Vee

I've been off the grid with my first ever bout with COVID and I'm still not fully recovered, but:

There's some deep character work in the pre-Barnabas stuff, especially on Burke Devlin and Roger, even if a lot of storylines do focus on characters and plot points who never fully show up or come to fruition (like all the talk of 'Ned Calder,' a character clearly intended to pair with Liz who never appears). It's very well done for what it is, and Mitch Ryan is extremely magnetic (and great with Alexandra Moltke). I knew the show like the back of my hand as a kid and still have a great deal memorized, but I have never revisited the overlap period with both Ryan and Jonathan Frid and I should - I can't imagine the show being big enough for both. I wouldn't necessarily recommend starting pre-Barnabas. I think it's good stuff, but I think you gain a deeper appreciation for that slow, dreamy material after you've seen the show's primary self. And I think the first year of Barnabas, the initial storyline, is terrifying work.

Moonves' purge of female shows from CBS was well documented several years ago when the allegations about him first came out. Linda Bloodworth-Thomason and a variety of other people came forward and discussed how he blackballed female creators, stars and female-driven shows. It was across the board, it was not a question of one show. He remade the entire network in the image of what came not long after: NCIS, CSI. We discussed the sea change at CBS and these women's public comments at length in the Hollywood Sexual Harassment thread at that time.

The Tears of Politico:

Just a series of legends today, especially Nichelle Nichols who I grew up with. Her last years had allegedly been plagued with grifters and shifty figures trying to take advantage of her as she declined due to dementia. I'm glad that's over; it's no way to remember her. This is.

Absolutely incredible, even after everything.

Kylie talks more gushing about the show in this BTS interview than in the episode.

I imagine the only way it could've is if they'd kept a much larger and stronger younger ensemble vs. a few young players. It would've meant a substantial shift. I also very much doubt it would've survived the Les Moonves purge of female-centric sitcoms and dramas that came not long after.

Won't pass the Senate but this is good for the base and messaging, especially right now. Now all we need is the IRA:

I haven't watched it all and have only a passing familiarity with Neighbours (I'm pretty sure I used to watch it a lot during an extended trip to Australia as a child and found it baffling), but I was particularly impressed with how much they pushed Hollywood hunk Guy Pearce with his former love interest, a woman of a certain age who is still beautiful but not the starlet you would see him put with in film work (because there's always a double standard with older women vs. older men). They didn't hesitate to make those two a central storyline in the finale despite both being well over 50. That's classy. And what a great final line. Up there with Search for Tomorrow. However hokey it is that everyone on the street suddenly decided to stay on, I think that's the ending they owed the audience - I think one of the creatives said this as well in that recent special about the show someone posted, but I've always felt that serial dramas owe it to their audience, especially younger audience members who grew up watching a soap (like so many of us did), to give them a sense of comfort that that world keeps going, that it doesn't conclude or die but that it's just out there where you can't see it, with stories still going and those characters still living their lives. They did that beautifully.

Life and work has gotten in the way but I promise I'll be back at it in here! Knots is just such a deep watch at this point with a lot of note-taking; I've already gotten through an episode or two since last time, but I feel obligated to write 'em up (and will probably continue to do so through most if not all of Season 5, we'll see about Season 6, but I intend to keep going as a viewer either way). Cheers all. Go see Nope with Donna Mills, it's amazing.

I was not happy about Garrett being let go, but I thought Chad was a very decent recast initially despite being more conventionally soapy cute. But his skills have completely atrophied over a more than a decade of total dreck, and nobody takes his Michael seriously as a lead anymore. There needs to be a recast. I'd welcome Drew Garrett back today - but he notably has only worked so much since, which makes me wonder what exactly happened.

May be double-digit GOP votes for CHIPS despite McConnell and McCarthy attempting to whip against it after the Manchin doublecross. Meanwhile:

And now, as David Lynch so often says, "a woman in trouble":

Timeline clarification: