Next Food Network Star:
Was there REALLY any surprise who got booted? I mean seriously.
The first challenge had the contestants take "grown up" ingredients and turn it into kid friendly food. There were 3 ingredient possibilities, and so that meant that 2 of the 6 would get the same one to use. The ingredients were calamari, brussel sprouts, and tofu.
Jeffrey got tofu and made them into chicken nuggets and his spot seemed to do well. Melissa was good. Michael was spinning in circles. Jameka talked too much and didn't finish cooking. I can't recall how Debbie did. Katie had calamari and while Bobby, Rachael Ray and the kids who were judging that round liked her presentation, Bob and Susie who watched it on camera said that it was horribly condescending and annoying...and her food wasn't that good.
The elimination challenge "randomly" paired up the contestants who had to present a cooking demo on Rachael Ray's Show (it never actually aired...probably taped at the end of one of her regular shows.) This time they had to take "kid's food" and make it into something grown ups would like. Melissa was paired with Michael who is usually good live (but not on camera) but he just froze and Melissa spokenonstoplikethisforthewholetimeduringthesegment. Debbie was paired with Katie and they worked well together, but Katie wouldn't look up while cooking and again the judges weren't fond of her food. Jeffrey was paired with Jameka and they had hot dogs & beans and just never got onto the same page. Jameka had 2 bad days in a row so she thought that she had to do well here or go home. So what did she do? She shut down and did nothing until near the end of the segment. Jeffrey took over and kept talking when he should have tried to get her to engage. At the end, Jameka, Michael and Katie were in the bottom and (shocker, I know) Katie FINALLY went home. She was cannon fodder from the start and they NEVER liked ANYTHING she did. The ONLY reason they included her as a contestant is because she's a nutritionist and FN gets criticized for too many of their stars not making things healthy. Although, they do have the series Healthy Appetite with Ellie Krieger.
Kathy Griffin:
The first part of the episode showed Kathy badger her agent to get her an endorsement deal, which oddly led to her getting a book deal. They showed her go to NY and meet with people at Random House and she seemed obnoxiously clueless.
The rest of the episode was very touching.
Kathy had her Mom make a "bucket list' of things she'd like to do before she dies (she's nearly 90.)
Maggie (Kathy's Mom,) said that she'd like to dine well, go to California Wine Country, and meet Stephanie Powers, Betty White, and Don Rickles.
Kathy took her Mom and staff, along with Michael McDonald and Nicole Sullivan of MadTV fame to a couple of CA wineries and Maggie and Tom both got a little drunk while the others got tipsy...except Kathy who doesn't drink. They were driven around in a rented "party van" complete with a stripper pole.
Stephanie Powers (who looked AMAZING) came to Maggie's apartment and taught her some pilates moves...that mostly consisted of squeezing the buttocks. Stephanie seemed to appreciate Maggie's adulation, but I wonder if she was just happy to be on tv for the first time in like 20 years.
Betty White joined Kathy and crew at a "fine dining" place...The Sizzler. Betty and Maggie are about the same age and Betty seemed to really enjoy her time with Maggie.
Don Rickles came to Kathy's house and was polite and made Maggie very very happy. Kathy always said that she got her humor from her Dad, and that Don was not only her idol but reminded her of her Dad. Maggie also said that Don reminded her of her late husband and that he'd have enjoyed time with Don too.
For me, the best thing about this episode is that it captured Betty and Don being pretty real and is a testament to their longevity due to their fantastic personalities. Both of them are in their 80s, so it's nice to have them shown being "real" as opposed to "acting" since there probably won't be many chances to do that anymore.
Warehouse 13:
First, I have to say that I HATE that SciFi changed to SyFy (which apparently is the abbreviation for Syphilis in Poland.) I mean, while it sounds the same, when one would type Sci Fi into a search engine, scifi.com would come up one of the top if not THE top options. Scifi.com becomes syfy.com when you try to go there, but still... Not all "rebrandings" work. Just ask Spike TV.
This show is about a HUUUUGE warehouse in the middle of nowhere, South Dakota which houses objects that have supernatural/paranormal qualities (although they use some term about some sort of energy, but wtfe.)
The government assigns 2 Secret Service agents to become the new "Mulder & Scully" who are tasked with finding such object, neutralizing them, and bringing them to the warehouse for safe keeping. The show is a cross between X-Files, Fringe, Friday the 13th: The Series, Eureka, National Treasure, and Indiana Jones. It's also just so-so at best. I mean, I suppose that it has promise and I'll keep watching (this was just the 1st episode after all,) but eventually the premise could get a little tiresome and monotonous. I do like the guy who is sort of the "librarian" of the warehouse, he's always fun.
Michael Jackson Memorial:
On the whole, it was very well done considering it seems that they put it together very quickly. It was pretty surreal to see the brothers carry in Michael's coffin while the Andre Crouch Choir sang the words, "Soon and very soon, we are going to see the King." Think about it. The song means sooner than later you'll die and go to Heaven to see the "King of Kings," yet as they're singing, in comes the body of the "King of Pop." Kind of eerie as I don't think anyone wanted a "real life" version of Thriller where out pops Michael to be "seen!"
Mariah Carey sounded a little off, but did an ok job. Lionel Richie and Stevie Wonder both sang well, but Stevie again just seems a bit overblown. John Mayer was very good...but odd. I would have LOVED to have the same performance only from Prince. I'm STILL surprised that nobody has tracked him down for a comment...and still no words from longtime MJ friends Eddie Murphy and Chris Tucker. Shouldn't they have been there instead of Magic and Kobe...especially Kobe? And WTF was that about MJ having KFC? He was a vegetarian. I guess he "strayed" now and then. I thought Usher's performance of "Gone Too Soon" while decent ended up as kinda phony. I mean, when he went to the casket to finish the song, it was touching, but then when he took off his glasses to show everyone that he was crying...I mean come on.
Brooke Shields gave an AMAZING speech. Very touching. Al Sharpton, who I do NOT like, also gave an INCREDIBLE speech. Probably the best speech I've ever heard him give...probably because it wasn't about HIM. Jermaine showed that he is still a very good singer and gave a moving performance of Charlie Chaplin's "Smile" which was Michael's favorite song and Michael recorded for HIStory Vol. 1 But why does Jermaine keep telling us that he was Michael's "voice and backbone?" Dude, stop tooting your own horn. I felt for Marlon, but when he ended by asking Michael to hug Marlon's twin (who died at birth,) it just seemed a little...forced? Maybe I'm just too jaded. Which is odd because what happened next I take pretty much at face value.
When Janet was announced as the next speaker, but instead Michael's 11 year old daughter Paris took the mic...I gasped. Then when she was done, I was darn near a goner. I think had I been able to watch the memorial straight thru, or if it hadn't been so many days of non stop Michael coverage before, maybe I would have lost it. And rather than end this part on a sad note I will add this...was it me or was it quirky to see all of the black Jacksons...and 3 white MJ kids together?
