Paradise season 2 wrapped up with episode 8 in the most explosive way…literally.
The amazing action, reunions, and new twists and redemptions.
Sinatra making the sacrifice play, did not see that coming.
Xavier reuniting with his kids was amazing. Xavier and Sinatra working together to save their daughters who were trapped in the elevator. Link and his men coming across them and jumping in to help was a wonderfully heroic moment.
Jeremy coming back with help to save Nicole Robinson, who was badly injured and who demanded that Jeremy leave her behind. He showed himself as another hero on this show and seeing him and Presley kissing at the end was sweet.
I confirmed that Sinatra’s husband, Tim Redmond, was played by Tuc Watkins, who appeared on some soap operas I watched years ago (OLTL, GH) as well as on Desperate Housewives. I thought it was him, and I Googled him to conform the role.
Discovering the identity of Alex looks to set up the next season of the show as the underground bunker in the mountain is no more. Exodus, or the evacuation of the colony was unbelievable. What will those who were in the bunker for so many years, thinking that the outside world was gone, react to the fact that the outside world is still there and livable?
Oh and, surprise, there is another bunker under the Denver airport. This seems to be where Alex is, and Alex apparently is an AI that can see the future and determine what to do from it. An AI that is thinking on its own and answering questions that haven’t been asked yet. The show always had a sci-fi element to it, but it feels as if the show has taken a bigger step into the genre.
I think I may have liked season two of this show more than I liked season one, and I thought season one was exceptional. Season two had so much going for it and it captured so much suspense and drama with the characters and the difficult situations the show placed them in. Who would have thought that Sinatra would be the redemption arc of this show?
How was the episode with Satan the funniest of the season?
The dialogue of this episode, especially between Mark and Damien Darkblood, is just tremendous.
How was the trip to Hell what helped spur Mark to begin his recovery from his season long funk?
Starting off the episode with Art being the person Mark could talk to was a nice idea. Above all else, to get Invincible out of that rotten blue and black costume and back into his old one, which is soooo much better. I love seeing Mark flying through the air with the blue and yellow.
I saw an article online that episode four is divisive of an episode and has been the lowest rated episode of the season. I was surprised by this, because this is my absolute favorite episode of the season so far. They claimed this was a “filler” episode, but I couldn’t care less about that. Filler or not, quality is quality.
It could be divisive because of the fact that Mark is in Hell and that the show has a specific comment to make about Heaven. That makes more sense to me.
With Omni Man and Allen arriving at the end of the episode, just before Eve can tell Mark that she is pregnant, is some solid writing. The moment had the proper amount of gravitas as Nolan and Allen floated above the skyline.
I loved this episode. I found it to be such a breath of fresh air and gave me the hope that maudlin Mark wasn’t going to last forever. And it was extremely funny with the dialogue… especially how the demon was more positive than Mark. That juxtaposition was wonderful.
My 8th grade classes just read Walt Whitman’s “Oh Captain, My Captain.” I love that poem as it used an extended metaphor to talk about Abraham Lincoln and his death after the Civil War ended.
So I assigned my students a poem to write. They were to write an elegy, which, according to the Oxford Dictionary, is a poem of serious reflection, typically a lament for the dead.
I decdied that I wanted to write a poem too. I chose Robin Williams because how impactful he was to my life. I remember where I was when I heard the news… I was at a movie theater watching a live premiere of the movie “The Giver.” The news hit like a sledgehammer to my gut.
I wrote this poem I titled “An Elegy for the Clown” and I really love how it came out. I wanted to share it here.
An Elegy for the Clown
It was as if it happened yesterday.
Awaiting the curtain to be drawn
An atmosphere of electricity crackled away
Signaling the debut of a new dawn.
……….. A sudden cry came from far and wide
……….. Divulging that our clown had died
*
The circus was overwhelmed by the rain
Pounding upon the souls of the grieving
A painted-on smile obscured his pain
The facade of facepaint deceiving.
…………The fans beneath the big-top cried
…………Discovering that our clown had died
*
The clown was a master of his craft
Perfromances unlike but a few
We laughed, we laughed, we laughed, we laughed
Every act, every joke wholeheartedly through.
……………The tears of his peers flowed as they tried
……………To understand why our clown had died.
*
Time after time, our clown changed his face
To therapist, nanny, DJ, or genie.
Make-up morphed him into each role he’d embrace
Magically even more than Harry Houdini.
…………….. Each role a bandage; make-up applied.
……………..Leading to the reason why our clown died
*
They say pain and loss subsides over time
Good days, laughter, memories of him.
His acting, his improv and even his mime,
Can push aside feelings of sadness or grim.
………..To clowns, young and old, an inspiration bona fide.
Written: Young MC/Matt Dike/Michael Ross/Al Yankovic
Album: UHF
Released: 1989
Genre: rap/comedy
Parody: “Wild Thing” by Tone Loc (Weird Al’s first parody of a rap song)
Weird Al has an affinity for classic TV shows, as he has done songs about the Beverly Hillbillies and The Brady Bunch among others. This song is a spoof on the TV show Gilligan’s Island.
