WatchrTina

Whoo Hoo!!! Graham McTavish is IN DA HOUSE!!! Between "Outlander," the Hobbit movies, “Preacher,” and now “The Witcher” I have to say that the Fantasy/SciFi genre has been very very good to him. (And the Scottish travelogue show “Men in Kilts” that he and Sam Heughan are doing together is also a delight.) I hate it when characters get up from a table leaving their plate full of uneaten food. If the setting is a rich man’s house in ancient Rome where gluttony and excess were a thing – a way of displaying power and wealth – that kind of behavior makes sense. But in a medieval setting where food is precious because it is sometimes in short supply (and you frequently have to hunt or gather it yourself), the failure of characters to clean their plates just annoys the crap out of me. Oh goody. Sewers. (I can practically hear the opening chords of “Les Miserables.”) When Geralt, Ciri and Triss were standing around a table, talking about Ciri’s visions, all I could think was: “Get your hair away from those open flames!” Seriously – I’ll bet the Health & Safety dept requires that there be a person on set at all times whose sole job is to hold a fire extinguisher and be ready to leap into action if one of those long- haired wigs gets too close to a candle. I watched that whole reunion scene between Yennifer and Jaskier without being able to recall why Jaskier had such bitter feelings toward Yennifer and Geralt. And I watched those earlier episodes within the past month. Was it due to the failed dragon hunt? Or maybe the magic-induced orgy? The spell that cost him his voice for a while? Sigh. I’m going to have to re-watch season 1 aren’t I? So . . . Geralt hates travel by portal. Did we know that already? Is that a "thing" from the video game they're referencing? Oh, that dockside conversation . . . when Jaskier goes off at “fans” who criticize his songs . . . well that was just the most “meta” thing ever because I’m pretty sure that was a message from the show writers directed at us, the viewers. And does anyone else think Jaskier’s new hairdo makes him look like Garth Brooks when he’s in his “Chris Gaines” alter-ego mode? Yes, he does. I mean, he was cast as a bard so that probably was a requirement to even be considered for the role, but he definitely delivers the goods.

I've only seen the first few minutes of this episode but I had to stop and come here and comment because it is SO interesting how similar themes can turn up in completely separate works. Last night I finished "A Court of Silver Flames" by Sarah J. Maas -- book #4 in the "A Court of Thorns and Roses" series. Without going into any spoilers, it contains a tale in which young women find themselves being trained in fighting skills -- training that has traditionally been limited to men. And some men don't like that breach of tradition. At all. I have to keep reminding myself that THIS is a different fantasy realm. Okay I"m back for a moment. So you know how they fed the dead body of the Witcher to the wolves? I've heard of something similar in real life. In the nonfiction book "From Heaven Lake" by Vikram Seth he writes about witnessing a sky burial in Tibet. The frozen ground up in the mountains is too hard for burial of the dead to be practical. So in one mountain community they cut up their dead and lay the pieces on an outdoor stone altar . . . where they are consumed by the local colony of vultures. Sometimes truth IS stranger than fiction. Okay I'm back again to say that the gown that Yennifer's actress was forced to wear through most of this episode -- the one that defies gravity by staying up without straps despite being VERY low-cut -- is distracting and ridiculous. Although . . . now that I think about it . . . the fact that her breasts have not fallen out of that absurd get-up could be offered up as proof that she retained at least a little magic. Now I've seen the whole thing. As usual the Yennifer story-line left me confused but at least this time I'm SUPPOSED to be confused. The guy she saved is just as confused. But I'll be interested to see what comes next. Where can she go now with an escaped prisoner (that she can't trust) in tow? And WTF was hidden behind that wall in Ciri's room?

This was my question as well and the only answer I could come up with was that they were drunk and incapacitated after their party with the whores. But . . . that's not right because at least one of them had the sense to send the whores to hide with the princess so . . . yeah I've got nothing. (These few remaining witchers must all be second-string.) Or . . . was it that they could not bring themselves to fight a monster that was one of their own? If THAT's it then, thanks for nothing (and for leaving the fight to Geralt and his mentor.) As for Yennifer's story-line . . . I'm just confused. This show is pretty to look at but damn, the plot is convoluted.

