Survivor: One World "Bum-Puzzled"

Oh Survivor.  There have been many seasons I did not watch and I didn't feel like I was missing anything.  I almost didn't watch this season but I'm so glad I did.  Sooooo very glad I did.  Not a lot to say about the girls this week so I'm skipping them completely.

Manono:
Michael: Takes the time to label the non-model alliance (the gay guy, the Asian guy, the little guy) and then calls them weak...even though they just voted out someone from his alliance.
Tarzan: Trying to run things and is incredibly out of touch but not in that cute, old-man kind of way.
Troyzan: still maiking sexist, broad generalizations about broads
Leif: During a conversation with Bill leaked that they were aiming to vote him out at Tribal council, which is a surprise to...
Bill: after reward challenge is the only guy to not underestimate the women.

Speaking of the reward challenge...this week the contestants have to shoot coconuts at a giant board and  knock out 5 spots in a row to win.  Kat is actually pretty good at this one!  Finally!  The girls win and choose a tarp from the 3 reward choices (the other two were coffee and donuts or pillows and blankets). 

Colton: calls Leif a munchkin who he wants to send back to Oz. Oh. No. He. Didn't!  Colton is really forcing himself as the boss and it's working.  Oh and then he called Leif an Oompa Loompa.  Um, has Colton never been subject to slurs?  Does he not have those feelings deep down that I though most of us possess that get hurt when someone calls you names? I'm getting back to him in a minute but can't until I discuss the immunity challenge:

So the immunity challenge has the survivors paired off going over a balance beam and solving puzzles.  The girls are abysmal.  The guys finish before the second pair of girls get to their puzzle.  The guys bitch and moan when the girls look at their finished puzzles for help but it doesn't matter because the guys win anyway.  The girls are ready to vote Alicia off (I think, at least that's who Jeff was calling out) when they are blind-sided by the absolute dumbest thing I've ever seen (or heard of) on Survivor happens.

Colton: He's really the focus of this show and is truly running things.  In fact most of the guys are scared of him.  Word gets around that Leif spilled the beans to Bill.  Colton wants Bill out but apparently Tarzan and Troyzan get the story wrong and think they are voting out Leif because of his betrayal to their alliance.  The two of them were acting REALLY hurt and Leif was actually apologizing for it.  Colton is so determined to get rid of Bill (not Leif) that he suggests they give the girls immunity and go to tribal council themselves.  Uh, what?!?!  AND THE REST OF THE GUYS AGREE TO IT!!!
Jay: who is from Gaffney, SC, y'all! Confirms his hometown heritage by the following words: Bum-Puzzled.  He is bum-puzzled by Colton's suggestion of offering themselves up at tribal.

The look on Jeff's face is absolutely priceless when they arrive instead of the women.  Tribal council is a mess and for a while I think they are still going to write Leif's name down but then he's not who Colton is after and, just like sheep, they all vote the way he wants them to.

"Bill, the tribe has spoken."

My mother's quote of the week: "Long live the queen." 

Raising Hope, Cougar Town, New Girl and Breaking In - Didja watch?

Glee is what it is and I’ll always watch it but I’m liking my new Tuesday night line-up:

Didja watch Raising Hope “Single White Female”

- Sabrina wants to occupy Natesville and actually gets a pretty good crowd to join in.  Jimmy even brings Maw Maw along who proceeds to burn her bra and cause some mild but local tv news-worthy hysteria.  My favorite protest sign says “I’m so angry I made a sign.”  Heh.

- When the fuzz shows up everyone bails except for Sabrina who is determined to get arrested for her cause.  To make sure the arrest sticks she kicks a cop in his, uh, family jewels.

- While cleaning up with her maid service team, Virginia finds out from co-worker Rosa that the Mexican park (they distinguish these things in Natesville?) doesn’t have any playground equipment for the kids.  That sucks.  I wonder why they don’t play in the park that does.

