Small Talk: The Quiver

[statsgirl]

We used to have a garburator (one of those puree things) at our old house but we don't have one here.  They're bad for the environment and there's a really good  green bin program in my city so we use that and a composter in the yard.  They were very popular in every kitchen renovation about 30 years ago. My mother still uses hers but you have to be careful not to drop anything into it. We warped a number of spoons like that.

28 minutes ago, BkWurm1 said:

Any one check out the latest time travel show?  Time After Time, Sundays on ABC. 

I saw the ads for it but I loved the movie so much, I was scared to watch in case it spoiled my memories.

Did they play the song?

Edited March 9, 2017 by statsgirl

[BkWurm1]

17 minutes ago, Mellowyellow said:

I think it's the Brits! 

Nah we almost always have a separate laundry big enough for a sink, washer and dryer. Even if it's a tiny apartment it will still most likely have a laundry.

No bathing in kitchens whatsoever.  

Ha!  Good to know.  When you brought up the electric kettle I started wondering .  I also keep wondering about the tiny little frig's I see on British shows.  Like ones no bigger than a mini frig a college student might have.  I'm still trying to figure out if that's a real thing or if the show runners just cheaped out on their budgets, lol.  

15 minutes ago, statsgirl said:

 My mother still uses hers but you have to be careful not to drop anything into it. We warped a number of spoons like that.

Ha!  We had the scarred spoon for many years longer than the garbage disposal.

Quote

 

I saw the ads for it but I loved the movie so much, I was scared to watch in case it spoiled my memories.

Did they play the song?

 

Didn't know it was based on a movie.  What song?  No, if you mean  the 80's "Time After Time" .  

[Mellowyellow]

Do you guys do a GIANT shop at Costco or you stop by for bits and pieces and it's your normal grocery store?

Because Costco is an event shop for us! We only go a few times a year! More for novelty's sake. 

[lemotomato]

1 hour ago, Mellowyellow said:

Weird question: For those of you who are American do you own electric kettles?

There was an article today claiming that you don't! I'm intrigued!

I don't have an electric kettle, but I do have an electric water boiler like this one. It's pretty common in Asian households here.

[Mellowyellow]

Just now, lemotomato said:

I don't have an electric kettle, but I do have an electric water boiler like this one. It's pretty common in Asian households here.

That's what I have!!!! Keeps my water at 90 degrees C!!! We have an electric kettle too that we boil and let the water cool in case anyone wants room temp water. 

[BkWurm1]

34 minutes ago, Mellowyellow said:

Do you guys do a GIANT shop at Costco or you stop by for bits and pieces and it's your normal grocery store?

Because Costco is an event shop for us! We only go a few times a year! More for novelty's sake. 

We have Costcos not super far from here  but Sam's Club (which is basically the same thing) is where I've gone.  

My mother has had a membership for years (and I dealt with gallon sized sala in my teens to prove it) and at one point just put me on the account (even when I didn't want to be, lol)  I don't go so much myself, but I take her probably every few weeks.  She treats it like just any other store and has her list of items she always buys, ignoring all the other stuff they sell.  Apart from the GIANT bags of shredded cheese, most of it is not even that over sized anymore, it's more buy one get the second normal sized item packaged together at a cheaper price type deals.  (I'm sure they sell the oversized stuff since a lot of businesses shop there but they have a lot for the regular shopper now too)  

She's of an age where she grabs one of those powered scooters and zips around the warehouse for her shopping so the size of the place doesn't bother her and yes, I confess, I let her pick up my prepackaged salads and bulk yogurt as well.  (You'd think from that, I eat healthy.  But she's not the only one that likes giant bags of shredded cheese)

When she's done, then I drive her over to grocery shop at Wal-mart (and she takes another scooter) and sometimes to other regular grocery stores if they have a deal.   

She does tend to only shop once or twice a month so it's kind of a event but she's been shopping like that for decades.  If she runs out of something like bread or cheese, she'll run over there just for that item.  

Edited March 9, 2017 by BkWurm1

[statsgirl]

54 minutes ago, BkWurm1 said:

Didn't know it was based on a movie.  What song?  No, if you mean  the 80's "Time After Time" .  

The movie was made in 1979 with Malcolm McDowell, David Warner and Mary Steenburgen.  It sounds like the TV show's plot is very similar "H.G. Wells pursues Jack the Ripper to the 20th Century when the serial murderer uses the future writer's time machine to escape his time period."

[BkWurm1]

6 minutes ago, statsgirl said:

The movie was made in 1979 with Malcolm McDowell, David Warner and Mary Steenburgen.  It sounds like the TV show's plot is very similar "H.G. Wells pursues Jack the Ripper to the 20th Century when the serial murderer uses the future writer's time machine to escape his time period."

I'm surprised I've never heard about this before.  I'll have to track it down.  

[Morrigan2575]

3 hours ago, Mellowyellow said:

Do you guys do a GIANT shop at Costco or you stop by for bits and pieces and it's your normal grocery store?

Because Costco is an event shop for us! We only go a few times a year! More for novelty's sake. 

