'Whispers in the Dark' -- SH 3x02

Warning: Spoiler Alert

Oh, this one is a bit late. I meant to do it earlier, but didn't get around to it; so, it'll be done now.

So, it looks like Jenny is now teaming up with Joe. I appreciate Jenny being given a B story line that is her own, instead of her kind of disappearing, since I like her, and I appreciate seeing another female lead that can take charge (except where the script needs her to fall on her face for no reason). And I think that I'm liking the idea of her taking Joe under her wing and showing him the things that Corbin showed to her, even if she realizes that this may not be the kind of life that he probably wants to be a part of. It kind of seems like it might do her some good to pass on what she has learned (and yes, that would completely make her Luke Skywalker in this scenario).

This whole thing with the Shard of Anubis ... who wants to bed that it's going to be the thing that is going to be key in getting rid of Pandora? The fact that it just suddenly became important now, right when Jenny's attention got caught by it, and started looking into it makes me super suspicious about it and what it's possibly used for. And what makes me even more suspicious about it is that as soon as she gets it out of wherever she's been hiding it, that's suddenly when someone else wants it. There's definitely something there.

I don't like the idea that Abbie is keeping the fact that she found their father a secret from Jenny. This doesn't mean that I don't understand her reasoning, cuz I completely do ... but that doesn't mean that I like the secret. If anything that the MoTW should have taught her, it's that secrets will have a way of coming back to bite you in the ass if you don't get them out in the open. Secrets can sometimes be a good thing, but in the broad strokes of a genre show, they are never a good thing ... especially when you have a monster that is essentially a Secret Eating Demon, who is coming after you for a secret that you know, and will not hesitate to also eat the other secrets that you are harboring.

I'm hoping that we end up finding out that there's nothing extraordinary about Abbie and Jenny's dad ... that he's just some normal guy, who couldn't handle their mom going (as it seemed to him) all crazy like. I want to find out that he truly does not believe in any of the supernatural stuff that is just Life for Abbie and Jenny, and he will think that they have inherited some of their mom's crazy if/when they try to explain what's been going on to him. I want the supernatural to come up and bite him in the ass, and for him to try to rationalize it all away. Part of it is that it seems like that would make for some good storytelling, since it will give Team Witness something to work against that is nothing but real world normal; but mostly, I like the idea that there are just normal people walking around the supernatural, who can't see what's right in front of them, and who actively refuse to see it (even when those who do see it are pointing right at it). Besides which, with all of the Destiny type stuff that they have from their mother's side, it seems like a good balance to have someone in their life who is just ordinary, and who thinks the supernatural stuff is bollox (having everybody believe, even if they see some crazy stuff, doesn't seem like it would happen).

'I, Witness' -- SH 3x01

Warning: Spoiler Alert

As I have said before, I am still not at all convinced that Abby and Captain Skinnyjeans are actually anywhere but Purgatory, and I'm also not convinced that they ever found each other while they were there. And nothing in this episode has made me think any differently.

I must give the writers a bit of a high five for have due who is living the thug life quoting "Annie" to Ichabod. Of course, Ichabod didn't understand what was being referenced, but even at this point, him not getting references like that has yet to become old. Him returning with, "Yes, it is, in fact, a hard knock life" (or whatever it was that he actually said) was kind of great.

So, the actress who played my least favorite character in A Knight's Tale is now the Big Bad for (at least) this season. I still don't care for this particular actress, but so far, she's already done more than Katrina did as far as the witchy way. Maybe she'll prove to be something more than a complete bore.

But speaking of her becoming the new Big Bad, I was rather disappointed that she dispatched Abraham so easily. Maybe she is supposed to be the person that the legend of Pandora is based on, and the writers have decided to make her a truly ancient witch who is not only superbly powerful, but also amazingly crafty (see what I did there?). Still, it doesn't feel like Death should be so easily dispatched, even if she is really powerful. It seems like he should have a bit more power at his disposal, seeing as he should have the power of the Apocalypse behind him, adding whatever he does ... plus, the writers seemed to be gearing up to making him the new Big Bad at the end of last season. Seems a bit of a let down that they just completely dropped that.

