The Haunting Hour "My Robot" Episode Discussion

learned:

* ABA: Anybody But Alabama...

* ---"you're sounding like a weirdo again."
   ---"but i AM a weirdo."
   ---"a robot? really?"
   ---"the internet, man, you can find anything there."
   ---"what else can you find on the internet?"
   ---"uh...nevermind."

* this one touched upon what many nerds/loners/outcasts do during middle/high school to escape the pain of loneliness and rejection, they make up a force, a being, a robot or monster that is on their side, that is bigger and stronger than the bullies, who can save them and fight their hopeless battles for them. except in this case, it's not made up, the robot is real.

* theory disproven: this episode was good despite the lack of female (except for the robot herself as i learned later from imdbing the credits :P)

* preview: Cigarette Smoking Man on The Haunting Hour. the two sci-fi streams cross and my nerd brain explodes.

* this one really really reminded me of classic black-and-white Twilight Zone. the robot used was a throwback to a '50s/'60s-era robot Rod Serling did use in his episodes.

* nice switcheroo with the lesson: at first, you're all sympathizing with the mini-Jon Heder who's essentially a slave to this nightmare computer with legs. then, he passes it off to his friend. so, it turns out the protagonist of our story is a d**k. oh, maybe i'm being too harsh, guess he's just a kid who wanted his freedom, pizza, and parents back, can't really blame him i suppose. was that bowtie contraption he takes off in the end a forcefield or something, a barrier that prevented the robot from killing the nerd? that wasn't explained. so, from outcasts will go to dangerous lengths for protection and companionship. to do not make friends with weird nerds.?

Saturday Night Live Josh Hutcherson / HAIM Episode Discussion

learned:

* this is new tonight? i'm still solely focused on that Doctor Who special...

* i'd rather watch a real-life Battle Royale between SNL cast members than this SNL show. the Doctor thing again...

* Josh Hutcherson isn't short, the world is too long.

* HAIM: if Veruca Salt were an indie, experimental, garage band. R.I.P. Corey Haim.

* anyone else get that lack of video with the audio alignment debacle at the start of the bugs-interview skit? or was it just me buggin'?

* two skits tonight made me cry rather than laugh: the animal hospital one wasn't funny, i just thought back to my late Persian kittie. the one where the dude held up the obsolete video-camera recorder reminded me of my late great beautiful father. he used to do that with the recorder, too, sometimes forgot to take off the black cap before recording. love you all.

* last skit: love conquers all...except cannibalism.

  

The Haunting Hour "Dead Bodies" Episode Discussion

learned:

* i know i'm only getting to this now, but that bike in the opening credits really should have been fixed by now.

* i know, i know, we all miss Mr. Young...

* ---"aren't you gonna study for the SATs?"
   ---"i'd rather **** my bad-boy boyfriend."
   ---"honey, he's just gonna use you."
   ---"joke's on you. it's just the PSATs."
   ---"yeah, well, you're lucky you're hot 'cause you can't act worth ****"

* dude, seriously, trust me, it's better you don't know what a blog is, the world of blogs leads you down a lonely path of typing tv-show reviews alone in your room on a Saturday night.

* "it's just car oil on my wrist, it's just car oil on my wrist..."

* "Anna, don't freak out. remember when you told me Two-Face was your favorite Batman villain?..."

* "SHAKE MY HAND NOW! I CANNOT STAND TO HAVE AN IMPOLITE GIRLFRIEND!!!"

* was anyone else getting an E.T. vibe at the end there?

* "i will have my revenge! or, actually, y'know, just the comb will do. it's Hell, but you still gotta look good."

Degrassi "Spiderwebs" Episode Discussion

learned:

* ATTENTION ANYONE READING THIS: COLLEGE IS A FRAUD. IT WON'T MAKE YOU SMARTER, SEXIER, BETTER-LOOKING, MORE ATTRACTIVE, MORE KNOWLEDGEABLE, MORE LEARNED, A BETTER, MORE WELL-ROUNDED, COMPASSIONATE PERSON. IT'S JUST A WASTE OF TIME AND MONEY. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. SPREAD THE GOOD WORD. TRANSMISSION OUT.

* i thought a turkey dump was when the turkey...oh nevermind...

