Mark here...this episode was called, "Out of Mind, Out of Sight" and it was a fun one. At first it appears that a ghost is terrorizing Sunnydale High, but as the episode reveals, there's a bit more going on. One fun crossover appearance is the actress who plays Mrs Teasley on 90210 shows up as a teacher here too.
The premise is that a ghost is showing up wreaking havoc with certain students, one of whom is Cordelia. It turns out its not a ghost, but actually a student who's been ignored for so long that she has turned invisible, and now she's out for revenge against those who ignored her. One thing that now is hard to ignore (now that KP pointed it out) is Buffy's nails...they are way too long and totally impractical! It becomes distracting. By the end of the episode, we also realize that the government is aware of the strange happenings in Sunnydale.
Laurel here...not much to add except I love the continuation of the high school theme of being made to feel invisible by the popular girls. Literally this villain was created by bitches like cordelia who made her invisible. It's unfortunate that she needs to find her revenge by terrorizing normal students but it is of note that at the end of the episode we are lead to believe that it's an x-file-ish situation where the "invisible kids" are appropriated by the FBI as spies...
KP here....loved this episode. Guest star,Clea DuVal never disappoints, even though she was mostly invisible. Love the X-Files/Men in Black theme at the end. Also, I was excited to see Angel making his very small mark in this one.
Saturday, November 3, 2012
Nightmares
Mark here...Laurel has made us dinner and we are sitting down to watch the next episode of Buffy, "Nightmares". Laurel has made us a dinner of stuffed portobello mushrooms, sweet potatoes and an arugula salad. All turned out delicious. We also have a special guest blogger with us tonight, our friend Kristen!
On to the episode. This was a good one. The episode starts with some odd events, tarantulas showing up in the middle of class and Buffy randomly having a test in history she had no idea about. As it turns out, everyones nightmares appear to be coming true. These range from the generic, like Xander ending up in class without clothes, to character-specific, like Giles losing his ability to read, to the comical, Cordelia having a bad hair day. Through it all a little boy is showing up every time one of these nightmares occurs. The end of the episode is a bit quick and predictable, but overall the theme of the episode is fun. We also get a reminder of the season's overall arc when the Master shows up in Buffy's nightmare.
Laurel here...I thought this episode was really thoughtful and effective. Like Mark said, the nightmares ranged from universal (spiders, naked in class) that we can all relate to, to the specific, especially Buffy. Her nightmares included her father telling her that her parents' divorce was because of her (he just couldn't stand another day in the house with Buffy!), to her fear that the master got out of his cave, and her turning into a vampire herself!
I thought that another noteworthy nightmare was Willow's, part of which was getting stuck as a Geisha, a nod to her role on the show (despite her mild mannered nature) as the resident feminist.
KP here...Wonderful healthy meal brought to us by Laurel. After 5 days of only raspberries and yogurt this meal was not only delicious but totally on the health plan.
Overall this was a great episode, everyone's worst nightmare coming true culminating in an apocalyptic end until Buffy quickly saves the day.But I will say it was rather dark, (Buffy's father rebuking her and the little boy getting beat up by his coach). On a lighter note I have to mention Buffy's nails. long, robins egg blue rounded to a point, a very 90's nail look. I mean, how can she really slay all those vampires without breaking one of those bad boys.
On to the episode. This was a good one. The episode starts with some odd events, tarantulas showing up in the middle of class and Buffy randomly having a test in history she had no idea about. As it turns out, everyones nightmares appear to be coming true. These range from the generic, like Xander ending up in class without clothes, to character-specific, like Giles losing his ability to read, to the comical, Cordelia having a bad hair day. Through it all a little boy is showing up every time one of these nightmares occurs. The end of the episode is a bit quick and predictable, but overall the theme of the episode is fun. We also get a reminder of the season's overall arc when the Master shows up in Buffy's nightmare.
Laurel here...I thought this episode was really thoughtful and effective. Like Mark said, the nightmares ranged from universal (spiders, naked in class) that we can all relate to, to the specific, especially Buffy. Her nightmares included her father telling her that her parents' divorce was because of her (he just couldn't stand another day in the house with Buffy!), to her fear that the master got out of his cave, and her turning into a vampire herself!
I thought that another noteworthy nightmare was Willow's, part of which was getting stuck as a Geisha, a nod to her role on the show (despite her mild mannered nature) as the resident feminist.
KP here...Wonderful healthy meal brought to us by Laurel. After 5 days of only raspberries and yogurt this meal was not only delicious but totally on the health plan.
Overall this was a great episode, everyone's worst nightmare coming true culminating in an apocalyptic end until Buffy quickly saves the day.But I will say it was rather dark, (Buffy's father rebuking her and the little boy getting beat up by his coach). On a lighter note I have to mention Buffy's nails. long, robins egg blue rounded to a point, a very 90's nail look. I mean, how can she really slay all those vampires without breaking one of those bad boys.
Ground Bison Shepard's Pie
This recipe is a bit of a mix of recipes I found. Originally my goal was to be healthier...hence the ground bison...in the end I think I pushed the fat content up a bit beyond healthy. Although I don't think it's that bad...and tasted amazing!
Ingredients
Ground Bison
Flour
Paprika
Potatoes
Salt
Pepper
3-4 strips of bacon
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Chopped Onion
Chopped Carrot
Sliced Mushrooms
About 3-4 Chopped Garlic Cloves
Red Wine
Chicken Broth
Butter
Parmesan (Grated)
Bay Leaves
Thyme
Sage
Milk
First, toss the ground bison with a tablespoon paprika, salt, pepper and enough flour to coat.
Chop the bacon and heat in a large pan. Remove to paper towel. Add the chopped onion and let it go translucent, then add carrots and mushrooms and garlic. Then add the bison and cook. Add about a 3/4 cup of wine and let it cook down. Then add chicken stock (about 2 cups), bay leaves, bacon, thyme and sage. Simmer until the sauce thickens, up to 2 hours.
Cook the potatoes in boiling water, then drain and mix with a tablespoon butter and a bit of milk.
Preheat oven to 400.
Pour bison mixture into backing pan and top with mashed potatoes. Sprinkle parmesan on top. Cook about 30-40 minutes.
Ingredients
Ground Bison
Flour
Paprika
Potatoes
Salt
Pepper
3-4 strips of bacon
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Chopped Onion
Chopped Carrot
Sliced Mushrooms
About 3-4 Chopped Garlic Cloves
Red Wine
Chicken Broth
Butter
Parmesan (Grated)
Bay Leaves
Thyme
Sage
Milk
First, toss the ground bison with a tablespoon paprika, salt, pepper and enough flour to coat.
Chop the bacon and heat in a large pan. Remove to paper towel. Add the chopped onion and let it go translucent, then add carrots and mushrooms and garlic. Then add the bison and cook. Add about a 3/4 cup of wine and let it cook down. Then add chicken stock (about 2 cups), bay leaves, bacon, thyme and sage. Simmer until the sauce thickens, up to 2 hours.
Cook the potatoes in boiling water, then drain and mix with a tablespoon butter and a bit of milk.
Preheat oven to 400.
Pour bison mixture into backing pan and top with mashed potatoes. Sprinkle parmesan on top. Cook about 30-40 minutes.
Beet Salad
This recipe comes from Thomas Keller's "Bouchon"
Ingredients:
3-4 large red beets
extra virgin olive oil
salt
pepper
red wine vinegar
orange juice
red onion
tarragon
chives
First chop the stems off the beets, wrap in aluminum foil packet and cook in a 375 degree oven until tender (1.5 to 2 hours). Remove the beets, let them cool. The rub the beets under cold water and remove their skins. Cube the beets and put in a bowl. Add a tablespoon red wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons of orange juice, a tablespoon olive oil, salt and pepper. Marinate the beets for at least an hour.
Add slices of red onion, chopped tarragon, and chopped chives to the beet salad and toss. Serve.
Ingredients:
3-4 large red beets
extra virgin olive oil
salt
pepper
red wine vinegar
orange juice
red onion
tarragon
chives
First chop the stems off the beets, wrap in aluminum foil packet and cook in a 375 degree oven until tender (1.5 to 2 hours). Remove the beets, let them cool. The rub the beets under cold water and remove their skins. Cube the beets and put in a bowl. Add a tablespoon red wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons of orange juice, a tablespoon olive oil, salt and pepper. Marinate the beets for at least an hour.
Add slices of red onion, chopped tarragon, and chopped chives to the beet salad and toss. Serve.
Fish Pie
This recipe is a variation on one by the Two Fat Ladies. It's taste is similar to a clam chowder in a pie form, even though I didn't use any shellfish. Laurel found it a bit fishy, and the flavors definitely tend to all meld together.
Ingredients:
Cod
Fresh Haddock
Smoked Haddock
2-3 lb Spinach
Butter
Pepper
Nutmeg
Chopped Onion
Flour
Milk
Bay Leaf
Anchovy Paste
Parsley
Parmesan (Grated)
Poatoes
First Blanche all the fish in a wide pan in a thin layer of boiling water. Remove any skin and bones and flake the fish.
Boil water and add cubed poatoes. Cook until soft, then drain and mash.
Wash the spinach and cook in a pan until it all wilts. Drain liquid, add a tablespoon of butter, salt and pepper. Then butter a baking pan and line the bottom with this spinach.
Melt a tablespoon of butter in a saucepan and cook the chopped onion until translucent. Add 3 tablespoons of flour to make a roux. Cook a minute and slowly add milk to make a béchamel. Add the bay leaf and let it simmer half an hour. Add a bit of anchovy paste (to taste), chopped parsley, salt and pepper. Mix in the flaked fish and layer in the baking dish on top of the spinach. Then layer the mashed potatoes on top. Top with Grated Parmesan. Bake in the oven at 400 degrees for about half an hour.
Ingredients:
Cod
Fresh Haddock
Smoked Haddock
2-3 lb Spinach
Butter
Pepper
Nutmeg
Chopped Onion
Flour
Milk
Bay Leaf
Anchovy Paste
Parsley
Parmesan (Grated)
Poatoes
First Blanche all the fish in a wide pan in a thin layer of boiling water. Remove any skin and bones and flake the fish.
Boil water and add cubed poatoes. Cook until soft, then drain and mash.
Wash the spinach and cook in a pan until it all wilts. Drain liquid, add a tablespoon of butter, salt and pepper. Then butter a baking pan and line the bottom with this spinach.
Melt a tablespoon of butter in a saucepan and cook the chopped onion until translucent. Add 3 tablespoons of flour to make a roux. Cook a minute and slowly add milk to make a béchamel. Add the bay leaf and let it simmer half an hour. Add a bit of anchovy paste (to taste), chopped parsley, salt and pepper. Mix in the flaked fish and layer in the baking dish on top of the spinach. Then layer the mashed potatoes on top. Top with Grated Parmesan. Bake in the oven at 400 degrees for about half an hour.
Capery Salad
This recipe is from Nigella Lawson, and its a perfect light and vinegary salad to go with fried seafood...
Ingredients
Romaine Lettuce
Capers
Gherkins
Dijon Mustard
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Parsley
First chop the romaine and add to a bowl. Add several tablespoons of drained capers. Chop a few gherkins and add. In a separate bowl add a little gherkin liquid to olive oil and dijon mustard. Whisk and pour over lettuce. Add chopped parsley, toss, and serve
Ingredients
Romaine Lettuce
Capers
Gherkins
Dijon Mustard
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Parsley
First chop the romaine and add to a bowl. Add several tablespoons of drained capers. Chop a few gherkins and add. In a separate bowl add a little gherkin liquid to olive oil and dijon mustard. Whisk and pour over lettuce. Add chopped parsley, toss, and serve
Fried Calamari and Aioli
This recipe comes from Chuck Hughes, with a few tweaks...
Fried Calamari
Ingredients:
Fresh Calamari
Buttermilk
Eggs
Lemon
Tabasco
Flour
Salt
Pepper
Paprika
Cayenne
Pepper
Vegetable Oil
First, cut the calamari into the rings and tentacles. Place in a bowl and add buttermilk, a little tabasco (to taste), and a couple teaspoons of lemon juice. Let the rings marinate for about 2 hours.
Separately, mix flour, salt, pepper, teaspoon paprika, and a teaspoon cayenne together. Remove calamari from the buttermilk, drain. In a bowl add about two eggs and whisk. Dip Calamari in and then into flour mixture.
Heat Vegetable oil to 360 degrees and fry calamari in batches, about 4 minutes each batch. Serve with Aioli below...
This is Mark Bittman's Aioli recipe...
Ingredients
Garlic Cloves, Peeled (3-8)
1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt
pepper
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
First mince the garlic.
In a bowl, add the yolk and dijon. Beat with a whisk, slowly add the oil in drips...add more as it emulsifies more. When complete, add the garlic, vinegar, salt and pepper.
Fried Calamari
Ingredients:
Fresh Calamari
Buttermilk
Eggs
Lemon
Tabasco
Flour
Salt
Pepper
Paprika
Cayenne
Pepper
Vegetable Oil
First, cut the calamari into the rings and tentacles. Place in a bowl and add buttermilk, a little tabasco (to taste), and a couple teaspoons of lemon juice. Let the rings marinate for about 2 hours.
Separately, mix flour, salt, pepper, teaspoon paprika, and a teaspoon cayenne together. Remove calamari from the buttermilk, drain. In a bowl add about two eggs and whisk. Dip Calamari in and then into flour mixture.
Heat Vegetable oil to 360 degrees and fry calamari in batches, about 4 minutes each batch. Serve with Aioli below...
This is Mark Bittman's Aioli recipe...