Speaking of getting dropped ... through a table. What the fuck with Jenny being all capable and ready, and suddenly having the table fall out from underneath her at the very last second? Ok, yeah, Ichabod and Abbie are the team here (not Ichabod and Jenny), and the writers probably wanted to have the Witnesses get their groove back (or should we be calling them "Destroyers" now?), but I did not like the way that they dealt with Jenny in that scene. They keep building her up as being completely awesome, and then, they have something shitty happen so that she gets knocked out in half a second. yes, bad things happen sometimes, but you know what? I'm kind of tired of the trope of the chick getting knocked out and lying there helpless. Yeah, yeah, this show does all sorts of good things with busting tropes normally; so when the writers seem to follow some, it bothers me (especially when the why and how of her getting knocked out was over something so stupid and pedestrian writing wise).

Also, while we're at it, can we just mention the utterly convenient cardboard boxes that happened to be just the right shape, and in just the right spot to break Ichabod's fall? I'm having a really hard time believing that they would have been there in the first place (and not in a trash compactor of some sort), or that they would have been in just the right shape, in just the right spot, and they would have been arranged so neatly (and without any obvious breaks or tears before Ichabod fell through them ... as though they had never actually been used for anything before that point). Sometimes this show just asks too much when it comes to the details.

But I will try to land a good note ... so ... I really like the new haircut for Captain Skinnyjeans ... I'm glad that the band is getting back together (at least mostly, since the writers seem to have written off Irving) ... and hopefully this new Big Bad will not annoy the fuck out of me the way that Katrina did toward the end.

Grandma Betts' Crescent Rolls

I just got a copy of the recipe from Rachael, and I'm sure that I'm not the only one who would like to have it (having very fond memories of these rolls).


2 packages (2 T.) active dry yeast
¾ cup of dry milk powder (omit if using milk instead of water)
¼ c. sugar
2 cups of warm water (or milk)
-- about 110 degrees F.
1 tsp. salt
¼ c. vegetable oil (or melted butter)
5-6 cups of flour
Melted butter

Soften yeast in warm water. Stir with a fork after about 7-10 minutes and add dry milk powder, sugar, salt, and oil (or butter). Slowly add flour and mix with dough hook of electric mixer. Continue to add flour until mixture pulls away from the sides of the bowl. You may need a little extra flour, but the dough should be soft and slightly sticky. Knead in machine for about 8 more minutes. Spray the dough with a little olive oil and cover the plastic wrap. Then, place bowl in a warm place and allow the dough to rise for about an hour, or until double in bulk.

Grease two large cookie sheets. Punch dough down and divide into two equal parts. Turn one part out onto floured surface and roll into a 12 inch circle. Brush the circle of dough with melted butter and cut into 12 equal wedges with a pizza cutter. Starting from the large end, roll each wedge into a crescent and pinch the pointed end under the roll as you place it onto the cookie sheet, leaving space to allow for rolls to double in size. Brush the tops of the rolls with melted butter. Repeat process with second half of the dough.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees after rolls have been rising for about 20 minutes. After they have doubled in size, bake in preheated oven for about 12-15 minutes. I bake one pan at a time and watch them to see how they are browning. Adjust time as needed. Sometimes you will need to bake slightly longer for rolls to achieve the desired color.

Thoughts about GoT, and the Season Five Finale

So, I just got my laptop back from taking it in to Best Buy for a cleaning (cuz it really needed it. It had been a few years, had been super slow for a while, was a pain in my ass getting onto the internet, and had started to freeze completely when I tried to get onto Facebook. Yeah, it was time), and I was able to catch up on "Game of Thrones" yesterday morning. I'm not sure that the father remembers that he gave me all of his sign in information (and I do mean all of it) when he first signed up with U-Verse, but he did, and I was able to use that to watch it. Granted, I have to use Starbucks' free Wi-Fi to do that, and it can be kind of awkward when it gets to the sexy time, but still, I'm caught up now.

The thing that gets be about the finale, wasn't anything that actually happened in it, but the reaction that people have had to the finale.