- While in jail Sabrina runs into an old scouting friend of hers named Ricki who is now a corrections officer.  Too bad Sabrina doesn’t remember Ricki or anything about their scounting days when they were members of the Little Beavers scout troop.  Yep, little beavers.  Oh and Ricki is played by an uglied up Katy Perry who hams it up but isn’t horrible.  Ricki is pissed that Sabrina tossed her aside to be popular and decides to make Sabrina’s jail time miserable.  Ricki makes her sing their scouting songs (lots of beaver jokes) and makes her put on her old uniform and sell cookies to the male inmates.  Oh boy.

- Meanwhile, Virginia gets the mayor out of trouble so the mayor owes her three wishes (a stop sign in front of their house so they can sit outside and meet people and playground equipment for Rosa’s park.  Rosa’s park.  Heh.  Before they can use wish three to get Sabrina out of jail, Jimmy rebuffs the mayor’s advances and she takes back all their wishes.  Virginia helps her out again and they get their stuff back and Sabrina gets out of jail.  Yay!

Didja watch Cougar Town (aka Your name isn’t that great either) “Full Moon Fever”

(I never did last week’s recap.  What you need to know is Travis got into an accident, had some head trauma and now has to wear a dorky helmet around.)

- There are “bicycle boys” using the neighborhood as a shortcut to the new mall and it’s pissing off the cul-de-sac crew.

- Travis is still wearing his helmet, which makes his photography assignment of taking pictures of strangers all the more difficult.  So he cheats and takes pictures of Bobby on his boat pretending to be a fisherman. 

- Tom’s decorative water fountain annoys everyone so Jules steals it and blames the bicycle boys.  She’s so crafty.

- Laurie is having a cyber-relationship with an unknown guy.  She sends nekkid pics of herself and Ellie gets on her case about it.  Laurie even sends him her social security number knowing absolutely NOTHING about this guy.

- Travis’s professor is Sarah Chalke and she’s got the hots for Bobby.  This wouldn’t be an issue except that Bobby has the hots for her too.  If Travis introduces them then she’ll know he cheated.  What’s a boy to do?

- Jules and Andy compete over who is the King of the cul-de-sac and since Andy doesn’t have much in life Jules lets him try his idea for getting rid of the “bicycle boys.”  He’s gets to be the cul-de-sac Braveheart and lead them all in a stand-off against the bicycle boys and it totally works.  Plus they’re not liable when one of the boys breaks his finger.  YAY! In honor of their win, Jules returns Tom’s water fountain but has turned it into a wine fountain (natch).

- Travis realizes his dad’s happiness is more important than his grade so he introduces Bobby to Professor Sarah Chalke (her character’s name is the same name as someone I know but I can’t find the official spelling anywhere online). 

Didja watch New Girl “Injured”

- The gang is playing football and Schmidt is wearing very tight work-out pants.  Bad, Schmidt!  Jess gets a little too into it and tackles Nick.  She tackles him real good and he gets hurt pretty badly.  Nick’s got no insurance and no doctor so Jess takes him to see her friend Sadie, the gynecologist.  Heh.

- Meanwhile Winston’s SUV is on its last legs but he can’t give it up because he’s got too many memories.

- At the OBGYN’s office, Sadie notices an oddness with Nick’s thyroid and insists that he get an ultrasound.  He’s got every excuse in the book as to why he doesn’t want or need one though.  Jess, Schmidt and Winston are all freaked out that Nick is going to die so they hover over him at the bar.  Cece even joins in.  There's even some singing and Cece raps.  She's good too, which sucks because she's also hot and funny.  Not fair.  Anywhoodle, Nick insults Jess by telling her she can't be real so so shows him real and insults him.

- They take Nick to the ocean and make him jump in.  Everyone falls asleep on the beach (Winston in his craptastic SUV) and they all go with Nick to his ultrasound.  He's OK!  Plus they all chip in and pay for it for him.  Awwww!  Nick and Jess spark a bit and Winston's car finally dies.  The end!

Didja watch Breaking In "The Contra Club?"

