It’s been a while since Dan and I have happened upon good sci-fi. The world is swamped with sewage, which made this gem really stand out. Strong storytelling with callbacks to Khan and the Prime Directive, solid arguments against racism and oppression, and wit and charm through fabulous performances from the entire cast.
Category: TV shows
9.0 Light & Magic
Kathleen Kennedy just went way up in my book for releasing this behind-the-scenes gold. The whole journey is captured, from Ray Harryhassen stop motion to the gorgeous ring volume of The Mandalorian.
Another day, another impossibly long list of entertainment options…
9.0 The Offer
It’s rare to find anything with this much high quality triple layering (actors playing actors playing characters). Some complain it is from a mysoginist eta (true) better left dead. Some elitist critics (*cough Rolling Stone *cough) find it shameful. Just focus on the world class acting through the twists and turns, it’s quite a journey.
Amazing Race season 34
mike wins! -259 to -301
Here we go again!
Erik Dan and I are in!
- Pick the team you think will win, and pick the team you think will be eliminated next.
- For winners, if your winning team wins, you score a point. If they are eliminted, you lose a point and repick!
- For losers, if your losing team is eliminated, you score a point, and get to pick another. If they win, you’re a loser (of one point)!
- Contest winner is the one with the most points after the final episode!
WAIT!! WE WENT OFF THE RAILS!
See the bottom…
SCORE
| Ep01 | Ep02 | Ep03 | Ep04 | Ep05 | Ep06 | Ep07 | Ep08 | Ep09 | Ep10 | Ep11 | ||
| Dan | 0 | -1 | -17 | |||||||||
| Mike | 0 | +1 | -35 | |||||||||
| Erik | 0 | -1 |
| LEGEND | |
|---|---|
| +1 | Winning choice won this leg of the race |
| +1 | Losing choice was eliminated (pick again) |
| +2 | Winning choice won, and losing choice was eliminated – PERFECT! |
| -1 | Winning choice was eliminated – pick again, loser… |
| -1 | Losing choice won this leg – just… sad… |
| -2 | Your winner lost, and your loser won? Seriously?? Nice work. |
WIN PICKS
| Ep01 | Ep02 | Ep03 | Ep04 | Ep05 | Ep06 | Ep07 | Ep08 | Ep09 | Ep10 | Ep11 | ||
| Dan | – |  |  | |||||||||
| Mike | – |  |  | |||||||||
| Erik |  | | ||||||||||
| Winner | |  | n/a |
LOSE PICKS
| Ep01 | Ep02 | Ep03 | Ep04 | Ep05 | Ep06 | Ep07 | Ep08 | Ep09 | Ep10 | Ep11 | ||
| Dan | – | |  | |||||||||
| Mike | – |  |  | |||||||||
| Erik | | | ||||||||||
| Loser |  | | n/a | (none) | (none) |
FULL LEG RESULTS
| Ep01 |           |
| Ep02 |  |
| Ep03 | |
| Ep04 | |
| Ep05 | |
| Ep06 | |
| Ep07 | |
| Ep08 | |
| Ep09 | |
| Ep10 | |
| Ep11 |
GONNA GO SPREADSHEEEEEEEET!!
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1SELZAWO9MSTurbX9KXseQUhvaJzs_Pd_YWe5avdYd8k/edit?usp=sharing
Amazing Race 33
DAN WINS 7 to 1!
Even Covid can’t stop it.
- Pick the team you think will win, and pick the team you think will be eliminated next.
- For winners, if your winning team wins, you score a point.
- For losers, if your losing team is eliminated, you score a point, and get to pick another.
- Contest winner is the one with the most points after the final episode!
 |  |  |  |
 |  |  |  |
 Normcore |  |  |
SCORE
| LEGEND | |
|---|---|
| +1 | Winning choice won this leg of the race |
| +1 | Losing choice was eliminated (pick again) |
| +2 | Winning choice won, and losing choice was eliminated – PERFECT! |
| -1 | Winning choice was eliminated – pick again, loser… |
| -1 | Losing choice won this leg – just… sad… |
WIN PICKS
| Ep01 | Ep02 | Ep03 | | | Ep04 | Ep05 | Ep06 | Ep07 | Ep08 | Ep09 | Ep10 | Ep11 | |
| Dan | – |  | |  | | | | | | | | |
| Mike | – |  | |  | | | | | | | | |
| Winner |  | | | | | | | |  | | |
LOSE PICKS
| Ep01 | Ep02 | Ep03 | | | Ep04 | Ep05 | Ep06 | Ep07 | Ep08 | Ep09 | Ep10 | Ep11 | |
| Dan | – |  | | | | |  | | | | | |
| Mike | – | | |  | | | | | | | | |
| Loser |  | | | (none) | | (none) | | (none) | | |
FULL LEG RESULTS
| Ep01 |         |
| Ep02 |    |
| Ep03 | |
| (reset) | |
| Ep04 | |
| Ep05 | |
| Ep06 | |
| Ep07 | |
| Ep08 | |
| Ep09 | |
| Ep10 | |
| Ep11 | |
9.5 What We Do In The Shadows, Succession, Peep Show, Four Lions, et al
Thank you Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain. For everything!