I only shop at Costco for big parties/events. Doesn't make sense unless you have a large family.  Most of my shopping is done at the local grocery store.

[kismet]

7 hours ago, Mellowyellow said:

Weird question: For those of you who are American do you own electric kettles?

There was an article today claiming that you don't! I'm intrigued!

I have a Stainless Steel with a Copper bottom Whistling Tea Kettle that boils on the stove. I grew up with it, and then looked everywhere for it when I got my own condo. I tried to negotiate taking it from my Mum's house, but that was the only thing that was basically off limits for me to take. My Mum really loves hers :) I was able to find it (Paul Revere Company) at a hardware store of all places. It's amazing! It's the only way I like to boil water for tea. I do know a lot of people who simply microwave (never gets it to the right temp for me). A lot people I know also use a Keurig without putting in pod, they just let it warm up the water (only use this method for instant hot chocolate). And at work, I have to use this black hot water tap on the sink. It's not great, but it's better than microwave and also no stoves at work. :(

I do know like maybe 3 people who have an electric kettle and they love it. It keeps your water hot for a long while, which is why the people I know have it because they want multiple cups of hot tea. I've found the water temp too hot for my when I used there electric kettles. Also always afraid I will leave it on.

[FurryFury]

But... Electric kettles are awesome... You don't need to turn them off manually and they boil the water REALLY fast... I just can't imagine not owning one. It feels weird to me.

[kismet]

7 hours ago, BkWurm1 said:

Any one check out the latest time travel show?  Time After Time, Sundays on ABC.  

It's H.G. Wells vs Jack the Ripper from the past in modern day New York.  Just watched the  2 hour pilot.  It's more like Timeless than LoT.  In the Pilot it's pretty much just Wells and Stevenson (Jack the Ripper) traveling from 1893 to 2017 but the trailer for the rest of the season and some stuff in the pilot shows he starts chasing him around in time at least at some point.

I was skeptical from the ads but I actually liked it.  It had a few twists I didn't expect.  It's not redefining the genre or anything but if anyone is missing Timeless, I'd tune in.   

I really enjoyed it. My biggest fear is that the concept is great for a mini-series, or 1 season special event. I don't really want the cat & mouse chase to last longer than 1 or 1.5 seasons. And then what happens? HG can't stay in the present. I don't really want the future girl to go in the past. You can't redeem Jack the Ripper. It reminds me a lot of Kate & Leopold, only with murder & intrigue. It's a really cool concept, although the time travel shows have hit a saturation point. Luckily they all have rotating airings, once one leaves another show comes on. 

I hope it does well. The main actress reminded me a lot of Tinah which was distracting. But I love Freddie Stroma (HG) & Josh Bowman (Ripper), which is why I will probably tune in even if the show starts to get bad. I find their acting to really pull you in, they are endearing. It was nice to see them on TV again. I think they were well matched for their characters. Bowman has charisma and Stroma has this adorability that can make you forget how smart his character is. Seeing Juliet Mills was a blast from the past, I used to watch her on Passions, so I really loved getting to watch her again - even if it was too short. I imagine the show will be having scenes in both the past & present, so will probably see her again.

I agree it's not redefining the genre, but it was an enjoyable way to spend 2 hours and I did want to see more. I would recommend it as well.

[kismet]

7 hours ago, BkWurm1 said:

I remember in my childhood home we had a garbage disposal in the sink for food scraps, but it broke early on and was never fixed.  When my brother redid he and his wife's kitchen a few years back, they had one installed ... but it broke after a couple years and was never fixed.  (I assume things that shouldn't have gone into it, went into it, lol)

So yes they exist but I'm really not sure how common they are.  They're not standard everywhere you go.  I don't have one nor do I see a need for one.  I do remember as a child flipping the wrong switch and instead of turning on the light, turning on the very loud, growling garbage disposal and freaking myself out.       

When I moved into my condo, it had one. I never felt I needed it. I still barely use it. hey can be very specific about what goes in and what doesn't go in - which is why most of them break. Although mine just sprang a leak out of nowhere. The only reason I fixed it was because it was connected to my main piping. So the only way I could use my sink as a sink was to fix the disposal or completely change the piping, it was rather annoying.

I do believe that they are geographical hit or misses. Some places every home has it and others have never heard of it. I don't really understand why anyone would desperately want one. I find them kind of odd. It reduces food trash, but not quite sure it keeps down waste. But I guess it helps to not have food waste just lying around enticing uninvited guests like critters and such.

Interesting fact, prior to 1997, they were illegal in New York City which is why so many apartments don't have it. Learned that at a Trivia Night, confirmed it via the internet.

[kismet]

3 hours ago, Morrigan2575 said:

I only shop at Costco for big parties/events. Doesn't make sense unless you have a large family.  Most of my shopping is done at the local grocery store.

Agree for the most part. My brother has a big family so he is at BJs (another Costco like store) almost every other week. But I have friends who shop there just for 2 and buy non-perishables at a deal they say. It does have some good bargains and if you have the storage space, I guess it makes sense to go every few months and stock up. I have a tiny 1 bedroom condo, with no storage space - it would not be worth the annual membership. Although I have been known to give cash to those with accounts and have them buy jumbo bags of stuff from time to time. I know it's rebellious and not quite following the rules, but sometimes you just need a jumbo bag of Crasins.

