meisje

Thanks for clarifying, I stopped being able to keep up with the cut off times when Mad Men and Breaking Bad broke up their final seasons like a bunch of maniacs and I was seeing everyone a full year or so later for awards. I'm sorry for Christine Baranski, that's for certain... and even Cush Jumbo deserved a nod, imho. I had to give up hope for Cary when they decided to stop writing for him. I almost expected a new "Sexy Wolf Detective, Recurring or Guest" category for that bearded lollipop JDM! Julianna had pretty much everything riding on this project, I see only one 2018 project in pre-production starring Richard Gere, Bradley Whitford and JM (strange combo). Guess she'll have to have to wrap her ego in a blanket of syndication royalities from TGW and Ghost Ship and articles about her 'mistaken-for-a-model' husband.

Does anyone know if this is the last Emmys that TGW is in the running for? I'm never able to follow the logic of the timing but was, er, surprised to see they only received 4 noms. And no noms for actors except Micheal J Fox and Carrie Preston as guest stars, and then 1 each for costumes and writing. Maybe they have next year as well? If not, it's sort of a snub, imho, for some of the actors (not the project overall, the Kings and their stahhhh!).

I wondered if you knew if season 2 of The Tunnel followed season 2 of The (original) Bridge, since season 1 follows it so closely. You'd mentioned not getting into it, but I didn't know if you had knowledge of the overall plotting of the two in comparison. Oooh, I'd love to hear any suggestions if you've got them! I've been super focused on Australian and Scandinavian shows (1 Aussie drama did require subtitles for me to totally follow; I've noticed the programs that are shown elsewhere in the world are paced a tiny bit slower, but the truly local productions can be tricky!). Luckily everyone keeps making fantastic television, but I missed several that were streaming for periods of time and eventually went to DVD only.

I know you mentioned not getting into the original version, but do you know if it follows the same plots/story lines?

I saw The Bridge first and was mesmerized by season 1, but wasn't as convinced by season 2 with the exception of a handful of the characters. Overall, that arc and Franka Potente's character felt like weak spots. I'm probably one of the few who really missed it not returning this summer! The combination of Diane Kruger, Demián Bichir, Matthew Lillard and Emily Rios felt surprisingly believable and interesting. Season 2 was sort of stuffed with guest stars or people finishing up other projects with some free time, sort of like they tried to apply a Justified-type approach in fanning out the cast, but it just didn't work for me on The Bridge. Maybe around January or February I found Bron/Broen and became addicted quickly. And there are 3 seasons, so that's a bonus. In a way, the odd characters that are featured in all 3 versions might be the weak spot in the US version, since in all other versions they are believable to me since the culture itself is a character and unfamiliar to some extent. It was surprising that s3 went ahead with such huge changes, but it felt like a very strong season on its own, which was more than I was expecting. I was really looking forward to The Tunnel and find it less engaging than I'd expected. It's possible I might need to binge it to get the full effect, hmm? While I find myself slightly obsessed with Clémence Poésy's hair, too often she just looks like a model doing "police work" while working a runway-somber face. I'm not really feeling Stephen Dillane too much here either. There isn't a believable intimacy between them that I saw in the other 2 versions, but it's also possible I finally just have The Bride/Bron/Broen/The Tunnel exhaustion, or have too many ideas already planted about how that relationship looks. I again like the reporter in this version, and perhaps this version of the billionaire's wife is the most enjoyable. Unfortunately due to Shia's antics and their DV history, Mia Goth pulls me out of anything I see her in... her character's storyline is so painful in both versions...

Well, it's finally happened, something Wendy said has finally cost her. No more "Chevy Hot Seat" for the poor guests. Hopefully now that one sponsor has had the balls, there's another ready to pull the plug over her pro-DV/always-blame-the-victim bs. I'm curious if she'll address it with a "woe is me for speaking my mind" performance or make zero mention of anything?

