DRW50

Sorry, reading your posts I don't see any of them make sense. First, Tyrion didn't mock Bran, he actually gave him a saddle and peptalk to get him moving. Next, he didn't kill his love Shay in cold blood, he killed her most hot bloodedly in a rage when he saw her in his father's bed. He was still in love with her when he told his father if Tywin referred to her as a whore he would kill him. Tywin did, and in a moment Tyrion couldn't take any more and killed him. None of this was cold blooded. I am not sure what compelling drama you see ripe for viewing between Tyrion, a star of the show, Theon the guy he shared one scene with five years ago, and a character probably nine out of ten people know as "Theon's sister". There was no compelling drama to be had there, they just threw in the scene to bring characters together. They had nothing to talk about and share no topics in common save Sansa. I said I thought he might have with Bran and Tyrion. I wasn't sure. I haven't watched most of that back in years. I never can remember what he said in the book vs what he said in the show. There was a moment when he could have stopped with Shae, when he was strangling her, and he didn't. That's one of the reasons I tend to see it as cold-blooded. I realize a lot of people would disagree. I would agree with you that there was little room for drama with Theon and Tyrion, but if they were going to have a scene, I think it could have been a lot better than what was served up. It mostly made me feel that the show has no idea who Tyrion is beyond Peter Dinklage being able to give a nice turn of phrase.

Given that you don't remember Sansa writing Littlefinger for support (which means that she had a huge hand in the deaths of those soldiers, even if she is not the same as Theon in this situation), I have the same doubts about you. Or I would if I needed to take a shot about a poster just because we disagree. I guess I just can't relate to your way of thinking. I mixed up some of the book stuff and show stuff with the Lannisters. I apologize for that. It doesn't change my main view, which is that Tyrion only cares about child murder when it suits him - which, up to this episode, was absolutely never. So I find his objection as tiresome as everything else about him. I never said Tyrion is a bad guy. I said he has no moral high ground. And he doesn't. He never has. He never will. He's a cold-blooded killer, an enabler of abuse and murder, including murder of babies. I will never, ever see him as better than Theon or better than a majority of the characters on this show. I guess that's just my loss.

Using that logic, then Sansa would also be killed by Jon, given that she kept quiet about reinforcements and had a direct role in their deaths. Of course the show will likely gloss over that because they needed their surprise ride into battle shots for the 5th time. Jon certainly would be within his rights to kill Theon, but it's not something I would trust them to put across. Not after the way they wrote Brienne's "revenge" for Renly last season, which, among many many other flaws, did such a poor job in filming the final scene that viewers were completely confused and Gwendoline Christie had to clarify in interviews that yes, she had killed him.

I'm pretty sure Tyrion was shaming him for killing the Stark boys. That's a little more than failure and weakness. At the risk of sounding like Stannis, the fact that Theon was tortured and saved Sansa does not change the fact that he did have two (other) little boys killed. He also made a poor job of hacking off an old man's head and got countless other men, woman and children slaughtered. Those kind of behaviors may result in feelings of worthlessness and suicidal ideation. I got the impression that he was more upset over Theon calling him an imp (although the show chose to rewrite that original scene and make it seem like Theon said a lot more than he actually did). Given that Tyrion continued to work with his sister after she slaughtered infants, and never gave a damn about Jaime shoving Bran out a window (and I think he may have even mocked Bran for being paralyzed), I have a hard time believing Tyrion would be outraged. If he was then it was certainly a highly selective outrage on his part. As for Theon - no, I don't pity him for Tyrion trashtalking him. No, it isn't anything Theon doesn't deserve. I'm just annoyed that this particular character - who never really faces any consequences for anything he does (including cold-blooded murder of a woman he claimed to love) - was there to take the moral high ground. It's unearned, it's dishonest writing, and it ruined what should have been compelling scenes.

Some of the 2011 episodes I've been uploading show how much more layered the character can and should be. Kate Oates regressed her so much and now she just seems so out of place, especially her wanting to be with Cain again, which was resolved some time ago. This episode is a good example of what I wish they'd kept with Charity - she's tempted to start again with Cain, only to realize he's been strongarming his pregnant (or as far as they all thought, formerly pregnant) teenage one-night stand, Amy. This leads her to realize she was once that same girl, and she can't go back again.

