kelani Reviews

Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood (2012– )

Great show with some quirks.

[9/10 · 13 November 2023]

I'm just an old fan of Mr. Rogers, so I wanted to see how his legacy was being cared for, and I think the show does a very nice job. Far better then other kids' shows. Nothing could ever equal Fred Rogers, but at least the lessons and empathy he taught us are still being taught here.

The characters are adorable; they all have their own stories and personality quirks. Every kid can find at least one character to identify with. The show is also extremely inclusive. Race, disability, adversity, different guardians/home life, and other topics are handled delicately and instructively. Santomero has done a wonderful job coordinating with experts to send the right messages in a way kids can understand.

The Daniel imagination sequences are fun to watch. (I wish I'd had this when I was a kid!). Some of the songs are so good they should be award-winning, but a few are kind of bad. It's difficult to create rhyming lyrics for the vocabulary of a four-year-old, so they tend to recycle a lot of lyrics across episodes that don't make much sense in context. But to be fair, so does every other musical kids' show, and I doubt the kids really notice. But the best part is that every lesson has a memorable tune, which a lot of parents sing to their children to remind them; ex: "Grown-ups come back". That's a great thing. And when they get it right, some of the harmonies are just beautiful.

Some people don't like that the show occasionally shows the kids getting mad. But I think that's a good thing. They are allowed to feel their feelings, and then learn how to redirect that anger into something better..

Annoyances? Not many. One thing that bugs me is when they have Tigey sing. He has this tinny/creepy electronic voice that just sounds terrible. PBS also tends to show episodes back to back with a different Prince Wednesday actor who sounds very different, which might be confusing. Also, some of the adults also occasionally come off as a bit 1950s sanctimonious, but I guess that's necessary for the format.

All in all, a wonderful show.

Ranch to Table (2021 TV Special)

Decent recipes, but feels fake.

[6/10 · 8 October 2023]

This is a pretty nice feel-good show. You get to watch a family living in gorgeous country, with an idyllic life, and making amazing foods. If you've ever wanted to live on a ranch, this is pretty much the ranch anyone would want to own.

That said, I know a lot of farmers and ranchers, and all would say they just don't have time for such silly things as doing a TV show. (Her herb garden alone would take a small army to maintain). Elizabeth is frequently shown doing routine ranch jobs in between meals, but she is so prim and urbane, you really get the sense that that's not what she does on a daily basis. Can she handle a chainsaw? Absolutely! But it's pretty obvious her husband and the ranch staff clearly handle this stuff, so it feels like these are contrived scenarios to fill air time. It just doesn't ring true.

I also don't like that the recipes are apparently designed by the show's 3 chef consultants, or are copycats of other popular recipes already out there. The show wants you to believe that she's making something her great-great-grandmother taught her, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

So, it's a nice watch, but would be so much better if it didn't have that reality-esque smell of being constructed.

Forged in Fire (2015– )

Could be so much better.

[4/10 · 7 October 2023]

I like the show, but it has a major problem. It relies too much on the tired and. Ready reality show competition melodrama and "surprises", instead of just celebrating the talent and artistry of the participants.

Better would be to tell the smiths what they're going to make beforehand, and let them pick their own materials, instead of forcing them to build things from usually recycled garbage. That way, their skill in constructing the blade can really shine, and a superior bladesmith isn't going to lose simply because they have never made that item before, or got the bad luck in picking materials.

Paranormal Caught on Camera (2019– )

Worst "paranormal" show ever.

[1/10 · 7 August 2023]

Moat 1-star reviews shows some kind of terrible bias, but not in this case. The ones for this show are sadly very accurate. This show doesn't just scrape the bottom of the paranormal barrel, it blasts right through it with a smile. Here are the issues, in no order of importance, because all are just awful.

1. The "experts"

These are not experts of any kind, they are failed actors who ended up on other paranormal shows, and unlike the first season where they were allowed to analyze clips with some degree of intelligence, now they unabashedly declare everything is 100% positive proof of something paranormal is going on, even clips which are hilariously and poorly faked. Susan Slaughter is the worst, because she misrepresents history and misuses big words that she clearly doesn't understand. Watching them, it's kind of sad to see them sacrificing what reputation they did have just to be on the show.