* the big black bug on top of Peter Piper's head picked a peck of pickled seashells by the seashore.

* the Degrassi Family Feast takes a dark turn when Zoe pops her head into the oven and...it wasn't a prop oven, it was real...it was a real oven...

*  Bianca: okay, Drew, i pretended for one day, it's over now, i have to go.
   Drew: but B, i'm lost without you. i mean, look at you, there is no way in hell i'll ever ever land a sizzling hot babe like you again.
   Bianca: what about Clare?...
   Drew: like i was saying, never ever again.
   Bianca: sorry Drew, but college opened my eyes, i can see clearly now, the rain is gone. i mean, no offense, but i can do so much better.
   Drew: 'til the world explodes?
   Bianca: been meanin' to talk to you about that. that's just an expression, right? you aren't gonna do anything crazy 'cause of this, right?
   Drew: yeah. just answer me one thing, babe.
   Bianca: anything, babe.
   Drew: y'know that whole extended tv special we did that revolved around us and all the machinations we went through and all the adventures and everything? looking back, what was the point of all that?
   Bianca: i'm calling the writers on my cell right now...

* memory time: while i appreciate the long break, it seems there won't be a Degrassi Christmas special this year. that saddens me. i remember distinctly back when the film L.A. Confidential was in theatres during the holidays, i watched the movie with my mom in the pouring rain, and although it was a good flick, i wanted to get home from it as quickly as possible so as not to miss the Degrassi Christmas episode at 6PM. this Degrassi: The Next Generation thing was still novel to me at the time, and i must say, after that Christmas special, i was really cemented into the show, i fell in love with all the characters and i felt invested in all of their plots. in short, i cared, i really cared.

happy holidays from the late phoenix    

Law & Order SVU "Rapist Anonymous" Episode Discussion

learned:

* HE CAME, THEN HE WENT, THEN HE CONQUERED.

* nice foreshadowing at the beginning there with her hand touching his leg beneath the table.

* the 13th stepper's credo: let go, let God, and help out your fellow group members...the hot, female group members...

* "you're not my father!...and you're not my daddy...yet...let's see what the writers have in store for us..."

* loved the fade-to-black after Liv under her breath says "wow" to Rollins's slam of Liv having to go to therapy. that scene could have worked fine with just a close-up of Liv's worried, stern face---you know that face Liv always does---but it's like Mariska couldn't help herself and had to react vocally. that struck me as funny :)

* Cragen has had enough prostitutes and now wants to settle down...

* last scene: don't worry, Rollins hasn't relapsed, it's just that she takes Go Fish very very seriously.

Saturday Night Live Lady Gaga Episode Discussion

learned:

* OMG, look who's coming out! it's Madonna!.......oh.......

* Gaga as the musical guest: R. Kelly, you ARE the father.

* skit which made me involuntarily laugh: the Lincoln-era failed speech-writer...first with Jesus, and then his screw-up, great stuff. it's true, those that can't do...are critics.

* imagine if the Mr. Senior skit was actually done by Bill Cosby...

* Blockbuster was never magical to me. Circuit City was, though. that's where i first spotted a high-school girl fairy with a tramp stamp, a tiny stuffed bear in one arm, and her bulky, football-player orc boyfriend on the other.

* last skit: a sobering commentary on the fleeting nature of even mega-fame...plus, i like future stuff, so...

The Haunting Hour "Long Live Rock & Roll" Episode Discussion

learned:

* imagine what Nirvana would sound like today in 2013...

* okay, so he's a pervert, but he's good...a good guitar player, not a good pervert...well, actually, he is a good pervert. the point is...

* kid, do not make any deals with Keith Richards. Keith Richards snorted his own father's ashes up his nose.

* it was Jesus, Jesus was the mischievous rascal who sabotaged Satan's guitar string. Jesus, you devil you :)

* so, is the 27 Club real? did famous musicians like Hendrix and Cobain sell their souls to Keith Richards---uh, Satan---in order to gain guitar-god immortality but in exchange they had tragically short lives? seems legit to me. the real question is why wouldn't you join such a club? i mean, life here on Earth really isn't all that great, right? why not go out a legend instead of living a long life as an unknown?

* testing my theory: see, this was a good episode. it flowed, didn't it? why?: because it had a female presence amongst the boys, the cute bass-player girl. see? see?    