Due to ABC playing tic-tac-toe with its time slot and the fact that they apparently never gave it press outside of commercials, I found it & fell in love with it in season 3. I still have the final episodes on my DVR, and they won't go until it dies. It felt shocking at the time that they actually cancelled it, even though it was on the perennial bubble and was never going to get the ratings to match its greatness. I couldn't bring myself to watch the final episodes or watch them the 3-4x I normally watched HE episodes after the cancellation, so I totally feel your pain. However, I can attest to now having seen all the eps probably 10-15x and still loving every minute. It really keeps delivering long after the novelty wears off. It was sad when the reruns went missing after it somehow ended up on VH1, and then just as mysteriously disappeared, but I'm sure Hulu has it shackled for life, so at least it has a home. That cast, in those roles, could only happen once. It's great that there are smatterings of almost all (even if it means watching the House rerun with Zachary Knighton at every opportunity; it's strange to see him in such a dramatic role but with the same facial hair!) of these actors around, but it still always feels like the writing and chemistry is missing. I loved seeing Adam and Ben Schwartz take over The Late Late Show that one night, it was gold, and there's a great podcast interview out there with Adam that is a real change from all of his other appearances and roles. There used to be a hilarious old Pete Holmes bit with Eliza that made me cry-laugh, but all of the clips disappeared from youtube recently and it's nowhere else to be found. It's mentioned on a reddit thread too but the video is now private. I've never wondered so much who has this private video and why they won't post it for us somewhere that Sony won't be looking to sue!

It's like she was channeling the late Antonin Scalia, and it was freaking terrifying.

Stupid Hulu made me sign up for stupid, dumb hulu just so I could have a thorough rewatch. I even have the DVDs people, but I'm not going to get up and load and unload discs like some basic aughts bitch! I'm so pleased it's airing somewhere, seriously, but I need hulu to take their stupid wads of money and continue the show! Hearing about the recent cast get together and how they're all ready to go if they get a deal just made me even more irritated with most of hulu's orginal programming choices. If only this had gone to Netflix, that would have been real, real nice. I'm so freaking happy there's a HE forum, weeeeeeeee!!!!!! Side note: can't stop thinking "Ugh Penny, my deskjet? Come on, bro..." (silently to myself) every time someone does something less than smart. Separate side note: my language takes a turn for the worse when I'm thinking about this show.

Well, at least she blames both male and female victims for their (alleged) "beatations" equally! It was kind of hilarious hearing the other woman scoff at Wendy's claims that it's 50/50 and that the victim is shifty because he didn't immediately quit and call and the police. She probably won't be invited back, but it was nice to have someone there representing sanity. Looks like Suge Knight just filed a suit against Chris too, though not for any physical violence for a change. Wendy never disappoints when it comes to her coverage of physical violence, never ever...

Definitely seems like she's trying to keep the door open for that at some point, doesn't it? But no, I just expect he might make Hot Topics due to the new charges, but it's Wendy's world so who knows...?

My eyes are already rolling in anticipation of hearing Wendy's defense of her favorite pet psychopath tomorrow. I'm sure the Hot Topics team is huddled somewhere gathering the news and faxing Wendy (no emails or phone use, right?) and she's busy doodling hearts and CB+WW all over them like she's decorating bookcovers in junior high. No doubt she'll say he made a naughty, but then end by saying something (for the 4000th time) about how much he's changed and how he's a good one. Will have to wait and see what kind of a hold she has over the audience tomorrow to see if they yeah or nay her, or if she somehow "runs out of time" and can't talk about it until there's someone there from OK Mag on Monday to walk her through it, this seems to happen whenever it's someone she won't personally call out. I so wish the advertisers would stand up for humanity and tell her to can the never-ending support of those who are always taking time from their work to cheat, or threaten, or beat the shit out of men, women, and children as they please.

They're so much worse than I thought 1/2 an hour ago (from the Yakima Herald): I can't believe they tried to spin it as helping the area's businesses and their way of giving back for the fires. UGH. I hope the health department gives them some well-deserved buzz at some point.

