1. Still doing the Buffy/Angel rewatch. Watched Episodes 4, 5, and 6 of Angel S2, and episodes 5, 6, and 7 of Buffy S5.

Takeaways?

Whomever designed Joyce's bedroom has no sense of design. Also it appears to be stuck in the 1970s? It's the worst set in the show, which is saying something, since we have Tara's entirely black bedroom. Joyce's entirely red bedroom vs. Tara's black one, decisions decisions.

Angel/Darla sequence in the Convent Basement in Dear Boy (Episode 5) is similar to Buffy/Spike sequence in the alley behind the Bronze in Fool for Love (Episode 7). ( Read more... )

Another thing I didn't previously pick up on? In Fool For Love - Spike's interaction with each slayer he is trying to kill - involves mothers, not sure the extent to which he's aware of it, though. ( Read more... )

Spike does actually provide some insightful information to Buffy and the audience, not necessarily intentionally - and from his perspective, it's relatively obvious. He doesn't appear to understand why Buffy and her friends don't get it. ( Read more... )

What doesn't quite work in the episode is Riley and her friends. It's also clear from the episode why the writers intend to write out Riley and how. ( Read more... )

2. Watched the 1968 film Rachel, Rachel yesterday on Apple + for $2.99. I rented it. It starred Joanne Woodward, Estelle Parsons, and Jim Olsen and was directed by Paul Newman. ( Read more... )

3. Finished Down Cemetery Road - the series by Mike Heron based on his book of the same name, on Apple +. Apple + has an annoying interface, that is similar to HBO's, in that it is hard to select episodes to watch on it. It automatically kicks you to the next one or makes you rewatch the one you just saw. Also, I can't always tell how many episodes there are, or if I've seen the last one. I looked it up - it only has eight episodes, the last one aired this week, on December 10.

( Read more... )

4. Re-started S2 of The Morning Show on Apple + - it's okay. Doesn't really start to take off until Episode 3, ( Read more... )

***

Other than that, and doing knee exercises, and icing my knee, and figuring out how to use my new cooking appliance (the NOSH steam/air fryer/bake/toaster oven) - I've not done much. I have tried out a few more video puzzle games - Royal Match (which starts simple then gets hard and feels rigged for money), various attempts at Mahjong games that don't have ads (they seem to acquire them after a certain point) and I have to delete the game entirely because the pop up ads freeze the phone. There's a nasty AI cleaner ad that really froze the phone and had me worried, but once I deleted the game - it went away.

Did manage to cook a biscuit (American version not the British - think small scone), and crisp some gluten free french bread in the oven.

It's easier to use than expected and meets my needs. Also smaller than expected and doesn't take up as much space as I feared. This may work. I'd been holding off getting one due to the spacing issue. But it doesn't appear to be a problem.

***

A little lonely this Xmas. Be happy when it's over. Mother is a little lonely too. Crazy Org is the reason I'm not spending it with Mother, which is annoying me to no end. (I'll save you the gory details.)

Oh, well, I have nice lights up, the lobby is well decorated, there's some snow on the ground, and presents wrapped in Amazon gift bags under the tree. I'd say I miss the other wrapping, but this is actually easier to recycle.

It's cold, and gray, and gloomy outside. The Oak Tree outside my window is finally shrugging off it's leaves.

Me: the tree outside my window is holding onto its leaves and stubbornly not letting go of them.
Mother: Is it an oak?
Me: An oak?
Mother: Oaks tend to hold onto their leaves for a long time.

Re-watched Buffy S5, Episode 6 "Family" written and directed by Whedon, and Angel S2, "Untouched", written by Mere Smith and directed by Whedon - and I thought whoa, both these episodes feature characters who have abusive and controlling fathers. And some of the same dialogue? Whedon literally took dialogue from Smith and inserted it in Family. The dialogue exchange between Bethany (the victim of the week in Angel) is the same as the exchange between Tara and her father in Family.

Whedon definitely has a thing for "abusive fathers" in his stories.

Family is a better episode than I remembered - if you ignore Tara and her abusive family. ( Read more... )

I'd forgotten Untouched completely, and hadn't realized Whedon directed it, while Mere Smith wrote it. Or how various themes in it were similar to Family. Of course I hadn't watched them closely together either.
( Read more... )