GAME OF THRONES: We’re Going to Need a Bigger Wall! (Season 7 Finale Recap)

(Cross posted at Agonybooth.com)

So, overall the Season 7 Finale episode was kind of an “L” in the Team Good Guys column. . . what with (1) the Night’s King and Viseri-Zombie completely demolishing The Wall, thereby allowing the Zombie Army to enter Westeros proper; and (2) Cersei RSVPing “Yes” on the E-vite for “Jon’s and Dany’s Team Breathing Party,” only to rudely back out at the last second.

“I’ll be washing my hair that day.”

But hey, it wasn’t all bad! Littlefinger died, so that was kind of awesome, right? The Stark sisters are back together again! Jamie and Theon both finally took their heads out of their respective asses. Jon’s finally been legitimized . . . at least by BranBot3000, if not, necessarily by Folks Who Matter yet. And the two most beautiful people on the show had two seconds of really hot sex . . . which, if you aren’t too picky about the whole “She’s His Aunt Thing,” was fairly pleasant to watch.

So, let’s erase that “L” for loss and call it a “T” for tie, yeah?

We’ve got tons to cover on this, the LONGEST EPISODE IN GAME OF THRONES HISTORY. So, let’s get started . . .

Much Ado About Cocks

The first sixteen minutes of the episode is literally just the entire cast walking in Kings Landing to the Big Meeting at the Coliseum Thingy. I’m fairly certain it took the characters longer to walk that half a mile distance than it took pretty much any one character to get anywhere else in Westeros all season.

Still walking . . .

But it’s all good, because this gave Bronn time to make a rather insightful comment about how every war ever fought by men revolves, in some way, around their dicks. (Side note: this is a rather peculiar comment to make on a show where a sizable portion of the characters are sans male anatomy: the Unsullied, Theon, Varys . . . not to mention all the ladies fighting for the Iron Throne.) Though the line, at first blush, seems like a throwaway one, it actually foreshadows a scene later in the episode. So, um, don’t forget about the cocks, OK?

Walking 2: Electric Boogaloo

In addition to all this penis talk, lots of other characters, who haven’t had a chance to hang out in a few seasons, get to meet up with one another, while on this Extremely Long Walk. Brienne and Hound have an awkward meet-again cute, in which Brienne apologizes for almost murdering Hound, while, at the same time being kind of surprised that she didn’t succeed in actually murdering him. The tension between the pair is quickly diffused however, as the two reminisce about how truly Bad Ass their mutual former charge Arya happens to be.

Walking: The Final Frontier

Pod and Tyrion also get to bro it out for the first time since they fought alongside one another at the Battle of Blackwater, until Bronn interrupts them to throw in a bon mot about Pod’s Magical Cock. (Quite a weiner fixation that Bronn has, doesn’t he?)

Also during the walk, Jamie and Brienne side eye one another. Theon and Euron side eye one another. Hound and The Mountain side eye one another (thus confirming that The Mountain actually HAS eyes underneath that Darth Vader helmet of his). It’s basically just sixteen minutes of walking and side-eyes.

The Unsullied physically arrive at the site first. Followed by the Dothraki Screamers, who, for me, are such a joy to watch, simply because they always seem to be having so much more fun than pretty much anybody else on the show.

Cersei arrives second to last, followed by Dany. The Mother of Dragons appears fashionably late and in style, as always, on the back of Drogon, with Rhagael bringing up the rear.

The party doesn’t start ‘til I fly in!

Cersei then proceeds to make a catty comment to Dany about how long everybody has been waiting for her, even though the two women arrived on the scene just about one minute apart from one another. (Clearly, the Lannister Queen is just salty because she wanted to be the one to arrive last.)

Dammit! Why do I have to be such a fast walker?

In Which The Hound Brings in His New Pet Zombie for Show and Tell

Once we’ve got basically the entire cast of the show on the scene, Euron annoys everybody by taking this opportunity to tell Theon: “I have your sister and youuuuuu don’t, Nah-nah, nah-nah, nah-nahhhhh” (Clearly, Euron is that coworker of yours who goes to the staff meeting without reading the agenda first, and then bores everyone by complaining for twenty minutes about how long the kitchen has been out of Hazelnut-flavored Keurig coffee pods.)

Once Euron finally shuts up, Jon can begin his Team Breathing pitch proper. He logically explains how Kings Landing has a million inhabitants, who are all in danger of basically becoming zombies, if Westeros doesn’t put aside their petty fights for the uncomfortable chair and kill the Night’s King ASAP.

Dany then pipes in to announce that she got her Team Breathing Club Membership card last week! It’s a super cool club! And those who join get a one-week episode hiatus from Uncomfortable Chair Fighting sometime during Season 8 of the show!

Cersei and Co. are not immediately sold on this idea, seeing as Cersei is DEFINITELY the kind of gal who won’t join any club that would have her as a member. So Team Breathing breaks out the big guns! In walks The Hound carrying a large wooden box.

Hound takes his sweet time opening this box, and displays an uncharacteristic amount of panache and flare while doing so . . . a magician prepping for a magic trick with the ugliest assistant EVER.

Eventually, he manages to get the box open, and out runsFido, everyone’s new favorite Pet Zombie, who charges at Cersei with more emotional heft than you’d expect from an undead-y. Cersei does seem to be moderately frightened by the thing, though she could just be backing away like that because zombies have notoriously stinky morning breath.

Jon then goes through the process of teaching everyone the do’s and don’ts of zombie murder. The Hound first chops poor Fido up into pieces, each of which continue to wiggle around of their own free will, post-dismemberment. It’s kind of like that donkey costume where one person is dressed up as the head and the other is the ass? (LESSON 1: Chopping up the zombie = bad. Got it.)

Then Jon picks up the dismembered hand and burns it successfully. (LESSON 2: Burning zombie = good!). And the Hound finishes off the rest of it using a dragon glass sword. (LESSON 3: Spearing zombie with Super Special Snowflake Plot Device Weapon = also good.)

Oddly enough, no one bothers to mention how killing the White Walkers can effectively eradicate all the zombies in a single blow. (LESSON 4: Killing One Single Scrawny White Walker Wearing a Funny Hat That Makes Him Easily Recognizable In a Crowd = best) Talk about burying the lead, Team Breathing!

“I’ll be here all week!”

 

Sassy Euron Greyjoy is slightly more on point with his next contribution to the meeting. “Can zombies swim?” He wonders (thereby providing me with a funny image in my head of a hoard of zombies all wearing matching floaties and attempting to doggie paddle en-mass to the Iron Islands).

As we learned last week during the Undead Ice Flow Fiasco, zombies definitely aren’t buoyant. Jon confirms this fact to Euron, who responds by dramatically exiting stage left. “Catch you land lubbing losers, later. I’m going back to my safe ugly island,” Cersei’s new Gay Best Friend says, more or less.

By the way, anyone interested in contributing to my GoFundMe campaign to Outfit the Entire Zombie Hoarde with Floaties and Life Jackets so they can kill Euron just let me know in the comments section . . .

A Truth and Two Lies

Cersei, in a surprising show of grace, instantly assents to the temporary Uncomfortable Chair fighting détente . . . but only if Jon Snow and the North collectively agree to play Switzerland, and not choose sides in the Heavy Weight Title Throne Match between Cersei and Dany.

This is the point in the episode where Jon “I Cannot Tell a Lie” Snow, rips off his shirt to reveal a bright pink “Team Dany” t-shirt. “Sorry, Cers,” he explains with a shrug. “The North is officially all in on the hot chick with the dragons. I changed my wallpaper on Facebook to Drogon’s face framed in a heart and everything. So, no Switzerland for us.”

“Well, I guess we are all becoming zombies next season then. No deal,” Cersei responds nonchalantly before storming back to her castle.

“WAY TO GO, JON SNOW,” grumbles everyone in the Coliseum Thingy, and all the viewers at home, simultaneously. (Jon has just basically become the guy at the World Cup who scores the winning goal . . . into his own team’s net.)

“I’m sorry, guys!” Jon insists. “But the Mother of Dragon’s is just sooo pretty. And the Team Switzerland t-shirt doesn’t bring out the color of my eyes nearly as well as the Team Dany one.”

Tyrion volunteers to approach Cersei with an appeal on behalf of Team Breathing. His first instinct is to ply his big sister with booze, seeing as raging alcoholism is the one thing these two siblings still have in common. When Cersei declines the wine, Tyrion immediately knows she’s pregnant.

So, perhaps is the pregnancy hormones that make the typically heartless Cersei get all misty eyed at the prospect of having the Mountain murder her little brother, despite the fact that she blames him for pretty much everything bad that has ever happened to the Lannisters since Tyrion murdered his pops on a toilet bowl. Tyrion miraculously ends up leaving the exchange still a member of Team Breathing, in both senses of the word.

Shortly thereafter, Cersei reenters the Coliseum and tells the gang she’s had a change of heart. She’s going to help with the zombie fighting, after all!

Everyone is ELATED, and RELIEVED, until Jamie learns later that his sister was LYING about her willingness to help . . . just like Euron was LYING about going back to the Iron Islands. Instead, Euron is going to the bank to withdraw some cash, so Cersei can conquer some more lands while Team Breathing are busy getting their asses handed to them by the Night’s King. “Obviously, my Gay Best Friend wouldn’t leave me without saying goodbye,” Cersei notes matter-of-factly. “Nobody walks away from me.”

For the first time in seven seasons of this show, Jamie is legitimately disgusted by his sister / lover’s behavior! Nonetheless, he doesn’t walk away from her (because, as she just said, nobody does that). Instead he RIDES away from her (presumably to Winterfell), just as snow begins to fall on his pretty little head. It appears winter has finally come to Kings Landing, after all . . .

Nobody is Getting Littlefingered Anymore!

Who gets to clean that up?

Meanwhile, over in Winterfell, Sansa has just learned via raven that Jon has started donning a Hot Pink Team Dany t-shirt, and will be wearing it proudly next season, when the ridiculously attractive pair ride together in a boat en route back to Jon’s birthplace. Sansa, understandably, is a bit miffed that she wasn’t consulted by her older brother about this decision. Littlefinger senses Sansa’s unhappiness and replies by saying, “Yeah, that sucks what Jon did. You should totally murder your sister.”

Wait . . . what? Talk about a total non-sequitur.

Littlefinger, reasoning that people are generally shitty, and, when given the opportunity will almost always make the shittiest choices for the shittiest possible reasons, subtly leads Sansa to the conclusion that Arya is trying to become Lady of Winterfell over Sansa, so Sansa should definitely kill her.

Two seconds later, Sansa has called for a trial in the Great Hall. Arya is led to the center of the room, where the defendant usually stands. The charges are murder and treason. But the defendant is not Arya. The defendant is . . . wait for it . . . LITTLEFINGER himself.

