Gummo

Watching a show you love(d) slowly slip from excellence into mediocrity is a painful thing. The first season of Lucifer was some of the most sophisticated TV I've ever seen on broadcast television. But whether they simply ran out of ideas after season one, or changed staffs, or had to dumb things down for the earlier time slot, half the time I don't know if I'm watching Lucifer or a wacky Disney Channel star-crossed tween lovers comedy. And that's not good. I agree with everything everyone has said about Chloe -- she's the least real character ... on a show with the Devil, an angel and a demon. Expecting Lauren German's beautiful face to convey the specialness of the character is just ridiculous. There's gotta be something more. At least in season 1 she was a competent, no-nonsense detective. Now she's an awkward, giggly schoolgirl. What the hell, show. And keeping her in the dark about the secrets all around her -- secrets everyone else seems to know by now -- just makes her look even more stupid and clueless and leads nowhere. Pierce/Cain is a repulsive character whose woes interest me not at all. Season 1 Lucifer was always on top of things, now he's a befuddled buffoon. Is he even the devil anymore? He's got no devil face, not even his red devil eyes. Normalized Lucifer= boring Lucifer. Amenadiel's constant whining? Enough. Can we just get a spinoff about Linda, Maze and Trixie? To hell with the rest of the cast.

You actually think there's a POINT to endlessly chewing over the meaning of TV game shows? Besides fun, that is?

I no longer slam contestants for their stupid clothes choices or their "hook" -- both are chosen by the producers and forced on the players. I have a strong feeling that Stephanie is getting confessional questions like, "As a single mother, how does it feel to be away from your family? Tell us how much winning this game would mean to you. And please make sure to use the phrase, 'as a single mom'." Pure speculation on my part, admittedly, but we've heard from so many contestants on reality game shows over the years about how much of what we see is stuff that production insisted on and that they were contractually obliged to go along.

A good episode but not a great episode. But so far, I'm enjoying this season. Not stressing over not knowing who most of these people are -- that happens to me every time they start the game with 20 PEOPLE. I mean, c'mon, who can keep track of 20 people? I bet even Probst has a cheat sheet in the early days of the game. Speaking of ol' Jeff, I've always thought his job is not to be an impartial arbiter, it's to be a goad so as to add even more stress to people who are already tired, hungry, achy, and irritable. His job is to strip these people raw, then sit back and watch the fireworks. So he taunts, annoys, derides, all to -- very intentionally -- get on people's last nerve. Michael impresses the hell outta me, too. Hope he can survive after his big show at Tribal. Had no idea who Bradley was or why everybody hated him 'til Stephanie (?) made that comment about his whining, then I remembered. Yes, what an asshat! And again in the reward challenge, James proves that gym muscles aren't good for much of anything. I have no idea why, but I'm kind of liking Dom. We'll see if that lasts.

Dear Amazing Race, CBS may treat you like a red-headed stepchild, but as long as you cover Jessica Big Brother in huge stinging scorpions, you're aces in my book! Love, Gummo

Maybe someone can help me out here -- Does anyone know how long Lucas & Brittany have been together?? [ducks & runs]

I'm in the minority in that I'm not minding the head-to-head comps - this one was much better than the first, too. I like that the teams don't know when it's coming so they still race flat out. I like that they have to stand there & keep their cool while watching other teams check in. I like that it keeps mixing up the order (I still remember the days when a team got so far ahead that they led for 2 or more legs, and all the fans bitched and moaned!) Cody: "Derp." Jessica: "Your jingoistic ignorance is a source of endless amusement for me." Cody: "Derp?" Jessica: "Exactly!" They're both obnoxious but she's so much smarter than he is; then again, maybe she likes it that way. Sorry about the b-ballers leaving but dude, 3 heart attacks? Maybe you want to set up a hammock in the backyard and not tempt fate again, huh? I admit, I got verklempt during Lucas's proposal. Not many people get to have their proposal moment professionally filmed! Won't miss Joey & Tim -- Joey Chestnuts sweating was the stuff of nightmares.

I was all set to HATE this show. I was sure it was going to be the 21st century After-MASH. Instead (he said sheepishly) I'm loving it. The writing and acting are just so good. The characters are funny & believable. Georgie and Missy are written as real kids, which is harder than it looks. And Annie Potts. Need I say more? I surrender, I surrender!

First bad episode of a surprisingly good season. I guess that was an attempt to "grow up" Raj -- he's been the most arrested of the main cast. While everyone's been allowed some character growth, he's stayed the same season after season. But he's still really creepy and it's not especially funny anymore. I'm glad they're allowing him some success again (and allowed him to finally get away from that old stupid haircut), but instead of sweet & pathetic, he's now that neighbor who you just can't put your finger on exactly why, but you know you shouldn't leave him alone with your kids. The Sheldon story took his character a giant step backwards -- manipulative and sadistic ... for no particular reason. And the big climaxing joke was a wet firecracker -- I don't care what kind of fantasy world they live in, a legal document has to be signed by both parties, you can't just spring it on someone and say a previous agreement authorized this one. I'm not a lawyer but the complete lack of common sense took me right out of the story -- "oh, it's a contrived gimmick to put Sheldon back in Leonard's face all the time." These people really have no ideas left, have they?