Warning: Spoilers Ahead

I've seen people having a slight fit over the fact that Jon Snow died, and saying that they're not going to be watching the show anymore. I've never really reacted kindly to people who flounce in that way, and want to tell them that if they need so much attention (and want people to come running to them to try to convince them to not leave), then, they shouldn't let the door hit them on the way out.

But also, the people who have been kind of up in arms about Jon's death:

1) They should have read the books. That scene doesn't happen exactly in the show as it did in the book (such as the presence of Ghost. In the book, the scene ends with Jon calling Ghost over, and he has one of his hands in Ghost's fur, and it's left open as to whether or not Jon is going to survive the attack), but it's pretty close. If they had read the books, this scene should not have been a surprise (nor would Ned's death, the Red Wedding, the Violet Wedding, or numerous other deaths).

2) They don't seem to realize that they are watching a show based on books by GRRM. Dude is known for killing off main characters; he enjoys that shit. And the fact that he gets so much glee out of killing off main characters means that people should expect that sort of stuff and know that no one is safe. No one. And even if someone dies in the show that didn't die in the books, having read them, and realizing that no one is really safe should make it less of a surprise when someone who didn't die in the books bites it (at least, it seems that way to me).

And while texting my cousin after watching the episode, I had some really creepy thoughts. What if Jon doesn't somehow come back (in either show or book), and his face end up in the House of Black and White with Arya ... who takes on Jon's identity. Maybe she goes back to the Wall and starts leading the Night's Watch ... or maybe goes there and takes revenge for them killing Jon (either way, Sam would probably realize that it wasn't really Jon. The others probably wouldn't expect it, but Sam would). Or she could go to King's Landing and take the Iron Throne, or at least getting rid of the Lannisters as the family in power. Sure, that would mean that she hadn't learned anything yet from the lessons that they are trying to teach her about following the Many-Faced God, but if it came to her before she became a full on Faceless Man (she already knows enough to know how to take on someone else's face), it might not be a problem for her, but she fully becomes one of them, it might be a different thing.

Still, it struck me as kind of creepy to think that it might come to her, and she might be able to use it for some purpose. The amount of anguish that she would go through, knowing that her favorite brother had died. Even if she has taken the other deaths in her family kind of well (in that she's still able to function, even if they've given her a reason for revenge), it seems like Jon's death would come at her sideways and knock her to the ground.

And then, I was thinking that if he warged into Ghost, and then, he was able to warg into her (and his face came to the House of Black and White ... or even if it didn't) ... it would be like Jon died, but he didn't. I don't know that Jon would do that to Arya, since it would mean that he would kind of be killing her, but if Ghost was around ... maybe he could go back and forth between the two of them, and it wouldn't be that big of a deal?

Arg! Stupid brain coming up with crazy things that could happen.

'Cry Havoc' -- Grimm 4x22

Warning: Spoiler Alert

Well, that was a giant pile of crazy, wasn't it?

So, we have someone to blame for the Jack stuff ... someone that will keep the police happy and away from Renard (so that he can continue being the captain, and no one will suspect that he was the one that was doing everything ... well, ok, so it wasn't technically him, but as he and Hank were saying, it would have been blamed on him if he tried to explain it). And they've left it open so that we will still have Viktor around, and I am guessing that he will probably be the king now, since he was the next in line after the king. And with Diana getting rid of the king, I'm guessing that things are going to be very different for the royals, since it seems that having her very early life with a Grimm has created a great deal of influence on her. It looks very much like she is going to be going along with the resistance, and she will be a great big weapon for them if they choose to use her that way.

I'm curious as to what was going on with the kid, and who she was talking to on the phone when Bud thought that Nick was calling her. Probably not Josh. I wouldn't be at all surprised to find out that the FBI agent (whose name is escaping me right now) has something on the kid, and is using that to make sure that the kid does whatever it is that she wants; it certainly looked like they were setting things up that way for next season. But what could it be that the FBI agent has on her? Maybe she's holding Josh captive? The kid seemed a little bit cagy when Bud was asking about Josh, so it's possible that's what it was.