Degrassi "Black or White" Episode Discussion

learned:

* Gray, life is gray.

* Becky has a nice ass...that's what Show is showing me right now...

* y'know, there isn't just one correct interpretation of The Bard. for instance, Romeo and Juliet was meant to be played as a comedy. if you really think about it, it makes sense, that ending is hilarious.

* wait, but Eli had an out, Clare thought he was talking about the cigarettes, not the cheating sex. props for going the honesty-is-the-best-policy route anyway. they could have easily avoided the issue with a Three's Company misunderstanding dodge.

* Drew, aren't you forgetting something? all you had to do was shove Winston into the Degrassi Black Hole and he would have disappeared forever. problem solved.

* the promo for next week's fall finale is a red herring. we all know that the two supercouples Drianca and Eclare will eventually get past all of their bumps in the road and be there for the double-wedding series finale...(Simpson and Oh)...

Law & Order SVU "Military Justice" Episode Discussion

learned:

* take a picture in the holding cell? no kid would think that was fun...

* that mother kissed her daughter like she was her third cousin removed whom she hadn't seen since wintering in Paris in '97.

* Barba: Amaro, don't show me that file!
   Amaro: but...
   Barba: do i have to order you in Spanish?!

* Amaro says goodbye to his daughter with the Spock salute...

* Amaro to ex-wife: are you sure you're not setting me up?
   ex-wife/mole: i'm not...i'm not...i'm not...i'm not...i said it four times.
   Amaro: but then who were you having dinner with in that shady scene they showed on tv?

* that thing y'know where you're actually immersed in the episode and not just waiting for the episode to end/spending the hour not paying attention to the episode as much as trying to come up with the five points you're going to type as your review here at his blog the next day...yeah, that was this episode, it was good, and i know why: Shiri Appleby isn't just another pretty face, she's a damn good actress, she even does drunk convincingly well, which isn't as easy as it seems.

The Haunting Hour "Coat Rack Cowboy" Episode Discussion

learned:

* so this is the good Jonas, right?

* dude, the older brother in this episode is Fred!, older Fred without the annoying voice...he's still annoying, just without the voice.

* "sorry for all the spitting, i'm a heavy smoker as you might have guessed..."

* "you want to be filled with lead or biscuits?!...in this saloon, it's the same thing, 'cause the biscuits they serve here are as hard as lead."

* psychology is mightier than the gun.

* this episode was...dull. i know why: no females, no little sister or mom to balance out the scenery. not sayin' just sayin'. we as an audience take things like that for granted, but when there are both sexes present, the dialogue seems to run more smoothly, the whole production is more...alive somehow. i wonder how it'd be with an all-female, no-male episode...

Degrassi "Barely Breathing" Episode Discussion

learned:

* "Dallas, i'm coming in, i'm pulling back the drape...three questions before i unshield my eyes: threesome? orgy? can i join?"

* they were obviously pulling their slaps during the bitch-fight...

* see? i keep telling you: real, inescapable pain produces the best guitar-driven songs.

*  ---"you have to promise, no more alcohol?"
    ---"i swear, no more getting drunk...but i will get drunk...on life..."
    ---"you mean more babes without names?"
    ---"you know it!"
    *brofist*

* ---"you have to turn the other cheek."
   ---"but Mom, a creep grabbed my ass at school today!"
   ---"then you have to turn the other...ass cheek...wait, that can't be right...........there will never be another Jesus, huh, honey?"
   ---"no, Mom, that's the point..."

* okay, the Leo thing: now we all know how this sad tale will end, Alli will give Leo an umpteenth chance, Leo will let her down again, he'll hit her again or worse, and the lesson will be learned the hard way. that's fine, but predictable. how about, writers, how about after all this drama, this time, this very moment in time, for the next few episodes, you have Leo go to therapy and actually really come out of it a recovered and healthy person. he actually, *gasp*, doesn't hit Alli anymore. it's a tale of redemption rather than tragedy. i know, i know, ratings and everything...  

Law & Order SVU "Dissonant Voices" Episode Discussion

learned:

* OMG, it's that dude who won American Idol, the one Simon to this day still can't believe won American Idol. and now he's the one playing Simon. that's some insider casting!