That was fun! This is turning out to be a good season of TAR. To everybody who didn't watch BB last summer, I doubt anyone hates Cody because he was military; people hate Cody and Jessica because they were utter vile shits. When they were on top, they used psychological torture tactics on anyone not in their alliance (ordered - yes, ordered- everyone in their alliance not to talk or communicate with non-alliance members in any way, and this in a sealed house where you have nowhere else to turn for company), turned on their own allies for no particular reason, bullied people and just generally behaved like the most privileged little snowflakes on the planet. And of course when things turned against them, whined and whined And that's only their on-air behavior, I understand on the feeds there were lots of ugly sexually bigoted comments from Cody (not Jess, though, who's decidedly more "worldly"). So no, not particularly nice people. HOWEVER, I am trying to approach them on TAR with a clean slate and so far, they've been fine. (Cody's acceptable as long as he isn't interacting with other humans.)

This was a great episode, firing on all cylinders, though my favorite storyline was Penny using her downhome common sense to help Sheldon figure out a direction for his life. Their relationship really started way back in the episode where they had an ever-escalating fight until Sheldon threw her laundry onto the telephone wires outside and Penny (thanks to Leonard) got Mrs. Cooper involved. There was a marked shift after that, of Sheldon accepting Penny as, well, maybe not an equal (not then, not yet), but as someone strong & smart enough to fight back and stand up for herself. Since then, they've grown into a more-than-siblings-but-less-than-romantic-partners relationship that's probably the sweetest part of the show. I just saw a rerun of the episode where they celebrate Sheldon's birthday and he freaks out and hides in the bathroom. It's Penny who goes in to comfort him, and she says that as a kid she would have been one of Sheldon's tormenters, and now he's one of her favorite people. And you get the feeling he feels the same about her. Also good was Leonard's glee in sharing simple science fun with Amy, since he can't do that at all with his spouse. (I understand, I'm an ol' Grateful Deadhead married to a Dead-hater. You learn to deal.)

That was fun, so long as they don't overdo the "twists." A 3-hour wait for your opponent? That's only fair if the next leg starts with all teams bunched. Cody veers from being his old obnoxious BB self to just plain weird. Someone should keep count of how many times Jessica gives him her patented quizzical "was that a joke or are you just that clueless" look. Love that Henry & Evan stayed positive and finally won! And I'm equally glad the Queens of Passive Aggressive Hostility, the Goats, are gone. Seriously, they didn't sound at all like friends, they sounded like a divorced couple thrown back together for the Race. Yes, I'm just an overgrown adolescent, but I'm loving the beautiful greeters. I can see how Brittany/Lucas may get our nerves down the line, but so far I am enjoying her sassy-with-just-a-hint-of-annoying attitude. And "pineapple" as your safe word? Arbitrary and silly, and I love silly! Maybe they're big SpongeBob fans? I am in awe that the teams that chose the diamond appraising detour were able to get it down to the exact dollar. I'd love to know how long it actually took.

TAR is back! TAR is back! TAR is BAAAAAACK! Yes, I'm happy about that, why do you ask? I get why they do stunt casting now, this group seems less stunt-y than recent seasons. They started in one of my favorite youthful hangouts, Washington Square! A good start, esp. with teams already driving themselves - and getting lost! - on the very first leg! And yes, Iceland is breathtaking. Can't stand the mean girl dynamics of Goat Yoga, I'm very sorry my eye candy, the Ring Girls, were knocked out by such unpleasant people. And you'd think Team Pro Ballers would know TO READ THE DAMN RULES. And a drop-dead knockout gorgeous greeter at the end of the first leg! Did any other oldsters think Miss Iceland looked like Mamie Van Doren in her prime? Having seen the vile Cody & Jessica on BB, it was gratifying to see Cody's same ol' assholishness bite him in the butt on the very first leg. But if he keeps his mouth shut AND LISTENS TO JESSICA (who's marginally less vile and probably a whole lot smarter), they might go far. No particular favorites yet, but I'm dismayed at the way CBS is just throwing this season out there, as if they can't wait to get it off their schedule.