Welcome back Contra folks.  I missed you, Christian Slater!  Welcome, Megan Mullally!  I'm gonna write this and assume anyone reading this far is familiar with Breaking In, though apparently you didn't watch the show last night (the numbers were less than stellar).

- We get re-intros to the group (Cash has toys, Mel picks locks, Cam is a hacker, and Oz runs things).  Megan Mullally is the new temp and she's a little off balance...especially when they explode her balance ball seat. Get it?!?!

- Turns out Oz is broke and has to sell the company to a big corporation that's buying up security firms.  Megan Mullally isn't just the temp but their new boss.  She wants to pass on the deal but they figure out a way to show corporate the holes in their system while giving Mullally's Ronnie the credit so they have to buy them out.  Clever.


- Oz ends the episode with a nifty nod to the Breakfast Club (the letter read at the end and the song.  Dear Lord, the song.) and I really hope this show finds an audience.  I need Christian Slater on my TV every week.

Being Human “I’ve Got You Under Your Skin”

 

 

I’m gonna start with Sally because no one else seems to care.  Ok, Aidan kinda does but he’s busy with all his vamp politics.  She’s stressing out and the Reaper drops by to give her an alternative to being reaped…become a reaper herself.  Huh.  She catches Aidan up on her situation but he’s doubtful.  In fact he’s doubtful that there is even something like a reaper roaming around.  A vampire is suspicious of something supernatural.  Ok.  Neither of them is sure Sally could handle the job so Aidan suggests she take out the Reaper to test her mettle.  In order to know how to properly shred a ghost Sally goes to Stevie who has had experience with ghost shredding (if you remember he took out the one that was forcing himself on Sally).  Stevie warns her that shredding makes a ghost dark and she shouldn’t go there.  Back at the house the Reaper drops in again and Sally gives the shredding thing the old college try.  It works and then doesn’t and Reaper isn’t fazed but instead is impressed she tried it.  So she decides that maybe this reaping thing is a good career choice after all.  Too bad Reaper wants Stevie to be her first job.  Turns out Stevie’s been shredding all over town.  Sally is convinced she can just talk to him but Reaper has a job to do so he takes Stevie out.  Awwww.

Josh’s sister, Emily, is in town to help cheer him up post-Nora break up.  YAY!! We love Emily and plus she’s required to love him so she’s a good person to have around.  Josh shows up early for drink with Emily but her first date of the night, Julia (Josh’s ex) hasn’t left yet.  All three decide to drink together and things mostly go well (until they have to leave because Emily licked some girl whose boyfriend didn’t find the move adorable).  Josh and Julia even get to put a very drunk Emily to bed just like they did after Emily’s prom.  Awww.  Josh and Julia kind of click again and she admits that she returned to Boston in hopes of seeing him again.  Things seem positive until she brings up his leaving her all those years ago.  He admits to her that the attack on him changed him (way to beat around the bush, Josh) and then kind of flips out on her while explaining his anger issues.  I think she gets it now.

Oh, Aidan.  He and Suren are at a murder scene that was obviously done by an orphan (I guess exsanguination equals orphan).  They need to get to culling these orphans because Mother will be coming back to town to see how things are going.  Aidan goes looking for Henry, who has been fostering the orphans, to warn him about what’s coming.  If Henry sticks to Aidan’s plan, which consists of herding the orphans off to Baltimore where there are no vamp politics, they’ll be fine.  If they stay in Boston they’ll be killed for sure.  Meanwhile Suren by way of a human is buying the house they’re all standing in and is about ready to rescind their invitation in the house.  Aidan hurriedly gets himself and Henry out of there and locks the orphans in to burn.  Henry wants to stay in Boston and I hope that means I get to see more of him for a while.  For him to stay he’ll have to face Suren and make amends for what happened in the past (his sleeping around causing her to get all hungry on the human population).  Suren’s suggestion of flaying him like her Mongol ancestors practiced is gross and painful sounding but he agrees to it.  Ew.  Finally at the end of the episode Aidan tries to talk to Sally but she’s too depressed about Stevie and her possible new job of reaping.  She disappears and he’s left to process his own crappy life.

