February, 2015
February 2nd, 2015, 7:51 p.m. - Reverse Silence of the Lambs
5. Heartsick (Chelsea Cain)
Up next: Sweetheart (Chelsea Cain)
February 7th, 2015, 3:34 p.m. - "There's a lot of rhyming in the future, isn't there?"
Supernatural – "About a Boy": I kind of wish we'd gotten more of Teen Dean, because his interactions with Sam were so great, and reminded me a little of "The Curious Case of Dean Winchester," which was basically the opposite of this episode. But that would mean less Jensen Ackles, and I'll never get behind that. Rating: 5 pieces of cake
Modern Family – "Rash Decisions": I like that they took the classic sitcom trope of a kid possibly being allergic to a family pet and changed it so it was more about Cameron and Lily's experiences with Stella. But why is this the first time Luke has had such a negative reaction to Phil and Andy hanging out? They've been doing this for, like, a year. Rating: 4 jars of face cream
The Big Bang Theory – "The Troll Manifestation": I actually thought that it would be funny if the troll turned out to be Stephen Hawking. Then I thought it might be Kripke. I just didn't like that Hawking said he only did it because he was bored. Penny, Amy, and Bernadette's plot was much more fun. I want more references to Bernadette's pageant history! Rating: 4 pageant videos
Scandal – "Where's the Black Lady?": Nothing happened. NOTHING HAPPENED. Also, why don't they just use Olivia to get Fitz to resign? Rating: 3 glasses used as mirrors
February 8th, 2015, 3:28 p.m. - Even better than the first
6. Sweetheart (Chelsea Cain)
Up next: When We Were on Fire (Addie Zierman)
February 14th, 2015, 2:39 p.m. - "They do call me Tenacious Ray down at the country club. Because for the past ten years, I've been suing them for discrimination"
Brooklyn Nine-Nine – "Windbreaker City": Mostly good, but I wanted more from each lot. More Amy/Rosa competition, less Jake being neurotic. Rating: 4 paintballs
Supernatural – "Halt & Catch Fire": Also mostly good, and a solid monster-of-the-week episode, but not that memorable. Why are we pretending that Dean has never hung out on a college campus before? Rating: 3 cell phones lost in couch cushions
Modern Family – "Valentine's Day 4: Twisted Sister": I didn't realize that Sonia was played by Stephanie Beatriz (Rosa on Brooklyn Nine-Nine until I rewatched her first episode recently. It's fun seeing her play someone so different from Rosa. I thought this was the most enjoyable Clive/Juliana outing of all of them. It's a fun little tradition to go back to every year. Rating: 4 bowls of soup that weren't poisoned
Scandal – "Full Circle": More Maya! We need more Maya! Rating: 4 therapy sessions Huck so desperately needs (times a thousand)
February 16th, 2015, 12:36 p.m. - In the light
7. When We Were on Fire (Addie Zierman)
Up next: Unbecoming (Rebecca Scherm)
February 22nd, 2015, 2:23 p.m. - "You're trying to get out the door before I notice the orange soda you spilled, aren't you?" "I'm already out the door – it worked!"
Brooklyn Nine-Nine – "The Wednesday Incident": Garry Marshall was excellent. Too bad they won't be able to have him come back. Killing off a character really puts a damper on future guest appearances, huh? Rating: 4 boiled egg whites
Supernatural – "The Executioner's Song": Same as above. I wanted Cain to be the villain for the rest of the season. Especially since Crowley has become so bad at being bad. Rating: 4 illusions of people
Modern Family – "Fight or Flight": I wish they'd given Elizabeth Banks more to do. She was a lot more fun when she was out of control. I think they've reached the maximum level at which Nathan Lane should be used, and they need to back off for a little while. Also, Natasha Leggero was funnier than Penn Jillette.Rating: 4 card tricks
The Big Bang Theory – "The Comic Book Store Regeneration": I figured this would be the episode where Howard's mom died, but I wasn't expecting it to be so moving. I like the way they handled it. I'm not really looking forward to where they're going to go with Howard and Stuart, though. Rating: 4 furniture sets
Scandal – "No More Blood": Excellent use of an unexpected character return. Bravo, show. However, the denouement of the storyline could have used some work. We only got to see Olivia reunite with Fitz, not anyone else. I'm glad she's finally telling Fitz off, though. Rating: 4 sets of stolen keys
February 28th, 2015, 3:56 p.m. - "What wouldn't she do with no one watching?"
8. Unbecoming (Rebecca Scherm)
Up next: Evil at Heart (Chelsea Cain)
Technically this was a reread, since I read it when it first came out in 2007. Someone please get me a Deloreon so I can go back to then and shake myself for deciding I didn't like it. I have no idea why.
I want to speed through the rest of the series, but I'm going to pace myself. It's probably not healthy to have too much Gretchen Lowell at once.
Zierman and I would have been good friends in middle and high school – we had a lot in common. Reading this made me feel like I was seeing how my life could have turned out if I'd taken a different path. I never realized how damaging it could be to attend a church that's a bad fit for you.
A very, very strong debut, though I was expecting a little more suspense. Also, there isn't much of an ending. Still, strong writing and interesting characters.