[Sarah's Marathon Diary: At A Glacial Pace]

I mean, what else is Dr. Doofus supposed to do with that hat? It came free with the Yurt!

[The Alias Reboot: If Not Now, When(nifer)?]

I almost can't believe what a good idea this is. It is not possible to have enough Victor Garber on my tv, and he was so sharp as Jack Bristow.

 

Oh, yeah, and Garner is good, too.

[Sarah's Marathon Diary: Model Citizens]

Just dropping by to say that Anna Manahan is the best name for anyone this side of Benedict Cumberbatch.

[S03.E11: One Day In The Life Of Anton Baklanov]

I loved the POV shot of Taffet when Martha was being interviewed. All I could focus on was his nose.  And I wonder if Phillip's advice to Martha might come back and bite him in the ass eventually.  "You know more than he does, you have the power, turn it around on him," etc.  It's dangerous teaching that kind of stuff to a woman with a gun, Phillip.  

 

I posted on another thread last week that Elizabeth and Paige could go to a Soviet satellite country like Hungary or Czechoslovakia to meet Nadezhda's mother. I suspect the most likely meet-up point could be East Germany-it could be finagled (perhaps by Claudia?) and would be the most suitable way to keep the US authorities from becoming suspicious.

 

Good thought. They wouldn't even need to go that far - some Russian citizens traveled to non eastern bloc countries for various reasons.  And there are plenty of European countries where someone from the Soviet Union might travel for medical treatment without arousing much suspicion.  Paris, for example.  Which is also a great place for an Elizabeth-Paige getaway.  Also, we saw in flashbacks that they arranged for Elizabeth to meet General Zukov in Europe once in a while - and he, being Soviet military, would have been more likely to be under Western observation than a sick old lady.

[S10.E12: Jill's Having A....]

Maybe I am just imagining it, but I giggle every time I think I sense Michelle struggling to conceal her discomfort with not being the center of attention since she is not the one about to pop out a baby.  I caught a glimpse of her doing it again tonight as the camera panned across the room at the gender reveal party ... there was poor Michelle off in the background looking uncomfortable while mother-to-be Jill was the focus.  Poor ol' Michelle just looked lost, lol.  I think it's killing her that she is not the one everyone is showering attention upon.  The best was when Jill and Derrick popped in on the Bible meeting at the Duggar house to announce the pregnancy and Michelle barely managed to white-knuckle her way through the scene. She knew what was coming and she was doing everything she could to looked pleased when I think she was actually closer to stunned.  Of course I don't doubt that she is happy for her daughter and will love her new grandchild, but I think there is something about the fact that one of her own daughters has finally wrestled the birthing torch from her grasp that bothers her. A  lot.  

 

I actually felt a brief moment of sympathy for Michelle in this scene.  In her beliefs, her value as a person rests almost entirely on her ability to birth babies.  It is all she has been doing for over 25 years. Who is she and what value does she have if she can no longer fufill her sole purpose in life?  Her religion offers little in the way of roles to fill during this "season of life."  It must be both terrifying and sad for her.

[S06.E12: Collateral]

The mountain men are the same ones that locked Raylan and Boyd in the shed back during the Season 4 Drew Thompson arc. We discover in that episode that Cousin Mary is Raylan's mother's cousin, and she's the one that lets them go.

 

I recognized them right away, and thought they were a nice surprise. If Raylan is traipsing around the back woods, it's plausible that he might run into some hill folk. I'm sure that the characters on the show are an exaggeration for dramatic effect, but I also had a friend who went to school in Corbin, KY and said they were warned about not going too far off the nearby trails, because you might still run afoul of moonshiners or other shady locals from time to time. 

[19 Things I Hate About You: How the Duggars Infuriate]

Boob and MEchelle are so sex obsessed, I'm surprised they haven't done premarital genital inspections and provided a step-by-step guide to the "kids'" first sexual experiences.  Heck, I can see Boob and MEchelle sitting in the corner of the bedroom, directing the action.  Boob:  Okay Derrick, you can enter Jill now.

 

IIRC, Jim Bob might have done this before Josh's marriage, although cameras weren't privy to the conversation.  I only remember that afterewards, Josh seemed embarrassed and uncomfortable. In truth, I have to admit to a morbid curiosity about what their sex lives could be like, given how sheltered they have been about anything remotely related to sexual physical closeness with another human being.

