zibnchy

I finally finished watching. I know this show is more soap than scifi BUT I swear when Ram and Emma were going thru the checklist prior to entry into Mars atmosphere where they all stood a very high probability of dying in a flame filled coffin and he decided that would be a good time to STOP(!) and talk about his feeeeeeelings, I desperately wanted Emma to stuff him in the airlock and open it. Whoosh, problem solved. More water for all of us! (An aside: the special effects during the entry and landing of the Atlas were SUPER SUPER cheesy. Clearly they blew the budget on cast and had nothing left for special effects.) I'm with all of you commenting on the strong cast. The cast made ALL the difference for this show. I ended up really loving Lu and Misha after a slow start. (I'm actually sorry I referred to Misha derisively as Grandpa Cosmonaut in an earlier comment.) Hilary Swank was terrific in a role that was written poorly. Some (most?) of the dialog was embarrassing but the cast did great work with it. Even the daughter, though I could have lived without her at all, did a great job. I didn't actively dislike her, which I often do. Dislike Matt intensely. I'd have preferred if he'd died from that stroke. He and his stink face can please go. Thanks for the FF button. What I'd like to see in Season 2: Matt's funeral, less screen-time for Lex, bring Mei back!, fewer tears from Emma, fewer feeeeeelings from Ram, more emojis and puppet shows from Misha, well you get the idea. I'd also like to see them give Melissa some work that doesn't involve mooning around after some man. Kudos to Lu for giving the scary Chinese lady the finger with the picture. They better not take that out on Mei. One question: people mentioned Emma and Ram hand holding (and Matt seeing that). When was that? I thought it was at the very end but I never saw it and little things like that irritate me. So I'll be back for Season 2. Hopefully Matt won't be. 🙂 Quick edit to say that I just realized that even if they do kill off Matt he might still be on the show as GhostMatt who would show up all the time on Mars anytime Emma was feeling kinda weepy and unsure of herself and needed to talk. GhostMatt could be the 6th crew member. I should be more careful what I wish for.

I don't think there's even a scintilla of self awareness in Xmas. I also doubt she truly understands that what she did was even wrong. I am concerned, however, by her declaration of "I will literally PUT THIS KNIFE IN YOUR EYEBALLS FROM HERE" at whoever she said was "trying to scare" her. Said while brandishing an actual knife. Any man and/or POC would be out of the house already. What the hell is so special about Xmas that they brought her back?

I know there's nobody here but I just have to express that I am sick to death of Kath Maxwell and I want the Freak back. It's obvious she's faking. Embrace the Freak, Joan. Also Allie Novak is a terrible top dog. Maybe the Freak will hotshot her again.

Exactly. I don't need that. I can go outside or to the grocery store to see that. I spent some time trying to imagine what Blanquil is. I finally decided it's a medicine to help you ignore bland people. So, like, we all need to stock up on some Blanquil if we're going to continue this season of BB.

RE: eggs and pb. I often eat a sandwich of fried egg and peanut butter on toast. Delicious. If I'm feeling adventurous I add bacon. But eggs and peanut butter is delicious. Be right back, going to the kitchen for a bit. PS - I do intensely dislike Christmas though, with or without pb.

Just watching episode 9 and I actually laughed out loud when SuperMan Matt's junk drawer solution to the Water Problem just burst into flames. So Ram thought *that* was an appropriate time to confess his feelings? (I swear that was foreshadowed in episode 1 when we first meet the crew and Ram gave Emma a schmoopy look after she said something.) Each one of those bags of space snow is going to melt into, like, a cup of water.

I've watched about half the episodes and one little detail just annoys me. This is the first manned space trip to Mars, arguably a global event of massive importance, and the Russians send Cosmonaut Grandpa along with his vodka still? Really?! (Yes, I know it's fiction but come on!) Also, they packed Christmas decorations? On a space trip to Mars? When probably less than half the crew (of 5) is christian? Sure they did. In general though the cast is pretty excellent. Could lose the husband and never notice.

