New York Rangers: After the Trade Deadline

NY Rangers, , , ,

We’re in the final quarter of the season and the playoff picture changes almost every day. All wildcard spots are on fire as many teams are duking it out in the entire league.

At the All-Star break, the Rangers were 11 points out of the playoffs. Today they are 4 points away. They’ve had a tremendous run since Igor Shesterkin was called up from the AHL and with 70 points, they’ve caught up to Florida. Columbus and Carolina are tied with 74 and the Islanders have 76.

The rest of the season is a game of inches. A losing two games could make these teams fall out of contention so the pressure is on.

And for the Rangers, that pressure has been on all season. Going into this week (games with Islanders, Montreal, Philly) are all against contenders. Isles have been not been playing at their best, Philly is doing really well and Montreal is duking it out with Buffalo (66 points) trying to catch up to Florida and Toronto. Toronto land must be in a panic because there is no almost no wiggle room for them. At 72 points, Buffalo and Florida could knock them out of the playoffs. The top 2 teams in the Atlantic division have 90 (Boston) and 85 (Tampa) so the rest of the division is no threat to them. Toronto is 100% on the defense.

But back to our side of the rink, the Rangers are now in some drama. There have been trade rumors for a good 2 months and that book is now closed, stopping that emotional question in the locker room. Chris Kreider has signed a new contract for 7 years at $6.5 million a year. That’s a relief. He’s an asset to the team. He’s hitting his stride right now and he’s always been important in the Playoffs. So close to making it this year, management wants to commit to him. And odds are, they didn’t get an offer for him they could say an absolute yes to. He’s a major part of the locker room, I think losing him would crush a few guys and hinder team morale. Last year when Zucc was traded, the team gave up (Kreider especially). Still, this is a gamble. Kreider is a hot or cold player. He’s an asset or he disappears. With this kind of commitment from the team, the pressure is now on him to show everyone he’s worth it. Time will tell but I’m optimistic. He’d be incredibly hard to replace.

The other trade is Brady Skjei to Carolina for a First Round draft pick in 2020. He’s been with the team for 4-5 years now and rolled with Jesper Fast like twin brothers. He’s well liked and I know he’ll be missed by many on the team. Stats wise, this makes sense and the belief is that he’ll be able to be replaced immediately by the guys that are on hand. Plus the next wave of rookies are coming next season so this isn’t too surprising.

The drama is this humdinger: Shesterkin and Buchnevich were in a car accident last night. Buch is basically okay but Shesterkin has a broken rib. The odds of him being ready to play again in a month is slim to nil. That’s basically the start of the playoffs. Now can they make the playoffs?

Lundqvist’s time to shine is now. With Igor out, he’ll get to play games he otherwise wouldn’t have. There’s a very good chance that this could be his last year with the Rangers, opting to move on by waving his no-trade clause for the final year of his contract. He’s always been a team member and he’s always going to give his all. The pressure is probably bigger now as he can make an impact on getting the team to the playoffs and prove that he’s still a viable goaltender in the league. The good news in this is that Georgiev wasn’t traded so their goaltending as a whole is still in good shape. The Rangers still have a chance to pull this off.

The team is finally playing as a team and they can’t break their stride.

JoJo Rabbit

Movies

JoJo Beltzer is a ten-year-old boy in the Hitler Youth during the tail end of World War II. Entranced and surrounded by Nazi propaganda, his imaginary friend is Adolph Hitler. He gets hurt at a training camp for kids and at home, he discovers that his mother is hiding a Jewish girl.

A remarkable movie in every measure, I’m not sure how many filmmakers could pull this story off. Writer/Director Taika Waititi fuses comedy and dramatics into a brilliant mix to tell the story of a boy coming to the realization that when you look past the hate you are told, we’re all the same–people who want to be happy and live free.

First and foremost, this is a hilarious satire that skewers the Nazi movement while focusing on a small family during this insane time. There is a mountain of physical gags and brilliant one-liners throughout the whole movie that also offer commentary on the entire stupid Nazi ethos.

“I said to draw where Jews live. This is just a stupid picture of my head.” “Yeah, that’s where we live.”

The script quickly navigates from silly to serious like a dance that’s really impressive to watch. When Jojo finds Elsa hiding in a crawlspace upstairs, he’s shocked and terrified of her. With all the stories he’s been told about Jews being literal monsters, he’s afraid for his and his mother’s safety. Elisa rolls with this, at first scaring him into not telling his mother or anyone else. It’s a tough balancing act for Jojo to walk on, wanting to protect his mother from the authorities from finding out she’s a Jewish sympathizer while his inner Adolph keeps showing up to remind him of his duties to protect Nazi Germany. As the days go by, he talks to her more and more and Elisa indulges Jojo by embellishing all of the rediculous tales (Jews sleep upsidedown like bats, they have horns, tails and scales, can read minds…the list goes on) to the point where he writes it all down for a book on Jews (Yoohoo Jews). Over time they talk about real things and get to know each other. This begins to change Jojo’s world view.

Jojo has been told that his father is off fighting for Nazi Germany, so it’s only him and his mother. She’s a gentle and loving person who doesn’t think twice about helping Elsa but must hide as much as she can from Jojo to keep them both safe. While her young son follows the song of Nazi propaganda, she knows that’s not her son’s true nature and tempers his outbursts every chance she can. Elsa picks up on Jojo’s nature too at one point telling him “You’re not a Nazi, Jojo. You’re a ten-year-old kid who likes dressing up in a funny uniform and wants to be part of a club.”

Along with this terrific script is the amazing cast. The three main leads, Roman Griffin Davis as Jojo, Thomasin McKenzie as Elsa, and Scarlett Johansson as Jojo’s mother Rosie, are all brilliant. Roman is a ridiculously good actor for his age and he lights up every single scene he’s in. As the main character the entire movie rides on him, so give this kid some awards, please. Thomasin brings incredible courage and warmth to Elsa and this might be my favorite role I’ve seen Scarlett play. I really believed her as Jojo’s mother and her path through the movie was incredibly touching.

This movie looked great from the trailers and it exceeded my expectations. It went in directions I didn’t expect, made me laugh out loud and stole my heart. An absolute winner of a film in my book.

The End of BoJack Horseman

Netflix Original,

The second half of Season 6 was recently released bringing BoJack Horseman to a close. One of the best programs on the platform and arguably one of the best animated shows ever made, BoJack ended the only way it could: poignant, sad, and with a sobering dose of hope.