The Walking Dead - The Day After

“Judge, Jury, Executioner”

We get the previouslies, which amount to things sucked and they got stuck with Randall.  Again.

Now…Darryl is letting loose on Randall.  He’s getting info from him through the effective use of violence.  Randall spills that his group was big, like 30 people big and had women and children and rapists.  Nice.  Randall isn’t proving that he and his old group aren’t a threat.  So Rick decides to “eliminate the threat” but Dale takes issue because Randall is just a kid.  Dale even goes so far as to ask Rick to consider the example he’s setting for young, impressionable Carl.  There’s still a bit of time until Randall’s execution so Dale asks Andrea to guard Randall so a trigger happy Shane doesn’t get to him before his time.  The two of them discuss humanity, civility, etc. and she agrees to watch him but wants Dale to know it’s not because she agrees with him.  Noted.

There are a few cool POV shots from Randall inside the barn and how he sees the folks outside the barn.  I bet that barn smells lovely too.  Shane and Andrea talk just outside the barn (close enough for Randall to hear) and Shane is convinced the others will pussy out when it comes time to ‘take care of’ Randall.  Uh, has he met Darryl?  Also, sounds like Shane is looking for a hostile take-over kind of situation.  I don’t think Andrea is totally on board with this idea. Carl, bored from collecting bullet shells, visits Randall in the barn but Randall does most of the talking (really pleading).  Shane interrupts his pleas, threatens Randall and then Carl.  Oddly, Shane can barely look at Carl while talking to him.  I guess he’s trying to distance himself.

Dale, on his Randall-saving mission, tracks down Darryl who has removed himself from the group and is camping off by himself.  Dale pleads Randall’s case but Darryl isn’t sticking his neck out because "the group is broken."  Too true, Darryl.   

Carl is at Sophia’s grave.  He’s a little angry and rants at Carol who was just trying to make him (and herself) feel better about Sophia’s death.  Carol, propagating the chain of screaming, yells at Lori and Rick for the behavior of young Carl.  Rick chastises Carl and reminds him to think before he talks and consider what the other person might be feeling.  Also Carl needs to apologize and fix his mistake.  Carl queries if Rick killing Randall is his way of fixing a mistake.  Yes, young Carl.  Your father believes this to be true.

Dale, still on his Randall-saving mission, gives Hershel a shot but he's preoccupied with rounding up the cattle that got loose.  Hershel is going to “leave it with Rick” and repeats these words more than once.  Dale even tries reminding Hershel that he’s a moral man, etc. but Hershel’s not interested in getting involved and, say it with me now, is going to “leave it with Rick.”

Carl finds a motorcycle!  Guess what?!?! There’s a gun in the saddlebag on the motorcycle!  Yay!  Now Carl is armed.  So what does a youngin’ with a gun do with his free time?  Well he’d wander into the woods. Alone. And unsupervised.  Uh, don’t his parents care where he is?  Carl finds a walker and runs at first but thankfully it’s stuck in the mud.  So he decides the best course of action is to throw rocks at it.  C’mon, Carl!  They almost get me to feel kinda bad for the walker.

Dale’s save Randall mission lands on Shane, which is a conversation neither of them really wanted to have.  Dale’s convinced that taking Randall’s life is going to change the group forever.  Shane throws him a bone and says he can plead his case for the rest of the group. 

Completely off the subject and reminding us that relationships still exist, Hershel and Glenn have a very nice talk.  Hershel asks Glenn about his family (from Michigan but originally Korean) and then shares about his own (Irish).  He even gives Glenn a family watch that was brought here from the old country.  Awwww!  Hershel approves of Glenn and Maggie!  Yay!