Apparently, Branbot3000 is useful for something other than napping by trees and creeping people out. He has provided Sansa with the entire Wiki page on all the truly awful things Littlefinger has done since Season 1, and there are a TON! To name a few, he (1) murdered that crazy Lady Lysa Arryn; (2) gave Lysa the poison to murder her husband, Jon Arryn, and blamed the Lannisters for it; and (3) got Ned Stark tried for treason and beheaded. (That last one’s a biggie for this particular audience!)

“Send pics, or it didn’t happen,” Littlefinger responds, more or less.

Haha, wrong thing to say, Littlefinger. BranBot3000 has pics of everything in the Game of Thrones DVR Box Set that exists in his mind. More than pics, he’s got GIFS, with words in them, from the scripts of every episode of this entire series!

BranBot3000 chooses this moment to describe all the words Littlefinger said as he was betraying Ned Stark. And everyone in the hall instantly believes Bran, because he’s too weird and creepy, and has too terrible social skills to be a good liar.

Sansa admits that she’s a slow learner. It took her seven seasons to learn that shitty people do shitty things for shitty reasons. But she learned it finally, thanks to Littlefinger himself.

At this point, Littlefinger has totally pooped his pants He’s on his knees begging for mercy. He’s crying. He’s got snot in his nose. It’s pathetic, and AWESOME to see. Even more awesome is when Arya slits his throat, causing him to choke on his own blood and bleed to death, while Sansa looks stoically on.

Bye-bye Bae!

Hey Littlefinger, it could have been worse. You could have died on a toilet or had your face turn the color of grape Powerade . . .

After the murder of Littlefinger, Arya and Sansa become besties again. Arya admits that Sansa is brave and strong for surviving the rape and mistreatment of a sizable portion of the male characters on the show, and somehow managing to become an excellent leader of her people, in spite of it all. Sansa admits that Arya is weird and kind of scary, but also tough and super cool. All of these things are true, by the way.

Now, if they could just track down Arya’s direwolf and bring her back into the fold, everything would be perfect.

Speaking of direwolves, anyone seen Ghost lately? Has he ghosted us? Was it something I typed?

Theon Greyjoy Finally Gets His Balls Back . . . Sort of.

A fairly cordial exchange between Jon and Theon occurs in this episode. During it, the former forgives the latter for being a total douchebag for pretty much three quarters of the series. Also, the two agree that Theon can be loyal to both of the families that raised him. He doesn’t have to choose! He can have his Greyjoy and eat his Stark too (which I guess makes him a Greystark . . .or Starkjoy?).

Inspired by this new bonhomie with the Almost-Annoyingly-Angelic Jon Snow (Game of Thrones’ clear frontrunner for Mr. Congeniality) Theon decides to commandeer what’s left of the Greyjoy army for a mission to rescue his sister Yara from the clutches of his Sassy Uncle.

One of these random, no-name, Ironborn thinks this is a bad idea, and, therefore, proceeds to beat the crap out of Theon. But then No-Name Ironborn makes the mistake of repeatedly kneeing Theon in the crotch. While this would be excruciatingly painful for most men, for Theon it feels just like a light playful tickle. In fact, Theon is so energized by this light tickle that he regains his wind during the crotch kicking totally takes down No-Name Ironborn. This impresses the rest of the extras in this scene so much that they immediately agree to help Theon save Yara.

Help is on the way!

So, I guess that the moral of this story is that Bronn is right. Cocks and balls make the world go round . . . or, at least, the world of Westeros.

Speaking of male sex parts . . .

All in the Family

Back on the boat en route to Winterfell, Jon visits Dany’s room and the two instantly proceed to make sweet, sweet love to one another, while Tyrion creepily listens at the door to their sex sounds, for reasons that aren’t entirely clear.

Sounds like doggy style . . . wolfy style?

Perhaps, the dwarf was just about to knock on the door to remind the pair to wrap up their sexy times quickly. Slow and steady will not win this sex race, Jon. After all, if prior travels on this season are any indication, the boat should reach Winterfell in about 2.8 minutes. Nonetheless these will undoubtedly be the best 2.8 minutes of the Mother of Dragons’ life . . .

While, Dany and Jon are going at it, we cut to a scene between BranBot3000 and Sam Tarly, where the two piece together what most of us fans have known for a while now: namely, that Dany is actually Jon’s aunt (thereby making their sex incestual, but not quite as incestual as Cersei’s and Jaime’s, so . . . um . . . hooray for less-bad incest?).

To summarize: Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark were lovers back in the day, who legitimized their soon-to-be born lovechild through a secret marriage, and ultimately named that child Aegon Targaryen (They chose this name, despite the fact that Rhaegar already had another child named Aegon Targaryen with another woman, because giving your babies original names is super overrated?)

The second Aegon Targaryen was ultimately taken to Winterfell and cared for by Ned Stark, who raised the child as his bastard, in order to keep the child’s identity as true heir to the Iron Throne a secret from those who would want him dead. This mysterious child ultimately grew up to be . . .you guessed it . . . Jon Snow . . . the same hot guy whose bare ass we are currently ogling, as it bounces up and down on top of the Mother of Dragons for another 2 minutes and 36 seconds.

This also means that Robert’s Rebellion, which purportedly occurred because a Targaryen kidnapped and raped a Stark . . . the same fight that set this entire series into motion . . . was based on a lie.

In short, all this fighting for the uncomfortable chair has officially become pointless. Jon Snow . . . er . . . I mean . . . the second Aegon Targaryen . . . should be sitting on the Iron Throne right now (well, after he finishes having sex with his aunt, of course). Party’s over. Everyone else should go home.

Wake me up when I’m King of the World.

Can you imagine if this misunderstanding didn’t happen, and Robert’s Rebellion never occurred? There’d be no Game of Thrones! None at all! It would just be the Some Hot Guy with a Weird Name Sitting on an Uncomfortable Chair Show.

What the heck would I do with my Sunday nights? I’d have to take up knitting or something . . .

The Night King Begins His Renovation Project

Meanwhile, back at The Wall, Tormund is having a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day (and his lady love Brienne isn’t there to cheer him up about it either). It all starts when an entire army of zombies set up camp on his lawn. (They are totally going to eat all his groceries, and make a big mess in his bathroom. You just know it.)

Then, to add insult to injury the Night King drops by unannounced on Viseri-Zombie, and burns down the ENTIRE WALL. As in . . . it’s gone . . . and the Season 8 opening credits for this show will now probably have to include Zombie-Infested Pile of Rubble as one of its locations on the 3-D Westeros map. (On a kind of related note: can the Night King talk? I’m just wondering how he was able to issue the Dracarys, fire-breathing command to Viseri-Zombie. Perhaps zombies get a sign language handbook in there Undead Army Orientation Package?)

Tormund ends the season, just running for his life like a bat out of hell, as the zombie army advances on Westeros completely unopposed. (I wonder if his home insurance policy covers zombie invasions and ice dragon destruction? If not, I’m thinking the inevitable replacement Wall he builds should probably be flame retardant, just a suggestion . . .)

Tormund . . . in much happier times.

Cheer up, Tormund. Help is on a boat engaging in mad passionate sex, just 2 minutes, 18 seconds and an entire season hiatus away? Surely, nothing else bad will happen to you between now and then . . .

GAME OF THRONES: Every Hound Has Its Day (S6: Ep 7)

This week, Ian McShane becomes Drew Barrymore’s character from Scream. Arya learns to develop a healthy fear of old people. The High Sparrow gets pervy. Everyone’s favorite “canine” character returns to make up for all those dead direwolves. And I choose a new favorite candidate for the Iron Throne. (Hint: She’s pictured above.)

Let’s get on with it, shall we?

[As always, special thanks to my good pal Andre for providing screencaps that are the photographic equivalent of Dany Targaryen’s inflammable boobies, and Arya’s magical ab muscles. In other words, they are awesomeness incarnate.]

You Ain’t Nothing But a Hound Dog, Dying All the Time . . .

You could be excused from attempting to adjust your television set, or thinking you stumbled on the wrong channel, when the same show that never met an adorable direwolf or plucky young child it didn’t want to torture, rape, and murder, featured a cold-open (it never does that), filled with happy smiling people, working to the tune of cheery music (it definitely never does that).

Crap! Did someone forget to tell me that GOT was being preempted this week for that live action version of Snow White starring Kristen Stewart and Thor?

Ian McShane is there. And he’s kind of a big deal, British actor wise. So, his character definitely won’t be dead in forty minutes . . .

“He’s got Final Girl written all over his face. Just like I did . . . in that movie where I was gutted like a fish before the opening title card . . .”

Ooh, and there’s another familiar face! It’s The Hound! Remember him? He’s the guy who Brienne of Tarth “stabbed a whole bunch” and Arya left to bleed out on a slab.

Like Grumpy the dwarf . . . on steroids . . .

Ian McShane tells the Hound that he used to play a lot of gangsters, pirates and evil Santa Clauses, until he learned to make love not war and stuff like that . . .

Ian McShane suggests that Hound let go of his anger and do the same thing. But the Hound is just super into chopping wood and hating people to death. So he’s just going to keep right on doing that, thank you very much!

When the Brotherhood Without Banners stops by and no so subtly threatens Ian McShane and his people, Ian doesn’t take it too seriously, until this happens . . .

Omigod! You killed Ian McShane and all those other people we didn’t know! You bastards!

There is nothing like having your entire community brutally murdered, and getting hung from rafters that you built with your own hands, to make you question your new nonviolent life philosophies . . .

“We could have been somebody. We could have been contenders!”

As for our friend the Hound, would you believe he was so busy chopping wood that he missed the presumably loud and brutal massacre of a village happening just two feet away? (That must be some really good wood.)

Logic and existence of ears aside, The Hound is back on the road again. And he’s brought his trusty axe with him. But something tells me that he’ll be chopping up wood of an entirely different sort, this time around . . .

Be afraid Brotherhood without Banners. Be very afraid!

And You Thought Having The Sex Talk with Your Parents Was Bad . . .

Back in Kings Landing, High Sparrow is wondering why Margaery isn’t boning her prepubescent hubby Tommen anymore. “Don’t you find little boys sexy, anymore?” High Sparrow wonders out loud.

“You are absolutely right, High Sparrow,” responds Margaery obediently. “I will most certainly start working harder to make babies with Tommen, as soon as his mother finishes breast feeding him . . . which should happen in another five to seven years.”

Placated by Margaery’s agreement to play Pin the Tail on the Pussy with Tommen more frequently, High Sparrow changes the subject to equally pressing issues, like the fact that Margaery’s grandmother, Lady Olenna, hasn’t drank the cult Kool Aid yet. And if she doesn’t do it soon, she might just be forced to do the Naked Poopy Walk of Shame. And NO ONE wants to see an eighty something year old woman naked!

What follows is a cool scene where Margaery meets with her grandmother under the watchful eyes of the “Shame, Shame Nun,” and though the new queen’s mouth is saying, “lots of super religious culty bull crap,” her eyes are saying, “Leave Kings Landing and save yourself, while you still have your dignity, and your clothing!”