I’ve been a fan of BoJack Horseman from the start and have written about it on my blog in the past with each new season. I ended up not detailing my experience with Season 5 because the end was such a surprise that I wanted to take the time to think it over and then give my thoughts, but life got in the way and I never sat down to write anything about it. So a week after I finished the final season, I’m going to make sure I get my thoughts into words this time.

BoJack is a challenging show. It’s animated with talking anthropomorphic animals interacting with people. It’s a goofy looking show that is often goofy in its humor. It’s easy to dismiss or not engage with at the start because the initial run-up doesn’t feel like it’s going to do anything new or terribly interesting. Then it gets serious, then it gets complex, then it goes into directions you never thought of while it makes you laugh.

This is a challenging show because BoJack, the main character is terrible. A self proclaimed “piece of shit” it’s easy to root against him. BoJack is an obnoxious, conceited addict who despite being surrounded by others, always feels alone. It’s easy for him to hurt people because his selfish decisions come from a dark place in his mind where everything comes down to what he deems as most important–himself.

With this in mind, it’s easy to think why would anyone want to watch a character like this? That’s the genius of the show. You watch complete characters–flaws and all–navigate the life that Hollywood can foster (and fester). The show goes on to dig into more than just Bojack, the principal protagonists (who can also be antagonists to Bojack, among other story propelling devices) also grow, change, and question what they value. Todd, Mr. Peanutbutter, Diane, and Princess Caroline are all part of Bojack’s life, but they occupy different spaces. Everyone moves to, around, and from Bojack in the course of the series.

And everyone doesn’t act the way they do just because. There are roots to the causes and you find out what they are. There’s some incredible character development done on this show. I don’t just like one or two characters–the whole main cast is rich and memorable. The creativity of this world is absurd. It goes from silly sight gags, dumb references, clever word puns, to serious adult issues in basically every episode without skipping a beat. There’s an episode with no dialog and one episode that is only Bojack giving a monologue and it all works! And it shouldn’t!

With animation, the writers are able to use abstract visuals to represent complex emotions. In this final season, a montage of Diane working on her writing comes up where everything is scratchy and rushed. She rambles on from thought to thought, fighting insecurities and distractions as crumbled bursts of drawings and words. I saw a lot of myself in how her writer’s brain is represented. Her last arc in this season brought me closer to her than any other character on the show. Anyone who works in the creative fields will get a lot from this show.

I also appreciate them ending the show here. It’s far too easy to keep escalating the stakes so high where it gets unbelievable. Plus, Bojack’s cycle of pain can only go so far before it either repeats itself or his story gets overwhelmed by darkness and everyone bails in disgust. The end of season 5 brought Bojack to physically harm someone. That felt like a line he was headed for, the true rock bottom that even he could no longer explain away. Season 6 starts with him in rehab and the other characters go forward (or sideways) without him. They all work on themselves independently. BoJack then becomes dependant on therapy, terrified he can’t be or do anything on his own. The second half he gets a job as a professor at a university to teach acting. He begins to find his self-worth…even as he steps on some toes in doing so. He starts to learn from that as well until his terrible deeds come back to haunt him.

Bojack Horseman goes into territory that shows rarely do. Plus, the intense material never felt like a stunt or an obnoxious means to gain attention or notoriety. There’s a level of respect and earnest desire to talk about issues of mental health, society, sexuality, responsibility, and relationships. The final two episodes are especially noteworthy, they are an absolute trip. A deep introspective into death, morality, and the personal costs of change. Knowing and understanding you always have a choice to make a decision for the best and the desire to do it is incredibly powerful.

I can’t recommend BoJack Horseman enough. I will absolutely be going back to it for years to come. I’ve said basically nothing about the virtues of this show, I’ve left out a lot because so much ground is covered in the 6 seasons. This show has everything I’m looking for in storytelling and I’ll do my best to raise my own work to reach the bar that’s been set here.

Shameless S10E12

TV, , ,

Gallavich!

The season finale brought the plane in for a clean landing, bringing us to the start of the final season’s wild arcs.

Mickey and Ian’s big day arrives and things kick off with a disaster: Mickey’s dad, Terry, burns down the venue. Mickey’s first thought is to kill his father to solve his lifetime of problems that has culminated in today’s homophobic powered arson. They manage to stop him and his only other plan is to give up. Deb takes a stand and rallies the troops to make the wedding a success where everyone they’ve invited can celebrate.

Every character gets pulled into the scramble in pulling this party off so this finale had all of my favorite Shameless moments. The whole cast interacts and that’s very rare.

A venue is needed for over 100 guests so that becomes priority number one. It’s narrowed down to The Polish Doll, and everyone splits up to get everything brought there and set up.

Starting with Liam, his personal goal is to get Frank to show up and get a nice car for Mickey and Ian to drive away in at the end of the reception. He goes to Franks winter house and first makes an honest plea; Dad, you should attend your son’s wedding. Frank doesn’t care so Liam quickly shifts gear, appealing to Frank’s greed and ego. He tells him they are selling the house for $200,000 and he’s going to be left out of it. That whips Frank into a frenzy and Liam succeeds in roping Frank to drive to the wedding in the sweet Mercedes. Liam watches over Frank for the day and finds out Frank had a rather sordid ordeal with the woman owner of the bar many years ago. Frank’s afraid to go in but when he’s spotted, he finds out it’s all water under the bridge and they make up.

Tami is furious at Lip and is doing everything she can to avoid him. Their argument takes a temporary back seat to the wedding as Lip and Deb go to work securing The Polish Doll. There’s a whole lotta homophobia in town (The Doll has a bat behind the bar that’s nickname is about as far from a veiled threat as you can get) so they lie saying Deb is going to be marrying Mickey and play the distraught “my wedding is ruined by a fire” bride-to-be to get an extra pity push on the owners. V finds Deb a wedding dress to completely sell the lie and other arrangements are made to hide the fact that it’s going to be a gay wedding for as long as possible. All the deliveries are then moved from the Gallagher house to The Polish Doll and it the Gallagher hustle looks like it’s going to work (Mickey is caught happily commenting on how good the tables and chairs look).