2. The clips

You're not gonna see anything new or exciting here. Even in the recent series, expect to see Internet videos that if you can't immediately debunk them as a hoax or misidentification, rest assured they've ALL (yes, 100%) been completely explained, debunked or outed as hoaxes (even by their creators!) up to 10 years ago on other shows or in the media. Will you hear any of that? No! Just the "experts" telling you how OMG amazingly paranormal this clip is, even though their being in the business means they know otherwise. Since this shoe has already aired pretty much every clip out there, a large part of what they show now are social media wannabes who have created their own fake videos to attract followers. And let's not even talk about the occasional show where they completely ditch the paranormal and show random viral videos of people getting hurt, while still having the same "experts" give commentary. That just makes a terrible show even worse.

3. The........Narrator

Is.....it...hard to.....follow.....this sentence? Well, that's exactly how... The narrator talks. In groups... Of two... to three... Words... Presumably... in some attempt... To create... Drama.... he's incredibly annoying, and even worse every time they show a clip, we get to hear him say "didja see that??". Followed by a cheesy fake rewind sound so they can show us again, and again, and again, and again something that we just clearly saw. Most people I know who watch this show fast forward through everything except the actual first run of the clip, and skip the experts, the stupid commentary, and everything else, because it's really insultingly bad they expect you to sit through that for an entire hour.

Be aware, the producers of this show have been contacted many times over the years begging them to dispense with all the stupidity and make an actual show worth watching, like "The Proof is Out There". And they weren't interested, they have even replied saying as much. Whatever this is, works for them. So go ahead, watch one episode, you'll see that everything I've said is unfortunately true, then move on to something better, and maybe one day we'll have more shows in this genre that are actually worth watching.

The Great American Recipe (2022– )

A bit Sappy, but the way competition TV should be.

[7/10 · 1 August 2023]

It's a competition cooking show, so that pretty much sums it up. But one thing that kept me watching for the second season was they got rid of the stupid weekly eliminations. Reality TV producers don't seem to understand that introducing us to an interesting person who vanishes in a few episodes (for no other reason than creating tired drama) really does a disservice to the show, and the viewer. I like that this show is overwhelmingly positive, without all the manufactured drama.

Here, we get to follow all of the cooks, hear more stories, and see a lot more interesting recipes then we would have otherwise.

That said, it would be nice if there was some kind of objective scoring system, with blind judging by a tasting panel, for example, just to give an appearance of fairness. As it stands, it feels like whoever has the most heartwarming story for a given recipe usually wins.

As ethnically diverse as the show is, I would like to see more diversity, specifically in the age range of participants. A couple younger and older participants would make a more interesting mix.

Ghost Brothers: Light's Out (2021– )

Clearly fake, but fun to watch.

[6/10 · 29 December 2022]

The show is clearly fake, because they catch more evidence in every single episode then professional investigators visiting the same locations, with better operations and equipment do in years to decades. But that's not surprising, it's TV, and if it's not entertaining, no one will watch.

But that's actually the point of the show --watching these guys clown around. It's disappointing, because even without all the fake evidence, the show would still be entertaining to watch just because of their chemistry. It's an honest job, and respectable, but as far as reputation in the legitimate paranormal community, theirs is nonexistent.

Shock Docs (2020– )

Cringingly Stupid and Boring

[1/10 · 2 November 2022]

Being an anthology, you hope that there will be an occasional standout episode, but for me, that hope is fading fast. This show accomplishes the difficult task of actually making the paranormal boring.

It's the same old creaky formula. Overdramatized re-creations of an allegedly paranormal event, re-described in excruciating detail by self-proclaimed "experts", who either come off as completely delusional or just being there for a paycheck. There's the same old boring "dramatic" music, complete silence to let you know you're about to get a jump scare. And acting so bad that it will make you cry with laughter. So yeah, that's one reason to watch this, it's because it is so hilariously bad.