Top Chef Masters:
You know, I should have just kept my big mouth shut. I stated before this began that John Besh is one of my favorite chefs and that I hoped he'd win since he got "screwed" by the Next Iron Chef. So, of course, he gets sabotaged by bad ovens and then has to go waaay outside his comfort zone to try to compete...which almost always causes a crash and burn.
For the first time, I'd heard of all 4 chefs...although I can't recall their names now. I was waaay off on my initial prediction though, as I thought it'd come down to John and the guy from LA.
The Quick Fire had the chefs make something with eggs, using only 1 hand. John tried to make a mini-casserole type dish, but the oven didn't work right and he had to finish cooking ONE of the 4 on a stove top. He got 1/2 a star. Oy. The Asian lady got FIVE STARS for her dish!
For the elimination challenge, they had to make a dish relating to a "magical" term: Surprise, Mystery, Illusion, and Spectacle. The LA guy got "mystery" so he presented his dish in a "bag." He got very good marks. Besh got "surprise" and went for it by using liquid nitrogen and really got into the theme...but he just did so so and with his 1/2 star from the first round, he was the first to go. The Latino chef from NY got "Spectacle" and tried to present his dish with flaming coconuts...but he really over did it with the fire and the food was just so so and he was the next to go. Finally, the Asian lady had Illusion and presented a steak tartare wrapped in Daikon, so it "looked" like a scallop. Here's what is funny. During the critique, Gail said that she thought the dish lacked flavor and salt. One of the other judges pointed out that had Gail poured the side sauce onto the dish, it would have added the missing salt and flavor. So what did Gail do, she gave her 4.5 stars! WTF?! She should be judging on what SHE FELT and tasted, NOT what she SHOULD have done. So, in the end, the Asian lady won and moves onto the next round.
Top Gear:
I watched a couple of episodes. In one, they got a $400,00 car and an $800,000 car and James aka Capt Slow drove the $400,000 car around the tracked and was very surprised at how well built it was. Well, it's all carbon fiber, so it SHOULD be sturdy. The Stig drove both cars for the timed lap, and surprisingly, the less expensive car was slightly faster. Probably has better handling, that usually makes up for any lack in HP.
Also in that episode, the 3 guys had to drive nearly 750 miles from Basel, Switzerland (at the French border) to Blackpool, England in order to turn on the Christmas lights at their annual ceremony. In case the guys didn't make it, The Stig was there to take their place should need arise.
The funny thing is, NONE of them SHOULD have been able to make it. The challenge was to get there on ONE TANK of gas. After filling their cars all the way, the gas doors were taped shut so they couldn't cheat.
James drove a Subaru Legacy Diesel which gets decent gas mileage (50 mpg,) but has a HUGE tank...although the range should work out to just over 700 miles...too short. Jeremy decided that since there was NO WAY to make it there in one tank, he'd lose in style by driving a Twin Turbo Jaguar XJS..driving it at top speeds, and running the AC...anything to try to get it to die somewhere near his home. His car gets about 35 mpg and should run out of gas around 650 miles...waay too short. Hammond actually tried to win by driving a VW Polo Bluemotion which gets 74 mpg! With only a 10 gallon tank, he'd probably fall JUST short unless he drove way too slow...in which case he'd arrive in Blackpool AFTER the lighting ceremony.
Amazingly, Richard's car made it all the way there, and in time. MIRACULOUSLY, Jeremy's car made it (I have NO IDEA HOW) and he too made it in time. James's car eventually made it (I think) but he missed the ceremony. In the end, while Hammond and Jeremy argued over who would turn the lights on, The Stig casually walked over and did it for them.
The next episode dealt with trying to figure out why so many people Finland were always among the best racers. They showed that in Finland, they're taught to drive as children, go thru a 3 year training period before given a license, and part of that training involved hazardous condition driving and almost "stunt" driving. Also, each weekend, all over Finland, folks got together and raced cheap (under $1,000) cars.
Mark Wahlberg was the guest, and he drove the "Star in a reasonably priced car" segment. Apparently, during his test runs, he "broke" a couple cars and nearly ran over a cameraman. In the end, he had a time of about 1:47, just beating Dr Who star David Tennent.
The final part was they were to take a car that only sold under 450 models before being removed from showrooms and to try to get it to run faster than a specific sports car. Initially, it ran the course 14 seconds slower. After tuning the engine, replacing the brakes, tires, and seats, and adding a few odds and ends (as they only had $9,000 to spend to tweak it) they ended up still running about 6 seconds slower than the sports car's time. The odd part was that in the history of the "new" Top Gear, there have only been 3 cars that all 3 hosts liked, and the car they had to use...that sold less than 450 in total...was one of those 3 cars.
The Superstars:
Down to the final 6 teams.
The first event required one member of a team to first run, then swim across a lagoon and then run up the beach to cross a finish line. Once the first teammate crossed, the second could go. All of the teams except Brandi Chastain and Julio Iglesias Jr sent the man first, woman second. So, poor Brandi was the only woman in her heat, and not surprisingly finished last. Julio, however, more than made up for it by swimming past ALL of the women except Kristi Leskinen whose partner, Maks from DWTS gave them a great lead. Julio and Brandi amazingly finished 2nd! TO and his model partner both SUCKED at swimming (they both admitted as much before and after) and they finished last.
In the second event, each team had to make as many baskets as possible within a certain time frame ( I think it was 30 seconds.) The twist was that each teammate had to shoot, but only after their partner made a basket. The other twist was that there were 5 stations where the shooter could get from 1 to 5 points depending on how close the "free throw" line was to the basket. The first team seemed to have the right idea where the non shooting partner would feed baskets to the shooting partner until they scored. Also, the guy was shooting for 3 points, while the gal went for 2. TO and his partner were dumb. TO chased his own rebounds and then the partner kept dribbling before shooting...all while the clock ticked down. For the first time, Kristi and Maks sucked at an event and finished last. WNBA star Lisa Leslie went for 4 points, and struggled. Then her partner ALSO went for 4, before finally switching to 3. I think if they both would have stuck with 3, they could have buried everyone. Leslie looked ridiculous and SHOULD be embarrassed. Another odd strategy was Julio and Brandi. He shot 3s, then she shot 2s, then they SWITCHED and he shot 2s, and she shot 3s, and then they changed back and forth each time. Huh? If they BOTH could make 3s, they should have just stayed there. WTFE, but it worked as they won the challenge.
For the "rubber match" they AGAIN screwed the higher ranked team. The 1st place team after 2 events was safe, while the bottom 3 had to go to the obstacle course. 2nd and 3rd place teams had to shoot again to see who'd go too the obstacle course. The 2nd place team again had 10 more points than 3rd, so 3rd SHOULD have been sent to the obstacle course...but they HAVE to have their "rubber match." And once again, the higher ranked team lost.