In the fray, Julia shows up to the house claiming that since her mother kicked her out of the house, she has to move in with Deb. Deb is beside herself and tells her to leave and sprints off to prepare for the wedding. Julia, thinking she’s come up with a great plan, meets Sandy and then meets Sandy’s fist. Julia has a lot to learn on the ins and outs of how things operate in the South Side so once laid out she gets less aggressive and lays low. Carl ends up talking to her at the reception where she admits that she isn’t gay, she’s just been curious and her last experiment clearly hasn’t worked. Spurred by the admission, the two run off to the bathroom together.

With V off helping Deb, Kevin is left more or less alone to handle the bar until the wedding. His down-to-the-salt-of-the-earth gym has started well. He’s got 20 paying clients and he’s succeeded in getting half of them to barf into the vomit garbage can. The true sign of a great work out. This means extra income, which Tommy sees him hiding. Kevin isn’t exactly subtle so V notices the move as well. When she confronts him at the end of the night, he surprises her with a wedding ring. While he’s got to go through the trials and tribulations of ending his legal marriage we found out about a few seasons ago, it’s a major deal for these two and we’ll get to see our favorite neighbors make it super official in the final season.

Tami attends the wedding with Fred, which is a relief for Lip to see. No one else knows about their fight and he takes this as a good sign, maybe she isn’t that mad at me. She is. They have a blow-up fight as Tami is getting ready to leave and it doesn’t go well. She tells him she’s taking off for Milwaukee with Fred and if he’s so sure about sticking so close to his family, he can stay here. It turns into threats of going to court and they only stop fighting because Fred becomes upset. When she leaves, he goes to the bar for a Coke. I was happy to see him calm himself down and not do anything stupid but when the bartender asks him if he wants rum in his drink, he hesitates for a moment and says yes. He quickly drinks two and I got really worried. He fell off the wagon and anything could happen. At the end of the night, he walks to Brad’s house and tells him he needs to find a meeting. A major sign of relief from me to see him realize his mistake right away and seek help. Tami is there and while they see each other, they don’t talk.

The last we see of them is the next day when Tami walks in on Lip starting to work on the house he rented. A fixer-upper is putting it mildly and Tami is clearly skeeved out. I never thought she’d step foot in there so this was shocking to see. Lip is quiet and just as surprised to see her as I am. She asks for a facemask and they start working together, side by side. Knowing he drank and went to a meeting right away made a major impression on Tami. She had a lot to think about that night and her conclusion was not to run away. This was a major test for their relationship and I’m happy this was the outcome. For the two of them, this is both the hardest and best relationship they’ve ever been in.

Despite Terry’s rage, everyone Mickey and Ian are close to come together to give them a day to remember and the happiness they deserve. With all the contingencies in place, the ceremony went off without a hitch and everyone got to celebrate and have a good time. With all the strife that happens in this family, it was a lot of fun to watch this all come together. The only downer for me is that Fiona was never mentioned. That would have been a nice touch but it’s not the end of the world. I really hope they can get her to do an episode or two for the final season as they need her to do a proper send-off for the show.

But! It wouldn’t be Shameless without a solid shot of drama to leave us with. Halfway through the episode, Julia told her mother that she was staying with Deb. The morning after the wedding, two police officers show up at the house. Carl wakes up next to Julia and answers the door where the police say they are there to arrest Deb for statutory rape. Julia is underage and clearly Claudia went nuclear after their phone call. Deb sprints out of the house and we’re left with this open can of worms. Carl needs to watch out too because he’s at least 18 (I’m pretty sure Deb is 19).

In a final dose of dark humor, Ian and Mickey are together in their honeymoon bed in their just-married bliss. While talking about what their last name should be, they hear the distinct sound of a speeding car just outside screech to a halt. They roll to the floor to avoid a maelstrom of bullets. Looking up at the ceiling amongst the falling debris, Ian laments that Terry is “still a little bit upset” about their marriage.

This was a strong season and a good amount of ground was covered for everyone. I’m glad Liam got more attention this year even if they bailed on some things prematurely. His character has also seen the most exposure as we saw the inherent good in him battle what he’s been taught by Frank and the circumstances he finds himself in due to his environment. He’s the only one who cares about Frank. Everyone else has had more years with him, and thus more experiences of betrayal and neglect. I think the bond that Liam has comes from Frank spending more time with him in his formative years than anyone else. The older kids (Fiona) always took over when he and Monica would disappear and while we saw comparatively few of those times on the show (we never saw Fiona as a young teen when she was forced to grow up fast) I got the impression that Frank has been around in the past few years more than he ever has. Hence why he’s been with Liam more. And–let’s be real–Frank needed a new partner in crime since all of his other kids have sworn him off. Out of everyone in the family, Liam is the only one who reaches out and tries to include Frank, to get him to reengage. It’s one of his most endearing qualities.

Liam has been taught to get yours every single chance you get. Being nice is for suckers and everyone can be exploited, you just need to pay attention. That’s how Liam hustles…plus he’s a legitimately smart kid who could have a bright future if he can combine all of his talents and get out of the South Side. The perfect demonstration of this is in this season finale when he gets Frank and the Mercedes to Ian’s wedding. He’s a lot like Lip in his potential but he was derailed by addiction. Something I hope Liam can continue to avoid.

All of this has gives a kid who often acts older than he is. I especially liked the moments in this season where we see the cracks in the wall he’s built. He loves his family but feels like an outsider. He wants a present farther. He wants to be included more with his siblings. He’s frequently ignored and left on his own because everyone thinks he can take care of himself with no problems. When they do come to him for something, he always steps up. He’s a very loyal guy and I wish more people recognized him. The one thing I’ve wanted to happen, finally happened. Lip asked him how he was doing and if he’s okay.

A happy ending with some sour notes is the Shameless way of things and we’ve been given some great jumping-off points for the final season. This is one of the strongest finales and while I’m sad that we’re getting down to the end of it all, I’m looking forward to seeing where this road ends up.

Shameless S10E11

TV

Location, Location, Location

Frank completes his month of court-ordered rehab and it looks like Frank had a good time. A whole group of people gives him a standing ovation at his final group therapy session so while his intoxication level may be at a low point, his charm skills are still fine-tuned. On his way home, he runs into Faye who apologizes for framing him and wants to reconnect with him when she gets back from her winter trip. Telling Frank you won’t be home for an extended time isn’t a good idea if you value your stuff.