Then, just in case Lady Olenna (and the viewers) are still wondering where Margaery’s loyalties truly lie, the Queen spells it out for us in adorable cartoon drawing . . .

Just kidding! Here’s the real picture . . .

Get it? It’s a rose! The emblem for the Tyrell house! Queen Margaery is not a scientologist after all! Hooray! She’s still probably going to have sex with Baby Tommen though . . .

Both secure in the knowledge that her granddaughter hasn’t actually lost her damn mind (She just plays someone who lost her damn mind in front of the Shame, Shame Nun!), and really, really, not wanting to have to get naked in front of millions of Game of Thrones fans, Lady Olenna decides to take Margaery’s advice and leave Kings Landing. Oddly enough, it’s Cersei, of all people, who entreats her to stay and fight the High Sparrow with her. But Olenna isn’t really buying her erstwhile nemesis’ sudden change of heart though . . .

Aww, come on now, Lady Olenna. Is Cersei really the worst person you ever met? If so, clearly, you haven’t met this guy . . .

In Which Yara Greyjoy Gets Laid More Than You . . .

So, Yara Greyjoy is a lesbian. Who knew? Apparently, the brothel girl whose “tits she wanted to f*&k off” had some idea. (Though, I’m not entirely sure one woman can actually f*&k the tits off another woman, anatomically speaking. But that’s neither here nor there.)

Meanwhile, Yara’s brother, Theon, is kind of depressed. And it’s all Yara’s fault. Because taking a guy with no penis to a brothel, is like taking a person on a diet to Kentucky Fried Chicken. It’s just mean and wrong.

“I’ll have the 54-piece chicken basket, a trough of corn muffins, and a diet Coke to go please!”

Nonetheless, Theon’s mopey-ness is harshing Yara’s buzz. And without a buzz, Yara can’t f*&k the tits off someone . . . though, as I’ve mentioned, she might not be able to do that anyway. So, like the good sister that Yara is, she forces her brother to drink massive quantities of liquor, while telling him to either man up, or kill himself. It’s pretty inspiring stuff!

Hey Zoloft, I just found the new spokespeople for your next antidepressant commercial!

Step aside, Sad Egg. You’ve been replaced!

One Fish, Two Fish, Blackfish, Blue Fish

Not sure why everyone cares so much about getting control of Riverrun, which size wise, looks to be about the equivalent of four ranch style homes sitting next to one another in a modern-day suburban development. Nonetheless, the Frey army seems super serious about it, because they are willing to kill this guy, Ed Tully, to get it. And Blackfish, who is related to Ed Tully, is willing to let the poor guy die to keep it.

Who has a funny-looking haircut, and isn’t winning any popularity contests this week? THIS GUY!

Fortunately, Jamie and Bronn ride to Ed Tully’s rescue, because . . . wait for it . . . THEY WANT itty bitty Riverrun too!

 

Aww! I missed the charming buddy cop comedy that was the Jamie and Bronn show! How could Blackfish possibly say no to these two handsome studs?

Apparently, pretty easily. Sorry Jamie! For what it’s worth, I think your cool blue armor really brings out the color in your eyes . . .

Little Bear Don’t Care

Meanwhile, over in the North, Sansa and Jon are attempting to build their army with mixed success. Sure, things start off OK, when they procure everybody’s favorite giant, Wun-Wun, for their cause . . .

. . . along with everybody’s favorite ginger, Tormund . . .

But my new favorite Queen Lyanna of Mormont is a bit tougher to sway. Though her house has always been loyal to the Stark family . . . one might argue that Jon (who is a Snow) and Sansa (who is arguably a Lannister or Bolton, by marriage, depending on which season of GOT you are Warg DVR-ing with Bran) are not actually Starks. When neither Sansa’s attempts to flatter, nor Jon’s attempts to impress the ten-year old sassy Queen succeed, Ser Davos chimes in with some serious truth talking. “Giiiiirllll,” he begins conspiratorially. “The Nights King is coming. So you can either fight with us, and be part of the Game of Thrones, with at least recurring character status. Or you can not join us, and become the little girl zombie that got her face blown off in the first few minutes of the pilot of The Walking Dead.”

As with most children and sassy queens, honesty turns out to be the best policy. Queen Lyanna ultimately ends up offering up all her men to the Stark cause . . . all 62 of them.

Ferocious, sassy, adorable, and Wun-Wun though they might be, Sansa is not particularly impressed with Jon Snow’s current army collection. And it’s because of this that the eldest Stark daughter feels forced to reach out to a former friend for help. . .

And though its tough to tell from the blurry snip-it we got to see on screen, I’m willing to bet that Sansa’s “friend’s” name rhymes with Diddle Dinger . . .

Arya Stark: No Face, Excellent Abs

With her former coworker from Burgerless White Castle out for her blood, Arya knows she needs to leave Braavos and fast. She quickly manages to secure passage on a ship to parts unknown, which leaves at dawn. Unfortunately, that turns out to be a few hours too late, because mere minutes after the transaction is completed, this happens . . .

Aren’t really, really ridiculously old people, the scariest? In fact, if there was a horror movie entitled, Oldies, I probably wouldn’t see it, because it would give me too many nightmares. In fairness, the woman stabbing Arya to death in this scene isn’t really an Oldie, it’s just the evil ginger pretending to be one for murdery purposes.

After being stabbed about 85,000 times (enough times to at least temporarily murder Jon Stark) Arya falls into the water, and is presumed dead by Evil Ginger Chick, who has clearly never watched a horror movie in her life . . . otherwise she’d know that the dead always come back for one final Jump Scare in the last five minutes of the film.

But Evil Ginger Chick’s being a moron with poor knowledge of horror film cliches isn’t the only thing Arya Stark has going for her. Apparently, she also has magical abdominal muscles that are immune to massive internal bleeding from multiple stab wounds! Isn’t that awesome? That’s almost as cool as having boobies that are immune to fire like Dany Targaryen!

I’m still waiting to meet a character with a magical penis . . .

Arya’s perfectly fine, y’all! She’ll just need a little stain stick for all the blood on her dress. Maybe she can buy some at the gift shop that’s on the boat . . .

Until next time, Westeros!

(Buy my book, please!)

And They All Lived Crappily Ever After – A Recap of Galavant’s Episodes 7 and 8

It seems like only yesterday (because it more or less was) that we first met Galavant (a singing, pungent-smelling, chicken-loving hero, who looked his absolute best when naked and wet and/or wearing hoodies).

Since then, we’ve ventured with him on a four-week journey to win back the heart of the b*tch he inexplicably loved, and rescue an obscure, sparsely populated kingdom from the clutches of an “Evil” King who was supposed to be The Worst but was actually The Best.

And now here we are at the stunning conclusion of a show that will very likely not be renewed, given its fairly abysmal ratings and the fact that ABC had the genius idea to air its second episode opposite the Golden Globes . . .

But hey, at least we’re guaranteed to get a happy ending right?

OK . . . well, not like a totally happy ending (they need to save some conflict for the rare chance we actually get a Season 2), but some things will surely work out for the best, won’t they?

Like the mutually attractive Galavant and Princess Lots-of-Last-Names will get to begin their courtship in earnest ?

Orrrr . . . Gareth and King Evil Dick will belatedly admit their love for one another and rule their glorious kingdom side by side?

Umm . . . the odious Madalena will finally get what is coming to her?

Galavant will get to have his long-awaited Hero Moment?

Everybody will get to eat more chicken?

Well . . . one out of five ain’t bad! Let’s review shall we?

You can check out the rest of this recap here.

There will be blood . . . and DOLLS – A Recap of Pretty Little Liars’ “Crazy”

Hello, my Pretties! Things have really been heating up lately in Rosewood, where the Ouija Boards are bloody, the mom’s are “slutty,” the dolls know everyone’s secrets, and no one seems to stay dead for very long . . .

So, break into your local loony bin, screw on your trusty decoder ring, and speak loud enough for the ugly dolls with the screw top heads to hear you, because it’s time for another Really Exciting Caper About Pastries . . . otherwise known as a “recap.”  (See what I did there?)

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Deputy Douchey – Bloodhound

Remember the good ole days of PLL .  . . back when Mama Marin was just a lonely lady in need of love, and Deputy Douchey was sniffing around the house for a side of sex with his Murder Investigation?

Well, apparently, not much has changed since then.  Mama Marin is still taking innumerable “business trips” and skirting around with “silver foxes,” who love dairy products. Meanwhile, Deputy Douchey continues to skulk around the Marin front porch, hunting for “clues.”  This time around Vampire Douchey wants Hanna’s blood . . . literally. 

“Invite me in, so I can drink from your pretty neck . . . er . . . I mean have sex with your mom, and take a shower in your bathroom . . . er, I mean continue to botch  a three-seasons old murder investigation beyond repair .  . . er, I mean . . .  just let me in, blondie!”

Apparently, the Corpse Bracelet that freed Police Boy Garrett for a life of soap-on-a-rope, communal toilets, and avoiding men named Bubba, contained SOMEONE’S O-type blood . . . And we all know who has O negative type blood?  Approximately seven percent of the world’s population?  Hanna Marin.  So, she must be Ali’s killer, right?

Yeah, I didn’t think so either.  But then again, I never attended the Rosewood Academy for Lame Ass Cops Who Always Bark Up the Wrong Tree.  I do have a theory about who’s blood is on that bracelet though.  I could tell you about it, but I’d rather show you, first ..  .

A few weeks back, many of us wondered why Mona randomly decided to steal  Hanna’s tweezers, and use them to prick her own finger.

That’s true, Spencer.  But after the folks over at ABC Family decided to rehash that ick-worthy scene in their “previously on” recap, this week, I’m thinking Mona’s penchant for self-mutilation, might be a bit more purposeful.    In fact, I’m willing to bet . . . um . . . no amount of money at all my honor as a recapper that Miss Mona also has the sort-of-rare O-negative blood type.

These two did used to share everything, after all!

Now, of course, most of us know, by now, that Mona didn’t actually kill Ali.  But still it’s a little strange that a known psychopath like that wasn’t the first on Deputy Douchey’s suspect list, once Police Boy Garrett was unshackled.  I guess it’s just more fun for Deputy Douchey to hang out around the Marin house than inside the Nut House, where the girls aren’t as pretty, and the bathroom towels aren’t as soft . . .

Anyway, Hanna is understandably freaked out by the whole Bloody Bracelet thing.  After all, it wouldn’t be the first time the A Team has tampered with evidence to make one of the PLL’s look guilty of murder.  In fact, Hanna is SO upset about the possibility of a Prison Prom, that she does the unthinkable . . . and goes to CLASS EARLY . . .

Oh, the horror!

If it looks like an Ali, and talks like an Ali, it must be . .  . a Cece?

