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So far, so fast. Barry is a big ol' dork, just like Peter Parker, but he's oddly loveable. I'm hoping the fun holds out over time . . . not that I hate Arrow, but Felicity and the salmon ladder can only mask the grim 'n' gritty for so long. Speaking of Felicity . . . how does she fit in Barry's world? Apparently, he's been pining for Iris forever, so it's kinda like Felicity is the "other woman," and that's not right. I like the chemistry between Iris and Barry .. . and I think it's an interesting status quo for them to be virtual siblings. I'm not thrilled by the recent comics canon being imported about Barry's mother being killed through mysterious circumstances. Pleasantly shocked by Joe West finding out about Barry right away. Downright shocked that Disgraced Doctor has news of Barry's future. I'm surprised that the show will last ten years, even if Smallville and Supernatural set the tone for CW shows. And yeah . . . the idea of Gorilla Grodd running around Central City makes me oddly giddy. Damn, any Rogue would be welcomed on this show . .. even Golden Glider. And maybe Rainbow Raider, if the show runs out of ideas after four seasons.

It's 69 degrees for me now. I need the weather to hold up for New York Comic Con this weekend.

Preview of the next Doctor Who series, featuring the Twelfth Doctor.

Was that "The Ambassadors Of Death"? First up, I hope "Inferno" isn't that big of a drag for you. Secondly, it's Jon freakin' Pertwee. His Doctor would've aikido-chopped gravity into submission. Or maybe the writer(s) was/were more interested in the story than the science behind it.

Behind the scenes look at the next immunity challenge. I immediately think of "Game Of Throw-Ins" (ugh) as a retooled version of the challenge that claimed Jonathan Penner in his second tour of duty. Oh, and it's also the one where Joel almost killed Chet. Good times, unless you were Chet. ETA: I vaguely remember watching commercials on Sunday. Natch, they're Rocker-related. Oh, joy.

Good episode. Sad to see somebody from the Buy More go rogue, albeit in a hilarious way. I mean, I bet the fourth victim was going to be Wile E. Coyote, because that was an Acme way to go. Holy crap, how hysterical was the method of murder? Seeing a pervert priest flailing away made me laugh, even though it probably shouldn't have. Nice to see that Montoya can eat as much scenery as Fish. I'll admit it . . . Sapphic overtones work for me. I guess I'm a sucker for that. I really hope we don't get flashbacks to Barbara and Renee's relationship, because that would be pandering. I'd watch, but I'd probably hate myself afterward. And Oswald/Penguin is still killing it . . . and others, too. Like I said last week, he's so earnest. I don't know if that's the word for his attitude, but he's just so "can do" and willing to be corrupt as the city he obviously loves. He's oddly cute that way. No Nigma this week? There wasn't a need for the (corrupt) captain to throw something at him in frustration? There's always next week. Good Bruce/Alfred scenes. I hate to invoke Jon Pertwee again, but it's nice his son Sean can swordfight. Go watch "The Sea Devils" story from Doctor Who . . . . there's a great sword battle between the Doctor and the Master.

Here's the description for "The Cissy." It looks to be a Stan/Randy episode . . . and with Randy, there's always a chance that it'll blow up into something unfunny.

Hanged Man . . . bingo. In that episode, the other teams figured out what someone had to lead their ox while another plowed. The object was to pull up a rope in the mud that would have the clue. Colin & Christie didn't get it . . . then again, they were lagging behind the other teams, and they got frustrated really easily.

auntlada . . . I never thought of it that way. That makes a lot of sense. Thanks!

This week: Luffy goes sickhouse on Blueno using his new Second Gear technique. You can read more about its secrets here. Also fun that Luffy had another technique ready -- -- before Blueno's register came up empty. Speaking of which, I think I'll get a sketch of the big guy, as well as the Devil Fruit-empowered CP9 agents. I already got Kaku and Rob Lucci . . . why not the rest? In other news: Zoro still has directional issues. And Sanji has his own issues "protecting" women.