[BkWurm1]

1 hour ago, kismet said:

I really enjoyed it. My biggest fear is that the concept is great for a mini-series, or 1 season special event. I don't really want the cat & mouse chase to last longer than 1 or 1.5 seasons. And then what happens? HG can't stay in the present. I don't really want the future girl to go in the past. You can't redeem Jack the Ripper. It reminds me a lot of Kate & Leopold, only with murder & intrigue. It's a really cool concept, although the time travel shows have hit a saturation point. Luckily they all have rotating airings, once one leaves another show comes on. 

I hope it does well. The main actress reminded me a lot of Tinah which was distracting.

 

I agree it seems like the premise would be a stretch after more than a season.  The cat and mouse basis which requires the heroes to lose each week for the story to go on doesn't work long term, but I'll take the ride for now.  

You thought Jane, the museum curator was like Tinah?  Im very glad I didn't have that experience lol.  She has a similar coloring (it must be the "in" look in casting ) but IMO her mannerisms were just soo different.  I kept thinking she reminded me of the actress that plays Winston's cop girlfriend on New Girl, only without any of the toughness.  Coincidentally, I had the same reaction on Timeless to the woman that played the IT person/pilot trainee girlfriend though it took me til yesterday to figure it out.

Edited March 9, 2017 by BkWurm1

[kismet]

1 hour ago, BkWurm1 said:

I agree it seems like the premise would be a stretch after more than a season.  The cat and mouse basis which requires the heroes to lose each week for the story to go on doesn't work long term, but I'll take the ride for now.  

You thought Jane, the museum curator was like Tinah?  Im very glad I didn't have that experience lol.  She has a similar coloring (it must be the "in" look in casting ) but IMO her mannerisms were just soo different.  I kept thinking she reminded me of the actress that plays Winston's cop girlfriend on New Girl, only without any of the toughness.  Coincidentally, I had the same reaction on Timeless to the woman that played the IT person/pilot trainee girlfriend though it took me til yesterday to figure it out.

I'm on board as well. At the rate ABC is holding onto shows this season, it might only be a 1 season wonder whether we want it that way or not.

Jane, that's her name! I just didn't find her that compelling or good of an actress so for me it resorted to looks - and they looked a lot alike. Which is probably a similar statement I can make about Tinah. Both of them are attractive actresses, I just don't think they are talented actors. I can stand to be corrected if miraculously they improve or the writers throw them better material. But for me they are just pretty faces that say lines right now. They don't divert me from the storyline, but they don't add to it either. You're probably right though, that is the new in look for "smart girls" that may also be tough on TV.

I don't watch New Girl anymore, so I can't relate. I had to give that show up when they made Nick & Winston complete idiots for plot. Nick was never perfect, but his backstory was that he helped raise his family after his father left, and now is the present he's never been to a bank and doesn't know how they work. He dropped out of law school, I've met some pretty dumb people in my day that either lack common sense or book smarts. However, most of them know how a bank works especially if they managed to get into law school. I just HATED the direction they took his character. I enjoyed the idea of Winston becoming a cop, but they made him such an idiot around the test & admission process. It was just too far of a stretch for me that those 2 would be that dumb. It was discouraging as someone in that age bracket, that stories like that is how people see us.

IT girl/Pilot trainee/GF in Timeless was kind of a wasted role for me. I think she was only there to provide a foil and keep part of the timeline in the present. The actress did the best with what she was given, which was basically nada. Although I never saw any romantic chemistry between her and Rufus, so perhaps that pivot was just too much for me. I would have preferred Rufus had more family to talk to or hung out more with the trio.

Edited March 9, 2017 by kismet

[tv echo]

Time After Time was better than I expected (I only watched the first hour), but the two leads (HG Wells and Dr. John Stevenson aka Jack the Ripper) are way too young for their roles. The original movie with Malcolm McDowell was better cast (imo).

I had to laugh, though, when the gorgeous female lead Jane (played by Genesis Rodriguez) said something to HG about her average looks. I did not think that she looked like Tinah.  I'm more confused by the similarity in looks between Juliana Harkavy and Janina Gavankar (now on Sleepy Hollow).

However, I was taken aback by how much the actor who plays Jack the Ripper looks like Brett Dalton (Grant Ward in Agents of SHIELD).

[kismet]

14 minutes ago, tv echo said:

However, I was taken aback by how much the actor who plays Jack the Ripper looks like Brett Dalton (Grant Ward in Agents of SHIELD).

I guess with the facial hair I could see that comparison, they do have certain facial structures accentuated by the beard. It also hides the bottom of their face, which I think helps to differentiate them. The shaved version, I don't see much similar other than typical attractive white male with dark hair & nice eyes.

I only binge AoS, so I must admit Brett Dalton doesn't register much for me. I spent years watching Josh Bowman on Revenge, so he really is his own person in my mind. That being said, it also concerns me that they cast him as the Ripper because I know he made a big impression on Revenge with the writers & TPTB that they changed their entire gameplan to keep him alive on the show beyond s1. And I don't really want to see them try to rehab or redeem Jack the Ripper.