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While Hanna is sitting in homeroom, undoubtedly contemplating how to convert an orange prison jumpsuit, into a stylish summer party dress, the rest of the PLL’s are getting some morning java over at what has suddenly become The Only Coffee Shop in Rosewood.  (What, no Starbucks?) Upon arriving the girls hear a very familiar voice spout off a very familiar quote . . .

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When the threesome confront this very Ali-like species, she claims to be all BFF with the dead chick, having spent an “intense” summer with her, back in Cape May. During that summer, Cece dated Ali’s brother (Facelift Vampire Jason) and, apparently, did little else but talk to Ali about the PLL girls, considering the seemingly encyclopedic- knowledge she has about the foursome . . .

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Seriously, girlfriend knows everything from Hanna’s issues with shoplifting, to Emily’s sexual orientation, to how Emily likes her coffee.  Heck, I bet she even knows Hanna’s blood type.  Everyone knows Hanna’s bloodtype.  It must be published in the Rosewood Blood Type Gazette. It’s almost as if Cece is actually an older Ali from an alternate universe, in which Ali didn’t die, who has traveled back in time to prevent her own death in this timeline, only she ended up getting here about a year too late . . .

Yeah, yeah . . . I know!  It’s totally not that type of show.  But you have to admit, it would be pretty cool, if it was . . .

Many fans of the show immediately assumed that the mysterious Cece is part of the A-team, some fans even going as far as to pinpoint her as the Blonde Wearing the Weird Sunshine Mask in last season’s finale . . .

I don’t know.  Right now, I’m leaning more toward Cece being Ali’s muse, someone she admired, and eventually became, at least in terms of her personality and mannerisms.   The way I see it, “Cece Drake” was just another alter ego Ali embodied, while in Rosewood, just like Vivian Darkbloom was her alter ego outside of Rosewood . . .

You see, despite the foursome considering Ali their “friend,” I don’t think they ever REALLY knew her at all  (They don’t even know she has a crazy psycho twin sister.).  Ali only let them see what she wanted them to see . . .a pretty, popular, manipulative girl, who always had an answer for anything.  When deep down, I’m guessing she was someone much more troubled, complex, and “intense.”

Speaking of intense . . .

Cece Drake – Murderess of Unicorns, Torturer of The Blind . . .

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You may not have killed it Cece, but you sure did get it drunk, and steal its virginity . . .

Over at the dress shop where Cece works, Maya’s stalker / murderer “cousin” Nate has commandeered the lethally naive Emily to help her get a “nice” first-date gift for Not-Blind-Anymore Jenna.  Who the heck buys first date gifts, anyway . . . especially in high school?  Where I come from, if your new high school boyfriend lets you share a few of his Dollar Menu McDonald’s fries, before feeling you up in the backseat of his parent’s car, he’s considered a “good guy.”

Truth be told, if an 18-year old buys you a scarf for your first date, like the one Nate ended up buying Jenna, there’s a pretty good chance he’s either (a) gay as a rainbow float in a pride parade; or (b) planning to use it to strangle you, and string you up on the ceiling, after he’s chopped off all your limbs, and glued them together to make a coat rack . . .

Don’t even get me started on how Nate “magically” remembered the earrings Emily bought Maya mere days before her death, because he used them them to cut out her eyeballs “saw them in a photograph.”  Seriously?  This guy is like American Psycho for Dummies.

Unfortunately, Emily is not exactly the sharpest tool in the Pretty Little Liars tool chest, and realizes precisely none of this.

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(Understandable . . . but you should be well acquainted, by now, with what “psycho” feels like.)

Emily does, however, notice Cece totally giving her some serious f*&k me eyes, as the latter pulls her aside, and asks her why she hates the idea of Nate dating Jenna so much, when she and he clearly don’t bat for the same teams . . .

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We all know Emily was seriously crushing on Ali, back in the day.  So, it’s absolutely no surprise that she’d be more than a bit intrigued by the 1.o version. Anywhoo, Cece suggests that Emily be honest with Nate about what an evil wench Not Blind Jenna is.  Emily actually takes that advice.  But it totally backfires, when Nate finds the fact that Not Blind Jenna recently dated a suspected serial killer to be “charming” and “endearing,” as opposed to “suspicious” and “creepy.”  He would, wouldn’t he?

When Emily reveals this “bad news” to Cece, during one of their late night tete-a-tetes (Hopefully, the first of many.  Girlfriend is TOTALLY hilarious, in a Regina George from Mean Girls kind of way.) . . .

 . . . Cece takes matters into her own hands by calling the recently-blind girl on the phone and threatening to scratch her eyes out, if she doesn’t stay away from the “sweet, mild-mannered” Nate . . .

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If that line was delivered to any other blind girl, that would be totally offensive.  But because it was Jenna I actually think it was kind of awesome.  Plus, it was SUCH an Ali Thing to do.  Emily seems to be a mixture of impressed by Cece’s moxie, and frightened by her seeming complete lack of morals  / empathy, and tells her as much.  But then Cece gives her a flirty nickname, and all is right between them again . . .

Sorry Paige.  I think you’ve just been replaced . . . again.

History repeating?

Now that that’s done, let’s get that “Adult Storyline” out of the way, shall we?

Mama Montgomery is dating the guy from American Pie . . . and HE GAVE HER PASTRIES!

This week, after debating on whether to accept dating and fashion advice from her daughter, who never leaves home without a deadly weapon in her earlobe . . .

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(No wonder they made her take her earrings off in the insane asylum!)

 .  . . Mama Montgomery heads out for a “hot date” with the same dull pastor dude, who Mama Marin was flirting with last week.

Eating ice cream in the park?  That’s not a hot date.  That’s a five-year old’s birthday party . . .

Fortunately, that ends early.  So, she winds making a late night of it, with that dude who played little Stifler, in the straight-to-video versions of American Pie . . .

You go, ELLA!  Except . . . well . . . I wouldn’t eat those pastries, if I were you.  (You don’t know where they’ve been .  . .)

In other news . . .

Spencer Hastings – Honors Student, Loyal Friend, Evil Genius?

I’m sure I’m not the only one, who finds it weird, that Spencer seems to have more fun cyberstalking Cece Drake, and creating a creepy database on Dead Ali than humping Abs Toby, like a “normal” teenage girl would . . .

Then again, I guess she’s kind of preoccupied with rescuing her super hot half-brother from drunken hit-and-runs, and lying about it to the cops . . .

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I hate to say this, but these two have awesome chemistry, and not necessarily in a “healthy sibling” way, either.

Better amp up your game, Tobster, or you’re going to lose this one . . .

Now, that’s more like it!

Last but certainly not least . . .

It’s those damn dolls again . . .

Off with her head!

Poor Hanna.  It seems like Deputy Douchey, isn’t the PRICK she has to deal with this week . . .

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Apparently, someone needs to do a better job sanding their Ouiji Board.  (Ouch!)  Also, the Marin’s should seriously invest in a home security system.  I mean this place has more unwanted guests than a subway station in a bad neighborhood, after 2 a.m.

So, yeah, this happened.  And not only does it mean that the A Team is LITERALLY out for Hanna’s blood, it also means they (1) can STILL break into Hanna’s house (which they seem to do, at least once a week anyway); (2) know that Hanna put the Ouiji board marker thinky in Ali’s coffin, after she and Mona had a “sighting” of the blonde teen, shortly after playing the popular occult game.

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A very freaked out Hanna decides to sneak into the nut house to visit Mona, and ask her about the whole Ouiji board thing.  The only problem is that Hanna is now Persona Non Grata at the place, after THIS happened . . .

That’s where Aria comes in . . .

Now, Aria and Mona have never exactly been close.  So, you can understand why the initial meeting between them is a bit . . . tense . . .

But psycho or not, on some level Mona DOES seem to have some fondness for Hanna (even if it’s fondness of the “If I can’t have her, no one can” vein).   And when Hanna sneaks into the hospital later, Mona is decidedly more cooperative. First, she reminds Hanna of a little code the two of them made up together, on that fateful day, when Ali’s dad freaked out on poor Hanna for giving the Dilaurentis’ false hope about their daughter being alive .  . .

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I imagine, when former Mean Girl Hanna first heard about this code, she assumed it would be a fun way to bully those less popular than herself.  But, as it turns out, Mona has bigger plans for her Slut Code.  We find this out when she rushes off to a freaky children’s ward in the sanitarium . . . I imagine this is where they put all the creepy kids from horror movies, like that chick from The Ring . . . and that kid from The Sixth Sense . . . and the Children of the Corn (once they get out of “the corn” that is) . . .

Anywhoo, Janel Parrish, who plays Mona is positively brilliant in this impressively complex scene, in which she embodies the dual role of a psychotic murmuring nonsensical nursery rhymes, while compulsively brushing a dolls hair, and a genius mastermind, who is seemingly performing A’s bidding, while, at the same time, secretly cluing in an old friend to some Very Important Information . . .

Upon arriving home from the Nut House, Hanna and the rest of the girls put together the code Maya provided for them.  As it turns out, Mona’s “Where were we . . .” statement, apparently provides the address for a website with Maya’s photograph on it.  http://www.masssugar.com.  And though the girls still hadn’t cracked it’s password, by the end of the episode, many fans have suggested that Mona’s final statement prior to leaving the children’s ward: “Please wait, I miss my dolls,” states the answer to that riddle plainly:

PW: IMMD

As for the ward being “not safe” . . . well, we now know, based on the last scene of the episode,that the dolls in the children’s ward were bugged with recorders. And Mona likely led Aria and Hanna there, under the Malevolent A Team’s instructions to catch them making incriminating statements that could be used to pin Ali’s murder on them.

But what about “Maya Knew?”  What exactly did she know, and could that information possibly have gotten her killed?

I guess we’ll have to wait until next week to find out . . .

Until then, My Pretties!

[www.juliekushner.com][Fangirls Forever]

Nice Knowing Ya’ CLOSET! – A Recap of Glee’s “I Kissed a Girl”

Greetings Gleeks!  You know one of the benefits of writing a late Gleecap, as I’m often inclined to do, is having the hindsight of having already read a few message boards on the subject.  And boy, did this episode make a whole lot of people angry, for a variety of reasons . . .

Some of you were put off by how the writers handled Finn’s outing of Santana.

Others were frustrated by the sheer lack of Brittana, throughout the hour, thereby making the title of this episode, somewhat of a misnomer . . . if you catch my drift.

Still others of you were annoyed at how the episode brushed off Santana’s actual coming out to her parents.

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And, finally, a whole boatload of you were TOTALLY GROSSED out by the Puck / Quinn / Shelby storyline.

But, hey, at least it’s not half as bad as Puck’s storylines with that Lauren Zizes chick.  Right?  RIGHT??

Who knew a show about singing and dancing high schoolers could be so divisive?  Let’s Gleecap, shall we?

