October, 2016
October 4th, 2016, 6:18 p.m. - Shut up, Allen Ginsberg
26. The Nix (Nathan Hill)
Up next: A Dirty Job (Christopher Moore)
October 8th, 2016, 1:29 p.m. - "We're putting garbage in the garbage truck. This is a dream come true." "Yep. Also, dream bigger"
The Big Bang Theory – "The Dependence Transcendence": Even though there wasn't a lot of memorable stuff here, I did like all three plots. It's just that I've already forgotten most of what happened in the episode. Rating: 3 energy drinks
Brooklyn Nine-Nine – "Coral Palms Pt. 3": This was a lot of fun. I like when we get to see how competent the officers all are, and how well they work together and trust each other. And the reunion of Holt and Gina was beautiful. Rating: 4 Ambies
Speechless – "B-O-N-Bonfire": If you're not watching this show, please, please fix that. It's so good. Everyone is so good! Rating: 4 matching lamps
Modern Family – "Blindsided": I can't believe Phil "Is There Anything Earlier Than a First Adopter?" Dunphy doesn't understand the type of marketing Haley's gotten involved in (which, by the way, is perfect for her). I also can't believe they didn't do more with Alex's laryngitis. That could be been so much more fun. Rating: 4 giant dogs I would happily take care of for a few days
The Good Place – "Category 55 Emergency Doomsday Crisis": I'll admit that I found Tahani kind of annoying before this episode, but her backstory made her so much more interesting. This is good character development. Rating: 4 boats Chidi doesn't know how to row
October 15th, 2016, 4:02 p.m. - So when does Mary get to drive Baby?
The Big Bang Theory – "The Cohabitation Experimentation": Boring. Rating: 3 curtains someone might be hiding behind
Brooklyn Nine-Nine – "The Night Shift": Also boring. I'm just glad the crossover wasn't more extensive. If I wanted to watch New Girl, I'd watch New Girl. Rating: 3 toy garbage trucks for cute little Nikolas
Scream Queens – "Handidates": Chad Radwell is gone. I am sad. Help us, Hester and Denise; you're our only hopes. Rating: 3 giant diamond rings
Speechless – "I-N-S-Inspirations": I really liked that J.J. told Kenneth exactly why his behavior was unacceptable, and that Kenneth realized it so easily. This is a show that isn't going to let its characters get away with stuff they shouldn't. I also really liked Ray and Dylan bonding. Dylan was underdrawn in the first few episodes, but she's shaping up to be an enjoyable character. Rating: 4 paintball guns
Modern Family – "Weathering Heights": Lily has a little Louise Belcher in her, huh? Jay might, too. Manny, however, is much more a Tina/Gene combo. Okay, I'm done with the character parallels. Rating: 3 vodka bottles
The Good Place – "What We Owe to Each Other": I'm not sure how long they can carry the plot of Eleanor trying to hide the fact that she's not supposed to be there. They can't sustain that for too many episodes. And are we heading toward a Chidi/Tahani matchup? What does that mean for their soulmates? Rating: 4 Friends jokes
Supernatural – "Keep Calm and Carry On": I'm really excited to see how adding Mary back into the mix affects things. I'm also really excited for her to show what an awesome hunter she is. I think people forget that she was a hunter before John was. So let's get Sam back with the rest of the group and have some Winchester family hunting adventures. Rating: 4 mini-blowtorches
October 16th, 2016, 4:16 p.m. - No more Moore for me
27. A Dirty Job (Christopher Moore)
Up next: Commonwealth (Ann Patchett)
October 22nd, 2016, 2:07 p.m. - "I'm confused. Which one is Mr. Robot?" "I'll give you a hint: We're watching Daredevil"
The Big Bang Theory – "The Hot Tub Contamination": I'm only surprised that this is the first time Bernadette and Howard have caught Stuart or Raj at their house. Rating: 4 toothbrush holders
Brooklyn Nine-Nine – "Halloween IV": I loved every minute of this. Taking Boyle away from Jake was brilliant. Rosa calling Amy a Mary Anne was brilliant. Gina...really, everything Gina did was brilliant. I love this show so much. Rating: 5 decoy pizzas
Scream Queens – "Halloween Blues": Um, Denise is okay, right? Because I wouldn't be able to handle losing both Denise and Chad. Rating: 4 Jackie Kennedy costumes
The Good Place – "The Eternal Shriek": My favorite episode so far, and it's not like I've disliked any of the other episodes. This was a perfect showcase for Janet. She's going to become a scene-stealer, and I'm all for it. Rating: 5 Saltines
Supernatural – "Mamma Mia": So Dean's going to accept that Mary can kick butt with the best of them and stop trying to protect her, yes? Please? And we're going to get more sweet mother/son scenes, yes? Rating: 4 times I said to myself, "I can't believe Rick Springfield is playing Lucifer"
4:29 p.m. - See you in Hell, Bert Cousins
28. Commonwealth (Ann Patchett)
Up next: So You've Been Publicly Shamed (Jon Ronson)
October 29th, 2016, 1:14 p.m. - Feel shame for shaming others!
29. So You've Been Publicly Shamed (Jon Ronson)
Up next: The Wicked Girls (Alex Marwood)
October 30th, 2016, 3:18 p.m. - "You are so annoying. You and Ray would be perfect together!"
Speechless – "H-A-L-Halloween": A lot of good stuff here, but the Maya/Jimmy stuff fell a little flat. I like Dylan more and more each week, though. Rating: 3 red cups
Modern Family – "Halloween 4: The Revenge of Rod Skyhook": Claire trying to drive people away from Sophie's party was the most I've liked her in a while. I'm not sure why they would encourage Luke to throw a party that could devolve into craziness, though. Rating: 4 eggs thrown at the wrong person
The Big Bang Theory – "The Fetal Kick Catalyst": This felt like a lot of stuff put together with no purpose. Nothing was interesting enough to really be memorable. Rating: 3 minivans
The Good Place – "Most Improved Player": Adam Scott! So underrated and used so well here! He made a good episode even better. I'm looking forward to seeing more from him. Rating: 4 glowing cubes
Supernatural – "The Foundry": Mary's upset that she's lost so much time with her sons, so she's going to...go somewhere else? I get that they don't want to use her in every episode, but that makes no sense. And I really wish they'd done more with Castiel and Crowley, because that could have been fantastic. Rating: 3 creepy-looking dolls
I was going to do a whole long post about how, while I liked pieces of this book, I ended up so frustrated with it that I don't want to even think about it anymore, but then...I realized I don't want to even think about it anymore. So I'll hit the three most annoying things:
Messy and too clever for its own good and definitely problematic in some...racial ways. Nice try, but no.
It starts to drag a little toward the end, but the first three-quarters are fantastic – the kind of book I both wanted to rush through and didn't want to read too fast, because it would be over too soon. It's even better than the reviews led me to believe.
I guess what I should take from this is that I should have more sympathy for people who have been publicly humiliated, and that I should be more patient with people who make mistakes. But mostly I took away that people don't think they should have to face consequences, or that they think "it was just a joke" is an acceptable excuse for saying dumb things. Or that Ronson has more sympathy than I do.