In fact, the haunted doll episode features literally the worst acting I have seen in half a century. Casting could've picked random people off the street, and they would (not could) have done a better job.

We really need to start demanding more of our throwaway, garbage TV. Because this guy doesn't just scrape the bottom of the barrel, it blasts clean through it.

Today's Homeowner with Danny Lipford (1998– )

Fun show to watch

[9/10 · 30 October 2022]

In the glut of cable home improvement shows, this has always been a hidden gem. I can't believe it hasn't been picked up by one of those networks.

The formula is simple: real people, small, inexpensive projects that you wouldn't expect to change much, but make a surprisingly huge difference. Danny and his daughter both have an amazing amount of experience and creativity. While Danny does occasionally make mistakes and do some dubious work, the end results always look great.

The best part of the show is the banter between the hosts and the clients, and especially Danny and his daughter Chelsea. They are a bit weird and kooky, but it works. You can tell they are having fun, and really enjoy what they are doing. That chemistry makes them fun to watch. I can't explain it, but I always feel happier and more inspired to do my own projects after watching this. It's a pretty magical thing.

The Proof is Out There (2021– )

Finally a paranormal show for logical people

[10/10 · 29 October 2022]

This show is like a beacon in a world of paranormal genre shows that cater to sensationalism, fabrication, fake experts, and reality-esque dramatization.

Tony Harris works well in this as a narrator, although his claim of being a journalist is a bit suspect. He calls it like the experts see it, and isn't afraid to get a little snarky when hoaxes are involved. That's perhaps my favorite part, because the only thing worse than the current paranormal genre is all the people muddying the waters by creating hoaxes for YouTube hits.

In another refreshing change, the experts are actual experts in their fields, not amateur or armchair types blabbing opinions or pseudoscience. They have credentials, credibility, and really know what the hell they're talking about.

I don't understand why some people are so upset when the verdict is "unexplained phenomenon", because frankly, that's exactly what they are. Further investigation might change that, but for the purposes of the show, that's really the only place they can leave it. It's also silly to expect this show to go beyond its scope and further investigate these cases. That's not what this show is about. The experts are simply giving their time for the show, and probably have no time or desire to leave their day jobs hunting for answers to this stuff.

All in all, it's a great show. I really love seeing video clips that have been labeled "100% authentic OMG paranormal" on other shows being debunked by science, logic, technology actually used properly, and common sense.

World's Most Unexplained (2020– )

Makes the Paranormal Boring

[5/10 · 14 October 2022]

I'm not sure what exactly is wrong with this show. The topics are all naturally interesting, they're described in depth, and most of the people doing commentary seem thoughtful, intelligent, and engaging...albeit a bit dry. But it never fails: every episode makes me start yawning and checking my phone. Why? Because each topic is discussed for far too long, and that commentary is usually everyone sharing the same or similar viewpoints. It all starts to feel like a ton of repetitive filler. The show could easily be boiled down to a half hour without losing any content. I hate to say that, because I intensely dislike the slick, rapidfire delivery and editing of most shows like this, but this one just takes it too far. And while I give the background music kudos for trying to be non-intrusive, it's too much so, and kind of acts like a lullaby. I hope they can do something about the pacing in future episodes, because the premise is good, and it's a nice change from the "100% Accepted as Fact" paranormal shows out there.

Food Factory (II) (2012– )

Annoying, but grows on you.

[5/10 · 11 October 2022]

I am surprised to find out I now like this show more than in my original review. The annoying narration grew on me once I realized they were sneaking in innuendo. The major problems still exist, though:

1. The processes that make nearly all of these products different or unique are almost always trade secrets and not shown on camera. Lots of time is wasted telling us that, usually in the form of the narrator is pestering a PR person, who says things like "I don't know" or "if I told you, then I'd have to kill you". What is silly is that many times these processes and recipes are long-since copied by off brands or so simple a five-year-old could figure them out, but the companies and the show still won't tell. Along those lines, many of the other processes that would be interesting to watch our hidden inside a machine for work or safety. How it's Made did a much better job of getting them to open those machines and shoot at high speed.