So this means Frank has a great place to crash for a while. As he makes himself at home, strange things happen which makes Frank believe that the house really is haunted. I thought this would end up being a trap that Faye set for Frank but it turns out another guy had the same idea as Frank–he’s holed up in the basement while Frank claimed the second floor. Recognizing a fellow scammer, Frank and the guy become friends, order pizza, drink scotch, and get high together.

At the same time, Liam is still searching for Frank so he can sign the papers his school requires to keep him enrolled. Out of this episode, I think Liam’s was my favorite. They explore a lot of what he’s going through as the youngest Gallagher (Frannie and Fred not included since they are watched over at all times). First, he wants to go to school which is rather rare for a Gallagher. Aside from Lip, he’s the most academically inclined and it’s really the environment that gives him the most self-worth. Managing Todd gives him an avenue to use his scamming skills that he’s learned from Frank. But he has no one to rely on…the kid is usually by himself left alone by everyone in the house who’s too busy with their weird drama.

Liam manages to track down Frank (on his own) and manages to convince him to get off his ass and do the right thing (if for no other reason than to keep child services away from him). With that settled and with Frank in this nice big house, Liam sees a chance to hang out with Frank. Liam flat out tells Frank that he misses him and Frank laughs in response as he drives away, leaving Liam standing on the sidewalk. I felt so bad for Liam and near the end of the episode, Liam manages to get a bit of revenge on Frank by brushing off Frank when he calls for a favor.

When Liam finally makes it home after being left behind by Frank, Lip catches up him and it’s here we get to hear Liam’s perspective on things. He’s the only one in the house because Deb is off to a dance, Ian is with Mickey planning the wedding, Fiona has moved away and now Lip is leaving with Tami. “Are you going to be okay?” Lip asks.

Since the news of the free house from the Tamiette family, Lip has been apprehensive about it. He doesn’t like charity as it feels more like pity. Brad has been in this family for longer and sees how Brad as control over exactly nothing in his life. Tami’s dad runs the show (he gave the downpayment for the house and seed money for Brad to start his motorcycle shop). The South Side of Chicago is all Lip has ever known and despite the daily struggle since he’s been born, it’s what he’s used to. And most of all he doesn’t want to be far away from his family. So when he discovers the home at the end of the block is going to be rented out, Lip gets second thoughts about moving to Milwaukee.

Lip acts on his fears and rents the home behind Tami’s back. The place is a dump so that makes it an even harder sell and Tami is not surprisingly furious about him wanting to stay put. All she wants to do is get the hell out. It’s felt like she’s just been biding her time with Lip, waiting for any chance for something better to open up for them. While she’s committed to Lip, she’s not committed to this lifestyle. Tami literally walks away from him when he tells her about renting the house so this young couple could be facing an ultimatum with no compromises.

Deb’s love triangle blows up in her face. The homecoming dance is the same night as Claudia’s birthday so Deb decides she has to work both events to keep things afloat. Running across the street every half hour or so is a beyond stupid idea and it doesn’t tale long for Claudia to figure it out. When mother and daughter start arguing Deb recognizes the whole ordeal as a lost cause that she wants nothing to do with. Those two are a mess and nothing good will come from staying anywhere in their orbit. Sandy Milkovich quickly catches her eye though, so Deb quickly finds a new companion.

Mickey is on fire this week. Every scene he’s in is hilarious. He goes at it with his dad, putting him in his place and his goal to make a big deal of the wedding to spite his dad comes front and center. Ian is shocked at Mickey’s gung ho attitude and Mickey becomes a bridezilla in front of our eyes. It’s honestly some of the best scenes in the series as Mickey freaks out over Ian’s deer-in-the-headlights response and all of his planning coming up short. He gets so mad he calls in Sandy for help. The wedding should be one for the ages.

Carl continues his observation of the local sanitation company and his pursuit of justice turns into one of corruption. The guy Carl reports to doesn’t want to stop the organized crime going on, he wants a piece of the money. Every time Carl tries to do something positive, it turns into something perverse. Carl remains confident in his abilities, calling himself an undercover agent despite not being a cop. He has pride in what he does and always tries to find the silver lining. His efforts may end up helping him though as it sounds like his contact will try and get him into the police academy early. While Carl may always walk on the gray side of life, he may have a career in front of himself where he can find purpose and help some people in the long run.

Kevin is another guy looking for purpose. Forced to face the physical realities of being 38, he admits his NBA career is over. You know, the one that never got off the ground. So what’s his legacy going to be now? What can he claim to be his and his only? While thinking of new business ideas, personal training lands into his lap. His hook will be using beer kegs as exercise equipment and now Kevin is exciting, sure he’s on the cusp of starting a new fitness craze. We’ll see how many people get hurt before he calls it quits.

As the season comes to an end, it’s fun to watch as everyone is up to something meaningful. It’s safe to say that the future of the Gallagher’s relies on what happens at the wedding and what Lip decides to do. Pivotal moments are coming in the season finale. I’m looking forward to it.

Shameless S10E10

TV, , , ,

Now Leaving Illinois

Liam has a problem at school that requires Frank to get him out of it. He needs his father to prove that he lives in the district so he can attend and the consequences for not showing up could send Liam into foster care. Liam goes on the hunt but no one knows that Faye got him arrested so he can’t find him.

Faye’s plan has been one of vengeance to make up for her lover’s incarceration. It would be poetic justice for him to do time for drug possession but in their time together she didn’t surmise the heights of his persuasive talking skill level. In front of the judge, he worms his way out of years of prison into community service and court-appointed rehab. Faye watches this happen and manages not to create a scene but there is no way she is going to leave Frank alone. At rehab, Frank witnesses the great change in clientele since he’d last been in. A lot of young white people and a very nice facility. No drugs for detox though, just talk therapy. Frank is in his element here, getting a captive audience to tell his stories to. He finds a kindred spirit-a young man in withdrawal-and decides to become his mentor. For a cost of course. Frank wants his commissary account regularly topped off and his protege’s parents have money.

Carl’s assignment with the garbage collection guys turns out to be one of surveillance. Carl witnesses the odd and small (dumpster diving for breakfast) to full-on criminal (shakedowns for money owed). Now the question is, will they just use Carl as a mole or will they give him more active work to do to help eliminate corruption. Knowing local politics (all politics really) I’m sure it won’t be long before Carl could find something gross about the people he’s working for as well.

