FRIDAY OPEN THREAD: Let’s Make a Fall TV Progress Report Together!

Hello humans! And androids, I guess, who knows. You reading this out loud to your animals? Hello to them, too!

I’m here to talk to you about my favorite topic: TV. Fall is in full swing and the holidays are upon us, meaning a lot of shows are a few weeks away from their mid-season break. Around this time of year is when I start assessing the shows I’m watching: How are the new shows doing? Are there any that you should be letting go? (I always give a show a few weeks to sort their shit out, but if they haven’t gotten it together by now, they probably never will.) What about returning shows? How are their new seasons doing? Any shows you’re clinging to only for nostalgia sake that probably you should ditch in the new year? What are some Netflix shows you’ve watched that you’d recommend people binge while trying to hide from their families over the holidays?

I’ll be honest with you, I’m dreading this holiday season more than usual. I lost my grandfather earlier this year, and we haven’t had any family gatherings since. Our Thanksgiving is going to be small this year, just my parents, my brother, and my Nana, so his empty chair will be extra noticeable. And so I’m coping with TV! It’s what I always do. I’m already planning a rewatch of The Haunting of Hill House with my brother, and I can’t wait to force my father to tell me every thought he’s ever had about this season of Legends of Tomorrow.

So talk to me about your TV feelings! Here are some of mine to get you started. (Emphasis on some!)

Best Newcomer: Charmed

Needs Improvement: Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
Runner up: Blindspot

Most Improved Player: Supergirl

Showing Real Promise, New: Legacies
Runner up: Manifest

Showing Real Promise, Returning: Black Lightning

Class Clown: The Good Place
Runner up: Fresh Off the Boat

Foreign Exchange Excellence: Doctor Who

Valedictorian: Haunting of Hill House

Head of the Class: Legends of Tomorrow

I am willing to explain/defend any and all of my choices in the comments, so have at it! Also I don’t even know what category to put Riverdale because that shit is beyond bonkers but I still want to talk about it with you. What are you watching, what are you loving, what are you quitting, tell me all of your feelings about every show that’s airing. (And of course, as always, any topic is fair game for the comments!)


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Valerie Anne

Just a TV-loving, Twitter-addicted nerd who loves reading, watching, and writing about stories. One part Kara Danvers, two parts Waverly Earp, a dash of Cosima and an extra helping of my own brand of weirdo.

Valerie has written 543 articles for us.

76 Comments

  1. The One Man Keeps Them From Greatness Crowd.

    RIVERDALE: Riverdale continues to be a good show with the same problem it’s always had: Archie. Outside of anything relating to Archie, the show is great. I wished that they had leaned into Betty’s inherited darkness, and kept up with Cheryl’s Goth overtones, but it’s still doing really well in my opinion.

    LEGENDS OF TOMORROW: Wow. I wish they would drop Nate, but aside from that this show is firing on all cylinders.

    SUPERGIRL: I love everyone on the show (Even the villains), with one exception. Nia and Brainy, plus their incipient romance, are breaths of fresh air. Alex, Kara, and Lena are the powerhouses they always were. James. James has got to go. He’s dragging down Lena’s storyline like Mon-El did Kara, and that has got to stop. Lena is no-one’s co-pilot.

    You’re Getting There Club:

    THE FLASH: I love Caitlin and Nora’s storylines (Give Nora a real girlfriend). Sherloque and Ralph have a bromance that I’m actually invested in. It seems to lift both of them up. Barry and Iris, I like you, but Iris is COMPLETELY in the wrong (No, Cecille, we won’t give her respect just cause). The sooner they realize this, the better. If there was one thing I would do, it would be to cut Joe and Cecille. It’s nice that Joe guided them for the first several seasons, but now the crew needs to operate without a father figure.

    Recommendation:

    DARK: This is a fairly different time travel show that I can only describe as being darkly German. I had said this on another site, and one of the people there laughed. They’re German, thought the show looked normal, and said that they thought that American shows were too bright and happy. (There’s no wlw in it, I just like it because it’s different to what’s normally available to me)

    THE NEW LEGENDS OF MONKEY: It’s a take on “Journey to the West” that has a more diverse cast, and two of the main characters are gender-swapped to women. (One again, there aren’t any wlw)

    • Aw, Nate has grown on me.

      And I don’t think getting rid of James is the answer for Supergirl. I think they just need to split him and Lena up and let them both work with the DEO int heir own ways.

