TWD, The Originals, and a Very Important Question

Happy Thanksgiving American Friends! As we head into the weekend, I just wanted to write about a few little things and also pose a very important question to you!

TWD

I liked this week's episode better than last week's, but I really hope we're nearing the end of the governor. In the season premiere, Rick was grappling with the question, "Can you come back from the things you've done?" And while Gimple said that would be sort of his...question of the season, I see that it's not confined to Rick in the least and instead the focus of the entire show. And that was really evident with these episodes focused on the Governor. It was like the show wanted you to think yes, it was possible for the governor to come back from it, to start up with a new family, and be normal, and then pull the rug out and be like HA HA NO. I mean the framing of Martinez's death was sort of shocking and also a glorious turning point. This man is not safe, he is not sane, and he will kill everyone. What really drives the Governor? I mean is it really keeping Megan safe? I'm not exactly sure, tbh. Making hard decisions to keep someone safe makes sense, but there's a hard streak of cruelty in him that doesn't account for...so. I don't know.

The Walking Dead also seems preoccupied with the good brother/bad brother relationship (though not in the same way as say The Vampire Diaries, lol). Rick/Shane, Mitch/Pete, The Governor/his brother, even Daryl/Merle. Just out of curiosity is this from the books? I don't hate it, but I would like to remind the writers that sisters can be the same way. :) But it does provide a context for new relationships...like we didn't know these people but because we've seen these same sort of stories play out again and again it makes them feel richer and deeper without having to provide all the necessary background. Oh and Tara and her girlfriend mark the first LGBTQ relationship on the show, right?

I can't decide how I felt about them coming across the soldiers with the signs affixed all representing the sins of The Governor's past. I don't know if it was a little too obvious for my tastes or not. I think I'd have liked something like that if it wasn't the Governor, so perhaps my dislike of the character is affecting things for me.

Also, I was pleased when they came across the camp because we don't get to see too many small little settlements like that on the show? But wow they were wiped out pretty quickly. I'm hoping that whoever wiped them out is the new threat. It couldn't have been the Governor right?

Lastly, I'm really worried for Hershel. He had such an awesome episode, a real upswing for his arc a few weeks ago that I could easily see him being a casualty here. I'm not worried for Michonne from the standpoint of her dying, but I know bad things could happen. I'm really excited/nervous for next week's episode.

The Originals

So after talking about how surprisingly good this show was for its first several episodes I am now here to say it has taken a disappointing turn. I shouldn't be surprised, I never actually cared much about the originals when they were on TVD but omg. The endless whining from the three of them on their own show is too much. I've been trying to figure out why I liked the first episodes so much better and I think it's because the show really sold me on the concept of New Orleans as a supernatural melting pot and there were all these intriguing stories about vampires, werewolves, and witches going on. There wasn't so much Klaus ~introspection. I think the show really failed in executing a few of these more interesting plotlines and now they are just hanging there while Klaus cries.

BUT. Having said that, I'm further amused by myself because I do really love the character of Cami. She's the token human, and she's incredible. I was annoyed by the idea of her inclusion in the show to begin with, but now I love it. As I wrote when I talked about The Walking Dead, I like stories that deal with the struggle of being...well yourself? good? moral? And I think Cami's story represents that in many ways. She's become a pawn to Klaus, he erases her feelings, messes with her memories, etc. And she's actively fighting against that. Additionally, she's fighting against the idea that should could turn out like her brother. Ugh, I just love her so much. It helps that Leah Pipes is a fantastic actress as well. I think I actually had a lot more thoughts about this but I can't recall them at the moment. :/

Other Stuff

I'm in denial that it's December this weekend.

Somehow I missed out on signing up for any sort of exchange :( Just as well, I suppose!

Also, I watched something on how corrupt the Sochi Olympics are which...I guess it just dawned on me that this is practically a tropical location and makes no sense. Also, this thing I happened to be watching on it on HBO (free trial weekend, woo!) was talking about all the actual needs of people in Russia which. Well, I'm not saying this isn't a valid point, but isn't this always a point? The Olympics do take a lot of money and they are expensive and ridiculously political and there are hungry people in countries everywhere. Anyway, this particular background makes them even more interesting to me to be honest, sports need narratives and this is a juicy one.

Baseball + My Nephew

The Cardinals have been surprisingly efficient this offseason, quickly dealing with some of the major issues from the postseason in acquiring a new outfielder and a new shortstop (to MUCH controversy). For the most part, both of these deals have been regarded as smart business decisions and they clearly show the organization's interest in preserving draft picks and young talent, omg. Anyway, as I was reading over the millions of analyses of the deals, I couldn't help but think about how nice it is to be a fan of a team consistently regarded as smart. (even if John Mozeliak said they weren't the "morale" police instead of the "morality" police....)

Which brings me to...

I have a new nephew! Those of you who follow me on Twitter already knew this but, yay! I already had three gorgeous perfect nieces and while I certainly would have welcomed and loved another, it's also fun to have a nephew.

Now my nephew lives in Denver where his parents live. I want to get him a little Cardinals outfit, but I feel like the nice responsible thing to do is get him a Rockies outfit. My brother is not really a fan of baseball, so it's not like it would be going against him...but he lives in Colorado, lol. But then I was thinking about how I've heard people say they were Cardinals fans because of aunts or uncles and I mean...shouldn't I influence my bb nephew to love the best team in baseball*?

So here's a poll, tell me if it's okay to get him Cardinals gear or should I be self-sacrificing and go with the Rockies?



(*KIDDING. JUST KIDDING. At least I didn't invoke BFIB! If you don't know what that is, you're better off, lol)