Ingredients
Garlic Cloves, Peeled (3-8)
1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt
pepper
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
First mince the garlic.
In a bowl, add the yolk and dijon. Beat with a whisk, slowly add the oil in drips...add more as it emulsifies more. When complete, add the garlic, vinegar, salt and pepper.
Eggplant Parmesan
This is from Mark Bittman's book, "How To Cook Everything"
First, here's the tomato sauce...
Ingredients
Salt
Pepper
Onion
Canned Tomatoes (chopped)
butter
extra virgin olive oil
chopped fresh basil
First chop the onion and saute in about a tablespoon butter and olive oil. Then add the tomatoes and salt and pepper. Let it reduce and cook about 20 min. then add the basil. Add additional seasoning to taste.
Use this sauce below...
Eggplant Parmesan
Ingredients
2 Large Eggplants
Salt
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Flour
Pepper
Mozzarella
Parmesan (Grated)
Fresh Basil
Sauce (above)
First peel the eggplant and slice into discs. Lay out and salt until liquid forms. Drain and repeat on the other side.
Heat the oil in a pan and dredge each side of the eggplant in flour. Cook in batches, 3-4 minutes each side until browned and drain on a paper towel.
Line a baking dish bottom with some of the sauce, then layer eggplant...then slices of mozzarella and grated parmesan...then basil leaves. Repeat until all ingredients are used and top with parmesan. Bake in oven about half an hour.
Heat the oven to 350.
First, here's the tomato sauce...
Ingredients
Salt
Pepper
Onion
Canned Tomatoes (chopped)
butter
extra virgin olive oil
chopped fresh basil
First chop the onion and saute in about a tablespoon butter and olive oil. Then add the tomatoes and salt and pepper. Let it reduce and cook about 20 min. then add the basil. Add additional seasoning to taste.
Use this sauce below...
Eggplant Parmesan
Ingredients
2 Large Eggplants
Salt
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Flour
Pepper
Mozzarella
Parmesan (Grated)
Fresh Basil
Sauce (above)
First peel the eggplant and slice into discs. Lay out and salt until liquid forms. Drain and repeat on the other side.
Heat the oil in a pan and dredge each side of the eggplant in flour. Cook in batches, 3-4 minutes each side until browned and drain on a paper towel.
Line a baking dish bottom with some of the sauce, then layer eggplant...then slices of mozzarella and grated parmesan...then basil leaves. Repeat until all ingredients are used and top with parmesan. Bake in oven about half an hour.
Heat the oven to 350.
Peas with Lettuce and Baked Potato with Truffle Oil
This pea recipe is from Nigella Lawson...
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 3 small or 2 fat scallions, finely sliced
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 drop garlic-infused oil (or any oil really)
- 1 Little Gem (Butterhead) lettuce, shredded
- 2 cups frozen petits pois
- 1/2 cup hot chicken stock (concentrate or cube and hot water is fine)
Cook the scallions in the butter and oil until soft. Stir in the shredded lettuce, and when it is wilted add the frozen peas and stock.
Cook at a robust simmer, uncovered, until everything is tender and the liquid flavorful and reduced.
Baked Potato with Truffle Oil, Sour Cream and Chives
Ingredients
Potato
Black Truffle Oil
Sea Salt
Pepper
Sour Cream
Chopped Chives
For the baked potato...I know its a bit ridiculous to post a baked potato recipe, so I'll just describe my variation here...:) First oven at 375, coat the potatoes with a thin layer of Black Truffle Oil, Sea Salt and Pepper. Cook about an hour. I made a mix of sour cream and chives to serve on top of an opened baked potato.
Steak Au Poivre
This recipe is from Episode 1 of Battlestar Galactica and I believe I originally got it from the Barefoot Contessa...it's Steak Au Poivre
Ingredients
Steaks
Chopped Shallot
Veg. Oil
Butter
Beef Broth
Brandy
First, cook the steaks in a frying pan in about a tablespoon butter, and vegetable oil. Depending on the size of the steaks, about 3-4 minutes each side. It's best to tell a butcher what you're making and ask a suggested cooking time. After cooking, remove the steaks and cover with aluminum foil.
In the pan add a chopped shallot and about 1/3 cup beef broth and let it reduce. Add a tablespoon or 2 of brandy and a bit more butter.
Ingredients
Steaks
Chopped Shallot
Veg. Oil
Butter
Beef Broth
Brandy
First, cook the steaks in a frying pan in about a tablespoon butter, and vegetable oil. Depending on the size of the steaks, about 3-4 minutes each side. It's best to tell a butcher what you're making and ask a suggested cooking time. After cooking, remove the steaks and cover with aluminum foil.
In the pan add a chopped shallot and about 1/3 cup beef broth and let it reduce. Add a tablespoon or 2 of brandy and a bit more butter.
Herbed Baked Eggs and Maple Bacon
Mark here...I'm going to try and catch up here on some recipes...this one goes back to the pilot episode of Battlestar Galactica...these recipes are both variations from the Barefoot Contessa
Hereb Baked Eggs
Ingredients:
Chopped Garlic
Chopped Fresh Thyme
Chopped Fresh Rosemary
Chopped Fresh Parsley
Eggs
Grated Parmesan
Heavy Cream
Butter
Salt
Pepper
Toast
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
First combine the garlic, thyme, rosemary, parsley and parmesan. I'm not listing portions because we did it for 4 people, with about 2 eggs per person. I used a large gratin dish and poured a layer of cream and about 2 tablespoons of butter into the bottom. Place in the oven for about 3-5 minutes until butter melts, then add the eggs (about 8) and sprinkle herb mixture on top. Turn the oven to broil, and place under the broiler for 5-6 minutes or until eggs are cooked to desired level.
Maple Bacon
Ingredients
Bacon
Real Maple Syrup
This recipe is really easy...my friends call it candied bacon because of how it turns out. With the oven on about 400, put bacon on a rack on cookie sheet and place in the oven. It can be a bit messy, and you may find yourself needing to drain off some of the bacon fat. After about 15-20, remove the bacon and brush with maple syrup, then return to the oven for another 5 min. done!
Hereb Baked Eggs
Ingredients:
Chopped Garlic
Chopped Fresh Thyme
Chopped Fresh Rosemary
Chopped Fresh Parsley
Eggs
Grated Parmesan
Heavy Cream
Butter
Salt
Pepper
Toast
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
First combine the garlic, thyme, rosemary, parsley and parmesan. I'm not listing portions because we did it for 4 people, with about 2 eggs per person. I used a large gratin dish and poured a layer of cream and about 2 tablespoons of butter into the bottom. Place in the oven for about 3-5 minutes until butter melts, then add the eggs (about 8) and sprinkle herb mixture on top. Turn the oven to broil, and place under the broiler for 5-6 minutes or until eggs are cooked to desired level.
Maple Bacon
Ingredients
Bacon
Real Maple Syrup
This recipe is really easy...my friends call it candied bacon because of how it turns out. With the oven on about 400, put bacon on a rack on cookie sheet and place in the oven. It can be a bit messy, and you may find yourself needing to drain off some of the bacon fat. After about 15-20, remove the bacon and brush with maple syrup, then return to the oven for another 5 min. done!
Saturday, October 13, 2012
The Puppet Show
Mark here...this one is called "The Puppet Show" and the premise is that there's a demon running rampant at the school talent show. It's done pretty well considering the show's budget. Basically, one kid at the show has a creepy dummy that is obviously possessed or something. But, fake out...the dummy is actually a good guy looking to kill the real demon, who's taken the form of a student. It's another of the show's interesting twists on a cliche horror theme. As in Chucky. There's some genuine scary and creepy moments too before this reveal. It's also funny to see Cordelia's "talent" of singing "Greatest Love of All".
We also get some more computer time with Willow accessing school medical records. At this point, the computer use seems kind of dated, as Laurel said for the previous episode. It also plays as a plot device to give Willow something to do and let us know she's a brain in the group... Although not the only one, as we're reminded at episodes end when the demon goes after Giles for his brain...:)
Laurel here...I was super creeped out by this episode. Is there anything creepier than a walking talking dummy? He turns out to be a good guy, which like Mark said is an interesting twist, but creepy nonetheless. Also creepy is the new, mean, principal (you may remember principal Flutie, who I loved got eaten by hyena possessed teenagers a few episodes ago). I suspected he was the demon but it turns out he is just a mean, creepy normal person.
We also get some more computer time with Willow accessing school medical records. At this point, the computer use seems kind of dated, as Laurel said for the previous episode. It also plays as a plot device to give Willow something to do and let us know she's a brain in the group... Although not the only one, as we're reminded at episodes end when the demon goes after Giles for his brain...:)
Laurel here...I was super creeped out by this episode. Is there anything creepier than a walking talking dummy? He turns out to be a good guy, which like Mark said is an interesting twist, but creepy nonetheless. Also creepy is the new, mean, principal (you may remember principal Flutie, who I loved got eaten by hyena possessed teenagers a few episodes ago). I suspected he was the demon but it turns out he is just a mean, creepy normal person.
I Robot...You Jane
Mark here...This episode is called "I Robot...You Jane" and it's a cool concept. There's a demon who's been trapped inside a book. He is inadvertently released onto the internet when the gang is scanning books in the library. He seduces certain students, one of whom happens to be Willow. The gang eventually catches on to what's going on and catches the demon again. As I said the episode plays well...up until the end. The demon finds his way out of the internet and into a conveniently ready demon shaped robot. Its a bit of a stretch and after an otherwise interesting episode, its kind of corny and low budget. Also, this episode introduces us to Jenny Calendar. She's the new school computer science teacher and is clearly meant to be a bit of a foil for Giles. She's also "hip" to the supernatural world, a "techno-pagan". I seem to remember her being a popular character, but I never really liked her. She's a bit too "Melrose Place" to come across as a cool nerd. In any case, her computer skills help save the day here in the end.
Laurel here...I thought this episode had a really interesting concept, of the demon escaping into the internet. I feel like it was a real sign of the times. In the late 90s the internet was still super new, remember how people used to be afraid of shopping online because they had to enter their credit card numbers? Anyway I thought it was an interesting idea to have a demon escape into the internet and wreak havoc. In the show even after the demon incident the gang still seems to be ok with technology, except for Giles of course just wants to be alone with his books.
Another note about this episode. Poor Willow! The demon pretends to be an 18 year old boy from a town 80 miles away and seduces willow through online chat. She thinks she has met the man of her dreams on the internet and he turns out to be a crazy, ancient, ugly monster turned robot. wah wah. This is why I don't do online dating!
I agree with Mark about "Jenny Calendar". A of all, worst name ever, B of all I feel like as the teacher who is a computer expert and a pagan, she should be a little quirkier. It's an opportunity for a really interesting character and she is just too normal and boring.
Laurel here...I thought this episode had a really interesting concept, of the demon escaping into the internet. I feel like it was a real sign of the times. In the late 90s the internet was still super new, remember how people used to be afraid of shopping online because they had to enter their credit card numbers? Anyway I thought it was an interesting idea to have a demon escape into the internet and wreak havoc. In the show even after the demon incident the gang still seems to be ok with technology, except for Giles of course just wants to be alone with his books.
Another note about this episode. Poor Willow! The demon pretends to be an 18 year old boy from a town 80 miles away and seduces willow through online chat. She thinks she has met the man of her dreams on the internet and he turns out to be a crazy, ancient, ugly monster turned robot. wah wah. This is why I don't do online dating!
I agree with Mark about "Jenny Calendar". A of all, worst name ever, B of all I feel like as the teacher who is a computer expert and a pagan, she should be a little quirkier. It's an opportunity for a really interesting character and she is just too normal and boring.
Angel
Mark here...Laurel and I are sitting down for some blogging again. Tonight I made a Shepard's Pie with a bit of a twist using ground bison. Originally I was making it to be a bit low fat but I think adding bacon and butter may have pushed the fat content up. In any case, it tasted good. On to the episode...this episode is called "Angel" and is an expository episode to give us a bit of background on Angels' character. Up to this point he has sort of lurked in the shadows and turned up here or there for a rescue. Here we get the set-up that he is actually a 200 plus year old vampire who has been cursed by gypsies. The curse gives him back a soul and a conscience, thus his tortured persona. Of course now's the perfect set up for him and Buffy as star-crossed lovers. In these days of vampire lovers left and right, this romance is actually pretty interesting. That said the episode writing was a little flat. Given that Angel's story is pretty good, the events around the episode are run of the mill. One bright spot was Darla the villainous vampire. She's the vampire who made Angel a vampire and also his ex. She's out of the picture by the end of the episode, which is too bad...she's way more fun than The Master or the Anointed One (aka little brat).
Laurel here...I was really into Darla this episode. She's a pretty awesome lady villain. She comes up with a sneaky plan to get Angel to kill Buffy that almost works...While Buffy is out, she pretends to be one of Buffy's friends to get Buffy's mom to invite her into their house. Then she bites Buffy's mom (although I'm not quite sure why she didn't finish her off). Angel shows up to save the day of course, because that's what he does. When he gets there Darla shoves Buffy's mom into his arms and leaves, so Buffy walks in she finds angel standing over her mom, and course thinks that Angel tried to kill her mom. She does go out hunting for Angel intending to kill him, but Darla's plan is foiled when Buffy and Angel realize they feel for each other too much to kill each other, and Angel ends up killing Darla instead. Anyway I'm sad she got killed.