At the obstacle course, TO who got his foot caught in the first episode, nearly leaped over the cargo net. He jumped into it while turning his body into a roll so when he landed, he was on his back but rolling forward. Using his long arms, he hurled himself into the 2nd section and kept his momentum going. At the end, he grabbed the last support bar with his hand and using his long legs threw himself out of the net, and then sprinted easily across the finish line. Trying to describe it doesn't do it justice. I've NEVER seen anyone cross a cargo net (here, Survivor, wherever) like that before. At the end, Lisa and David beat Jeff and Ali so Jeff and Ali are gone. That sucks because Ali is "easy on the eyes."
Was there REALLY any surprise who got booted? I mean seriously.
The first challenge had the contestants take "grown up" ingredients and turn it into kid friendly food. There were 3 ingredient possibilities, and so that meant that 2 of the 6 would get the same one to use. The ingredients were calamari, brussel sprouts, and tofu.
Jeffrey got tofu and made them into chicken nuggets and his spot seemed to do well. Melissa was good. Michael was spinning in circles. Jameka talked too much and didn't finish cooking. I can't recall how Debbie did. Katie had calamari and while Bobby, Rachael Ray and the kids who were judging that round liked her presentation, Bob and Susie who watched it on camera said that it was horribly condescending and annoying...and her food wasn't that good.
The elimination challenge "randomly" paired up the contestants who had to present a cooking demo on Rachael Ray's Show (it never actually aired...probably taped at the end of one of her regular shows.) This time they had to take "kid's food" and make it into something grown ups would like. Melissa was paired with Michael who is usually good live (but not on camera) but he just froze and Melissa spokenonstoplikethisforthewholetimeduringthesegment. Debbie was paired with Katie and they worked well together, but Katie wouldn't look up while cooking and again the judges weren't fond of her food. Jeffrey was paired with Jameka and they had hot dogs & beans and just never got onto the same page. Jameka had 2 bad days in a row so she thought that she had to do well here or go home. So what did she do? She shut down and did nothing until near the end of the segment. Jeffrey took over and kept talking when he should have tried to get her to engage. At the end, Jameka, Michael and Katie were in the bottom and (shocker, I know) Katie FINALLY went home. She was cannon fodder from the start and they NEVER liked ANYTHING she did. The ONLY reason they included her as a contestant is because she's a nutritionist and FN gets criticized for too many of their stars not making things healthy. Although, they do have the series Healthy Appetite with Ellie Krieger.
Kathy Griffin:
The first part of the episode showed Kathy badger her agent to get her an endorsement deal, which oddly led to her getting a book deal. They showed her go to NY and meet with people at Random House and she seemed obnoxiously clueless.
The rest of the episode was very touching.
Kathy had her Mom make a "bucket list' of things she'd like to do before she dies (she's nearly 90.)
Maggie (Kathy's Mom,) said that she'd like to dine well, go to California Wine Country, and meet Stephanie Powers, Betty White, and Don Rickles.
Kathy took her Mom and staff, along with Michael McDonald and Nicole Sullivan of MadTV fame to a couple of CA wineries and Maggie and Tom both got a little drunk while the others got tipsy...except Kathy who doesn't drink. They were driven around in a rented "party van" complete with a stripper pole.
Stephanie Powers (who looked AMAZING) came to Maggie's apartment and taught her some pilates moves...that mostly consisted of squeezing the buttocks. Stephanie seemed to appreciate Maggie's adulation, but I wonder if she was just happy to be on tv for the first time in like 20 years.
Betty White joined Kathy and crew at a "fine dining" place...The Sizzler. Betty and Maggie are about the same age and Betty seemed to really enjoy her time with Maggie.
Don Rickles came to Kathy's house and was polite and made Maggie very very happy. Kathy always said that she got her humor from her Dad, and that Don was not only her idol but reminded her of her Dad. Maggie also said that Don reminded her of her late husband and that he'd have enjoyed time with Don too.
For me, the best thing about this episode is that it captured Betty and Don being pretty real and is a testament to their longevity due to their fantastic personalities. Both of them are in their 80s, so it's nice to have them shown being "real" as opposed to "acting" since there probably won't be many chances to do that anymore.
Warehouse 13:
First, I have to say that I HATE that SciFi changed to SyFy (which apparently is the abbreviation for Syphilis in Poland.) I mean, while it sounds the same, when one would type Sci Fi into a search engine, scifi.com would come up one of the top if not THE top options. Scifi.com becomes syfy.com when you try to go there, but still... Not all "rebrandings" work. Just ask Spike TV.
This show is about a HUUUUGE warehouse in the middle of nowhere, South Dakota which houses objects that have supernatural/paranormal qualities (although they use some term about some sort of energy, but wtfe.)
The government assigns 2 Secret Service agents to become the new "Mulder & Scully" who are tasked with finding such object, neutralizing them, and bringing them to the warehouse for safe keeping. The show is a cross between X-Files, Fringe, Friday the 13th: The Series, Eureka, National Treasure, and Indiana Jones. It's also just so-so at best. I mean, I suppose that it has promise and I'll keep watching (this was just the 1st episode after all,) but eventually the premise could get a little tiresome and monotonous. I do like the guy who is sort of the "librarian" of the warehouse, he's always fun.
Michael Jackson Memorial:
On the whole, it was very well done considering it seems that they put it together very quickly. It was pretty surreal to see the brothers carry in Michael's coffin while the Andre Crouch Choir sang the words, "Soon and very soon, we are going to see the King." Think about it. The song means sooner than later you'll die and go to Heaven to see the "King of Kings," yet as they're singing, in comes the body of the "King of Pop." Kind of eerie as I don't think anyone wanted a "real life" version of Thriller where out pops Michael to be "seen!"
Mariah Carey sounded a little off, but did an ok job. Lionel Richie and Stevie Wonder both sang well, but Stevie again just seems a bit overblown. John Mayer was very good...but odd. I would have LOVED to have the same performance only from Prince. I'm STILL surprised that nobody has tracked him down for a comment...and still no words from longtime MJ friends Eddie Murphy and Chris Tucker. Shouldn't they have been there instead of Magic and Kobe...especially Kobe? And WTF was that about MJ having KFC? He was a vegetarian. I guess he "strayed" now and then. I thought Usher's performance of "Gone Too Soon" while decent ended up as kinda phony. I mean, when he went to the casket to finish the song, it was touching, but then when he took off his glasses to show everyone that he was crying...I mean come on.
Brooke Shields gave an AMAZING speech. Very touching. Al Sharpton, who I do NOT like, also gave an INCREDIBLE speech. Probably the best speech I've ever heard him give...probably because it wasn't about HIM. Jermaine showed that he is still a very good singer and gave a moving performance of Charlie Chaplin's "Smile" which was Michael's favorite song and Michael recorded for HIStory Vol. 1 But why does Jermaine keep telling us that he was Michael's "voice and backbone?" Dude, stop tooting your own horn. I felt for Marlon, but when he ended by asking Michael to hug Marlon's twin (who died at birth,) it just seemed a little...forced? Maybe I'm just too jaded. Which is odd because what happened next I take pretty much at face value.