So it’s just about time for Randall’s Reckoning and Rick is convinced he has to be the one to do it.  He saved Randall, he insisted on bringing him back to the farm, he didn’t leave him behind at the school, etc. so it’s his responsibility.  He’s talking to Lori about all this and I’m wondering if they even care where their son is.  Speaking of…Carl is studying the mud walker who manages to get one leg loose and comes close to grabbing Carl but doesn't keep hold of him.   

The group decides to have a vote on what to do with Randall but before the vote people are allowed to speak their minds.  Dale has many valid points and I wonder if that means I’m a bleeding heart?  Andrea actually agrees with him and feels like there’s got to be an option besides killing him or risking their lives to drive him oh so far away.  No one else agrees so it’s the gallows for Randall!  Oh his way out of the living room Dale confirms to Darryl that he’s right about the group being broken.  This strikes a chord with Rick who contemplates this news.

Rick, Dale and Shane lead Randall to the barn (where was he before this?), blindfold him, put him on his knees and ask for his final words (or final pleads being more accurate).  Just as Rick is pointing his gun at Randall’s head Carl enters the barn and urges his father to kill him.  Yipes!  Rick can’t pull the trigger knowing his son will forever be changed and holsters his gun.  Yeah, Shane won’t use this against him in their next pissing contest.

*Now is the time to put aside logic and just accept these things to be as they are…perplexing*

Dale’s inexplicably wandering around at night and hears some funky noises near the woods.  WHO GOES TO INVESTIGATE STRANGE NOISES AT NIGHT IN THE DARK NEAR WOODS?  Has Dale never seen a scary movie?  So Dumb-Dumb Dale finds one of Hershel’s missing cows and oh, look! the cow's stomach contents are dumped onto the ground.  Hershel turns to run and a very stealthy walker is right behind him.  Oh and it’s the previously chatty walker that Carl found in the mud.  Apparently he got his other leg loose and made his way to the farm.  The walker is on Dale in a millisecond and the group hears the scuffle and comes running.  It’s too late though because apparently this was the Freddy Krueger of walkers because it tears open Dale’s gut.  Ew.  There’s no hope for poor Dale so they’re just going to have to put him out of his misery.  He’s in an obvious amount of pain and Rick can’t seem to pull the trigger.  Again.  So Darryl does it.  Meanwhile Carl has recognized the mud walker from earlier in the day. That’s right, kid.  This was all your fault.  Ok, not really but I can see how he’d jump to that.  

"Five by Five" (Angel 1.18): You gotta have Faith

Well, you might not "gotta" have her, but she sure brings some definition and direction to the second half of the season. Faith's darkness is the catalyst for the most thorough and rigorous investigation into what evil looks like in the Buffyverse so far. So let's take a walk on the dark side with the Angel guide to reining in a rogue Slayer.

Despite her hair-flip dancing, this is a girl who ain't five-by-five.

DO define your terms. The 'verse's reliance on the soul/no-soul dichotomy of morality has been the cause of many conversations amongst me and my fellow Whedonites. This episode, for good or ill, gives us a practical definition: Wesley, referring to some random thug Angel is trying to manipulate, says that since he has a soul, "Somewhere, deep down, he wants to do what's right." The philosophers amongst us can parse the efficacy of this articulation, but at least it gives us a starting place for debate.

DO remember that when discussing the soul-less, lawyers will always be involved. Lindsey is finally stepping up be a major player!

Hey, handsome.

He hires Faith to take Angel out, obviously operating on the "it takes a Sunnydale-ite to kill one" principle.

Though a lazy "crossbow in the courthouse" attack ain't gonna cut it with this vampire.

DO beware fighting monsters, lest you become a monster yourself. Though Faith is ensouled, she's doing her best impression of someone who doesn't want to do what's right deep down. In classic villain style, she hits Angel where it hurts--Wesley and Cordelia. Wesley's willingness to bring the pain on Faith, as my intrepid co-watcher Jenn notes, is a hint of the darkness he harbors within.

In case you can't tell, this is Wesley clocking his former Watch-ee.

Of course he's ultimately no match for her in the hand-to-hand combat department, which brings us to . . .