The Slap Heard Round the World School

Last week’s Gleeky installment ended with Santana (or, according to her, her alter ego, “Snicks”) clocking Finn (a.k.a. Fetus Face, a.k.a. Hamburglar) in the face for inadvertently outing her to all of Lima, Ohio.

I know I posted it before, but it bears repeating . . . 😉 

This week, Santana’s facing down suspension, not to mention a big fat “NO” to competing in Sectionals.  Finn shocks his erstwhile nemesis by claiming the entire slapping debacle to be nothing more than a little impromptu acting.

Apparently, Finn is a much better actor than he is a dancer  . . .

“It was fake.  HAHA!  Just kidding!  LOL and such!” He says, though his face currently bears a big red handprint on it, with the words “Santana was here, B*TCHES,” written in a mixture blood and lipstick across his cheek.”  (Not really . . . but there should have been.)

No one’s more shocked by this than Santana, herself.  So, she confronts Finn outside the principal’s office to slap him again, only this time in the ass find out what sort of evil plan he has up his sleeve.  Now, here’s where things got a bit messy in the Glee fandom . . .

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Finn says a whole lot of pretty schmoopy stuff to Santana, about why he’s so intent on helping her more fully “de-closet herself.”  He says SO MUCH schmoopy stuff in fact, that part of me kept waiting for the DRAMATIC BUT SAD violin to provide backup music for his speech.

Unfortunately, Violin is still in the closet, but only because no one has outed her yet.  Finn?

He tells her she’s awesome . . . and that by hiding her Gay, she’s hiding some of her awesomeness, right along with it.  It also makes her act like a bit of a tool.  Finn also claims that he cares about Santana deeply, since her’s was the first bun to accept his hot dog . . .

Finally,  he claims he doesn’t want her to kill herself, like the kid he recently read about in the news.  But through all these sweet,  if slightly patronizing, words, Finn fails to say the one thing Santana fans really want to hear: I’M SORRY I OUTED YOU, BEFORE YOU WERE READY TO COME OUT ON YOUR OWN.

DOH! 

Because, the fact remains that the REAL reason Santana has to come out of the closet now is because Finn THREW her out of it, albeit inadvertently so.  Therefore, whether Finn believes that Santana SHOULD come out of the closet,  is really beside the point.  By not apologizing to Santana for what he did, it could be argued that Finn feels justified in outing her, simply because the ends satisfy the means.  If this wasn’t the writers’ intention, they probably should have shown a bit less Preachy McPreacherson, and a bit more remorse, from our male lead .  . .

Going Girly . . .

The next step in Finn’s Let’s Blow Up Santana’s Closet plan is to have both the New Directions kids and the Troubletones sing what he terms “Lady Music,” i.e. songs by girls, about girls.  Finn hopes that this will show Santana just how much support she has from her Glee social circle.

First up to sing are Kurt and Blaine, who launch into a slightly subdued version of Pink’s “Perfect.”  It was a sweet rendition.  Though, I must admit, I found myself a bit distracted during it by Kurt’s bizarre HALF sweater.

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Specifically, I couldn’t help but wonder whether Blaine might have ripped the other half off of him, during . . . ahem . . . rehearsal.

Then, of course, there was Santana’s reaction . . .

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Awww, Santana!  Kurt SACRIFICED A HIDEOUSLY UGLY SWEATER for YOU!  Show some respect!

You can check out the entire performance of “Perfect” here:

Meanwhile . . .

Puck Gets Lucky . . .

Puck’s Lady Song is “I’m the Only One,” by Melissa Etheridge.  Like many of Puck’s solos,  this song is well-suited for the character’s gravelly sex voice, preference for guitar accompaniment, sheer love of repeated pelvis grinding, and overwhelming desire to dedicate whatever song he sings to his current love interest / conquest.  Everytime I watch Puck do one of these songs, I worry that he might impregnate me through the television screen . . .

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As many of you know, I’m a HUGE Puck fan.  So, of course, I enjoyed this performance.  I did have two complaints, however.  (1) Puck’s shameless eyef*cking of Shelby came across as a bit creepy to me .  . . I’m not quite sure why.

(2) At some point, during the past two weeks, Puck’s Mohawk seems to have morphed into a furry woodland creature, named Spanks.

Keeping a  furry woodland creature on your head, during the act of eyesex constitutes animal cruelty, in my book . . .

Animal cruelty aside, Shelby calls Puck during school, when Baby Beth falls and cuts her lip open.  Puck successfully takes charge of the situation.  And, as a reward, wins SEX.  HOORAY!

How convenient of Shelby to wait until Puck had already “helped her” in more ways than one, to decide, “this is immoral .  . . We can’t do this.”  On second thought, maybe what Shelby did was kind.  After all, at least Puck won’t have to worry about these .  . .

 . . . unlike, say, somebody else  we know at McKinley High who has to wear them ALL THE TIME .  . .

Prior to this, Quinn had, more or less, offered Puck “sure thing sex.”  But Puck, shockingly enough, turned her down because . . .  well, because she’s been a wackadoo, baby stealing, ASSHAT, for pretty much, this entire season  .  . . THAT’S WHY.  Actually, I believe his words were, “I’d rather raw dog a beehive.”  Now, THAT’S something I’d like to see . . .

All that aside, since he’s a 29 year old  teenager with Super Sex Stamina, who still has a few rounds left in him, after his one-time romp with Rachel’s bio mom (ICK!), after being rejected by Shelby, Quackers Quinn starts to look pretty darn tasty . . .

“Try no to be too alarmed, if I yell out the name “Shelby” during our Big Moment . . . um . . . it’s my dog’s name.  Yeah, that’s it!” 

Hate Sex is hot, isn’t it?  Unless, of course, you lack a condom, and your sperm have already shown themselves to be expert swimmers . . .

“Not to worry,” says Quinn (more or less), “teen pregnancy is awesome.  And I would know .  . .”

Apparently, Quinn has given up the notion of stealing Beth from Shelby, because .  . . wait for it . . . she’s decided to make another Baby.

Seriously?   Someone get this girl a strait-jacket, PLEASE!

 Fortunately, for Quinn (and us), Puck doesn’t want to play these baby-making games.  He tells her how lost she’s become, since her first baby.  And yet he knows, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that she will safely escape the HELL that is Lima, and go on to do something great with her life like marry a billionaire and/or make a famous sex tape that earns her a reality TV show, and millions of dollars in endorsements.  Clearly, this is precisely what Quinn needed to hear.  And, for about two seconds, all seems good with the world.

So, why then, did Puck feel the need to poop on all that progress,  by confessing his affair with Shelby to Quinn.

Personally, I think Spanks made him do it.  DAMN YOU, SPANKS!

Elsewhere, in SueTown . . .

Everybody Loves Cooter . . .

“Why would someone assume I’m a friend of Ellen just because I’m mannish and highly aggressive and have short hair and I only wear track suits and I coach a girl’s sport and I married myself? It just doesn’t make sense.” Sue writes in her faithful diary, during one of the funniest bits of dialogue, in the entire episode . . .

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Did you know Sue has a Black Booty Call book, that’s annotated with helpful reminders of certain celebrities’ prowess between the sheets?  Personally, I’m hoping Fox decides to sell this one on Ebay.  Surely, many of us fellow star-screwers can benefit from knowing that Dan Quayle is “too needy,” Matt Lauer is “a crier,” and Oliver North is “a biter.”

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Of course, for the present, Sue only has one man in mind to help her combat gay rumors, and win the congressional election.  And that man’s name start’s with a “C” and is a derogatory name for a woman’s body part.  (NO!  Not THAT name . . . the other one . . . Callalily.  (Just kidding.  It’s Cooter.)

“But wait!”  You say.  “Unacceptable!  He belongs to the Beiste!”

Well, that’s what she thought too . . . until she was picking up her usual chickeny dinner (I thought Breadsticks delivered?) . . . and ran into the Old Coot on a date with a certain Congressional Candidate.  Poor Beiste is devastated.  And, what’s worse, Cooter admits that he’s dating Sue, because Beiste isn’t .  . . um . . . curing his Man Pain.  Yep, apparently someone on this show still hasn’t cashed in that shiny V card.  Unfortunately, for Beiste, night time weightlifting sessions (NOT a euphemism for sex), do not equal a “romantic relationship,” as far as Cooter is concerned.

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It looks like SOMEONE has just been punted into the dreaded Friend Zone.  I smell a solo song number.  Don’t you?

I hereby present to you “Jolene.”

Ultimately,  Sue ends up losing the Congressional Election to Burt Hummel.   But will she lose her Cooter to the Turducken loving Beiste, who has decided to battle for his love, one chicken breast at a time?  Only the writers know for sure . . .

I’m Coming Out (I Want the World to Know)

Finn’s tribute to Santana is a slow, sultry, and oddly poignant version of Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Want to Have Fun.”  It came as a pleasant surprise for me, because I’m not usually a huge fan of Finn’s voice.  I also always tend to prefer Glee songs that offer a unique take on an already popular song, as opposed to merely covering it, karaoke style.  So, this really worked for me.  Santana must have felt the same way, since her the iceberg around her heart melted enough by the end of the performance, to offer Finn both a hug and heartfelt thanks.

All together now . . . “Awwwww.”

You can catch the performance, in it’s entirety, here:

Outside by the lockers, some douchebag leers at Santana, and decides to make her his “personal challenge.”  This prompts the rest of the Glee girls, to systematically rip him a new one, in a show of sisterly solidarity.  Then, back to the Glee room they go, to perform YET ANOTHER Katy Perry song.  This time it’s the titular “I Kissed the Girl.”  And while none of the girls actually kiss during it, there is a whole lot of ass grabbing . . . You know, if you’re into that sort of thing . . .

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Check it out . . .

We never get to see Santana actually come out to her parents, though we are told that they are “fine with it.”  Wait . . . what?  I thought that seeing Santana come out to her parents and make out with Brittany was supposed to be the WHOLE POINT OF THIS EPISODE?

Santana did come out to her grandma, though . . . That didn’t go so well . . .  “I want you to know me . . . who I really am,” Santana says to this woman, who she’s loved dearly and admired her entire life.

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So, of course that evil wench has to go, and squash her heart like a bug . . .

How dare Santana make her asshat grandma uncomfortable, by telling her what’s in her heart?  She should have kept it a secret, and maintained the lie of their relationship . . . that would be MUCH better.  It’s interesting (and sad) how Grandma seems more willing to accept that her daughter might be pregnant, while still in high school, than gay.  Eventually, Grandma kicks a tearful Santana out of her house, and tells her never to return.

Then, as soon as Santana leaves, the Glee fandom knocks down the old lady’s door, and proceeds to beat the crap out of her homophobic ass.  Good times! 🙂

Santana returns to school the next day, subdued, but determined to keep on fighting for her own happiness.  She sings k.d. lang’s “Constant Craving,” while Puck and Shelby stare moodily at one another, and Crazy Quinn plots the teacher’s untimely death.  Other than that awkwardness, the performance serves as a poignant finale to the journey Santana underwent, during the episode . . .