For some reason today I was thinking of Sam, winner of the second chances season a couple of years ago (in Patagonia I think?). If I remember correctly he didn't bring a hunting bow and arrow or fishing gear, only snares. IIRC his snares were useless but he killed a few mice in deadfalls. His strategy was to start off the season fat, expend as little energy as possible, and starve longer than anyone else. He, basically, outlasted the other contestants because he could starve himself longer. He had used pretty much the same strategy in the first season but wasn't able to starve long enough to beat (I forgot his name, Paul?). I'm not suggesting it's not a viable strategy and it was certainly successful for him eventually BUT it wasn't interesting to watch or impressive or particularly admirable. To connect this to the topic at hand, I contrast that season with this season where Roland would probably have just bonked Sam on the head and eaten him on day 10. I have no idea why I typed all that except I always kinda super disliked Sam and I'm feeling extra cranky today.

Those manufactured scenes when he shows up near the site of a medallion, backpack on, hair artfully mussed, clothes artfully grimy, not looking at all like he just got off a helicopter 1 minute ago, and showed us how to retrieve the medallion (in one case just by, um, going up to a guy and asking for it.) were hilarious. They were good enough that I wonder if maybe they were all a big joke and he was in on it. Anyway, whatever, he was ok. What was the deal with those medallions, anyway? They were big and appeared to be metal and must have added weight to the packs but what was the point? Like, here's 5 big hunks of metal for you to schlepp across Hell while you're trying not to die. I haven't finished watching so maybe the answer is yet to be found.

I've only watched thru Episode 6 but I've been thoroughly spoiled because I googled the results because I couldn't wait. I used to watch Eco Challenge 20 years ago. I remember being glued to the tv and the computer. It was thrilling. This new season, not so much. I'm a little bored. I suspect it's just me and the fact that 20 years have gone by and life is not as carefree as it was then. But I also think it's a bit of production issues. This race is so huge and so logistically complicated that I'm sure it's extremely hard to tell the story in any coherent way. Plus there's oceans of difference in skills between the top 10 teams and everybody else so it's really like there are two races. Maybe it would make more sense to edit half the series episodes with a focus on just the elite teams, and then half with the focus on everybody else. When they mix it up I get confused. I'm getting older too. I'm just so bemused when men on these shows say some variation of the following to women competitors: "You're so tough. You're the toughest woman on earth. I admire you so much for being such a tough woman adventure racer." Seriously? - these women are physically and mentally tougher than 95% of all the people (including men) on earth. (That may be hyperbole.) The elite women racers are in the toughest 10% of everyone who raced in Fiji. I'll take Emma Roca for my team over any man anywhere anytime. Stop acting like the girl is obviously the weak link in your team. A while back there was a news story about a poll where something like 80% of men polled were confident they could score a point off of Serena Williams on the tennis court. So much unsupported confidence! She's arguably one of the top 5 greatest athletes of any gender EVER but, sure, you can score a point off of her if you just put down your beer for a second. Because she's a girl athlete. I'm certain there are a lot of men sitting home watching Fiji on amazon and thinking "If that chick can do this I can do it. I'll train for a few weeks and get my buddies together and then sign up for Patagonia 2021. WooHoo!" Speaking of tough women competitors, why did they waste so much story telling time on the daughters (the whiny ones, not the tough twins from India? Honestly that whole family dynamic was weird and I didn't enjoy it. Well, that's what the ff button is for. So I love Emma Roca. And Team Onyx. And the people of Fiji. It was awesome to see some familiar faces from the last Fiji race, like the Brazilian women. I loved Team Unbroken and it was devastating to watch them struggle so. And of course Nathan Fa'avee and Sophie Hart and Team New Zealand. They were the real stars of the show but that's great because they're a really admirable team. One face I missed was Robyn Benincasa. I was crazy about her 20 years ago. I would literally die if I tried this race. My heart would actually explode after about 5 minutes. I get winded walking to the refrigerator. So I admire anyone who showed up. But I'm really not interested in the stories of the teams of work buddies who just decided to go for it and apply because they all have curly hair (or some connection). Or the dad (and mom) who, for some unknown reason, thought it'd be fun to vacation in Hell with their entirely too whiny daughters for a few days. It's not fun, IMO, to watch them actually suffer before they invariably get cut or quit or almost die. I'd rather give their screen time to teams like Team Canada who, I think, finished second and we barely met them. tl;dr This is a cool show, with some badass women and a great competition. There's also stuff that annoys me and the world revolves around me so I had to tell you about it. Also Emma Roca is my hero!