Laurel here...I was really into Darla this episode. She's a pretty awesome lady villain. She comes up with a sneaky plan to get Angel to kill Buffy that almost works...While Buffy is out, she pretends to be one of Buffy's friends to get Buffy's mom to invite her into their house. Then she bites Buffy's mom (although I'm not quite sure why she didn't finish her off). Angel shows up to save the day of course, because that's what he does. When he gets there Darla shoves Buffy's mom into his arms and leaves, so Buffy walks in she finds angel standing over her mom, and course thinks that Angel tried to kill her mom. She does go out hunting for Angel intending to kill him, but Darla's plan is foiled when Buffy and Angel realize they feel for each other too much to kill each other, and Angel ends up killing Darla instead. Anyway I'm sad she got killed.
Saturday, September 15, 2012
The Pack
Hi Laurel here...This was a weird one. Super good, but weird.
The episode starts out with a field trip to the zoo. A pack of mean kids who pick on everybody break into a quarantined Hyena exhibit, dragging the school wimp with them. Xander follows them in to save the wimp, and they all get possessed by Hyena spirits (except for the wimp who ironically escapes unscathed). From there they all basically turn into human Hyenas - first feeding on a baby pig (the super cute school mascot) then progress to hunting humans. And acting like huge assholes every chance they get.
The other kids were assholes to begin with so you don't care as much that they are acting like jerks, but Xander's transformation is pretty extreme. He's so mean! It was a great episode but I sort of hated it because Xander was such a dick. He's especially mean to Willow which is sort of heartbreaking. He tells her he's dropping geometry class so that he won't need her help with math anymore because he's sick of looking at her "pasty white face", then laughs with his hyena buddies and walks away. Nicholas Brendon the actor who plays Xander does a really good job of being mean, which made the episode that much creepier.
The worst part is that the hyena kids EAT PRINCIPAL FLUTIE! I'm bummed I was really getting into him, his character was starting to be really endearing and funny.
Mark here...I agree with Laurel, a very scary and good episode and creepy. Xander's transformation here is really good. We also get some development in the sort of love square going on...Willow likes Xander who likes Buffy who likes Angel. Though Willow is the one with hurt feelings here.
There's a nice twist at the end in terms of who's orchestrating the animal transformations, although the whole thing is resolved a little too quickly. The story does move the character dynamics on though, which is nice. I'm still not sure the love dynamics all make sense, but I guess its high school so they don't need to. In any case, there were some good scares.
The killing of the principal was a bit of a shock, a reminder I guess that Sunnydale is not the safest place!
Laurel here...In the end it turns out the zookeeper is behind it all, he wanted to become some kind of supreme Hyena human, but his plan is thwarted when Buffy throws him into the Hyena pit and he gets eaten by real Hyenas. Ironic, no?
The episode starts out with a field trip to the zoo. A pack of mean kids who pick on everybody break into a quarantined Hyena exhibit, dragging the school wimp with them. Xander follows them in to save the wimp, and they all get possessed by Hyena spirits (except for the wimp who ironically escapes unscathed). From there they all basically turn into human Hyenas - first feeding on a baby pig (the super cute school mascot) then progress to hunting humans. And acting like huge assholes every chance they get.
The other kids were assholes to begin with so you don't care as much that they are acting like jerks, but Xander's transformation is pretty extreme. He's so mean! It was a great episode but I sort of hated it because Xander was such a dick. He's especially mean to Willow which is sort of heartbreaking. He tells her he's dropping geometry class so that he won't need her help with math anymore because he's sick of looking at her "pasty white face", then laughs with his hyena buddies and walks away. Nicholas Brendon the actor who plays Xander does a really good job of being mean, which made the episode that much creepier.
The worst part is that the hyena kids EAT PRINCIPAL FLUTIE! I'm bummed I was really getting into him, his character was starting to be really endearing and funny.
Mark here...I agree with Laurel, a very scary and good episode and creepy. Xander's transformation here is really good. We also get some development in the sort of love square going on...Willow likes Xander who likes Buffy who likes Angel. Though Willow is the one with hurt feelings here.
There's a nice twist at the end in terms of who's orchestrating the animal transformations, although the whole thing is resolved a little too quickly. The story does move the character dynamics on though, which is nice. I'm still not sure the love dynamics all make sense, but I guess its high school so they don't need to. In any case, there were some good scares.
The killing of the principal was a bit of a shock, a reminder I guess that Sunnydale is not the safest place!
Laurel here...In the end it turns out the zookeeper is behind it all, he wanted to become some kind of supreme Hyena human, but his plan is thwarted when Buffy throws him into the Hyena pit and he gets eaten by real Hyenas. Ironic, no?
Never Kill A Boy On The First Date
Mark here...we're on to episode five of Buffy, "Never Kill A Boy On The First Date." This episode's premise is the difficulty of balancing slaying and dating for Buffy. She's simultaneously supposed to prevent the Master (the big bad guy) from raising "the anointed one" while making time to date Owen. Buffy's smitten acting can be a bit annoying and the fact that no one can come up with a good excuse for Buffy to ditch her date. Still the episode was entertaining. In the end though, Owen has an exciting evening with Buffy and the gang...perhaps too exciting as he's attracted to the danger. This leads Buffy to break things off as she can't be worrying about someone who's going to be reckless, as opposed to her friends who are more cautious. It's a bit of a weak excuse, but Owen's a bit of a rube anyway. And separately, the Master does succeed in raising the anointed one, who turns out, unexpectedly, to be a kid. As far as big villains go, the Master is kind of dull. He's ugly enough, but personality-wise he's pretty generic. Cordelia actually is a more fun rival for Buffy as she stalks Owen for herself.
Laurel here...I agree with Mark, especially about the Master. He's more snively and bitchy than he is scary. I like my villains how I like my heroes. Bad Ass.
I do feel bad for Buffy that she doesn't get to be a regular teenager at all. Vampires don't take nights off for dating!
Laurel here...I agree with Mark, especially about the Master. He's more snively and bitchy than he is scary. I like my villains how I like my heroes. Bad Ass.
I do feel bad for Buffy that she doesn't get to be a regular teenager at all. Vampires don't take nights off for dating!
Teacher's Pet
Mark here... we're settled in for the next episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Laurel has made us Mahi Mahi tacos and a side of rice and beans, very delicious and a bit of a healthier option for us (for a change!). This episode is called "Teacher's Pet" and it's a bit of a play on old B-movie monsters. The writing nicely makes up for the cheap special effects, or at least makes them appropriate. The new science teacher is a bit of a femme fatale, and all the boys, including Xander are smitten with her. Turns out she's actually a giant preying mantis out for young virgin boys to mate with. The concept is a fun twist on the old idea of a monster preying on young virgins, who usually are unsuspecting young girls. Another interesting thing is how young the characters look! Angel and Xander look very boyish in these early episodes. Buffy looks healthy and not too gaunt. Willow's fashion is hurting, but I guess that's supposed to be the case so we can see how her style and personality develops through the series.
Laurel here...I really liked this episode, it was super fun. I agree with Mark, the b-movie aspect was really fun, and made the shitty special effects seem appropriately cheesy instead of just bad. I also was into how Buffy was battling a lady monster this time. It's nice that the show every so often takes a break from the vampire fighting to incorporate other monsters. There is one vampire in this episode, but he has a crazy claw like wolverine so he's a little more interesting than the usual ones. Buffy kills him with a piece of picket fence. Ah, Sunnydale.
Also Angel! He's so super hot in these early episodes when he is still mysterious. I find the boy version of him way more attractive than the man version. The chemistry between him and Buffy really works. If smoldering looks could get girls pregnant Angel would have totally knocked her up this episode.
I would also like to mention that Mark really came correct tonight...wearing a Buffy t-shirt.
Laurel here...I really liked this episode, it was super fun. I agree with Mark, the b-movie aspect was really fun, and made the shitty special effects seem appropriately cheesy instead of just bad. I also was into how Buffy was battling a lady monster this time. It's nice that the show every so often takes a break from the vampire fighting to incorporate other monsters. There is one vampire in this episode, but he has a crazy claw like wolverine so he's a little more interesting than the usual ones. Buffy kills him with a piece of picket fence. Ah, Sunnydale.
Also Angel! He's so super hot in these early episodes when he is still mysterious. I find the boy version of him way more attractive than the man version. The chemistry between him and Buffy really works. If smoldering looks could get girls pregnant Angel would have totally knocked her up this episode.
I would also like to mention that Mark really came correct tonight...wearing a Buffy t-shirt.
Saturday, August 4, 2012
Witch
Mark here... this episode is called "Witch" and it establishes that there's another supernatural world out there that Buffy needs to fight. As Giles describes, Sunnydale (the town Buffy lives in) is a hotbed of supernatural mischief. It sits atop a Hellmouth, a sort of vortex of evil. So in this episode Buffy is looking to try out for the cheerleading squad as a way of maintaining a normal life. Of course, cheerleading is evil, so we know that can't end well... We're introduced to Amy, whose Mom is pushing her to make the squad. Turns out Mom is a witch casting spells to get Amy on the squad. The episode also serves to show us the role Buffy's friends will playing in fighting evil. Giles shows himself to be adept in understanding spells and ends up casting one to break the witch's.
Laurel here... I like this one. For one we really see how Willow is going to be a valuable aid for Buffy, in this one she makes a potion that verifies that Amy is a witch...You assume it's Amy's mom casting spells and causing bad things to happen to cheerleaders who stand in between Amy and making the squad, then Willow proves it is Amy herself, then it tuns out AMY IS HER MOM because her witchy mom thought she was wasting her youth and made her switch bodies. Good twist actually.
Quotes of note:
Giles saying "Pardon Me for finding the glass half full"...it was funny when we heard it...
Laurel here... I like this one. For one we really see how Willow is going to be a valuable aid for Buffy, in this one she makes a potion that verifies that Amy is a witch...You assume it's Amy's mom casting spells and causing bad things to happen to cheerleaders who stand in between Amy and making the squad, then Willow proves it is Amy herself, then it tuns out AMY IS HER MOM because her witchy mom thought she was wasting her youth and made her switch bodies. Good twist actually.
Quotes of note:
Giles saying "Pardon Me for finding the glass half full"...it was funny when we heard it...
The Harvest
Mark here... this episode, "The Harvest" is a continuation of the last, basically a two-part pilot. I'd like to note the fun theme song here. Good tv shows have a theme song that makes you look forward to what's coming, and the rockin' totally 90s theme here fits the bill. This episode's not quite as fun as the last but serves to lay some groundwork. For one, the school library serves as team headquarters for Buffy and her friends. Which brings to another, Buffy's friends are in on her being the Slayer from the beginning and by the end of the episode, so is school bitch Cordelia. The premise of the episode is Buffy preventing Head vampire "The Master" who's trapped in another dimension, from being able to enter ours. The character stuff is way more relevant...Cordelia making fun of Willow while in computer class, then asking how to finish her assgnment. Willow responds, "hit Deliver"...meaning Delete.
Laurel here...I continue to be surprised/impressed by how the characters who I know from later are introduced in these early episodes. They all acknowledge the importance of Buffy's mission (even if she doesn't) and are all down with keeping her secret. The only one who has been introduced so far that we dont know about yet is angel, who seems to understand about buffy's role as the slayer and it is unclear to us at this point what his role is...but the sexual tension between him and Buffy is already building...
As a side note it is interesting to me how many actors playing vampires on this show I have met as extras working on commercials. For those of you who don't know, I make my living as a teamster/set dresser on tv commericals and it is nice to see so many extras that I have worked with on commercials being cast as principal (vampires) in this early stage of the show. It means way more money for them as working actors, right on!
Quotes of note this episode...
Cordelia to Willow: "Who gave you permission to exist?"
Cordeila to her shitty friends regarding not dating high school guys: "It's like when I go shopping, I have to have the most expensive thing, not because it's more expensive, but because it costs more."
I love what a bitch she is.
Laurel here...I continue to be surprised/impressed by how the characters who I know from later are introduced in these early episodes. They all acknowledge the importance of Buffy's mission (even if she doesn't) and are all down with keeping her secret. The only one who has been introduced so far that we dont know about yet is angel, who seems to understand about buffy's role as the slayer and it is unclear to us at this point what his role is...but the sexual tension between him and Buffy is already building...
As a side note it is interesting to me how many actors playing vampires on this show I have met as extras working on commercials. For those of you who don't know, I make my living as a teamster/set dresser on tv commericals and it is nice to see so many extras that I have worked with on commercials being cast as principal (vampires) in this early stage of the show. It means way more money for them as working actors, right on!
Quotes of note this episode...
Cordelia to Willow: "Who gave you permission to exist?"
Cordeila to her shitty friends regarding not dating high school guys: "It's like when I go shopping, I have to have the most expensive thing, not because it's more expensive, but because it costs more."
I love what a bitch she is.
BUFFY!
Mark here...Laurel and I are switching gears again and watching Season 1 of Buffy The Vampire Slayer. I've made us Steak with Bernaise, French Fries and a Beet Salad, to keep with a "blood" theme. This first episode is called, "Welcome to the Hellmouth" and I was surprised at how entertaining this show is right out of the gate. We're introduced to Buffy who has just moved to town after being involved with burning the school gym down at her previous school. She's also a Slayer, the one girl in all the world who is given extra abilities to slay vampires and demons. She also has to attend high school. We're also introduced to her supporting cast...bitchy Cordelia, nerdy Willow, and outcast Xander...and mysterious Angel. Also, we meet the school librarian, Giles, who coincidentally is her Watcher. Each Slayer is given a Watcher who trains and guides her.
This episode deals with a coming disaster called the Harvest, but more importantly shows the wit of the show. There's a whole lot of 90s going on here, but its not as annoying as Dawson's Creek was and holds up in a more fun, nostalgic way.