Lyrics
Met this fine young thing At the local Circle K She made a date for a half past eight And I said, “What the hey?”
So I journeyed to her crib And I let myself inside That chick was slouched down on the couch I think her brain was fried
Couldn’t figure it out She wouldn’t even look at me Then I saw her eyes, she was hypnotized Cold glued to her TV
“Hey, what’s your problem baby doll Let’s have a little fling” She said, “Hey you fool, now just be cool I’m watchin’ that Gilligan’s Isle thing”
Isle thing Isle thing
Watchin’ all night Musta been a marathon I was bummin’, those shows kept comin’ Here’s what was goin’ on
These Castaways were stranded On this island out at the sea One of them called Gilligan So let’s name him after me
He’d mess up every rescue Man, that first mate was illin’ If I was one of those Castaways I think I’d probably kill him
Just about that time Telephone began to ring She said, “Just let it, my machine’ll get We’re watchin’ the Gilligan’s Isle thing
Isle thing She loves that Gilligan’s Isle thing Isle thing Please, baby, baby, please
I like the professor He always saves their butts He could build a nuclear reactor From a clouple’ of coconuts
She said, “That guy’s a genius” I shook my head and laughed I said, “If he’s so fly, they tell me why He couldn’t build a lousy raft”
And while we’re on the subject I’ll tell you one thing for sure Those homeboys brought an awful lot For just a three hour tour
Then her mom came in the room It was kind of embarrasing She said, “Hey you two, I was once like you And I loved that Gilligan’s Isle thing”
The series of Sha Na Na is coming close to an end as I am in the middle of season 4. Season 4 has not been my most favorite season of this show. I think a big part of that is that they have been doing a bunch of songs that I have never heard before. Part of the fun of Sha Na Na is that they were singing songs that I recognized form the 1950s and 1960s. While I appreciate that they do not repeat songs very often, a lot of these songs did not appeal to that nostalgia. They did them fine, but I just was not engaged as I should have been.
Some of these guests were scrapping the bottom of the barrel too. See if you can figure out which one of these is not like the others: Lacy J. Dalton, Joey Travolta, The Currie Sisters, Jackie DeShannon and James Brown. Yep, I said James Brown. It was a strange performance though. He did not seem to get much reaction from the Sha Na Na crowd and it seemed to bother him. I think he probably fed off the energy of the crowd a lot, and there was not much energy in the crowd.
One of the comedy bits was with the song Istanbul (Not Constantinople) and I remember learning about that country name change from this song.
They played the song “Rock ‘N Roll Music” but it was sung by Chico. While I enjoy Chico’s songs usually, it just felt like the wrong Sha Na Na singer for this song. It was originally recorded by Chuck Barry and I think it would have been better with Donny singing it. Or maybe Screamin’ Scott. Chico’s version was fine, but it just did not feel right.
There were actually several songs that felt a little off during these episodes. I wonder if they were realizing that the end was near and that the overall energy was starting to lack a bit.
I was surprised as I was binging a few episodes of Jury Duty Presents Company Retreat. As the fifth episode ended, the Prime account I had switched to a different show. I come to find out that this was not dropped all at once, as I had thought, but instead episode six was being released on April 2nd.
I felt disappointed, because I had reached a sort of rhythm with the show and I was into it. So I was ready to watch maybe even the rest of the series tonight. Now I can’t do that. It’s okay.
The show had picked up steam for me. The whole Grandma with the moving arm bit was absolutely hilarious. Unbelievably raunchy and an amazing visual.
The speaker who climb Mount Everest and had his testicles get frostbite… as painful as that sounded, I could not stop laughing.
I am amazed that Anthony has not started wondering about the entire situation. These speakers were so over the top that he had to be thinking, at the very least, what the heck kind of retreat is this.
The sexual harassment seminar that they had to attend gave us a running joke: porcupine. I will never think of that word the same way again.
If Anthony really does not know what is going on, then he has to be a saint for the way he treats these insane people around him. He is really going to the next level as a temp employee.
I felt badly for Dougie as he revealed that Taco Bell sauce was a main ingredient in his new product sauce.
I have picked up momentum with Jury Duty 2 and I am looking forward to the next episode.
What a massive week. I got so many books this week. Then, there were multiple issues of Superman/Spider-Man books that I got, plus five of the new Mark Spears book. Maybe it wasn’t as big of a week if there weren’t as many variants this week.
Comic of the Week
Feral #22
Feral is one of the most consistently entertaining comic books every month. Tony Fleecs, Trish Forstner & Tone Rodriguez have brought us one of the best horror series on the market and a thoroughly engaging and thrilling. And who would have guessed that? This issue is also huge as it ends with the shocking reveal of the upcoming crossover between Feral and Stray Dogs.
They continue to have the best horror movie themed variant covers too.
Books this week:
Superman/Spider-Man #1. “Truth, Justice and Great Responsibility” Written by Mark Waid and art by Jorge Jimenez. The big crossover between the two most iconic characters of their company is pretty cool. This first one is from DC Comics. There are a bunch of stories in the book that are all fun too. There are many covers to the book, of which I picked up seven of them.