Good episode. Was there anything that was cut which could've made the experience better?

Damn. Just . . . damn. I can't say that I blame Clara for being mad. The Doctor has turned into a bit of a dick, and he does deserve to be slapped so hard that he regenerates. It's not a knock against Capaldi . . . I also see where the Doctor is coming from, but he's nowhere near as loveable as he once was. Can you imagine a prior incarnation abandoning the three women to decide humanity's fate? Okay, maybe Six, but he's the exception. Personally, I can't believe we had an episode which may or may not have been cribbed from a Super Friends episode. I'm serious . . . scroll down to #5. Hollow moon, alien living inside. No bacteria spiders, but that's what I immediately thought about. And yes, I am a geek. Otherwise, I wouldn't be watching the show. Nice that Courtney got a name. And maybe some perspective. As least she didn't bug as hard as the kids from "Nightmare In Silver." The bit about "Oh, my grandmother posted on Tumblr" was funny. Just saying. Next week: did we learn nothing from "Voyage of the Damned"? When are we going to stop naming stuff after older stuff? Here's hoping we have less angst, even if we wind up seeing Missy again.

Hanged Man . . . I hope you tune in next week. I think they'll have sheep and mini horses. Animal-centric episodes usually go over well, because they're unpredictable. For instance, check out the "Broken Ox" incident with Colin & Christie at the 1:34 mark. So awesome.

LadyNebula . . . I bet there's a cottage industry for Churchill impersonators. I don't think that was Ian McNiece, but my brain did go there. If it was him, it'll be the first time I ever got to meet a greeter. Speaking of greeters . . . is it me, or are they getting chatty on the mat? I think I like it. Aside from maybe Phil's dad, has any greeter said anything beyond "Welcome" in the past?

theschnauzers . . . the poor thing look startled by the airhorn. Wandering Snark . . . no kidding. I mean, he's probably a goofball at worst, but that was a little weird. I bet Adam and/or Bethany have a nickname for the nub. Well said, green. It would take a lot for me to root against Shelley & Nici. Pissing in the water does sort of qualify, but not enough. For now, anyway.

Just curious . . . how soon do y'all see commercials for the show? I'm comparing it to TAR, and it looks like the maximum number of days between commercial and episode is four . . . which means that there would be ads for the show tomorrow, because I'm not seeing any tonight.

Hanged Man . . . is this your first TAR experience? I hope you had fun with it. There are a few legs where nobody gets eliminated, but when Phil says a team "may be eliminated," they probably will.

Well, that sucked. It's okay to have little to no hateworthy teams in the game . . . but seeing two teams break into tears? And all four of them are fans of the show? That's sad . . . even if Nici did lose her cool and have a potty break. She and Shelley are still in it, so not pulling over and going was a good move. Gross, but good. Punting mishaps were funny. Probably not as much fun as whatever will happen next week with the livestock, but pretty funny nonetheless. And watching the military guys give the Racers shit was awesome . . . especially to Brooke, Robbie and Jim, all three of whom could dine on the flesh of humans (see: Lori on Phil, TAR6). I wonder why there wasn't a Roadblock this week. I don't think things were altered for Bethany. She did get to flip a pancake, which was pretty interesting to watch. And I would've expected the firefighters to perform the "About Face" Detour. But they managed to lumber into the middle of the pack . . . at least until next week, when one of them gets a boo boo. Good start to the Race so far. It just sucks that Dennis & Isabelle trained so hard for tenth place. At least they'll be sequestered somewhere nice, as opposed to directly going home. ETA: Nice for the Express Pass to operate like a Fast Forward. It didn't take Bethany & Adam that long to find, though. BTW, how come Bethany doesn't get top billing? Amy got hers two years ago, albeit for a losing cause.

