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Oct. 29th, 2018 09:24 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkat1. So... does anyone want to give me a full recap of the Doctor Who episode, "Arachnids in Britain" or send me to it? Since I can't watch it do to the fact that I'm arachnophobic - ie. fear of spiders. (I had problems with the Spider woman that the Tenth Doctor killed.)
Checked flist and..what I've managed to cobble together is that the villain is basically a British caricature of Donald Trump, (which...considering Trump is a caricature in of himself...that sounds sort of redundant.) The spiders have been poisoned by the environmentally and grew very large. The gang puts them in a panic room, thinking this is a humane way to kill them. Far more humane than shooting them. They may starve, but at least they are contained. (Uhm, they are spiders? They aren't human. They don't care. There is no brain there. Killing a monsterous eight legged creature that sucks blood and will kill you...is not a horrible thing. Seriously people.My only difficulty with killing spiders -- is I'm half convinced they will return to get me. I blame Rod Serling for this fear...it was a Night Gallery episode.) Unfortunately the spiders don't eat the villain. And Team TARDIS decides to continue going on adventures with Doctor Who. YAZ's family sounds like Rose's...which is her Mom wants her to find someone, and they are driving her crazy. Graham remembers Grace...and the Doctor is pleased everyone wants to go on more adventures, but wants to make sure they know what they are getting into. Hmmm..considering the last four adventures have included fighting a hunter alien race, surviving a toxic planet with thread creatures, fighting a crazed ex-con intent on temporal displacement, and giant spiders...also the Giant Spiders in question were in Britain...I'd say, yes, they know. And...hey it can't be that much more dangerous than staying put. Britain isn't exactly the safest place in the Whoverse. It's actually safer traveling about with the Doctor in the Whoverse.
2. First Horror Film?
Can't remember. Probably a Japanese Godzilla movie. My best friend when I was six years of age was a huge fan of Japanese monster movies. Also, loved Dark Shadows and Night Gallery.
3. Decided to vote online for Dancing with the Stars, before I watched. Mainly because I want to keep my favorites in the race. And I discovered something that is really odd. Each person who votes, gets nine votes per dance. This means you can vote for the same person 9 times or everyone for that matter.
This EXPLAINS a lot. No wonder Grocery Store Joe is still on. Each of his fans can vote for him 9 times.
4. The latest mass shooting is haunting me but not for the same reasons it's haunting everyone else. I'm seeing a pattern emerge that reminds me a little of what an old Criminal Defense Professor said "There But for the Grace of God, Go I"...and was indirectly the theme of 9-1-1, two episodes back..."that our connections to others, and the deeper our relationships are with one another the less likely we are to fall off the grid...and more likely to do the right thing and be kind".
Each shooter was isolated. They had no one. They spent all their time on social media.
And over time became angrier and angrier and more and more filled with rage. One of my friends told me recently that when she lost her phone and could no longer access Instagram or various sites, her mental health improved substantially.
Technology has increasingly isolated people. For every person it's brought together, it's divided hundreds more. That isolation, that feeling that no one cares, and looking around and seeing everyone happy together...friendly, loving, when you have no one or feel outside the window cut off...can be soul crushing. It leads to hate. It leads to scapegoating. It leads to picking up a gun and shooting a bunch of people in a hate-filled rage.
The one common denominator that all 1885 mass shootings appear to have in common seems to be that it was a lonely, isolated person, who spent a wee bit too much time on the internet hunting companionship. Going back further to other shootings and assassinations..it seems to be lonely, angry, scared, in pain people -- going nuts. Of course, most of them are also male, white, and into guns.
In our society, it's all too easy to let people fall through the cracks. To forget people. It's a lot easier to support those we love, those who give things to us -- be it support, kindness, love, etc. It is a lot harder to help those who don't. Sometimes, I can't help but think, we often create our own monsters. And unknowingly hand them the weapons to kill us.