All these ridiculous idols and advantages have made playing Survivor strategically impossible. It's practically random now. And so winning proves nothing except that Burnette and Probst like you. Whoopie. This game used to take planning, social wiles, and some luck. Planning? Why bother, when production will just up-end whatever you do if it doesn't fit their pre-planned storyboard? Social wiles? You can be an arrogant asshat -- Hi, Ben! -- so long as we keep throwing idols in your path. Luck? You don't need luck if you're an alpha male and Probst has the bromance hots for you! it's too bad, really. Original Survivor was a brilliant game. But as I've said before, Burnett and Probst have no faith in their own creation.

My wife and I loved this episode because Amy and Sheldon's situation? We lived it. On my birthday. The only thing that saved us from a real mess was that I ate the offending food 45 minutes after she did, so our bathroom schedules were staggered, as it were. Of course, that meant I knew what was coming for me when she got sick first and I had 45 minutes to anticipate it! Yeah, the Leonard & Penny characters are in a rut. But that's what's good about an ensemble show -- there's always others to focus on. On a shallow note, I'm glad Raj is keeping his natural hair, it looks so much better.

I'm thinking they left out the Mike hustling and scrambling stuff because NOTHING can get in the way of Ben's winner edit. Ben, the wily, heroic veteran, working hard to win while the others lay around and complain. Ben, the lone striver against impossible odds, Ben the.... OK, I think I just made myself throw up a little bit. But others on this board, much wiser than I am, called Ben's winner edit only a few weeks into the season. And they were right. I mean, is there any doubt that Burnette and Probst, who both worship what they see as 'alpha males', wouldn't tie themselves into pretzels to help Ben win? Heck, watching the episode, when Ben found the clue, I said to Mrs. Gummo, 'now, as soon as they turn off the camera,' Production will literally hand the idol to Ben just to make sure.' That's practically what happened.

Stupidest challenge ever? Check. Worst editing ever? Check. (We go to commercial in the middle of the loved ones' visit, then come back and Boom! it's IC time. WTF? Did the love ones just disappear in a puff of smoke?) Stupidest gameplay ever? Definitely in the running. (Lauren: "I'm gonna prove my faith in alla you by leaving everything I worked so hard for in this game BACK AT CAMP OR IN OTHER PEOPLE'S HANDS." There's no words for that level of dumb.) I'm so tired of Probst and Burnett's hardon for Ben. Yes, we get it, you both wish you were a big tuff soldier. Well, you're not and fawning over this guy won't change that. I really liked that matchstick Ryan outlasted Mr. Supersoldier in the IC. As did everyone else. The idols used to be beautifully crafted things. Now it's a piece of string and a seashell? Have they dumped the idol design budget into Probst's salary or something? Pathetic. Deliberately making the hidden idols look like something a bored 5-year-old whipped up on a rainy day at grandma's house just to encourage fake idols is just sad. It's admitting that the people they're currently recruiting as contestants don't have a fraction of the gumption and creativity displayed by earlier players, so they have to be led by the hand through every step in the game. Remember when there were challenges that tested memory and knowledge of local culture? Now it's 'swim and do a puzzle' or 'stand there until you fall over.' The creativity is just stunning, isn't it? I only ever abandoned this show during the sadistic Russell Hantz seasons but except for the stunning nature photography, they sure have dumbed this game down. I guess I'm rooting for Ashley -- she wins challenges and she's under the radar and she's not obnoxious.

Meh. As others have pointed out, the characters feeling "off" this season continues. Unfortunately, interspersing new episodes with season 2 holdovers only emphasizes how far the character consistency and writing has fallen. Suddenly, Ella and Chloe are both behaving like giddy teenagers. Again. Suddenly, Maze is jealous and confused and able to turn her back on Lucifer, instead of being a powerful and vindictive demon of hell whose very existence is dedicated to guarding Lucifer. In the first season, Amenadude came off as such a powerful celestial, he could barely be contained in a mortal body; now he's Mr. Rogers. Every character has been diminished to the point where their celestial power is reduced to an easily categorized gimmick. And now the show is working so hard to worm the Charlotte character back into the proceedings and I couldn't care less. She wasn't interesting last season and she's not interesting now. The new lieutenant is just as bad and trying to force him & Chloe together reeks of "who haven't we paired off yet" writing. Lucifer started off as the ultimate Mr. Cool, now he's Mr. Whiny and Vaguely Ridiculous. It's sad. The first season of Lucifer was one of the most effortless, stylish affairs I've seen on TV in years. Now it seems like EVERYTHING on this show is an effort, and all the seams are showing.

I don't think we knew anything about Linda's private life before this episode.

That was a brilliant episode, one of the best of the series so far. The opening was incredibly disorienting, a perfect mirror to Reese's own disorientation. Revisiting our characters in the beginning of their relationships was fun, it also showed how far they've come since the beginning. Lucifer's face when Linda explained to Reese that Luci was "a good man" and "my friend" was fantastic -- the devil, who isn't touched by much, was really affected and Tom Ellis played it so subtly and so well. Everyone was good in this episode, the direction was good, the writing was good. The idea that we needed background on Linda had never crossed my mind; as the episode unfolded, it became clear how much we needed this to fill in the gaps in our understanding. Reese's case board was great, we could see he really was a star investigative reporter as he slowly but surely sussed out the truth. Again, my biggest complaint/fear is that these season 2 standalones are so superior to the new episodes (so far), that it makes me nervous whether season 3, which still hasn't found its stride, can ever measure up.