It does seem like the cast is younger than old, but that's typical of TV to go a little younger. The actors are approaching or in their 30s IRL, so at least they didn't put them in high school. I do get that the characters are supposed to be adults or young middle-aged. I consider 30s, young middle aged (I say that as someone in my 30s). An older age version might have worked, but doesn't always translate to demos advertisers want.

[lemotomato]

44 minutes ago, tv echo said:

However, I was taken aback by how much the actor who plays Jack the Ripper looks like Brett Dalton (Grant Ward in Agents of SHIELD).

I saw a trailer for the show and thought "Nice that Brett Dalton landed another role so quickly, and on the same network too."

[Jediknight]

56 minutes ago, tv echo said:

However, I was taken aback by how much the actor who plays Jack the Ripper looks like Brett Dalton (Grant Ward in Agents of SHIELD).

Well, that's one way to make sure some people will want him dead.  If I watched it I'd be thinking "Kill Ward.  Come on somebody kill Ward.  I don't care who it is, somebody kill Ward!"

That's not a knock on Dalton, that's just how vile Ward is.

[Mellowyellow]

Just saw the Vampire Diaries finale trailer!!!!!

SO EXCITED!!!!! Can't wait to watch it! I haven't watched it this season but I did watch so many seasons of it I am pretty excited to see how it all ends! And stress free too since I don't ship or obsess over any of the characters!

[feverfew]

On 8/3/2017 at 11:04 AM, FurryFury said:

I guess I'll check Riverdale out. This Betty/Jughead thing, from all the descriptions, is exactly my jam, and Betty herself sounds awesome. 

As for the main character being a dud, I rarely like male leads, so not a big problem.

You should; It's not what I would call Good TV, but the pretty is strong with this one (and not just the characters - there's this dreamy gothic-noir quality to many scenes, that hits all my cinematic buttons). And Furry, I've finally started on Bates Motel. You were right; it is right up my alley (next I'll tackle Hannibal :))

Like FurryFurry, you'll have to pry my electric kettle out of my cold, dead hands. Quality instant (yeah, I know) coffee, a quick boil, a dash of cold milk - I wouldn't survive without :)

8 hours ago, kismet said:

I don't watch New Girl anymore, so I can't relate. I had to give that show up when they made Nick & Winston complete idiots for plot. Nick was never perfect, but his backstory was that he helped raise his family after his father left, and now is the present he's never been to a bank and doesn't know how they work. He dropped out of law school, I've met some pretty dumb people in my day that either lack common sense or book smarts. However, most of them know how a bank works especially if they managed to get into law school. I just HATED the direction they took his character. I enjoyed the idea of Winston becoming a cop, but they made him such an idiot around the test & admission process. It was just too far of a stretch for me that those 2 would be that dumb. It was discouraging as someone in that age bracket, that stories like that is how people see us.

I actually think this season of New Girl is the best it has been in ages. The characters are (slowly) working toward being adults, and Winston has one of the best arcs on the show right now. At least watch Operation: Bobcat (ep. 16) for a classic Winston mess-around/sweet, sweet moment.

[BkWurm1]

15 minutes ago, feverfew said:

I actually think this season of New Girl is the best it has been in ages. The characters are (slowly) working toward being adults, and Winston has one of the best arcs on the show right now. At least watch Operation: Bobcat (ep. 16) for a classic Winston mess-around/sweet, sweet moment.

Yeah, this year they finally started really pulling back on making Nick an idiot.  I completely get the frustration over that since it was my biggest complaint too.  Putting Nick and Jess didn't ruin the show, making Nick an idiot kind of did.  He was never supposed to be stupid or deluded so letting him be competent at a few things again is a relief. 

Oh who knew how cute someone could look dressed up as a bobcat. Need more bobcat suits on TV.  

New Girl swerved into farce too much but I've still liked it all these years because of the friendships.  

[lemotomato]

18 hours ago, Mellowyellow said:

Do you guys do a GIANT shop at Costco or you stop by for bits and pieces and it's your normal grocery store?

I don't know if this is true for all Costcos, but the ones in my area sell whole roasted chickens for $5. I probably go there once every couple weeks just to buy one for dinner, or whenever I don't feel like cooking.

[LeighAn]

Hilarity 

https://mobile.twitter.com/NYDailyNews/status/838202659777699840

Edited March 10, 2017 by LeighAn

[Mellowyellow]

2 hours ago, lemotomato said:

I don't know if this is true for all Costcos, but the ones in my area sell whole roasted chickens for $5. I probably go there once every couple weeks just to buy one for dinner, or whenever I don't feel like cooking.

Our supermarkets dropped the price of their roast chickens from $11 to $8! Exciting times!

[bijoux]

Stupid Twitter. For at least the fourth time the number of people I follow rose by the hundreds over night without me doing anything. I changed my password after each time. I think this time is a record, a new 280 people I follow. To top it off, while unfollowing them, I accidentally unfollowed 281 and now I'm not allowed to follow this one person I actually want to follow. The best course of action would probably be to delete the stupid thing altogether.