DON'T let the sadist get bored. Another point from Jenn--Faith's complaint that torturing Wesley is "boring" is deeply resonant with vamp Willow's "bored now" and some Dark Willow dialogue to come.

When I get bored, I just eat tortilla chips and watch reruns of Friday Night Lights.

She does a bang-up reading of this pattern, so I'll just hand the analysis over to her:

"What is it with these girls losing attention so quickly? I imagine there's something to be explored there about these girls who have gone to the extreme of badness turning the tables on wanting to be entertained rather than willingly serving as the objects of entertainment. Maybe the puppets becoming the puppet master? But, what does this say about their having to become evil? Or is it more that their desire to control people makes them just as bad as the traditional male figure that often tries to be the dominant one? Hell...all three also have a fondness for black leather aka dominatrix wear."

Something to think about as we meet more Girls Behaving Badly in the seasons to come.

DO rely on the principle of "it takes one to know one." Faith's acting out is twinned with a flashback to the commencement of Angel's gypsy curse. (An aside: no matter how many times I watch these series or write on these shows, I always assume that Drusilla is the source of the curse. I am radically wrong, but it's a misreading my brain will not surrender.)

Pictured: NOT Drusilla

Angel's willingness to be a masochist, to let Faith punch herself out, is a repetition with a difference of Faith-in-Buffy's beatdown in "Who Are You?" Rather than calling herself worthless and dirty, now she's begging Angel to kill her.

This is not the face of an assassin completely sold on her vocation.

Faith is on the death-drive spiral, and we're left to wonder whether Angel will be able to pull her back out.

Though it's hard to imagine anything tender cradling from Angel can't cure.

So what have we learned about evil amongst the en-souled? It is intimately tied up with boredom and a self-loathing that might connect to the desire of the "soul" to do good. This definition will become further complicated (and by "complicated" I mean "a big old mess") with Spike's development in Buffy season 6. But that's still on the horizon.

Exciting news on the Buffyverse Rewatch front! My intrepid co-watcher Jenn is coming to my neck of the woods for a few days, and we plan to get some major Whedon watching under our belts in the days to come. Stay tuned for our joint (and wine-soaked) take on the conclusion of Buffy 4 and Angel 1!

"Where the Wild Things Are" (Buffy 4.18): Not as Nauseating as I Remembered

When I tell myself I don't like season 4 of Buffy, what I'm thinking of is the alpha and omega of crap that is "Beer Bad" and this week's selection. And they both happen to have been written by Tracey Forbes. Which might be enough to wish her obliterated from the Buffyverse, but Forbes also wrote "Something Blue," one of the highlights of the season. Why are you such a puzzle wrapped in an enigma, Tracey Forbes? Who are you? What do you want from us? These are questions that must remain unanswered as we all grit our teeth, swallow our bile, and endure the Buffy guide to surviving the Buffy/Riley bone-a-thon.

DO skip through any scenes that look like this:

And there are a lot of them.

DO focus on the positive.

Xand is the creepy ice-cream man.

Tara is being Scoobified.

Graham!! Made only sexier in comparison with Forrest the asshole.

DO appreciate the guest stars. The reason that Buffy and Riley (I don't even want to give them a fun nickname like Briley) are acting like they just took monster hits of X is that the dorm is possessed by the repressed spirits of a group of orphans who were horribly punished for puberty. The Punisher? None other than Mrs. Landingham!

The West Wing was such a good show.

DON'T forget what sexy really looks like. 

Hint: It's this.

The only reason I don't pretend this episode doesn't exist is that I never want to lose the awesomeness of Giles crooning "Behind Blue Eyes" at the Espresso Pump.

He's wearing an earring! Team Ripper!

So we've made it through, fellow Whedonites. Let's be kind to each other and not talk about how this episode figures sex as a force that possesses people and makes them at best callously selfish and at worst homicidally insane.

And features far too many ridiculous O-faces.