This. Jessica came across as a giddy immature 14 year old in 30 year old's body, which is just ... weird. And creepy. Leave out the dependent clause "of the few people" and it becomes clear: "He's one who is bringing any sort of entertainment value." So "is" is correct.

Jessica, maybe if you weren't a virgin, you wouldn't have spent every waking moment obsessed with Cole and -- gasp! -- SEX, and could have actually, y'know, played the game? Crazy idea, I know. The producers/editors really need to give us more context for what's going on. WHY was that tribe (I already forgot which it was) starving and out of food? Couldn't they fish? Were there no coconuts, no fruit of any kind growing around them? Were they idiots who managed their resources badly, or was it circumstances beyond their control? Without contexts, I didn't know whether to feel sorry for them or despise them. Glad to see Joe burn an idol for nothing, though I have to admit (dammit) that he had a good attitude about it -- "might as well start fresh," I think he said as he handed it over. Count me in among the Smug Chrissy haters, too, though part of it is production's fault -- calling a 'financial adviser' a hero? How does that work exactly? "Chrissy saved my life by moving my mutual funds into a mixed portfolio of long-term growth stocks and utility bonds, otherwise my children would have received 5% less on my investments"? I mean, that's Sully Sullenberg levels of heroism there! I do kind of like Dr. Mike -- he's funny and playing hard and that usually wins me over. Cole can go anytime, he's selfish, clueless, conceited and has no social game that I can see. Ryan's a little weasel, but not a malicious little weasel, so I'm interested to see what he does next. I blow hot & cold on Ben. Liking Devon, Desi and Ashley. I thought the Outback reward was one of the better sponsorship tie-ins, and it sure looked like a MUCH better feast than they usually get -- it was actually a (more or less) balanced meal! ETA: Cole is also a HORRIBLE player. He can't keep a secret for five friggin' seconds.

Easily the best episode of the season so far -- which is why I'm a little disappointed to find that it's the second holdover episode from season 2. Makes me a little nervous for the rest of season 3 if the holdovers are consistently better than the new eps. Forget Lucifer & Chloe, let's make this the Lucifer & Ella Show! Their chemistry was wonderful and didn't feel forced at all. I love how the 2 characters accept each other's quirks with nary a raised eyebrow. Everything about their relationship in this episode worked for me, and I love the glimpses into Ella's checkered past. The B story - Chloe's birthday - was alternately funny, grating, and very sweet. Chloe's been such a nonentity lately, it was great to see her let loose and be stupid. Even fictional characters need that now and then! Add Dr. Linda and ever-faithful Dan and it was a nice counterpoint to the main story. Ah, the main story -- I'm enjoying how the show is tying up loose ends. Last week we got a look at Charlotte's ruined life (thanks, Mom!) and this week we got the backstory AND the front story on the Candy episode -- which turned out to be a lot more interesting than her original appearance. I wonder if Lucifer will ever put it together that he has his best relationships with women he doesn't sleep with (outside of Dr. Linda, that is). And for once, the mystery was actually a mystery -- I only figured out it was the bartender about 20 seconds before the reveal. If I read the credits correctly, this episode was written and directed by women -- if so, can we continue to get women-only crews writing and directing Lucifer? They "get" this show.

Harvey Weinstein. And the disease is Old Rich White Guy Sexual Privilege.

Margarita and Kentaro should both be gone. Margarita put her model in a superhero costume and Kentaro put his model in a black garbage bag. Which pretty much expresses his opinion of plus-size models generally, I think. All season I've gotten this vibe off Kentaro that he hates working with the plus-size models and literally doesn't understand that they're beautiful, so he covers them up in the ugliest shmatas he can produce, over & over again. It's insulting and I'm so sick of it. Kenya and Anaya were both robbed this week; either could have won; either should have won. While Brandon's look was attractive, it was also same old-same old. Kenya and Anaya both pushed themselves to new places and produced beautiful garments. Brandon produced .... a standard well-made Brandon design. It wasn't more or less editorial than anything else he's done. I certainly hope the almost certain Brandon win is misdirection -- though I was skeptical of her in the beginning, Anaya has produced great work all season and has only gotten better & better. End-of-season Brandon is pretty much the same as start-of-season Brandon. And while, yes, the exploiting of breast cancer survivors can get old, or tacky, my wife is currently undergoing chemo for breast cancer and she was very moved, so I have nothing to say about that.