This is the Rakesh Jai used to warn people about, but which never really materialized onscreen. It feels like a number of characters (Lachlan, Rakesh, Tracy) have gone somewhat back to factory settings. On the one hand I'm glad some of their past traits are being revisited, but it also feels a bit disorienting. I just hope Priya finally gets something to do. Fiona Wade deserves better. If they had Lachlan go to therapy, like Josh did on ATWT, I might give him a chance, but they won't as that's seen as dull in today's soap world. With the way Thomas Atkinson has bulked up I assume either Lachlan is going to start to become more of a romantic leading man, or Atkinson is wisely leaving before he is typecast. I think the episodes as a whole have improved, but the stories themselves still need some work. At least Pete is moving out and the Barton homogeny is being split up. I wish they'd find a good female character to pair him with. I'd say Carly or Leyla. It's also still very odd for me seeing Charity as landlady. It doesn't fit. Chris Chittell and Lesley Dunlop (Eric and Brenda) got married. Lesley, like June, is busting out all over. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-3650771/Real-life-Emmerdale-lovers-Chris-Chittell-Lesley-Dunlop-tie-knot-romantic-Cornish-wedding.html

It's a pretty common end for depressed or traumatized people who are basically just told to get over it. There have been a number of scenes this season that suggest he has no identity beyond trying to help Asha and I'm not that surprised if people assume he will kill himself at some point. Whether that's the show's plan, I don't know.

The show has dropped this so many times over the last two years. I genuinely thought it was done and that he was going to be paired with the new Gabby. I really don't want him paired with anyone, aside from a therapist or a grim reaper, but I tend to wonder if Belle is going to be isolated from everyone and turn to him for support, which would lead to a relationship (and further his obsession). I still don't know what they are planning with Lachlan, if we are now supposed to see him as "good" or if we are still supposed to see him as disturbed. I'm not really all that thrilled with the image of a black guy (the only black character on the canvas, aside from the wife who showed up a few times and really deserved a bigger role...) in a seedy relationship with the young white heroine, being beaten up by Cain, etc. I guess I should be happy that they didn't show much of Cain giving him a beating, as that would have looked awful, but it still points out this show's need for diversity. Anyway, there's a trailer for next week that is pretty well put together: http://sorenkingsley.tumblr.com/post/146218241135

Halperin has always struggled to hide his right-leaning tendencies. He used to run a site for ABC called The Note that extolled the virtues of Rove-era Republicans and their genius strategies, while pushing the "Democrats in disarray" narrative at the same time. I'm surprised he's into Trump, but then, a lot of people in the Beltway seem to have gotten into that starfucker type of mindset. Anyway, here's an example of the type of blatant hate that Trump followers give on the local level - encouraging hatred and bile against a church just for having a message about Ramadan. http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/matt-jansen-chris-rodkey-blessed-ramadan

Lots of good little interviews here with cast members of the era.

I'm not criticizing Yara - she's not a therapist - but the intent of the scene. The tone of it led some people to assume he was going to end up killing himself and that he was realizing living as he now is is completely pointless (beyond supporting his sister's claim). I don't know if that was the show's intent or not. But that type of thing comes across to me as more nihilism and futility than optimism. Again just me, and maybe that was not the show's concept at all.

I have not seen all of it, just bits and pieces, but last night's episode, and the general repetition of Jaime's story (reminding us again that he will never move beyond Cersei and their toxic love) and the Dorne mess (where any attempts at peace or sanity result in brutal slaughter), the Arya journey (where she ran away to Braavos only to learn that what she was clinging to for identity was just death and emptiness), and the treatment of Theon (where he escapes only to repeatedly be reminded of all of his failures and weaknesses, shamed for years-old slights by "good" [what a joke that is] characters like Tyrion, and also told that all he needs to get over torture and abuse is to stick his digits in the nearest orifice) seem nihilistic to me. I may have missed the more optimistic moments.

If we weren't supposed to be surprised (somewhat, anyway), I'm not sure why they made sure Jon had no idea. I guess it could be to build up trust issues, but that's mostly redundant as they have no trust in the first place. Oh well. Anyway, I'm glad you both enjoyed the episode.

I think they wanted viewers to doubt whether he'd actually arrive or not. Unfortunately in doing so they had to make both Sansa and Jon look stupid and just further reinforced the lack of any real relationship between them. Again it's not out of character - they were never close - but it just makes their interaction, and the idea of any Stark reunion, more hollow to me. I don't think there would have been any happiness, no, but I think D&D's idea to make it as miserable as possible sort of rendered the whole thing cliche, outside of the nice visuals. I get the idea of an anti-reunion, that when the remaining Starks do come together, they will all be so miserable and broken viewers won't ever be able to feel happiness, but the overall characterization and storytelling for the Starks, and the show as a whole, are too clumsy to back up what amounts to tedious nihilism.