I can't remember if the potion has ever been specifically explained but my assumption (as someone who has never played the game) is that the potions are a tool, known only to Witchers (and effective only on them), that supercharges a Witcher's powers like a booster in a video game. When Geralt drinks them he become faster, more powerful, possibly immune to certain weapons. For a while. (Huh. I've just realized that statement describes Ms PacMan, which I played a LOT in the early 1980s in my college dormitory. Some things never change.) I don't recall where Geralt gets his potions. It seems safe to assume that he either makes them or he knows how to acquire them but either way it's a time-consuming, difficult and/or dangerous process. Thus, he only ever has a limited supply of them. As such, they have to be used sparingly (which even a non-gamer like me can recognize as a classic video game trope.)

I'm just repeating this to call attention to it. (It took me FOREVER yesterday to hack my way into the extra content. And then -- because I failed to write down how I did it -- I promptly forgot how I did it for the first episode and had to re-hack my way in to find the extra content for the second episode.) I agree that it's really weird how Amazon decided to hide these goodies.

I assume Marco's "logic" is that weakening the Earth -- which is one of the two super-powers in the solar system (Mars being the other) -- creates a power vacuum and he believes (or at least claims) that the Belt can take advantage of that situation to gain power. He's tapping into long-standing Belter resentments and at least some people will buy into it. Marco is also a a big enough egomaniac that he's probably confident that once HE is in charge he'll figure out -- as a benevolent dictator -- how to make everything run smoothly and equitably (with some people being more equal that others, naturally.)

OVERALL Whoo hoo! Bobbi Draper (and her bad-ass Martian Marine power armor) is IN DA HOUSE! Don’t get me wrong . . . I love the crew of the Roci. LOVE them. But Bobbi Draper is my spirit animal. THE GOOD You have to love Avasarala’s style. She makes sure that the Roci gets all the supplies it needs and THEN – while the ship is still locked to the supply station – sends Bobbi aboard. Bobbi telling Amos “Don’t you worry your pretty little head. That’s what I’m here for.” when he questions the wisdom of trying to board and capture the Azure Dragon (rather than just blowing it up) . . . well, that was a moment. (I speculate that those two are going to knock boots before this season is over. Either that, or they are going to come to blows. Possibly both.) Amos’ introduction of Clarissa to Bobby was . . . just classic. “If they try to move past us, kill them all.” Whoa. Do not fuck around with Camina Drummer. The whole conversation between Marco and his second-in-command about Filip was amazing. Loved the writing. Loved the performance. “Ooooh the great Marco! With his pretty eyes and his perfect hair!” That line made me laugh. That character was speaking for all of us, I think. Oh I also loved Drummer’s talk to the other captain about being sick of taking scraps from Marco’s table and wanting to be a “true pirate” again. If someone is going to take Marco out this season I hope it is Drummer. I’m not gonna lie. I laughed when Holden yelled “Everyone brace” before he accelerated and only Bobbi reacted fast enough to actually do so. Have I mentioned how much I love Bobbi? And then she ORDERS Holden not to scrap the mission when that’s his inclination. And THEN – while everyone else is pinned to the floor due to the G-force of their acceleration – she just calmly continues her task. I mean, I know it’s the power-armor that allows her to do so but . . . damn that was impressive. Holy shit the CGI of the space battle that follows was AWESOME. This show does such a good job of visual story-telling. Naomi being unable to fulfill her part in the plan due to a PTSD-induced panic attack rang true given what she went through in the prior season, and it opens the door for some serious questions. How do you live and work in space if you are afraid of space? At first I scoffed at Clarissa’s being dressed for space and able to step in and replace Naomi on the mission, but then I remembered that all the way back in season 1 we saw that everyone on board the Roci suits up in a space suit when they are going into battle. But THEN I recollected that when Naomi went to the Bridge to walk Clarissa through the steps of breaking in to the other ship, she took her helmet off. Okay, I’ll fan-wank that since the firefight was over it was safe for her to do so (but really it was so we could more clearly see the anguish on her face.) Monica was right (for once) when she said to Avasarala “You give a really good guilt trip.” I don’t like Monica. I love Avasarala. So I wasn’t best pleased when Avasarala invited Monica to her cabin for a chat. But if Avasarala has found a use for Monica then (sigh) so be it. I had to laugh (again) when Holden gives Amos the hint to go away so that he can talk to Clarissa privately in the med bay and Amos completely ignores the hint. The discipline on this ship is SERIOUSLY lacking. It’s practically their defining characteristic. THE BAD Ugh! Is every episode going to start with the exploits of the clichéd little-kid-with-poor-judgement-who-gets-involved-with-an-innocent-looking-(but-probably-deadly)-critter? Oh and for bonus points this kid immediately disobeys the verbal instructions from her parents (as well as the written “hands off” sign in the drawer) as soon as they walk out the door. And how exactly was filming the now-motherless baby birds supposed to help? Ugh! (All that being said – the critter eating the dead bird while the girl wasn’t looking is loaded with portent. Anyone who has ever been to a National Park knows that nothing good can come from feeding the wildlife – even by accident.) Ugh! When Emo-Eyeliner-Mussolini (a.k.a Marco) handed Filip’s gun back to him seconds after getting him released from the brig I KNEW there would be no consequences to Filip (that little shit) for his fit-of-pique murder of his friend. Oh how I hate both of those characters. Can they please kill each other in a friendly-fire accident? PLEASE??? (A gun-cleaning accident that blows one or both of their heads off would also suffice. Or a catastrophic decompression of the toilet compartment while one of them is in mid-poop. Really, the possibilities are endless.) Oh and can we PLEASE come up with a side-effect for Clarissa’s ultra-violence implant OTHER than her puking. In her helmet. In zero G. Ugh! THE UGLY I complain above about the lack of consequences to Filip for killing his friend but in fairness, that little “talk” Marco gave Filip after his release – the one where he makes clear what a low opinion he has of his son – that WAS something. And it was ugly.