Hyperdrive season 1
This hot mess is a lot of chaotic fun, just don’t expect anything to be Olympic-level quality. Vroom vroom!
Rules: Watch all the qualifiers. Once the final 12 are named, each contestant ranks them first to last. Upon show completion, each contestant gets 12 points for each player, minus the number of slots you were “off”; e.g., 12 points if you picked the winner as the winner, and 1 point if you picked the winner as the loser.
RACERS
Dan picks:
1. Joao
2. Atsushi
3. Brittany
4. Alex
5. Corrina
6. Sara
7. Diego
8. Fielding
9. Faruk
10. Axel
11. Alexandre
12. Jordan
Mike picks:
1 Joao
2 Diego
3 Brittany
4 Atsushi
5 Faruk
6 Jordan
7 Sara
8 Axel
9 Fielding
10 Alex
11 Corinna
12 Alexandre
SCOREBOARD
| Eliminated | Alexandre | Faruk | Fielding | Jordan | Sara | Brittany | Alex | Corrina | Joao | Atsushi | Axel | Diego |
| Dan score | 11 | 21 | 31 | 40 | 50 | 58 | 68 | 79.5 | 88 | 99 | 103 | 109 |
| Mike score | 12 | 18 | 29 | 38 | 49 | 57 | 65 | 71.5 | 80 | 91 | 97 | 106 |
DANNO WINS!!
He gets a website with user authentication, done by Mike.
MasterChef season 10
Let the contest begin!
Rules:
Pick 1 keeper and 2 losers. Gain a point for each loser that leaves the show. Lose a point for each keeper that leaves the show.
You can pick anyone you want at the start of each show.
In the future, as agreed, if rules emerge, then we may update rules as agreed before the start of the episode.
If Mike wins, Dan endures an hour of Blender pair programming hell. If Dan wins, Mike sets him up a quick website with authentication.
UPDATE: Mike is a pussy who got tired of endless entrails of wasted animals and bailed out. Sorry, these “world class chefs” are Julia Child era dinosaurs.
APE-RONS Bri Baker, Dallas, Texas, Cocktail Server Dorian Hunter, Cartersville, Ga., Creeler Fred Chang, Redondo Beach, Calif., Revenue Analyst Jamie Hough, Charleston, S.C., Fisherman Micah Yaroch, Grand Rapids, Mich., Kitchen Porter Nick DiGiovanni, Barrington, R.I., College Student Noah Sims, Epworth, Ga., Septic Systems Foreman Renee Rice, Ada, Okla., Receptionist Sam Haaz, Philadelphia, Pa., Attorney Sarah Faherty, San Diego, Calif., Former Army Interrogator Shari Mukherjee, Rochester, Minn., Stay-at-Home Mom Subha Ramiah, West Nyack, N.Y., R&D Director Wuta Onda, Bronx, N.Y., English Teacher |
APE-ROFFS       |
| Score | Dan win | Dan lose | Mike win | Mike lose | Eliminated | Dan | Mike |
| Ep1+2 | — | — | — | 20 | 20 | ||
| Ep3 | | | | | | 20 | 20 |
| Ep4+5 | | | | | | 20 | 20 |
| Ep6+7 | | | | | | 21 | 20 |
| Ep8+9 | | | | | | 21 | 20 |
| Ep10+11 | | | | | | 21 | 20 |
| Ep12+13 | | | | |
9.0 The Mandalorian
I have plenty of shade to throw at The Mandalorian. Specifically, at my old pal Jon Favreau for being such an obsessed douchebag carnivore. But you will not find, anywhere in present or past, anything, that has ever LOOKED so good! The background scenery has been optimized with an Unreal screen ring, and the foreground is inside the ring, lit to perfection. Nothing ever before has delivered such beautiful pixels … just … so satisfying to see…
9.0 Black Monday seasons 1-2
The blackest of 80s comedy, drenched in every terrible glorious cultural reference from bad hair to bad movies to bad music, with a stock market theme full of back stabbers and pedal-to-the-medal ribald punchlines. Like a mashup of Billions, Arrested Development, Veep, Wolf of Wall Street and In Living Color. Silly crazy rude fun.