Hi Laurel here...I agree with Mark, this show is super 90s in a fun way, not in an annoying existential teenage Dawson's way. I have only watched Buffy sporadically before. It's interesting to see how some of the different characters are introduced and what roles they play in the very beginning compared to how things pan out later. I like in this episode how Buffy wants to move on and be a normal kid but she is sort of reluctantly forced into being the slayer again. I love a reluctant hero. Also I like how perfectly nerdy Willow is, and Buffy still seeks her out as a new friend anyway.
Mark here...its also interesting to note how this show was sort of on a cusp of a teen renaissance in tv and movies, and making the WB the go-to station for a while. It's easy to see why with the snappy writing. But I remember how odd the pickup of this show was in the beginning, basically a spinoff of a B-movie on a station no one watched...but whoever made the decision, it was the right one.
Quotes of note this episode: Cordilia to Buffy when she see's her talking to Willow and Xander: "I don't mean to interrupt your downward mobility but..."
Also Buffy to Giles when he questions her ability to "sense" vampires when she ends up judging a book by it's cover, a supposed vampire who has clearly been underground for several years wearing a super dated cub outfit: "I mean, deal with that outfit for a minute, it's like he's from El Debarge."
This episode deals with a coming disaster called the Harvest, but more importantly shows the wit of the show. There's a whole lot of 90s going on here, but its not as annoying as Dawson's Creek was and holds up in a more fun, nostalgic way.
Hi Laurel here...I agree with Mark, this show is super 90s in a fun way, not in an annoying existential teenage Dawson's way. I have only watched Buffy sporadically before. It's interesting to see how some of the different characters are introduced and what roles they play in the very beginning compared to how things pan out later. I like in this episode how Buffy wants to move on and be a normal kid but she is sort of reluctantly forced into being the slayer again. I love a reluctant hero. Also I like how perfectly nerdy Willow is, and Buffy still seeks her out as a new friend anyway.
Mark here...its also interesting to note how this show was sort of on a cusp of a teen renaissance in tv and movies, and making the WB the go-to station for a while. It's easy to see why with the snappy writing. But I remember how odd the pickup of this show was in the beginning, basically a spinoff of a B-movie on a station no one watched...but whoever made the decision, it was the right one.
Quotes of note this episode: Cordilia to Buffy when she see's her talking to Willow and Xander: "I don't mean to interrupt your downward mobility but..."
Also Buffy to Giles when he questions her ability to "sense" vampires when she ends up judging a book by it's cover, a supposed vampire who has clearly been underground for several years wearing a super dated cub outfit: "I mean, deal with that outfit for a minute, it's like he's from El Debarge."
Saturday, July 21, 2012
Kobol's Last Gleaming Part 2
Mark here... bam! This episode is the season finale and leaves on quite a cliffhanger. Spoiler alert for anyone who doesn't know...we're about to talk about some revealing moments!
The episode picks up where the last left off and there's a crew stranded on Kobol with the Cylon basestar above. Back on Galactica, the plan is to infiltrate the basestar using a Cylon device Lt. Gaeta crafted from the captured Cylon Raider. The device allows Cylon Sharon to get onboard the basestar to deliver a nuclear weapon. But while onboard she encounters several versions of herself...
Meanwhile on the fleet a civil war is happening after Roslin's decision to send Starbuck back to Caprica. Adama sends troops to invade Colonial One and arrest Roslin. Apollo backs the President and they both end up arrested to avoid bloodshed. Starbucks mission on Caprica ends up with her fighting with another Cylon Six over the Arrow of Apollo. She's rescued by Helo only to recognize the Caprica Sharon...
On Galactica, Adama is congratulating that version of Sharon on successfully destroying the basestar...only to have her pull out a gun and shoot him in the chest! End of episode and a perfect cliffhanger...leaving you wanting more! and not knowing what will happen to Adama? Roslin in the bring? Starbuck and Helo on Caprica? and the crew members left on Kobol?
Laurel here..nothing much to add except OMG! Sharon shoots Adama?!?! I thought when Sharon encountered, like, 27 versions of herself it was going to increase her resolve to reject her Cylon side and commit completely to the humans but then she shoots her human leader?!? It makes me wonder whether this was the Cylon plan all along, or if she has a change of heart when it is confirmed for her that she is in fact a Cylon. Then maybe turning against the human race seems and inevitable conclusion for her as an individual?
I also think it's awesome that Apollo goes against command in order to defend the President. Earlier in the episode Adama tells him that he needs to follow his instincts, which he sites as his reason for his personal mutiny against the military.
OMG what a cliff hanger!! It's going to be really hard to wait until we cycle through the rest of the 1st seasons of shows we want to do before we finally get into season 2 of Galactica to find out what happens!
The episode picks up where the last left off and there's a crew stranded on Kobol with the Cylon basestar above. Back on Galactica, the plan is to infiltrate the basestar using a Cylon device Lt. Gaeta crafted from the captured Cylon Raider. The device allows Cylon Sharon to get onboard the basestar to deliver a nuclear weapon. But while onboard she encounters several versions of herself...
Meanwhile on the fleet a civil war is happening after Roslin's decision to send Starbuck back to Caprica. Adama sends troops to invade Colonial One and arrest Roslin. Apollo backs the President and they both end up arrested to avoid bloodshed. Starbucks mission on Caprica ends up with her fighting with another Cylon Six over the Arrow of Apollo. She's rescued by Helo only to recognize the Caprica Sharon...
On Galactica, Adama is congratulating that version of Sharon on successfully destroying the basestar...only to have her pull out a gun and shoot him in the chest! End of episode and a perfect cliffhanger...leaving you wanting more! and not knowing what will happen to Adama? Roslin in the bring? Starbuck and Helo on Caprica? and the crew members left on Kobol?
Laurel here..nothing much to add except OMG! Sharon shoots Adama?!?! I thought when Sharon encountered, like, 27 versions of herself it was going to increase her resolve to reject her Cylon side and commit completely to the humans but then she shoots her human leader?!? It makes me wonder whether this was the Cylon plan all along, or if she has a change of heart when it is confirmed for her that she is in fact a Cylon. Then maybe turning against the human race seems and inevitable conclusion for her as an individual?
I also think it's awesome that Apollo goes against command in order to defend the President. Earlier in the episode Adama tells him that he needs to follow his instincts, which he sites as his reason for his personal mutiny against the military.
OMG what a cliff hanger!! It's going to be really hard to wait until we cycle through the rest of the 1st seasons of shows we want to do before we finally get into season 2 of Galactica to find out what happens!
Kobol's Last Gleaming Part 1
Mark here...Laurel and I are settling in with some steak, a pear, arugula and bacon salad, and a butternut squash and kale dish, all courtesy of Laurel.
The episode, "Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part 1" starts off with a whole lot more Baltar than I remember and he's super annoying. First we see, out of the blue, he and Starbuck are hooking up. Clearly she's a bit damaged and he's a bit narcissistic in this hook up. She mistakenly calls out "Lee" (Apollo) in the midst of it, pissing off Baltar.
Also in the episode, Galactica discovers planet Kobol, a legendary home of the gods. The shows history states that humanity left Kobol to found the 13 colonies, including Earth. So, in theory, Kobol could lead them to Earth. Roslin's visions, from the drug she is taking to treat her cancer, further this theory. Of course Adama and her aide Billy find this crazy talk. Roslin however is convinced this will lead them to Earth. We know from the pilot though that Earth is a myth. One that the fleet believes, but that Roslin and Adama know to be just that. If Kobol is to lead them to Earth they will need "the Arrow of Apollo"...the god not the character. Way confusing and not well established yet...essentially this arrow is a sort of compass back on Caprica. It took some time and I needed to explain to Laurel that it was a physical thing. In any case, Roslin persuades Starbuck to steal the captured Cylon Raider and jump back to Caprica to get it. The only way she can persuade Starbuck is by revealing that Adama has lied about knowing where Earth is...so at the end of the episode Starbuck, seemingly testing the raider, jumps away.
The other plot point is that Kobol has a Cylon basestar orbiting around it and Cylons shoot down the Raptor force sent to investigate Kobol. Baltar is in this crew and aboard the surviving Raptor that crash lands on Kobol. His acting is so over the top and crazy-eyed its a wonder anyone listens to him!
There's also a bit going on with the 2 Cylon Sharons...Galactica version tries to kill herself and fails...Caprica version is with Helo, who claims he's only staying with her to find a way off Caprica...
Laurel here...thank god Mark was here to explain this one to me because I would have totally lost!!
Just a couple of little details I noticed...One is that in the opening of this episode Adama and Apollo are litlerally having a boxing match with each other (well ok they are sparring partners but still) metaphor much?
Also Apollo figures out that Starbuck and the crazy doctor have hooked up, because the doctor acts like a total freak (of course) when he sees her. Apollo and Starbuck get into an argument about it - at one point Starbuck loses her shit and punches Apollo in the face, and he responds by punching her, in the face, right back. Hard. So awesome! I love this idea of men and women being on equal footing without anybody being worried about how men are "supposed" to treat women or vice versa. Listen if a bitch punches you in the face her face is fair game!
The episode, "Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part 1" starts off with a whole lot more Baltar than I remember and he's super annoying. First we see, out of the blue, he and Starbuck are hooking up. Clearly she's a bit damaged and he's a bit narcissistic in this hook up. She mistakenly calls out "Lee" (Apollo) in the midst of it, pissing off Baltar.
Also in the episode, Galactica discovers planet Kobol, a legendary home of the gods. The shows history states that humanity left Kobol to found the 13 colonies, including Earth. So, in theory, Kobol could lead them to Earth. Roslin's visions, from the drug she is taking to treat her cancer, further this theory. Of course Adama and her aide Billy find this crazy talk. Roslin however is convinced this will lead them to Earth. We know from the pilot though that Earth is a myth. One that the fleet believes, but that Roslin and Adama know to be just that. If Kobol is to lead them to Earth they will need "the Arrow of Apollo"...the god not the character. Way confusing and not well established yet...essentially this arrow is a sort of compass back on Caprica. It took some time and I needed to explain to Laurel that it was a physical thing. In any case, Roslin persuades Starbuck to steal the captured Cylon Raider and jump back to Caprica to get it. The only way she can persuade Starbuck is by revealing that Adama has lied about knowing where Earth is...so at the end of the episode Starbuck, seemingly testing the raider, jumps away.
The other plot point is that Kobol has a Cylon basestar orbiting around it and Cylons shoot down the Raptor force sent to investigate Kobol. Baltar is in this crew and aboard the surviving Raptor that crash lands on Kobol. His acting is so over the top and crazy-eyed its a wonder anyone listens to him!
There's also a bit going on with the 2 Cylon Sharons...Galactica version tries to kill herself and fails...Caprica version is with Helo, who claims he's only staying with her to find a way off Caprica...
Laurel here...thank god Mark was here to explain this one to me because I would have totally lost!!
Just a couple of little details I noticed...One is that in the opening of this episode Adama and Apollo are litlerally having a boxing match with each other (well ok they are sparring partners but still) metaphor much?
Also Apollo figures out that Starbuck and the crazy doctor have hooked up, because the doctor acts like a total freak (of course) when he sees her. Apollo and Starbuck get into an argument about it - at one point Starbuck loses her shit and punches Apollo in the face, and he responds by punching her, in the face, right back. Hard. So awesome! I love this idea of men and women being on equal footing without anybody being worried about how men are "supposed" to treat women or vice versa. Listen if a bitch punches you in the face her face is fair game!
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Colonial Day
Mark here...so this episode, "Colonial Day" was a switch, from being sort of an action episode to an episode where the action was more political. The fleet decides to reconstitute the Quorum of the Twelve, essentially the Senate/Congress, which has been missing since the cylon attack. In doing so Tom Zarek from a previous episode shows up again. He is a former terrorist/political radical and his first move is to become nominated for Vice President. Roslin switches into political mode and refuses to allow him a role in her administration. First she nominates her aide as a nominee. When he proves to be not popular enough she promptly dumps him. This shows us her political savvy, as does her new nominee, Baltar. He ends up winning the role in a tight vote. Clearly, this is a writing device to once again give Baltar a role in the show. While it makes sense he's popular, this gives a reason for why Roslin and Adama put up with him. As Roslin says, "the devil you know."
On Caprica, Helo starts to figure out the Cylons can take human form and in a cliffhanger finds out Sharon is a Cylon...
Laurel here...not much to add except to elaborate on a point that Mark explained to me... We already know Roslin is a capable leader. She's fair, just, moral, and capable of making hard choices. But in this episode we find out that she is a super good politician too. Hopefully her gamble of picking a vice president to hitch her wagon to who she knows is a sketchy character will pay off politically so she can be in a position to do more good for the people in the long run. We also are lead to suspect that colonel Tigh's wife is quite the politician, and that she may be in league with Zarak in some way. Some heavy looks are exchanged.
OMG! The way Helo finds out that Sharon is a cylon is that he witnesses her killing one of her replicas!! I was hoping this would make him realize that this robot he is in love with is rejecting her program but when he realizes what's up runs away from her...
Side note, there is a political ball where we see many of the main characters dressed up in civilian party clothes. Starbuck by her own claim is supposed to "clean up well" and when Apollo encounters her in a dress and makeup at the ball he seems stunned by how awesome she supposedly looks. In reality she looks like an inexperienced drag queen. I feel like this may be the only time during the whole series that we will see her in civilian clothes, and she is in the most unflattering dress and the most unflattering hairstyle possible. Boo on the wardrobe department! Boo on hair and makeup! She is a perfectly good looking woman and they could have actually made her look stunning instead of just making Apollo act like she looked stunning. Poor thing.
