#not gonna lie to y'all i'm a little nervous for this next season

[kanerallels]

A little late, but finally, here are my thoughts about MSATD 4x06!

Absolutely LOVE the way it started. Because of course these two would wind up being chased around an abandoned factory by a guy Eliza DRUGGED THIS IS THE THIRD TIME SHE'S POISONED SOMEONE AND I LOVE HER FOR IT

"I used to box for County Harwick" "does that mean something?" "IT MEANS QUITE A LOT" absolutely PERISHING it reminds me of that post about the person who pretended not to know what Harvard was

(also from a writing perspective I loooooooooooove the vibes of just throwing us into the middle/end of a case, showing us that they've been working on quite a few cases together! Plus it's just a fun way of writing things)

I'm very proud of Eliza for working with a large staff well and being able to handle things on her own!

UGH FITZROY'S JERK DAD SHOWED UP I HATE THAT GUY

Okay this was probably my favorite case of the season. The suspense, the way it handled Fitzroy's struggle over being given that promotion, and the culmination was *chef's kiss*

I read this post about how Eliza's allegiance is to the truth, while Nash's isn't to money, but to the memory and legacy of his brother and this episode DEFINITELY hammered that point home! The scene where he was struggling with whether or not to kill that guy? SO well done, Felix Scott has got mad skills

(also while I am not a Patrick x Eliza shipper.... from an objective point of view they had some GOOD moments in this episode)

(I mean come on. "you're the only one who's ever believed in me"? Him putting down the gun for her and only shooting O'Driscoll when he tried to kill Eliza? Those are some pretty immaculate vibes. I'm still ride or die for Williza, but I can see where the Patrick x Eliza shippers are coming from)

(okay and the moment in Patrick's cell where he said that he wanted her to believe he was a good person and she said that would never happen (affectionate), but then he said "Perhaps not. But I'll keep trying anyways"? Giving SERIOUS Rose In Bloom vibes. If you know, you know)

ANYWAYS BACK TO THE PLOT I also really really really LOVED the last scene between Fitzroy and his father. He stood up to him!! And told him that he didn't care if he was disappointed in him!! And the fact that he might not have a lot of ambition wasn't painted as a bad thing!! I LOVED IT A LOT OKAY

Oh also I didn't really like Phelps taking William's place at first, but the idea's grown on me a lot in this past episode. I liked the part where he basically told Fitzroy that he shouldn't be doing this job to get a pat on the back-- while I get where my boy Fitzroy was coming from, and Phelps is definitely a lot harsher than I approve of, it reminded me of a scene in The Rookie. And therefore gets a pass. I also liked the way it showed that Fitzroy and Phelps are at their best when they're working together!

Oh and! I liked the moment where Eliza and Mr. Potts were talking and she finally elected to be honest with him, and that's what won him over. EXCELLENT scene, I really liked it

(also I loved how Fitztroy, when he was Stressed, rubbed his hand over his face like William does. These are the things I obsessively notice. I have issues)

And then I REALLY liked the ending. The whole "Eliza goes to work for Nash" plotline has never been my absolute favorite. It just doesn't feel super true to who she is-- instead of being the only female detective in the city, she's a female detective working under Nash. And while I did enjoy their partnership more than I expected, I'm so glad to see her back in her own office, where she belongs. And she finally changed the name at the top of the sign!!

(and OBVIOUSLY I loved the William flashback at the end)

So overall, this was a really fun season!! Even though I was sad to not have William for the last two episodes, they were still really fun. Eliza and Patrick have great chemistry together on screen, and they're a really fun duo to watch!

Also, even those I missed Moses a LOT, I enjoyed some of the new characters-- namely, Clarence-- and the focus on some of the old ones, like Fitzroy and Phelps!!

And I DEFINITELY can't wait for the next season

[dwtsfun]

Dancing with the Stars Season 33 Week 8: Conrad, Come Here. Let's Talk

So we're back. This was an interesting week of competition. I don't think the dancing was as good as it could've been. There's a lot of factors, but I will explain the main one pretty soon.

Before I get there, Dwight and Daniella were eliminated. While it made sense, I was still a little disappointed as I found them to be some of the most entertaining people on this season. They should be proud as they figured out how to make a 1 and a half foot difference in height, work on this show. Contrary to popular belief online, Dwight was very good. He gave one strong performance this week and one where he was hosed. More on that later. So it was sad to see him go. I'm nervous for Chandler y'all. So tonight, if you like her, you MUST vote. Now let's talk about this instant challenge.