      I also disagree about The Flash. I don’t think you’re giving Iris enough credit, and Joe and Cecille are so sweet. I do think they either need to be more active with Team Flash or on the show less in general but I think it’s nice for them to have that family link.

      I do agree that Nora should get a girlfriend!

    • “The One Man Keeps Them From Greatness Crowd” – YES. I don’t watch LoT but Archie and James are the worst, most boring characters on their respective shows.

      I was honestly hoping Archie would just be stuck in juvie for the better part of this season and Veronica would realize what a boring piece of white bread he is and move on. (To Cheryl. I like Toni but Veronica/Cheryl was my original OTP on this show and I will go down with that ship.)

  2. I have no opinions on fall TV because I pretty much only watch shows that have been off the air for a couple of years and everyone else has already watched but I am planning on finishing Season 2 of Halt and Catch Fire this weekend!

    I am also feeling the pain of having a much different holiday season this year. My mom lost both of her parents within the past year so we’ll be having a much smaller Thanksgiving and Christmas too. It’s hard but I’m definitely looking forward to just being able to spend time with my parents and my brother in a situation that’s not a funeral. Here’s hoping that all of us who are struggling this season can enjoy the parts that we’re able to, and find good ways to cope with the rest.

    • It’s true that it will be nice that my most recent memories of a family gathering won’t be funeral-related. That’s a good outlook to have, thank you.

  3. My actual favorite shows at the moment are Legends of Tomorrow and Dynasty. Both are FUN, which is a rare thing right now and, while Dynasty lacks lesbian content, it does have Elizabeth Gillies.

    I’m also enjoying All American.

    • I fell behind on Dynasty and was considering dropping it but you make a really strong argument…Liz Gillies is perfection.

      I’ve been polling people who like All American: what’s the sports-to-feelings ratio like? Because I don’t care about sports even a little bit and am concerned I will be bored to tears for like 80% of the show and am not sure the drama content is worth it – what say you, friend?

      • I’m not American, so American football isn’t a thing I understand or enjoy watching. There’s some sports scenes that are very feels-y and I’m fine with that part of it. I’d say it’s The OC (60%) with sports (10%) and several other issues (30%) for the characters to deal with. There is a LOT of drama of all sorts. The lead is very compelling as is the woman playing his (lesbian) best friend.

  4. If we’re rating shows in terms of queer content, Riverdale gets the “Wasted Potential” award for completely back-burner-ing Cheryl & Toni so far this season. That said, as long as they keep letting Cheryl wear that red leather jacket and shoot arrows at people like the lesbian Robin Hood we all deserve, I will keep watching.

    I’m perpetually 2 episodes behind on everything else I watch, but I am into the way How to Get Away with Murder is dancing around an Annalise/Tegan hook up and playing up Michaela’s obvious-to-everyone-but-her mega crush on Tegan.

    I also really want to watch Legends of Tomorrow but it is A LOT to catch up on. Maybe I’ll have time 5 years from now.

    • The good thing about Legends is, unlike it’s other Arrowverse counterparts, it’s not a full 22-ep season. So there are only like…55 episodes to watch! haha But in all honesty if you’re into skipping and want to catch up a little more quickly, I did make this handy dandy guide: http://bit.ly/ASCWDC

      Legends just continues to get better and everyone deserves this joy and badassery in their lives.

      • Nice cheat sheet! I watch Supergirl with my daughter and she’s been bugging me to watch The Flash too but I’m not really interested in that one/don’t have time. She tried Arrow & didn’t even finish the first episode so I guess she wasn’t into it (she’s 9). We also watched the pilot of LoT a while ago but haven’t seen any more eps since. If I could watch TV at work that would solve all my problems. ;)

  5. Things I am loving: HTGAWM. Oliver and Connor continue to be great. It’s interesting that this years murder is at their wedding. Annalise as always is fire, and I ship the heck out of her and Tegan.

    HOHH. It’s amazing. Enough said.

    Harlots continues to impress. I am thrilled they have been renewed. Women centered and queer AF this season.

    She-Ra FTW. It’s so queer and much more diverse than the original show. I am loving this show.

    Black Lightning. If you’re not watching this show, I’m not sure what you’re doing. If we want more diverse shows, we need to show up for them. Please check it out.

