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shadowkat1. Finally watched The Good Place - S3 Episode 9 -- Janet(s) which appears to be the fall season finale. (I always miss the last four seconds of the episode, because my stupid DVR cuts it off and I forget to tape the show after it. Have the same problem with the Connors. It's annoying.)
This episode focused depended a bit too much on the D'Arcy Caden's acting, which is fine if you like a certain acting style (non-emotive, stiff, and highly restrained), not so much...if you prefer more emotive, and less stiff. Although to be fair that could have been the direction. I've not seen her do anything else...so no clue. But I'm rather ambivalent and this episode made me no less so. Your Mileage Most Likely Varies.
That's really my only quibble about the episode.
Everything else I enjoyed quite a bit -- particularly the discourse on the self and how philosophy viewed the self, and really if there is even such a thing as the self, and why in the hell should we care. Also the side philosophical bit -- about how Chidi got into philosophy because he wanted to make rational sense out of everything, only to discover this is not possible and there is no rational sense to be made. I think the series is at it's best when it is ripping apart philosophical theories, poking fun at them, and questioning them. It reminds me a little of a book I read ages ago...but couldn't finish...about a girl named Sophie who falls into a philosophical rabbit hole. Can't remember the name of it at all. [ETA: Sophie's World - thank you londonkds.]
As an aside, my brother recommended The Good Place to my mother. So she asked me about it -- took her a while to get the name right.
Mother: You're brother's into this show I think you are watching...it's Right something or other. The Right Place, the Special Place, I think it's place. Not sure.
Me: Do you know what it is about?
Mother: No.
Me: Place...wait, is Ted Dansen in it?
Mother: Is he the guy from Cheers?
Me: Yes.
Mother: yes that's it.
Me: The Good Place. It's great but...you can't just start watching it. You sort of have to start at the beginning and it takes a while to like it. I gave up, discovered the twist, got curious, and came back -- the second season is bloody brilliant.
Mother: What's it about?
(I tell her, including the twisty spoiler...because my mother doesn't care about spoilers. She'll read the end of books first and spoils me all the time on things.)
Mother: Uh. It has philosophy in it? It's focused on "philosophy"?
Me: Yes, that's the best part!
Mother: I think I'll pass. Bleach. Philosophy.
What can I say? It's not for everyone.
* I love the fact that all the humans turned into copies of Janet in Janet's void. Apparently the void is "inside" Janet, and she can only digest something "organic" by having it rematerialize as part of herself. She turns it into her. Which is probably why you can't tell them apart. When she ingests information or takes someone in, they are her. They become her. Michael as a demon is left out of that equation because he's not organic and has control over Janet, he's a higher being.
Janet's mind-space or consciousness is a void. A blank slate. What is put in there -- is created by Janet. But she can't hold very much without dematerializing. And when someone or something questions their existence and their sense of self inside her, she begins to lose her own grip and dematerializes. If they reaffirm their sense of self and become who they are outside of Janet, then she must regurgitate them back into being.
Clever.
Also, being Janet leads to some good jokes. My favorite?
Jason: No that we're all white, we can say white people things. Such as Billy Joel, Have you Refilled the Brita, ...
Nice riff on reverse racism and assumptions on how identity is often based on organic or physical characteristics. But is this who we are?
The whole episode is about identity and who are we. If everyone looks and talks and walks like Janet, are they in fact Janet? No, after a while, we begin to see the differences (it does take a while, I kept confusing Eleanor and Jason...which the actress appeared to have more difficulty distinguishing in mannerisms for some reason. As a result I got confused and had to rewind and watch again.) Jason's body language is looser than the others, and Tahani is clearly very happy being in another person's body, indicating she's not overly fond of her own. Both Chidi and Eleanor struggle a bit. Eleanor loses who she is...and falls into an identity crisis. Grabbing hold of her feelings as an anchor, only to have Chidi rip it from her.
* Identity. Chidi holds a lecture on Kant and Hume in regards to how we perceive the self. There's been a lot written about the self lately. The current argument is -- is there such a thing as a self.
Some believe we must strive to become our "authentic self", while others believe there is no such thing as a self, that it is a mere construct. I've had to sit and listen to both sides, and felt a bit like Eleanor does in the process. My conclusion --- is similar to Chidi's, the more you attempt to make sense of all of this, the less sense it makes.
The authentic self is basically the ego trying to reassert itself OR it is the self without the ego and our primary consciousness. Or there is no self, and the idea of a self is the ego, but if you do away with that you are truly awake and aware and free.