On Caprica, Helo starts to figure out the Cylons can take human form and in a cliffhanger finds out Sharon is a Cylon...
Laurel here...not much to add except to elaborate on a point that Mark explained to me... We already know Roslin is a capable leader. She's fair, just, moral, and capable of making hard choices. But in this episode we find out that she is a super good politician too. Hopefully her gamble of picking a vice president to hitch her wagon to who she knows is a sketchy character will pay off politically so she can be in a position to do more good for the people in the long run. We also are lead to suspect that colonel Tigh's wife is quite the politician, and that she may be in league with Zarak in some way. Some heavy looks are exchanged.
OMG! The way Helo finds out that Sharon is a cylon is that he witnesses her killing one of her replicas!! I was hoping this would make him realize that this robot he is in love with is rejecting her program but when he realizes what's up runs away from her...
Side note, there is a political ball where we see many of the main characters dressed up in civilian party clothes. Starbuck by her own claim is supposed to "clean up well" and when Apollo encounters her in a dress and makeup at the ball he seems stunned by how awesome she supposedly looks. In reality she looks like an inexperienced drag queen. I feel like this may be the only time during the whole series that we will see her in civilian clothes, and she is in the most unflattering dress and the most unflattering hairstyle possible. Boo on the wardrobe department! Boo on hair and makeup! She is a perfectly good looking woman and they could have actually made her look stunning instead of just making Apollo act like she looked stunning. Poor thing.
The Hand of God
Mark here... Laurel and I are watching the next episode, called "The Hand of God". Laurel made us a delicious nicoise sandwich with tuna and an arugula and corn salad. This episode finds the fleet running out of fuel, so they are searching the galaxy for a source of tylium (fuel). When they find some, of course its on an asteroid with a cylon base. They craft a plan of destroying the cylon base. There are a few twists in the episode...first the original plan is a fake out. More importantly, the key pilot is not Starbuck but Apollo. Starbuck is still recovering from a leg injury which renders her benched for the attack. It's a nice action episode which shows us Apollo is a good pilot as well. Starbuck is left to helping plan the attack. As it's a tv show with limited budget, the space scenes are few but awesome.
Separately, Roslin is starting to have visions as a side effect of the kamala extract she is taking to treat her cancer. We've already been told this is a side effect of this alternative treatment, hallucinations. Her visions, however, tie in to the predictions from the scriptures of the twelve colonies, adding a bit of mystery to them. The scriptures predict a dying leader who leads them to a new home...and we know Roslin has untreatable cancer...
Back on Caprica, Helo and the cylon-Sharon he is with are still on the run from the cylons. Cylon-Sharon has not checked in so the search is on...and so is the romance between them...
Laurel here...this episode is sort of like a mini-movie in an awesome way. They have a clear dangerous mission, which at one point you are sure is going to fail, then...plot twist! They overcome and are triumphant.
One of the things I really like about this one is that we see another side of Apollo. He is normally super straight laced, by the book...but in this episode we see that he can also make the tough choices and take risks when necessary. During the attack against the Cylons he does a super sketchy move and flies through a Cylon tunnel in order to get to their fuel supply and bomb it, and in turn the whole Cylon base blows up. Way to go Appollo! Anyway it was refreshing to another side of him, to see that he is not always such a goodie goodie and can take risks when necessary.
Separately, Roslin is starting to have visions as a side effect of the kamala extract she is taking to treat her cancer. We've already been told this is a side effect of this alternative treatment, hallucinations. Her visions, however, tie in to the predictions from the scriptures of the twelve colonies, adding a bit of mystery to them. The scriptures predict a dying leader who leads them to a new home...and we know Roslin has untreatable cancer...
Back on Caprica, Helo and the cylon-Sharon he is with are still on the run from the cylons. Cylon-Sharon has not checked in so the search is on...and so is the romance between them...
Laurel here...this episode is sort of like a mini-movie in an awesome way. They have a clear dangerous mission, which at one point you are sure is going to fail, then...plot twist! They overcome and are triumphant.
One of the things I really like about this one is that we see another side of Apollo. He is normally super straight laced, by the book...but in this episode we see that he can also make the tough choices and take risks when necessary. During the attack against the Cylons he does a super sketchy move and flies through a Cylon tunnel in order to get to their fuel supply and bomb it, and in turn the whole Cylon base blows up. Way to go Appollo! Anyway it was refreshing to another side of him, to see that he is not always such a goodie goodie and can take risks when necessary.
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down
Mark here...so not that much happened this episode.... Col Tigh's wife shows up. She had apparently been knocked unconscious and woke up. Adama was secretly aware she was aboard the fleet, which told us a bit about him. Roslin remained suspicious about Adama, but I think that ended by the end of the episode. Otherwise, the episode played a bit like comic relief. Tigh's wife Ellen shows up a bit like dropping Kim cattrall in the middle of Battlestar Galactica. The other characters treat her a bit comically, but then also suspect her of being a Cylon. By the end Baltar tests her and she comes up clean, although we're led to believe that Baltar will fudge the results for anyone, as he did for Sharon in the previous episode...
Hi Laurel here...not much to add except that in the beginning of the episode we witness a weird couples lounge that neither Mark or me were sure what to make of...A bunch of couple sitting in a stadium style seating situation, looking at a view of the universe out the window, making out with each other. As the next group comes in we realize this is how couples on galactica go on dates? Super depressing but I guess makes sense considering their limitations in terms of space. Most of them live in communal bunk rooms where you would never really get a minute to yourself?
Mark here...on what Laurel said, it's the end of the human race, maybe they need to make some conjugal rooms available?!
Hi Laurel here...not much to add except that in the beginning of the episode we witness a weird couples lounge that neither Mark or me were sure what to make of...A bunch of couple sitting in a stadium style seating situation, looking at a view of the universe out the window, making out with each other. As the next group comes in we realize this is how couples on galactica go on dates? Super depressing but I guess makes sense considering their limitations in terms of space. Most of them live in communal bunk rooms where you would never really get a minute to yourself?
Mark here...on what Laurel said, it's the end of the human race, maybe they need to make some conjugal rooms available?!
Flesh and Bone
Hi Laurel here..This episode focus on a captured cylon (my favorite cylon Leonben) and the episode hinged on a bomb that has been supposedly planted in the galactic fleet somewhere and it fell on Starbuck to question him and find out where the bomb was...
So Adama was ordered to send someone to question the cylon who was the least likely person to allow the prisoner to get into their head...Starbuck seemed like the perfect person for the job but as the episode unfolds both Starbuck and us as viewers find ourselves questioning his motives. I think we are all prepared to believe he is a cylon because we have seen the same model of him as being confirmed as a cylon in the past, but he does such a good job as being seen as a charismatic human that we all question our own judgment.
Also of note in this episode we learn that the president's cancer is progressing, and that her medication is causing her to have hallucinations...hallucinations or premonitions? We still don't know...
Mark here...I think this episode was much better than the previous. As Laurel said, Starbuck is sent to interrogate a Cylon (Leoben) who is known because he is the same model Adama encountered in the pilot. He succeeds in getting in Starbucks head a bit, despite her torturing him (water torture in a nod to current politics). She goes in thinking he is a machine but he is able to show human feelings, which causes her to doubt herself. As this happens, Roslin storms in, having grown frustrated with the lack of information. She immediately breaks off Starbuck's interrogation. In a quick moment, Leoben is able to grab Roslin and whisper "Adama is a Cylon" in an attempt to plant a seed of doubt. Roslin is unmoved however and in an awesome scene, orders him thrown out the airlock..which at that point seems drastic to Starbuck (who had been torturing him).
Separately, Sharon, who is the Cylon who only suspects she's a cylon onboard Galactica...she is strangely drawn to the Cylon raider that Starbuck brought aboard. So much so she goes to Baltar for a Cylon test. He claims the test isn't ready yet, but then tests her. When the test confirms her being a cylon, he lies to her and keeps the truth to himself...confirming his shadiness, and treason I guess!
So Adama was ordered to send someone to question the cylon who was the least likely person to allow the prisoner to get into their head...Starbuck seemed like the perfect person for the job but as the episode unfolds both Starbuck and us as viewers find ourselves questioning his motives. I think we are all prepared to believe he is a cylon because we have seen the same model of him as being confirmed as a cylon in the past, but he does such a good job as being seen as a charismatic human that we all question our own judgment.
Also of note in this episode we learn that the president's cancer is progressing, and that her medication is causing her to have hallucinations...hallucinations or premonitions? We still don't know...
Mark here...I think this episode was much better than the previous. As Laurel said, Starbuck is sent to interrogate a Cylon (Leoben) who is known because he is the same model Adama encountered in the pilot. He succeeds in getting in Starbucks head a bit, despite her torturing him (water torture in a nod to current politics). She goes in thinking he is a machine but he is able to show human feelings, which causes her to doubt herself. As this happens, Roslin storms in, having grown frustrated with the lack of information. She immediately breaks off Starbuck's interrogation. In a quick moment, Leoben is able to grab Roslin and whisper "Adama is a Cylon" in an attempt to plant a seed of doubt. Roslin is unmoved however and in an awesome scene, orders him thrown out the airlock..which at that point seems drastic to Starbuck (who had been torturing him).
Separately, Sharon, who is the Cylon who only suspects she's a cylon onboard Galactica...she is strangely drawn to the Cylon raider that Starbuck brought aboard. So much so she goes to Baltar for a Cylon test. He claims the test isn't ready yet, but then tests her. When the test confirms her being a cylon, he lies to her and keeps the truth to himself...confirming his shadiness, and treason I guess!
Six Degrees of Separation
Mark here...Laurel and I are back after a bit of a break doing our real jobs. We are enjoying a Fish Pie, recipe of the 2 Fat Ladies and a white wine, selected by Silver Lake Wine. Tonight we are starting off with the next episode of Battlestar Galactica, "Six Degrees of Separation". This episode is a bit of a let down, not much happens. A version of Cylon Six shows up and accuses Baltar of being a traitor. We know he is a traitor, but not throughout the actions she accuses him of. We also know, as he does, that she is a Cylon, which is something the others at first do not know. In any case, the episode feels like an attempt to acknowledge the fact that Baltar is a weirdo and why do they trust him and not suspect him. To that end, the whole plot just seems like a roundabout way of justifying his continued presence. Personally, I believed that neither the President nor Adama trusted him, they just had no choice, as he was their only scientist.
Laurel here...I agree. Supposedly this stunt is to exonerate Baltar of any wrongdoing and cast aside any doubts about his work on the "cylon detector" but I always say where there's smoke there's fire, and there's a ton of smoke here. I'm inclined to think that the commander and the president feel the same but we will see how it goes.
Also In this episode the 2 soldiers that are trapped on Caprica, Helo and the Caprica version of Sharon finally hook up. Long overdue! Are you kidding me you've been running from Cylons for a month barely surviving and you've never hooked up? Good job for finally getting down to business.
One final note from me about this episode...we discover that even in the future men and women should never share the same public restroom. Enough said.
Laurel here...I agree. Supposedly this stunt is to exonerate Baltar of any wrongdoing and cast aside any doubts about his work on the "cylon detector" but I always say where there's smoke there's fire, and there's a ton of smoke here. I'm inclined to think that the commander and the president feel the same but we will see how it goes.
Also In this episode the 2 soldiers that are trapped on Caprica, Helo and the Caprica version of Sharon finally hook up. Long overdue! Are you kidding me you've been running from Cylons for a month barely surviving and you've never hooked up? Good job for finally getting down to business.
One final note from me about this episode...we discover that even in the future men and women should never share the same public restroom. Enough said.
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Litmus
Mark here... damn this was a good one, but a slow burner. The episode was called "Litmus" and the premise is that a Cylon agent blew himself up aboard Galactica. An independent tribunal is formed. The real drama, however, is character based. Adama and Roslin struggling with the need for a judicial solution versus a witch hunt. In the end Adama shuts down the tribunal, but we also feel like the tribunal was going after the salacious versus the real truth.
One a side note, we catch up with Helo on Caprica, who has been separated from his version of Sharon. She is seen with the Cylons who proceed to beat her up so that it will be believable when she meets up with Helo again.
Laurel here...not much happened during this episode yet it was really interesting to watch. I think the purpose in the grand scheme of things is to let us know that everyone on board Galactica is living a life of uncertainty even though their position and honorable intentions have well been established in the eyes of the viewer. Everyone on board is in question and no one is secure, no many how many people may come to bat for them, and despite their intentions and history..All's fair in love and war.
One a side note, we catch up with Helo on Caprica, who has been separated from his version of Sharon. She is seen with the Cylons who proceed to beat her up so that it will be believable when she meets up with Helo again.
Laurel here...not much happened during this episode yet it was really interesting to watch. I think the purpose in the grand scheme of things is to let us know that everyone on board Galactica is living a life of uncertainty even though their position and honorable intentions have well been established in the eyes of the viewer. Everyone on board is in question and no one is secure, no many how many people may come to bat for them, and despite their intentions and history..All's fair in love and war.
You Can't Go Home Again
Mark here... Laurel and I are sitting down for some fried calamari, courtesy of Chuck Hughes' recipe, aioli from Mark Bittman and Nigella Lawson's Capery Salad. This episode is called "You Can't Go Home" again and picks up right where last episode left off. Starbuck is stranded on a Mars-like planet with a limited supply of oxygen (having crash landed in combat with a Cylon raider last episode). It sounds like a really basic episode but it plays out with lots of drama. Starbuck comes across the downed Cylon raider, which turns out to be a biological-mechanical hybrid, and she must find its oxygen supply and make it fly again.