Deb is absorbed in her lady love world and it quickly becomes more than she bargained for. Karen thinks Deb hooking up with Claudia and Julia is a great thing but the dynamics spin out of control. Julia falls in love with Deb and asks her to Homecoming which Deb has to turn down. Then, Claudia wants Deb to be her personal assistant for great pay but with what’s going on with Julia, that whole environment has gotten dangerous. She’d be around them both all the time which is hard enough to manage the secret affair with Julia. Offended by Deb’s rejection, Julia blackmails her into going to the high school prom.

Ian becomes jealous and annoyed at Mickey so he hits the online dating scene when he gets caught up in trying to show Mickey that he has also moved on. Ian finds a guy who is the total opposite of his taste and the double date at a small concert goes predictably south. Ian fights for his true love, Mickey drops Ian’s poseur date and they come back together. The marriage may well be on for all the right reasons now.

Kev and V continue with their mobile healthcare van when they get word that their twins have reached the next step in the application process for a great kindergarten. The set up is weird though. Parents with kids at the school bid on the prospective couples “at auction” for sponsorship like roles. The idea is that the parents will get to know the new family and report back to the school to give a thumbs up or down on if they are a good fit for the school. Kev and V (after a hilarious introduction) get a crazy bid of $5,000 and in the following first meeting, get a sense that this rich couple are swingers looking for some fun and Kev and V match their tastes. In order to get their twins into this illustrious school, Kev and V prepare themselves for a new experience. Turns out, nope, that’s not what this couple were after. It’s something much grosser.

A Tamietti family meeting has been called and that means since Lip has a kid with Tami, he’s got to go. A death in the family has occurred and the decision comes to give a now vacant home to Lip and Tami. Aunt Oopie passive-aggressively throws shade at the couple in doing so but it’s a big deal. Lip is reluctant because he hates handouts and pity so his response is to more or less avoid talking about it. The house is out of state in Milwaukee and he doesn’t want to leave his family. Tami presses him on simply going to see the house and he agrees. It’s a two hour ride by car (manageable) and the home is in much better condition than either of them thought it would be. It’s small but perfect for a family of 3 and is a huge upgrade from the RV they are currently living in. It’s too good to turn down out of a goofy sense of pride and Lip tells his family he is moving out.

With Fiona leaving last year, Lip would be only the second Gallagher to move far away from home. The second oldest he’s usually been second in command so this is a major deal. With any kind of good news or opportunity that comes up in the Shameless world, there is a 50% chance of it falling apart and Lip stays put. But we are late into the season, there are only two episodes left. That means this could be the big event for the finale. It feels like this has been a possibility for a while now and it makes sense for Lip and Tami.

The other big news: today it’s been announced that Season 11 will be the final season of Shameless. It will start airing late this summer. That puts a lot into context. The seeds for the end are most likely being planted now. How they end this season is going to set up the story arcs for the series finale. Will Lip and Tami be part of it? Hard to tell. As of now, no cast members have said they aren’t returning (filming on this season ended some time ago). We also have the possibility of Mickey and Ian’s relationship making a major progression, that could be a big focus for season 11. Whether they make it to the altar could generate a lot of content and the show ending with them together would wrap up one of the longest and most fan-pleasing stories of the series. With a cast this big, I think the main goal will be to give us the plateau of each Gallagher. I want a clear view of what each one will be moving on to. Leave us knowing that their lives will keep changing, but we won’t be watching them do it any longer.

…and will Frank make it to the end? Should he? The guy has a million lives and organ failure wouldn’t be out of the question with how he’s treated his body since he got the transplant a few years ago. His death would be a major marker in the Gallagher family timeline. He’s been the nexus for the whole show and the reaction and consequences of his death would be interesting to see. There would be a sense of everyone “moving on” after that.

Shameless S10E09

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O Captain, My Captain

After leaving Frank handcuffed to a bed last episode, you’d think there would have been more substance to his story added this week but it was pretty bare. Faye uses Oxy to coax a confession from Frank even though she knows how he sold out her fiance all those years ago. Once she realizes he doesn’t remember what happened she uses drugs as a carrot on a stick to keep him talking. By doing this she basically leads him to all the answers she wants to hear so it feels more or less like a waste of time. To end her plan she gives him multiple pills and he passes out, letting her dump him into a car with a bunch of prescription pill bottles. I guess she wants to set him up to mirror what he did 24 years ago.

Lip manages to pull in hustled side work with Brad. They overcharge a doctor to fix his bike so Lip will be able to pocket a few thousand by fixing this bike outside of work hours. It’s a big score for Lip and he doesn’t get the reaction from Tami that he was expecting. Not that she isn’t happy about the much needed money but she’s not happy about their station in life. She inadvertently insults him but she has a good point in the end. We can’t think only of the immediate future, the biggest problem we have now. We have to start working for a better future where we aren’t living paycheck to paycheck. She’s fine with living in the RV for now but that’s not going to be true forever.

Deb is having fun with Claudia and when her older lover runs off to work, Claudia asks her to pick up her daughter from school and take her to her after school stuff (something to eat and spin class). Julia is 16-17 years old and she’s used to her mom’s hookers girlfriends picking her up after school as a babysitter. They butt heads for a bit, Julia testing Deb’s boundaries while trying to figure out who this new random girl is (as she insists she isn’t a hooker). Julia has been through this so many times she considers it a joke and tries to layout to Deb the kind of person Claudia really is. This leads to them trading bad mom stories to each other and Julia turns here, putting her guard down and kissing Deb. Deb is all about it too so now this plot just took a sharp turn I was not expecting. Even though Deb is a few years older, I think Julia is still minor so Deb is getting into extra dicey water on top of the whole “wanting to date another family member” thing.

Carl is having a blast with his vigilante class but he goes too far with it. After a number of kids get seriously hurt, the parents complain so Carl has to be moved to something else. How does Carl feel about trash? We’ll find out next week.

Kev and V have unloaded all of their snail patches and have moved on to another side hustle to make money. They come up with the idea of a mobile health clinic (think as ghetto as you can…the van they’re using is Kev’s old topless maid service mural one along with a high supply of Vick’s Vaporub). So the two hit the street and help super glue some people together. That’s where they run into a 15-year-old girl and her mother from a neighboring state who are in need of an abortion. With shifting abortion laws, the girl is forced to get help elsewhere (they don’t have insurance) and V does what she can to find a loophole for the situation. Word quickly spreads about the “abortion van” and the Ball’s now find themselves deep into a moral, societal, and political issue.