MidKnight Man #1. Written, drawn and cover art by Mark Spears. The new comic from Mark Spears is all about a superhero who dubs himself the MidKnight Man. Again, I picked up five covers of this because I do love Mark Spears’s cover art. The book itself was okay. I was not as into it as I usually am for the Mark Spears Monsters books. There were several funny meta jokes in the book too, which I am always down for. The book says that #2 will be coming out later this year, which is funny too. When? Who knows?
White Sky #2. Written by William Harms and art and cover art by JP Mavinga. I also grabbed the Invincible special variant cover for this book, also done by JP Mavinga. Violet is removed from her father and she has to face the brutality and horrors of the world on her own. What is out there that she will run into? White Sky continued its compelling storytelling from issue one. There is a lot of visual storytelling in this book, which I enjoy tremendously.
Phantom of the Opera#2. Written by Tyler Boss and art and cover art by Martin Simmonds. The latest Universal Monsters book from Image has some absolutely tense moments in it. I have to say, the artwork of Martin Simmonds, which is definitely unlike most artists, really works well for this series. It provides that sinister tone to it and you are never quite at ease.
Ripcord #2. Written by Cullen Bunn and illustrated by Aneke. Cover art was done by Jorge Fornes (Bronze medalist). Dillion is in search of her sister, and she is not going to let any Australian rednecks get in her way. She shows the kind of bad ass that she is in this issue with some seriously graphic moments, specifically with a rail gun. Move over Arnold, Dillion is here now!
Amazing Spider-Man #25. Written by Joe Kelly with art by Ed McGuinness. Cover art was done by Ed McGuinness & Marte Gracia. While Spidey, Venom (Mary Jane) and Carnage (Eddie Brock) are trying to stop Torment, they are afraid that Torment is after their family members. They race to get to Aunt May and Aunt Anna in time… when they realize that it is not Peter and MJ’s family that they needed to worry about. Hey there, Dylan Brock.
The Punisher #2. Written by Benjamin Percy with art by Jose Luis Soares. Cover art was done by David Marquez & Guru-eFX. Microchip and Frank are looking for a doctor to help figure out what is wrong with Frank. Hint… most everything. Jigsaw is making a move too.
Fantastic Four #9. Written by Ryan North with pencils by Humberto Ramos. Cover art was done by Humberto Ramos & Edgar Delgado. The Fantastic Four is facing off with another dimensional Sue Storm and she is hugely kick-ass. There are a couple of scenes with our Sue having her head turn invisible by Invincible Woman and it is disturbing as can be. No thank you, please.
Uncanny X-Men #25. “Where Monsters Dwell” Finale. Written by Gail Simone and art by David Marquez & Luciano Vecchio. Cover art was done by David Marquez & Matthew Wilson. The X-Men wrap up their fight with the monsters as Rogue stepped up big time as leader of this group. I loved the appearance of these monster characters that we do not get as much as we could.
Rafael Garcia: Henchman #1. Written by Peter Murrieta & D.E. Schrader with art by Ben Herrera. Cover art by Kit Wallis. This new series from Titan Comics features as character who is a member of a criminal organization as a henchman and he is looking to advance to an open position, more of a leadership role. This is the first ever henchman interview in comics. A fun first issue.
Is Ted Ok? #2. Clearly the answer is no. Written, drawn and cover art by Dave Chisholm. Ted is finding unexpected things at his work and they are playing on his psyche. Not 100% sure what is real and what might just be inside Ted’s head. And I like it that way. So far, this has been an entertaining read and I am curious to find out what is going on around Ted’s workplace. Why does he need to be watched? Questions abound.
Hyde Street #11. Written by Geoff Johns and art by Ivan Reis. Cover art was done by Ivan Reis & Danny Miki with Brad Anderson. We dive into the past of Pranky and we see how the Butcher of Hyde Street is freed from his prison. Things do not look like they are going to turn out well for the residents of Hyde Street. I loved cover A on this book and it nearly found its way into the medals this week. It just came up short.
The Flash #31. “The Speed was Power, and the Speed was Joy” Written by Ryan North and illustrated by Gavin Guidry. Cover ary was done by Gavin Guidry and Giovanna Niro. I wanted to give Flash a try this week. I have always liked the character and with Ryan North taking over the writing duties on the book, I thought I would give it a try. The book featured Wally West and it was really pretty cool, including a wild online campaign to cause trouble for the Flash. I love Ryan North’s work on the Fantastic Four, so I hope it is as excellent for the Flash.
Wolverine: Weapons of Armageddon #2. Written by Chip Zdarsky and art by Luca Maresca. Cover art was done by Leinil Francis Yu & Romulo Fajardo Jr. Wolverine, who is in search of a group of missing mutants, comes across David Colton, the unknown Captain America (which Zdarsky wrote about in the new Captain America series) and they have to face off with Nuke. Zdarsky has some excellent ideas about these characters and I think this is the most compelling that Nuke has been in ages.
Iron Man #3. “Forged in Fire” Written by Joshua Williamson with art by Carmen Carnero. Cover art was done by Ryan Stegman & Frank Martin. Iron Man is trying to get MODOK to lead him to Madame Masque, while trying to keep the giant head alive from AIM. Not sure Tony really wants to find her.