Meanwhile, back on Galactica, the Adamas are expending every resource to find her. The Galactica crew is slowly becoming discouraged at the prospects of finding Starbuck and worried about the Adamas willingness to risk the fleet to do so. It is ultimately President Roslin who comes onboard to tell the boys to shake it off. While she is ultimately relieved when Starbuck shows up, she shows her resolve to make tough decisions even when the boys aren't willing too.
Laurel here...I can't tell you how relieved I was while watching this episode. Finally Starbuck seems to fit the role that she was meant to, being a tough woman who is skilled at her job but who doesn't need to act like a man in order to get the point across. She saves herself from the barren planet she has crashed on by reappropriating a Cylon fighter plane (which as it turns out she had shot down in the first place) with total resourcefulness and limited bravado. I have been so insulted by her character in the past episodes because they have all implied that she needs to act like "a man" in order to be tough and resourceful, but in this episode she displayed that by just being a PERSON who is tough and good at her job she has saved her own day.
This episode was also interesting because of a role reversal between president Roslin and Commander Adama. President Roslin had to be the one who was practical and considered the practical military implications of expending a ton of resources to save one pilot versus both of the Adamas putting their military training aside and indulging their emotional feelings about Starbuck and expending a bunch of fleet resources to save her.
Mark here... I totally agree and it was good to see a little bit of why Roslin is a good President, and why Adama shouldn't be the leader. Adama is a good military leader, but like Roslin said in the mini-series, there needs to be a civilian government. In this case it's the civilian government that really shows leadership.
Laurel here..I think it is also worth noting that when Roslin comes to talk to the Adamas about how they are being unreasonable by risking the whole fleet to save this one person, instead of giving a direct order for them to give up the search, she appeals to their better sense of reason by suggesting to them that they are being irrational, then leaving it up to them. Showing true leadership (perhaps in a more feminine style than the military is used to) by convincing them that she is right versus ordering them to do what she wants.
Meanwhile, back on Galactica, the Adamas are expending every resource to find her. The Galactica crew is slowly becoming discouraged at the prospects of finding Starbuck and worried about the Adamas willingness to risk the fleet to do so. It is ultimately President Roslin who comes onboard to tell the boys to shake it off. While she is ultimately relieved when Starbuck shows up, she shows her resolve to make tough decisions even when the boys aren't willing too.
Laurel here...I can't tell you how relieved I was while watching this episode. Finally Starbuck seems to fit the role that she was meant to, being a tough woman who is skilled at her job but who doesn't need to act like a man in order to get the point across. She saves herself from the barren planet she has crashed on by reappropriating a Cylon fighter plane (which as it turns out she had shot down in the first place) with total resourcefulness and limited bravado. I have been so insulted by her character in the past episodes because they have all implied that she needs to act like "a man" in order to be tough and resourceful, but in this episode she displayed that by just being a PERSON who is tough and good at her job she has saved her own day.
This episode was also interesting because of a role reversal between president Roslin and Commander Adama. President Roslin had to be the one who was practical and considered the practical military implications of expending a ton of resources to save one pilot versus both of the Adamas putting their military training aside and indulging their emotional feelings about Starbuck and expending a bunch of fleet resources to save her.
Mark here... I totally agree and it was good to see a little bit of why Roslin is a good President, and why Adama shouldn't be the leader. Adama is a good military leader, but like Roslin said in the mini-series, there needs to be a civilian government. In this case it's the civilian government that really shows leadership.
Laurel here..I think it is also worth noting that when Roslin comes to talk to the Adamas about how they are being unreasonable by risking the whole fleet to save this one person, instead of giving a direct order for them to give up the search, she appeals to their better sense of reason by suggesting to them that they are being irrational, then leaving it up to them. Showing true leadership (perhaps in a more feminine style than the military is used to) by convincing them that she is right versus ordering them to do what she wants.
Friday, May 4, 2012
Act of Contrition
Mark here... this episode is called "Act of Contrition" and it starts out with the Galactica crew celebrating a pilot's 1000 flight, but an accident on the flight deck lets a missile loose and takes out several pilots. Thus, they're forced to search the flight for potential Viper pilots. Adama assigns Starbuck with training the new pilots. He is not aware that Starbuck passed his deceased son (and Apollo's younger brother) in flight school when he had failed. So we see that Starbuck works through her guilt in this episode...it's not quite as exciting as last episode although it's interesting to see the relationship between the Adamas and Starbuck. The episode ends on a cliffhanger. After Commander Adama learns the truth about his son (Zack)'s death he gets angry at Starbuck and tells her to do her job, reassigning the flight trainees to her. During training they are attacked by Cylons and Starbuck takes the lead in attack, resulting in her and a Cylon ship being damaged. She ejects her ship into the atmosphere of a foreign planet...
Laurel here..not much to add, true to form I fell asleep for a few minutes of this episode but Mark filled me in on what I missed. I'm excited to see what happens next episode tho.
Laurel here..not much to add, true to form I fell asleep for a few minutes of this episode but Mark filled me in on what I missed. I'm excited to see what happens next episode tho.
Bastille Day
Laurel here...So Mark and I are settling in for another night of Battlestar Gallactica. Still so relieved to be watching a show about grownups with a plot...
Mark made an amazing Eggplant Parmesan from Mark Bittman's book "How to Cook Everything", and I made an Arugula Salad from Ina Garten.
I really enjoyed this episode, while it takes on an episode specific situation we also learn a lot about the overall relationships between characters and you can see a lot interpersonal dynamics coming to life.
In this episode the Galactica is dealing with a water shortage that we learned about in the last episode. They come across a planet that has a lot of ice that could be utilized to solve their water situation. In order to mine the water from the newly discovered ice planet they need 1000 men...the supply of which can only be met by utilizing prison labor from the prison ship, the Astral Queen. Adama wants to force them to do the labor, Roslin is reluctant to use the prisoners as slave labor. So with Apollo, they come up with an idea to get the prisoners to volunteer to do the labor in exchange for points that will count towards their freedom.
Things go awry when Apollo visits the prison ship to serve as an ambassador to get the prisoners to agree to the proposal. A political prisoner (played by the actor who played Apollo in the original series) organizes a prison revolt. He takes Apollo and his team as hostages in order to satisfy his agenda to force an election for president, instead of accepting Roslin's authority.
Apollo's negotiating really shines through here, he treats the leader of the revolt with a lot of respect, offering a middle ground solution where the prisoners get to control their own ship and he promises elections within the next year, in exchange for their cooperation with mining the newly discovered planet for water.
Mark here...Laurel did a good job of summing up the events of this episode. The actual plot line of the prisoners isn't super riveting as much as the outcome. The interplay between the characters is very interesting as we get a little more development in Roslin and Adama's relationship with each other, which is still quite uneasy. There's respect but both are still suspicious of the other. Apollo seems to serve as a bridge between the two. This dynamic is upended by the end though as his solution to the prisoner revolt on the Astral Queen pleases neither of them. His call for an eventual election makes sense, although Roslin takes him into her confidence to reveal she has cancer (which we learned in the mini-series) and she's afraid knowledge of this will jeopardize her leadership.
Separately, Adama gives a very unstable Baltar a nuclear warhead with the goal of using the plutonium inside to create a Cylon detector. Adama clearly has reservations in trusting Baltar, but has no choice as he is the only scientist they have found in the fleet. We see though that Baltar is still having visions (and internal conversations) with Cylon Number 6...
Laurel again...I just wanted to add that Mark and I have been talking about how much we appreciate the diversity of the show. It's the future so it's easier for them to portray complete diversity without the complexity of the social contructs of the present day, a la Star Trek. Women seem to be on completely equal footing to the men...not to say that the women on the show don't have a feminine side, but femininity is treated as an asset and not a weakness (outside of Starbuck's denial of her femininity, which I still don't understand). Also many races and lots of mixed race people seem to be represented as well. We haven't seen any gay stuff yet but Mark assures me that comes later. I would like to see a person or two with a disability as well but you can't have it all I guess. Anyway it's super refreshing to watch a show that can just put all this stuff out there and not have to deal with any of the politics that a show would have to address if set in the present day. Although I guess they are pretty racist against robots at this point...
Mark made an amazing Eggplant Parmesan from Mark Bittman's book "How to Cook Everything", and I made an Arugula Salad from Ina Garten.
I really enjoyed this episode, while it takes on an episode specific situation we also learn a lot about the overall relationships between characters and you can see a lot interpersonal dynamics coming to life.
In this episode the Galactica is dealing with a water shortage that we learned about in the last episode. They come across a planet that has a lot of ice that could be utilized to solve their water situation. In order to mine the water from the newly discovered ice planet they need 1000 men...the supply of which can only be met by utilizing prison labor from the prison ship, the Astral Queen. Adama wants to force them to do the labor, Roslin is reluctant to use the prisoners as slave labor. So with Apollo, they come up with an idea to get the prisoners to volunteer to do the labor in exchange for points that will count towards their freedom.
Things go awry when Apollo visits the prison ship to serve as an ambassador to get the prisoners to agree to the proposal. A political prisoner (played by the actor who played Apollo in the original series) organizes a prison revolt. He takes Apollo and his team as hostages in order to satisfy his agenda to force an election for president, instead of accepting Roslin's authority.
Apollo's negotiating really shines through here, he treats the leader of the revolt with a lot of respect, offering a middle ground solution where the prisoners get to control their own ship and he promises elections within the next year, in exchange for their cooperation with mining the newly discovered planet for water.
Mark here...Laurel did a good job of summing up the events of this episode. The actual plot line of the prisoners isn't super riveting as much as the outcome. The interplay between the characters is very interesting as we get a little more development in Roslin and Adama's relationship with each other, which is still quite uneasy. There's respect but both are still suspicious of the other. Apollo seems to serve as a bridge between the two. This dynamic is upended by the end though as his solution to the prisoner revolt on the Astral Queen pleases neither of them. His call for an eventual election makes sense, although Roslin takes him into her confidence to reveal she has cancer (which we learned in the mini-series) and she's afraid knowledge of this will jeopardize her leadership.
Separately, Adama gives a very unstable Baltar a nuclear warhead with the goal of using the plutonium inside to create a Cylon detector. Adama clearly has reservations in trusting Baltar, but has no choice as he is the only scientist they have found in the fleet. We see though that Baltar is still having visions (and internal conversations) with Cylon Number 6...
Laurel again...I just wanted to add that Mark and I have been talking about how much we appreciate the diversity of the show. It's the future so it's easier for them to portray complete diversity without the complexity of the social contructs of the present day, a la Star Trek. Women seem to be on completely equal footing to the men...not to say that the women on the show don't have a feminine side, but femininity is treated as an asset and not a weakness (outside of Starbuck's denial of her femininity, which I still don't understand). Also many races and lots of mixed race people seem to be represented as well. We haven't seen any gay stuff yet but Mark assures me that comes later. I would like to see a person or two with a disability as well but you can't have it all I guess. Anyway it's super refreshing to watch a show that can just put all this stuff out there and not have to deal with any of the politics that a show would have to address if set in the present day. Although I guess they are pretty racist against robots at this point...
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Water
Mark here...this episode is called "Water" and the title refers to the fact that, thanks to a saboteur, the Galactica fleet is short of water. The saboteur in question is Cylon sleeper agent Sharon (Boomer), who we see being apparently unaware of what she is doing but missing time. During her missing time, she's apparently setting bombs. In realizing this, she confides in secret lover, Chief Tyrol, who proceeds to cover it up and make excuses for her.
Meanwhile Adama and Roslin continue to be the heart of the show. In this episode they are both dressing up for a planned meeting yet privately despising doing so. Adama Jr. (Lee) informs Roslin that it is just to make her feel more presidential, resulting in a bit more understanding. We do get a glimpse more into Roslin's character though. Although Adama recognizes the necessity of civilian government, the rest of the military shows skepticism towards her. She dismisses this and shows herself as hard-nosed as any military personnel.
Laurel here...not much to add except I'm looking forward to seeing how they resolve the fact that different cylon models are out in the world playing the same character in two places at once. For example Sharon in this episode is on the ship and has a relationship with chief tyrol, but on caprice she is rescuing Helo and maybe falling in love with him? I'm looking forward to seeing how this all works out!
Meanwhile Adama and Roslin continue to be the heart of the show. In this episode they are both dressing up for a planned meeting yet privately despising doing so. Adama Jr. (Lee) informs Roslin that it is just to make her feel more presidential, resulting in a bit more understanding. We do get a glimpse more into Roslin's character though. Although Adama recognizes the necessity of civilian government, the rest of the military shows skepticism towards her. She dismisses this and shows herself as hard-nosed as any military personnel.
Laurel here...not much to add except I'm looking forward to seeing how they resolve the fact that different cylon models are out in the world playing the same character in two places at once. For example Sharon in this episode is on the ship and has a relationship with chief tyrol, but on caprice she is rescuing Helo and maybe falling in love with him? I'm looking forward to seeing how this all works out!
33
Mark here...Laurel and I are having a meal of Steak au Poivre, Peas with Lettuce and Baked potatoes with truffle oil, sour cream and chives. We are also watching the first episode of Season One of Battlestar Galactica, post-miniseries, "33"....
The premise of the episode is that every 33 minutes the Galactica fleet is forced to have a FTL jump (Faster Than Light) because the Cylons keep showing up to find them. The pace of the episode is nice, building towards the end when one ship is revealed to be a problem and potentially harboring Cylon agents. There's a nice back and forth between Adama and Roslin, who are clearly the anchors of the show at this point and are forced to destroy the rogue ship and its 1300 people on board. Separately, we see that Helo, the soldier left behind on Caprica in the miniseries, has survived. He is rescued from Cylons by a duplicate of Sharon (Boomer), who we the audience know to be another Cylon...
