YRBB

Prisoner of Azkaban was just as exciting, tightly-plotted, and thrilling as I remembered it. No, even more! Currently: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling.

ABC coming for that tearjerker This Is Us market, I see. Honestly, I'm impressed: They're doing a straight-up drama? Wow. I'm there!

I just finished re-reading Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and have moved on to re-reading Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. It's been a long time, so it's exciting to see them with fresh eyes/perspective.

EPISODE 21: GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS Good news: Val finally realizes who Danny really is. Bad news: The way we get there once again elicits eye rolls and requires a lot of patience. Val continues to be patient with Danny and, briefly, it looks like we’ll be stuck in this merry go round for a few more episodes. Thanks to an incredible array of coincidences (Danny happens to take the slide away from the kids, he drops his wallet and Val happens to find the pictures in them, Val happens to knock down just the right boxes so she can discover Danny's yearbook), Val learns Danny beat and raped a woman named Christine. In the meantime, we’ve got some fun C-story stuff with Karen and her talk show exploits, as well as Linda proving how fantastic she is at her new job and sticking it to Michael. Greg is out of the hospital and rudely flirting openly with Anne right in front of Paula, while there’s some fun stuff with Karen and Paige attempting to get a cease fire between Mack and Tom. Val does all she can to get out of the house and away from Danny, but she doesn’t play it convincingly enough. While she waits for Mack in his office, Danny shows up (and Gary happens to call her back right at that time) and realizes he’s been made. The mask finally drops and he attacks her. Despite it all, it’s a thrilling scene, and even more shocking when it’s revealed that she stabbed him. In a totally iconic moment, Danny falls to his knees. Val looks down, bloodied hands, in horror. Danny looks up… "you bitch," he spits out.

Anybody watched the Season 2 premiere? It gave me all the tense action/answers I wanted and set up a ton of new stuff for the future. Interesting how you spend the first season feeling so empathetic towards the hosts but then season 2 begins and they are just as mercilessly murderous as the guests. It's kind of shocking seeing Dolores like this. Maeve is more awesome than ever. Loved her making Lee undress completely, the same way the hosts were always forced to. What are the hosts up to? The door? The tiger (shades of LOST, in a good way)? Really fantastic stuff.