Detective Comics #1107. “Flight Part One” Written by Tom Taylor and art by Pete Woods. Cover art was done by Mikel Janin. Green Arrow and Black Canary move into Gotham City and immediately cause problems for Batman, messing up one of his undercover operations. Tom Taylor is another of the great writers that I feel can do no wrong and this is a great example of his solid work.
The New Avengers #10. Written by Sam Humphries and art by Ton Lima. Cover art was done by Stephen Segovia & Rain Beredo. The Killuminati storyline comes to a close, as does this version of the Avengers. It was fun at the end to see Captain Marvel and Iron Man chastising Bucky for putting together this team and not letting them in on the clones running around. Oh, and we almost got Baron Zemo back. Sorry Zemo. No go.
Rogue #3. Written by Erica Schultz and art by Luigi Zagaria. Cover art was done by David Nakayama. Rogue, whose powers are going bad, is in search of answers from her past. Those answers have led her to find Constrictor.
Final Boss #5. “Stage 5: Red Sands” Written by Tyler Kirkham and art by Tyler Kirkman with David Miller. Cover G art was done by Tyler Kirkman (Gold medalist). The first arc of this book ended with issue five. Tommy is in full battel mode where as he even discovers a fire wings power. I was given the G cover in my pull box for this series, which is a cool and very bloody cover with Tommy fighting Invincible.
Minor Arcana #15. “The Ballad of Budd St. Pierre: 1981-1983” Written, illustrated and cover art by Jeff Lemire. We get a back story for the character of Budd St. Pierre, told fully in a flashback to the early 1980s. It was a very difficult story with some tragedy in the tale. I like this type of issue as it helps flesh out some of the important supporting characters.
Justice League Unlimited #17. “Aftermath: Part One” Written by Mark Waid and art by Clayton Henry. Cover art was done by Dan Mora. The tournament participants return to the Watchtower, except Superman. Wonder Woman comes up with an idea… put some villains on a Justice League team. Batman ain’t too happy (course when is he…).
The Peril of the Brutal Dark: An Ezra Cain Mystery #2.Written by Chris Condon with art and cover art by Jacob Phillips. I also picked up the C Cover variant by Leandro Fernandez (Silver Medalist). Ezra Cain is investigating a couple of cases, one dealing with the missing husband of Mrs. Meyer and the missing artifact the Anvil of Hephaestus. This new Vertigo book is one of the best. Awesome noir style cover too.
Ultimate Endgame #3. Written by Deniz Camp and art by Terry & Rachel Dodson and Jonas Scharf. Cover art was done by Mark Brooks. Ultimate Carnage showed up and actually killed Peter Parker. I was shocked that they did this, complete with scenes by Mary Jane, but this certainly signals that the Ultimate universe is truly coming to an end.
Department of Truth #36. “Deviation 9: Beauty and the Beast.” Written by James Tynion IV and art by Ben Templesmith. Cover art was done by Martin Simmonds. We are in the early 1990s and the focus of the new arc of The Department of truth is cable TV and the media. There are some wild images through this book as we meet a character watching TV all day.
Wiccan: Witches’ Road #4. Written by Wyatt Kennedy with art by Andy Pereira. Cover art was done by Lucas Werneck. Wiccan has lost the power of the Demiurge, but he has found himself a reunion with his mother Wanda, his brother Tommy and Storm (for some reason). Then, it looks like Kate Bishop may be on her way too for next issue. A Young Avengers reunion!
Absolute Wonder Woman #18. “Season of the Witch Part 3” Written by Kelly Thompson and art by Hayden Sherman. Cover art was done by Hayden Sherman & Jordie Bellaire. Diana loses an arm again! And Zatanna comes to help her… leading to another conflict.
Other books this week: Dungeons of Doom #3, Inglorious X-Force #3, Marvel Knights: The Punisher #4, Fantastic Four: First Foes #1, Return to Sleepy Hollow #5, Deadly Hands of K’un-Lun #2, Generation X-23 #2, Absolute Martian Manhunter #10, and The Center Holds #2.
Quick Hits: I picked up Sherlock Holmes The Dark Detective Special: Doctor Nikola and the Soldier Legacy #1, from IPI Comics. It is always a challenge because it seems as if IPI Comics never puts a price on the cover and the shop won’t accept the fact that it means it is free. Their web site did not have a listed price either. I finally found proof of cost on the In This Issue Comics website. By the way, there is no Sherlock Holmes in this book either. Just Brutal #2 came out this week and I had pulled both the A and B covers for some reason. I must have messed up while putting it on my list, because there does not seem to be any reason why I wanted the variant cover for this. Liquidator #5 from Mad Cave ended with this issue. I had lost interest in the book a few issues ago. I read through Conan the Barbarian #30 this week. I enjoyed this book quite a bit. It showed Conan’s strategy as well. Spirit of the Shadows #3 from Oni Press is such a weird book. Its art is very reminiscent of Steve Ditko to me. W0rldtr33 #19 resumed this week. It has a disturbing, yet beautiful cover that was another one that I heavily considered for the Favorite Comic Covers of the Week. I watched the first three episodes of Invincible on Amazon Prime this weekend, and it feels like it is reaching the part of the story taking place in the facsimile of Invincible Returns #1, that I picked up this week. Void Rivals #28 sees part 4 of 6 in the Quintesson War story arc. Honor and Curse: Eternal #1 is new from Mad Cave. I have seen this cover several times and I was hoping it would still be on the stands. It was, and it was an interesting read. Godzilla Infinity Roar #2 sees Galactus eat Godzilla, but big purple does not have it go well. Get Galactus some Alka-Seltzer. Sai Dimensional Rivals #3 saw Sai continue to search for the Seventh Stone across the dimensions. And then, finally, it was Florida Hippopotamus Cocaine Massacre #2 which is a hugely satirical comic with lots to say about our political world these days, tucked away in this comic book.