Good catch, I'm sure he spares no expense when it comes to his every whim. I wonder if the "first week alone" in Mexico involves pole dancers as well. I didn't buy Afni's sad sack, "he's my husband, he's my everything" shit either. Did anyone else notice her scrunch-face every time she overheard Gordon commenting on something or during actual conversations? She looked like she'd just accidentally eaten a potato out of a garbage bin. It was nice that the town's business people came out to embrace them, but if any of them already knew only the potato story, they should have just bailed. I'm glad Gordon called him out on his treatment of his son and talked about addiction, but I couldn't for a moment believe Brent's narcissism was about anything other than his own entitlement. After thinking very little of Karan over the past 2 episodes, I'm willing to move her up the ladder of sanity to make room for Brent & Afni. Looks like these two nutjobs were quick to get their thoughts out about how much the show cost their business, delusional.

I don't know if I've heard Sally's non-Babette voice in ages (here's that in case the Maron/Gilmore Girls crossover isn't a thing), so it was fun to hear what she probably sounds like IRL. It also gave me a sympathetic sore throat to wonder how she did the GG voice for 7 years straight and assuming she re-booted it for Netflix this year, youch! I felt the same sense of relief, but then sighed the sigh of a thousand bored moments when the donut trip became just another hot woman begging Marc for his D, and Marc turning her down out of respect for her and the process, blah, blah, blah, whatevs Marc... That dude and his barbies were straight up terrifying though - and original - and the last scene of his joy over not having removed the whole doll was, um, distressing. I watched a couple of these out of order so sorry for confusing things.

WTH happened to my hilarious Maron of s1 and most of s2? I remembered watching at least 1 episode from season 3 but thought I had given up, only to read the season 3 thread and realize I'd indeed seen every episode but apparently completely forgotten... and I don't know if I've ever forgotten watching a season of any show! I heard or read something about Sally Struthers being on and set a season pass, but wow, it's still a mess. All I can figure is that the autobiographical angle (Mark fucking and getting engaged to a litany of young women) started to not reflect so well on him or he didn't enjoy seeing it on television, so it was decided to change it into a show about addiction. I could swear it's on Hulu since they took The Mindy Project's ever-weakening writing and tried to turn it into a show about domestic abuse. Is this the new TV crutch? Gahhh... Nothing rings authentic anymore about the story. Some of the rehab stuff feels legit, but it doesn't feel connected to the first seasons at all. Is it just a vehicle for Jerry Stahl's story now? It certainly feels like revisiting Permanent Midnight fairly often. Did Josh Brener leave for Silicon Valley? Both only seem like part-time gigs, but he is sorely missed.

I re-watched 5 times people, because this ep was a beauty, but these 3 quotes were some that I actually re-re-watched by rewinding during my re-watches! Richard's delivery is a thing of true beauty and I will never tire of it. Did anyone else do a double take and expect to see Micheal Bluth's face delivering Selina's line? I sure did! This one is a mystery for me because I noticed it in the promo last week and thought it was edited down from the trailer version, but no mention of herpes last night either. Was there a focus group or something that poo-pooed the herpes mention or did HBO decide it was too déclassé? Personally, I thought the line worked better with both diseases, and somehow, herpes is just a better fit with Jonah.

