My latest guilty pleasure: Why Women Kill

A friend had recommended Why Women Kill, and since we have the same taste in TV shows, I was intrigued. I'm so glad she told me about this show because it was really good! I wish there had been more than two seasons though. The series was created by Marc Cherry, who also did Desperate Housewives. It definitely has a similar feel to that show, but it's a bit campier given the timelines. 

There are two separate stories between the two seasons. Season one and season two are not connected at all, except by one actor from season one who narrates season two. (He even says "yes..." all the time like Mary Alice did on DH.) However, both are fabulous and so much fun to watch!

Season one is about one house that has three different couples living there over three different time periods. The first is Beth Ann and Rob, in the early sixties. Beth Ann is a housewife who finds out that Rob has been cheating on her and decides to take matters into her own hands, in a very satisfying way. Simone and Karl are living in the house in the early to mid-eighties. The fashion at the time reminds me of Dynasty or some cheesy soap opera. Simone finds out a little secret about Karl and tries not to let it ruin their marriage before her daughter's wedding. However, she has an interesting secret of her own. Finally, Taylor and Eli are living in the house in 2019. They have an open marriage and bring a very attractive woman into their home. Things only spiral from there... There is a star-studded cast for season one, which features Ginnifer Goodwin, Sam Jaeger, Jack Davenport, Lucy Liu, Reid Scott, and Alexandra Daddario (whose brother is in season two), just to name a few. The mayor from Ginny and Georgia even makes a few appearances (but as a completely different character). I also loved the opening bits of each episode. They were done in these fun and creative ways. One of the opening bits reminded me of Little Shop of Horrors.

Season two all takes place in 1949. Alma Fillcot is also a housewife and doesn't keep up with her appearance. She desperately wants to join an elite gardening club, run by the very wealthy and snobby Rita Castillo. (If Natalie from Girls Just Want to Have Fun was an adult, that would be Rita.) Rita belittles Alma, even when she earns the respect of the other women in the club. In the meantime, there are some twisted things going on in Alma's home and Rita becomes connected to her in a very strange way that sets off a huge rivalry. Things just get out of control after that, but I won't say anything more. As far as the cast goes, I've only seen Allison Tolman once, on The Mindy Project, but thought she was intriguing. She's a great actress, especially in her role as Alma! I vaguely recognized some of the other actors, but there was a fun side appearance from Rachel Bay Jones (Heidi in the Original Broadway Cast of Dear Evan Hansen). I also found out that Grace was played by the actress who was CJ on Fuller House (DJ's rival for Steve's affections). While everyone else was mostly new to me, it was a great cast.

If you haven't seen this show yet, it's available on Paramount Plus and so worth binge watching! 

Spoilers are below the trailers for anyone who has already seen it.

Trailer for season one:

Trailer for season two:

Spoilers: 

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It feels like forever since I saw season one, even though it was about a month or so. I will try to remember what I can to talk about it here.

Favorite characters from season one:

1. Beth Ann: She was by far the best from this season. I love how devious she was and how she went about living this double life in order to get Rob to admit he cheated on her.

2. Karl: I felt bad for him most of the time since he was living in an era where it was taboo to be gay and couldn't openly be out about it. And then when it was discovered, everyone shamed him for it. He was a genuinely good guy and it was sad what he was going through. I'm glad Simone came around and looked after him as a friend instead of as a wife. 

3. Taylor: She was all-around cool and had her act together. 

4. Tommy: I feel like a cougar just for liking him, even though the actor who plays him is obviously older than 18. He was really sweet to Simone.

5. April: She seems like she'd be a fun friend to have, and if you were Beth Ann, you'd almost have to forgive her for sleeping with your husband and getting pregnant as a result. 

Least favorite characters from season one:

1. Eli: He was just annoying and self-pitying. I think Taylor could do better in the husband department. I am glad he improved a bit by the end, but I just wasn't impressed by him at all.

2. Rob: Um, obviously!!! It was bad enough that he cheated, but to blame Beth Ann for the death of their child, which happened as a result of him bringing a mistress into his house. No wonder she came up with the plan she did.