This episode went into space to see Nolan and Allen in their attempt to find ways to avert the upcoming war against the Viltrumites.
The episode took us into the past of the Viltrumites, showing how the race dealt with a killer virus and how Nolan came to be the way he was.
The first half of this episode was not as interesting to me. When the show switched to Nolan and Allen, my interest level increased. These were some fun moments between the two as their developing friendship was highlighted.
Plus, a little parody of Star Trek is brought to the story.
JK Simmons and Seth Rogen carried the episode with their voice work with these two unlikely friends teaming up with each other to prepare for what is coming. Nolan is on his way back to earth to Mark.
“I Gotta Get Some Air”
Hey, Mark and Oliver bleed from their nose in the exact same way.
As Mark deals with his decision to punch through the head of a man to stop the Sequids, Atom Eve has to deal with her own problems as her powers are going wonky. Turned out that she is pregnant and that is what is causing the issues.
There was so much going on in this episode.
Titan getting revenge on Mr. Liu for attacking his family; He called Invincible Inc. and Oliver responded.
The Flaxans returned in an attempt to take over the earth. They were taking human prisoners.
Monster Girl and Robot got stuck in the other dimension after going through the portal to destroy the antenna that keeps the Flaxans alive on earth.
Invincible and Oliver fight the dragon.
Both Titan and Mr. Liu were suckered to rejoin the Order
I had speculated after the third episode that Anna’s mother, Alice, was the killer and that she had killed Rachel in a state of confusion. When the second body showed up, I figured that my twist suspect was innocent.
Nope. I was right. Alice was the killer. However, I was wrong in that she did it in a state of confusion. No, she planned it out and executed all three of the killings as retribution for an attack that Anna suffered at her 16th birthday party when she was raped by a bunch of men and these girls just sat back and watched. The whole dementia thing was faked as part of her plan to get away with the murders.
She confesses in a letter she wrote to Anna, who was pregnant and had reunited with Jack.
For awhile, the show hinted that maybe the killer was actually Kathryn, and I was guessing that she had faked her own death, but that was also a theory that was quickly dropped in this finale. Turned out that Lexy Jones was actually Kathryn. Lexy and her husband was the patsies here because Alice was planning on framing Lexy for the murders, but Priya shot her before that could happen. Poor Richard the camera guy got totally f-ed up during this whole thing, and he did not do anything,
It always felt as if there was something missing. I stated it last week that it felt as if there were some pieces that did not fit together and that I was hoping that the show would fill those gaps in in the finale. It sure did that.
The video tape that Alice found that showed the assault on Anna at her 16th birthday, and it inspired her to go after the others. That twist made a lot of the missing gaps go away. At first, I was not sure about the twist, but as it continued on, I found it to be a neat way to wrap up the limited series.
I enjoyed the six episodes and it does feel like it was a satisfying conclusion to an intense series. I am not sure how I feel about the ending as things are left fairly up in the air. And poor Richard…
So with that, another series during the Sunday Morning Sidewalk comes to a close. Next week, we start the new series, the Game of Thrones prequel series, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms on HBO Max. I never watched Game of Thrones, but I heard that you do not need to have seen the original to enjoy this show. I hope they are right.
Written: R Kelly/Jimmy Page/Robert Plant/John Paul Jones/Al Yankovic
Album: Straight Outta Lynwood
Released: 2006
Style: parody of “Trapped in the Closet” by R Kelly
Weird Al has had several long form songs at the end of some of his albums including Genius in France and Albuquerque, and Trapped in the Drive Thru is one of these. It is a parody, unlike the other long songs. This, to date, is the longest parody Al has ever recorded.
It might be higher on a lot of lists because of how relatable the situation is. Practically everybody has gone through this sort of moment, trying to decide on dinner.