Lip and Mickey’s relationship is more than on the rocks. Mickey bails for the first guy that gives him attention and moves out to live with him. Mickey feels like he now knows how Ian feels about him and he’s not going to wait around for Ian to decide he loves him. This scares Ian into feeling like he’s being forced to marry Mickey or lose him forever. Liam helps him buy engagement rings and then he finds Lip to ask him what he thinks. Lip and Ian don’t get nearly enough screen time together. All the way back to the start of the show, their scenes were some of the best. There’s a certain level of honesty from brotherly love that no other characters can have (Liam is too young still and Carl is an idiot). Lip thinks Ian should wait to get married–to anyone–as simply diving in out of a perceived obligation is a bad idea. This is the opposite of what Deb told him. Do it and get divorced if/when you need to. She thinks he should live in the now to hit every vein of happiness that he can get. Terrible advice but that’s how Deb is living so it fits. When Ian essentially throws himself at Mickey, he sees through it and calls him out on his pity party. Ian has no self-confidence and thus doesn’t think he deserves love, which makes him afraid of commitment. Mickey sticks to his guns, figure yourself out and then maybe we can talk. This is probably the smarted conclusion Mickey has ever come to but is such a dumpster fire that his time living with his rebound is not going to last long.

There are varying levels of interest with each story going on for me. Frank’s was the most disappointing, but I like the beats that Lip and Tami are going through. Kev and V’s are getting surprisingly deep as they always have the D level stories. But we’ll see if anything of substance comes out of it as they tend to rush through their plots.

Some of my favorite moments are when the Gallagher’s are all (or mostly) together and that happens way too infrequently. The scene in the kitchen was hilarious as the kids are coming and going at the start of the day. They all have different stuff going on and they each get these mini-updates on each other that serve up these amazing rapid-fire one-liners. Add in the antagonistic Aunt Oopie running her mouth in the background and Tami mixing it up (more or less taking Fiona’s spot) and you have my favorite scene of the episode.

2019-2020 NHL Season: The Halfway Mark

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With a record of 19-18-4, the New York Rangers have remained steadfast at being the best bad team in the league. They have tremendous talent but it’s too infrequently coming together to make winning games. This week they traveled through Canada and lost all three games, putting a serious dent in their standing.

Sloppy defense continues to be the problem with all over the place goaltending. In a test of their fortitude this week, they were down 6-0 against Edmonton in the first period and managed to rally to 6-5 only to lose 7-5. Not a total disaster and shows that the team does have goal scoring capabilities (they have not been shut out this season). Against Calgary, the horrific defense put them down 2 early on and they rallied to tie it back up quickly on the power play. They never took the lead in that game, losing 4-3 despite a solid third period effort. The lesson here is that it isn’t reasonable for any team to have to score 5 goals a game every night to win.

They were revitalized in last night’s game against Vancouver. The defense looking like a completely different squad making smart passes and never letting up on the pressure, both on offense and defense. Phenomenal goaltending for Vancouver and a screened shot with 1:29 left in the game ended the Canada trip in another loss, 2-1.

That Vancouver game was exceptional, the team played extremely well and shows how good they really are. Losing like that happens all the time in hockey, it’s part of the game. You just want to be up by 2 goals to keep those points on your side at the end of the hour of gameplay.

Clearly they aren’t Cup contenders. Washington, Pittsburgh, NY Islanders, Toronto, and Tampa are all killers. I’m leaving out Boston right now because they have an alarming amount of overtime losses that are padding their point total. Clearly they have a problem that needs to be addressed. Those top teams don’t even contain the West (look at Vegas strut their stuff again!) The Rangers still do have a mathematical chance at the playoffs but it’s to the point of needing a ridiculous final half run (something like 28 wins out of 41 games).

They just can’t get any momentum and it’s killing team morale. Face-off wins are well under 50% and that’s a huge problem (for years now). Penalties are out of control. Power play goals are too far and few between (20% I think). They haven’t had a win streak longer than 3 in a row and rarely go 2 in a row. With the trade deadline coming up in about a month it’s hard to believe some sales won’t be made…there are serious cap issues for next year looming and with their record as it stands, there’s no reason not to do more trimming to prepare for a better 2020-2021 season.

That’s the realist in me but I long for the team to come together as they are now and show everyone they have what it takes.

Shameless S10E08

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Debbie Might Be A Prostitute

I thought Deb would ask Ian for advice about her situation because he’s done some stripping work but she asks Lip when she sees him in the kitchen. She’s confused at why Claudia left her the money and Lip isn’t. He tells her Claudia obviously thought you were a prostitute. If she’s wrong, go speak to her about it. Deb then sees Megan who is thrilled that Deb has found a sugar-momma. Way less grossness to deal with compared to a sugar daddy. Deb still isn’t comfortable with the idea of it all and she finds Claudia to talk it out. In doing so they both learn more about each other and Deb makes it clear that she slept with her because she had legit feelings for Claudia and wants to continue an honest relationship. With Claudia’s past and how she’s been navigating her work/life balance she was oblivious to what Deb was feeling (to be fair, Deb was sitting in the known Ho Corner of the hotel bar). It’s possible Deb is entering her first positive relationship in…forever? It might be the first time.

Lip and Tami enter the next new phase of parenting decisions: who is going to be Fred’s legal guardian? If something happens to both of them, they have to plan for Fred’s future. The future has never been considered too much by these two so it’s an interesting family matters issue for them to navigate. Their families aren’t exactly ripe with quality candidates.

Liam hits new management heights as he fends off high-quality management competition for Todd. He knows he’s only been able to land Todd basic sponsorship deals so, in order to keep up, he sets up a major promotion push for Todd to get press. He takes a picture of Todd fixing his shoes and posts it to social media as a guy “finally standing up to injustice” in South Side. He gets the spotlight, but we’ll see what he can do with it.

Carl is gung-ho about making a difference now and he gets the idea to join the police but he’s too young to apply. At the precinct, he’s pointed to a goofy youth organization that the police don’t do anything with (it looks good on a college application). Carl is offended by the squishy and aimless kids he’s introduced to and decides to do everything in his power to whip these kids into shape. In typical Carl dysfunction, he ends up making a vigilante group. It’ll be great if they can keep this going for a few episodes to see how far Carl will get to go with it.