See??
Here, Chidi states more or less the same thing...what is identity? Identity is made up of our memories. If we have no memories of an event, lost those memories, or never experienced this -- that isn't us. For example, if someone stole your body and put your consciousness asleep in a box, the experiences they had in your body aren't yours. When you return to your body and find yourself married and allegedly in love, but you, yourself, never had those experiences -- than they aren't yours and this is not you (Inside John Malkovich, with someone taking over John Malkovich's life). Or, take Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind -- where your memories are erased. So the person remaining is completely different than the person who had those memories.
Except, do memories make us who we are? Eleanor is shown her relationship with Chidi in the afterlife. She finds out things about him -- like the fact that he loves Puppies, and is indecisive, but also kind and willing to help her. She falls in love with what she sees. And accepts the fact that she loved him in the Afterlife and most likely does now, too. Even though she, herself, didn't experience those things directly, or she did but has no memory of them. Chidi, who looks at everything through the rational lense of the mind, and not his emotions...disagrees with her view and slowly breaks down her argument, until Eleanor has an identity crisis and begins to question everything, who she is, where she is, what she feels, all of it. Until Chidi finally just kisses her and the two of them "live in the moment" letting go of all the rest. They stop thinking.
The mind is the problem. When they let go of it, they become who they are...no longer Janet, and no longer just a construct of Janet's mind or anyone else's. It's not their memories that make them who they are, or necessarily their feelings...but all of the above.
In short the universe makes perfect sense -- if you stop trying to make sense of the universe.
Or we know who we are, as long as we don't "think" too hard about it. Sort of the doctrine of mindfulness in a nutshell.
And yes, I know, it's confusing. I've been studying this stuff for well over five years now and if I think too hard about it or try to explain it, I fall into the vortex that Chidi and Eleanor did in this episode.
Anyhow, I loved that bit.
3. The point system, as we all predicted, doesn't make a lick of sense and is set up in such a way to ensure no one can get into heaven. You'd have to be a literal saint to get through those pearly gates. They've come up with a fool-proof numerical system. (See, this is what happens when one uses or relies too heavily on math and accountants to tabulate good and evil or anything for that matter.)
And no one has in 521 years. The point system is rigged to ensure that heaven remains largely empty or human souls, while hell is having a grand old time of it.
We all saw that one coming from a mile away -- the Doug episode pretty much guaranteed it. And I did like the accounting department jokes, even though I know that accountants are nothing like that in reality. Television writers have an odd take on the universe around them. They glamorize certain occupations, while degrade others. I wish they wouldn't. The occupations they glamorize are the least necessary and the hardest to get into. Let's face it we need more accountants than we need philosophy professors or baseball players. And the fact that the accountant is of course the media's view of what an accountant should look like. Sigh. Television Writers. Sigh. They really need to get out more. (No, I'm not an accountant, but I've worked with and know quite a few. For once, I'd like to see the stupid writers cast a hunk in the role -- which by the way was the head accountant that I worked with at evil library company to come up with the royalty accounting database. He was six foot, muscles, blond hair, blue eyes and looked like Chris Helmsworth. I've met a lot of actors and marketing folks who look like Michael Schur's view of an Accountant, but not many Accountants who looked like that. Hmm..apparently I had two small quibbles...the outdated stereotype/cliche representation of accountants -- which Hollywood refuses to move away from and well the previously mentioned quibble about Janet. YMMV. )
I love the fact that they decide to take the book of Doug's with them. (My brother's name is Doug, hence my amusement. I may have to start texting him about The Good Place.)
And that once they get into the Good Place, the actual Good Place, no one is there to greet them. (Honestly why would anyone be there to greet them -- no one has come through that entry way in 521 years.) And she figures it out because she can't curse. Why is cursing not allowed? And why can she say asshole but not shit? OR maybe I misheard it? I rewound three times, sounded like asshole...of course it also shut off right after she said.."How do we know this is the Good Place? You've lied to us so many forking times. Oh, Wait. Forking. Shirt. Asshole...this is -" Cut off. Damn it. I'm not in the Good Place, I can curse.
* Random bits...
- Interdimensional Fugitives -- LOL
- Let's see the Judge will most likely punish you to get back at me, and the Bad Place is actively hunting you down...so the universe is literally out to get you. I'm going to go to the Accountant, make them review the point system, prove the Bad Place is tampering with it and we'll fix it. Hopefully. [Didn't exactly go down that way. And oh, they now have the Accounting Department after them --- because they destroyed the Accounting Dept's Head's Corner piece of Sheet Cake. They do have a lot of cakes in workplaces...or so I've noticed. So that's accurate.]