OVERALL Whoo hoo! The Expanse is BACK! Oh how I’ve missed you. THE GOOD Congrats to the writers for getting much-needed “where we are now” recap dialog into the episode without it plodding too much. Yeah, it was obvious what they were doing, but we needed that. Now that everyone is up to speed, the upcoming episodes can skip all that rehashing Did you catch Holden expressing his disappointment that the beverage he had been handed was “just coffee?” What a contrast (and a clever call-back) to Season 1 when Holden’s discovery that there was coffee on board the newly-acquired Rocinante led to a nearly orgasmic reaction to his first sip. I was glad to see that at least SOME of the MCRN ships are helping protect Earth from the stealth asteroids. I’m glad they recognize that Marco is a danger to the whole solar system. Did I hear correctly that he’s thrown 200 rocks at the earth in the past 6 months? Really? It’s kind of hard for me to grasp that he could muster that much firepower. Aren’t a lot of people baling out of his fight in favor of escaping through the rings and settling new planets? Or does TeamMarco control access to the Ring now? (I’m going to have to go back and watch the last few episodes of the last season, aren’t I?) As usual the visuals on this show were spectacular. Amos’ stroll around the hull to check for damage was gorgeous. And of course they threw in a reminder of Amos’ confidence in space when he releases his mag-boots at one point and space-hops freely to a new location on the hull. And that wee little piece of space debris that started banging into the side of the drive that the Roci team found attached to an asteroid – that was great. Just a tiny bit of space trash – like a goldfish banging against a whale – signaling that VERY BAD THINGS were about to happen. THE BAD Emo Eyeliner Mussolini (a.k.a. Marco) continues to turns my stomach but now his shitty son has vaulted into first place on the list of people I’d like to see tossed into a supernova. (Side note: my expression used to be “tossed out an airlock” but Naomi made that phrase obsolete last season by heroically jumping out an airlock – sans spacesuit – and living to tell the tale!) I actually felt a little bit bad for Filip at first – still trying to earn his Daddy’s respect (and not getting it.) But the writers cured me of that with his not taking “No” for an answer when he came on to the female bartender, followed quickly by his shooting his friend for no damn reason. And you can’t even blame raging adolescent hormones for his conduct because he had gotten laid earlier that same day! I mean, damn son! BTW I counted three witnesses to the shooting (at least) so Marco is going to HAVE to deal with this. I’ll admit I have no idea which way it will go. Marco is perfectly capable of putting his own son down like a rabid dog, but more likely he will ignore the murder completely (at least publicly) and dare anyone to challenge him about it. I don’t think Marco cares a bit about his son but punishing Filip could suggest that Marco (and his son) are subject to the same code of justice as anyone else, and that doesn’t jive with Marco’s whole messianic mind-set. THE UGLY “Every rock kills us a little more, even when they miss.” Damn. The situation on Earth really is dire. Another ugly thing is that discipline on the Roci is breaking down. Holden gave a command (to fire on the asteroid they were inspecting) and Naomi immediately countermanded it. She was later proved right and Holden didn’t seem too fussed about it but I think that’s a hint of potential conflicts to come. But the ugliest thing in the episode is one of Marcos’ subordinates reporting to him that their side had “spaced the crew” after winning a fight, and no one batted an eye at that news. Oooh and did you hear Naomi say (of Clarissa) “As if THAT could replace Alex.” “That.” Not “She.” Damn Naomi, that’s cold. As was her statement (to Amos) “You should find somewhere else to be.” So . . . generally speaking . . . Naomi is NOT in a healthy frame of mind. (Having your ex-husband and son try to murder you by marooning you in a derelict ship that is rigged to blow up can make a girl cranky). Well, [SARCASM ON] I’m sure Naomi's poor mental health won’t jump up and bite the crew in the ass this season. [SARCASM OFF] UNANSWERED QUESTIONS If you wanted to you could skip almost the entire episode and just listen to Avasarala’s speech at the end. It’s pretty much a mission statement for the coming season. She says, “Fuck Good. We need better than good. We’re wounded. Broken. Trying desperately to keep ourselves going by pretending we’re not. Gutting through it all. Wearing down. Little wins here and there will not hold us together. We need more than that. Something big. Something to give us a reason to hope.” And Avasarala has something in mind . . . but WHAT? The other big unanswered question was stated right in the episode: Q: “Why would Martians take Proto-molecule through the Ring after what it did on Ilus?” A: “Maybe they know something we don’t.” Oh, and WTF was up with that little girl and the critter she found in the woods at the very start of the show?