Lyrics
Seven o’clock in the evening Watchin something stupid on TV I’m zoned out on the sofa When my wife comes in the room and sees me And she says, “Is this Behind the Music with Lynyrd Skynyrd?” And I say, “I don’t know…” Say, “It’s gettin’ late, what you wanna do for dinner?” She says, “I kinda had a big lunch so I’m not super hungry.” I said, “Well, you know, baby, I’m not starvin’ either but I could eat…” She said, “So what do you have in mind?” I said, “I don’t know, what about you?” She said, “I don’t care… if you’re hungry, let’s eat.” I said, “That’s what we’re gonna do! But first you gotta tell me what it is you’re hungry for?” And she says, “Let me think, what’s left in our refrigerator?” I said, “Well, there’s tuna, I know.” She said, “That went bad a week ago!” I said, “Is the chili okay?” She said, “You finished that yesterday!” I hopped up and I said “I don’t know. Do you want to get something delivered?” She’s like, “Why would I want to eat liver? I don’t even like liver!” I’m like, “No, I said ‘delivered’.” She’s like, “I heard you say ‘liver’!” I’m like, “I should know what I said…” She’s like, “Whatever! I just don’t want any liver!”
Well, I was gonna say something But my cell phone started to ring Now who could be callin’ me? Well, I checked my caller ID It was just cousin Larry Callin’ for the third time today My wife said, “Let it go to voicemail.” I said, “Okay.” “Where were we? Oh, dinner, right! So what do you want to do?” She said, “Why don’t you whip up somethin’ in the kitchen?” “Yeah, ” I said, “why don’t you?” And then she said, “Baby, can’t we just go out to dinner, please?” I says, “No” She says, “Yes” I says, “No” She says, “Yes” I says, “No” She says, “Yes… Oh, here’s your keys” I step a little bit closer Say, “Okay, where ya want to go?” She says, “How about The Ivy?” I said, “Yeah, well, I don’t know I don’t feel like gettin’ all dressed up And eatin’ expensive food” She’s says, “Olive Garden?” I say, “Nah, I’m not in the mood And Burrito King would make me gassy There’s no doubt” She says, “Just forget about it” I said, “No, I swear I’m gonna take you out!” Then I get an idea I say, “I know what we’ll do!” She says, “What?” I say, “Guess!” She says “What?” I say, “We’re goin’ to the drive-thru!”
So we head out the front door Open the garage door Then I open the car doors And we get in those car doors Put my key in the ignition And then I turn it sideways Then we fasten our seat belts As we pull out the driveway Then we drive to the drive-thru Heading off to the drive-thru We’re approaching the drive-thru Getting close to the drive-thru Almost there at the drive-thru Now we’re here at the drive-thru Here in line at the drive-thru Did I mention the drive-thru?
Well, here we are In the drive-thru line, me and her Cars in front of us, cars in back of us All just waiting to order There’s some idiot in a Volvo With his brights on behind me I lean out the window and scream “Hey, what you trying to do, blind me?” My wife says, “Maybe we should park, we could just go eat inside.” I said, “I’m wearin’ bunny slippers So I ain’t leavin’ this ride…” Now a woman on a speaker box Is sayin’, “Can I take your order, please?” I said, “Yes indeed, you certainly can We’d like two hamburgers with onions and cheese.” Then my wife says “Baby, hold on, I’ve changed my mind! I think I’m gonna have a chicken sandwich instead this time” I said, “You always get a cheeseburger!” She says, “That’s not what I’m hungry for.” I put my head in my hands and scream “I don’t know who you are anymore!” The voice on the speaker says “I don’t have all day.” I said, “Then take our order and we’ll be on our way! I wanna get a chicken sandwich and I want a cheeseburger too” She’s like, “You want onions on that?” I’m like, “Yeah, I already said that I do Plus we need curly fries And don’t you dare forget it! And two medium root beers No, just one, we’ll split it.” Then I said “I’m guessin’ that you’re probably not too bright So read me back my order Let’s make sure you got it right.” She says “One – you want a chicken sandwich Two – you want a cheeseburger Three – curly fries, and a large root beer” “Stop! Don’t go no further! I never ordered a large root beer I said medium, not large!” Then she says, “We’re havin’ a special I supersized you at no charge.” “Oh.” And that’s all I could say, was “Oh.” And she says, “Now there is somethin’ else That I really think you should know You can have unlimited refills For just a quarter more.” I say “Great, except we’re in the drive-thru, so what would I want that for?” Then she says, “Wait a minute Your voice sounds so familiar… hey, is this Paul? And my wife is all like “No, that ain’t Paul Now tell me, who’s this Paul?” She says, “Oh, he’s just some guy Who goes to school with me I sat behind him last year And I copied off of him in Geometry.” I said, “I know a guy named Paul He used to be my plumber He was prematurely bald And he moved to Pittsburgh last summer He also had bladder problems And a really bad infection on his toe.” And she says, “Mister, please, you can stop right there That’s way more than I needed to know!” And then we both were quiet And things got real intense Then she says, “Next window, please That’ll be five dollars and eighty two cents!” So we inched ahead in line Movin’ painfully slow I got a little bored So I turned on the radio
Click, turned it off Because my wife was getting a headache So we both just sat there quietly for her sake Then I looked at her And she looked back at me And I said, “Um, I think you have somethin’ in your teeth.” She turned away from me And then turned back and said, “Did I get it?” I said, “Yeah, well, I mean, most of it But hey, ya know, don’t sweat it.” Then she said, “How about now?” I said, “Yeah, almost There’s still a little bit there, but don’t worry It’s probably just a piece of toast.” Now we’re at the pay window Or whatever you call it Put my hand in my pocket I can’t believe there’s no wallet!
