imwalde

That was kind of a mess. I didn't hate it, but I don't think it worked as an episode. It went from serious, domestic terrorism to a trippy episode within the span of minutes. But the mini-mes were cute and of course Mulder's trip was hilarious. Honky-tonk badonkadonk!!! And that's a way to have the Lone Gunmen cameo without enraging me, so bullet dodged, show.

Not sure who keeps trying to make Robbie Amell happen, but sorry kid, you are not your cousin. Although, to be fair, I think I liked him as Miller better than any other role I've seen him in.

The case (why do I bother) was weirdly short shrifted. Why is talking to a comatose guy the only lead? Like, can no one trace his cell phone and stuff like a normal detective? And were those actually DHS agents or were they someone trying to get to him? And I can't tell if I believe Einstein about the placebos or not. They sort of try to wrap it all up with the idea of the power of words, but they didn't stick the landing. Only one episode left! And it is surely mythology focused, so I am bracing myself.

That was weird, and not in a complimentary way, where I think they did it on purpose. Just weird that the Scully family drama and the case had nothing to do with each other, and tonally did not match and just random. I mean, I didn't hate it, like I did the premiere, but here's where I would paste the shrug emoji if I knew how to type it.

Glen Morgan said that the quarter necklace was nearly an exact replica of one he found belonging to his own mom after she passed, and he has no idea what the significance was. Gillian Anderson did good work, but I didn't really feel much emotion about any of it. Did we even know she had that other brother?? And they are yet again doubling down on the William stuff, which, sigh.

The monster was suitably creepy, though. RIP, Gaeta. (Does this mean they are filming in Vancouver?) The graffiti thing was kind of cool, and omg the "Downtown" scene was fucked up, even for X-Files! Killing everyone on the hit list, I guess that's one way to wrap up a killer's story? Way to go, Mulder and Scully.

This one was hilarious. Darin Morgan is now 5 for 5. The twist was really funny and unexpected but also it just felt fun and like the actors were having fun. "Mulder, the internet is not good for you." "Yeah, this is how I like my Mulder." "But first we need to check out of this motel!" Return of the red speedo!!! "But I had a whole speech!" Hehehe. I hope Scully keeps the dog. (And awwww, that was a nice Kim Manners shoutout.)

Yay, it's back? But that one was not very good. I was so excited to hear the theme song, but I genuinely don't get this episode. ( Read more... )

It looks like the previews have future episodes be MotW, and THANK GOD, because time has not made these chumps any better at crafting a coherent mythology. I do agree with the AV Club review though; that it sucked like a bad X-Files episode of old. It was its authentic old bad self, but hopefully it can be its authentic old good self too before the run is done.

I was saddened by David Bowie dying, but I am sooooooooo sad about Alan Rickman. I loved him. LOVED HIM. He had the sexiest voice, and was such a dynamic actor.



He will be immortally remembered as Snape and Hans Gruber, but was excellent in everything. A less known but wonderful movie of his is Truly, Madly, Deeply, which always made me cry, and I can only imagine what watching it this week would do.



Are there any other beloved, British 69-year-olds secretly battling cancer??! Because these things happen in 3s! Yeesh, what a week.

Last weekend I saw a new musical Bright Star at the Kennedy Center. It's playing a limited engagement before heading to Broadway later this year.

Description: "From Grammy and Emmy winner Steve Martin and Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Edie Brickell comes a sweeping tale of love and redemption set against the rich backdrop of the American South in the 1920s and '40s."

It was ok. I didn't hate it, but honestly, I didn't love it either. The cast was very talented, but the material was sort of meh. Twangy songs are not my favorite thing, but more than that, the story/songs felt largely uninspired, although the cast tried its damnedest. It just did not feel like a story that needed to be told? My personal theory is that Steve Martin is gunning for the T in his would-be EGOT. I will give it credit, though, that several of the songs stick with you, which is more than I can say for some other musicals I've seen lately.

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! That was super fucking awesome. I am so happy, because it was just so fun, and it felt like Star Wars again. The new characters were awesome and I need to go get myself a BB-8 immediately. When the music started, I think we all got goosebumps.