Ian and Mickey’s Paula problem has been taken care of. She was tossed out of her apartment through the window to her death. The window was shut which makes it a more obvious murder over a suicide so all of Paula’s parolees are suspects. That includes Ian and Mickey who both think the other killed Paula. They find out married couples can’t testify against each other so they decide to tie the knot at the courthouse to protect themselves. They are getting married under false pretenses, both thinking they are ultimately “protecting” the other so when the real murderer is found, their relationship takes a turn. They’re both exposed at not truely trusting each other and expecting the worst out of each other. Marriage is a big step no matter what so the question of if they really love each other comes to the front. When Ian asks for their papers back from the clerk, essentially saying to Mickey “I’m not being forced to marry you now”, Mickey freaks out.

Kev and V get a surprising windfall from the IRS and stupidly hand over all of it in a get rich quick pyramid scheme. These fancy snail mucus skincare pads sound like the real deal. They’re gold so they must work! Of course, they end up burning everyone’s face and when they try to get their money back, their signature on the contract says no. So they figure out that the main ingredient is caffeine and that’s the main ingredient in preparation H (thanks for the tip Kermit). They might be able to unload these stupid things to hemorrhoid sufferers. At the very least we get to see them make a really funny promo video. Maybe they should talk to Liam for help.

Things are going great for Frank with Faye until she baits him into a house and handcuffs him to a bed. Faye has a past with Frank that is not in his favor. 24 years ago he got her fiance arrested for selling drugs. Frank lied his way through the trial and got off free while her man has been in prison ever since. Faye is out for revenge. Cue dramatic music!

It’s 2020!

Life

2020 looks and sounds like a number from the future, doesn’t it? Like it’s always been a faraway date in the future where we thought technology and the world would be a much different place. We thought we’d be in a world more like the Jetsons and we’re not even close to that. Which is probably a good thing because why would we all need to live in the sky? What happened at ground level to necessitate every building being on a massive pedestal?

I digress. In many regards, we live in a much different place than 2000, I think we’re just used to the incremental upgrades and changes each year (in terms of tech at least). The iPhone in 2007 seems like the last true mega disruption we’ve seen. Smartphones are so common and look so alike now that no one really thinks twice about it. There are small changes every year that don’t get the attention that it did for 4 years or so. Tesla would probably be the biggest innovator but that’s at a price level way beyond most people still (and there is a question of long term quality there that still needs to be seen).

Speaking personally, 2019 was an okay year. I have been looking forward to 2020. Saying that does sound silly though. Why do we put so much value on a certain calendar change? Like there’s a magic power that comes along with it. It’ll clean the board, rearrange things for you so everything is just right. It’s always up to you to make a change. The number of the year has little to do with it. The next day is pretty much the same as the one before it. New Years Day is just 3 words we decided to capitalize to make it look important.

I’m fast approaching the year and a half mark of publishing The Darkest Winter. I managed to hit my goal of 100 books sold which is a major achievement. The downside is that my next book is still a mishmash of ideas I’m trying to find a compelling and meaningful story in. It’s been frustrating. While it took me a long time to write The Darkest Winter, it always felt like a had the path of it in my head. As I wrote each chapter, I knew where I wanted it to go and that got me to the end. Here, I’m just stuck in first gear and for some reason, the clutch is burning so that means I’m going nowhere fast.

The only part of my new book I’ve clearly had in my head is the first chapter. I’m editing it now, what I have is incredibly rough as I don’t feel like I know my main character yet. I have a cool concept (overly simplified summary: an idea to stop terrorism without war) but there are so many variables I feel overwhelmed in picking a direction. This idea is right now more interesting than books 2 and 3 of The Darkest Winter (I don’t know if my idea for book 2 is worth telling. If it is, it’ll be much shorter than book 1). My next step is going to be writing a detailed outline. I did a pretty simple one for TDW and that served me well for the first 12 chapters or so and then I added bits to is at I went to keep me on track. I think a robust outline is the only way I’m going to be able to crack this.

In 2019 I did keep up with my overall writing. I made 67 posts to this blog on a myriad of topics and that’s a good practice for me to keep up as it keeps my writing in good shape. The writer’s group I run (5 years now) is still going strong and that is another thing for me to be proud of. I and those in it continue to get a lot out of each meeting and that means a lot to me. I’ve also edited two books for other authors and I expect one of them to be published this year. That’s also a lot of fun for me to do and it raises my writing analysis skills quite a bit each time I do it.

There’s a lot to look forward to this year. My wish for all of us is to be happy and healthy for all of it. Take care of yourself and each other.

Shameless S10E07

TV

Citizen Carl

This week, Carl finds a new purpose in life. While waiting for a bus at night, he has a friendly chat with an old woman. She comments on how long the street lights in the neighborhood have been out and when Carl’s bus comes, he offers to stay with her since the bus stop is in such a sketchy area. She politely declines and as the bus pulls away, Carl witnesses her get mugged. The bus driver won’t stop and Carl can’t do anything to help her. This woman’s death pushes Carl to make a difference. First, he calls the city to get the lights fixed and is told it’ll be fixed in 3 years or so. Dejected he tries the media who shoots him down because no one cares about an old black woman killed in the South Side of Chicago. Incensed, Carl makes a plan to force the public to notice. He finds Kelly and enlists her to get one of her wealthiest softball teammates to that same spot at night. He fakes robbing them (“Is that a real gun?!”) and the live Instagram story Kelly set up goes viral and the city swoops in to fix the streetlights the next day. Watching the change he made unfold on TV gives Carl a sense of pride he hasn’t had in a while.

Deb’s plan to dupe Pepa with a fake hellion daughter works like a charm. Pepa drops the kid off early, along with the rest of the military death money. The rest of the family is rather bewildered by what Deb’s been up to but Deb’s financial problems are over…for now. Megan spooks her by telling her she’s got to set up her next scam so that she never runs out of money. Megan is living the glorious life of child support payments, so she takes Deb to her sugar daddy stomping grounds to snag an old man with money. Deb isn’t feeling it and bails on Megan’s plan by using a woman at the bar as a distraction. The two hit it off and Deb goes up to Claudia’s room. In the morning, Claudia has left an envelope of money (I counted $600) and Deb takes it. She basically sprints out of the room and Deb has inadvertently become a prostitute. Deb’s got a new series of moral questions to ask herself.

