Lantern7

Bumping up because the collected edition of The Eltingville Club will be released this week. Like Milk & Cheese and Beasts Of Burden, it's high up on Evan Dorkin's resume. It's about four outcasts who more or less hate each other, and the stories usually end in an ugly manner . . . especially in the last story, where they destroy Comic-Con. It's worth a look.

That was Tonya. Here's the recap I wrote back then.

Wound up watching the "Top 20" countdown before going shopping. Got to see old favorites like Pipsqueak the psycho goat, the howling Malamutes, the Rottweilers with the itchy collars, and the Shar Pei puppies biting each other's wrinkles. Oh, and I found out Dogs 101 will be revamped, and I have submitted a forum request for it. ETA: Here's the forum.

Sorry that I haven't posted here lately. I had a lot to bitch about, and I didn't want to annoy too much. Also, I wound up deleting most of Heroes Reborn from the DVR. When it comes to ensemble hero shows, I think Legends of Tomorrow is a hotter draw . . . and they have a four-eyed old guy listed first in the credits as well! Watching Super Bowl 50 highlights. What a messy game. And the commercials were mostly crap. Kinda funny that we got to see TJ Miller and Ryan Reynolds in separate commercials, but there wasn't a huge push for Deadpool, which I'm planning on seeing Friday. There's some talk on the NFL thread about Eli not taking Peyton's win well. How funny would it be if Peyton retires and Eli winds up winning a third Super Bowl? I know, bit of a long shot, but that's what most people thought before his two wins.

From StopBeingPolite: A comprehensive list of Challengers that hate Cara Maria.

Good episode. Helps that the Super Bowl kinda stunk on ice this year. Anybody else want Brock to spank St. Cloud? Of course Rusty would do business with him. And now Dean is guiding the big company. Better him than Hank, but the boy has no real life experience. More continuity . . . anybody else remember Dr. Dugong? Or Baby Sinclair from Dinosaurs? Redusa was an inspired supervillain. ETA for Galileo908 . . . Pete is actually "Pink Pilgrim." Looks and sounds like he lost a bet.

I recall seeing a commercial. I don't think CBS is trying to bury TAR.

Checking to see if anybody else is tuning in. Animal Planet altered the schedule . . . and I wanted to see Dexter the tubby Bulldog puppy. Right now, they're doing a top twenty countdown. They showed the Rottweiler puppies having trouble with their new collars. So cute.

Heads up . .. tonight's Samurai Champloo features the epic eating contest. Classic stuff.

Carl makes his pick for the "Big Game":

In case you didn't hear . . . Dave Mirra is dead at 41. Worse, it looks to be suicide. I don't think we're on the verge of "this show is cursed" like with Diem and Knight dying near each other, but it's still very disheartening.

As much as the cast has stepped up their respective games . . . wouldn't it be better to have a show about time-travelling ass-kicker Sara Lance? She wears clothing appropriate to whatever era she's in, she kicks ass, she flirts with guys and girls . . . and every six episodes, she goes back to 21th Century Star City and beats up her sister. Ratings would go through the roof for the CW. Anybody else surprised Leo Snart looked and sounded normal? I would've expected the kid to sound like the adult version. "Give you my lunch money? No, I don't think so. In fact, you give me your money. Like, right now-ish." When did Mick become savvy about time travel? I have him pegged as a pair of fists and a heat gun. BTW, anybody else annoyed that we don't see the Rogues' guns freeze or burn anything? How different are they from Rip's laser? Good plot with Ray and Martin. I'd like to see more of Jax without Martin instead of vice versa like last week, as opposed to being thrust into Leonard and Mick's excellent adventure. And apparently, scouting ships aren't that much different from cars in terms of maintenance. Okay, show.

What. The. Fuck?!?