I watched most of the episode last night. The visuals were stunning, but there was no emotional core. I get the dramatic choice of having no emotion behind the Starks taking back their family home, as this reminds us that war is horrible and no one truly "wins" in GoT, and so on. I also get that Sansa and Jon were never close and likely never will be, so there is not going to be any hugging and happiness. Unfortunately, if you aren't going to have any emotional weight (they didn't even bother to add emotional weight to Rickon's death - he was just a plot device to the end), then characterization issues are more difficult to hide. The whole concept of Sansa and Littlefinger and their clever scheming ways serving as the contrast to Jon's emotional instability and naivete was the biggest miss in all of this, because Sansa and Littlefinger haven't shown enough intelligence to warrant that particular tag. Their plot to make Sansa "Queen of the North" led Sansa to be raped and, if not for the show giving Ramsay a personality transplant, likely would have led her to be tortured and murdered. And now she keeps secrets from Jon so we can have a "surprise" scene (not so surprising when it's been done 3-4 times over the course of the show) of Littlefinger riding to the rescue, even though it led to the deaths of thousands and could have easily led to her death as well. Of course we had a big Robot Maria-style smirk when Sansa watched Ramsay die so that we could get one last reminder that she is now hardened and "strong," which is just the final capper in the Sansa-empowered-through-rape saga that wasn't worth it in any way, shape or form. Of anything I was probably most interested in Yara and Theon going to Mereen, but most of that was taken away by the extended wah-wah scene from Tyrion, who, in spite of hurling insults and finding weak spots of other people, still can't get over being called an imp. The show's belief that he is in any way a decent person or anything but a self-righteous, deluded, weak man (like the sister he hates, like the brother he...whatever their relationship is at this point), has rendered this character a complete drag on any scene he appears in.

Speaking of Manafort, there was a pretty good piece in Politico a few weeks ago about his history with Ferinand Marcos. http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/06/2016-donald-trump-paul-manafort-ferinand-marcos-philippines-1980s-213952

That was pretty much the end of the story though, wasn't it? I do agree about Rodney. I liked the later scene where Arthur told Ashley he'd be his friend.

If anyone wants to try to slough through some early 1997, several episodes have been uploaded tonight.

Some of it gets on my nerves, but I enjoyed Friday, with the water pistol fight. It was more fun than the tedious scenes with the playing poker or the kids blackmailing them. And the story is at least a better use than Rodney than his usual bizarre perving.

She is sometimes, yes. I loathed her last year when her sole purpose seemed to be judging Carol and being a bitch. She's been better since then, and Natalie Cassidy has finally remembered more about how to act.

As for the current show, it has its problems, but overall I think it's improved in recent months. There's more of a sense of community and cohesiveness, and a bit more lightheartedness alongside serious material.

In real life, sure. In Hollyoaks, it's not really that surprising. If they wrote them as complex and both playing a game and not wanting to admit to feelings behind it, it would work. The chemistry is there, which it has never been with Ste and Harry.

Me at any poor Bobby, poor Jane, or poor Ian. Disgusting that the only one who thought of Lucy at all today was some guy who nailed her a day before she was killed. "Poor Bobby." "More like poor Lucy." I knew there was a reason, beyond his incredible ass, why Lee is my favorite Carter. It's absolutely sickening how they have tried to act like Jane and Ian have suffered enough for what they've done (let's just forget about Phil, who of course is always a victim). I imagine Steven will go nuts again and that will be another source of pity, but he can drop them into a spike pit and I won't care at this point. Jane in particular is odious and vile. I saw someone saying that it was hypocritical of viewers to root for Janine and hate Jane, but the show never asked viewers to pity Janine. Far from it. Imagine if Janine had lugged her "daughter's" corpse to the street and dumped her like trash. Would we be asked to pity her? Hell no. I do not pity Jane. I never ever ever will. And I guess I should pity Ian for being with her, but that's his choice. He gets what he deserves. And that annoying Shakil and all the efforts to try to make us side with him because Martin is a caveman - Martin is a caveman in many ways, but Shakil ls just annoying and ridiculous and I wish Martin would just put a foot up his ass.