    • For some reason my brain saw HTGAWM and thought it said HIMYM and I was like “BUT WHY” lol I’m caught up now CARRY ON

      HoHH 5EVA

      I didn’t mention Harlots just because it’s off-season (same re: shows like Wynonna Earp) BUT I DO LOVE IT SO

      I’m only one ep into She-Ra so far but I fully intend on finishing it this weekend!

      I love Annissa Pierce pass it on

    • I hadn’t heard about Harlots being renewed, so thanks for that tidbit! I want to re-watch the first two seasons, I feel like I watched them so quickly I need a refresher.

      My 9-year-old watched the first half of She-Ra already and she said she really likes it. I haven’t had time to start it yet but am going to try to watch it over the holidays.

  6. I don’t watch TV (I know, I’m not a human), so I can’t chime in on this topic, but I wanted to wish everyone a good weekend and a Happy Thanksgiving! My plans for Thanksgiving fell through, so I’m now planning to sit on my couch with my dog all day and practice my Torah portion for my Adult Re-Bat Mitzvah, which is in less than 2 months. Hope you’re all well, Autostraddle! :)

  7. I *finally* watched The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and it’s not explicitly queer yet but it’s good and I believe in its potential to get queerer.

    So I got broken up with and went to a psychic, as you do, and she told me that we will get back together and be harmonious if I work on myself in a few specific ways. I know that maybe that sounds like bullshit but I tell you it feels so right. I believe this person is my twin flame with all my heart. My coworker rolled her eyes at me but I ask you, is it so terrible to pay $30 and get good advice that keeps me from deep depression and binge drinking? Would it be noble if I went to a church etc. instead? I’m just thinking out loud,it helps. Also there is a ladybug crawling on my phone as I write this, I think we are friends now.

    • I’m a big believer in “you to you” – if a psychic helped you, that’s rad and I’m into it.

      Also hello little ladybug!! I hope you’re having a great day, smol friend!

  8. So Legacies is good? I really don’t need to be watching yet another CW show but I could be convinced to give it a shot.

    I can’t wait to hear what you all have to say about the most recent episode of Charmed because it was amazing and absolutely destroyed my heart. I feel like it’s a big move that may or may not have been earned so early in the season? But also it’s a show about magic, so who knows what could happen.

    One Netflix show I just watched recently and completely fell in love with was Hilda. It’s not explicitly queer, but I also get kinda queer vibes from the main character? Her desire to live in the woods unbothered by men feels very queer, anyway.

    • I’m really enjoying Legacies – it surprised me, too!

      CHARMED BROKE MY WHOLE DAMN HEART. Carmen is writing about it in today’s Boobs on Your Tube and I also can’t wait to see what she says about it. I agree that it seemed early for such a bold move but I think the ramifications will be interesting…

      One of my favorite characteristics is when a woman wants to be “unbothered by men” so thanks for the tip!

      • Hmm, I guess I’ll add Legacies to the list! I was just SO burned out by the last season of The Originals and how they did my girl Haley dirty. But also it’s hard for me to say no to more Alaric!

  9. Doctor Who continues to be amazing, even if people think it is too political. I would love to hear from PoC what they thought of Demons of the Punjab last Sunday. I cried at the end and felt deeply ashamed to be English. We effed up royally in both India/Pakistan and Asia in the name of Empire.

    I still keep watching my same shows and still keep hoping they will give Tammy Gregorio a girlfriend on NCIS: New Orleans, even though they don’t really do personal relationships on the show the way that NCIS: Los Angeles does.

    The other show I watch is Criminal Minds, which is just chock full of kickass women, but I wish that they would make someone queer on it.

    • I’m like a season behind on Criminal Minds but I agree. Especially since they have two queer actresses on it, MAKE ONE OF THEM QUEER ON THE SHOW. And/or finally put Emily and JJ together AS THEY HAVE BEEN DESTINED TO BE SINCE THE BEGINNING.

      eh hem.

      I agree that this season of Doctor Who is perfect.

    • Very much white so not answering in that respect but DW made me cry too. I managed to hold it together until Strictly’s pros dance for Remembrance Sunday and then lost it. I know DW didn’t explicitly make it about Remembrance but it’s one of the few times I’ve seen another perspective on the wars we’ve caused or been involved in on Remembrance Day so I hope they lead the way in that happening more.

  10. American Horror Story-I’m so pleased with everything that happened this season (except that Cordelia and Misty Day didn’t kiss) that I don’t even care that it was pure fanservice and filled with plot holes.