When Janet was announced as the next speaker, but instead Michael's 11 year old daughter Paris took the mic...I gasped. Then when she was done, I was darn near a goner. I think had I been able to watch the memorial straight thru, or if it hadn't been so many days of non stop Michael coverage before, maybe I would have lost it. And rather than end this part on a sad note I will add this...was it me or was it quirky to see all of the black Jacksons...and 3 white MJ kids together?
Top Chef Masters:
You know, I should have just kept my big mouth shut. I stated before this began that John Besh is one of my favorite chefs and that I hoped he'd win since he got "screwed" by the Next Iron Chef. So, of course, he gets sabotaged by bad ovens and then has to go waaay outside his comfort zone to try to compete...which almost always causes a crash and burn.
For the first time, I'd heard of all 4 chefs...although I can't recall their names now. I was waaay off on my initial prediction though, as I thought it'd come down to John and the guy from LA.
The Quick Fire had the chefs make something with eggs, using only 1 hand. John tried to make a mini-casserole type dish, but the oven didn't work right and he had to finish cooking ONE of the 4 on a stove top. He got 1/2 a star. Oy. The Asian lady got FIVE STARS for her dish!
For the elimination challenge, they had to make a dish relating to a "magical" term: Surprise, Mystery, Illusion, and Spectacle. The LA guy got "mystery" so he presented his dish in a "bag." He got very good marks. Besh got "surprise" and went for it by using liquid nitrogen and really got into the theme...but he just did so so and with his 1/2 star from the first round, he was the first to go. The Latino chef from NY got "Spectacle" and tried to present his dish with flaming coconuts...but he really over did it with the fire and the food was just so so and he was the next to go. Finally, the Asian lady had Illusion and presented a steak tartare wrapped in Daikon, so it "looked" like a scallop. Here's what is funny. During the critique, Gail said that she thought the dish lacked flavor and salt. One of the other judges pointed out that had Gail poured the side sauce onto the dish, it would have added the missing salt and flavor. So what did Gail do, she gave her 4.5 stars! WTF?! She should be judging on what SHE FELT and tasted, NOT what she SHOULD have done. So, in the end, the Asian lady won and moves onto the next round.
Top Gear:
I watched a couple of episodes. In one, they got a $400,00 car and an $800,000 car and James aka Capt Slow drove the $400,000 car around the tracked and was very surprised at how well built it was. Well, it's all carbon fiber, so it SHOULD be sturdy. The Stig drove both cars for the timed lap, and surprisingly, the less expensive car was slightly faster. Probably has better handling, that usually makes up for any lack in HP.
Also in that episode, the 3 guys had to drive nearly 750 miles from Basel, Switzerland (at the French border) to Blackpool, England in order to turn on the Christmas lights at their annual ceremony. In case the guys didn't make it, The Stig was there to take their place should need arise.
The funny thing is, NONE of them SHOULD have been able to make it. The challenge was to get there on ONE TANK of gas. After filling their cars all the way, the gas doors were taped shut so they couldn't cheat.
James drove a Subaru Legacy Diesel which gets decent gas mileage (50 mpg,) but has a HUGE tank...although the range should work out to just over 700 miles...too short. Jeremy decided that since there was NO WAY to make it there in one tank, he'd lose in style by driving a Twin Turbo Jaguar XJS..driving it at top speeds, and running the AC...anything to try to get it to die somewhere near his home. His car gets about 35 mpg and should run out of gas around 650 miles...waay too short. Hammond actually tried to win by driving a VW Polo Bluemotion which gets 74 mpg! With only a 10 gallon tank, he'd probably fall JUST short unless he drove way too slow...in which case he'd arrive in Blackpool AFTER the lighting ceremony.
Amazingly, Richard's car made it all the way there, and in time. MIRACULOUSLY, Jeremy's car made it (I have NO IDEA HOW) and he too made it in time. James's car eventually made it (I think) but he missed the ceremony. In the end, while Hammond and Jeremy argued over who would turn the lights on, The Stig casually walked over and did it for them.
The next episode dealt with trying to figure out why so many people Finland were always among the best racers. They showed that in Finland, they're taught to drive as children, go thru a 3 year training period before given a license, and part of that training involved hazardous condition driving and almost "stunt" driving. Also, each weekend, all over Finland, folks got together and raced cheap (under $1,000) cars.
Mark Wahlberg was the guest, and he drove the "Star in a reasonably priced car" segment. Apparently, during his test runs, he "broke" a couple cars and nearly ran over a cameraman. In the end, he had a time of about 1:47, just beating Dr Who star David Tennent.
The final part was they were to take a car that only sold under 450 models before being removed from showrooms and to try to get it to run faster than a specific sports car. Initially, it ran the course 14 seconds slower. After tuning the engine, replacing the brakes, tires, and seats, and adding a few odds and ends (as they only had $9,000 to spend to tweak it) they ended up still running about 6 seconds slower than the sports car's time. The odd part was that in the history of the "new" Top Gear, there have only been 3 cars that all 3 hosts liked, and the car they had to use...that sold less than 450 in total...was one of those 3 cars.
The Superstars:
Down to the final 6 teams.
The first event required one member of a team to first run, then swim across a lagoon and then run up the beach to cross a finish line. Once the first teammate crossed, the second could go. All of the teams except Brandi Chastain and Julio Iglesias Jr sent the man first, woman second. So, poor Brandi was the only woman in her heat, and not surprisingly finished last. Julio, however, more than made up for it by swimming past ALL of the women except Kristi Leskinen whose partner, Maks from DWTS gave them a great lead. Julio and Brandi amazingly finished 2nd! TO and his model partner both SUCKED at swimming (they both admitted as much before and after) and they finished last.
In the second event, each team had to make as many baskets as possible within a certain time frame ( I think it was 30 seconds.) The twist was that each teammate had to shoot, but only after their partner made a basket. The other twist was that there were 5 stations where the shooter could get from 1 to 5 points depending on how close the "free throw" line was to the basket. The first team seemed to have the right idea where the non shooting partner would feed baskets to the shooting partner until they scored. Also, the guy was shooting for 3 points, while the gal went for 2. TO and his partner were dumb. TO chased his own rebounds and then the partner kept dribbling before shooting...all while the clock ticked down. For the first time, Kristi and Maks sucked at an event and finished last. WNBA star Lisa Leslie went for 4 points, and struggled. Then her partner ALSO went for 4, before finally switching to 3. I think if they both would have stuck with 3, they could have buried everyone. Leslie looked ridiculous and SHOULD be embarrassed. Another odd strategy was Julio and Brandi. He shot 3s, then she shot 2s, then they SWITCHED and he shot 2s, and she shot 3s, and then they changed back and forth each time. Huh? If they BOTH could make 3s, they should have just stayed there. WTFE, but it worked as they won the challenge.