In other news . . .

When Stuffing a Ballot Box, Don’t Forget to Count the Ballots . . .

Sue wasn’t the only person to lose an election this week, Kurt lost one too . . . but for lack of cheating trying.  It’s student election time at McKinley and Kurt is convinced that he is going to lose to Brittany, because, unlike her, he refuses to go topless on Tuesdays.  (Can we get Blaine to go topless on Tuesday’s instead?   Or Puck,  for that matter?)

Convinced that an election loss will kill his chances of getting into NYATA college, Kurt contemplates stuffing the ballot box.   But Rachel, Blaine and Finn convince him to “be good.” The ballots are secret, but, the benefit of this being a TV show is that we get to see who everyone votes for.  Santana and Quinn show Cheerios spirit (and a little Lebanese Lady Love, respectively) by voting for their Britt . . .

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 . . . while most of the other Gleeks seem to support Kurt.

However, when Kurt ends up winning the election by 190 more votes than there are actually STUDENTS IN THE SCHOOL, Principal Figgins cries foul.   This is the worst election scandal since Bush v. Gore!  Kurt is called in for questioning, and threatened with suspension.  There’s only one problem .  . . he didn’t do it.

You know who did?   Rachel . . . . you know, because she needs her Gay Best Friend for college nights on the town, and stuff.  (Who doesn’t?)

Of course, Brittany ends up winning the election, fair and square.   (HOORAY for Pixie Sticks and Public Nudity!)  Kurt concedes graciously,  telling Brittany to “rule awesomely,” even though he’s quite certain now that he won’t get into college now, and will be forced to spend the rest of his life in Lima,  singing oldies songs for tips at the local Johnny Rockets . . .

And here’s the kicker . . . Rachel might not get into NYATA now either.  Her election rigging is going on her permanent record.  She’s suspended from school for a week, and . . . wait for it . . . she’s BANNED FROM COMPETING IN SECTIONALS!!

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This is terrible.  The New Directions are probably going to have to have that little leprechaun kid do all the solos now . . .

Next week on Glee, SHIRTLESS SAM is back, and . . .

Yeah, I missed everything else, after I saw that.  It’s a girl thing.  What can I tell you?  Anywhoo, feel free to check out the trailer for next week’s Glee installment, entitled “Hold on to Sixteen” here:

So . . . tell me . . . what did you think of “I Kissed a Girl?” 😉

Until next time, Gleeks . . .

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[www.juliekushner.com][Fangirls Forever]

Dodging the Bully – A Recap of Glee’s “Mash Off”

[Fashionably Late . . . Again?  (I’m afraid this is becoming a habit.)  The Recap for Gossip Girl’s “All the Pretty Sources” is well under way.  Wondering when you can expect it?  I’d say most probably before midnight (EST), tomorrow, Tuesday, November 22nd.  My sincere apologies for my recent lack of timeliness.  (Chuck got me very drunk last night . . . just like Dan.)]

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Greetings Gleeks!  This Very Special Episode of Glee was all about the unintended consequences of bullying.  But lest you think the entire episode was a TOTAL downer .  . . there was also a sizeable portion of it that was about Puck’s weiner.

Get it?  A sizeable portion . . . because Puck’s wei  . . . nevermind.

Let’s recap, shall we?

Pucker up, for the Puck-ster

It’s a weekday, which means Puck must be in love with a new woman.  At least, this time, it’s not that annoying asshat, Lauren Zizes . . .

“What the f*&k was I thinking?” 

As Puck and the show’s writers go to great lengths to remind us, he’s EIGHTEEN now.  So, it’s TOTALLY OK for him to want to taste the forbidden fruit that is adopted mother-of-his child / substitute teacher / rival Glee club director, Shelby Corcoran . . .  I smell a musical moment, don’t you?

Though not necessarily the best sounding cover song Glee has ever done, “Hot for Teacher,” was definitely good for a few laughs . . . with Puck gyrating to the rhythm of his old school guitar, and crooning / yelling in that sexy, scratchy voice of his.  Meanwhile, Blaine and Mike Chang repeatedly grabbed their grotches, wiggled their hips, and awkwardly waved their hands behind him, in an odd little cross between the original Van Halen music video on which this was based, and . . . a rousing game of Simon Says?

Oh, and, of course, Finn was making his classic, “I’m on the drums” face, the whole time . . .

He didn’t participate in any of the dancing though . . . (Gee, I wonder why?)

Feel free to check out the original “Hot for Teacher” below, and compare the two for yourself . . .

Anywhoo, Puck attempts to win Shelby’s heart by giving her a baby pumpkin, instead of the usual “apple for the teacher” type deal.  Have any of you out there ever actually eaten a baby pumpkin?  Do they taste like regular pumpkins?  I don’t know . . .  They are more interesting than apples though . . . because, really, anybody can get you an apple.  Baby pumpkins, on the other hand, are only available when they are in-season.

But I digress . . .

Puck proceeds to make his plea for Shelby’s love by (1)  reminding Shelby how hot they both are . . .

Well . . . I agree with half of that statement. 😉 

(2) listing all the May / December celebrity romances that have worked . . . like Ashton and Demi for example . . .

WHOOPS.  Nevermind!  It looks like the script for this show was written a few weeks too early.  Indiana Jones and Ally McBeal ARE still together though, last time I checked.  So, he got that one right . . . at least.

(3) And offering to be a REAL father to Baby Beth . . .

But perhaps the most controversial thing Puck did to win Shelby’s love was to out Quinn for all those awful things she did to get Baby Beth taken away from Shelby by Child Services.

Now, assuming Puck did this, because he thought Shelby had the right to know, and not just as a ploy to get into her thong (which is debatable), I’m all for it.  However, something tells me that Quinn isn’t going to feel the same way as I do, when SHE inevitably finds out . . .

I’d say the sweetest part of this storyline was when Puck told Shelby that she was meant to be Beth’s mom, even going as far as to say that’s why Puck and Quinn got drunk and boned one another about a year a so ago, unprotected, and against their better judgment.  Well, that’s ONE way of looking at it . . .

“Come on, let me stick it in, ya!  It’s for a GOOD CAUSE!” 

Things We Never Knew About Burt Hummel . . .

“I’m a better dancer than my son-in-law . . . though, admittedly, that’s not saying much.” 

Did you know Burt Hummel has a baboon heart?

Did you know he married a donkey?  Well, now you do!  Thanks, Sue Sylvester!

I know . . . I know . . . neither are these things are true.  But I honestly think Sue Sylvester’s so-called negative advertising campaigns against State Congressional hopeful, Burt Hummel, were some of the funniest moments of this episode.  And while I’m 100% against bestiality and donkey / human marriages, I think there is entirely too much prejudice nowadays against people with animal parts . . . Just sayin’.

“Is this what having a stroke feels like?”

Brittany said the above line to compliment the mash-up / duet rival Glee club directors Will Schuester and Shelby Corcoran performed to two songs (both named “You and I”).  The performance was meant to  convince the two groups to get along with one another long enough to compete in one giant Mash Off, before they find themselves competing against one another, for real, during Sectionals.  Nevermind the fact that, as was mentioned last season, neither musical group appears to have the minimum number of participants required for a team to enter into the competition.

Well, I was definitely twitching after the song was over.  So, maybe Brittany was on to something there.  While this was definitely not my favorite musical number of the episode, I did appreciate the creativity of combining a popular Lady Gaga song with an old 80’s country song that most Glee viewers (myself included) had probably never heard before.  The lyrics of the two songs dovetailed surprisingly well with one another, and the resulting song sounded a lot better than you would think it would .  . . but not much.

That didn’t stop me from twitching though . . . maybe it’s a Schuester thing.  He bugs me sometimes, what can I say!

Sorry, Schue!  It’s true!

Santana’s got balls (and she’s not afraid to throw them)

Upcoming Mash-off competition aside, it seems the New Directions and the Troubletones weren’t satisfied having only ONE opportunity to kick eachother’s asses.  And so evolved the brilliant idea that the two groups should meet up in the gym, and pelt eachother with their balls .  . .

 . . . dodgeballs that is.

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The Mash-up of “Hit Me with Your Best Shot,” and “One Way or Another,” provided a perfect soundtrack for the surprisingly intense game.  Plus, the action shots of Gleeks playing dodgeball made for some of the best choreography we’ve seen on the show, in quite some time.  For example, did you guys know Blaine can fly?

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“Weeeeeeeeeeeee!”

Kurt likey . . . A LOT! 

Now, while Kurt might have SERIOUSLY enjoyed watching his boyfriend soar over his head, in those uber short and much-too-tight gym shorts, he definitely was NOT a fan of the Troubletones decision to mercilessly pelt Little New Guy Rory with dodgeballs, long AFTER they had already won the game.  Kurt scolded his opponents for their bad form, as he dragged a bloody Rory off the battlefield, while throwing a SERIOUS “I’m judging you” face in his former friends’ direction.

Mommy Dearest (and not so Dearest)

I have to say, I respect Rachel Berry a whole lot more, now that I know she writes her own college recommendations, so that all her “recommenders” have to do is sign them.  (For all you prospective college applicants out there, it really is the best way to go!)  Of course, there is one other big thing that Rachel did during this hour to make me respect her.  But, more on that later . . .

“While we are on the subject, MOM, I am also looking for a surrogate, to carry my baby in her belly for nine months, in exchange for $20,000.  Would you be interested?” 

Given the disappointing way in which Shelby’s Season 2 run-in with bio-daughter Rachel ended, it’s nice to see these two working toward forming a genuine relationship with one another, this Season . . .  When Rachel comes to Shelby, to get her to sign a pre-written college application, the latter surprises her bio daughter with plenty of kind words, encouragement, and the type of pride only a real mother, can show for her daughter.  She even offers to writer Rachel a college recommendation BY HERSELF.  HOORAY!

But then Shelby inadvertently makes Rachel feel like crap, by telling her daughter that, because she’s so friggin perfect, less-than-perfect people who are applying to performing arts school against her (like say . . . Kurt), don’t have a shot in hell of getting in, and, will, therefore, probably end up flipping burgers for the rest of their lives. . .

Dear Kurt, Sorry I ruined your life.  And yes, I would like fries with that.  Love, Rachel. 

Putting that aside though, it was a  Genuinely Touching Moment . . .

If looks could kill . . . 

On the other end of the parental unit relationship spectrum are Quinn and Shelby.  Shelby never exactly seemed to be Quinn’s biggest fan, anyway.  But now that she knows about the whole Baby-napping Scheme, she’s REALLY Anti-Quinn.  Eventually, a confrontation ensues, in which  Quinn calls Shelby out for “whoring out” Baby Berry, back when she was a teen (OUCH!).

And Shelby calls Quinn out for . . . um . . . well, basically, just being an incredibly sh*tty human being.  (QUADRUPLE OUCH!)