2. That godawful narration. At first, you hate it, then it makes you want to damage things. It's banal, offputting, full of unfunny asides and dad jokes, and at times intrusively annoying-(they really like screaming, and loudly saying the same thing at the same time). The dialogue sounds like it was scripted for one of those kiddie afternoon edutainment shows on local-access TV, but then the female narrator occasionally throws in some blatant adult references and sexual innuendo. Over time, that's actually made me hate it less. I've come to think it must be some Canadian cultural thing that is just lost on us Americans. But then again, How it's Made actually blurred the breasts on a plastic store mannequin, so go figure.

3. Repetition. Manufacturing has a lot of standardization, so half of each segment shows the products being boxed, shrink-wrapped, palketed/palletized, and forklifted to a warehouse. They should do away with that and get a little more involved in the actual manufacture of the products.

4. The spokespeople. Expect lots of snnoying scripted chat with some company PR rep, who usually manages to be more banal than the hosts. Some are clearly very uncomfortable being on camera, and most act like they really have better things to do than sit for this. That feeling also applies to some of the factory workers. Some undoubtedly rely on production-based bonuses to survive, so they really don't like being asked to waste their time making stupid jokes.

But that is also one of the good things about the show. It gives these hard-working people a couple minutes to stop, breathe, and disconnect. And be on TV if that's your thing.

Just for once, I would love one of these shows to show what goes into sanitizing these production lines after each run. Dough? Raw meat? Stuff gets splattered everywhere, and I bet that cleanup job is a hell of a lot more interesting than what goes into the production.

Ghost Hunters (2004– )

Improved...somewhat

[3/10 · 10 October 2022]

I reviewed the show pretty mercilessly back during its first run, mostly due to the annoying sidekick investigators and god-awful contrived "reality" crap that SYFY insisted upon. Fortunately, it seems they've learned a few things over the years.

This new run seems to have more professional investigations (if there is such a thing). They go for multiple days, seem to have much better coverage of the location, and a better thought out plan of attack. The guest investigators so far have brought back many of the good ones, and none of the jackasses.

That said, I can't help but giggle every time I see them yank out a $500 Pelican flight case with a $50 electronic device of dubious effectiveness, literally made by a couple guys in a basement. At least now they're not spending airtime telling us how super cutting edge that tech gear is.

Another good thing is they are investigating places that have some notability, rather than Brandi Lynn's outhouse in some backwoods town.

They also seem to have mellowed a bit with age, but one unintentionally hilarious side effect of that is every time they try to talk to an alleged entity, they sound like they're talking to a 4 year old. If I were a ghost, I would find that incredibly condescending. I assume they are trying to be respectful, but it really doesn't come across that way.

They also still haven't learned that "suspenseful audio" in the background makes any interesting real-time sound impossible to hear. There is usually a replay, but it would be nice to experience it at the same time they do.

So, for a show that was in its own way responsible for helping create a tired, creaky genre, this reboot so far seems to be attempting to refresh things a bit.

Factory Made (2008– )

Possibly the most annoying narration ever

[3/10 · 26 September 2022]

The show is absolutely ruined by the ridiculous banter between the two narrators. As another review said, it's stilted... With long pauses...In the middle...Of sentences. But the rapid fire delivery between the two hosts is also excruciatingly silly and distracting. It's like being around two people who think they're really funny, but only they get the joke. And of course there are lots of goofy sound effects and repeated screaming, which is always fun to listen to. I didn't realize that this is the same narrator as "How it's Made". On that show, he's actually pleasant to listen to.

Another big problem is that by reviewing big brand names, EVERYTHING is a trade secret. So you get an outer shot of a machine, and basically "this is where the magic happens", but learn nothing about it. Ingredients state the obvious ones, and then gloss over or ignore the rest. This is why "How it's Made" was better: They typically did off-brand items, which for the most part let you see more of the inner workings.