For the "rubber match" they AGAIN screwed the higher ranked team. The 1st place team after 2 events was safe, while the bottom 3 had to go to the obstacle course. 2nd and 3rd place teams had to shoot again to see who'd go too the obstacle course. The 2nd place team again had 10 more points than 3rd, so 3rd SHOULD have been sent to the obstacle course...but they HAVE to have their "rubber match." And once again, the higher ranked team lost.
At the obstacle course, TO who got his foot caught in the first episode, nearly leaped over the cargo net. He jumped into it while turning his body into a roll so when he landed, he was on his back but rolling forward. Using his long arms, he hurled himself into the 2nd section and kept his momentum going. At the end, he grabbed the last support bar with his hand and using his long legs threw himself out of the net, and then sprinted easily across the finish line. Trying to describe it doesn't do it justice. I've NEVER seen anyone cross a cargo net (here, Survivor, wherever) like that before. At the end, Lisa and David beat Jeff and Ali so Jeff and Ali are gone. That sucks because Ali is "easy on the eyes."
Big Brother 11:
Some random thoughts...
Julie didn't look pregnant from the front, but when she turned sideways to talk to the HGs in the house, you could see her HUGE belly. When she gave a tour of the BB house last week, it was VERY prominent.
Laura, the girl with the Hooters has fake boobs and appears to have fake teeth. She also looks like she might have had some plastic surgery on her face. Her pontoons are too big, her teeth are chompers, and she isn't very pretty. Most would call her a "butter face," but I don't think her body is good enough for that as it is too phony. Apparently, she was talking on the live feeds about her BIG FAKE BOOBS, so yes, they ARE fake. She actually just had them done recently, and many of the HGs and live feed bloggers were impressed that they were done recently. I'm pretty sure her teeth are fake too, and I bet she had facial plastic surgery.
I read here and other places that Chima was raped 10 years ago by a serial rapist who also killed at least twice. Thankfully, he was caught and is serving life in jail in Texas. Her story was part of a History Channel episode about the attacks. This is why her face is kinda messed up, as she was brutalized and has had to have a couple of surgeries to correct the damage.
The Tae Kwan Do chick SHOULD have said she was 21 not 24, but WTFE. If it hasn't already been exposed, it will. She had an shouting match with her cliquemate Jeff and she didn't come across as an 18 year old. It'll end up biting her in the @$$. But, from the fight with Jeff, it sounds like she only talks with Jessie and hasn't talked with anyone else...at least as of then. Like Jessie last year, she sleeps a lot.
Jeff is a really good looking guy, and if someone told me that he was Adam Lambert's brother, I'd believe them. Too bad he's an @-hole.
The scientist gal looks a little like Lisa Loeb. I don't like liars, but I understand where she's coming from.
The tattoo gal seems to remind a LOT of people of P!nk. There's someone else that she reminds me of, but I can't place it. She seems to be nuzzling Jessie. Ugh!
The nerdy gamer guy reminds me of the "I'm a PC" guy. I've read that he's more than 2-faced...more like 4-faced.
Braden, the "surfer dude" also appeared in an episode of "Foursome" on the Playboy channel. Ozzy from Survivor also appeared on there...in all his nakedness, a couple years prior to his first time on Survivor. I'm not certain if the "surfer dude" also was nude like Ozzy, but most likely. Braden's episode of "Foursome" airs again this week. Here is a link to see Ozzy...warning there is swinging schlongage in these pics!
http://tinyurl.com/yg4t2s
The odd bedroom is supposed to look as though they are at the bottom of a swimming pool. The plastic floatation devices on top are actually the bed covers, not the mattresses. There is actually a real bed underneath.
I can't stand Jesse and I wish that Brian had made it in, but that first challenge clearly favored the Athletes and Popular folks. Think of it this way, Brains are 80-20 brains over brawn; Off Beats are 60-40 brains over brawn; Popular are 60-40 brawn over brains; and Athletes are 80-20 brawn over brains. Given that, it would make sense to me for the Athletes to nominate 2 people from Popular as they are the biggest physical threat, and if one takes themselves off, put up the third. If the un-nominated wins Veto and takes one down, then put up an Off Beat. That is how I would do it...but are the Athletes that smart?
In order to see the "hidden or inviso text" hold down the left mouse button and drag it to the end.
SPOILERS!!!
Apparently not. Jesse nominated tattoo girl and Chima. Russell with the muscles won veto, and since he's also in the athlete clique, you'd think that he wouldn't change the noms. However, there appears to be a movement to take down tattoo girl and put up surfer dude as he is seen as a major threat by the athletes. Jeff apparently is not getting along with his athlete clique and first had a blow up with Russell and later with the tae kwan do chick. Live feed bloggers do not like Jeff due to his usage of the words gay and f-g. muscle dude ended up using the veto and took tattoo gal off and now surfer dude is on the block and is the target, but it may end up either being Chima or a tie which means hoh decides who goes.
END SPOILERS!!!
HG Updates...
I'm pretty sure that I read that Jessica from BB8 (who was trying to get into other house in the "Popular clique" and Eric "America's Player" broke up sometime last year.
Catching up with the winner of last season, Dan:
http://tinyurl.com/lu58wy
Hardy Hill from BB2 is in a new "docu-reality" series (like The Hills or The Real Housewives of...) http://www.bravotv.com/miami-social/bio/hardy
Burn Notice:
I REALLY loved this episode! It was waaaaay out of the box for this series.
The main story was about a mathematician who works as an office plant cleaner at a defense contractor. He sees patterns, so I guess he's kinda like the guy from the tv series Numbers, except that this guy is crazy. He uses his pattern recognition ability to track down Michael to a gun range, and KNOWS that he must be an ex covert ops who is now working in Miami because of all the explosions and odd crime captures lately...the same things the cops were on him about.
He convinces Michael and Sam to talk about a job as his boss at the defense contractor is selling secrets and getting spies killed, including one of Sam's old pals.
At lunch, he reveals that the boss is an evil alien and the people getting killed are good aliens. He then freaks out and flips over the table. Mike & Sam call the cops (yes, they note the oddness) and the guy gets taken to a mental health facility. One of the people who picks the guy up tells Michael that he's a semi regular.
Later, the guy breaks out of the mental hospital, and tracks Michael down to his house. Mike, Sam & Fi go to the guy's house to see his evidence, and it's floor to ceiling with news clippings...the way the guy sees his patterns. A spy found dead that day fits a warning the crazy guy gave to Mike, so they now believe him.