    Haunting of Hill House-still just so obsessed with this and will probably watch it again next week over Thanksgiving break.

    Ray Donovan-I only ever watch Kate Moennig’s scenes because I love her and her character Lena, and so far Ray has been a million times nicer to her than previous seasons so bonus points?

    That’s all I’ve been watching this Fall since I gave up on The Walking Dead. I started the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina but haven’t finished it and am unsure of how I feel about it.

    • My brother just finished Haunting of Hill House and I loved his live-reactions so much. He said we should re-watch together while I’m home for Thanksgiving and I’m thrilled about it because a) I’ve been itching for a rewatch b) he just committed to spending 10 hours with me!!! haha

  11. I am overwhelmed by the sheer number of shows with queer ladies. I. CAN’T. KEEP. UP. ANYMORE. Gone are the days of waiting for the sweeps week chaste, but sweet lady kisses and the resulting conservative backlash.

    The Best: hands down winner is Legends
    Runner-up: Black Lightening once they brought back Anissa’s romantic interest(s)
    New kid on the block: Charmed, even though I’m behind by a few episodes.
    Favorite hate-watch: Riverdale. Can someone in the know tell me if the cinematographers are contractually obligated to show KJ Apa’s abs for at least a quarter of his screen time because my daughter and I have noticed a significant increase in the number of shirtless scenes this season.

  12. I love that The Good Place is showing Eleanor being attracted to women but I wish they’d hurry up and let her at least kiss a woman and not just tease us with scenes like with Simone.

    Black Lightning is amazing and I’m looking forward to seeing more of Annissa’s romantic life and how she balances that with being Thunder.

    I know Killing Eve happened earlier in the year for the US but it’s been on in the autumn in the UK and I watched all of the episodes in two days last week and I need more now! It’s the most compelling show I’ve watched in a long time. I love how Villanelle is a terrible person but is written and played so well you can’t hate her, just like Eve can’t. The final episode was so unexpected I have no idea what will happen next but I’m excited for it.

    I really wanted to like The Bisexual but the first episode put me off. Heather’s article almost makes me want to try it again but I made a decision after The 100 that I wasn’t going to watch things I don’t enjoy just because they have queer women in anymore and I’m happy that we have so much choice now.

  13. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is still my favourite out of everything I watch. Sad but okay to see it end this season.

    She-Ra And The Princesses Of Power is my new favourite show this year!

    The Big Bang Theory is so stale now I don’t know why I keep watching but it’s FINALLY the last season so I can deal.

    Really excited for season 2 of The Orville next month!

  14. :cracks knuckles: Here we go…

    I’m incredibly biased, but I’m really loving the direction Black Lightning is going in Season 2. Anissa is comfortable with her powers and feeling ready to explore romance again and I am HERE.FOR.IT.

    I am delighted by both Charmed and Legacies so far for very different reasons. I’m a TVD alum, so it’s been a treat to see what my old frands have been up to on Legacies, and the writers are doing fun things with Easter eggs. Admittedly, I dropped off TVD when it had 2 seasons left, but that hasn’t affected my enjoyment of Legacies. I haven’t seen this week’s yet, but I’m hoping for some more Quality Queer Content!

    Charmed is really cute and timely and feels like a nice foil to the darkness that The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina gave us. I binged CAOS in a weekend and enjoyed it. I didn’t LOVE it, but I didn’t hate it either.

    Legends is bringing it on every single level. I can’t think of one negative thing to say about that show right now. Supergirl is better than last season so far, so I’ll give it that. I just really wish they would figure out what to do with James. He’s not believable with Lena and I don’t believe his conflict around Guardian.

    Outside of genre, I’m loving 90 Day Fiance, Real Housewives of Atlanta, and of course, The Good Place (MAKE IT GAY(er), YOU COWARDS!)

  15. The show I was most excited for this fall is Charmed and it’s been fun but it’s still establishing itself for me and doesn’t feel as good as it could be yet. I like the sisters, but I don’t love them yet. Hopefully it continues to improve. The fact that it has a lead lesbian character in a happy sexy relationship though is amazing! Legends has become my favorite show and I totally didn’t expect it! I binged the first three seasons on Netflix over the summer and now I look forward to it all week. Shows that make you nothing but happy are so rare! Black Lightning is just incredible too and Anissa is a Goddess. We are so damn lucky to have Nafessa Williams!