 

Re: the dry humping/golf course date, at least Jessa and Jill have seen it's ok to try other sex positions.

 

Unless she was too naive to realize that's what was going on.

 

Being an introvert isn't synonymous with being shy. Of course, Jessa could be both, especially if she's been stunted by years of being trained to shun outsiders. 

 

I always get annoyed when my friends express surprise that I'm capable of socializing with strangers without being completely awkward about it. I can do it, I just don't like to!

 

I agree about it being more social awkwardness than introversion. No one just hangs out with friends, they "fellowship", which seems a lot less fun/spontaneous.  I bet they have what a coworker refers to as good "church basement" social skills - superficial chatter with people who have been deemed safe enough to not lure you into a life of sin in the 10 minutes you are exposed to them.

[S10.E10: All About Jessa]

I thought this episode Clearly showed Mom and Pops have their favorites.  Pops prefers his sweet, compliant Jilly Muffin while Mom prefers spirited and spunky Jessa Blessa.  I wonder how it applies to the other 17?

 

I'm sure JB and MeChelle will think of cute nicknames for the younger ones if they ever spend any significant amount of time with them.  Which they won't, ever. Maybe the older "buddies" have nicknames for the younger ones, and the parents can just pretend that they came up with them on their own when it becomes necessary to describe them to the cameras.

[The Voice of America(ns): The Podcast]

The podcast this week (for 3.8 Divestment) was really good.  Alison Wright was a guest for part of it and talked a lot about Martha's denial of her situation. For me, though, the star of this week's podcast was Ian McLaughlin, the stunt coordinator.  He described how they pulled off the tire fire, and it was surprising to hear that they used a stunt person for it.  I figured it was so dangerous they probably used a dummy and tricky camera work.  He is also a really good storyteller, and his descriptions of how stunts are designed and how they fit into the storytelling was tremendous.  

[S03.E08: Divestment]

I thought about the whole "kill Clark" thing first off, maybe because NOW I want Martha to stick around.  I think it could work.  Why turn him in and implicate herself if whatever the danger was to the FBI is dead?  Why further ruin her own life by confessing?  I think it's the smartest fix, because if Martha suddenly dies, the FBI will be all over her, her apartment, her neighbors, her parents, all of it.  Clark hasn't be THAT careful.

 

Clark's sister could call her with the bad news, just before she leaves for missionary work in Chili or something.

 

Sure - they could even stage a small funeral if needed.  It would be nice for Martha to have closure.

 

Pretty sure that's not the point of 'necklacing'.  Yeah, it actually had a name, and you want the victim to be found.

 

I remember seeing a reference to this as a method of torture/death used in some parts of the world, and that they were occasionally recorded, but I didn't realize that there was intention for the body to be found.  In this case, I woudl think the characters wouldn't want any possible way this could lead back to them, no matter how slight the chance of a connection.  In any case, getting those stains out of the concrete will not be easy.

[S03.E08: Divestment]

Martha is now compromised and a danger to Phillip.

So the only question seems to be, how does he kill her without bringing too much scrutiny to her private life, which might reveal something about him?

 

What if they "kill" Clark? It would be easier to stage his death than to come up with a plausible story for Martha's.  And then she can a secret widow instead of a secret wife.

 

On another note, I've been wondering who is going to clean up the mess from Venter's tire fire?  Wouldn't there be residual...stuff that would need to be disposed? Even in unused locations around a heavily populated area, there's a risk of the body being discovered by a random person.  That mess has to be worse than a dead body in a suitcase - at the very least a large grease stain on the concrete.

[S03.E08: Divestment]

I thought that Todd spotted Hans, meaning that letting Todd go is a mistake, because he will be able to get someone on the trail of Hans to Elizabeth and Phillip.

 

I thought this, too.  And Elizabeth looked less than thrilled that Hans was traipsing about while they were still inside. If Todd saw Hans, that is bad news for her, because she will need to get rid of Hans (and Todd) before too long.

 

I thought Philip and Elizabeth's reaction to the guy getting burned alive was interesting. No they didn't look away but even they took pause. They also wanted to spare the other guy who had no stomach for war or terrorism. I found that interesting.