Laurel here...This was a super good episode, fast paced and full of tension. My only criticism - the episode is called "33" because the cylons keep showing up every 33 minutes like clockwork, and the whole fleet just keeps jumping every 33 minutes to get away from them (a task for which everyone has to basically be awake all the time except for 10 minute catnaps). This plan is clearly unsustainable yet they never really show anybody working on a longterm solution. There should have been a nerd in a lab someplace or at a computer at least doing some math trying to figure something out. At one point Adama refers to "a plan that hasn't been implemented yet" but I feel like that's pretty vague. Anyhoo, tough choice to blow up a civilian ship but it seems to have been the right move, we'll see moving forward.
Starbuck also is slightly less annoying this episode, but she is still doing that thing of portraying a tough woman by acting like a man, which in my mind has no place in any show, especially a show about the future. President Roslin on the other hand acts like a lady and like a tough cookie, which I totally appreciate.
The premise of the episode is that every 33 minutes the Galactica fleet is forced to have a FTL jump (Faster Than Light) because the Cylons keep showing up to find them. The pace of the episode is nice, building towards the end when one ship is revealed to be a problem and potentially harboring Cylon agents. There's a nice back and forth between Adama and Roslin, who are clearly the anchors of the show at this point and are forced to destroy the rogue ship and its 1300 people on board. Separately, we see that Helo, the soldier left behind on Caprica in the miniseries, has survived. He is rescued from Cylons by a duplicate of Sharon (Boomer), who we the audience know to be another Cylon...
Laurel here...This was a super good episode, fast paced and full of tension. My only criticism - the episode is called "33" because the cylons keep showing up every 33 minutes like clockwork, and the whole fleet just keeps jumping every 33 minutes to get away from them (a task for which everyone has to basically be awake all the time except for 10 minute catnaps). This plan is clearly unsustainable yet they never really show anybody working on a longterm solution. There should have been a nerd in a lab someplace or at a computer at least doing some math trying to figure something out. At one point Adama refers to "a plan that hasn't been implemented yet" but I feel like that's pretty vague. Anyhoo, tough choice to blow up a civilian ship but it seems to have been the right move, we'll see moving forward.
Starbuck also is slightly less annoying this episode, but she is still doing that thing of portraying a tough woman by acting like a man, which in my mind has no place in any show, especially a show about the future. President Roslin on the other hand acts like a lady and like a tough cookie, which I totally appreciate.
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Battlestar Galactica!
Mark here...we are switching gears again for a new series and taping our nerd glasses together for some Battlestar Galactica. We decided to get out of high school and switch to a totally different kind of series. With that in mind, we're settling in for a brunch of herbed baked eggs, maple syrup bacon, latkes, toast, and fresh strawberries. Also, we have some special guest star bloggers with us, our friends Jeff and Emily! They've been kind enough to host us. On to the series...
Starting off we are watching the Mini-Series, which serves as a pilot for the whole series. The beginning shows us a star system of humans inhabiting 12 colonies, conveniently named after the signs of the zodiac. The humans of these colonies had created robots called Cylons who eventually rebeled against there masters. Fast forward 40 years and the Cylons are launching a surprise attack against humanity, aided by the fact that they are now able to look like humans. We first see the Battlestar Galactica as it is about to be retired and turned into a museum. But it is quickly put back into service and ends up being the last Battlestar to survive the Cylon attack, due to the fact that its systems are all designed to not be hooked up to a network, and therefore not affected by the Cylon cyber attack. The Battlestar is commanded by Adama, played by Edward James Olmos. Conveniently, his estranged son is back in the picture for the museum unveiling and becomes a member of the crew after the attack.
Separately, we are also introduced to Laura Roslin, secretary of education and 43rd in line to the presidency. After the attack she becomes president and provides a nice counter point to Adama's military-focused personality. In the end, she is who convinces Adama to abandon the fight and focus on preserving the species.
Emily here...
I'm so happy to be a guest blogger, especially on BSG! We quickly learn that the Battlestar Gallactica is about to become a museum, and that the Cylons were no longer a threat. Lots of crew members are kissing Captian Adama's ass ("Oh, it was such an honor to work with you, Adama...") and he's dreaming of vacation. While the crew of the Battlestar is getting ready for retirement, on Caprica there is a hot Cylon going around breaking hearts and breaking necks. Oh, and she destroys all humankind, while she's at it. We are led to believe she is a serious scientist, but she wears crazy see-through clothes that are inappropriate for serious science, or any workplace, actually.
Fast forward: Caprica is destroyed, Gallactica is not going to be a museum, Adama becomes head military dude. Adama's son, Lee, comes to the ship bringing lots of daddy issues. Lee's hair always looks perfect, even after taking his helmet off. Roslin's a hot cougar who takes charge. I see some serious sparks between the senior Adama and her!
We meet some Cylons. They look like humans! There are 12 of them, just like there are 12 Colonies, and very similar to the 12 apostles, maybe? 12 is a magic number.
At the end there's a huge reveal (that I will keep) and the humans are on a mission to find Earth. Will they find it? Probably not, since Captain Adama reveals to Roslin that he made that shit up, there ain't no Earth that he knows of.
Jeff Kwong here! So I made this killer toast for bunch. I don't go the usual sliced-bead-in-a-toaster route. No sir. I make a habit of never getting sliced bread first of all. You gotta go whole loaf. Sliced bread mean one of two things, stale bread or preservatives, and neither of those things are worthy of serving in the Kwong house. I start with a slice of hand cut bread, slightly thicker than the width of a standard sandwich slice. Next I toss that on a hot, buttered griddle pan. After it develops a golden brown surface, I flip that bread over and dry toast the opposite side just long enough to give it the slightest crispy surface. The toast comes of the heat and I give it a sprinkling of sea salt and coarse cracked pepper. EVERYONE was raving about how good it was and personally I found it kinda distracting while I was trying to watch BSG. Oh well, I've seen it before. It's as good as the first time around, but this time I'm full of spoilers. *SPOILER ALERT* None of the main characters die in the miniseries.
Laurel here...The toast was amazing! I already have a bone to pick with this series...Starbuck. This character is supposed to be a tough girl but she is SO over the top it's super annoying. She walks with a swagger, has a mean glare on her face, and to top it off she smokes a cigar at the end of the episode. It's totally unecessary. The fact that you are a super good fighter pilot makes you pretty tough already, so all that other stuff just makes you seem like a bad, insecure actress. And like Emily said you are probably not allowed to be smoking on a spaceship.
Mark here...if it was the apocalypse, I would smoke on a spaceship, rules be damned!
Starting off we are watching the Mini-Series, which serves as a pilot for the whole series. The beginning shows us a star system of humans inhabiting 12 colonies, conveniently named after the signs of the zodiac. The humans of these colonies had created robots called Cylons who eventually rebeled against there masters. Fast forward 40 years and the Cylons are launching a surprise attack against humanity, aided by the fact that they are now able to look like humans. We first see the Battlestar Galactica as it is about to be retired and turned into a museum. But it is quickly put back into service and ends up being the last Battlestar to survive the Cylon attack, due to the fact that its systems are all designed to not be hooked up to a network, and therefore not affected by the Cylon cyber attack. The Battlestar is commanded by Adama, played by Edward James Olmos. Conveniently, his estranged son is back in the picture for the museum unveiling and becomes a member of the crew after the attack.
Separately, we are also introduced to Laura Roslin, secretary of education and 43rd in line to the presidency. After the attack she becomes president and provides a nice counter point to Adama's military-focused personality. In the end, she is who convinces Adama to abandon the fight and focus on preserving the species.
Emily here...
I'm so happy to be a guest blogger, especially on BSG! We quickly learn that the Battlestar Gallactica is about to become a museum, and that the Cylons were no longer a threat. Lots of crew members are kissing Captian Adama's ass ("Oh, it was such an honor to work with you, Adama...") and he's dreaming of vacation. While the crew of the Battlestar is getting ready for retirement, on Caprica there is a hot Cylon going around breaking hearts and breaking necks. Oh, and she destroys all humankind, while she's at it. We are led to believe she is a serious scientist, but she wears crazy see-through clothes that are inappropriate for serious science, or any workplace, actually.
Fast forward: Caprica is destroyed, Gallactica is not going to be a museum, Adama becomes head military dude. Adama's son, Lee, comes to the ship bringing lots of daddy issues. Lee's hair always looks perfect, even after taking his helmet off. Roslin's a hot cougar who takes charge. I see some serious sparks between the senior Adama and her!
We meet some Cylons. They look like humans! There are 12 of them, just like there are 12 Colonies, and very similar to the 12 apostles, maybe? 12 is a magic number.
At the end there's a huge reveal (that I will keep) and the humans are on a mission to find Earth. Will they find it? Probably not, since Captain Adama reveals to Roslin that he made that shit up, there ain't no Earth that he knows of.
Jeff Kwong here! So I made this killer toast for bunch. I don't go the usual sliced-bead-in-a-toaster route. No sir. I make a habit of never getting sliced bread first of all. You gotta go whole loaf. Sliced bread mean one of two things, stale bread or preservatives, and neither of those things are worthy of serving in the Kwong house. I start with a slice of hand cut bread, slightly thicker than the width of a standard sandwich slice. Next I toss that on a hot, buttered griddle pan. After it develops a golden brown surface, I flip that bread over and dry toast the opposite side just long enough to give it the slightest crispy surface. The toast comes of the heat and I give it a sprinkling of sea salt and coarse cracked pepper. EVERYONE was raving about how good it was and personally I found it kinda distracting while I was trying to watch BSG. Oh well, I've seen it before. It's as good as the first time around, but this time I'm full of spoilers. *SPOILER ALERT* None of the main characters die in the miniseries.
Laurel here...The toast was amazing! I already have a bone to pick with this series...Starbuck. This character is supposed to be a tough girl but she is SO over the top it's super annoying. She walks with a swagger, has a mean glare on her face, and to top it off she smokes a cigar at the end of the episode. It's totally unecessary. The fact that you are a super good fighter pilot makes you pretty tough already, so all that other stuff just makes you seem like a bad, insecure actress. And like Emily said you are probably not allowed to be smoking on a spaceship.
Mark here...if it was the apocalypse, I would smoke on a spaceship, rules be damned!
French Fries
This recipe is from Anthony Bourdain and it's a bit of work, but well worth it!
Ingredients:
Potatoes
Peanut Oil
Salt
First peel and cut the potatoes to french fry size and then place in ice water from 30 minutes to overnight. I did it for about an hour.
Then there is the first fry stage, where you cook the potatoes in batches in 280 degree peanut oil about 5 minutes each. Let them rest for about 15 minutes after that and then fry in 375 degree oil. You will need plenty of paper towels to sit them in to soak up excess oil. When done, add fries to a big bowl and toss with salt.
Ingredients:
Potatoes
Peanut Oil
Salt
First peel and cut the potatoes to french fry size and then place in ice water from 30 minutes to overnight. I did it for about an hour.
Then there is the first fry stage, where you cook the potatoes in batches in 280 degree peanut oil about 5 minutes each. Let them rest for about 15 minutes after that and then fry in 375 degree oil. You will need plenty of paper towels to sit them in to soak up excess oil. When done, add fries to a big bowl and toss with salt.
Tuscan Roast Chicken
This is from Episode 15 of Beverly Hills 90210. It is a recipe of Ellie Krieger's and the original called for tomatoes. I forgot tomatoes and added carrots, but I think it would have been better with the tomatoes!
Ingredients:
2 Bone-in skinless breasts (I just took skin off the breasts I had, unfortunately I think this meant more fat than if I had bought it that way)
Zucchini
carrots (again, should be tomatoes)
Olive oil
garlic
salt
lemon juice
rosemary (dried and fresh)
chopped fennel (it's important to chop it small, or it won't cook enough and will be tough)
Set oven to 375
Line the bottom of a roasting pan with the chopped vegetables and toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt and pepper. In a small bowl, mix 1 tablespoon olive oil, chopped garlic, salt, 1 tablespoon lemon juice and a teaspoon of lemon zest. Rub this mixture into the breasts and then place them on top of the vegetables. Add pepper and roast 30 minutes, then stir vegetables and add rosemary. Roast for about another half hour.
Ingredients:
2 Bone-in skinless breasts (I just took skin off the breasts I had, unfortunately I think this meant more fat than if I had bought it that way)
Zucchini
carrots (again, should be tomatoes)
Olive oil
garlic
salt
lemon juice
rosemary (dried and fresh)
chopped fennel (it's important to chop it small, or it won't cook enough and will be tough)
Set oven to 375
Line the bottom of a roasting pan with the chopped vegetables and toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt and pepper. In a small bowl, mix 1 tablespoon olive oil, chopped garlic, salt, 1 tablespoon lemon juice and a teaspoon of lemon zest. Rub this mixture into the breasts and then place them on top of the vegetables. Add pepper and roast 30 minutes, then stir vegetables and add rosemary. Roast for about another half hour.
Steak with Bearnaise
This is from the East Side Story episode of Beverly Hills 90210... It is a variation on Ina Garten's recipe.
Ingredients:
Steak (We had 2 ribeyes)
Dried Tarragon
Fresh Tarragon
2 sticks of butter
Lemon
3 egg yolks
champagne vinegar
Salt
Pepper
For the bearnaise, set up a double burner and egg, 1/4 cup of vinegar, egg yolks, salt and some dried tarragon. Whisk and slowly add pats of butter to the mixture. If it gets to hot, just remove from the double burner until it cools, but continue whisking and the return to the burner. If it starts to curdle place in ice water. When all butter is mixed in, add 2 tablespoons lemon juice and chopped fresh tarragon.