Checked flist and..what I've managed to cobble together is that the villain is basically a British caricature of Donald Trump, (which...considering Trump is a caricature in of himself...that sounds sort of redundant.) The spiders have been poisoned by the environmentally and grew very large. The gang puts them in a panic room, thinking this is a humane way to kill them. Far more humane than shooting them. They may starve, but at least they are contained. (Uhm, they are spiders? They aren't human. They don't care. There is no brain there. Killing a monsterous eight legged creature that sucks blood and will kill you...is not a horrible thing. Seriously people.My only difficulty with killing spiders -- is I'm half convinced they will return to get me. I blame Rod Serling for this fear...it was a Night Gallery episode.) Unfortunately the spiders don't eat the villain. And Team TARDIS decides to continue going on adventures with Doctor Who. YAZ's family sounds like Rose's...which is her Mom wants her to find someone, and they are driving her crazy. Graham remembers Grace...and the Doctor is pleased everyone wants to go on more adventures, but wants to make sure they know what they are getting into. Hmmm..considering the last four adventures have included fighting a hunter alien race, surviving a toxic planet with thread creatures, fighting a crazed ex-con intent on temporal displacement, and giant spiders...also the Giant Spiders in question were in Britain...I'd say, yes, they know. And...hey it can't be that much more dangerous than staying put. Britain isn't exactly the safest place in the Whoverse. It's actually safer traveling about with the Doctor in the Whoverse.
2. First Horror Film?
Can't remember. Probably a Japanese Godzilla movie. My best friend when I was six years of age was a huge fan of Japanese monster movies. Also, loved Dark Shadows and Night Gallery.
3. Decided to vote online for Dancing with the Stars, before I watched. Mainly because I want to keep my favorites in the race. And I discovered something that is really odd. Each person who votes, gets nine votes per dance. This means you can vote for the same person 9 times or everyone for that matter.
This EXPLAINS a lot. No wonder Grocery Store Joe is still on. Each of his fans can vote for him 9 times.
4. The latest mass shooting is haunting me but not for the same reasons it's haunting everyone else. I'm seeing a pattern emerge that reminds me a little of what an old Criminal Defense Professor said "There But for the Grace of God, Go I"...and was indirectly the theme of 9-1-1, two episodes back..."that our connections to others, and the deeper our relationships are with one another the less likely we are to fall off the grid...and more likely to do the right thing and be kind".
Each shooter was isolated. They had no one. They spent all their time on social media.
And over time became angrier and angrier and more and more filled with rage. One of my friends told me recently that when she lost her phone and could no longer access Instagram or various sites, her mental health improved substantially.
Technology has increasingly isolated people. For every person it's brought together, it's divided hundreds more. That isolation, that feeling that no one cares, and looking around and seeing everyone happy together...friendly, loving, when you have no one or feel outside the window cut off...can be soul crushing. It leads to hate. It leads to scapegoating. It leads to picking up a gun and shooting a bunch of people in a hate-filled rage.
The one common denominator that all 1885 mass shootings appear to have in common seems to be that it was a lonely, isolated person, who spent a wee bit too much time on the internet hunting companionship. Going back further to other shootings and assassinations..it seems to be lonely, angry, scared, in pain people -- going nuts. Of course, most of them are also male, white, and into guns.
In our society, it's all too easy to let people fall through the cracks. To forget people. It's a lot easier to support those we love, those who give things to us -- be it support, kindness, love, etc. It is a lot harder to help those who don't. Sometimes, I can't help but think, we often create our own monsters. And unknowingly hand them the weapons to kill us.
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Date: 2018-10-30 12:16 pm (UTC)I'd say you've gotten most of the important bits. There were some really quite funny jokes amongst all of it, but those never translate well. There's a brief scene where Ryan confides in Graham that his dad has written him a letter to ask him to come live with him now. Ryan doesn't want to and Graham is actually good at listening in a supportive and non-pushy way about it and it's all rather touching and you're starting to feel like these two crazy kids might actually work it out until they realize there's a giant spider in the room.
Probably the most important thing to get from the episode though is that the Doctor super wants to keep them all but is really scared about doing it, presumably because of what happened to Bill, and really really trying not to want to keep them. It's a bit heartbreaking, honestly, but also some amazing character development from the usual 'let me show you my magic box' seduction swagger.
no subject
Date: 2018-10-30 12:36 pm (UTC)Thanks. Why'd they have to do spiders and not say cockroaches or ants, that I could have dealt with. ;-) Otherwise sounds like a good episode.
Probably the most important thing to get from the episode though is that the Doctor super wants to keep them all but is really scared about doing it, presumably because of what happened to Bill, and really really trying not to want to keep them.
Not just Bill. Clara, Amy and Rory didn't exactly come out of it very well...or Doctor Song for that matter. The Doctor has lost a lot of companions...if I were the Doctor, I'd be rather traumatized by this point.
no subject
Date: 2018-10-30 05:51 pm (UTC)But yes, there could be a much smaller number of people voting over and over and keeping a single contestant in. I'd be very curious to know how many people vote for multiple couples. If I ever voted I would definitely do so
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Date: 2018-10-30 07:40 pm (UTC)I spread mine across multiple couples. With the most going to Evanna Lynch, Schnieder, and Pablo. Milo and Bobby Bones also got a vote.