3. Ralph (the abusive husband): No one likes an abusive husband in general. I love how Beth Ann used the situation to get him to kill Rob so that he'd be put away. I just want to know what happened with Mary after that. 

4. Naomi (Tommy's mom): She could have talked to Simone about what was happening with Tommy, but instead she decided to make everyone's life hellish and she used Karl's illness in the process.

5. Sheila: I don't think she was that supportive of a friend to Beth Ann. I know she didn't like what was going on, but given that Rob was the one who cheated, she should have been in cahoots with Beth Ann instead of pushing back all the time.

I liked how they transferred the house between people so you could see what everyone was up to after a certain amount of time. I got teary-eyed when Simone talked about the AIDS foundation she started. And finding out that Tommy became an artist. I was really happy for Beth that she made a new life for herself and stayed close with April and her daughter. It was also nice to see that Eli survived the stabbing and it seemed like he got his life together. 

I also love how everything came together at the end of season one, where it looked like they were all in the house at the same time during the action. That was really clever. The transitions between scenes were also great. Like someone would get into a car in one scene and then you'd see someone else driving in the next scene.

Season two:

It's really hard to pick favorite and least favorite characters since so many had multiple layers. Dee and Vern were the constants for the story. They were reliable narrators but stuck in some messy situations. I liked them together a lot. 

Alma had the Zack Morris effect going for her. She's obviously the protagonist, but when she transforms into one of the mean women, I still wanted her to win somehow. She had such an interesting story arc. I wanted to see if she could really get away with everything she did. I also wouldn't mind having her get revenge on certain people who are long overdue for their karma. She looks like a friend of mine (she has a similar face) whom I wish she would help the most in delivering karma to someone who has horribly wronged this friend. 

While Rita was a beyotch most of the time, I also wanted to see her put one over on Catherine. I actually felt bad for her when her life fell apart and she looked so vulnerable after that. So I actually enjoyed some of her scheming tactics in regard to getting Catherine off her back. As I was writing about Rita, this came up in my Facebook feed:

Scooter seemed like a caricature in some ways. Like he was attractive but he could be really stupid sometimes. I found him to be annoying for the most part.

I also didn't like Catherine all that much. I wanted to like her sometimes, but she was just embarrassing. How did she not suspect Rita of the setup with Scooter? She knew Rita was cheating on her dad and Scooter's appearances seemed pretty coincidental. Maybe she just didn't want to see the connection? 

Bertie is a mixed bag. He killed all those people but then was appalled when Alma wanted to do the same. I know he had different reasons, but he still killed people anyway. Maybe they could have gotten help for their suffering instead somehow. I didn't see Maisie asking him to kill her in the first episode. Also, what did he really tell Vern. It sounds like he pinned everything on Alma before he killed himself. 

I really liked Dee a lot. I wish she had been able to get a new job though. It seems like she relied on Vern for everything as soon as she lost her job. She seemed like someone who could stand on her own, so I was surprised by that. It was also dumb for her to return Mrs. Yost's items without putting gloves on or something to keep her fingerprints off them. Especially after the nephew told her the items were missing. She should have hidden them or dumped them somewhere instead. 

As for Vern, I was kind of hoping he'd let everything go after Isabel's "confession". I know he was trying to stay on the right side of the law, but it also would have been interesting to let Alma get caught in the act instead of confronting her first. 

There were a couple of relationships that seemed interesting for 1949. The friend who introduced me to the show pointed out that no one seemed bothered by the interracial relationship between Vern and Dee. While I'm glad no one made trouble for them, it was surprising for that time period for people to turn a blind eye. I also wasn't expecting the lesbian affair between Grace and Joan. I kind of wish Joan had just confessed to it, but it was seen as taboo in that time period. Nowadays, no one would bat an eyelash. 

Overall, season two was more farcical in nature, but I enjoyed every moment of it! I was hoping for more of a twist to the story, but I was surprised by a lot of what had happened.

What are your thoughts on Why Women Kill?

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Best of 2022

Courtesy of Metro

I realize I didn't blog here a lot this year, and when I did, it was about pop culture. It's been that kind of year, I suppose...

New (to me) TV shows that I enjoyed in 2022 (in no particular order):

Riverdale: Seasons 1-3, Seasons 4-6

I can't wait for season seven!