Juliette getting killed ... I know that there are going to be plenty of people who are probably happy about that; I have the feeling that she wasn't exactly a fan favorite, but I still would have liked to see her stick around. I kind of hope that this turns out to be a giant fake out, cuz I do like her (the old her anyway), but the writers do seem to have been gearing things up so that she wouldn't be brought back anytime soon. Still, there may be some interesting things that the writers could do in the fallout of the kid killing Juliette. Intellectually, I have the feeling that Nick will understand that she was only trying to save his life, but at the same time, I can see him being angry with her over it (even if there really isn't time to be angry with her, seeing as it seems like they aren't going to have time to even think and things are going to pick right up next season).

I just hope that we aren't going to see Adalind turn into one of the gang now that Juliette is gone and there will be a new baby. Not only does it feel like it's kind of weird after all the things that she's done to them already, but it also feels a little bit like it would be a replacement of Juliette, and if someone else comes into the gang it should be someone they know they can trust a little bit more than Adalind, and someone who wouldn't seem to be a bit of a replacement of a previous member.

Whatever is about to happen, I'm actually kind of hoping that the kid sticks around this time, and they don't get rid of her midseason (which I probably wouldn't have said at the beginning of this season).

'Headache' -- Grimm 4x21

Warning: Spoiler Alert

I'm really disappointed that it turned out that Renard was "Jack." I still felt like it was far too much of an easy fit to have him be the one that was the killer, but I suppose going that way created some drama for him without taking too much away from what was going on with Juliette (which has been the primary story arch of the season). I'd also like it if they would come out and give some reasoning for why he kept coming to near water. There's probably a very simple answer, if a bit of research was done about spirit possessions, but sometimes it's nice when they just give us the answers as canon (since the writers' reasonings for things, and the way they have things work, may be different than the folklore).

Also, his story arch seemed to finish really quickly. Yeah, he wasn't part of the primary story arch of the season, but it seemed like we got the information about what was going on with him, and then, it was wrapped up within the next ten minutes. I think that I may have liked what was going on with his story arch more if it was in one of the tie-in books, where the writer would have been able to explore what the ramifications of what was going on with him were. It still probably wouldn't have been as much as I would have liked, since the tie-in books that are out right now aren't that long, but it still would have been better than nothing.

I'm also still not buying the idea that Adalind is suddenly the one with all of the answers, when the friend of her mother's was spouted as being super powerful and knowledgeable (and Adalind has been painted as more of a pretty face, and one that is more apt to use that pretty face to get what she wants, rather than getting into the more intricate spells). But maybe the writers are wanting to play around with (and broaden) her character somewhat, and I'm ok with that (since I do enjoy wanting to shake the fuck out of her).

I was expecting a bit more of the kid in this episode, but I suppose that getting more of her would have taken away from what they were doing with the primary story of the episode, and she did fulfill the function that she had been brought in for (to make sure that Nick knew that something was going on back at the house).

As far as Kelly goes, I wish that it wasn't so clear from the beginning of her appearance that they were using a body double and dialogue from previous episodes. It probably just came down to the fact that the actress wasn't available, but as soon as the double came out of the jeep, I kept thinking "body double ... body double ... body double," and it distracted me somewhat.

So, now Kelly is dead for real, and the royals have Diana. I get the feeling that Nick is going to want some serious revenge for his mom getting killed (and especially for the "What's in the box?!" moment), and he's going to rally the gang to storm the castle. If that's done, they'd probably be able to make an attempt at getting Diana back (which I don't think will be at the forefront of Nick's mind), and maybe she'll be reunited with Adalind and raised with her brother. I wish that Kelly had lived and had raised Diana into (at least) her teenage years. I still think it would make a very interesting exploration of the character to have a hexenbiest raised by a Grimm, and a half-Grimm raised by a hexenbiest.