 

Yeah I was surprised to see so much condemnation because A) they actually DID look disturbed and B) this is their JOB, they've seen some shit (folding a woman into a suitcase amirite?), so I can see why they are desensitized enough to not look away, but not so dead inside not to be shaken enough to let the other guy go (almost certainly to their detriment). It's all well and good for them to seem humanly emotional,  so we can root for them but practically that will fuck them in their jobs.

 

Yes, they both looked uncomfortable and maybe ashamed as well.  Recently, Phillip seems to have become more squeamish about some of the less savory things they have to do in their work, but I was a bit surprised to see Elizabeth turn her eyes away. Then later, by siding with Phillip and letting Todd go, Elizabeth seens almost compassionate, which is really uncharacteristic.  And I agree - watching it, I briefly liked her for it, but also thought about what a stupid move it could turn out to be. She better hope that watching his handler go down in (literal) flames scares Todd enough to keep his mouth shut. 

[S03.E07: Walter Taffet]

Eh, it's no worse than Stan's son with that Anton Chigurch (No Country for Old Men) haircut.  Serial killer in training, there.

 

Agreed that his hairstyle is awful. This show seems to be missing out on one of the classic late 70's/early 80's hair trends: feathering.  At least one of the younger characters, the boys in particular, could have easily have some feathered layers going on.  About half the boys in my class still  had that hairstyle around that time, and all of them looked better than Stan's kid.

 

I think this is right - Elizabeth's instructions to Hans were to watch for patrol cars, and to tap twice on the horn and drive away if he saw one. What he actually did was kind of freak out when shit got real, lay on the horn repeatedly, and NOT drive away. So I think Hans is not quite ready for prime-time.

 

Hans definitely looked like he just realized what he has gotten himself into, and he doesn't seem all that crazy about it. 

 

The bread delivery lady also had an accent, but I couldn't tell if it was South African before she was done talking forever. In any case, she was a dead woman from the jump, because Elizabeth wasn't going to leave any potential witnesses hanging around.

[The Americans Retrospective]

I've kept all the episodes on my dvr, and yesterday i went back and rewatched the first episode.  Sometimes pilot episodes have little relation to a show a couple of seasons down the line, but this show was really strong from the beginning.  The writing, the period music, and the intensity were all there, and they have maintained the quality since then, which is really impressive.  I had forgotten that Phillip

killed the defector who had assaulted Elizabeth during her training,

and the moments that followed were powerfully (and wordlessly) performed. 

[The Voice of America(ns): The Podcast]

Are they only available on ITunes?

 

If you use Chrome, you can download an app called Cloud Caster and can subscribe to podcasts available on iTunes, including this one from Slate.  Cloud Caster and Podcast Nation are good apps for Android phones as well.  

[Hindsight - General Discussion]

I love this show, if only for reminding me about Frente's "Labour of Love" I swear I squealed like my 16 year old self hearing that song playing in the background. 

 

They got me at Skee-lo during the party scene.  I still listen to "I wish" on an alarmingly regular basis.

[S03.E06: Born Again]

There was a question upthread regarding the value of the information Nina learned from her cellmate. The woman had been claiming that she had no knowledge of what she was doing when she made the drop, just doing a favor for her boyfriend. She revealed to Nina that she knew exactly what she was doing...but did it anyway for love. Stupid girl, it might cost her her life.

 

And showed that Nina hasn't changed at all - she will do what is best for her in that moment, without regard for anyone else.  Smart, but untrustworthy.  Also, when she was eating the steak, what was she shoving in her mouth with her fingers?  Crisped onions? Cabbage?  I couldn't tell, but she was sure enjoying them.

 

I'd rather take a bath (solo or with Rhys- heh) than listen to Pink Floyd too. Why do dudes think that stuff  is an aphrodisiac?

 

It's the combination of harmony, synthesizers, pseudo-profound lyrics, and weed.  Worked since time immemorial (or at least since the 70's.)

 

Multiple scenes of Philip sneaking around Kimmie's house or Elizabeth in the car with the young operative don't resonate as strongly for me without seeing what the "other side" is also doing. As of late, we see that there are conversations about the mail robot.

 

Maybe that's the real Chekov's gun in this show.  Martha discovers who Clark really is, and crushes him under her one true love, Mailbot. 