I'm trying to get rid of Social Media girl and Grocery Store Joe. ;-)
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Date: 2018-10-30 10:34 pm (UTC)It was a good week for almost everyone really. Judging by comments and scores, the judges didn't think much of John's paso. And I could tell during the dance that he didn't have the arrogant strength that Len critiqued him for later. I also agreed with Len that the strongest part was when he was in hold -- the posture and frame were very good. And Len did score him higher than the others. I didn't see all the errors they cited him for other than stepping on Emma's dress at the end which made for a poor ending. But I still think they scored him down too much given how they distributed other scores. I'm glad you voted for him.
Joe's scores were way too high. I agree with them that he did his best dance yet this week. He did deserve to get slightly higher scores but the 8 was absurd. And I still say there's no way he did so much better than John.
DeMarcus was also again scored too high. His dance was clean but there was still hardly any hip action. I'd have given him 2 7s and an 8.
Mary Lou had a decent dance with all the force that John did not have in his paso (even though she was doing a tango). It was a nicely choreographed number, and maybe she didn't do quite as well. But she still got all 8s which was fair. It sounds like they knew she was likely to go home.
Bobby definitely did have his best dance yet. Len was right, not enough Argentine tango, although as Bruno noted, it was a bit of a blend of tango and contemporary. It was a well choreographed number, probably the best given what it did for him. I don't know how Bobby's keeping up with that schedule but it seems like he's getting more than enough votes to keep him out of the bottom. I thought his scores were fair.
Milo's contemporary dance was quite good, little surprise there. I agree with Len that it was somewhat mesmerizing even though on the whole I'm not that fond of contemporary either.
Juan Pablo's jive was a real standout. Not only was the choreography fun but the execution was good -- I'll just +1 all of Len's comment, spot on.
Looks like Alexis' scores are still barely keeping her from elimination. Her dance was good and, as the judges noted, a nice palate cleanser from all the dark themes. Cute and well executed. I definitely want her to stay longer than some others but I'd like to see her do a darker number and stretch herself.
Evanna also had a great dance. She deserved her high scores and comments -- that dance was full of content and quite well executed.
With any luck DeMarcus will go home next week. I disagree that he had any kind of breakthrough this week and hopefully last week's scare means an actual elimination. No way Joe will go home with the scores from this week. Bobby should be put out of his misery but I don't see that happening yet either. John could be in jeopardy but I'm betting Alexis will be in the bottom again.
Milo and Juan Pablo have clearly been the finalists for a while. I'm definitely hoping for Evanna as third if she stays in long enough.
no subject
Date: 2018-10-31 03:11 am (UTC)Just read the casting. Geeze. The strongest performers are put in supporting roles. The weakest in leads.
I don't think Tinasha can pull off Mimi, Mimi is a hard role.
Milo and Juan Pablo have clearly been the finalists for a while. I'm definitely hoping for Evanna as third if she stays in long enough.
Agreed.
I voted before I actually watched it. And I voted based on prior dances.
Evanna, Juan Pablo and John got the most, with Milo and Bobby rounding it up.
Sort of 3 for Evanna
2 for John
2 for Pablo
1 for Milo
1 for Bobby
Or something like that.
I did watch it tonight, though. And generally agree with you. (Except I did not like Alexis' number which felt more like a Christmas number than Halloween, and I found annoying. Actually I find everything about Alexis annoying.)
Agreed on Bobby Bones - how he's keeping up with that schedule, I don't know. He's probably hoping he gets voted off. (I got the feeling Grocery Store Joe was hoping the same thing.)
I think DeMarcus will be out soon as well. I find him boring. I don't even remember his dance. I think I surfed the internet during it. While I did pay attention to John's, mainly because it was different and I hadn't seen them do that before. If there were errors, I was oblivious.
Most improved is definitely Evanna. And the best numbers were Pablo, Milo, and Bobby Bones, also Evanna.
Don't regret my votes at all. I'd have kicked Demarcus out before Mary Lou.
I think Alexis may get kicked out soon, followed closely by Demarcus and then Grocery Store Joe. I may put all my votes next week on John and Evanna, to ensure the others go out first. (I have no worries about Pablo.)