Liam doesn’t do too much in this episode. We watch him work his management skills on the phone for a bit and then he’s hanging out with Stella, the older psychopath sister of Bella, Frannie’s evil stand-in for Deb’s Pepa grift. Stella acts way above her age and Frank gives Liam some wildly inappropriate advice that thankfully doesn’t pan out.

Lip navigates the RV life with Tami, with stinky results. The main take away from this episode is that the two are managing to work together to solve their problems.

Kev and V get a sudden cash-flow problem at The Alibi when their best customer dies (not a good look when you don’t notice someone sitting at your bar when you close up). This spurs them into bringing in new customers and they get a horrible idea: go to an AA meeting. The two fumble through a pretty blatant promotional pitch and it works when two or three women come to bar. It’s not until they show up that V realizes how trashy their idea is and Kev cuts her protest off by serving their new customers.

Another event at The Alibi unfolds with Frank. He’s quick to pilfer the belongings of the dead man and when he comes back to the bar to drink so more, a rather striking woman walks in. Frank turns on the charm. they start drinking together and he offers to cut off the boot on her car. Her car is a Rolls Royce and Faye is living in it. The story behind this one is going to be good.

Mickey is now working security in the mall and watching him chase down a shoplifter in khaki shorts and a pink polo shirt is hilarious. While not ideal, Mickey has resigned himself to this life while he’s on parole. It is better than prison after all. Ian is going through the motions too until his parole officer–Paula–ganks his entire paycheck to “make up for” the commission she missed out on when Ian actually helped someone in need last week. This infuriates Ian who floats the idea of killing her to Mickey. Mickey tells him to calm down…until Paula shows up with the news that she is now Mickey’s PO. She immediately puts Mickey on a manhunt for one of her other parolees whos been MIA. Mickey ends up throwing the guy out of a window by her request (demand? She really liked it). As the guy is carted away in an ambulance, Mickey agrees that they have a serious problem on their backs. This plotline just got a whole lot more interesting.

Probably the best episode of the season. Really funny and a lot of stories took fun turns that I didn’t see coming. Plus, a new Milkovich has been introduced! Sandy, a cousin. Probably not too distant? Deb catches her eye so I’m sure she’ll be back next week to stir the pot. So far the baby kidnapping plot has disappeared, which isn’t unusual for Shameless. They do something crazy and then never mention it again when they don’t know what to do with it any longer. Realistically, Randy will have to show up again for anything to happen as that trade-off to Frank was far from official in any way. I’m excited for the next episode to see what happens.

Mr. Robot S4E12 + 13 <> Series Finale

TV

Oh wow.

Almost all of my questions were answered in these final two hours. I had no idea how Mr. Robot was going to end after a season as wild as this one and it came together brilliantly. There’s a lot of personal, emotional payoff in the end with a lot of elements coming full circle.

The big reveal of the fourth personality is the “Mastermind.” And he’s been with us the whole time. Created just before the show starts, the Elliot we’ve been watching isn’t Elliot, the brother that Darlene grew up with, but the final dissociative personality that Elliot made to seek vengeance on abusers and revenge on those that take for their own profit and leave pain in its place. Mastermind took over, shoving Elliot into a “safe world” in the mind and doesn’t remember he isn’t the original until confronted by the other 3 personalities after being knocked out in the power plant explosion.

Episode 12 is a complete mind trip as Mastermind navigates the safe world that he created for Elliot to stay in. A world where everything was good and he could be happy, a life Mastermind thought was perfect for Elliot. Except it didn’t have Darlene in it. A trade-off, having Angela alive and his sister non-existent so Elliot wouldn’t think to escape through wanting more. Mastermind chose the fantasy of the love of his life being resurrected over the love of his only family member who is still alive and very much with him.

This final arc puts a lot of this season–and the whole series of course–into a greater context. Darlene coming back in Elliot’s life to start fsociety to her ultimate confrontation with herself to stop running away from the things she feels that she can’t handle. This deep sibling relationship that fought off Whiterose one last time is ultimately what makes Mastermind give control back to Elliot. The final 10-15 minutes or so has some of the most remarkable writing. The twisting of the lense as the fantasy world blurs and collapses. This brings into focus the reality of what the trauma to young Elliot truly did to his mind. All of these seemingly random or unimportant seeds through the seasons came together into one of the most satisfying series endings I can remember.

What was thought to be a story of an angry young hacker trying to change the world by ripping apart the elite turned out to be a much more poignant and meaningful story of internal struggles to change yourself. We are a culmination of the choices that we make. Mastermind was successful in his mission, he did change the world, he stopped an awful person. He did so by standing up for others in a quest to do the right thing.

Mastermind also struggled to face the worst part of himself. The horrible realization that he’s a selfish entity. He’s lead and motivated entirely by rage. He goes forward with attempting to steal Elliot’s life, that happiness is his alone, that he did it all by himself even though he didn’t. He would take by any means necessary, something he was created to fight against.

The way this all unfolded was daring in its execution and stunning in its visual realization. I can’t say enough good things about the amazing direction, cinematography, and soundtrack. Few TV shows can match this kind of vision in production, it’s really next level stuff.

I also loved this because of the closure it gave me. Darlene and Elliot were the most important characters in this and they were each explored. This story started in their childhood and ends here.

There’s a striking admission from Darlene at the end when she admits that she knew the Elliot she grew up with was gone when they started fsociety. That she kept it to herself is weird and alarming. But I think her reasoning stands up pretty well. Her greatest regret has been that she didn’t know how to help Elliot when they were kids and she ran because of that. She came back to town to see if she could make amends for and despite noticing a profound change in his personality (there was no way for her to know the depth of it) just being with him and helping on his mission felt like it was enough. This intense journey resulted in changes in herself. She comes to realize that it wasn’t enough to actually bridge the gap and help her brother heal. Sure they were spending time together again but they never talked to each other. They never knew how to because of the trauma of their childhood. It stunted and changed them both. But she did come back for him and that made all the difference in the world. This relationship is one of the most dynamic and interesting to me in the series.

The ending is also exciting because it is also a new beginning. While we voyeurs never met the real Elliot, we know what he’s been through. Now he is released from his bindings and he can finally heal and start to move on with his life. Happiness is possible. For the first time in the series, I’m left with a feeling of hope. The beautiful final line once Elliot opens his eyes:

“Hello, Elliot.”

Darlene Alderson