I know this show is fiction but I still have to ask --- Is there only one prison in all of Australia? How is Marie Winters still incarcerated at Wentworth? Like the new characters. They should bring the drama. Don't buy as the new top dog.

I watched the first half and then came here for the result because I had a feeling Tessa was getting screwed and I didn't want to watch it. The look on Tessa's face at the end of round 1 makes it clear that she knew she was getting screwed. I'm so sick of Reynold (I'm not a homophobe I just play one on social media). The only reason I'm not completely sick of Poh is I have a feeling I'd actually really like her IRL. He literally didn't know he needed a sponge for his bombe alaska?! Until the judges told him. Why didn't the judges tell Tessa she needed capers in her tarter sauce? Thank god Callum and Emelia are still alive in this comp.

At first, when she was introduced, I thought WTF? But then she proceeded to steal every scene she was in. Excellent work.

I think the episodes are too long. Even the stories with interesting plots seem to die a slow death over 60 minutes.

I binged this yesterday. It was just what I needed. I love watching people fall awkwardly and horribly on TV. Not in real life, well, mostly not.) That one guy trying to jump onto the space capsule (in the planetarium I guess) and not knowing it would move and he ended up doing the splits before a long inevitable yet slow death in lava just had me rolling. I kept replaying it and guffawing. I was also wondering about headgear as well as, maybe, goggles. I don't know what the lava was but I don't think it was just water. There seemed to be something in it that made things slippery, more so than just wet slippery. I just wouldn't want it in my eyes is all. And a few of these folks really seemed to bash themselves. I'm surprised the show didn't have to require headgear. I love these ideas for Season 2. I'd also like to see multi episode comps. Like teams have to complete all 5 rooms, winning and losing points along the way. Most points is champion. It would give us more opportunity to get attached to teams (or not) and root them on. Speaking of teams. Wow, those triplets. Did not like. Also the LA Bros. Disliked the flight attendants. Really liked the Alpha Beta Fish (3 young nice guys in the kitchen), liked the teachers (who wanted to buy patio furniture for their lounge), and was surprised to not hate the SD Social Media women. Except when they were screaming. This could not have been a very expensive show and people are loving it so there has to be a season 2. Hopefully.

I don't know what happened. I haven't watched an entire episode since we lost Sarah T. Just bits of a couple of episodes. Yes, she was my favorite but I knew, deep down, that she wouldn't win. And I've lost other favorites in other seasons. But this year I just gave up without a fight . I will probably watch the final week, depending on who is left. If the final 3 is Reynold, Laura, and Poh/Reese I'll probably just see you all next year. If there is a next year. If Emelia and/or Callum in the final I will probably watch. Like Tessa but I'm not attached to her. Part of the problem is, I think for me, the seasons feel like they last *years*. MCUK does what, 3 eps per week. That's a good number. I have other issues with MCUK and I get a little bored with the routine around week 5, but overall I stay engaged throughout. MCAU spends two episodes on "Who will win immunity" and I couldn't care less. Also I'm probably one of the minority in that I actually enjoy team challenges and I miss them since the virus killed them off. While I'm ranting I may as well include Jock. I've gone from kind of liking him at very first to actually hating the sound of his voice. When I watch I ff thru all Jock content. I dislike Jock *almost* as much as I disliked George. I'm hoping Jock will not be back. Love Melissa and Andy has potential. Whatever its flaws MCAU is still massively better quality than the dumpster fire known as MCUS. Not sure we'll get a MCUS season this year and I'll miss it. I enjoy an occasional dumpster fire. Here's to a Callum/Emelia final 2!

I'm thrilled that neither of the women have to deal with Kevin as sous chef. I'm not suggesting he would sabotage anyone but he could have a shit attitude. I'd like to think he wouldn't have a shit attitude but, well, we've met Kevin so I wouldn't put it past him. He and Bryan are, or were, friends so it should be fine. Especially if there are meatballs on the menu.