Well . . . I'm annoyed. The season 6 plots were so convoluted that I couldn't possibly describe them to a 3rd party (and I watched the first few episodes more than once.) Also I hate, hate, HATE that Donna succeeded in her mission to leave behind as much misery and chaos as possible in the wake of her suicide. Furthermore, Duncan is now officially as dumb as a box of rocks. (He picked a fine time to stop being a selfish asshole.) Donna could not have accomplished ANY of her malicious plot if Duncan had just kept his distance. But of course the REAL architect of all this misery is the judge who let Donna come back to die in the same community she harmed with her crimes. How ironic that the unforgiving twin sister of Donna's victim -- the one who waged a campaign to prevent Donna's return to the community -- was right all along. I only watched the last episode once and now I find I can't recall what exactly it was that Jimmy did that made him subject to arrest at the very end. And did they get the killer on the ship? Was it the cook? (And if so HOW would she know how to sabotage the pressurization mechanism? She's a COOK.) But at least they did find the body of the girl who OD'ed at the party all those years ago and was buried by her "friends". We'll just ignore the fact there were NO significant landmarks to indicate the location the grave. (I was expecting to see some equipment brought out that used X-rays or something to locate the skeleton but no . . . the guys who buried her were able to find the exact spot all these years later. Well alrighty then.) I'm annoyed . . . but hopefully when Season 7 is available it will address the many MANY loose ends from this season and we can treat season 6 and 7 as one, long continuous story. Note, one possible positive side-effect of all this chaos is that with both Jimmy and Duncan in legal difficulties they may be forced to put Jimmy's father in a secure assisted living facility that caters to patients with his condition. I hope so because that was a sad story line and I don't really want to see any more of it.