[BkWurm1]

So watched the most recent episode of Riverdale and they tossed in the nickname "Hoss".  I don't know the last time I'd ever heard it used on TV (apart from the original Bonanza show)  until Wild Dog started blessing Quentin and Curtis with it in the last couple months.  And now it's found it's way into Riverdale, another Berlanti produced show.  

It's funny how certain phrases seem to pop up across the different shows, phrases that aren't that common.  So working theory is that the writers are picking this stuff up from Berlanti or someone else that works across the shows. So now I'm imagining Berlanti calling everyone Hoss. 

Edited March 10, 2017 by BkWurm1

[thegirlsleuth]

I noticed the "Hoss" on Riverdale, too, @BkWurm1.  I'm now waiting for Betty to tell Archie that she knows him in her bones. 

[FurryFury]

I watched 2 episodes of Riverdale and it didn't really connect with me a lot, but I do think that I like Betty, and Veronica, too. Thus far, Veronica is a somewhat stronger character, but from what I gather, Betty comes into her own a bit later (although I already saw the spark when she threatened Cheryl).

Jughead's a bit of a mystery, but certainly a character type I dig: an intelligent snarky outsider who provides commentary. 

Archie is just the worst, absolutely bland. I started FF-ing through his scenes because I just don't care.

I REALLY like the looks of Cheryl character. The actress is simply stunning. Do I know her from somewhere or does she remind me of somebody else? Idk. I did dig the twincest-y vibes between her and Jason. Very PLL-esque (the show does remind me of season 1 PLL, only with worse characterization and acting - there's nobody of Spencer's caliber, yet). 

I will continue watching on the weekend.

Edited March 10, 2017 by FurryFury

[Sasha]

On 3/9/2017 at 1:44 AM, Mellowyellow said:

Do you guys do a GIANT shop at Costco or you stop by for bits and pieces and it's your normal grocery store?

Because Costco is an event shop for us! We only go a few times a year! More for novelty's sake. 

My parents love Sam's Club. My Dad has a huge cabinet in the basement filled with toilet paper and batteries. Two things he never wants to run out of. My brother made the mistake of buying his girlfriend's engagment ring there. Supposedly he did spend a lot of money but the idiot told her where he bought it. She was not happy and mysteriouly a stone fell out. Sam's kept replacing and a new stone would get loose. He finally returned it and she got the ring she wanted from Tiffany's. I love my brother but you don't buy an engagment ring at a Sam's Club or at least hide it in a Tiffany's box. 

[feverfew]

1 hour ago, BkWurm1 said:

So watched the most recent episode of Riverdale and they tossed in the nickname "Hoss".  I don't know the last time I'd ever heard it used on TV (apart from the original Bonanza show)  until Wild Dog started blessing Quentin and Curtis with it in the last couple months.  And now it's found it's way into Riverdale, another Berlanti produced show.

Do you watch The Expanse*? Because they've been using "Hoss" since season one. I had to look it up, though - I thought Alex (one of the characters from Expanse) was mispronouncing "boss" :)

*If you don't and you like sci-fi, it's the best space show since Battlestar Galactica

1 hour ago, FurryFury said:

I REALLY like the looks of Cheryl character. The actress is simply stunning. Do I know her from somewhere or does she remind me of somebody else? Idk. I did dig the twincest-y vibes between her and Jason. Very PLL-esque (the show does remind me of season 1 PLL, only with worse characterization and acting - there's nobody of Spencer's caliber, yet).
 

Perhaps you're thinking of Holland Roden from Teen Wolf? They have the same sort of vibe - red hair, big lips and eyes - although I personally think Madelaine Petsch is prettier. If you're intrigued by the Blossoms, you're in for a treat in episode 5 (my favourite so far).

[FurryFury]

1 minute ago, feverfew said:

Perhaps you're thinking of Holland Roden from Teen Wolf?

That may be it, thank you!

 

9 minutes ago, feverfew said:

*If you don't and you like sci-fi, it's the best space show since Battl

Too bad the pilot was so horribly boring... not to mention no memorable female characters...

[Sasha]

I love The Expanse. It took a little while for it to get going but season two has been great. The visual effects are excellent. I am also loving The Magicians. These are my new Wednesday night shows since I am boycotting Arrow until some serious improvements are made. Of course I am still here in the forums since you guys are so awesome. 

[Starfish35]

The 100 has been renewed.

[Morrigan2575]

I think we expected that, right? Enough episodes to get to Syndication. 

[Starfish35]

I think pretty much.  This was The Reaper's rationale:

Quote

The 100 is likely to be renewed.

At the end of this season, its fourth, The 100 will have produced 58 episodes.

While The CW often cancels its ultra low rated shows after 4 seasons, it hasn’t canceled any with fewer than 70 episodes that have gone more than 2 seasons.

