smrou

I didn't even realize that Playing House hasn't been renewed yet. Get on that...whatever network it's on (USA?). It should totally be renewed. As is usually the case, I'm pretty out of the loop when it comes to new series, so there's nothing I've been looking forward to or know I'm going to try out. I've heard of a handful of shows, but not necessarily in a positive context. From the list KoB linked to there are a handful that interest me based on the casting alone.

Ice!

Beyond the Sea Darkness Falls

Pilot Tooms

it's gotten really difficult to make choices at this point. These episodes are all so good! Tooms The Erlenmeyer Flask

EBE Fire

I didn't point to Jude because I think he's the least likely to accept them as a couple. I pointed to Jude because even in the absence of Callie's adoption he makes Callie a part of that family. Forever. And the reason I think it's stupid for Callie and Brandon to get involved, given that they are both part of the Fosters family, is because a romantic entanglement--particularly among teenagers--is destined to add complication and conflict to that family. A family that hardly needs more shit to deal with than it already has. Also, Jude is a remarkably open-minded and accepting kid, but I think he's also very protective of his new family and its dynamic, so I'm not so sure he'd be particularly open to introducing this complication. Though Callie could probably convince him to be. At any rate, I don't know what direction things will go when the season resumes. Personally, my feeling is that Callie (and also Brandon, but particularly Callie) is in no position to be starting a romantic relationship of any kind. I thought it was a bad idea from the beginning for her to be with Wyatt, too, even though I think he was a really good guy who, under other circumstances, could have been a good match for her. Callie's had a life full of upheaval and things still really haven't settled down for her. She has so many new relationships that she's dealing with already. Frankly I'd love for there to be a significant stretch of time during which Callie puts romance off the table for her own well-being.

Teri Polo was fantastic in that scene (as someone else said, she really is the MVP of this season) and I liked that whole scene very much. It even gave me a moment of giving a damn about Jesus! Yay! Oh Middleman. So good. So very good. I miss it, too. I agree with this completely. It makes perfect sense that Callie, feeling desperate and angry and hopeless, would reach for someone she knows wants her. And Brandon...well, you mentioned before he seems to have no impulse control and I have to agree. I'm kind of angry with him for going along with the kiss because he's the one who has the least to lose, but whatever. So be it. As long as this plays out as what it is, two kids making stupid decisions in an unhappy situation, I don't have a problem with it. If I feel like the writing of the show is trying to push me toward actually being in favor of the pairing...that I won't be able to put up with. I've already said in past threads how a romantic pairing between Callie and Brandon means choosing something temporary (a teen romance) over something permanent (family) so I don't really need to repeat myself. One thing I will add, though, is that even though Callie hasn't been adopted yet and even if she never gets adopted, Jude has been adopted and therefore the Adams-Fosters are already Callie's family. Callie will never lose that family connection because Jude is the most important person in her life. So messing around with that for the sake of a teen romance is just stupid for all involved.

FWIW, I agree with those who would prefer not to have individual episode threads because I think they would end up having very few posts, which would result in little on-going conversation. Could we just make it so that the current season-by-season threads having the rewatch spoiler policy? So things from later seasons get spoiler tagged? Do people think that would lead to an obnoxious amoung of spoiler tags? I'm not sure if it would or not.

Fire Lazarus

I loooove the Girardis' house. So pretty. A house I used to envy a lot as a kid was the house from Webster because of the secret passageways.

Shadows Lazarus

Well, on the topic of that scene, this just crossed my Tumblr dash today. Relevant gif:

Shadows Ghost in the Machine Miracle Man

Personally I don't have much interest in a mytharc-only rewatch. It would mean skipping almost every one of my favorite episodes, which is tough for me to find enthusiasm for. There are a number of mytharc episodes that I really like individually, but as a whole the mytharc doesn't really hold my attention. So I actually like that the mytharc is sprinkled in with the MotWs. Sure, that might make it a little more difficult to follow, but does it really hold together even if you watch it all in one go?

I would be interested in doing that, but I fear I might not be great with follow-through if the past is any indication. An episode a week sounds like a pace I could handle, though.

I'm a know-it-all also, so it's not like I don't get where Mat (not Max, btw) is coming from and I don't dislike the guy. Actually, taken just on his own I like him quite a lot. And I was very sympathetic to him in last night's episode when Mariana was immediately defensive about him bringing her to the street festival when I think he really did mean nothing by it other than he thought it would be a good time. I just don't see his dynamic with Mariana as one of equals and therefore I don't see a lot of potential there for a good romantic relationship. You can be a know-it-all without treating someone like they're your little sister. If Mariana were more confident in herself I'd probably feel differently, but she's so insecure and is clearly still trying to figure out who she is. Absolutely. Every scene she was in was fantastic.

Alan's canon submission this week wins the prize as the first time I've ever finished the podcast and then immediately sought out the episode to watch it (well, rewatch it, but it's been many many years). Excellent choice. When I heard the Game Time was going to be 90s theme songs I thought I'd do great with it, but it was hard. Congrats to Tara.

Yeah, I was kind of amused by now Mariana was going on about how she doesn't know Frida Kahlo because she wasn't raised in a Mexican household and Mat was basically like, "Uh...she's really famous, dude." He also could have pointed out that in addition to being extremely well-known generally, she's kind of a big deal in LGBTQ circles, and Marianna was raised by gay parents. However, I have to agree with the folks who don't like the Mariana/Mat dynamic because he doesn't treat her as a peer. He definitely acts like he sees himself as more mature or wiser or more worldly or something. And he may be those things, in fact, but it hardly seems like the basis for a relationship of equals.

I didn't hate the episode. I just get bored when the family is all separated and dealing with their individual dramas and tend to kind of tune out.

Well, since most of this episode focused on the various romantic entanglements of the entire teen contingent, about which I really can't bring myself to care, I think it's valid to focus on the really important stuff here: Teri Polo in a tool belt! With those arms!

I never thought I'd say this, Scully, but you smell bad.

It wasn't even real cream cheese, it was light cream cheese!

I did NOT!

The episode is nothing but priceless moments!