I'm cross-posting this link to an article in ELLE because it talks about Caitriona's work on Outlander. (I also posted the link in the "Escaping the Stones: The Cast in Other Roles" discussion board because it talks about Caitriona's recent movie, "Belfast.") https://www.elle.com/culture/movies-tv/a38505083/caitriona-balfe-belfast-outlander-season-6-interview/?fbclid=IwAR26RvZwgTtzAMJxfU1AactWYGdwZptnXp3TMGnKhjrI8fovwCzUN9QhlFo

Below is a link to an interview with Caitriona in ELLE magazine that focuses mostly on her new film, "Belfast." https://www.elle.com/culture/movies-tv/a38505083/caitriona-balfe-belfast-outlander-season-6-interview/?fbclid=IwAR26RvZwgTtzAMJxfU1AactWYGdwZptnXp3TMGnKhjrI8fovwCzUN9QhlFo The article also touches on her recent work on Outlander. Below is my favorite quote from the article wherein Caitriona discusses the process of filming the latest season while pregnant with her first child.

Town & Country reports that Diana "has already started writing book 10." https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/arts-and-culture/a38505841/diana-gabaldon-writing-outlander-book-10/?fbclid=IwAR1HEab2tkqElvE3mPL73gaTY5sY68rdVNY4klBwK_8dZaXXYdogY1eLMVs

I'm binging my way through a bunch of episodes that I taped when I learned this show existed. I used to love the original NCIS. I love Hawaii. So I hoped I would enjoy this. Meh. I think I might be done. I know watching TV requires a willful suspension of disbelief but this show makes me scoff so hard I think I sprained something. Of course part of the problem is that I've become addicted to shows like "Shetland" where the case being investigated is spread over multiple episodes in a short season and where the whole situation (e.g., setting, number of characters) is more intimate. That doesn't work in these crime-of-the-week shows, which are designed so that viewers can drop in and out from week to week (or view re-runs out of order) and still follow the story. This episode, with its splashes of international espionage and a cast of DOZENS of federal agents -- (the whole bus-load of tourists following the lady with the flag on the beach were all CIA, right?) -- pushes so hard at the bounds of credibility that my eyes glaze over. Sigh. I remember how much I LOVED the original NCIS when it first aired. I loved every single recurring character. They captured lightning in a bottle. We may never see its ilk again.

I have not watched this episode yet. I'm saving it for when I need a mood lift. But I just saw that Alt-Shift-X has made a recap video of the first five seasons, so I'll be watching that right before I watch this one. Here's the link to the Season 1 - 5 recap: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wc_YSphqqdI And here's the link to Alt-Shift-X's summary of THIS episode https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiAEotTXr6Q&t=0s

You're right. That's worse. And someone hunting for it is likely to end up looking at a 2010 movie about ballet and madness called "Black Swan" (starring Natalie Portman) or finding an old 1942 swashbuckler film, "The Black Swan." Oh well. What else is new? There is actually a movie called "Outlander" that is a 2008 science-fiction/action film starring Jim Caviezel, Sophia Myles, Jack Huston, John Hurt, and Ron Perlman. Thankfully OUR Outlander is the one you find first when you search online.

I'm annoyed. Looks like Ryan Reynolds and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson have just released an Action/Comedy movie called "Red Notice." That's nice. I like both those actors. There's just one problem -- there is ALREADY a movie called "Red Notice" that was released in 2021. "SAS: Red Notice" -- starring Sam Heughan as Special Forces operative Tom Buckingham had a limited release in theaters in early 2021 during the Pandemic. It then quickly moved to on-demand streaming, which must be where I saw it. It's bad enough that Sam's movie's theatrical release was punched in the throat by the Pandemic. Now, when people hear about Sam's movie and go looking for it on a streaming service, they're likely to confuse it for this later film Sigh. When is Sam going to catch a break when it comes to his movie career?