Instant Dance Challenge

I'm sorry but it was a flop. Conrad, bring that ass here. You KNOW better. In seasons 11 and 12, the instant dance round worked. You know why? You gotta remember why. You were EP back then. If you don't remember, let me remind you. The instant dance rounds worked back then because everyone was given the style that they were gonna do. The couples didn't have to put together 5 routines for one night of competition. It was also a rhythmic Latin dance. We didn't have to worry about the instant dance being a ballroom dance or a paso (of all dances). That means that we saw rumbas, salsas, cha-chas, jives and even a few sambas. Ballroom dances and a paso should've NEVER been in consideration for those instant dances. It is way too hard to figure out choreo on the spot for those while getting the technique somewhat right. Dwight and Daniella did well with what they had, but they were at an automatic disadvantage from jump.

Next, giving them their music 5 minutes before they got out on the floor was stupid! In the past they got their music after they finished with their first round, got changed (in private) and would work on putting their routine to that music before they got out on the floor. It wasn't a mad dash to change (let's not forget that those costumes could have ripped as they were putting them on right before the danced), listen to the music and figure something out in 7 minutes. You know how ridiculously unnecessary that whole ordeal was. The first way was a challenge. There would be drama and tension. But it was controlled and seemed possible. The show was nice to the couples. This was cruel. Imagine getting a song you never heard before and having to put something together without knowing any of the accents in the beat?

And let's talk about the stupid lie that they had to "choose" the right costume. NO! The show has their measurements. This cast in particular has varying different body shapes and sizes. Ilona can't fit what Chandler would wear. Neither of them can fit the pros' costumes. Rylee can't fit a Jenna/Daniella/Witney costume. Dwight is 6'10. Stephen is 5'7. Danny and Joey are the same height but Danny is much thicker than Joey. Brandon and Alan also have a similar thing with being the same height, but Brandon being thicker. They knew who had what costume. Just give them the costume after their first round dance so that they can change and get that out of the way. And the changing with the silhouette was so invasive and creepy and not family friendly AT ALL. Yeah we didn't see anything. But the fact that we're watching them change on stage, in the middle of the audience mind you, was so weird. Stop that. Conrad, you're clicking down. Get it together.

Also I wanna say that I agree with Cheryl about the iconic dances. They should've had to incorporate something from the old dance. Otherwise, you're just dancing to the same song.

Chandler and Brandon- These two had a night for the DWTS books. Both dances were perfect. That Argentine tango was especially amazing. Her lines are gorgeous. She moves with such power, grace and fluidity. That cha-cha was also an A+ dance, even with all the stupidity of that round happening. I think that Brandon's choreography has been extremely refreshing and underappreciated. He's been great all season, but especially for those two dances. Y'all. Vote for her please. I want them in the finale. I am so excited for a freestyle from them.

Joey and Jenna- So I don't care for contemporaries as always. This was a great dance. My critique is the same as CAI's actually (and I'm so glad she got her good sense back). Y'all know I don't care about the character of a dance unless there's an obvious gap in that and the performance. Well, that's what was happening here. There was nothing that he gave me from an emotional standpoint. And considering this was supposed to be inspired by Riker and Allison's contemporary, it was lacking. Even if it wasn't, it was still lacking. No perfect score there. As for the rumba, they handled it pretty well. I hated them not actually choreographing an end to it. He just kinda slid. Which okay. A lot of the instant dances were like that. He's still got feet problems. Is he pigeon toed? It might explain a lot. Yeah, he had a good night.

Ilona and Alan- I loved their quickstep. It was Ilona's best dance by far. A big critique that I have is actually for Alan. I don't think we needed to have them break hold. She was doing so well in hold and then was not as confident out of hold. It was a good decision for entertainment sake I guess. But I wanted Ilona to really stick it to us. And I believe that she could've gotten a perfect score if she was in hold for the whole dance. Their salsa was blah. I love Da Dip. But when you slow that song down that much? It sucks. And it wasn't right for a salsa. Why not use simple stuff, like Tequila or something. It's simple. It's been cleared in the past. It works. Just do that so the couples don't have to search so hard for the salsa beats.

Stephen and Rylee- I think Rylee and Stephen benefited a lot from having Mark come in. There was an ease of movement that I saw from Stephen that I saw from Stephen that I had never seen before. Mark had issues with Aly not being able to count music and I think he helped these two get Stephen over that hump. He still had some issues in that Viennese waltz where he stiffened up, maybe anticipating the next step. But he felt the music way better this time around and his technique was good outside of his frame in those moments where he got stiff. His jive was much better this time around. Still wasn't perfect, but the timing and his feet were much better.

Danny and Witney- These two definitely struggled the most with putting together 5 routines. While I think their quickstep was good, Danny started out a little behind the music and was moving a little small. As the dance went on, he settled into it more. The side by side sections were actually pretty good. He has to work on his frame and his posture. He hunches and he sticks his butt out. The jive started out as a disaster. But they ended up getting back on track and finishing strong. He should've gotten the same score as Dwight but oh well.

And that's it. Let me know your thoughts. Glad I got this out before the show started in the Mountain Zone. I'm trying y'all, but this has been a year from hell at my job. I'll talk to you all soon though and make sure you VOTE!