And the lady at the window’s like “Well, well, well, that’ll be five eighty-two.” I turn around to my wife, and say “How much have you got on you?” She just rolls her eyes and says “I’ll pay for this, I guess” So she reaches into her purse And busts out the American Express I hand it to the lady And she says “Oh dear, It’s gotta be cash only We don’t take credit cards here.” I took back the card and said “Gee, really? Well, that sucks.” And that’s when I found out My wife was only carryin’ three bucks I said, “I thought you were gonna hit the ATM today” She says, “I never got around to it, so where’s your wallet anyway?” And I said, “Never mind, just help me to find some change…” Now the lady at the window Is lookin’ at me kind of strange And she says, “Mister, please, we gotta move this line along” I said, “Now, hold your stinkin’ horses, lady! We won’t be long.” So I looked around inside the glove-box And checked the mat beneath my feet I found a nickel in an ashtray And a couple pennies and a dime in the space between the seats Before long I had a little pile of coins of every sort The lady counts it up and says “You’re still about a dollar short” And now my woman’s got this weird look Frozen on her face She screams, “You know, I wasn’t even really hungry in the first place!” And so I turned around To the cashier again I shrugged and said: “Okay, forget the chicken sandwich then” So I pick up my change Pick up my receipt And I drive to the pickup window Man, I just can’t wait to eat And now we see this acne-ridden kid about sixteen Wearin’ a dorky nametag that says “Hello, my name is Eugene.” And he hands me a paper bag I look him in the eyes And I say to him, “Hey, Eugene, could I get some ketchup for my fries?” Well, he looks at me And I look at him And he looks at me And I look at him And he looks it me And I look at him And he says, “I’m sorry! What did you want again?” I say “Ketchup!” And he says, “Oh yeah, that’s right I just spaced out there for a second I’m really kind of burnt tonight.” And then he hands me the ketchup And now we’re finally drivin’ away And the food is drivin’ me mad With its intoxicating bouquet I’m starvin’ to death By the time we pull up at the traffic light I say, “Baby, gimme that burger I just gotta have a bite!” So she reaches in the bag And pulls out the burger And she hands me the burger And I pick up the burger And then I unwrap the paper I bite into those buns And I just can’t believe it They forgot the onion!
I have had a interesting relationship with the show Invincible. Where as a lot of people love the show and swear that it is one of the best shows on television, I am not as enamored with it. While I have enjoyed most of the seasons, I have found that the blood becomes excessive and is unnecessary in many cases. There are too many scenes where the blood feels like it is just there to say that it is there. It feels like professional wrestling in a lot of cases. When blood is used sparingly, it can create a compelling piece of the story, but when it is overused, it loses a lot of its impact.
After watching the first episode of season four of Invincible, I did not think they over did the blood and that it was fairly well used as a whole.
I was unaware that Invincible had already debuted on Amazon Prime last week with a three episode drop. Episode four was also released before I knew it so I am officially a bit behind. However, I do have a long list of shows currently on the watchlist, so I will be spreading out the next three episodes over the next several days to a week.
I did find the character work in this episode to be very solid. I enjoyed Mark’s progression from the end of last season to now where he is fighting himself over his use of deadly force. Of course, the end of the episode placed Mark in a situation where he had to kill a person. It was very much a Man of Steel- Superman snapping the neck of Zod moment.
I like how the show with as much violence as it has is not afraid to make that internal struggle with its main character.
With Eve’s powers glitching badly, we get another, albeit well used, superhero trope to deal with. I do think Eve’s father needs a punch in the face.
The Guardians… their timing can’t be any worse. They showed up right at the end of the fight with the dinosaur guy and seemed to be standing behind Mark as he is struggling to decide if he needed to kill the guy to save the world from the Sequids. Get there sooner guys.
I hope the woman who attacked the power plant’s story is not just over. It sounded as if there was a reason behind her trying to steal the energy and I expect that story to get picked up somewhere down the line.
Then, Cecil’s stupidest decision at the end of the third season, keeping Conquest alive and buried in an underground vault. There was no way that wasn’t coming back to haunt him. I wonder if he will tell Mark now that Conquest has escaped and left butt-naked into space. Or will this be just another secret that Cecil will hide?
Good start to the season. I hope it continues to value story over spectacle, especially when it comes to blood.
I started a new program on Amazon Prime today, watching the first two episodes of Jury Duty Presents Company Retreat.
This is the second season of Jury Duty, which was one of the best surprise series from 2023. It was a hilarious series that was one of the most intriguing concepts on television. The idea for the first Jury Duty, a real person is called for Jury Duty and every other person involved in the show is an actor.
In this season, instead of being called for jury duty, our real person who is unaware that this is really a TV show is named Anthony Norman and he is a temp worker applying for a job at a company called “Rockin’ Grandma’s Hot Sauce” and he goes with the workers on a company retreat.
He was set up as the assistant to Kevin, who winds up leaving the retreat in embarrassment, leaving Anthony in his stead.