Shelby also tells Quinn that she doesn’t trust her around Baby Beth, anymore.  Sorry Quinn!  Perhaps, you should have gone with a different tactic . . . like making out with Shelby, and giving her baby pumpkins . . . Better luck, next illegitimate child!

Topless Tuesdays and Other Campaign Promises . . .

It’s campaign speech time, at McKinley High.  And just like in real government, all the candidates seem to be making promises they can’t keep.  That weird, mullet-wearing, red headed guy from the hockey team says he promises that all students will be able to boss around their teachers from now on.

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Brittany wants to protect high school students in Lima from tornadoes, and promises to go topless every Tuesday.  Way to give back to your community, Brittany!

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Rachel promises to withdraw from the race, and get everyone to vote for Kurt . . .   Wait, WHAT?  Rachel is going to give up an opportunity to be the best?  I must have walked into someone’s alternate universe Kachel fanfiction!

In all seriousness though, I think Rachel took to heart Shelby’s words about how the Type A, overachiever, ALREADY has the resume to get into the college of her dreams, while Kurt does not.  It was a super sweet, suprisingly un-Rachel like thing to do.  And Kurt was just as shocked as the rest of us . . .

As for Kurt, his campaign speech is kind of a downer.  I mean, fighting against childhood obesity, and bullying is great . . . but eliminating dodgeball?  Seriously?  Wouldn’t it be easier to just use softer balls, like Kurt’s those squishy ones that Nerf makes?  My personal opinions aside, I loved Kurt’s speech, simply because Blaine’s “Supportive Face,” while he was making said speech was SUPER hot.  And we wouldn’t have had the chance to see it, otherwise . . .

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After the speeches, Kurt and Rachel FINALLY ended their seemingly interminable election-based fight.  Not only was the reunion scene between the pair extremely touching, I’m just thrilled that these two characters will finally be able to regularly interact again.  After all, Rachel’s and Kurt’s friendship is my favorite completely platonic relationship on this show . . . heck, it might actually be the only completely platonic relationship on this show . . .

Reunited and it feels SO GOOD! 

Out and Not So Proud . . .

Oh, Santana.  As a character, I adore you to pieces . . . most of the time.  You are hilariously funny.  You constantly make fun of Finn.  You have a spectacular singing voice.  And you are one of the most complex, and consistently written, characters on this show.  But if I REALLY knew you, or, worse, attended high school with you, I’m pretty sure, I would hate your guts .  . . and keep a voodoo doll of you in my locker, to stab at, whenever I was having a particularly bad day.

Throughout the episode, we watched Santana be mercilessly evil to Finn, and his new sidekick Rory.

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It eventually got to the point where even her fellow Troubletones were begging her to stop.  But she continued, with what was probably the meanest, most underhanded,  apology ever.  And that’s when Finn snapped, outing Santana as a lesbian in front of the whole school.  Whether intentionally, or unintentionally done . . . whether provoked or unprovoked  . . . whether he thought Santana’s sexual preference was a secret or common knowledge, what Finn did was VERY, VERY wrong.  And it ended up producing some pretty serious consequences for Santana . . .

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As it turns out, one of Burt’s and Sue’s congressional opponents has a daughter who attends McKinley High, and that daughter recorded Finn’s and Santana’s conversation.  Ultimately, Santana’s secret ended up being used by this opponent in a negative campaign advertisement against Sue, in order to imply that the Cheerios coach was ALSO a lesbian.  In a surprisingly poignant moment, the usually ascerbic Sue, Burt Hummel, and Will Schuester call Santana into Sue’s office to show her the advertisement, and offer her their support.

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Santana, understandably, is inconsolate.  “This can’t be happening to me,” she cries, as she makes a mad dash down the hallway  “I haven’t even come out to my parents yet.”

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And the Winner of the Mash Off of 2011 is . . .

The Mash Off Competition takes place before Santana really has time to heal, or process the many ways in which her life is about to change.  The New Directions are up first, and SURPRISE, it’s another 80’s music mash-up.  (Way to be HIP, Mr. Schue!)  This one is a mixture of the songs “I Can’t Go For That,” and “You Make My Dreams.”  It was a fun performance, for sure.  But, for me at least, the best part about it, by far, were the ridiculous curly wigs, weird heavily shoulder padded suit jackets, and over abundance of pink all the guys wore during the musical number.  Hysterical, with a capital H!

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Oh, and did youu catch the befuddled facial expressions of all the females in the audience.  PRICELESS!  As for the women, they all vaguely resembled Pebbles Flintstone . . . though, I’m not exactly sure why . . .

See, for yourself . . .

But the winners of this competition, hands down, just like in the dodgeball competition that preceded it, were the Troubletones.

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With Santana and Mercedes at the helm, the group’s mashup of Adele’s “Rumor Has It” and “Someone Like You,” was breathtakingly beautiful, and enchantingly mesmerizing, with just a smidgeon of slit-your-wrist, depressing.

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Naya Rivera expertly portrayed, all of the angst, sadness, and inner turmoil of her character’s unfortunate outing, in every word she sang, and every expression that crossed her face.

Then, when the performance was over, and Santana leapt off the stage, to slap Finn extra hard, right across the mouth, for the inadvertent role he played in her embarrassment and discomfort, I had genuine tears in my eyes . . .

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In the next installment of Glee, if the promos are any indication, Santana will come out to her parents, and the rest of the cast will get laid.  Can I get a HELL YEAH!  You can check out the promo for “I Kissed a Girl,” here . . .

 So, tell me  . . .  what did you think of “Mash Off?”

Did you enjoy the Adele number as much as I did?  Do you agree with me that the Troubletones kicked New Direction’s ASS this week, in every way possible?  Are you shipping Shelby / Puck . . .  or do they make you want to upchuck?

 Are you pro or anti-dodgeball?  And, most importantly, Team Santana, or Team Finn?  Feel free to sound off in the comment section . . .

Annnnd . . . that’s what you missed, ON GLEE!

[www.juliekushner.com][Fangirls Forever]

The Mask of the Red (Hot) Bass – A Recap of Gossip Girl’s “The Big Sleep No More”

[Note: For those of you waiting for a Mash-off Gleecap, I PROMISE you it’s coming!  (In the words of Mike Chang, “I don’t feel tardy.”)  It’s been a rather crazy week.  But the recap is already underway, and I promise to have it to you before midnight tonight.  Please forgive me for my lameness. ;)]

“To tongue Blair, or not to tongue Blair . . . that is the question.” 

Greetings Upper East Siders!  This week on Gossip Girl . . . Chuck Bass proved himself to be a Changed Man (yet, still a VERY good kisser) . .

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“Still studly, after all these seasons . .  .”

.. Blair exhibited her true feelings, as the lady who doth protest WAY too much . . .

“I don’t love Chuck Bass, anymore.  The fact that I dream about him every night.  And spend every waking minute thinking about and cyberstalking him is just pure coincidence.”

 Nate revealed himself as the sex toy who uses his brain WAY too little . . .

Nate has something on his mind . . . *insert cricket sounds here*

Charlie / Ivy got kind of slutty, and, in doing so, may have inadvertently exposed her true identity (whatever THAT is!) .  . .

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Never . . . gets . . . old.

Diana displayed her true colors, as the all-knowing fairy tale villainess we always suspected she might be  . . .

You give love (and tabloid journalism) a bad name. 

Dan Humpty Dumpty became the literary equivalent of MySpace . . .

and Serena . . . well Serena, really didn’t do much of anything, to be quite honest .  . .

“This blows!” 

Let’s review, shall we?

To Sleep, Perchance to Dream (of Chuck Bass)

Even in dreams, Chuck can give Blair an O . . .

Now, usually, I DESPISE Blair’s black-and-white, uber cheeseball dream sequences.  However, since the one that kicked off this episode, featured a super snazzy looking, Chuck Bass, in a white suit (an outfit, VERY few men can pull off, by the way). .  .

*wipes drool from corner of mouth*

 . . .  and was the writers not-particularly-subtle way of showing that Blair still has feelings for Chuck, and secretly regrets her decision to marry her cyborg fiance . . .

 . . .  I had much more tolerance for this particular dream sequence, than I would otherwise. Basically, the dream sequence is as follows . . . Blair is on a balcony of some sort looking for Louis-bot  . . .

 . . .  but finds Chuck instead . . .

. . . Chuck gallantly offers Blair a drink, but because she is worried that once she gets liquor in her system she will rip off all  of Dream Chuck’s clothing and ravage him she declines.  So, he, instead, volunteers to help her find Louis-bot, an offer she dubiously accepts . . .

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But as Blair accepts Chuck’s hand to help her off the balcony, she falls into his arms, and wakes with a start, not to mention the female equivalent of a hard-on . . . 

“Dream almost-sex with Chuck, beats real sex with Louis-bot, any day (and twice on Sunday).”

Trying in vain to convince herself that Chuck’s Epic Apology to her for EVERYTHING that went wrong in their relationship EVER is fake, so that she can stop fantasizing about him all the time, Blair commadeers Dorota for a nice leisurely walk through the Park.  Hmm . . . Now, I wonder, why, of all places, she would choose to go to the PARK?

This LIVE image on Gossip Girl’s website couldn’t possibly have anything to do with her decision.  Could it?”

Dorota is SOOOO on to you, Queen B!

Put Down the Duckie (I Wanna Get Lucky)

“You aren’t the only one who cares about the city’s duck population, Chuck.  See this feather on my hat?  It’s from a REAL mallard.”

Blair pretends to be TOTALLY surprised and annoyed, when she comes upon Chuck, engaged in a Photo Op,  after rescuing a cute little quacker from Death by Dog . . .

Who has a pointy beak, and is a Total Chair Fan?  THIS GUY!

 Arguments between Chuck and Blair always contain within them an undercurrent of sexual tension, and this time is no exception.  Whether they are trading barbs about Duck la Orange, or screwing behind a tree . . .

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 . . .  whenever these two are within ten feet of one another, they both just can’t help, but be turned on . . .

And yet, what’s unnerving Blair most about this conversation, in particular, is that, Chuck isn’t actually fighting with her, this time.  Rather, he’s being the perfect gentleman, ceding to every demand and accusation that Blair makes, no matter how ridiculous it might be . . .

“Even though you are being particularly annoying, in this episode.  I still love you more than life itself.”

One of the best parts of the scene, for me at least, was when Blair noted angrily that SHE had “custody” of the Duck Pond, based on the Treaty of 2010.  Remember the Chuck / Blair treaty from last season?  You know, the one they spent hours writing, and eventually tore up, shortly before they started banging one another pretty much, nonstop, for about four glorious consecutive weeks . . .

Ahhh .  . . memories.

Following the extremely sexually frustrating Duck Pond experience, Blair becomes more determined than ever to prove that Chuck is still the same old self-destructive bad boy, he’s always been.  Blair’s super silly evil genius plan to bring out “Bad Chuck”, which is actually remarkably similar to the one the therapist attempted (and FAILED), is to provoke him with something he HATES, and hope that he lashes out, like he often would in “olden days.”  Blair even makes a hilarious Venn Diagram to help her achieve her goal . . .