I chalk up early Cary to simply being a template for the opposite of the former stay-at-home mom/Alicia, as he was a young, Ivy-educated guy with current work experience and right out of school. And I don't expect maturity from a mid-20s guy in almost any scenario, and certainly not when you're both vying for 1 job and your boss wants to sex up your competition all day, every day -- you'd be in the right to resent it and bluster a little. One of the Smirker's only useful moments was pointing out that Alicia was mistaken to think Cary wouldn't be interested in the truth of what had happened to the case because it might help Alicia. Cary was always there for her professionally and emotionally, always polite, went to jail for her/the firm tangentially, and transparent. Because Alicia would fold him up to use as a jack if she got a flat tire or worse, she assumes she's as disposable to other people as they are to her. And, sorry Kings (according to your behind-the-scenes' interview), she's been like that for a very, very, very long time. The wigs were definitely a let down in this last episode, where I expected hair and makeup to really pull it together. It's hard to believe it's not intentional since Wig Masters take their work very seriously and she's likely getting the benefit of award-winning people from Broadway. She wore several different wigs in the episode and they were all bad, which can't be a coincidence. I have to say though, I was most distracted by the scenes where she was working/daydreaming in her bedroom because, without the benefit of a structured suit, her collarbone area was giving me container-garden vibes, or a place for Peter to store his bribes in, just too much space there for a living, breathing human. If only her acting overpowered whatever look she's going for in life. Oh boy do I agree with everything you said and pointing out the "magic black person" demotion of Cush Jumbo is much needed. She literally was relegated to a human paper fortune teller game, with each scene just a different triangle opened to give another prediction of the great love story of our time (Jason & Alicia of course!). I've not seen much of Cush's work, but she's compelling in everything I have seen and she has a real presence unlike, say, JDM. All I can really recall of the final episodes with respect to Lucca is Alicia brushing past her or calling her ask/demand/whine about where Jason is, is he available by phone, what does all of the nothing between them mean, etc. Lucca made some comment about just having called him for progress on whatever genius sleuthing he was busy with, and that he hadn't picked up, and Alicia turned away and dialed him like obviously he would pick up for her. Their relationship just reads as Lucca is her peon assistant (if we hadn't been given all the backstory and you just tuned in in the last month). And what else have we been given about Lucca? Oh yes, that she hates people (oops, that's Alicia), has no friends (oops again, that's Alicia), can't love anyone (hey, wait a second, that sounds like Alicia...), etc., followed with the statement that all she really wanted in life was for Alicia to be her friend. God, that was a terrible episode and scene, I need a palate cleanser. Every writers room should have a button to be pushed in case of a Shondaland-Level Sloppiness Emergency where sprinklers come on or pages ignite themselves as a manual reset for when things get that far off track.

I've never heard them speak (on video) until tonight when I checked out the "bonus" letter and interview at cbs.com, but it was an underwhelming experience. They've certainly said some stupid things in the past, though those have been about issues or changes that come up and they are asked to comment or whatever, but I assume they took some time to plan their thoughts on the finale. They both seem to have a naiveté about their central character and sound very grateful/starstruck when speaking about their actors and CBS. Michelle said something about how Alicia was now realizing (in the finale) that she could have an impact on people in a negative way, but that sounded false to me since Alicia has been shown to put quite a lot of thought and time into getting the upper hand or even punishing people whom she perceives haven't given her what she's owed. I don't know, it was just odd... more like it was Michelle who was just waking up to Alicia being capable of "victimizing." They did sound like they've been under the impression that Alicia was very sympathetic and likable until fairly recently, and like they had to go to lengths to really turn her into someone you might not always root for. It's a conundrum to me that they created the characters and story but haven't picked up on so much, but it also offers some explanation to me for why the character was so unlikable and self-unaware, because they are as well when it comes to the characters, though I'm not sure how they've maintained that over years of writing and seeing the finished product. There really is, and has been, this huge press blast going on for the past 2 seasons almost, I think, where every article or mention of TGW comes with an awards-appropriate speech about how they are the only non-cable show of this quality. While it was beautifully conceived and very well done for years, I'm not seeing the cause for these accolades to the degree that only "dark and gritty" cable fare are this well done; there is quite a lot of truly excellent content out there, and I'm not thinking of HBO, Showtime, etc. Sounds like it was a surprise hit and one of the few CBS shows that isn't paint-by-number, so CBS puffed them up, and (I've found) not criticized very often, or any criticism is relegated to gossip. I'm still under the impression that they've had a very cushy run for any show on any network, and had a lot more financial support than anything not on cable, so it's about as David and Goliath as Kelly Ripa, imo. Maybe I've been kind of spoiled though because there are shows and podcasts where show runners and writers and teams speak about their work and are much more insightful and knowledgeable about their creations and my expectations have been raised many times over by them.