Although the boss blows up the guy's house preventing them from catching her in the act of wiping evidence against her, Mike and the client are able to trick her into going into her building's secure room, where Michael cuffs her and calls the cops. She turns in the guy she's been using to kill people, but she's totally screwed. Sam gets the client a job with some people he knows, and gets the guy on meds to combat his mental issues. I would like to see them bring him back from time to time. Odd fact, the actor who played the nutty client is named Michael Rubinstein but because there already was a Michael Rubinstein in SAG, he changed his name to Michael Weston. The name of the lead character in Burn Notice is Michael Westen. How odd is that?
The other story was that Michael and Sam track private planes and figure out which hanger the CIA uses to sell stuff on the black market in order to fund ops so covert that they have to stay off the books. Michael shows up asking for the hanger manager, but the guy knows who Michael is and tells him that he's been warned about Michael and tells him that he can't risk rocking his boat to help him. Michael breaks in, steals some of the black market goods, and puts them on eBay under a name indicating that the guy has met with Michael. Michael returns and the guy is pissed, but is now Michael's official local CIA contact. He tells Michael that while the government wants to brush under the rug the actions of the defense contractor's boss who was selling secrets that Michael caught, it did get some people to say that they'd look into his file.
Eureka:
SciFi..err...SyFy really messed up. Last season was cut short due to the writer's strike, but they were originally going to air the remaining episodes in January and air a new season in July. For whatever reason, they instead decided to not air until now these new episodes that are actually part of last season. I read the Eureka was renewed for a 4th Season, so I'm guessing that won't be until next July? In the last episode of Season 3 that aired, Sheriff Carter got fired, not long after Dr Blake informed him that she was pregnant with her dead husband's baby. This new episode is the next episode, but she is now VERY pregnant. The odd thing is that in the prior episodes, Jack's sister arrives in town already pregnant, so she SHOULD be farther along than Dr Blake, but essentially is still in the same stage that she was before. When the season DVD for this comes out, it'll look VERY odd. Also, the daughter grew up quite a bit in the break and looks older than in the prior episodes.
At any rate, this was another good but not great episode. Carter is trying to get a job with Homeland Security, but can't talk about Eureka...only that he was Sheriff of a small town. Everyone thinks Jo will become the new Sheriff, even Jo, but instead Carter is replaced with a robot that arrives in a suitcase sized box. He looks like a metal boombox, but unfolds into a big metal man...which then breaks apart revealing a fleshy, human looking android. Jo promptly quits after being passed up...again...and this time for Robocop.
Some moron accidentally networks with Carter's artificial lifeform house, and accidentally creates gravity wells...something like a tornado sized black hole. This start causing random increases in gravity around town, crushing things. Carter's house is able to manipulate the gravity wells to crush the android, twice, in hopes that Carter will be rehired.
In the end, Carter and the android Sheriff destroy the device that was wrecking havoc before it goes critical and starts to create a true black hole. Henry is now the Mayor (I don't remember this happening) and since the new Sheriff has the entire town charter in its memory, he is able to find out that while the Department of Defense can request the firing of the Sheriff, only the Mayor can approve it. So, Carter never actually technically was fired. The android says that he'll go do something else...which is odd because it was designed to be the "perfect Sheriff." I think it would have been fun to keep him as a regular...use him as a Deputy. Of course, Jo also takes her job back, and all is well as the episode ends. Well, mostly. Apparently, "something is coming" and from the way they described it, it's from outer space and heading straight toward Eureka...following old interstellar communication signals that were sent into space. Duh duh duuuuuunnn!!!
Torchwood:
Preparing for the new 5 part mini-series that starts on 7/20, BBC America aired the second to last episode on Saturday, and next Saturday will be the last episode aired (from March 2008!)
In this episode, Jack, Ionto, Tosh and Owen arrive at 2 buildings where they got alien readings. They think they're lifeforms, but discover that they're bombs...just as they go off. Gwen arrives VERY late with her husband (Rhys) having had to drive her. They first free Jack, then Ionto. Jack, Ionto and Rhys then have to work together to free a nearly crushed Tosh, while Gwen has to free Owen before a window and frame fall cutting him in half. And since he's now sort of a walking dead, and can't heal, that wouldn't be a good thing to happen.
While each member was trapped, they flashback to the events that got them into Torchwood. Jack was living in London in the 1800s, waiting for Dr Who to reappear, when he is captured by the only 2 members of Torchwood, 2 women. They turn out to be lovers. What IS it with this series that EVERYONE who works for Torchwood goes both ways...at least once? Anyway, they believe he's a threat and realize that he knows The Doctor who they are charged with fighting. Jack reveals that The Doctor is a friend to humanity, although (at that time) Jack is PISSED with him for leaving him behind. They then show that Jack learns that The Doctor won't cross his path for 100 years, so he decides to work with Torchwood. They show documents going from pen and quill to manual typewriters to electric typewriters, to old computers to laptops...showing how things change while Jack is at Torchwood.
They then show that 5 years prior, Tosh worked for a defense contractor, but stole plans for a sonic weapon which she has to trade for her kidnapped mother. They badguys tell her that she is so good, that they won't release the mother and will harm her with the weapon Tosh made unless Tosh continues to help them. They then use the device on Tosh and her mother...until UNIT arrives and arrests everyone. They put Tosh into a solitary confinement cell and inform her (using an overhead speaker) that her rights are terminated and that she will be held without trial or help forever for what she's done without any counsel or appeal. Tosh asks if her mother is ok but they refuse to tell her. It looks like Tosh is only there a couple of days when Jack arrives. He tells her that the sonic device didn't work, but she was able to fix the problems intuitively while she made it. He could use someone like her. He tells her that in exchange for 5 years service, he's had her record fixed and her mother is ok...but Tosh can only have limited contact...like postcards.
They then show that Ionto worked for Torchwood London, which was taken over by militants against aliens, including The Doctor, so Jack's been working solo. Ionto wants to work with him in light of the destruction of Torchwood London and the "death" of his GF at the hands of the Cybermen. Of course, in the first season it was revealed that Ionto's GF had been partially turned into a Cyberman and he was trying to save her, but she ended up killing several people before having to be destroyed. After telling Ionto to go away several times, Ionto brings Jack to a Pterodactyl which they catch (it was seen flying around the caverns where Torchwood is located in the first ever episode of Torchwood.)
Owen is shown engaged to a pretty gal, who is then shown to have some severe memory issues. Owen tells the doctors to run more scans and tests as she seems to be getting worse, although at times she is perfectly fine. The new tests show a large tumor and they decide to operate. It turns out that the tumor is an alien which gestated in her brain, and when the surgeons tried to remove it, it killed them with a deadly gas. Owen is devastated when Jack arrives to tell him what has happened. Owen then finds himself in a hospital bed. While unconscious, Jack and Torchwood alter the security footage to only show Owen awaiting the results of surgery...no Jack showing up. They also have the story that the girl died in surgery as the mass was too big. The surgeon and the assistants were all made to have died in a car accident after work. Owen is thought to be having hysterical dementia due to the grief as nobody believes his story about Jack and the alien in the brain. Jack shows up at the gal's gravesite, and Owen kicks his @$$ for a bit. Jack then offers him a job with Torchwood, and after seeing Torchwood and what they do is for real, he agrees.