For the steaks, it's best to ask butcher how to cook, as we did. In this case we salted then browned each side in butter in a frying pan and then placed them in a 375 degree oven for a few minutes to get medium rare steaks. Different size steaks will vary though.
Ingredients:
Steak (We had 2 ribeyes)
Dried Tarragon
Fresh Tarragon
2 sticks of butter
Lemon
3 egg yolks
champagne vinegar
Salt
Pepper
For the bearnaise, set up a double burner and egg, 1/4 cup of vinegar, egg yolks, salt and some dried tarragon. Whisk and slowly add pats of butter to the mixture. If it gets to hot, just remove from the double burner until it cools, but continue whisking and the return to the burner. If it starts to curdle place in ice water. When all butter is mixed in, add 2 tablespoons lemon juice and chopped fresh tarragon.
For the steaks, it's best to ask butcher how to cook, as we did. In this case we salted then browned each side in butter in a frying pan and then placed them in a 375 degree oven for a few minutes to get medium rare steaks. Different size steaks will vary though.
Monday, April 9, 2012
Home Again
Laurel here...Here we are! At the season 1 finale! It was a slog at times but we made it!
So this episode hinges on whether or not the Walshes are all going to have to move back to Minneapolis. Jim gets a big job offer for double his salary and decides he can't pass it up..The episode basically focuses on all the gang saying goodbye to each other. Steve is a total dick to Brandon because he can't deal with the possibility of Brandon leaving, Dylan and Brenda decide to try a long distance relationship but then Brenda changes her mind and breaks up with him, and Kelly offers for Brenda to stay at her place for the summer. All sort of believable, except for Andrea's reaction. She offers to have sex with Brandon, as a "goodbye present" (your present is me!) AND BRANDON ACCEPTS!!!! Are you fucking kidding me? I am so flummoxed/grossed out I don't even know what to say. What nerdy high school girl offers herself up as a present? Not to mention a judgey higher than thou nerd? What? It just makes no sense.
Mark here...I will say that my one note from the Andrea-Brandon hook-up possibility: "UGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!" (no exaggeration). I realize that all season we are supposed to be rooting for Andrea in some sort of 80s movie nerd-makes-good sort of way, but it doesn't work. We hate Andrea, she's unrelatable. Maybe another actress could have made the character likable, but here you just don't believe Brandon would go for her. I guess that's why nothing ever happens.
One moment I thought was funny is Dylan's reaction to finding out Brenda is moving, "There's so much we haven't done". Given last episode, both Laurel and I had this reaction..."Blow Jobs," "Anal Sex," "69"...etc...
I will say I'm glad we've reached the end of this season...the series doesn't seem to have found it's footing in teen soapiness yet and while the teen stuff we've seen is fun, the "lessons" are unbearable and really a blast from the past...really modern teen shows would never push this moral crap, because it would kill their ratings. Here, I think they will recover because there wasn't anything like this on TV and their photogenic leads...
Laurel here...in the end the Walshes decide to stay in California after all because Jim is so touched by the goodbye party the gang throws for them at the peach pit. The cliffhanger of the season finale...Brenda tells Dylan she is late!!! You know, late.
Style award this episode goes to Brandon/Andrea! For Andrea's outfit in Brandon's dream about their hookup. Let's just say I never really visualized the phrase "$10 hooker" until today.
Cocktail moments this episode: When Steve is fighting with a little tiny jock guy and losing. Brandon tries to comfort him by saying, "that guy was built like a wide load truck". Um, he was smaller than both Brandon and Dylan so I'm not sure which guy he was talking about. Side note... Steve wears an eyepatch for the rest of the episode after getting his ass kicked.
Also whenever Brandon and Andrea have to pretend they have chemistry. At one point they kiss and it looks like Andrea is trying to eat poor Brandon's whole head. You need a drink because it's so awkward.
Spring Dance
Mark here... we've reached the penultimate episode of season one and Laurel has made a caprese salad with heirloom tomatoes, roasted chick peas and a spinach, egg and parmesan soup. Very tasty!
and of course, any moment with Donna and her dress!
On to the episode...we're at least not dealing with another "Very Special Episode" here, although the writing is a little melodramatic. This episode is called, "Spring Dance" and the gang is preparing for the spring dance. Andrea of course wants Brandon to ask her, but Brandon doesn't want to go...until Kelly asks him. Steve is jealous and there's an annoying plot line of Steve being a jerk and wanting to reunite with Kelly. This whole storyline is just boring and we just don't care enough about Steve and he behaves like too much of a jerk to care. Steve ends up going to the dance with Donna, who's plot line basically involves wearing an impractical dress and trying to sit down.
The better part of the episode involves Brenda losing her V-card to Dylan. Dylan has reserved a room in the hotel and they disappear during the dance to do the deed. It's at least a bit of realism, as we saw Brandon do it back in episode 2. Also, Kelly's reaction and congratulating Brenda is nice. The plus of this episode is that the focus is back on teen drama. Of course, then we have ugly duckling Andrea. First, she sits home in sweats watching some budget version of "Carrie" eating ice cream...but just in time she makes it to the dance in what looks like her mom's pillow case. And of course Beverly Hills is just a hop, skip and a jump from her home in Van Nuys...
Laurel here...I agree with Mark that it's really nice to get back to an episode that focuses on high school stuff and the relationships between the characters instead of yet another episode about racism, tumors, underprivileged kids, stray dogs, etc.
The funniest part of this episode for me is Andrea being indignant about going to the dance, to the point where she stays home and watches a prom horror movie in her sweats while everyone else is having fun when we all know what she really wants is to be part of the gang and hang out with the cool kids. What prompts her to go to the dance in the long run is that she has a daydream after she watches the movie that she is the Carrie character, disgruntled to the point that she tries to kill Kelly with a chainsaw (amazing image by the way, see style award). I think that we are supposed to identify with her and root for her as the underdog but she is just so annoying and unlikeable that it doesn't work. She's the worst.
Style award this episode goes to...Andrea! For her daydream horror chainsaw getup.
Cocktail moments: Brenda and Kelly wearing the same dress to the dance...so embarrassing!
David Silver winning the dance contest with his crazy wanna be hip hop moves. Or move, rather. just one.
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Gorgonzola Bruschetta
This is from Barefoot Contessa, it's her gorgonzola bruschetta. This was my first time making it and I made a few mistakes which I will note. I had to change the proportions since it was only Laurel and I eating it.
Ingredients:
Baguette
Yellow Pepper
Red Pepper
Capers
Creamy Gorgonzola
Basil
Salt
Pepper
Sugar
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Cut the baguette on a diagonal into thin slices. Lay a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet and put the slice on top. Brush each slice with the olive oil. Put in 375 degree oven until toasted.
Meanwhile, chop the peppers thinly (mine were not thin enough and this will be important)/ Saute in olive oil for about 15-20 min. Add a teaspoon or so of sugar and give it a few more minutes, then add capers (a tablespoon), salt and pepper, and julienned basil. Take this mixture and top it on each toasted baguette slice. Then dab a bit of gorgonzola on top of each (this was where I messed up...gorgonzola's a bit messy and I added too much, it's really just a dab for flavor that's needed). Put back in the oven until the cheese melts and then serve.
Ingredients:
Baguette
Yellow Pepper
Red Pepper
Capers
Creamy Gorgonzola
Basil
Salt
Pepper
Sugar
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Cut the baguette on a diagonal into thin slices. Lay a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet and put the slice on top. Brush each slice with the olive oil. Put in 375 degree oven until toasted.
Meanwhile, chop the peppers thinly (mine were not thin enough and this will be important)/ Saute in olive oil for about 15-20 min. Add a teaspoon or so of sugar and give it a few more minutes, then add capers (a tablespoon), salt and pepper, and julienned basil. Take this mixture and top it on each toasted baguette slice. Then dab a bit of gorgonzola on top of each (this was where I messed up...gorgonzola's a bit messy and I added too much, it's really just a dab for flavor that's needed). Put back in the oven until the cheese melts and then serve.
Vegetable Risotto
As we're nearing the end of our 90210 Season One run, I'm going to try and catch up on some of my recipes. This one is from when we did the episode "One on One", it is a version Barefoot Contessa's Spring Green Risotto.
Ingredients:
Olive oil
butter
1 cup of chopped leeks
1 cup chopped fennel
1 1/4 cup Arborio rice
2/3 cup white wine
5 cups of stock (I had game stock from the onion soup)
blanched, chopped asparagus
10 oz. frozen peas
1 tablespoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/3 cup mascarpone
1/2 cup grated parmesan
chopped chives
salt
pepper
Saute the leeks and fennel in the olive oil and butter until soft, then add the rice and saute another minute or 2. Add the white wine and when it is absorbed, begin adding the stock a ladle at a time. Wait until it is absorbed before adding the next ladle. Then add the asparagus, peas, lemon zest, and salt and pepper to taste. If it needs it, add more stock (mine did). Whisk the mascarpone and lemon juice togther and add to the risotto, then add parmesan and chives.
Ingredients:
Olive oil
butter
1 cup of chopped leeks
1 cup chopped fennel
1 1/4 cup Arborio rice
2/3 cup white wine
5 cups of stock (I had game stock from the onion soup)
blanched, chopped asparagus
10 oz. frozen peas
1 tablespoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/3 cup mascarpone
1/2 cup grated parmesan
chopped chives
salt
pepper
Saute the leeks and fennel in the olive oil and butter until soft, then add the rice and saute another minute or 2. Add the white wine and when it is absorbed, begin adding the stock a ladle at a time. Wait until it is absorbed before adding the next ladle. Then add the asparagus, peas, lemon zest, and salt and pepper to taste. If it needs it, add more stock (mine did). Whisk the mascarpone and lemon juice togther and add to the risotto, then add parmesan and chives.
Friday, April 6, 2012
Spring Training
Laurel here...blerg.
Well this episode was super boring. Brandon and Steve coach a competitive little league baseball team from West Beverly Hills who turn out to be good at baseball but bad at sportsmanship. Do you smell a lesson coming?
Turns out Nat from the Peach pit also coaches a little league team (the Pitts), but they are good at sportsmanship and bad at baseball. Brandon and Dylan spend a few afternoons teaching them some fundamentals, Andrea brings in a ringer (she somehow knows a girl baseball prodigy from the Valley?), they set up a few practice games with the rich kid's team and everyone learns a thing or two.
I wish that the baseball part was the most boring thing about this episode but wait, there's more! A stray dog follows Brenda home while she is jogging and she spends the episode trying to convince her family to let her keep him, but in the end the dog finds his owner, one of the kids on the little league team. Snoozefest!
Mark here... I agree totally, I have to say, some of this season has really been the show finding it's footing and many of the "classic" story lines have yet to happen. So we find ourselves slogging through these filler episodes of "Very Special" teaching moments and "wacky" subplots.... Good grief! No wonder the show was on the rocks about renewal in the beginning. Don't get me wrong, some of the early episodes are awesome when they focus on high school, but the other episodes are painful.
Style award this episode goes to...Steve! for his crazy baseball half shirt style. Runner up is Dylan for his crazy baseball outfit, super high waisted pants that really show off his girlish figure. We think he is actually the skinniest person on the show, except maybe for Donna.
Cocktail moments:
Anytime Brenda is with the dog...those moments need lubrication!
Whenever Jim yells at somebody...his back is out this episode and boy is he grumpy!
April Is The Cruelest Month
Mark here...well another snorefest with this episode, called "April Is The Cruelest Month". Things start out interesting enough with Brandon attempt to interview the school tennis star while "Would I Lie To You?" by The Eurythmics plays. Turns out said tennis star is played by Matthew Perry. Things sort of go downhill from there. Matthew Perry is yet another poor little rich boy who wants Brandon to read his screenplay. Turns out his screenplay is about a son killing his famous dad, which Brandon interprets as a cry for help (Brenda, on the other hand, can't be bothered past page 2 when Brandon shows it to her). So who does Brandon go to for advice...Andrea?! Ug, please. Anyway, the whole episode has this weird cheesy noir/horror attempt going on with some of the lighting, etc. Unfortunately it doesn't really help things. Brandon at one point suspects his friend of being about to murder his father and proceeds to get fingerprints all over the friends gun and break in to his house.
Meanwhile, we get to see Ms. Teasley for the first time I remember. Previously the actress played a school shrink I think, but here she's back as principal. There's a subplot about Donna not doing well on the SATs. Turns out Donna has a learning disability. Ms Teasley helpfully tells her that she's not stupid. From now on the school will just have to read out every question to her and give her as much time as possible to answer. Presumably they will talk as slow as possible too.
Laurel here...poor Brandon! He always has to solve everyone else's problems. He almost always bares the burden of these "very special" episodes, save for the one where Brenda finds a lump. Even then he's the one who keeps it together, while Brenda turns into a bitchy mess. (see pervious episode, "it's just a test"). Also he makes all these great friends during each of these "lessons", none of whom we ever see again. In this episode he becomes bff's with Matthew Perry's character, but you know he's headed to the 90210 guest star graveyard, just like Brandon's black friend, his latina girlfriend, his actress friend, the homeless kid who hangs out at the peach pit, etc.
Style award this episode goes to...Dylan again! This time for his weird purple priest outfit. I get it about the semi-clerical style what with papa don't preach and all that, but was super long shirts on guys ever a thing? It's hard to tell from the photo but really it's dress length.
Cocktail moments: When Brenda finds Donna at "Fred Segal" the inside of which actually looks like the fashion 21 at the Eagle Rock Mall...
When Kelly says that in college she's going to major in "Pre-Wed"...
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