Reading the thread for "Tear Down This Wall," I have two questions: 1. When has a season hinged on a particular cast member? I figured that BOTB has been focused on Cara Maria, what with the HJ with Thomas, the fallout with Abram, and her victories over Johnny and Aneesa in the Pit. I think this is a phenomena that dates back to Julie in Extreme Challenge, when she went from likable Mormon ingénue to psycho bitch that deserved to be voted off Battle of the Sexes early. Sarah Grayson and Katie come to mind because they were in the crosshairs of their teams in The Gauntlet and The Inferno, respectively. Closer to now, there was Sarah Rice and Jordan in Battle Of The Exes 2, especially after Diem & CT left the game. I got a sense that neither of them would come back to the show, especially after getting the better of Johnny and winning the season. 2. What have been the worst thing to happen on The Challenge? yogi2014L did a list of ten items on the episode thread, pointing out stuff that tends to be forgotten/whitewashed in people's minds. The (alleged) violation of Tonya by Evan and Kenny tops the list. I don't know if it would belong because it make the finished product, though I can totally see that happening with those two assholes. yogi2014L pointed out some serious shit, like CT's attempted murder of Adam King, Wes dumping a bottle of soda on Cara Maria, and Frank and Zach double-teaming Sam. I'd throw in the Road Rules team's attempts to send Katie into the Inferno, the Abram/Rachel/Veronica threesome (remember when departing cast members had time to pack after getting eliminated?), and Rachel/Tina/Veronica heaping abuse on Tonya. And as much as I feel that Coral gets a bad rap, I'd add her abuse of Ace after he bailed out of the "Bug Helmet" Inferno (this coming after a spider bite wrecked her in The Gauntlet finale), and her and Tina "convincing" Sophia to vote off Ruthie in BOTS2, leading to Sophia's massive breakdown on Elimination Hill. And I know it wouldn't make the big lists, but I'm still bitter Steve didn't get a farewell sequence after he got beat by Trishelle in the Gauntlet.

I don't think so. Their apartment was burned down in the ninth season finale ("The Gang Squashes Their Beefs"), got renovated in the tenth season finale ("Ass Kickers United: Mac And Charlie Join A Cult"), then got burned down again. They've been squatting at Dee's place, and she cannot stand them.

Chiming in late . . . when Roy was going on his assignment, did anybody else flash back to the Black Dynamite cartoon where Cream Corn starred in an x-rated interracial porno based off Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory? Or is it just me? I prefer Jay Pharaoh's version on SNL, because he portrays Carson as a sleepy T-Rex.

At least it wasn't as big a shitshow as the last After Show. Here's hoping MTV and/or BMP call Coral out of retirement to officiate the reunion special.

Anybody else feel like this is Cara Maria's season? More so than Sarah and Jordan last season, IMO. The dalliance with Thomas, dealing with Abram, the Pit wins against Johnny and Aneesa. . . . I can't recall anybody else being so central to the show. Nice mission. And yeah, Aneesa should retire. She's been hacking it since Battle Of The Sexes, and she hasn't won a Challenge. It's sad. I'm going against the odds and say that Cory & Mitch get the upset win.

Dog murder isn't funny. Most of the time, anyway. Poor Dennis Jr. He was doomed the moment Dennis Sr. got him for Mac. And, as usual, Dee loses. She shouldn't have taken that side action from Frank, but it's hard not to feel bad for her.

Wow . . . who didn't come back tonight? Roy, Shado, Nyssa, Tatsu . . . all that was missing was Slade and the ghost of the OG Ra's al Guhl. I take it Colton Haynes has a better acting gig. I kinda hope we get to see Roy in the DCCWU. Maybe he could teach Barry how to parkour. Calculator is Felicity's father . . . telegraphed well, but still telegraphed. I guess hacking runs in the family. How soon does Felicity put two and two together? Maybe Calc can be the S5 big bad. In other news, Felicity has taken to the chair pretty quickly. How long did EBR have to practice? Anybody else see the mark on Thea's chest and think of Whitney Frost's face from Agent Carter? ETA: Forgot about Curtis trying to use a T-Sphere on Roy. Man, he held out well against an ex-vigilante.

Heads up to anybody who's watching: Animal Planet will be running five half-hour puppy-based episodes starting at noon on Sunday, leading up to Puppy Bowl.

Saw the preview for next week's episode. The first match pitted Team Ronin (led by Flip Rodriguez) against Karsonic Boom (Karson Voiles). The Ronins get off to a 2-0 start (thanks in part to Flip's pal, JJ Woods), and the anchor leg looks to be in the bag. But Karson manages to do the unthinkable . . . outrace Flip. Matt and Akbar flip out (no pun intended), as Karsonic Boom pulls even. The captains elect to race again, and the rematch is a lot closer, with Flip barely edging out Karson for the win. Next on the schedule: The Wild Bunch (captain: Lance Pekus) vs. Think Tank (Noah Kauffman).

Read the recap. Totally missed the part where Tar Pit got captured.