    Supergirl is much improved this season and Nia Nal makes me so happy whenever she’s on screen. I guess it’s greedy to wish she’d be gay or bi and as far as TV is concerned, being trans is enough representation for them. *sigh*

    The show I’m hyped on at the moment is Noelle Stevens’ new She Ra show on Netflix! It’s SO GAY YOU GUYS!

  16. I haven’t really started watching anything new; I probably should but already too much into my routine.

    Most interesting episode I have seen this fall was It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia the Bathroom Episode. If I wasn’t queer & trans it would feel a bit preachy, but I think they are trolling their conservative fans. Plus, they said gay men aren’t the same as trans women who are women, use the term Lesbians when talking about wlw, and talk about being Catholic and gay(& which will win being Catholic or gay).

    I’m a fan of Black-ish, but I really think they can do a bit better to their Black Jewish fans. Tracee Ellis Ross is half Jewish as is Daveed Diggs, who plays her brother on the show. Really unfair to groups us with white Christians and even partially thow us under the bus when some of us aren’t even white(again Jews of color exist). I would like to see how they handle shootings, like Pittsburg.

    How is everyone’s week going? Mines has a bit a mixed bag. Part of the county is still on fire and it’s interesting to see how some of the celebs are reacting, like that right wing shit bag James Woods, who turned his twitter into a lost and found page and the West-Kardashians who hired a private fire deparment to take of their block. I didn’t even think that was possible. Like what the fuck. It’s just rough to see roads, trails, and the general area I love spending time in being destroyed. So I probably won’t be in nature for a while, unless I drive towards Angeles Forrest area.

    Saturday night I went to see Big Freeda open up for Tank and the Bangas, which was a great show. Sadly my bff couldn’t make it due to a cis-het roommate causing problems. Thankfully, she’s still staying here, but moving away from the person. We had lunch instead on Sunday. I also spent my Sunday morning at Cuties Coffee. It was great to see all the cute people there being happy and hang out with the regulars!

    The sky was clean today, which means the fires are slowly getting under control(it what over 50% contained now). Really liked the patterns.

    Thank you for viewing and reading my post. Have a safe and positive weekend. Also, have fun in the snow if it’s snowing where you are. It’s still early Fall weather here, re: mids 70s during the day.

    • You have a good weekend too Al!

      I applied for a job I have some reasons to really want and other reasons to really not so if anyone needs an example of ‘ambivalent’ this week, I am currently personifying it. Also not sure they will find my qualifications convincing plus, due to procrastination due to the ambivalence, I submitted the application like an hour after the official deadline…but…it let me submit, apparently? So.

      Also I found out about a data scientist training boot camp kind of thing that is free (costs are borne by the companies who try to hire you afterwards) and at least one of the companies is all “we use big data to help social justice nonprofits that can’t do this on their own” so I might ask them if that specifically includes environmental issues because I have seen so many articles lately about “X Y Z and Q are all way worse than we thought and we have maybe ten years tops to get this climate shit back on a sustainable track” and I am feeling like making little donations to climate causes and doing my own little energy-saving things is maybe not enough.

      Tonight I get to playtest Evolution: Oceans so that should be fun. Fun and safe weekends to all!

  17. I’m too tired to talk about anything else than what happened last night. I was at Lorde’s concert and the thing itself was amazing and yet she made everything better and special by comforting the crowed about our (brazilian) election and this happened:
    i’ll cherish this photo forever

    • So envious of you! Lorde is one of my favourites and I’m so sad I wasn’t able to go to the Melodrama tour.

  18. “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” is AAMMMMAAAZZINGGGGG!!! I have some issues about all of the witches pledging to forever surrender their free will to a male deity who is supposed to control them like puppets on strings; makes me more proud to see Sabrina refuse to be conventional!! I was also very surprised that Ros is going blind. It would have been nice if they’d have given her a more common eye condition, a white cane and some orientation & mobility lessons. But, I won’t quibble about the representations since they gave her such cool intuitive powers! I only wish I were blessed that way, LOL! P. S. Netflix is adding Audio Descriptions to most of its original content! This means if you turn the feature on, the visually impaired can hear action on screen described in between the dialogue.

    Everything else I’m watching is old news. I am ambivalent about holidays since my parents have a dysfunctional relationship, and my dad’s cycle of emotionally abusive behavior is usually amplified to full volume around the holidays. My spirituality is evolving though, and I’m eager to try some new traditions with some new people this year.