Reign 4 seasons, 78 episodes

Beauty & The Beast 4 seasons, 70 episodes

Hart Of Dixie 4 seasons, 76 episodes

Nikita 4 seasons, 73 episodes

The reaper’s predicting that ~70 episodes (and not 4 seasons) is the crucial threshold for The CW’s renewal decision, and he’s moved the renewal prediction for The 100 to a barely confident 60% on the assumption another ~13 episodes will be ordered.

Why just 60% chance of renewal? If the CW’s threshold is instead “4 seasons” and the number of episodes is irrelevant, as a reasonable person could guess, then the show’s done, and the reaper’s going to suffer a prediction miss. Either way, its current slightly below the CW average ratings aren’t going to matter one way or the other.

[kismet]

21 hours ago, BkWurm1 said:

Yeah, this year they finally started really pulling back on making Nick an idiot.  I completely get the frustration over that since it was my biggest complaint too.  Putting Nick and Jess didn't ruin the show, making Nick an idiot kind of did.  He was never supposed to be stupid or deluded so letting him be competent at a few things again is a relief. 

Oh who knew how cute someone could look dressed up as a bobcat. Need more bobcat suits on TV.  

New Girl swerved into farce too much but I've still liked it all these years because of the friendships.  

You & @feverfew are better viewers than I. I gave New Girl a season to get it together, and they just didn't do enough for me. I also found that the more they pushed the farce the less the friendships got any screentime. I can remember watching episodes and wondering where the relationships I had enjoyed had gone. There was almost no CeCe, no quality Schmidt. When you're rooting for the commercial breaks, you know its not a good thing. 

The show went from giving Emmy performances, to barely recognizable. Nick & Jess made sense in earlier seasons, but once Nick became the Grand Idiot, it ruined it. It wasn't the couple, it was Nick's characterization. I guess for me they pushed me out of my enjoyment that even if they have returned to what I used to like about the show, it's not worth returning for me. I made a clean break with little to no regrets, I don't see myself returning to it. I'm glad people are still enjoying it. But once a show has burnt me that bad, I'm very unlikely to forgive or return to it.

[kismet]

Watched the BBC's And Then There Were None. It was pretty good & entertaining. I read the novel ages ago in high school and absolutely loved it. Probably one of the best novels I ever read. I also watched the 1945 movie as a result, which was good I believe from my memory - although it had a far sinister tone than the mini-series.

I think the BBC series held true to the spirit of the novel. It was a quality adaptation, with a modern feel to it - even though they made sure to keep it set in 1939 and were accurate to that time period to the best of their ability. I do think there some changes to the plot, or perhaps how they revealed some twists & facts. Not big ones, but noticeable to my memory. So for those looking to use it as a short cut to not reading the novel for school, I would advise against it. That being said, the cast was amazing. Aidan Turner, Sam Neill, Charles Dance, Miranda Richardson, Toby Stephens as well as some other great talent whose faces I recognized. And most importantly the suspense was there for the entire 3 episodes, even knowing the entire plot.

My recommendation would be to read the novel first. It will not disappoint and it reads quickly. Then if you want to see it come to life pop in the BBC 3-parter. And on a selfish & shallow note, there are about a phenomenal 15min or so when Aidan Turner is in a few scenes wrapped only in a towel in episode 3. So even if you don't want to watch the series, I recommend googling those pics.

[BkWurm1]

20 hours ago, FurryFury said:

Too bad the pilot was so horribly boring... not to mention no memorable female characters...

 

20 hours ago, feverfew said:

Do you watch The Expanse*? Because they've been using "Hoss" since season one. I had to look it up, though - I thought Alex (one of the characters from Expanse) was mispronouncing "boss" :)

*If you don't and you like sci-fi, it's the best space show since Battlestar Galactica

 

I thought I had given that a try but maybe not since I can't seem to remember anything about it, lol.  

6 hours ago, kismet said:

You & @feverfew are better viewers than I. I gave New Girl a season to get it together, and they just didn't do enough for me. I also found that the more they pushed the farce the less the friendships got any screentime. I can remember watching episodes and wondering where the relationships I had enjoyed had gone. There was almost no CeCe, no quality Schmidt. When you're rooting for the commercial breaks, you know its not a good thing. 

The show went from giving Emmy performances, to barely recognizable. Nick & Jess made sense in earlier seasons, but once Nick became the Grand Idiot, it ruined it. It wasn't the couple, it was Nick's characterization. I guess for me they pushed me out of my enjoyment that even if they have returned to what I used to like about the show, it's not worth returning for me. I made a clean break with little to no regrets, I don't see myself returning to it. I'm glad people are still enjoying it. But once a show has burnt me that bad, I'm very unlikely to forgive or return to it.

Everything you listed, I absolutely understand and was right there with you complaining about.  I think I stuck with it out of habit since my DVR was set to record it.  The Nick problem went on longer than any of the other issues so once Schmidt and CeCe were back on track and Winston came into his own, I was able to enjoy the show again.  Jess is better now too and Nick is nearly there though forever dumber than he should have been. 

It frustrates me cause they just went too far with a good thing (Nick's oddness) and it went from unique and different to just plain dim witted and the show runners didn't even seem to notice the line they crossed for a long time. Now their viewers did and most of them left, but it burns me still when Nick and Jess getting together are blamed for the implosion of the numbers when it was what they did to his characterization (and continued to do for years) that was the problem.  I HATE when shipping gets blamed.   

