, he was soooo annoying this episode. Tone it down, Jeffy.

Funny how most seasons no matter what shake-ups the producers try, the players stick to their initial alliances like grim death. This season, it seems like all it took was one tribal mix-up and so many of'em couldn't wait to drop their alliance and start making new ones! Which I love, of course.

Nothing much to say except keep it up, Survivor!

[S10.E05: Good Grief]

3 hours ago, WhosThatGirl said:

I actually thought she was going to be the one who ate Jays sandwich.

Now that would have been funny AND made sense, in the context of the episode.

[S37.E05: Jackets and Eggs]

Fi. Na. Lly!!!

Survivor is a game for a million dollars, true.  Only one person can win. But every person there can have the adventure of a lifetime. Ruining that for everyone out there is the ultimate dick move, which is why I despised the Hantz seasons and any season where someone thinks it's clever to be sadistic and unpleasant.

Which is also why I think it makes sense to vote off obnoxious enervating people, especially this early, when the numbers game hasn't gotten critical yet. 

Digging Your Own Grave/Voting Off the Creeps is this season's REAL theme. And I'm very happy about it!

Great episode all around. Love that Gabby and now Christian have been challenge heroes for their tribe! Hopefully, that keeps Gabby around a while (are we SURE she isn't the tall half of Garfunkel and Oates?). I find her adorable and I get her insecurities. And Christian's delight in being included in the brochacos was damn cute. 

I think the whole point of Survivor is, how do you keep your wits about you and play a long-term game that's social, emotional and physical all while having your brain dulled and your nerves rubbed raw by the weather and the deprivation? As I've said before, that's one of the reasons I don't mind Probst's needling of the contestants during challenges and tribal -- the whole point is to push their buttons, keep them on edge, and film the resulting fireworks. 

Thanks to everyone for the info on evacuation, we were wondering about that last night. 

Loving this season!

[S02.E05: A Research Study and Czechoslovakian Wedding Pastries]

Can we just change the name (and focus) of the show to "Young Missy"? 

The character and the young actress are brilliant.

16 minutes ago, anna0852 said:

I can't figure out if Meemaw is supposed to be a de facto third parent or not. Last season she refused to babysit while Mary was working, not unreasonably so. But we see her eating dinner with them most nights and accompanying the family on quite a few of their outings and frequently speaking to the kids more like a parent than a grandparent. It's a weird dynamic.

I think that's what Meemaw enjoys about the dynamic, she calls the shots -- one day she can be a concerned meemaw/babysitter if she wants, the next she's a swinging oldster out with her beau with no time for little ones. She sets the boundaries.

Except with Sheldon, of course. Sheldon recognizes no boundaries but his own.

[S37.E04: Time to Bring Out the Charmpocalypse]

11 minutes ago, ghoulina said:

Jeremy tried to help her and she shot him right the fuck down

To be fair, Jeremy, even if he was right, was quite insulting and obnoxious about it.

[S37.E04: Time to Bring Out the Charmpocalypse]

42 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

I'd prefer just a straight-up Nullify after an idol has been played.

This is really the only way to make it work. 

[S37.E04: Time to Bring Out the Charmpocalypse]

So the theme of this season isn't really David vs. Goliath, it's "Digging Your Own Grave."

So far 2 people who SHOULD have had nothing to worry about talked themselves right into elimination.

Nothing sweeter on Survivor than seeing an arrogant player blindsided. The way Natalia sat there after Jeff announced her name, I thought Security was going to have to come on set and drag her out. 

Now that would have been some great TV.

So John the Wrestler is on a journey of self-discovery? We've certainly heard that before on this show, but he seems to actually mean it. If he and Christian do turn out to be a long-term partnership, that would be really cool. I love odd couples.

10 minutes ago, cooksdelight said:

If I were being ordered by Natalie on which stick to pick up, where to put it, etc. .... I’d stand up, hand her the sticks, then walk off and do something else productive.

This! "If you know so goddam much, YOU DO IT!"

Great bunch this season. I like it when contestants are there for the adventure as well as the prize. Only one will win the prize, but everyone gets to have an adventure.