  19. legends of tomorrow just gets more fun every season. it’s like going to a party every monday night, except i don’t even have to leave my couch.

    definite favorite new show is she-ra & the princesses of power! i’m gonna see if i can talk my cousins into watching it next week :))

  20. Missed the last 2 episodes of Black Lightening. It’s pretty much the only show I watch on purpose right now and have guaranteed access of. It has some issues that are I think spoilers so not going to mention them in FOT.
    But otherwise great, amazing and the music choices ?

    Road trip last week and yep my dad gave me his cold.

    If I overstep I apologize
    Valerie about grandfathers. Every year it stings less. My grandfather was buried on Christmas Eve, the host(only in location) of family holiday gathers my aunt cancelled Christmas that year and was going to the next until the last minute.

    No matter how small the gathering it’s better to gather together or find a together after a loss. We’re pack animals.

    That miserable Christmas the Open Thread was my together as was my life bro who invited me to Nochebuena, giving me congri and a mojito that is still with out peer.

    • Yeah, we’ve had Christmases with empty seats before, in my heart I know it’ll start to hurt less as the years go on, but this first one will just suck. And this grandfather lived in my house my whole life so I was closest to him, literally and figuratively. It’ll suck but we’ll get through it, together. <3

  21. I debated between putting this here or on “Boobs on Your Tube”, but since there’s nothing canon, here it is.

    Here’s Daisy’s season six look, and she’s even starting to look like Jemma. If this isn’t a case of lesbian twinsies then I don’t know what is.

    • Sk’Daisy/Quake has always been my favorite and purple is my favorite color so I’m taking this change personally and I appreciate it very much.

  22. I just watched this week’s episode of Blindspot and I’m not sure I’ve seen a writing team misunderstand what fans like about a show this much since The Good Wife‘s team destroyed Kalinda Sharma.

    There’s so much going on this season and instead of finally bringing an end to one overarching storyline — whatever Tasha’s doing or Jane’s zip poisoning or the re-emergence of Remi — and bringing the team back together, they just keep prolonging it. We haven’t seen a single Patterson/Zapata scene this entire season and, what’s worse, it’s like Patterson barely even cares what’s going on with her best friend and is, instead, consumed by investigations into tattoos that have already been solved (or the search for a cure for Jane, if time allows it).

    WHAT ARE YOU DOING BLINDSPOT?!

    Stop this. It’s terrible.

    (Also? Make it gay, you cowards.)

    • BLINDSPOT IS BREAKING MY HEART, NATALIE. I miss JANE!! Remy is like a cartoon villain. And if I didn’t know any better, I’d say the Patterson/Zapata separation is a direct response to people (like us) shouting for them to just KISS ALREADY.

  23. I don’t have a tv or cable subscription, so I can’t comment on all the live-action shows y’all are talking about, but I can say that She-Ra is great and I greatly enjoyed it!

    I wasn’t totally sure based on the first few episodes, but then it picked up and I was totally hooked. The color palettes, background design, and character design is so good! It feels like a world that younger me would have wanted to live in all the time.

    I texted my sister that it’s “like sailor moon but contemporary and drastically gayer” and she was so intrigued she started watching it the same day. She’s already planning three different cosplays. Recommendation success!

    • One of the first things I thought was “oh man the cosplays of this are going to be PHENOMENAL” haha

  24. Riverdaaaaaale. Minus Archie, of course.

    I’ve really liked Charmed so far, but this latest episode was A. LOT. for so early in the season.

    Can’t bring myself to care about the Sabrina reboot.

    I want kind of to watch the latest American Horror Story? Undecided.

    Rationing the new season of Great British Bake-Off so I have something positive in my pocket for bad days.

    I’m very excited about Thanksgiving! My partner’s daughter will be here for a whole week. Having both the kids here is the best! It’s been two years since we moved to Seattle and we finally have a decent-sized social circle. Lots of our friends are transplants without family nearby, too. We decided to do an open house. I am so excited to make 10000 food items and love on whoever pops in and generally cause a ruckus! A friend of ours back home recently passed away, and we weren’t able to see her beforehand. Planning the open house and inviting people has been a good way to channel the grief.

    Also the holiday season in general fills me with equal parts fierce love and raging hatred! It’s cool.

    Hope everyone is well! Happy Feelings Season!

    • “Feelings Season” is the PERFECT way to describe it – your Thanksgiving sounds like it’ll be absolutely perfect!!

