Thursday, November 17, 2011

Horrible Houses and Horrible Restaurants and then some

*****Spoilers ahead beware****

I think that writers can't help but be influenced by what they see, read, and experience. It's often reflected in their work. Perhaps that explains my new Silver Flash - Dallas in Wonderland. Something a little different, probably the influence of American Horror Story. ****Spoiler alert***** I've completely caught up with the series now, and am definitely loving it. It's like peeling an onion, pulling away the layers to get to the inner core. Assuming there is one. Ben and Vivien are splitting up after she discovered his infidelity with Hayden continued and resulted in a child. Of course Vivien has no idea that Hayden is lying dead beneath the new gazebo which Ben had to put up. In this episode, "Open House", Vivien discovers that she is carrying twins. Shades of Rosemary's Baby! I can't help but remember the man in black who had sex with her, never saying a word. She assumed it was Ben - I'm not so sure. In this episode, we learn more about Larry and his history, which he's been lying about, as well as his obsession with Constance.An Armenian gentleman wants to buy Murder House and tear it down - but Constance and Larry and Moira conspire against him. This series just keeps on getting better and better, and in next week's previews, I caught a glimpse of Zachary Quinto. Can't wait.

Guess what else I saw while watching this episode?  A preview for Justified!  Hooray! It's coming back in January.  I also saw an ad for a new Anthony Bourdain show on the Travel Channel, coming soon. Might have to check that out.

Lately, I've been watching back episodes of Robert Irvine's Restaurant Impossible. At times it's somewhat formulaic - restaurant owners needs help, writes Robert and he shows up to turn things around, with certain inevitable pitfalls - I find each episode interesting and worth watching. In fact, I've seen some of them now often enough to recognize them when they start. I do like the series, and I like the way he shows them how to change a losing proposition into a winning one. Sometimes that's all you need, somebody to kick your butt and show you the way. Some of the restaurants I've seen make me wonder why the health department hasn't shut them down. Robert's designers take a limited budget and bring freshness to these places, while Robert shows the owners how to run the business, to understand pricing and food costs, while he shows the chefs how they should be cooking.  I've gained a whole new respect for Chef Robert after watching these shows. I hope the series continues for some time to come.

On the Next Iron Chef, the wily Chairman presented the potential Iron Chefs with a sweet challenge - make a  sweet and a savory dish from candy. Chef Alex had the advantage and assigned everyone their ingredient. I've found that often times what appears to be a disadvantage for one of the chefs turns out to be a good thing and brings out hidden depths. It can also be a downfall. Chef Falkner won this week with her malted milk ball creations. At the bottom of the pack were Chefs Hughes, McMillan and Guarnaschelli, but Alex was given a reprieve, and the other two were sent into the sudden death secret ingredient challenge. The ingredient was tofu. Although the judges repeatedly tell the chefs that less is better than more, Chef McMillan did three tofu dishes to Hughes' one - and won.  Next week's episode has to do with comedy, and I saw Kevin Nealon in the previews. Bye bye Chef Hughes.

The more of Once Upon a Time I see, the more I like, as Emma gets more and more involved with the people of Storybrooke, and with her son Henry, and fighting the curse laid upon the town and its inhabitants by the Evil Queen, aka the Mayor. This week's episode was The Price of Gold and featured the story of Cinderella, both in the present and in the past. In this version, Ella is an unwed mother who is being forced to give up her unborn child to Mr. Gold, the pawnbroker, who is actually Rumpelstiltskin - mirroring the past. In the process, Emma learns that you can't run away from your life, and she accepts an offer to be a deputy to the Sheriff - unaware that he is sleeping with the Mayor. An unexpected twist which we learned at the end of the episode. I have to admit, I didn't expect much from this show, but it's been a delight to find how good it really is. If only ABC could keep this quality going. But then again, they also brought back Charlie's Angels. The first time was bad enough, seriously? But all's well that ends well. I just found out it was scratched after four episodes. Good news indeed.

All for now. I'll talk about Hell on Wheels and Walking Dead and Grimm another time. Back to editing and writing and house cleaning!

Have a wonderful day! Feel free to comment or question - I'd love to hear from you!

Until next time, take care!

♥ Julie

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