I am going to miss this show, I think. It had potential and was getting better as it went. It started out not quite knowing what show it wanted to be, but I liked it more and more as we got to know the characters better. Stark Sands is so appealing, I do hope he finds a show that lasts that showcases his talents. At least he got to sing! Show the world what they missed on Broadway.

And I am somewhat heartened that at least it didn't end on the milk bath vision cliffhanger that I feared it would. It still didn't wrap up, and it's not exactly a satisfying ending, but it's not the ending I've been dreading since word of the reduced season order came down. And satisfying endings are what fic is for I suppose (hahahah omg did LJ's autocorrect really just not know what fic is??!).

Sometimes what makes a hit or not is so arbitrary. Better luck next time, everyone.

I've tried out a couple of new shows this fall: The Player, Minority Report, Limitless, Quantico, Blind Spot, and the Muppets. So far I am not in love with any of them, but none have definitively turned me off. I'll give them a bit longer, as my real shows (aka 70% of the CW's lineup) do not return until next week. As good as I am at recognizing actors typically, I impressed even myself when seeing a bearded profile of a mysterious lurking stranger on Blind Spot and knowing instantly it was AJ from Empire Records TWENTY YEARS LATER OMG.

I am sort of torn about the Muppets, because even as I mostly enjoy it, I feel conflicted. One the one hand, it's super distressing to see them acting like assholes (the show's relationship with Miss Piggy is super weird) but on the other hand, each episode has made me laugh, and it does feel very now in tone. I don't know.

I like the lead guy on Limitless. He carries off the premise very well and is very watchable. But last night's episode very complicated MOTW that needed his genius to solve made me realize how many shows there where the writers have to constantly come up with super complicated puzzles that only their geniuses can solve. Limitless can be added to Elementary, Scorpion, Sherlock, White Collar, Forever, and others I am sure. I bet those writers sneer at Law and Order writers, oh, the boyfriend did it, how SIMPLE, but secretly cry tears of envy.

We're due to get a soaking this weekend, with 3-6'' of rain falling, perhaps more. And then Joaquin might bring yet more later in the weekend. I am all stocked up on food, and have nowhere I have to be. I am sort of excited for a rainy, stormy weekend at home in my pjs. Just no power outages or terrible flooding, please!

Ever since biggieshorty moved away from NYC, I've been missing seeing Broadway shows. This month, I made a concerted effort to do something about that.

Book of Mormon (at Kennedy Center) -- Still fun and enjoyable, but eerily like when I saw it in previews several years ago? Josh Gad's performance was mimicked almost exactly; I wonder if that is mandated. My favorite thing remains the dancing of the Mormons. The dancers must be excellent and talented to be cast, but through genius body language and choreography they manage to dance like the stiffest, whitest, uptightest people ever, especially during I Am Africa. It's the funniest thing. A close second are the Starbucks coffee cups during Freaky Mormon Hell Dream and the fact that a Mormon bender is a couple cups of coffee and untucking the shirt. Heheheheh.

Fun Home -- OMG SO GREAT. It is original and heartbreaking and touching and everyone in it was so super talented. Loved it.

On the 20th Century -- Kristen Chenowith was my main reason for seeing it, with Peter Gallagher as a second. And both of them were terrific. KC is so funny, her physical humor is top notch. There's a reason this musical is obscure, though. As a showcase for KC and PG, it succeeds. On its own merits, I could take it or leave it. No great songs, and lots of ensemble standing and singing at top volume.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime -- Amazing. It was so good. The lead actor was captivating and heartbreaking. I had largely forgotten the book (certainly the resolution to the mystery) so it was a surprise to watch. The stagecraft was really stellar, too.

Once (at Kennedy Center) -- The music is just so wonderful. I talked my parents into going with me, and they really enjoyed it. Which I knew they would, since they liked the movie, except somehow both had blocked it from their memories and did not remember seeing it even a little. The actor who played the guy was a very talented actor with a good voice, except some of the notes he could sing, but not belt. Whereas Glen Hansard could sing them in chest voice, he had to sing them in head voice. It softened some of the songs or changed the tone a little. Not bad, but unexpected.

There's still more I want to see, though! Not sure when my next theater binge will be. Maybe when Hamilton tickets are not impossible to get.