Worse, the constant camera motion and quick cuts only allow you to see at most 1-2 seconds of each individual process. Their high speed camera also doesn't slow some things down enough to see what's going on, but that was probably a budgetary or technological or limitation of the time.

One thing I do like are the interactions with factory workers. It's nice to see those guys get a short break and a TV appearance, even if the awful narration practically ruins it.

Storm Chasers (2007–2011)

Has NOT improved with age.

[3/10 · 9 September 2022]

I watched this when it first aired and recently watched it again, in part to remember all the people who have since died, and to see if my original opinion had changed. It did! I'm dropping my rating from a 5 to a 3 because it's even more excruciating now. I was reminded that even if (let's be generous) say 90% of the "reality drama" was manufactured, these guys are STILL the biggest bunch of egotistical, whiny, transparent and one-dimensional tool-bags ever to grace cable TV -with two exceptions. Josh Warman is an excellent scientist, and a credit to the profession. Tim Samaras and company as well, rest their sousl.

Casey and Timmer, however, seem to thrive on being the most colossal jackasses possible. When Casey spends 1% of the time claiming to care about the science (while alienating Wurman, his only link to science), and 99% of the time whining about his 1 in a million shot (for a movie which ironically apparently kind of...sucked), You can tell what his real motivation is: Money and Glory. That's it.

And Timmer... I get the impression he's the kind of guy who walks into a room, sleazily introduces himself to everyone, one by one, as "Hi. Reed Timmer. Extreme meteorologist". Hell, he's billed as that in the credits. Not content to simply be a meteorologist, he's *extreme*. While he at least has the education, his motives are blatantly financial as well. His being on the show was an unfortunate confluence of reality and bro culture that darn near killed Discovery channel.

Yes, the videos are good, and kudos to them for going out and getting them. But it gets really tiring, every time there's a storm to chase, to hear them practically wetting themselves with the same tired lines: "that's about to go huge!!!" and "that's going to be a huge tornado!!!" etc. All while canned heavy metal guitar relentlessly crunches away in the background. Meanwhile, Casey needs to act pissy, show us his sad face, and remind us -yet again- how much he really needs his money shot... Just in case we forgot since the previous chase 10 minutes earlier. Not since Roger in RENT has anyone been so singleminded.

If the show had focused more on Wurman, Samaras/ and the Vortex/Twstex projects, it would hav been so much better. Perhaps a little drier, maybe not quite as as "extreme", but a hell of a lot less annoying. Wurman and his laconic snarkiness could have carried the thing. Alas, it was not to be. At least now you can find tons of excellent videos on YouTube, and without all the whiny drama.

Christopher Kimball's Milk Street (2017– )

What you'd expect from Christopher Kimball

[3/10 · 29 August 2022]

I'm going to disagree with the other reviewer who said that Kimball kowtows and panders to the younger chefs. Personally, I find him more condescending and disdainful than ever. If anything, the younger chefs try to appease him. Sometimes, they even seem intimidated by him. Probably because he signs the checks, is notoriously unpleasant to work with, and capable of destroying careers.

He is also now completely devoid of emotion and humor. In ATK, he could frequently be funny and clever, Even though his personality was at times grating, and he often came off sounding like a jerk.

Now, he is so humorless and joyless that you can't tell whether he likes or hates anything he sticks in his face, especially since there are many foods that he admittedly hates. So, it's now like he doesn't enjoy food, he analyzes it.

I do love that the show features all kinds of little-known ethnic cuisine, the fascinating people making it, and unusual pairing of ingredients, but I don't like that most recipes use ingredients which are impossible to get --some even require international shipping. That wouldn't be an issue if they mentioned substitutions, but they don't. Similarly, they also don't tell you ingredient quantities, so you're forced to either guess or pay. At least ATK/CC gives you that much.

Another problem is the show is exceedingly sterile. These may be great chefs, but their on-screen personalities are about as interesting as a sack of flour. There's no excitement, humor, joy, and love of food. It's like a cooking lab where the instructor would rather be somewhere else. And since some of these chefs show lots of personality in other media, "someone" has clearly told them to be understated.