  25. Thanks, Valerie Anne!

    I’ve been wondering if Manifest is worth it. The premise was intriguing, but I’m a little wary of getting dragged into an epic mystery that hasn’t really been thought through by the creators (a la Lost and Alias).

    I keep seeing good things about the Haunting of Hill House. I like suspense/thrillers, but not so much the “everybody dies” horror genre, so I’ve avoided it. Should I try it?

    I’m mostly sticking with standbys and a few streaming shows. Legends is amazingly full of joyful moments every week! Still watching Greys and Station 19, enjoyable, if not must see. Also picked up the Rookie, which is also enjoyable – no gay so far, but there’s potential. I put Charmed in my “summer Netflix binge” box, but maybe I should revisit that based on how much you all like it? Dr. Who is also languishing on my DVR unwatched…

    Streams:
    Man in the high castle season 3 on Prime – a bit depressing, some shocking turns, hopefully setting up a “good guys win” season 4.
    Bodyguard on Netflix – no gay stuff, but a good suspense/thriller.
    Chilling Adv. of Sabrina – Watched it all in a week. Good, not the greatest.

    Agree that a Killing Eve is so great!

    Sorry about your Grandfather, Valerie Anne. I lost my Grampy a few years ago. There’s still a hole where he used to be in our family gatherings, but it gets better.

    • Thanks, friend.

      Haunting of Hill House is definitely pretty scary and high stakes, but it’s not like a Final Girl situation. And it’s as much about the family’s interpersonal relationships as it is about the ghost lore. I cried more than I was scared tbh haha It’s not like a slasher flick though, promise.

  26. I’ve started my annual Christmas movies binge/marathon so it’s eating up a lot of my TV watching time but damn if I’ll miss an episode of LoT. That show just exceeds expectations at every turn and level and I just love how quirky and weird and nuts it is. And of course AvaLance. Always AvaLance.

    I’m also liking Supergirl a lot this season and I’m cautiously hopefully that it will stay great.

    I quit The Flash halfway through Season 4 because it was getting to be a drag and I know it’s time to cut a show loose when I have to force myself to watch it. It’s too bad they didn’t introduce Nora earlier; she seems like an interesting character that would spice up the show.

    I’ve been introducing The Haunting of Hill House to everyone and anyone who’ll listen – just shamlessly inserting it into the most random conversations becuase that show is just mesmerizing beyond words and I am just stoked to add it my annual Halloween/horror movies and TV show marathon.

    I know people keep gushing about Riverdale but I refuse to touch a teen-centric TV show with a ten-foot pole. Sorry, I can’t. I’ve been burned before *cough* PLL *cough* and the consequences were damning. I made an exception for The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina partly out of nostalgia for the funny 90s version and partly because it fell in line with my October Horrorthon and it was better than I expected though I don’t know if I’ll watch season 2.

    As for the upcoming holidays, my mother and I are basically just going to boast about how many Christmas movies we’ve watched so far (she’s a got a leg up on me. That woman started in October FFS!), what are our favorites and set up a THEMED playlist of our favorites to watch together while we bake (her) and decorate (me) cookies.

    • Honestly I can’t RECOMMEND Riverdale but I’m in so deep hahaha

      Have you seen Princess for Christmas aka #PrincessLuthor yet??? (it’s old but I just discovered it this year)

      • Hi Valerie. I think I heard you wrong…did you say you JUST discovered the magical gem that is A Princess for Christmas THIS YEAR?!?! *shrieks in horror* Oh dear, how deprived you have been! It’s one of my absolute favorite Christmas movies. I watch it every year…a few times every year. It’s just so fluffy and unabashedly sweet. Plus, Katie McGrath…

        I’m glad you found it! I hope it gave you the warm fuzzies. What about Hallmark’s Marry Me At Christmas? It stars Lost Girl’s very own fiesty valkyrie, Rachel Skarsten. Then there’s Window Wonderland with Supergirl’s Chyler Leigh and The Flash’s Danielle Panabaker just debuted her own Christmas movie, Christmas Joy. It’s always fun and a bit amusing when I recognize an actor starring in these purposely cheesy but always sweet and puts a smile on your face Christmas flicks.

        • HELLO MY NEW HERO THANK YOU FOR THESE RECOMMENDATIONS

          I was opposed to cheesy Christmas movies for so long but I’ve finally decided to give in to the fun of them and will start on these gems asap

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