As my intrepid co-watcher Jenn phrases it, this whole show is about as subtle as a sledgehammer. But rather than pontificate on the ways that the argument of "Where the Wild Things Are" actually reinforces Mrs. Landingham's take on the evils of sex, let's instead focus on Giles and The Who.

Holy hell, that's hot.

Potent Notables!

I've been holding on to some of these for a really long time. So I apologize for the lateness of some of this.

- A Frenchman that I actually like in a video that's pretty cute!  What a gem.  Ooo!  Now I can say an Oscar-winning Frenchman that I like.

- This is kinda cute too.  You know, if you enjoy the Disney princes and all.

- Since I love a good infographic and do enjoy a good (and even sometimes bad) reality show.

- Do you watch the show Justified?  You should.  Walton Goggins is incredible.

- Wow I hope she sticks to this adaptation.  I really enjoy Beautiful Creatures books series and Viola Davis would be so great.

- I’ve sat near annoying people in theaters (for instance this weekend there was a large man dealing with an even larger amount of phlegm) but never this bad

- A successful combination of two of my favorite things...Muppets and Game of Thrones.

Survivor: One World "One World is Out the Window"

Due to forces beyond my control I was not able to post anything yesterday.  Boo.  So here's my Survivor post a day late.

Previously: The women are a mess and get a stern talking-to from Jeff to shape up or they'll be shipped out. 
Currently: The rains have come and the guys are nice enough to invite the girls over to their camp to share the tarp they won last week.  The girls, trying to prove they're tough, instead prove they're just stubborn and say thanks but no thanks.  In fact the girls get a bit more ridiculous after the reward challenge but I'll get to that.

Salani
Chelsea from Chucktown - She wants them to have some confidence and positivity.  This will be hard to achieve considering how wet, cold, tired and hugry they are.
Kat - Still screwing up challenges and it takes her 7 times to get her part of the reward challenge right.  It's a good thing that the guy she was up against, Troy, was just as forgetful.

Speaking of reward, the challenge this week, which Jeff showed up to (unlike last week), was a memory game and the women DOMINATED.  That was just the boost they needed.

Alicia - Still annoying and denies a completely logical deal with the guys.  As their reward, the women won a canoe and fishing gear.  The men offer to give them fire in exchange for one day's (ONE DAY!) use of the canoe.  But the stubborn and short-sighted women have to 'discuss it.'  There's a good number of them who are incredibly petty (including Alicia) and don't want to share.  Honestly one good deed from them could help later but they can't see the forrest for the trees.
Monica - She turns out to be a decent spear-fisher.  Good for her!
Kim - not much to say this week.
Sabrina - She ends up not being great for the first part of the immunity challenge but excelled in the second part. 

Speaking of immunity, this week's challenge had two parts.  The first part was a blindfolded obstacle course in which a caller (Sabrina for the girls and Bill for the guys) directed the pairs to bags of puzzle pieces.  It was chaos but the men finished in plenty of time to get a good 5 minute headstart over the ladies.  It didn't matter because the ladies totally pulled it out in a nail-biting finish.  They worked together during the puzzle and communicated well.  Jeff's warning worked.  Well for now.  I'm sure they'll slide back into their bad behavior.  This brings us to the guys...

Manono
Troy - He was legitimately happy for the girls after they were able to catch fish but I suspect it's more a 'pat on the head, aw, isn't that cute' kind of way.
Tarzan - Thankfully he either wasn't in his Speedo or the camera guy didn't focus on it.  Thank you, camera guy!  He is surprisingly open during the post challenge strategy time.
Jay - Still talks too much and uses that silly voice of his.  He makes a swap from the male-model alliance and sides with the "Average Joes" (as Matt coined them) for the vote.  I wonder if this is a permanent switch.  Tarzan still doesn't count him amongst their numbers so I guess he'll have to prove himself trustworthy.
Bill - on Colton's radar because he's a "Bro" kind of guy.  He's hyper and just really happy to be there. 
Colton - He was less annoying this week and made some small moves to assert his power.  He also chose not to use his immunity idol this week.
Matt- less sensitive to the girls' plight of being cold, wet, etc.  He makes a power move during Tribal Council which I think sealed his fate.