Without Kimball and those annoyances, the show would be much better. And since I realize this review may come off as Kimball-bashing, One nice thing I'll say about him: he sure can play a mean banjo. Although I highly doubt we'll see that on this show.

Beyond the Unknown (2019– )

Unintentionally Hilarious

[6/10 · 16 August 2022]

The show was apparently created by a guy that liked telling little kids that there was a Santa Claus, since that's basically what it is: The backstory of a legend followed by revealing a mundane explanation. That's OK, though. It beats the 'push a conspiracy theory with no rational thought attached' crap out there. So, that alone makes it watchable.

Where it becomes unintentionally hilarious is at the end of every segment, they show some object from a museum that you would think would be part of the story. But most of the time, it's an item "reminiscent of the actual item". It just seems incredibly lazy and pointless, especially since actual artifacts from many of the stories actually exist...in museums!

My favorite was the segment on Lake Nyos in Cameroon that suffered a linnie carbon dioxide) eruption. The issue was fixed by sticking a few pipes deep in the lake. What do they show us? A plain old PVC pipe from a plumbing museum in Massachusetts. Why?

As others have said, there are also plenty of fact and costuming inaccuracies, but these don't bother me as much as they apparently bother some people. Geez.

More Power (2022– )

Disappointingly Boring

[3/10 · 4 July 2022]

I'm not really sure what the point of the show is. It seems to be an attempt to recreate the hilarious banter between Tim and Richard in Home Improvement. Problem is, most of that was scripted. This is not. Put any two random people in a shop and tell them to aimlessly goof off, and it would be about as funny.

The other point seems to be to explain VERY basic power tool concepts, -so basic that if you know anything about power tools, there's nothing new. And if you know absolutely nothing, you still don't learn anything beyond an elementary school level. Ex: In e2, you learn that pneumatics use pressurized air, and hydraulics use pressurized fluid. Wow.

There's also some nonsense about having a maker put together some creative tool, but it's only shown in brief segments at the beginning of the end of the show, so you don't really get to see that either.

I wanted to like this, but until it finds some kind of direction, it's basically pointless and just a big commercial for whatever company's tools they're spotlighting in that episode.

Cuties (2020)

Two Movies in One

[5/10 · 29 October 2021]

What we have here are two good ideas, each of which could have made a wonderful movie, and even both combined still could've done the same. The problem is that in attempting to ensure the message about the sexualization of children is received by the audience, the movie completely overdoes it with all the repetitive sexualized dance scenes, hundreds of close-up chest/butt/crotch shots, skimpy costumes, dialogue, and scenes which are all completely gratuitous and largely pointless. The filmmakers could've cut 90% of the dance scenes and the disturbing and poignant messages STILL would've hit home, and the movie still would've worked -without beating you over the head.

All of those gratuitous shots give me the impression that the filmmakers were like that scene during the contest where a woman is trying to cover her chil's eyes. There's an older boy next to her, who is clearly enjoying the show in a very creepy/leery way.

So, had I known then what I know now, I would've watched this movie for the message, and fast forwarded through all the interminable dance scenes. If you're able to look past that, there really is a beautiful story here about Amy's life in the heavily restrictive and misogynistic Senegalese/Muslim culture. The actresses playing Amy, her mother, and Auntie are all amazing in these scenes. (I actually wouldn't have minded a movie that was only about this, and not about the annoying dancing girls). There are even some great scenes exploring the violently mercurial and capricious natures of tween and teen social lives, especially the cliques and bullying.

So, if you can get past all the disturbing sexualization of children without vomiting, this is a movie worth watching. But if you can't, I honestly can't blame you.

Apollo 11: Quarantine (2021)

Excellent footage, but that's ALL it is.

[2/10 · 1 June 2021]

If you want to see really interesting footage of how this was accomplished, this is worth watching. If I were reviewing only on the footage, I'd give it a 10. But it should be noted that there is no narration, except a few random blurbs of NASA/news reporting and politician speeches starting around 21 minutes into the 30-minute runtime, no other audio than background sound effects. There are also no closed captions. It would've been really nice to hear something about what procedure was going on in a particular scene. I can imagine the deaf or hearing-impaired community would've really appreciated that.