Just popping in to say THANK YOU to the participants of this board for letting me know that there WILL be a 3rd season. I just finished binge-watching season 2 (which had been saved on my DVR for months) and when I got to that final episode, with it's multiple cliff-hanger endings, I was SO disappointed. I'm relieved to learn I just have to wait a couple of months to see the story continue. But this board also says good things about the book (and frankly I found the TV show frequently confusing) so . . . there may be a binge-read in my future.

Okay I am finally (FINALLY!) getting caught up on "A Discovery of Witches" in which Stephen Cree has a recurring role as character named "Gallowglass" (which is just a GREAT name.) In the episode I am watching he and the main couple (a witch and a vampire) have just made it to the European shoreline after a narrow escape by ship from England. This is, of course, giving me HUGE Outlander flash-backs. It might even be set in the same century. AND they've arrived in this time and this place via time-travel. (Sort of. It's complicated). At this point in the story Stephen Cree's character is headed to a different destination than the main couple but I HOPE we've not seen the last of him. Note also that Stephen Cree in a good, long-haired wig gives off a very strong Aragorn-in-the-Lord-of-the-Rings vibe and THAT (as Martha Stewart would say) "is a good thing." BTW, if this IS the last we'll see of his character, he goes out with a bang. He kisses the leading lady's hand, expresses the hope that they will meet again, and advises them that in seeking him they should "Just follow the trail of vanquished enemies and satisfied women." If that IS his last appearance on the show, then that's a hell of an exit line.

Well I binged the last few episodes after having watched the prior episodes earlier in the year. That mode of watching did not help but frankly I think I would have been just as confused if I had watched the whole thing in one go. All the points I would have made about confusion and plot holes were already made above. The format (switching back-and-forth between two time frames) made the show difficult to follow and felt like a gimmick rather than a clever narrative technique for keeping the viewer in the dark as to the complicity of the two young Brits. The one son who suddenly started speaking again confused the hell out of me since I had forgotten that his muteness was a relatively new phenomenon and that it was a self-indulgent affectation he had adopted following the death of his sister rather than a real psychological affliction brought on by trauma. Geeze I hated that character by the end. He ends the show in a coma, right? Good. Stay there. If there is another season of Baptiste I doubt if I will watch.

Dan Rather just tweeted the following: "Just saw the movie “Belfast." Best new feature-length film I've seen in a while. Love the connection with the old classic “High Noon,” one of my all-time favorites. Have you seen it?" Woot! Love to see Caitriona's movie getting some high-profile praise.

Here is a WORKING link to the song I tried to post above -- the Skye Boat Song on cello in beautiful surroundings. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mf_LoA2vJ2M

Maybe they'll change it part-way through the season. They've done that before.

Here's a link to an interview in which Diana Gabaldon, Sam Heughan, and Maril Davis discuss GO TELL THE BEES THAT I AM GONE. No spoilers -- only the merest whiff of a hint about something that happens in the book. (Diana is FAR too experienced to let a book spoiler slip out during an interview promoting that new book.) The interview is really about the process of writing the book and since Sam and Maril are involved it's REALY a promotional bit to keep viewers excited about the show. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=il3n-yzW0Ok

Here's a promo for Season 2 of "Men in Kilts" -- the continuing adventures of Sam and Graham running around exploring sights and having exciting (and frequently humorous) experiences in Scotland NEW ZEALAND!!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18OBlICV3ps I'm feeling a weird vibe of synchronicity with this announcement because I spent yesterday binge-watching "Top of the Lake" (a limited-run mystery on Hulu that is set in Queenstown, New Zealand) and my plan for today is to binge-watch season 2. "Kia ora!"

So, for the second year in a row, a Scottish deerhound named "Claire" has won the National Dog Show. https://www.npr.org/2021/11/25/1059251575/national-dog-show-winner-claire-2021?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_term=nprnews&utm_campaign=npr&fbclid=IwAR0Y_gvCZMpx8yUvnLPPgEJrvB4J8k_skFEFrq5OYVeGHpzrYxXdmc4l4vo Now I'm not saying that the judges are all Outlander fans and that that impacted their decision. No, I'm sure it had nae effect whatsoever. Just a coincidence ye ken.