 

 

A thought just occurred to me.  Was Gabriel, very, very subtly also threatening Philip's son? 

 

Oh, definitely.  And it may be a threat based on a lie, which is very well played.  One of the things this show does very well is make the viewer doubt everyone's honesty. Is the Milky Way defector a plant?  Does Phillip have a love child from the 60's? Did his former lover really flee the Soviets? Everyone and everything is suspect, and I love/hate it.

[S03.E05: Salang Pass]

Yes, Philip was going to have to learn to seduce men, but just as his seduction-in-training began with an attractive woman and worked its way to the elderly lady, certainly he could have started with some mega-hottie from the Bolshoi and then worked his way up to fat naked guy. 

 

So, sort of like levels in a video game? Congratulations!  Sex with an old lady: Achievement Unlocked! 

 

The whole storyline with Phillip and Kimmy is pushing my limits.  When I was a teenager, girls I knew wouldn't have dated anyone older than about 21 or so (although many looked older and lied about their age.)  Someone as old as Phillip looks wouldn't have been attractive at all.  They can't put an end to this plot soon enough for me.

 

 

 

 

[S06.E06: Alive Day]

Really enjoyed this episode.  Limehouse calling Boyd was unexpected and delightful.  I'm glad we haven't seen the last of him yet.

 

Sorry, Choo, the show already has a somewhat endearing half-wit bad guy: Mikey.  Size doesn't start with a 'c', indeed.

[Zinaida: On the Milky Way to Treachery?]

I don't understand why she doesn't think she's in danger. Either she's extremely naive or just plain stupid.

 

Or she's pretending to be naive.  There is a strong possibility that Stan is right, and she's trying to get information on how the FBI thinks about the KGB, the Soviets, etc.  Her character has hung around for a few episodes, so they're setting her up to do something more important than eat delicious candy bars.

[S03.E09: The Eternity Injection]

On the subject of Joan's wardrobe: as usual, she had some odd pieces on last night (tiger shirt???), but that black wool coat with the buttons on the bias?  Perfection.

[S15.E12: Don Johnson, Brendan O'Carroll, John Bishop and Cheryl Cole]

 

We have Tyler Perry so I cannot complain too much.

 

Once I saw the clip of Mrs. Brown, I thought this too - it's Irish Madea!  Which is fine, I guess, if not really my thing.

 

It really was a fair episode; nothing really memorable but not awful.

[The Favorite Quotes Thread Excitation]

 From "The Contractual Obligation Implementation"

 

Bernadette, Penny and Amy go to Disneyland, where they get Disney princess makeovers.  Bernadette insisted on being Cinderella, and makes the other two choose other costumes.  Sheldon has called them to help talk to a class of middle school girls about women in the sciences.

 

Bernadette, dressed as Cinderella, speaking to the class:   You have the capacity to be anything you want to be.

 

Penny, quietly:  Unless you want to be Cinderella.

 

Bernadette, turning to Penny:  Come at me!  See what happens!  

 

When Bernadette gets an attitude it is always hilarious.

[S02.E13: Echo]

I was surprised by the Jared revelation, and I didn't totally buy it for all the reasons mentioned already.  Meanwhile, the last time we saw Claudia, didn't she put herself into this by admitting she had blabbed her secret spy beeswax to her lover?  And didn't she ask Elizabeth to investigate her?  That was a pretty big plot thread that was never mentioned again by anyone.

 

 

I don't quite understand Elizabeth. Not that I think it's out of character for her to find the idea of her children following in her ideological footsteps appealing, that makes sense. But she literally JUST saw how completely screwed up (that's not even the phrase for it!) Jared was from being recruited. She JUST found out that her good friends were murdered by their own son because of the Center. She doesn't care about that at all? Really? She'd be okay with the equivalent happening to Paige? 

 

It's possible that she is more frightened by saying no to the Center, and having them go behind her back and recruit Paige anyway (and we see how well that turned out for Jared.) If she and Phillip agree to go along with it, they have more control over the situation - perhaps they can even shape things so the risk is minimized.  I mean, it's a long road from age 14 to the FBI or CIA; lots of things can happen along the way.

[Paige: The Private Investigator]

Paige is in a commercial for Stouffer's Lasagna!

 

And she looks totally suspicious of everyone while still enjoying a hearty and delicious meal.