- Chidi: I want to lie down. Where is Down??
- Jason: I found it, it's up here. Dope. (Jason is hanging upside down from the ceiling.)
Hee.
Good episode in spite of the quibbles.
2. The Conners
Still holding strong. Darlene may be too stubborn for a relationship. I actually recognized Matthew Broderick this round. I find it hilarious that Mathew Broderick is now playing all the characters that his younger self used to drive insane. Also, while watching this episode I had a flashback to Godzilla (the first time the did a modern American adaptation) with Matthew Broderick and John Goodman in it. The actors have a good rapport. The show has also managed to pull Juliette Lewis out of hiding.
I did have one cringe-inducing moment -- Darlene's date with her new boss. I felt sorry for the Boss. Darlene would drive me crazy. But I know Darlene. I've met the people in Roseanne. Many of them are members of my extended family. I've been inside that house. So there's a resonance there that is lacking in most situation comedies. And I'm guessing this may be true of most people. Also, how cool is it that there is little makeup or hair styling? The characters feel and look real.
I liked how Becky gives Darlene advice...and it sort of backfires and makes Darlene self-conscious.
But I'm bummed that once again the stupid DVR cut off the last five to six seconds of the show. It was the great joke at the end, where Darlene's daughter is asking Jackie and Darlene for relationship advice and they both state -- don't ask. LOL!
I'm loving this show. We'll see how long it lasts.
3. Great American Baking Holiday Edition
It's basically the same as the Great British Baking Show but with American constestants, an American judge and an American host. I miss the British hosts, and no offense Cheryl, but I prefer Prue. Prue and Paul Hollywood have great chemistry. Other than that no issues. Also much prefer Paul Hollywood to Mary Berry -- I've never liked Mary Berry. Don't get the appeal. Of course I'm not British or part of the Baking World, so no clue who she is.
So far nothing that interesting in the recipes. I don't know why they did eclairs as a show-stopper. Eclairs are rather boring to look at. So too are some of the other items they picked. But, whatever.
There was however a great moment -- when over half the bakers joined forces to help one get all their eclairs on the serving tray. Made me teary.
This episode focused depended a bit too much on the D'Arcy Caden's acting, which is fine if you like a certain acting style (non-emotive, stiff, and highly restrained), not so much...if you prefer more emotive, and less stiff. Although to be fair that could have been the direction. I've not seen her do anything else...so no clue. But I'm rather ambivalent and this episode made me no less so. Your Mileage Most Likely Varies.
That's really my only quibble about the episode.
Everything else I enjoyed quite a bit -- particularly the discourse on the self and how philosophy viewed the self, and really if there is even such a thing as the self, and why in the hell should we care. Also the side philosophical bit -- about how Chidi got into philosophy because he wanted to make rational sense out of everything, only to discover this is not possible and there is no rational sense to be made. I think the series is at it's best when it is ripping apart philosophical theories, poking fun at them, and questioning them. It reminds me a little of a book I read ages ago...but couldn't finish...about a girl named Sophie who falls into a philosophical rabbit hole. Can't remember the name of it at all. [ETA: Sophie's World - thank you londonkds.]
As an aside, my brother recommended The Good Place to my mother. So she asked me about it -- took her a while to get the name right.
Mother: You're brother's into this show I think you are watching...it's Right something or other. The Right Place, the Special Place, I think it's place. Not sure.
Me: Do you know what it is about?
Mother: No.
Me: Place...wait, is Ted Dansen in it?
Mother: Is he the guy from Cheers?
Me: Yes.
Mother: yes that's it.
Me: The Good Place. It's great but...you can't just start watching it. You sort of have to start at the beginning and it takes a while to like it. I gave up, discovered the twist, got curious, and came back -- the second season is bloody brilliant.
Mother: What's it about?
(I tell her, including the twisty spoiler...because my mother doesn't care about spoilers. She'll read the end of books first and spoils me all the time on things.)
Mother: Uh. It has philosophy in it? It's focused on "philosophy"?
Me: Yes, that's the best part!
Mother: I think I'll pass. Bleach. Philosophy.
What can I say? It's not for everyone.