Re: The Slap... What Alicia did was cross a serious boundary of a "friend" and partner in the most heinous way possible (and frankly, for a case for which she'd already accepted a plea - though not super-duper officially), where there was no chance of Peter coming out unscathed/innocent. There was no benefit to be gained from the choice she made, unless we're supposed to believe that Matthew Morrison was going to change his offer due to the bullet testimony (that still had not made it to the jury, right? I can barely remember.). So little sense... I disagree that Alicia had no choice or that it was some sort of deserved quid pro quo with Diane. Diane clearly stated that Peter needed to fire her if Alicia wanted to go after Kurt, and instead of doing that, they blindsided her in court with zero warning in the most public and unprofessional way. Over the years there were countless episodes devoted to Alicia dressing down, completely freaking out on, or finding ways to punish people (strangers, reporters, friends, etc.) who dared to mention Peter and other women to her, though there should not have been any expectation of privacy since it was state/national news, involved public funds, and Peter & Alicia are both public figures who chose the gains of political infamy over everything else. If the shoe had somehow been on the other foot and someone openly had asked Kalinda, for example, if she'd had an affair with Peter, on the stand with Alicia as council, it would have been epic, even though it would not have been news. But, if you just recall how Alicia felt entitled to treat Kalinda after finding out about the affair, and the animosity she carried until the day Kalinda left town, it's almost unfathomable to imagine how badly Alicia would have taken such news if the situation had been reversed. It was wholly unbelievable that Diane would have driven over to the press conference just to confront Alicia in a random hallway, that was some real sloppy stuff. Clearly it was not much more than a bookend because it either would have happened with Diane showing up at Alicia's front door or when Alicia entered Diane's office after the trial, which she apparently would have done with no expectation that anything was wrong. A new partner deserves honestly and a discussion, but based on the song and the various shoutouts to psychopaths this season, I assume I was supposed to put the hope that Alicia was anything other than one to bed finally. Had this been Grace facing a jail sentence or something, maybe..., but this is the man Alicia has almost no respect for, and whom she fundamentally doesn't believe in, so why go nuclear on your friend/partner for this person for an jury-less round of questioning? As soon as the episode began and Will was all over it, my first thought was, "oh, this is a really basic way to do the finale..." because, as much as it was great to see Josh on screen again, it was like throwing a diamond onto a heap of manure and exclaiming "Look at that shine!" when we've been staring at and smelling the manure for years. Josh was used like a baby rattle to distract and the writers really didn't have much else. Shoutout to the total confusion over why Sutton Foster's phone going off 23 seconds before the murder but she was not a witness. What a mess! Interestingly, Diane's story and acting in this episode is what really stuck out as moving and exceptional, so for that, I thank the TPTB gods.

Grace, whom I didn't even recognize, was on NBC's Heartbeat this week. At first I thought it was Mae Whitman looking a little bit different, but nope, it's Grace looking oddly different. I know her teeth were mentioned a lot in the last episode thread, and I hadn't noticed anything, but something has definitely been altered. I'm not sure of her real age, but she almost looked slightly pregnant, carrying a bit more weight in her face, thicker hair, etc., but it could also be extra hair, plumped lips, fillers, etc. I hope it's some naturally-explained alteration, because otherwise it looks a little like she took several tips from that young Kardashian.

Perhaps this is posted elsewhere and I don't have my bearings yet...? but, Julianna, Christine and Matt are all slated to be on Late Night with Stephen Colbert tonight. There are also a few other people listed, so I'm not sure if he's hosting 2 different groups of people or what exactly. I can't think of a time that Matt C has ever done a late night show!

And the answer is, pretty predictably, NOT. A new way of measuring reasonably intelligent lawyering on the show might be "Does Lucca know that?" since she appears to know the most fun/arcane law facts and catches what both firms have missed. If only the TGW and Suits were on NBC, the home of shows crossing over like a chicken pox outbreak in a preschool! Bringing Louis on to to tear things up would be awesome (step aside David Lee!), as well as Jessica believably partnering with Diane to redefine the firm, and hey, Mike would be pair well with Cary, and Harvey could be a believable and hot-as-hell love interest!