 

5 hours ago, kismet said:

Watched the BBC's And Then There Were None. It was pretty good & entertaining. I read the novel ages ago in high school and absolutely loved it. Probably one of the best novels I ever read. I also watched the 1945 movie as a result, which was good I believe from my memory - although it had a far sinister tone than the mini-series.

I think the BBC series held true to the spirit of the novel. It was a quality adaptation, with a modern feel to it - even though they made sure to keep it set in 1939 and were accurate to that time period to the best of their ability. I do think there some changes to the plot, or perhaps how they revealed some twists & facts. Not big ones, but noticeable to my memory. So for those looking to use it as a short cut to not reading the novel for school, I would advise against it. That being said, the cast was amazing. Aidan Turner, Sam Neill, Charles Dance, Miranda Richardson, Toby Stephens as well as some other great talent whose faces I recognized. And most importantly the suspense was there for the entire 3 episodes, even knowing the entire plot.

My recommendation would be to read the novel first. It will not disappoint and it reads quickly. Then if you want to see it come to life pop in the BBC 3-parter. And on a selfish & shallow note, there are about a phenomenal 15min or so when Aidan Turner is in a few scenes wrapped only in a towel in episode 3. So even if you don't want to watch the series, I recommend googling those pics.

I've read the original book and watched two movies/series on it and EVERY TIME, I still find myself

Spoiler

wanting someone to turn out to be a good guy and actually innocent or turn out to be reformed or in this mini series, at least make it off the island with the intent to reform.  I was rooting for that mercenary hard.  I'm not cut out for movies that don't have happy endings.  I'm always disappointed.    

Every time.  I don't know why I keep doing that to myself, lol.  

[thegirlsleuth]

Rewatching Buffy in honor of the 20th anniversary.  I do love Buffy, but Cordelia might still be my favorite.  

Also, I'm having terrible 90s fashion flashbacks.  Random barrettes everywhere, and those chunky soled shoes!  I had two friends who broke their ankles when they tipped sideways wearing them.

[manbearpig]

I honestly think Schmidt from New Girl is the most annoying character on television. He just seems like a series of quirks and ticks to me. Nick and Jess aren't far behind when they're talk-yelling and singing out of nowhere, respectively. I love Winston though, the actor has great comic timing. I'm glad I stopped watching, but I'll still catch a random episode every now and then.

[kismet]

8 hours ago, BkWurm1 said:

Everything you listed, I absolutely understand and was right there with you complaining about.  I think I stuck with it out of habit since my DVR was set to record it.  The Nick problem went on longer than any of the other issues so once Schmidt and CeCe were back on track and Winston came into his own, I was able to enjoy the show again.  Jess is better now too and Nick is nearly there though forever dumber than he should have been. 

It frustrates me cause they just went too far with a good thing (Nick's oddness) and it went from unique and different to just plain dim witted and the show runners didn't even seem to notice the line they crossed for a long time. Now their viewers did and most of them left, but it burns me still when Nick and Jess getting together are blamed for the implosion of the numbers when it was what they did to his characterization (and continued to do for years) that was the problem.  I HATE when shipping gets blamed.  

I'm with you on being frustrated with the drop in ratings being connected to Nick & Jess as couple. Wanting N/J together probably kept me in longer than I would have. Because the couple was the least of all of the problems. I'm glad to hear that they are repairing Nick. The characterizations were all askew, and I agree with you on them crossing a line. It did ruin what made Nick so unique. Nick was always my favorite, so when they went too far, it was bad. I tend to get upset when shows mess with my fav characters. Which is why Arrow is on thin ice with me, they are screwing with my fav character (OQ) and I don't take that lightly. I can accept a lot from a show, but I do have a few pressure points.

Quote

Every time.  I don't know why I keep doing that to myself, lol.  

Ditto. I found myself doing the same thing.

[statsgirl]

10 hours ago, BkWurm1 said:

 I've read the original book and watched two movies/series on it and EVERY TIME, I still find myself

  Reveal hidden contents

wanting someone to turn out to be a good guy and actually innocent or turn out to be reformed or in this mini series, at least make it off the island with the intent to reform.  I was rooting for that mercenary hard.  I'm not cut out for movies that don't have happy endings.  I'm always disappointed.    

Every time.  I don't know why I keep doing that to myself, lol.  

Wasn't that true for one of the movies?  I seem to have a vague recollection that in one version that I've seen

Spoiler

two of the characters survived and ended up together.

I think wanting that is the healthy normal reaction. Like the pieces of a puzzle all fitting together.

[kismet]

5 hours ago, statsgirl said:

Wasn't that true for one of the movies?  I seem to have a vague recollection that in one version that I've seen

  Reveal hidden contents

two of the characters survived and ended up together.

I think wanting that is the healthy normal reaction. Like the pieces of a puzzle all fitting together.