* I love the fact that all the humans turned into copies of Janet in Janet's void. Apparently the void is "inside" Janet, and she can only digest something "organic" by having it rematerialize as part of herself. She turns it into her. Which is probably why you can't tell them apart. When she ingests information or takes someone in, they are her. They become her. Michael as a demon is left out of that equation because he's not organic and has control over Janet, he's a higher being.
Janet's mind-space or consciousness is a void. A blank slate. What is put in there -- is created by Janet. But she can't hold very much without dematerializing. And when someone or something questions their existence and their sense of self inside her, she begins to lose her own grip and dematerializes. If they reaffirm their sense of self and become who they are outside of Janet, then she must regurgitate them back into being.
Clever.
Also, being Janet leads to some good jokes. My favorite?
Jason: No that we're all white, we can say white people things. Such as Billy Joel, Have you Refilled the Brita, ...
Nice riff on reverse racism and assumptions on how identity is often based on organic or physical characteristics. But is this who we are?
The whole episode is about identity and who are we. If everyone looks and talks and walks like Janet, are they in fact Janet? No, after a while, we begin to see the differences (it does take a while, I kept confusing Eleanor and Jason...which the actress appeared to have more difficulty distinguishing in mannerisms for some reason. As a result I got confused and had to rewind and watch again.) Jason's body language is looser than the others, and Tahani is clearly very happy being in another person's body, indicating she's not overly fond of her own. Both Chidi and Eleanor struggle a bit. Eleanor loses who she is...and falls into an identity crisis. Grabbing hold of her feelings as an anchor, only to have Chidi rip it from her.
* Identity. Chidi holds a lecture on Kant and Hume in regards to how we perceive the self. There's been a lot written about the self lately. The current argument is -- is there such a thing as a self.
Some believe we must strive to become our "authentic self", while others believe there is no such thing as a self, that it is a mere construct. I've had to sit and listen to both sides, and felt a bit like Eleanor does in the process. My conclusion --- is similar to Chidi's, the more you attempt to make sense of all of this, the less sense it makes.
The authentic self is basically the ego trying to reassert itself OR it is the self without the ego and our primary consciousness. Or there is no self, and the idea of a self is the ego, but if you do away with that you are truly awake and aware and free.
See??
Here, Chidi states more or less the same thing...what is identity? Identity is made up of our memories. If we have no memories of an event, lost those memories, or never experienced this -- that isn't us. For example, if someone stole your body and put your consciousness asleep in a box, the experiences they had in your body aren't yours. When you return to your body and find yourself married and allegedly in love, but you, yourself, never had those experiences -- than they aren't yours and this is not you (Inside John Malkovich, with someone taking over John Malkovich's life). Or, take Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind -- where your memories are erased. So the person remaining is completely different than the person who had those memories.
Except, do memories make us who we are? Eleanor is shown her relationship with Chidi in the afterlife. She finds out things about him -- like the fact that he loves Puppies, and is indecisive, but also kind and willing to help her. She falls in love with what she sees. And accepts the fact that she loved him in the Afterlife and most likely does now, too. Even though she, herself, didn't experience those things directly, or she did but has no memory of them. Chidi, who looks at everything through the rational lense of the mind, and not his emotions...disagrees with her view and slowly breaks down her argument, until Eleanor has an identity crisis and begins to question everything, who she is, where she is, what she feels, all of it. Until Chidi finally just kisses her and the two of them "live in the moment" letting go of all the rest. They stop thinking.
The mind is the problem. When they let go of it, they become who they are...no longer Janet, and no longer just a construct of Janet's mind or anyone else's. It's not their memories that make them who they are, or necessarily their feelings...but all of the above.
In short the universe makes perfect sense -- if you stop trying to make sense of the universe.
Or we know who we are, as long as we don't "think" too hard about it. Sort of the doctrine of mindfulness in a nutshell.
And yes, I know, it's confusing. I've been studying this stuff for well over five years now and if I think too hard about it or try to explain it, I fall into the vortex that Chidi and Eleanor did in this episode.
Anyhow, I loved that bit.
3. The point system, as we all predicted, doesn't make a lick of sense and is set up in such a way to ensure no one can get into heaven. You'd have to be a literal saint to get through those pearly gates. They've come up with a fool-proof numerical system. (See, this is what happens when one uses or relies too heavily on math and accountants to tabulate good and evil or anything for that matter.)
And no one has in 521 years. The point system is rigged to ensure that heaven remains largely empty or human souls, while hell is having a grand old time of it.