I thought the same thing at first until it took one simple conversation with Peter to get a long tale of this compromised lab tech's career. Jason had only asked her about the evidence and she had offered that she had an impeccable record, and he left happy, case closed. Why didn't he, um, investigate, the people he was going to interview (good on him for finally getting out the car though!) before he decided what he wanted to ask them, or at least check their stories out afterward before giving his final report? I tell you, he is a dumdum investigator of the highest order! It was silly to make it seem like Eli canned Jason because he's going to bonetown with Peter's smug branch of a wife instead of pointing out that Jason had to do the job twice, only getting any pertinent info from Eli/Peter, and still didn't have anything useful to report! There is no reasonable explanation for why a partner in a major law firm did not receive the help of her assistant in hiring someone to take care of the details of the party; apparently it was just the only way the writers could think to throw the flower and cake jokes in. It also made no sense that Alicia would put herself out, in any way, shape or form, for Jackie or Howard: she detests them both and has been clear about that every day of the series. I still recall when she essentially threatened Jackie after she was in the hospital from her stroke, and decided to let the kids get licenses and give them cars so that Jackie would never again enter the apartment. The idea that she would borrow from her sex/drinking time to throw a party like this was absurd -- she wouldn't even open the door for her daughter who was stuck in the hallway with a truck's worth of flowers because she and Jason were having their important staring/sighing time. Alicia's like the honey badger, "Honey badger don't care! Honey badger doesn't give a shit, it just takes what it wants!"* Speaking of Owen, I don't care for the new caretaker roll he's been playing for a while now. It made sense that he was closer to Veronicka when Alicia was parenting and getting re-started in the workforce, etc., but she barely does anything other than give ultimatums these days. What, for several years now, prevents her from being involved? Owen is actually a full-time professor who, by all accounts, is single and should be out looking for his first(?) important relationship. It just doesn't sit right with me that he's been relegated to full-time sidekick of the drunk mother because Alicia's too important for such plebeian duties... Hmm, now the character arcs are lining up for me... *No offense meant to the animal kingdom or honey badgers!

The show has done everything short of a football-play kind of diagram illustrating how hot and forbidden the Alicia & Jason hookups are. When you have to work that hard -- several scenes every episode -- and it's still no more convincing, move it along! I'm starting to wonder if JM just can't act convincingly in this respect, and again I'm left wondering if all of the Will/Alicia heat was brought by Josh. Lucca and Robie convinced me, Diane standing in the same room as Kurt convinces me, David Lee referencing a dollar amount convinces me, but Alicia and Jason make me think of dirty bar of soap. I guess we're not going to get a scene where Lucca wakes up from her stupor and realizes she brought more to their firm, and their move to Lockhart/Whomever, than Alicia; maybe we're supposed to believe she'd still be stuck in bond court if not for Alicia giving her an opportunity. Yuck. This show has always been pretty weak with respect to explaining why Alicia is so sought after as lead council (other than with Colin Sweeney). This weekend I watched part of an older episode where Alicia asked for a raise when she decided she wanted to buy her old house back for $1.9M, and then acted put out when her request was met with a higher pay rate than every other associate but not enough to buy the nearly $2M house after being with the firm for something like 2 yrs. She even whined to Canning about it. No one could accuse her of not knowing her worth, or *cough,* inflating it. I've got to agree, and his head isn't helping matters, IMO. He really exemplifies that candy-apple physique they say actors have, but it's worse because of the facial hair and everything making it look even larger. He's like a teenager whose body froze in time and whose head aged rapidly and then caught a werewolf virus along the way. He's free to look however, but choosing him to be the eye candy was sloppy work. I clapped when Cary was shown, and relieved that the writers remembered Matt Czuchry is still a cast member. Go Cary, you shouldn't have any fucks to give about the Florricks and their greasy & never-ending shenanigans in their quest for infinite power and more money. Alicia was just the worst partner and coworker to him, I wish he'd key her car or leave a flaming bag of dog shit at her (totally accessible) apartment door though. Does he do anything other than screen his calls in empty rooms/cars or just sit in cars? It was a real blast from the past watching the rerun this weekend and seeing an investigator drive, walk, run, take notes, interview witnesses and courthouse staff and officers, etc. To think there used to be a focus on Robyn, Kalinda and the state's guy Andrew all investigating cases?! It's almost like cases required difficult and lengthy work. It seems like we're supposed to think Jason is gifted in some way because he was a lawyer, but they give us nothing to work with. So happy for all the Diane this week (and the inclusion of Chris Noth and Matt too)!!