I went back and rewatched the last 15 or so minutes of the episode. The first time I watched I was so anxious about who was PYKAGing that I missed some of the finer details. The two women rock. I love them both. If I had to choose I would go with Team Melissa BUT Stephanie is awesome. Regardless of how she finishes, her performance will likely be a huge boost for her career. Hope they finish 1st and 2nd. I'm no Bryan fan. Not once have I been excited about his food. To me he is just another bland, blond man. But he seems like a fundamentally decent guy and, I suspect, he was under a huge amount of pressure (family and financial) to succeed. OK so, wow, Kevin was a giant turd here. He had to be able to see that Bryan was gutted (I actually think Bryan was trying very hard not to tear up on camera ) and he went in for the kill. There was really no excuse for his behavior, except that Kevin is a bag of dicks. If you freeze frame on the judges right after Kevin's "soulful" comment, you can actually see the light (finally) go out in Tom's eyes. Padma kinda looks like she's imagining what she could do with Kevin's knives before he packs them to go. And Gail just looks disappointed and sad. (I like Gail and do not want her to be disappointed and sad.) He didn't see it coming. I enjoyed his PYKAG even more than the first one earlier this season. Edit to add one more thing: Did Kevin really hug (and give a little pep talk to) Bryan on the way out and completely ignore the two women who had just kicked his ass in this competition? I already dislike him but that was a WTF moment. Could have been editing I guess.

This is an interesting theory. Thanks.

Well. That. Sucked. Sarah got Poh'd. I actually thought Poh might go home because I thought maybe she had a "Must Make the Top 10" contract and could finally be cut loose. I guess TPTB want a "Poh"llercoaster final. There's no one left that really excites me. Reese maybe. I didn't like him in his first season but he's grown a lot as a cook and he's more likable here. Callum seems like a great guy. Emelia is funny but I've paid little attention to her all season. I dread the possibility of a Poh, Laura, Reynold final 3. I will probably only watch sporadically til the final.

I read an article that said that this (the not explaining why she was in prison) was planned that way and that there are multiple clues in the episodes to help us solve the question. However, I (IMO) think the writers just didn't have any idea what to write for the character so they did nothing and all the talk about "clues" is just ass covering for a job poorly done. This show is basically shit. Nobody is going to be talking about the "clues". They're just talking about how unfunny it is. I swear there were a few scenes where I said to myself "I don't think they (Carell and Malkovich) are even in the same room right now. I'm normally completely oblivious to such production things so for me to notice makes me wonder if there's really a story there. Hope so because it would make this show more interesting.

I would literally push other people out of the way to get my hands on Callum's dish. It looked so *banging*. I'd love to see Callum in the final. I'm so over Reynold and his over-produced dishes. He took scallops and charcoal (?) and made some gray slime that looked like something I scraped off the bottom of my shoe? Then he actually served it? OK. I would never pay money for that and, if given to me for free, I'd try to trade it for Callum's dish. Regarding Reynold's homophobia, in his "apology" he said he's not that guy anymore. OK, well, we've seen proof that you were that guy just a few years ago. Can you give us even one smidge of proof that you're not that guy anymore? Anything? One tiny thing? When caught, almost everyone says "Oh I'm not that person anymore." I'll believe it when I see it. I wish there was a way they could edit Jock out of the episodes.

FFS -- these people have been cooking together and breathing on each other and tasting each other's food for weeks (or months) -- somebody give Jess a hug! I cried. If Reynold goes on to win this I'm going to be really disappointed.

This is a great example of a gag that did not land AND went on far too long. I think it would have been amusing as a short gag but, as long as it was, it just came off as stupid and boring. Also the entire undertone of "Look at these cute animal astronauts. When we're done with them we just leave them in space to slowly starve to death" was a BIT off-putting. I probably would have bailed during the first episode, which was pretty unfunny. I stayed for Lisa Kudrow and was disappointed. This show is probably going to do well enough because people are bored, restless, angry and looking for something funny and light. Unfortunately this isn't that I think. Maybe if there's a season 2, they'll bring her back older. I think it could have worked if she'd been 18 or 19 (and slightly more mature). I honestly couldn't get past the creepy Russian Captain giving a 16 yo girl booze and then pawing at her. It was just too much CREEP! Fortunately they ditched that story pretty fast but I wonder how it made it to air at all.

Watched the whole thing yesterday for a distraction. I felt like the jokes didn't land very well. Either they started strong and fizzled or the gags went on way too long. Points off for criminally under-using Lisa Kudrow. It is not necessary for every show to have an angst-y teenager. This show spent way way too much time on the teenager (I've literally blocked out her name.)