We all saw that one coming from a mile away -- the Doug episode pretty much guaranteed it. And I did like the accounting department jokes, even though I know that accountants are nothing like that in reality. Television writers have an odd take on the universe around them. They glamorize certain occupations, while degrade others. I wish they wouldn't. The occupations they glamorize are the least necessary and the hardest to get into. Let's face it we need more accountants than we need philosophy professors or baseball players. And the fact that the accountant is of course the media's view of what an accountant should look like. Sigh. Television Writers. Sigh. They really need to get out more. (No, I'm not an accountant, but I've worked with and know quite a few. For once, I'd like to see the stupid writers cast a hunk in the role -- which by the way was the head accountant that I worked with at evil library company to come up with the royalty accounting database. He was six foot, muscles, blond hair, blue eyes and looked like Chris Helmsworth. I've met a lot of actors and marketing folks who look like Michael Schur's view of an Accountant, but not many Accountants who looked like that. Hmm..apparently I had two small quibbles...the outdated stereotype/cliche representation of accountants -- which Hollywood refuses to move away from and well the previously mentioned quibble about Janet. YMMV. )
I love the fact that they decide to take the book of Doug's with them. (My brother's name is Doug, hence my amusement. I may have to start texting him about The Good Place.)
And that once they get into the Good Place, the actual Good Place, no one is there to greet them. (Honestly why would anyone be there to greet them -- no one has come through that entry way in 521 years.) And she figures it out because she can't curse. Why is cursing not allowed? And why can she say asshole but not shit? OR maybe I misheard it? I rewound three times, sounded like asshole...of course it also shut off right after she said.."How do we know this is the Good Place? You've lied to us so many forking times. Oh, Wait. Forking. Shirt. Asshole...this is -" Cut off. Damn it. I'm not in the Good Place, I can curse.
* Random bits...
- Interdimensional Fugitives -- LOL
- Let's see the Judge will most likely punish you to get back at me, and the Bad Place is actively hunting you down...so the universe is literally out to get you. I'm going to go to the Accountant, make them review the point system, prove the Bad Place is tampering with it and we'll fix it. Hopefully. [Didn't exactly go down that way. And oh, they now have the Accounting Department after them --- because they destroyed the Accounting Dept's Head's Corner piece of Sheet Cake. They do have a lot of cakes in workplaces...or so I've noticed. So that's accurate.]
- Chidi: I want to lie down. Where is Down??
- Jason: I found it, it's up here. Dope. (Jason is hanging upside down from the ceiling.)
Hee.
Good episode in spite of the quibbles.
2. The Conners
Still holding strong. Darlene may be too stubborn for a relationship. I actually recognized Matthew Broderick this round. I find it hilarious that Mathew Broderick is now playing all the characters that his younger self used to drive insane. Also, while watching this episode I had a flashback to Godzilla (the first time the did a modern American adaptation) with Matthew Broderick and John Goodman in it. The actors have a good rapport. The show has also managed to pull Juliette Lewis out of hiding.
I did have one cringe-inducing moment -- Darlene's date with her new boss. I felt sorry for the Boss. Darlene would drive me crazy. But I know Darlene. I've met the people in Roseanne. Many of them are members of my extended family. I've been inside that house. So there's a resonance there that is lacking in most situation comedies. And I'm guessing this may be true of most people. Also, how cool is it that there is little makeup or hair styling? The characters feel and look real.
I liked how Becky gives Darlene advice...and it sort of backfires and makes Darlene self-conscious.
But I'm bummed that once again the stupid DVR cut off the last five to six seconds of the show. It was the great joke at the end, where Darlene's daughter is asking Jackie and Darlene for relationship advice and they both state -- don't ask. LOL!
I'm loving this show. We'll see how long it lasts.
3. Great American Baking Holiday Edition
It's basically the same as the Great British Baking Show but with American constestants, an American judge and an American host. I miss the British hosts, and no offense Cheryl, but I prefer Prue. Prue and Paul Hollywood have great chemistry. Other than that no issues. Also much prefer Paul Hollywood to Mary Berry -- I've never liked Mary Berry. Don't get the appeal. Of course I'm not British or part of the Baking World, so no clue who she is.
So far nothing that interesting in the recipes. I don't know why they did eclairs as a show-stopper. Eclairs are rather boring to look at. So too are some of the other items they picked. But, whatever.
There was however a great moment -- when over half the bakers joined forces to help one get all their eclairs on the serving tray. Made me teary.
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Date: 2018-12-09 09:48 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-12-09 02:50 pm (UTC)