* wait, the mothers all know how to furiously text? isn't the older generation not supposed to be as tech-savvy as the younger one? i mean, if Grandma can skype faster than her granddaughter, the natural order of the world is upset and we're all doomed.

* ---"i saw your name in the paper."
   ---"what does that have to do with anything, my shrink?"
   ---"no, nothing, it's just that i have a famous client. i'm screaming like a teenage girl on the inside right now."
   ---"hey man, isn't this supposed to be the fame-and-the-pursuit-of-fame-are-toxic episode?"
   ---"i know, i'm sorry, i'm being unprofessional...*giddy-on-the-inside face*"

* what those two boys were forced to do was wrong. on the other hand, they did spin a pretty convincing yarn. they are destined to be fine actors one day...

* okay, the acting of Billy Porter, the accused music teacher: i dunno, i guess i'm not in the Broadway loop, but i was thoroughly confused by this performance. i mean, it was either ultimately brilliant or terrible. a lot of his mannerisms and the way he talked seemed disjointed with the grim reality of the scenes, like he couldn't quite shake off his Broadway mode of being over-the-top and big and showy all the time. at the same time, the fact that he was rusty and uncomfortable and not polished does line up with a lowly music teacher who wouldn't be media-savvy and really just wants to go hide and not talk to anyone again. this is why acting is so frustratingly awesome both to critique and to do, it's those nuances which keep you guessing and coming back for more.

Saturday Night Live Kerry Washington / Eminem Episode Discussion

learned:

* cold open: way to go, Show! that's how you do it! you attack the no-black-woman thing head on instead of skirting it or ignoring it. humor soothes all wounds and racial divides. i like that, that's a good life lesson generally.

* Nasim watch: yes, love, love, more Nasim, always more Nasim...and yes, i am a fan of all the pelvic thrusts...and the kiss...

* Eminem: were you like me? did you think from that opening shot that Rick Rubin was really Eminem dressed up as Rick Rubin as a late Halloween prank?

* the Shaq impression was a nostalgia arrow for me back to the good ol' days...of Mad TV.

* the ice cream skit at the end there belonged on adult swim, not SNL. i say that lovingly. in my life, i will always prefer thinking surreally than laughing.

* Kerry Washington is a fantastic actress! she's quite disarming and unassuming when you watch her being her real-life self, but when it's time to act, boom!: masterclass. she goes from character type to way-different character type with ease. i knew of her of course, but this was the first time i was actually seeing her perform. she's gained a new fan. and it doesn't hurt that she's hot, has great legs and a nice big...well, yeah...i'm going to go watch Scandal now...okay, that's a lie, but the rest of it was true.

The Haunting Hour "Lovecraft's Woods" Episode Discussion

learned:

* Lovecraft, i'm feeling all horror already.

* Jessica McLeod is cool! she answered me one time on youtube :)

* the light worked inside the shack because the owner, a notorious environmentalist, picked out from the store like the greatest energy-saving light bulb of all time...

* ---"are you okay? you look pale."
   ---"no, i'm okay. it's just my pale goth makeup."

* okay, here's my goth spiel: i'm afraid this episode and the recent South Park Goth Kids episode came too late to match the reality of 2013. there are no more goths anymore, no more emos. i've learned through facebook that everyone is just a nerd now. that being said: i am goth forever, i'm going down with the gloom 'n' doom ship, i can't envision a future me not liking Nine Inch Nails...

* this is obviously impossible to prove, but i did realize the monster with the long black hair was the future self of the goth girl with the long black hair before the show revealed it. now this may not seem like much to my brilliant readers out in the audience here, but you must understand, i'm slow on the uptake. for example, it took me twenty years to realize the name Beatles had the word Beat in it, i really was only ever focused on the cricket nature of the band name.

* this is without a doubt the best episode of the season and one of the best episodes of the entire series. y'know, whenever you talk about time, it's golden, it always works, it never gets old. time loops, time travel, this stuff is endlessly fascinating because there are no easy explanations as to how time travel would exactly work in real life. plus, if you take things far enough, you start getting into immortality and how that butts up against religion and the afterlife. wouldn't actual time travel in fact negate Heaven once and for all? anything that reminds me of Fry from Futurama being his own grandfather gets a gold star in my book.