I think I heard that or remember it, it's hard to say these days. That would be a shame because it would be going completely against the novel and be a major change. But it does seem like healthy normal reaction to want that. I think it speaks a little to humanity, wanting to see

Spoiler

good things happen. Or people redeem themselves. Although even if Lombard & Vera ran off together that might be a version a happy ending, but the story would still be tremendously sad. Not sure even them running off could counterbalance the rest of the story, although the basic escape from the island for any of them would have been for me perceived as a happy ending. For me it was a very cruel way fir the (Sorry for the spoiler in a spoiler but that is the key to the entire mystery)

Spoiler

Judge to deliver justice

and perhaps not fair, since these people were never offered a fair trial or even a chance to atone. I also always found it interesting that Agatha Christie killed off people in a very specific order. The people with less planning or "intent" were killed off earlier, thus spared from the psychological terror that ensued. Meanwhile the people with more intention or planning in their killing crimes, or with less remorse were kept around longer and in someway tortured more by having to watch people die and know there was no hope for them. It was really sick and twisted. As a reader though, it made it challenging because you also spent more time with the more "guilty" people per se, so your own humanity was tested in some way because you wanted better things for these people even knowing what they did. Or because you knew them longer or more in-depth you became more attached to them, so that impacted how you saw them or what you wished for them.

It's really a testament to Agatha Christie masterful skills. She wrote a magnificent psychological thriller. But also it went so much deeper, because from some many different angle and analyses the story can really reveal a lot about a lot of different subjects. It's such a multi-faceted story and goes far beyond just a murder mystery. You can explore it from a criminal or social justice standpoint. Also it can be used as a way to look at how manipulation and suggestion can be so powerful. What the happens to

Spoiler

Vera

is truly eerie and dark, knowing that one was partially manipulated into what they did on the island by this entire island adventure/experiment. And from a mystery standpoint, the twists, deceptions and shifts of hands just keep on coming. I also have never heard of a more creepier nursery rhyme.

[statsgirl]

Apparently only the Soviet film and the 2015 BBC version kept Agatha Christie's ending.  In the others versions, it is changed so that

Spoiler

 

the Judge got it wrong and Vera and Lombard didn't do the murders or it wasn't the real Lombard.

 

Quote

The 1945 film follows the altered denouement Christie herself had rewritten for her 1943 stage version of the book. There is one major alteration: in the play

Spoiler

Vera thinks she has shot Lombard, after which the murderer appears and attacks her; Lombard, who was only grazed, comes to at the last minute and shoots the murderer as he is about to strangle the terrified girl. The film, however, simply has Vera help Lombard fake his death, then confront the culprit who commits suicide after revealing his motive and murder techniques. The end result is the same; the two major characters are left alive and innocent of the crimes they were accused of. Later remakes in 1965, 1974, and 1989 (all using the title Ten Little Indians) also used one of these two revised finales.

 

@BkWurm1 isn't the only one who likes a happy ending -- so do most audiences.

Edited March 11, 2017 by statsgirl

[kismet]

Thanks for researching it @statsgirl. I thought I remembered the ending changing in the 1945 film. I don't mind if Christie does it for her play, its her story & her characters. But I feel like the other films should be really specific that they are taking liberties with the story in how they classify their films. Perhaps call them adaptations or inspired by the novel. Because changing the ending that dramatically changes a lot. And it's a pet peeve of mine when novels are brought to the screen and are completely changed without the caveat that the film is only inspired by the novel. If something says they are based on the novel, I expect the major plot points and characterization to stay the same and not be completely altered. If it's inspired then I anticipate that there might be changes.

I also wonder if its a testament to our modern society that a Non-Happy Ending is acceptable now. If you look at a lot of films, TV, plays & novels, etc it has become more acceptable to not have a happy ending. Or to have a predominately sad/tragic ending that overshadows other happier resolutions. Whereas years ago, a happy ending was almost a requirement in entertainment.

[BkWurm1]

I'd actually argue the unhappy endings were even more common back in Hollywood's "Golden Age" since the standards and codes always required that the ones doing "bad" things get punished...even if they were the main characters.  

[statsgirl]

Sociologically, happy endings flourish in bad times because people need good things and hope to hold on to.  Think of 1941's Sullivan's Travels, the movie by Preston Sturgess in which a Hollywood director of fluff films goes on the on road because he wants to make a gritty movie of real life poverty and finds that the people he meets want his fluff films to take them away from their bleak lives. 

I remember an interview with Kyra Sedgewick in which she was asked why she and husband Kevin Bacon make all those dark films and she replied that their lives were so good, they could explore unhappy themes.  Conversely, I remember my aunt who had lived through war and some very hard times, telling me that she only went to plays and movies that were amusing or happy because she had enough troubles in her own life, she didn't want to see that when she's going out to be entertained.

So I think it's the opposite, that when life is good or at least getting better, entertainment can afford to be bleak.

The Russians are of course the exception to that. They love depressing books and films. #Oversimplifiction

[BkWurm1]

Perhaps the uncertainty in real life explains why the superhero genre flourishes.  They're the only way to get a happy ending.

 

Except too often even those stories don't come with a happy ending.  

Edited March 12, 2017 by BkWurm1