EPISODE 20: WRONG FOR EACH OTHER God, that title could apply to almost everyone in this episode! Anne coming back is such a wonderful little twist – too bad you pretty much figure out this will happen because the ‘Previously On’ heavily features her all of a sudden. Still, her visits every season are always fun and welcome (and this may be a longer one than usual). Anne continuously surprises characters on the show throughout the episode: First Paige and Tom, interrupting their sexy time, then Mack, and finally Greg. It’s a great episode for Nicollette Sheridan. Anne's return elicits a lot of fun, creative acting from Sheridan, and Paige is never funnier than when she makes digs at her mother’s expense: "He’s too young for you mother," she says about Tom, apropos of nothing. "Is this a PTA meeting?" she asks when she comes home to find Mack and Anne together. Sheridan’s cold beauty is never more on display than it is here. The episode somehow captures it really well – she’s an ice queen, but a very beautiful one. The interesting part, of course, being when we see cracks on that veneer: After Mack tells Anne all about dirty, filthy, stinking cop Tom, Anne gives Paige her full support in continuing to date him. Disgusted, Paige decides to leave Tom. Whether Anne meant her advice sincerely, or she very deftly reverse-psychologized her daughter, it is left up to our interpretation. This mother-daughter relationship is written with a lot of complexity – I particularly liked that little line of Anne's about Greg, "You used to date him, didn’t you?", knowing full-well that she did. If only this complexity was also given to, you know, people like Val. Danny just announces to Val that he’s talked to a lawyer about adopting the kids. Thankfully, Val isn’t all dewy-eyed about it (with these writers, you never know). Furious when Val wants to think about it, Danny takes the kids out, knowing Gary is on his way to spend time with them. Gary finding out about Danny's adoption plans prompts a wonderfully acted Gary/Val scene: Gary follows Val at the library, where she’s doing research, and you can just tell Val is shaken by the mere sight of him. Gary touchingly pleads that they finally tell the twins that he’s their father and set things right. For once, Val doesn’t defend Danny and finally, finally, Danny begins to crack. Hearing Gary brought up again, Danny loses it – he yells at Val, throws a magazine at her, and scares her. Seeing Danny freak out, and the horrified realization on Val's face, is so utterly satisfying. I never wanted to see Val in this situation, but the story has been so incredibly frustrating, it’s a relief that it’s all finally coming to light. The question is, how bad will things get before they’re resolved? Linda starts working at Sumner Group with a new outfit and a new personality. No, seriously, it’s like the writers finally figured out the direction they want to go with her and couldn’t make it more obvious. She is dismissive towards Eric and, when Michael rejects her, she loses it. Eric decides it’s time for him to go back to work and shares a goodbye scene with Karen. It’s really touching as he chalks it all up to experience and Karen pulls him in for a hug. I hope we get to see him again. Speaking of Karen, her talk show shenanigans continue: She’s getting great ratings and is starting to get recognized when out. A new associate producer, Jeff Cameron, is brought in, and there’s a lot of fun back and forth as he seems to manipulate both Karen and producer-from-hell Dianne. Later, we are shown Dianne and Jeff sleeping together and it almost sounds like all of this was cooked up by both of them, but earlier it was clearly Jeff that was pulling both of their strings. OK, I guess. I love Mack's dismissive attitude towards Greg: Following last week’s batshit insane ending (Robert, suddenly looking scrumptious and sexy, climbing into Greg's hospital room and injecting him with cameride), Mack tells Paula he doesn’t care if Greg suffers. Paula questions how those two were ever friends. Karen insists on taking Paula out so she can have a change of scenery. There’s a very interesting vibe in this scene: There’s something very … 90s about it. It’s also an amusing scene: Paula spills her guts out about being in love with Greg, while Karen is continuously interrupted with complimentary champagne, adoring fans, and requests for autographs. By highlighting the unusualness of Karen's situation so obviously, they manage to make it more palatable, more real. I could do without the silly, self-aware “Oprah better watch out!” lines, though. Paula soon returns to Greg's side, who still can’t speak. Well, no worries, Anne arrives with flowers and shocks the poor geezer into speaking once more! Poor Paula. Winner of the episode: Frank, who stops Tom and Mack's fight, and tells Tom: "You’re leaving. Bye!" with such sass. Oh, Frank. So funny. So succinct. Loser of the episode: Danny. Always. Always.

😍😍😍 That's great news! Thrilled she got another #1! I haven't listened to the album yet, except for Dancing, Stop Me From Falling, and Golden. I gotta do it soon!

Huge thank you for all the episodes, @YRfan23 Just fantastic!

@Taoboi Interview with Kylie Minogue before the album release tomorrow! I don't see the album being a particularly huge hit, but I do think I will like it. Can't wait!

Cute! Is it? Hmmm, the album's coming out in a week, so I think I'll wait....

You're welcome. They're easily top 5 most shocking TV moments, let alone ER! I just saw Benton's last episode. I didn't know it was coming, I wasn't ready! 😭😭😭 But they gave him a great exit (even if I'm not sure he would have won custody). The way they focused on him and Corday (such chemistry), that wink he gave her when he said "it's had its moments" and then that heartbreaking final scene with Carter.... Sigh. In one episode, they showed everything that made Benton so great. What an exit! The show is a little less rich without him. ☹️

I really like the point about Carter being a great choice for a drug addiction because he's one of the last people you'd think would have it. That's such great drama. It was the same way with Karen's addiction on Knots Landing. Such an unexpected development, and it made it all the better.

An oral history of Lucy and Carter's stabbings, with Kellie Martin, Noah Wyle, and the guy that played the psychopath that stabbed them. Really great stuff (shocking to see Martin now) and Wyle even admits at some point that he was an ass to Martin! Watch the video but obviously the article goes into much more detail. Fascinating stuff. I still get goosebumps. I just love that ER getting on Hulu is making it seem like the show is back all over again! Continuation starting in 3, 2, 1.... You're nuts!

Tobias Menzies! That's amazing!

I really am. I've done a couple more episodes since, and it continues to stun. The fog episode had me gasping for air! Really cool that it's providing you with a greater understanding of events and history you already know. I think that's fascinating and a tough thing to pull off.

Finally started this last night (first two episodes) and it. is. glorious!! They even made me cry an episode and a half into a new show, with characters we barely know. Amazingly produced, wonderfully acted. And Matt Smith's bum on constant display! What's there not to like?