Once all the flash backs are over, and the group's members are all freed, Jack's hologram watch goes off showing Capt John Hart who claims responsibility for the bombs, and then show Jack that Jack's LONG missing brother, Gray, is with him...seemingly John's prisoner. John says that he's gonna destroy everything Jack loves...for not caring for John anymore. That will lead to the final episode this coming Saturday.
Some random thoughts...
Julie didn't look pregnant from the front, but when she turned sideways to talk to the HGs in the house, you could see her HUGE belly. When she gave a tour of the BB house last week, it was VERY prominent.
Laura, the girl with the Hooters has fake boobs and appears to have fake teeth. She also looks like she might have had some plastic surgery on her face. Her pontoons are too big, her teeth are chompers, and she isn't very pretty. Most would call her a "butter face," but I don't think her body is good enough for that as it is too phony. Apparently, she was talking on the live feeds about her BIG FAKE BOOBS, so yes, they ARE fake. She actually just had them done recently, and many of the HGs and live feed bloggers were impressed that they were done recently. I'm pretty sure her teeth are fake too, and I bet she had facial plastic surgery.
I read here and other places that Chima was raped 10 years ago by a serial rapist who also killed at least twice. Thankfully, he was caught and is serving life in jail in Texas. Her story was part of a History Channel episode about the attacks. This is why her face is kinda messed up, as she was brutalized and has had to have a couple of surgeries to correct the damage.
The Tae Kwan Do chick SHOULD have said she was 21 not 24, but WTFE. If it hasn't already been exposed, it will. She had an shouting match with her cliquemate Jeff and she didn't come across as an 18 year old. It'll end up biting her in the @$$. But, from the fight with Jeff, it sounds like she only talks with Jessie and hasn't talked with anyone else...at least as of then. Like Jessie last year, she sleeps a lot.
Jeff is a really good looking guy, and if someone told me that he was Adam Lambert's brother, I'd believe them. Too bad he's an @-hole.
The scientist gal looks a little like Lisa Loeb. I don't like liars, but I understand where she's coming from.
The tattoo gal seems to remind a LOT of people of P!nk. There's someone else that she reminds me of, but I can't place it. She seems to be nuzzling Jessie. Ugh!
The nerdy gamer guy reminds me of the "I'm a PC" guy. I've read that he's more than 2-faced...more like 4-faced.
Braden, the "surfer dude" also appeared in an episode of "Foursome" on the Playboy channel. Ozzy from Survivor also appeared on there...in all his nakedness, a couple years prior to his first time on Survivor. I'm not certain if the "surfer dude" also was nude like Ozzy, but most likely. Braden's episode of "Foursome" airs again this week. Here is a link to see Ozzy...warning there is swinging schlongage in these pics!
http://tinyurl.com/yg4t2s
The odd bedroom is supposed to look as though they are at the bottom of a swimming pool. The plastic floatation devices on top are actually the bed covers, not the mattresses. There is actually a real bed underneath.
I can't stand Jesse and I wish that Brian had made it in, but that first challenge clearly favored the Athletes and Popular folks. Think of it this way, Brains are 80-20 brains over brawn; Off Beats are 60-40 brains over brawn; Popular are 60-40 brawn over brains; and Athletes are 80-20 brawn over brains. Given that, it would make sense to me for the Athletes to nominate 2 people from Popular as they are the biggest physical threat, and if one takes themselves off, put up the third. If the un-nominated wins Veto and takes one down, then put up an Off Beat. That is how I would do it...but are the Athletes that smart?
In order to see the "hidden or inviso text" hold down the left mouse button and drag it to the end.
SPOILERS!!!
Apparently not. Jesse nominated tattoo girl and Chima. Russell with the muscles won veto, and since he's also in the athlete clique, you'd think that he wouldn't change the noms. However, there appears to be a movement to take down tattoo girl and put up surfer dude as he is seen as a major threat by the athletes. Jeff apparently is not getting along with his athlete clique and first had a blow up with Russell and later with the tae kwan do chick. Live feed bloggers do not like Jeff due to his usage of the words gay and f-g. muscle dude ended up using the veto and took tattoo gal off and now surfer dude is on the block and is the target, but it may end up either being Chima or a tie which means hoh decides who goes.
END SPOILERS!!!
HG Updates...
I'm pretty sure that I read that Jessica from BB8 (who was trying to get into other house in the "Popular clique" and Eric "America's Player" broke up sometime last year.
Catching up with the winner of last season, Dan:
http://tinyurl.com/lu58wy
Hardy Hill from BB2 is in a new "docu-reality" series (like The Hills or The Real Housewives of...) http://www.bravotv.com/miami-social/bio/hardy
Burn Notice:
I REALLY loved this episode! It was waaaaay out of the box for this series.
The main story was about a mathematician who works as an office plant cleaner at a defense contractor. He sees patterns, so I guess he's kinda like the guy from the tv series Numbers, except that this guy is crazy. He uses his pattern recognition ability to track down Michael to a gun range, and KNOWS that he must be an ex covert ops who is now working in Miami because of all the explosions and odd crime captures lately...the same things the cops were on him about.
He convinces Michael and Sam to talk about a job as his boss at the defense contractor is selling secrets and getting spies killed, including one of Sam's old pals.
At lunch, he reveals that the boss is an evil alien and the people getting killed are good aliens. He then freaks out and flips over the table. Mike & Sam call the cops (yes, they note the oddness) and the guy gets taken to a mental health facility. One of the people who picks the guy up tells Michael that he's a semi regular.
Later, the guy breaks out of the mental hospital, and tracks Michael down to his house. Mike, Sam & Fi go to the guy's house to see his evidence, and it's floor to ceiling with news clippings...the way the guy sees his patterns. A spy found dead that day fits a warning the crazy guy gave to Mike, so they now believe him.
Although the boss blows up the guy's house preventing them from catching her in the act of wiping evidence against her, Mike and the client are able to trick her into going into her building's secure room, where Michael cuffs her and calls the cops. She turns in the guy she's been using to kill people, but she's totally screwed. Sam gets the client a job with some people he knows, and gets the guy on meds to combat his mental issues. I would like to see them bring him back from time to time. Odd fact, the actor who played the nutty client is named Michael Rubinstein but because there already was a Michael Rubinstein in SAG, he changed his name to Michael Weston. The name of the lead character in Burn Notice is Michael Westen. How odd is that?