I found a CD full of photos from the mid-2000s, including pics from TARCons 4-7. After feeling fits of nostalgia, I thought that I'd start a thread on all seasons of The Amazing Race. Thinking about it, I'd put the "salad days" of TAR fandom at seasons 1-7. It's not that the show has become so much worse since then (though I'd expect oaths to be taken to forget about Family Edition), but I think the fans were closer-knit back then. TAR1 had the great Frats/Guido rivalry and the shock of the new. TAR2 had Team Cha-Cha-Cha, the inability for Tara & Wil to die, and the hap-hap-happiest ending in the Boston Bouncers rallying for the win. TAR3 united people in their hatred of Flo and Teri & Ian, and well as the love of the Riker twins, Ken & Gerard, and John Vito & Jill. TAR4? Mostly the Clowns going from annoying to memorable, as well as Kelly & Jon rallying past the Virgins, and the first "couple" winning with Reichen & Chip. TAR5 was the "go for broke" season, with Charla & Mirna's antics, Kami & Karli's stupidity, Chip's dopiness and Kim's ability to put up with it, the "Godels," and, of course, "MY OX IS BROKEN! THIS IS BULLSHIT!" TAR6 was a season straight from hell, with good teams going out early, bad teams staying to annoy, and the loveable Kris & Jon getting beaten to the finish by the odious Freddy & Kendra (who didn't have the cojones to come to TARCon that season). Finally, TAR7 was about polarizing fans in regards to Rob & Amber, watching Brian & Greg recover from a crash to survive a leg, and celebrating Uchenna & Joyce's upset win. Oh, and "FREE RON!" from Kelly. After that, things get blurry for me. We had memorable teams like the Cowboys and Globetrotters three times apiece, but the show doesn't feel as special as it used to. The closest parallel I can think of is how Christmas isn't as "magical" when you grow out of being a kid. Still, we have the travel porn, we have Phil Keoghan (who has aged like fine wine, in stark contrast to Jeff Probst), and we have a few good memories per season. Like, say, poor Claire getting a watermelon directly to the face in TAR17. Or Andrew & Dan stinking up their season. Or the "Beakman Boys" getting a miraculous win in TAR21, defying all logic to beat out far superior teams. What are your favorite memories of The Amazing Race?

Here's this week's description: It looks like the Express Pass is here to stay, though I'm hoping they don't include a bonus for another team. What I'd like to see: Phil offer a winning team the Pass or a sponsor prize. And maybe sweeten the pot by making it, say, an all-inclusive package. Or $10,000 after taxes per person. I'd also like to see the Fast Forward offered on every leg, though I can see why that wouldn't be feasible this days. I feel it offered a strategic element to the game.

I think that TAR won't get promoted on Sundays because it'll be five days away. The first episode was fun, and I hope you catch up soon. Out of curiosity, does anybody here have rooting interests for the baseball playoffs? I don't know anybody from the Royals, but I hear their climb to the postseason was fun.

Is it too soon to bring up John Rocker? He's a perfect mix of asshole and dumbass . . . and he was recruited, which means he probably doesn't know how to play the game. On the one hand, he could misplay the idol and get sent packing soon. On the other hand, he could be a goat that gets dragged to Day 39 for an easier win. I still can't believe he found the stupid idol because Jeremy shared his clue. Nobody should be that lucky, especially not an asshole like him. ETA: I think John is a male Crystal Cox . . . somebody whose ineptitude would be funny if not for the crap personality.

caprice . . . I think they don't turn up until Monday. That's when I found the promo for the show on YouTube. I also saw commercials last night during Survivor, so I don't think CBS is out to screw TAR. There might be an increase in ratings when Shark Tank moves to 9. I hope that's the case.

It's a week to NYCC. Who else is going? Maybe we could meet up, exchange stories, have lunch, etc. BizBuzz . . . how was your convention experience?

What solider doesn't want to bond with his dog? Then the dog jumped in the cab, and I think I lost it. The "Lil Homie" bit was funny, as well as the sketch with the Nazis, but the quick shot with the dog was great.