Survivor 48 Finale Reactions
I said after Kyle pulled the move to get Shaheen out, that he likely had won the season. Without it, I think Joe would have won it handily, even with David + Camilla revealed.
Even after the jury conversations and presentations, I think it's going to be David.
Eva's final appeal was strong. I'm sad to see good guy Joe fall to 3rd.
Now for the vote...
Congrats to Kyle, I couldn't be truly unhappy with any of the final 3.
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The Pitt (2025) - 5/5 ER Nurses
My current favorite show on television. ER's successor and a truly fantastic first season. I missed shows like this and can't wait for season 2.
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The Bondsman (2025) - 2.5/5 Demons
Kevin Bacon is entertaining enough to keep me watching, but the show is quite middling.
One thing that struck out to me was a plot of episode 3, 'Maphos':
To which an online acquaintance gave me the answer I was looking for:
The plots are similar on the surface, but in truth quite different. The Adventure Zone episode plot takes place at a waterpark, not a swimming pool like on the show. The Bondsman episode refers to the demon as a 'marphos,' which isn't a real demon in history or fiction; but I would bet that both drew from similar sources in history and mythology.
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Zero Day (2025) - 4 of 5 Hackers
A painfully on the nose mini-series of a the current political era mystery/thriller. I didn't love it all, but I found it entertaining. And I liked the ending.
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The Residence (2025) - 5 of 5 Purple Grackle
Quite enjoyed the show, it was sold to me as 'Knives Out' at the Whitehouse. And it's definitely in the same branch of the tree, but it's not the same show. I would definitely like to see a few more seasons of Detective Cupp.
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Apparently Rob Lowe films his game show "The Floor" in Ireland, even though the contestants are American. It's cheaper for them to fly the contestants to Ireland to make the show. Wild economics.
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Happy Endings, Season 3
For various reasons I have discovered that IMDB, Wikipedia and Hulu do not agree on the order of the episodes of Season 3 of Happy Endings.
The underlying reason? Hulu is missing an episode: KickBall 2: The Kickening.
I have no idea why. Maybe it has something problematic such that they don't want to stream it?
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Paradise, Season 1 (2025) - 4 of 5 wristbands
Very good. I didn't know what to expect and it kept me enthralled for the entire season. Will be curious to see where season 2 goes.
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Watson (2025) - 1 out of 5 Mysteries
Watched two episodes and was very disappointed. It's Sherlock + House + weird near future scifi, and still disappointing. I am far from a genius but there were multiple stated logical fallacies, where Watson proclaimed two cousins couldn't both have the same disease as it was hereditary and since they have different parents, they couldn't have it. It isn't impossible, it's incredibly highly improbable.
The only saving grace I'm holding out for is seeing Randall Park as Moriarty. None of the rest of this show has me wanting to come back for more.
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Craig Ferguson does stand-up on YouTube
I've missed Craig Ferguson. I used to love his show.
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Australian Survivor (Season 3) - 4 of 5 Stars
I'm a lifelong Survivor fan, having watched its earliest seasons on TV with my family. Katie and I now enjoy watching it together, and we're finally taking the plunge into Australian Survivor seasons. While we say it is Season 3, it's basically a complete reboot after the first two seasons that were over a decade before it.
It's very much the same base formula as American Survivor, but that isn't ultimately a bad thing.
We finished the season and quite enjoyed it. No spoilers.
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The Two Best Episodes of TV Ever
The penultimate and final episodes of Season 2 of the West Wing: '18th and Potomac' and 'Two Cathedrals' deliver a one-two punch which can take anyone down.
From the frenetic chaos of dealing with the looming lie, to the heartwrenching loss of a beloved mother-figure on the show. I've watched these two episodes a dozen times and it still takes my breath away and makes my heart ache.
This perfectly encapsulates the feeling of death and mourning. I felt nothing less than what is on display here when my mother died, though I had nowhere as dramatic an opportunity to express it.
And to turn from that to these final moments of the season finale:
Just perfection.
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A Man on the Inside (2024) - 2.5 / 5 Bridges
The wife and I just finished bingeing the new series, and as I expected - Ted Danson is charming as all heck still. But if you're coming for the mystery, I don't recommend it. The central conceit is weak and more annoying than the surface plot.
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Cross (2024) - 3.5 / 5 Fan Boys
I was first introduced to Aldis Hodge (the actor who plays Alex Cross) when he was on Leverage. He's come a long way as an actor and he does a good job as the lead on this show. All through the first season his best friend looked familiar but it wasn't until the season finale that I finally figured out who he was: Isaiah Mustafa, aka the guy from Old Spice commercials.
The show, overall, is decent. We enjoyed it. I had some concerns for how it was going to end, but it landed in a way I enjoyed.
We'll be looking forward to a second season.
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Nobody Wants This (2024) - 4 out of 5 l'chaims
Just finished the first season of this show. It's a cute romantic comedy that is smartly written and, while predictable, I enjoyed it start to finish. Looking forward to the second season.
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Kaos canceled after first season on Netflix
I've come to expect no-less from Netflix. I'm still sad as it was an enjoyable watch, and as I tweeted, there has never been a role more suited to Jeff Goldblum, than as Zeus.
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Chernobyl (2019) - DNF / 5 Crises
[DNF is an abbreviation for "Did Not Finish"]
I tried. I really tried. I gave the first episode half an hour. But I just couldn't get into it. The awfulness of it all being that raw and real is fantastic television. It is fantastic television which isn't for me.
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Fallout (2024) - 4 of 5 PIP Boys
I binged Fallout this weekend after putting it off. I never played the games and just didn't expect to enjoy it. The real reason I enjoyed it is unquestionably Walton Goggins.
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"The Traitors’ Dan Gheesling is playing it too safe"
Katie and I watched Season 1 of the Traitors, and are watching Season 2. The Traitors is a reality show of the social deduction game Werewolf.
I never play social deduction games. I am incapable of divorcing my feelings and I always end up leaving the game emotionally unhappy. But, they are popular. Especially amongst the pro Magic player crowd. There was an avid support for the games and as such I picked up a fair bit of theory and strategy. I am certain there are rules in place that aren't covered on the broadcast, but even then - the poor level of play is maddening.
The author of this article on Polygon is criticizing Dan Gheesling, a legendary Big Brother player, who appears on the cusp of being eliminated from a game which seemed as if it was perfectly suited to Dan's gameplay.
We'll see.
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Good Omens, Season 1 (2019) - 4 of 5 Fallen Angels
So I started watching this when it first came out and then something happened and I forgot. Then, I watched The Sandman and mentally I just marked myself as having watched this as well. The whole streaming Neil Gaiman tv-show thing. In any case, I realized my mistake and put it on to watch over the past week.
David Tennant and Michael Sheen are amazing together. Fantastic chemistry and so much fun.
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One Piece (2023) - 5/5 Dreams
The live-action remake of the One Piece manga/anime was a lot of fun. I slept on it after the disappointment of the Cowboy Bebop live remake, but I'm glad I finally checked it out. Unlike Cowboy Bebop, I didn't go into it familiar with the source material except the scant details, and now I'm curious to check it out.
The show is fun and silly. I watched some of it with my mother-in-law in town, she patiently sat and watched an episode with me. Later that day she was describing 'that pirate show' to my wife and she said, "I enjoy much of what you all watch, but that pirate show is one I don't get." I am not overly surprised by this, it's far outside her standard sort of thing she'd watch, but I found her overall befuddlement somewhat amusing.
Anyway, I highly recommend you all watch it if you haven't already.
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