I have to say, the first episode was feeling too over the top and I was not sure if I wanted to watch the rest of the series. The second issue was better for me and started to pick up the story better.
It just felt as if there was just too much ridiculousness to accept that Anthony would still be going along with it.
The excuse for why there is a documentary crew in tow and everyone speaks to a camera at times is that the owner Doug was retiring and passing the CEO seat to his son, Dougie. That made sense, but there is a limit to what one could expect someone to react to.
Of course, last season, the “winner” received a huge cash prize for succeeding and being a good person, and Anthony certainly feels like a solid person too. Seeing how he will react to the craziness coming might be worth sticking out. There are only a total of 8 episodes, so I plan on finishing this up.
There was a feeling of finality in this episode of Shrinking.
Paul convinces Gabby to come back to work and then offers her the practice once again. However, he did not call her out on ditching her dream of setting up a trauma center. Something that Liz came to yell at him about.
Paul kept talking about having one more week before his retirement and spoke about moving. That was not something I remember as a chance and I don’t know how I would feel about Shrinking without Harrison Ford. I am assuming that it is just storyline, but I am not sure.
Jeff Daniels returned as Jimmy’s father, bringing up plenty of conflict from Jimmy’s childhood. When Jimmy found out that his dad was not going to go to the actual graduation ceremony in order to go on a fishing trip, Jimmy was even more down than he was before.
Worse yet, when his father told Jimmy that he really liked Sofi, way more than Tia (who apparently always saw him in the same light as Jimmy did), Jimmy broke up with Sofi, and he did it in a very cold manner. I would not blame Sofi if, when he invariably comes begging back, she dismisses it and kicks him to the curb. Jimmy letting his daddy issues interfere with something that was potentially great is more immature than I thought Jimmy could be. You could see that his father’s presence was not bringing out the best side of him.
Sean got the job as a a sous chef. He hesitated to accept it because of his friendship with Jorge, who worked with him in the food truck, and would cost him that job. Jorge did not take the news well, but Sean did not react with animosity or anger as he would have before, showing his own growth with his mental health.
It was nice to see the softer side of Paul in this episode. I hope he is not leaving at the end of this season, which has only two more to go.
We left last week with a patient holding Emma in a headlock. Dana to the rescue. Unfortunately, her efforts might get herself into trouble as she gave Versed that she had been carrying around in her pocket. This tense scene was strong and brought conflict between Robby and Dana. Katherine LaNasa was amazing in her performance this week as she railed against everyone that might hint at the fact that she took the step a touch too far.
The patient is a jerk and was revealed to have been on cocaine and alcohol at the time of his accident. This apparently could lead to psychotic behavior. He was not very understanding about it.
Speaking of Robby, he seems to be waffling about leaving the ER. He was scheduled to head on a motorcycle run on vacation, but it feels as if he is finding reasons to stick around. I am not sure what the major issue Robby has right now, but he is completely unsure.
There was a nice story of an elderly couple who came to the ER after a car accident. The story expanded into a question whether this couple was capable of taking care of themselves any more. Their daughter, played by Britney Young (from GLOW), expressed concern that they refused to listen to her concerns.
There is only three more episodes of season 2 and I expect some big character moments coming up, especially featuring Robby.
Style: Blues; typical 12-bar, slow-tempo structure, and harmonica solos.
Another one of those original songs that sneaks under the radar. I do love this song. It is such a funny song with a parody of the style of Blues.
Lyrics
I woke up this morning Then I went back to bed Said I woke up this morning Then I went right back to bed Got a funny kind of feelin’ like I got broken glass in my underwear And a herd of wild pigs is trying to chew off my head You know what I’m sayin’
Well I ain’t got not money I’m just walkin’ down the road Said I ain’t got no money, honey So I’m just walking down this lonely old road Well, I wish I could get me some money But I forgot my automated teller code
I was born in a paper sack in the bottom of a sewer I had to eat dirt clods for breakfast, my family was so poor My daddy was a waitress, my mama sold bathroom tiles My brothers and sisters all hated me ’cause I was an only child
I got the blues so bad, woo Kinda wish I was dead Maybe I’ll blow my brains out mama Or maybe I’ll, yeah maybe I’ll just go bowlin’ instead
I’m just a no good, scum sucking, nose picking, boot licking, Sniveling, groveling, worthless hunk of slime
Nothing but a low-down beer bellied, bone headed, pigeon toed, Turkey necked, weasel faced, worthless hunk of slime
Guess I pretty low self image Maybe it’s a chemical imbalance or something, I I should probably go and see a doctor about it when I’ve got the time Make it talk Aw, make it talk, son, make it talk OK, now make it shut up
Plagues and famine and pestilence always seem to get me down I always feel so miserable whenever I’m around I wish somebody would come along, stick a pitchfork through my brain I’d flush myself right down the toilet, but I’d just clog up the drain
I got the blues so bad Kinda wish I was dead Maybe I’ll blow my brains out mama Or maybe I’ll go bowling Or I just might go bowling Maybe I’ll just rent some shoes and go bowling Maybe I’ll join a league, enter a tournament, put on a stupid looking Shirt and go bowling instead Yeah
EYG- Embrace Your Geekness 