The other story was that Michael and Sam track private planes and figure out which hanger the CIA uses to sell stuff on the black market in order to fund ops so covert that they have to stay off the books. Michael shows up asking for the hanger manager, but the guy knows who Michael is and tells him that he's been warned about Michael and tells him that he can't risk rocking his boat to help him. Michael breaks in, steals some of the black market goods, and puts them on eBay under a name indicating that the guy has met with Michael. Michael returns and the guy is pissed, but is now Michael's official local CIA contact. He tells Michael that while the government wants to brush under the rug the actions of the defense contractor's boss who was selling secrets that Michael caught, it did get some people to say that they'd look into his file.
Eureka:
SciFi..err...SyFy really messed up. Last season was cut short due to the writer's strike, but they were originally going to air the remaining episodes in January and air a new season in July. For whatever reason, they instead decided to not air until now these new episodes that are actually part of last season. I read the Eureka was renewed for a 4th Season, so I'm guessing that won't be until next July? In the last episode of Season 3 that aired, Sheriff Carter got fired, not long after Dr Blake informed him that she was pregnant with her dead husband's baby. This new episode is the next episode, but she is now VERY pregnant. The odd thing is that in the prior episodes, Jack's sister arrives in town already pregnant, so she SHOULD be farther along than Dr Blake, but essentially is still in the same stage that she was before. When the season DVD for this comes out, it'll look VERY odd. Also, the daughter grew up quite a bit in the break and looks older than in the prior episodes.
At any rate, this was another good but not great episode. Carter is trying to get a job with Homeland Security, but can't talk about Eureka...only that he was Sheriff of a small town. Everyone thinks Jo will become the new Sheriff, even Jo, but instead Carter is replaced with a robot that arrives in a suitcase sized box. He looks like a metal boombox, but unfolds into a big metal man...which then breaks apart revealing a fleshy, human looking android. Jo promptly quits after being passed up...again...and this time for Robocop.
Some moron accidentally networks with Carter's artificial lifeform house, and accidentally creates gravity wells...something like a tornado sized black hole. This start causing random increases in gravity around town, crushing things. Carter's house is able to manipulate the gravity wells to crush the android, twice, in hopes that Carter will be rehired.
In the end, Carter and the android Sheriff destroy the device that was wrecking havoc before it goes critical and starts to create a true black hole. Henry is now the Mayor (I don't remember this happening) and since the new Sheriff has the entire town charter in its memory, he is able to find out that while the Department of Defense can request the firing of the Sheriff, only the Mayor can approve it. So, Carter never actually technically was fired. The android says that he'll go do something else...which is odd because it was designed to be the "perfect Sheriff." I think it would have been fun to keep him as a regular...use him as a Deputy. Of course, Jo also takes her job back, and all is well as the episode ends. Well, mostly. Apparently, "something is coming" and from the way they described it, it's from outer space and heading straight toward Eureka...following old interstellar communication signals that were sent into space. Duh duh duuuuuunnn!!!
Torchwood:
Preparing for the new 5 part mini-series that starts on 7/20, BBC America aired the second to last episode on Saturday, and next Saturday will be the last episode aired (from March 2008!)
In this episode, Jack, Ionto, Tosh and Owen arrive at 2 buildings where they got alien readings. They think they're lifeforms, but discover that they're bombs...just as they go off. Gwen arrives VERY late with her husband (Rhys) having had to drive her. They first free Jack, then Ionto. Jack, Ionto and Rhys then have to work together to free a nearly crushed Tosh, while Gwen has to free Owen before a window and frame fall cutting him in half. And since he's now sort of a walking dead, and can't heal, that wouldn't be a good thing to happen.
While each member was trapped, they flashback to the events that got them into Torchwood. Jack was living in London in the 1800s, waiting for Dr Who to reappear, when he is captured by the only 2 members of Torchwood, 2 women. They turn out to be lovers. What IS it with this series that EVERYONE who works for Torchwood goes both ways...at least once? Anyway, they believe he's a threat and realize that he knows The Doctor who they are charged with fighting. Jack reveals that The Doctor is a friend to humanity, although (at that time) Jack is PISSED with him for leaving him behind. They then show that Jack learns that The Doctor won't cross his path for 100 years, so he decides to work with Torchwood. They show documents going from pen and quill to manual typewriters to electric typewriters, to old computers to laptops...showing how things change while Jack is at Torchwood.
They then show that 5 years prior, Tosh worked for a defense contractor, but stole plans for a sonic weapon which she has to trade for her kidnapped mother. They badguys tell her that she is so good, that they won't release the mother and will harm her with the weapon Tosh made unless Tosh continues to help them. They then use the device on Tosh and her mother...until UNIT arrives and arrests everyone. They put Tosh into a solitary confinement cell and inform her (using an overhead speaker) that her rights are terminated and that she will be held without trial or help forever for what she's done without any counsel or appeal. Tosh asks if her mother is ok but they refuse to tell her. It looks like Tosh is only there a couple of days when Jack arrives. He tells her that the sonic device didn't work, but she was able to fix the problems intuitively while she made it. He could use someone like her. He tells her that in exchange for 5 years service, he's had her record fixed and her mother is ok...but Tosh can only have limited contact...like postcards.
They then show that Ionto worked for Torchwood London, which was taken over by militants against aliens, including The Doctor, so Jack's been working solo. Ionto wants to work with him in light of the destruction of Torchwood London and the "death" of his GF at the hands of the Cybermen. Of course, in the first season it was revealed that Ionto's GF had been partially turned into a Cyberman and he was trying to save her, but she ended up killing several people before having to be destroyed. After telling Ionto to go away several times, Ionto brings Jack to a Pterodactyl which they catch (it was seen flying around the caverns where Torchwood is located in the first ever episode of Torchwood.)
Owen is shown engaged to a pretty gal, who is then shown to have some severe memory issues. Owen tells the doctors to run more scans and tests as she seems to be getting worse, although at times she is perfectly fine. The new tests show a large tumor and they decide to operate. It turns out that the tumor is an alien which gestated in her brain, and when the surgeons tried to remove it, it killed them with a deadly gas. Owen is devastated when Jack arrives to tell him what has happened. Owen then finds himself in a hospital bed. While unconscious, Jack and Torchwood alter the security footage to only show Owen awaiting the results of surgery...no Jack showing up. They also have the story that the girl died in surgery as the mass was too big. The surgeon and the assistants were all made to have died in a car accident after work. Owen is thought to be having hysterical dementia due to the grief as nobody believes his story about Jack and the alien in the brain. Jack shows up at the gal's gravesite, and Owen kicks his @$$ for a bit. Jack then offers him a job with Torchwood, and after seeing Torchwood and what they do is for real, he agrees.
Once all the flash backs are over, and the group's members are all freed, Jack's hologram watch goes off showing Capt John Hart who claims responsibility for the bombs, and then show Jack that Jack's LONG missing brother, Gray, is with him...seemingly John's prisoner. John says that he's gonna destroy everything Jack loves...for not caring for John anymore. That will lead to the final episode this coming Saturday.
No comments:
Post a Comment