The Sunday Show with Jonathan Capehart (2020– )

Wonderful show and host

[9/10 · 16 May 2021]

This show is a breath of fresh air in an era where most news anchors speak at warp speed trying to cram in as much content as possible between ridiculously long commercial breaks. His show is very similar to Joshua Johnson's, which is also extremely pleasant to listen to. He is able to share meaningful news in a calm and thoughtful way, while treating guests with respect and politeness and allowing them to finish their answers. This is something that has been long missing from TV news.

The Week with Joshua Johnson (2020–2021)

Wonderful Show and Anchor

[10/10 · 16 May 2021]

This is one of the best shows on MSNBC. Joshua is amazingly pleasant to listen to. He knows how to impart the important news without seeming like he's trying to cram in as much content as possible between commercial breaks. His conversations with guests are always polite, informative, and intelligent. In the annoying era of high-speed frantic news shows, his calmness and objectivity are something special that has been long missing. Whenever he delivers his personal insides and monologues, they are also thoughtful and insightful. In some ways he reminds me of Cronkite.

The Cross Connection with Tiffany Cross (2020–2022)

Dear God, that voice.

[2/10 · 16 May 2021]

Like others have said, I wanted to like this show. Yes, she has much to learn about being an anchor, but that'll come with time. She does have some pretty good insights and questions at times. I'm sure she'll learn the ropes of dealing with the time delays and not stepping over guests' answers that more seasoned anchors know. Actually, there are quite a few MSNBC anchors who are far worse about outright interrupting or distracting guests' replies with pointless grunts or Hmm/Uh-huh interjections. It doesn't help that MSNBC has a bad habit of having a guest on to speed-answer 1-2 questions in 60 seconds between two 5+ minute breaks. I'm sure she feels the needs to fill those spaces with as much content as possible, but it doesn't work, and that's not her fault.

But the one big problem with her show that must be addressed is her voice. It is painfully shrill, nasal, and squeaky. Add in her frequent warp speed rants and it becomes completely unlistenable. There's a reason why most on-air talent hire voice coaches to develop that mysterious Midwestern newscaster non-accent, simply because it's easy to listen to and easy to understand. Anchors with strong accents like New Yawkers, Bostonians, Southerners, or people from other countries invest a lot of time and money learning to temper their accents so they can do the job better. Tiffany, frankly, needs this training more than any other broadcaster I've ever heard. If she can learn to slow it down, drop the register a little bit, and maybe dial back the constant condescending reminders that she went to Harvard, then she'll the makings of a good show.

Alfred Hitchcock Presents: A Little Sleep (1957) Season 2, Episode 38

Predictable ending, but...that dance.

[10/10 · 3 May 2021]

As others have aptly said, Barbara's character here shines as an amazingly complicated girl, despite her actual shallowness. You know exactly how her story will end long before the final scene, but wow, that dance at the beginning is just pure art. Not having been alive in the 50s, I was amazed that the censors even allowed it on the air, but they did, and I consider it a classic Hitchcockian scene. That alone is a reason to watch this episode. Everything about it: her beauty, the cute/sexy teasing dance, the rapt partygoer cast, the camera work, apropos music -all of it makes you simply adore and/or pity her. Then her subsequent behavior snaps you back to reality and you see her character for the shallow, entitled vessel she really is. It works because we all know someone like this. Unfortunately they're common today, but back then? Not so common, and quite scandalous.

As I said, the rest of the episode plays out pretty much exactly as you would expect, but that setup still makes it a very worthwhile watch.

The X-Files: The Lost Art of Forehead Sweat (2018) Season 11, Episode 4

Best comedic ep since Jose Chung's From Outer Space

[10/10 · 25 January 2018]

Given that the X-Files should (and always has been) an escape, I haven't been thrilled with the political and social commentary that's been so prominent in this season's writing, but this episode goes there, and blends it in a nostalgic way which is just hilarious.