"Matt, the tribe has spoken."

My mother is bummed about his departure because as she said, "He's so nice to look at."



Didja watch 30 Rock and Parks and Recreation?

Didja watch 30 Rock "Alexis Goodlooking and the Case of the Missing Whiskey?"

- Frank's mom shows up and is under the mistaken impression that Liz is Frank's true love.  Apparently she knows nothing about Frank's actual girlfriend, Lynn (played by Susan Sarandon), his former teacher.

 - Jack puts Kenneth in the standards department, which could be an interesting fit.  Jack's convinced Kenneth has a nemesis there and decides to coach him on how to take down one's nemesis.  Jack's nemesis in the 1980s was Stanley Tucci!

- Liz actually enjoys being taken care of by Frank's mom and Frank ends up dumping Lynn because his mother would never understand.  Liz gets them back together and all is well.

- Meanwhile, Jenna and Tracy are on the case of Pete's missing booze.  Jenna is totally able to figure this out because she played a lady detective on a failed pilot once.  Against all odds they actually do figure out who took the booze and are able to spare Pete's feelings in the process.  Huh.  I didn't see that coming.

Didja watch Parks and Recreation "Campaign Shake-up?"

- Leslie's numbers are catching up to Bobby Newport's numbers and it's all thanks to campaign manager Ben.  They're aiming to get the 'gray vote' meaning the senior citizens of Pawnee. In order to do that they have to woo Carl Reiner.  Not the actual Carl Reiner but the character he's playing on the show.

- Because of Leslie's increase in poll numbers Bobby Newport has hired a big-shot, DC campaign manager and it's Kathryn Hahn!  She and the character, Jennifer Barkley, are great and I am really looking forward to the rest of the season.  You can't help but love and hate her.  Plus I love that she can't stand the candidate she's helping but is professional enough to do her job.

- Back at the Parks Department, the team needs to complete one project or Chris will hire a Deputy Director to do Leslie's job while she's campaigning.  Ron doesn't want either but settles on a project...getting Pawnee residents to stop putting their whole mouth on the spout of a drinking fountain.  Ew.  They end up getting into a water balloon fight instead of finding a solution but thankfully April is there and is smart.  She realizes the simplest solution is the best one, just remove the spout.  It works and she gets promoted.

Adaptation Angst: The Corrections

When I first heard rumors swirling about a cinematic adaptation of Jonathan Franzen's 2001 tour-de-force The Corrections, my only response was "I hope HBO makes it a miniseries." The novel, which takes place during the late-90s American tech-boom, masterfully illuminates and argues for a relationship between psychological neuroses and the cultural climate through the complicated, maddening, and deeply human Lambert family. This trope, echoed in Franzen's follow-up, Freedom, makes for characters that are simultaneously infuriating, pitiful, hilarious, dignified, ridiculous, sympathetic, and very, very recognizable. How would one do that in a 120-minute feature?

Well, maybe the powers-that-be are finally reading my diary, as The Corrections is set to air on HBO for four ten-episode seasons. Allow me to say: squee. Even better? Noah friggin' Baumbach is going to adapt and direct the series. This is a writer-director who knows all too well how to mine the tiny tragedies of everyday lives for cinematic gold (The Squid and the Whale, Margot at the Wedding, and Greenberg, anyone?). However, he's also the auteur behind Kicking and Screaming and Mr. Jealousy, showing he can bring the funny as well.

The cast is also so far, so good. Chris Cooper and Dianne Wiest are rumored to be playing the Lambert parents, with Ewan McGregor and Maggie Gyllenhaal as the two younger siblings. Imagine me singing to the tune of Alanis Morisette's "Thank You": "Thank you HBO, Thank you Baumbach, Thank you Ewan Mah-Gre-GOR! "

Adaptation Angst: 2