Have you guys seen this nutjob (among a sea of nutjobs)??

OMG I didn't even recognize her until I read that part where you say it's Carole!

The series is reported to cost as much as $250 million! (for more than one season). Also, a handy little breakdown of what we know so far (minus the newest budget news). I'm dying to find out what they do with it. Some things I NEED: Filmed in New Zealand. First episode directed by Peter Jackson. I don't think that's it, although they might go down that road. With the tons of backstory available, they can literally adapt any part of it and keep the inventing stories at a low level. Then again, they might take these characters and just build their own thing. Whatever it is, I hope it's good.

David Tennant and Jennifer Garner a married couple on a show "about" camping? Boy, I'm having trouble picturing all this....

EPISODE 18: THE RIPPLE EFFECT An interesting episode that somehow feels similar in tone to the big, dramatic middle seasons of the show. The pace also picks up considerably. I wonder if it will last. We shockingly begin with Val going to Gary's ranch to tell him she married Danny (I still don’t get it). Amusingly, Gary questions why she felt the need to come tell him. Things get very bizarre after this (yes, even for the usual standard in this Gary/Val/Amanda/Danny story). Amanda runs into Danny while he’s picking up the twins and she’s picking up her last check, and she’s fascinatingly rude and dismissive. "Drop dead you slimy son of a bitch" is the nicest thing she says to him. Somewhere in there, Amanda kinda coughs/garbles, which must mean she’s crazy. Later, in what has to be one of the most ridiculous scenes in Knots Landing history, Amanda shows Gary her brooch made with a condom (….) and that was her way of telling him she wants to have sex. OK. They have sex. Then Amanda decides she’s leaving town and she’s gone! OK? Surely, this can’t be the end but Gary really takes it calmly. Just bizarre stuff. Thankfully, Karen actually does something productive for once and arranges a dinner party: Thanks to the fact that she invited Danny and Val and Pat and Frank, we get a three-part montage instead of the usual two. The dinner scenes are really good (and well lit, everyone looks fabulous). You gotta laugh at Danny turning on the bullshit charm to 200 and constantly making jokes everyone seems to hate but act like they don’t. It’s a scene that uses Behren’s lack of charisma to its benefit: Danny is putting on a huge performance that is hardly believable and everyone in the scene sees it (save for Val, dear God they’ve murdered her). The moment Karen makes her realization during coffee time after Danny slips with a comment about beating children is refreshingly melodramatic (the music made me jump) and it gave me goosebumps. I really liked her turning to Mack after everyone’s gone and telling him that Gary is right about Danny. Mack also makes a realization: For no reason other than the plot dictates it, he makes a comment about phone calls between lovers and both he and Paige realize Tom never called Paige from the airport like he said. Paige breaks up with Tom again and Mack, Frank, and Peggy realize that he is a dirty cop. Dobson does great in the scene where he confronts Arnie Zimmer and the man admits it was Tom all along. Meanwhile, Tom dodges Harold's blackmail effort with some blackmail of his own. I don’t buy at all that he found out about the Mexico stuff but the whole thing leads to a swift exit from Harold after he finds out about Olivia's money from stocks, steals it to pay off his debt, dumps Olivia, leaves town, and never pays Michael back. Wow. I guess that’s it? Funny how not one, but two characters in this episode quickly leave town. Greg being sarcastic, rude, and mean to the police is really fun! The show puts Michael to good use here when Greg asks him to find out what Mary Frances went into his computer for. Contrasting his behavior towards everyone else, Greg stops Michael before he exits his office and thanks him. It’s a very nice little moment. Turns out, Mary Frances is part of a subversive group, Oakman is involved, and Greg can’t figure out exactly what it was she was tracking. As Greg and Paula exit a restaurant at the end of the episode, Greg is shot! It’s all getting slightly ridiculous, but OK.

Interesting....

They've already announced the Part 4 DVD, out June 26! Here's the TVShowsOnDVD announcement too. I hope they keep this pace up!

If there was EVER one headline that would make sure I never tune back in.... Producers want to save Corrie by bringing Fiz and Tyrone to the forefront, making them the new Jack and Vera. Fiz??? Boost ratings???

I just saw this for the very first time (never seen TCBS) and I think it may be the funniest thing I've EVER seen.