I'm also getting the feeling that Juliette is going to be instrumental in the death of Kenneth, and the bringing back of Diana from the royals. There were too many points in the episode where she seemed like she was regretting her involvement with Kelly's death and the reabduction of Diana (and also like she was really starting to miss Nick). I have a feeling that she's going to switch sides again, try to help the gang, Nick's not going to forgive her, and that may be part of (at least) the secondary story arch for the next season. I do hope that a tentative peace is made at some point in the near future, and Juliette can go back to being somewhat part of the gang; Adalind has her moments where she's really helpful, but I don't think that she should ever really be trusted, since her loyalties are only really to herself, and she'll sell all of them out if she thinks that it would be the best thing for her. With Juliette, you know that there's a possibility of loyalty there, since she's proven that she has it in her (and got turned into a hexenbiest for her trouble).

'You Don't Know Jack' -- Grimm 4x20

Warning: Spoiler Alert

I feel like the writers are trying to make us think that there's some sort of significance to "Jack's" shoes in this episode. Either that we should recognize them as being someone's, or so that we will remember them for later on. And I am kind of getting the feeling that they want us t think that "Jack" is actually Renard, but I'm really hoping that it turns out to be someone else. Renard would feasibly wear the kind of shoes that Jack was wearing, he has been having lots of missing time (where in this possible alternate personality could be doing something), and he was at what's her face's house right before she was killed. It really does seem like they are wanting to lead us that way, but I'm holding out for it to be a red herring (since, in a way), it feels a little too much like we're being led around by the nose).

There is something going on with Renard and the water, I'm almost positive of that, but I'm still not sure what it could be. I wonder what it could be that would continue to draw him back to water, but I think I'll have to get a little more information before I try to even speculate on what it may be.

So, it looks like we're back to having Adalind without her powers, only this time it was of her own free will. From a writing standpoint, it would create all sorts of new possibilities between her and Juliette to have Juliette with the upper hand now (and being the one with the possibility of getting back at her for the memory spell she did on Juliette), but from a character standpoint, it seemed kind of stupid for her to suppress her abilities. Sure, it may have been the only real way for them to be completely sure that the potion worked, but it was pretty stupid of her to do so. She already knew that Juliette wanted to kill her, and that Juliette wasn't likely to want to go along with anything that would mean that she lost her new powers (especially if Adalind knew full well that Juliette was starting to like having all of the new powers that she has at her disposal). All she's really doing is leaving herself open to get killed (open in a way that she wasn’t before now).

I'm wondering what sort of affect this potion will have on the baby. Will he be all Grimm now, without any Wesen abilities? We've seen how Adalind getting her powers back only made Diana's powers stronger (even before she was born); is it possible that this potion will suppress that side of the new baby, or is it possible that it might suppress both sides? That would be an interesting development ... if he turned out to be your run of the mill human cuz of that potion. What I'm really hoping is that they don't turn around and have Adalind do something that will bring back her powers, only to make the baby's powers stronger; they already did that with Diana, and doing it again will be extra tired. But then, they are kind of rehashing her losing her powers again, so it's possible that they might try to do something to enhance the baby's powers while he's still in utero.

The burning of Aunt Marie's trailer and taking what they were able to salvage (which I'm amazed that they were able to salvage anything the way that the fire was going) to Monroe and Rosalee's (also with the talk of bringing back the kid in the next episode) makes me want even more to have Josh and the kid turn into the super librarians of the Grimm universe. I still want so bad for Josh and the kid to be like the Watchers from "Highlander: The Series" that it's kind of driving me crazy (WRITERS! MAKE THIS HAPPEN!!). After all, there has to be a way that they can make the information that they gather safer so that this sort of thing doesn't happen again; I never liked the idea of just leaving the trailer out somewhere (regardless of where it was) without anyone making sure that all the stuff that was inside of it was safe (look at all the generations worth of work they lost in that fire). Keep Josh and the kid in charge of making sure no one tries to torch the place, and there's a better chance that all of that information (and all of those tools) might make it on to the next generation of Grimms. Also, I think it's kind of great that Nick trusts Monroe and Rosalee enough to keep such valuable stuff in their house. I love the trust between the gang members like whoa (this is, of course, excluding Renard, since he’s not actually part of the gang proper).