Things Chuck Hates . . . by Blair Waldorf.

But when Serena informs Blair that Chuck is hosting a charity event at the city’s mask-wearing theater production of Sleep No More, the Queen Schemer comes up with a way better plan to bring out the so-called REAL Chuck, than merely slipping him non-top shelf Scotch . . .

“I KNOW!  I’ll seduce him, and get him to kiss me.  And I won’t enjoy the feeling of his tantalizingly luscious lips pressing against mine, at all.  No sir!  This is all in the name of psychological research . . .”

Welcome to the Bargain Bin, Dan Humphrey!

And for his next magic trick, the Great Dan-zini will make the entire world forget that he exists . . .

As frustratingly unrealistic I always found Dan’s meteoric rise to fame, mere weeks, after some chump was hard-up enough for  ideas to publish his Alternate Universe Dair fanfiction, I actually found THIS part of his storyline incredibly realistic.  (And funny!  Yes, I realize that this makes me a bad person.  And no, I don’t care.)

So, last week, Dan’s book was dropped completely from the New York Times’ Best Seller’s List, after spending a mere week at Number 9 (just below Kim Kardashian’s autobiography, I suspect).

Humpty Humphrey sat on a wall (of books).  Humpty Humphrey had a great fall.

This week, he went out on a book signing tour, and NOBODY SHOWED UP . . .  It’s NOT FUNNY, OK?

Actually, this says more about that Alexandra chick being a LAME publicist than it does about Donut Dan.  I mean, don’t GOOD publicists usually PAY people to show up at book signings, to prevent the author from looking like a TOTAL LOSER?  Just a thought .  . .

“That Alexandra chick is DEAD TO ME (or, at least, she will be, if she ever returns my calls).”

But instead of sucking it up, and actually being proud of his having a book published, AND making the Best Seller List by age 20, something 99% of the world never accomplishes, Dopey Dan has to go b*tch and moan about being a failure, and skip out on the remainder of his book tour obligations.  He does this, despite his Dad’s super-inspirational “I Too Was Once a Loser Rocker . . . But Eventually I Became a Has-Been, Instead” speech . . .

I know I’m being harsh (I’m ALWAYS harsh when it comes to the Dopey Donut, aren’t I?).  But as someone who would literally KILL for a chance at having Dan’s so-called writing career, his attitude offends me deeply . . .

Speaking of folks whose fifteen minutes of fame, might be up . . .

Serena  vanDerWHO?

“Oh, look!  How clumsy of me!  I’ve accidentally / on purpose bumped into my next prospective sexual conquest.  (Because THAT doesn’t happen once a week, on this show.)”

Honestly, I don’t have very much to say about Serena’s storyline this week . . . if you could even call it that.  Last week, if you recall, the EEEEVVVILL Diana pretty much got Serena fired from her last job, so that the Manhattan socialite could work for HER, blogging about her life.  Serena eventually accepted the position, only to realize that, without a boyfriend, or an actual job, or any real hobby, aside from shopping, she doesn’t really have a life to write about . . .

“Time to start hooking again, I guess.”

Demonic Diana spends half of the episode using Charlie / Ivy /  “Call Me Serena” to convince Serena to “continue” blogging, because she needs her to “take down Gossip Girl.”  (More on what she does with the other half of the episode, in a bit.)  First she has faux-Charlie try to convince Serena to make this random guy she meets on the street, miss a job interview, just so she can write about the “romantic afternoon they spent together.”  (This Random Guy actually ends up being Charlie / Ivy / “Call Me Serena’s” ex, but we’ll get to that soon enough.)

It is no accident that the wardrobe department has dressed me in a blue collar . . .

Then, Diana organizes a date between these two future lovebirds, and then makes sure they can’t meet up, so that Gossip Girl posts a mean blast about how LAME Serena has become.  Unfortunately Diana, lame is probably one of the mildest offenses Gossip Girl has lobbed against S.  So, she’s not all that angry about it, actually.  But, just when all hope seems lost, Diana gets Gossip Girl to write something about faux-Charlie going “Call Me Serena” bonkers again.  And THIS pisses Serena off enough to agree to help Diana take that GG b*tch DOWN!

Personally, I always saw Serena as more of a Tumblr-type gal, myself . . . 

You know, as much as I rank on Serena’s promiscuity, shallowness, and chronic self-absorption, I have to say that I admire how protective, generous and oddly maternal she is with Faux-Charlie.  It almost makes me feel bad about her being TOTALLY played for a fool, by this perky con artist . . . almost.

Sharlie?  Sivy?  Scall Me Serena? 

That’s Charlie / Ivy / Call Me Serena BUSTED, to you!

“Oh, please don’t photograph me on my left side.  I hate my left side.”

Silly Faux-Charlie!  You should know better than to mess with Demonic Diana and her Adorably Brainless Boyfriend Nate!

“Look at my life-sized puppet.  I pull his hair, and he talks.  I pull his leg, and he dances.  I pull his weiner and he .  . .”

Diana and Faux-Charlie were having a wonderful blackmailer / blackmailee relationship, up until Faux-Charlie had to go and make out with Nate in public, last week, forcing Diana to take her not-so relationship with the beautiful hunk of meat, public, something she didn’t necessarily want to do . . .

“Sh*t!  Now I’m going to be known as a cougar, my entire life.  I knew I should have went out with Hugh Hefner, instead.”

Then, Faux-Charlie moves even HIGHER on Diana’s Poopy List, by allowing Gossip Girl to catch her kissing Nate in public, AGAIN!  Last time, she did it to “win a contest.”  This time she supposedly did it to “avoid having a run-in with the boyfriend she ditched, back in LA, who knows her true identity.”

“Tastes even better, the second time around.”

Sure, Charlie!  We believe you!

 So, Diana manipulates a SUPER Gullible Faux-Charlie, and an even MORE Gullible Nate to attend Chuck’s charity event together.  There, Diana uses the masks all the guests at the function are required to wear, and Max’s barely there physical resemblance to Nate, to get Faux-Charlie to swap spit with her Ex, while Nate is watching . . .

“Call me Serena.”

“Call me Nate.”

“OMG!  Charlie is kissing me AGAIN.  She must really like me.  Oh, wait . . . that can’t be me.  I’m standing right here, and I definitely don’t feel any lips on my face.”

“Twenty-year old weiner . . . here I come . . . AGAIN”

I don’t know, if someone told YOU to make out their boyfriend, wouldn’t you be a little skeptical?  And don’t even get me started on the fact that Faux-Charlie seemed to stare at Max for a full THREE SECONDS, before making out with him, and STILL claimed she thought he was Nate.

Speaking of Nate, he’s not much better . . . falling in love with every girl who sticks her tongue down his throat, and always believing whatever b.s. these con artists whisper in his ear, at the expense of common sense . . .

It’s hard to hate on all this pretty, though .  . .

Outside of the event, Max tells Faux – Charlie they are TOTALLY dunzo.  And then Diana adds insult to injury by firing her, and sending a blast of her face to Gossip Girl, which Max just so happens to see, providing him a hint that his thieving girlfriend might very well suffer from multiple personality disorder . . .

“Wow, what a small world!  That crazy Charlie chick looks JUST like my ex-girlfriend!”

This storyline concludes with Diana making up with Nate at 8:58, as she has done in every single episode, for the past four weeks . . .

DIANA: “Talk about deja-vu!”

NATE: “Deja-who?  I thought your name was Diana.”

Then, in a bizarre plot twist, we learn that Diana was actually hired by Nate’s GRANDFATHER to rehabilitate his tarnished image . . . Um, yeah, because nothing says professionalism and good breeding, like a twenty-year old rich kid who sort-of / kind-of / just barely works for sleazy tabloid, and f*&ks his friend’s mom . . .

“Hey!  I’m not here to judge.  If I was still capable of getting it up, I’d probably be doing the same thing.”

And now, for my FAVORITE part of the evening . . .

Lips Don’t Lie (or do they?)

I know . . . I know . . . as a Good Chair Fan, I’m supposed to be unhappy about this scene, because of the dubious circumstances that gave rise to it, and how it ended up.  But none of that can take away the fact that CHUCK AND BLAIR MADE OUT THROUGHOUT AN ENTIRE COMMERCIAL BREAK (roughly three minutes)!  That’s a HUGE deal, in my book.  And, if at all possible, the seduction scene that led up to this kiss, was even hotter than the kiss itself!

Watch, and you’ll see what I mean . . .

Whew!  *fans self*  Sure, it ended in a slap.  And, yes,  it started, merely because Blair wanted to prove to herself that Chuck hadn’t really changed.  But the sexual chemistry between Chuck and Blair in this scene was extremely real, as far as I’m concerned.

Blair and Chuck know one another so well, sexually, that it is ridiculously easy for them to turn each other on.  As we can see in the above clip, Blair is extremely successful at getting Chuck all hot and bothered, by allowing him a whiff of her perfume, exposing her neck to him, and tantalizing him with Red Hots.  I, for one, don’t believe, for a second, that the look of barely concealed eroticism on Chuck’s face is just acting . . . nor is the small moan of pleasure Blair lets escape her lips, when he first pulls her in for that deep, long, and luscious, liplock . . .

“That was so hot, I think my water just broke.”

So, after whacking Chuck in the face, Blair escapes, content with the faux-knowledge that Chuck hasn’t changed.  Now, she won’t have to regret her decision to marry a weird-accented, evil robot, EVERY DAY FOR THE REST OF HER LIFE.  HOORAY!  Fat Chance!

What we find out later, of course, is that Dorota asked Chuck to give in to Blair’s kiss, for this precise reason . . . so that Blair can be . . . HAPPY?  with LOUIS?  Isn’t that like an oxy-moron, or something?

Or . . . perhaps, more appropriately, a LOUIS-MORON?

My personal thoughts about whether what Dorota and Chuck did was actually the RIGHT choice for Blair, doesn’t lessen my admiration for Chuck, for his performing, what may very well have been his most selfless and genuinely good-hearted act . . . since back in high school, when he orchestrated Blair’s Prom Queen victory, despite the fact that she was dating Nate, at the time . . .

Source 

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Apparently, a leopard CAN change his spots . . . but he can never change his heart.

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And that was “The Big Sleep No More” in a nutshell.  But try not to feel too down in the dumps about it . . .

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After all, I have it on good authority, that Blair won’t be able to keep herself away from Chuck too much longer.  Don’t believe me?  Check out this Canadian promo for next week’s GG installment, which is entitled “All the Pretty Sources.”

Oh, and here’s the not nearly as much fun American promo (though, admittedly, Drunken Dan might prove to be amusing) . . .

Until next time, XOXO!

[www.juliekushner.com][Fangirls Forever]