Heartstopper: I love the graphic novels and this series brings them to life in the most touching and beautiful ways. The two leads are adorable!

Courtesy of IMDb

How I Met Your Father: I was skeptical at first, but this is a fun series and I'm excited for it to return in late January. There are even some cameos from HIMYM.

Maggie: Such a sweet sitcom and I'm sad that it wasn't picked up for a second season. I hope to see Rebecca Rittenhouse in something else soon. 

The Time Traveler's Wife: This series was so much better than the movie. It gave new life to the book and went even beyond that. Three words: Naked Theo James. :)

The Sex Lives of College Girls: What comes between Never Have I Ever and Sex and the City. This is such a fun series and I'm glad it will be getting a third season. 

Courtesy of Rotten Tomatoes

Virgin River: If Schitt's Creek was my sanity saver in 2020 and Ted Lasso was my sanity saver in 2021, then Virgin River takes the title for 2022. I love everything about this show and am eagerly awaiting season five. It's such a comfort show, even with the elements of danger.

I Love That for You: Quirky comedy starring Molly Shannon and Vanessa Bayer. I hope there will be another season. It's really well written!

Reboot: I wasn't sure I was going to like this at first, but then I really got into it and it had more layers than I was even expecting. 

Courtesy of TV Insider

The White Lotus: I still can't stop thinking about this show!

Runners up:

The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem: It's an interesting show but some parts are really gross and unnecessary. It's also hard to like most of the characters.

The Summer I Turned Pretty: This is more for the Gen Z crowd and it's hard to feel sorry for someone who has multiple guys interested in her.

Courtesy of IMDb

Partner Track: I liked it overall, but it was a slow build and Ingrid could be really frustrating. I also didn't understand all the law terminology.

Queer as Folk: I had hopes this would be better than it was, but I felt like I was jumping into the middle of something that had no context and most of the characters got in their own way. 

The Kids in the Hall (reboot): It was nice to see the guys again after all this time, but a lot of the humor was tone-deaf. We did get some good inside jokes out of it though.

Courtesy of IMDb

The vote is still out on Wednesday, as I am still in the middle of it, but I wouldn't say it's a favorite even though it's really well done. It's clever and Jenna Ortega is great in the titular role.

Favorite movies from 2022 (links are to trailers):

Turning Red: One of the few recent Pixar films that had an emotional impact for me.

Better Nate Than Ever: Really cute. Follows the book for the most part, with a few changes. Definitely got me teary-eyed.

Where the Crawdads Sing: First (and only) movie I saw in the theater since the pandemic started. Followed the book really well with great acting throughout.

I Want You Back: Such a cute and fun rom-com! And there's a nod to Little Shop of Horrors.

Matilda: One of the better movie musicals I've seen lately. 

Rosaline: Another cute rom-com set in Shakespearian times. Somewhat made up for not getting to the Ren Faire this year...

Moonshot: I don't think it's available on HBO anymore, so I'm glad I caught it when I did, as it was really good. It helps that Cole Sprouse was one of the leads...

Side note: I don't see a lot of movies so the ones that are currently popular have not made this list as a result of just not seeing them yet.

Books: 

See my top five picks at Chick Lit Central, as well! I read so many amazing books this year (go to my Goodreads page and see all the five-star books) and am sad to have to narrow it down at all. Links are to reviews.

11/22/63 by Stephen King

For the Love of Friends by Sara Goodman Confino

The Friendship Breakup by Annie Cathryn

Playing With Myself by Randy Rainbow

The Maid by Nita Prose

Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan

The First to Die at the End by Adam Silvera

The Book Woman's Daughter by Kim Michele Richardson

Kiss Her Once for Me by Alison Cochrun

Woman on Fire by Lisa Barr

Theater:

It was so nice to go see live theater again this year. It started out in February with a performance of A.D. 16 at a local professional theater. Since it was written by Cinco Paul (Schmigadoon), my oldest and I were excited to see it. While it was a fun show with good music, my son liked it more than I did. I think I was expecting it to be as funny as Schmigadoon...

In March, I took my oldest to see Rent at the National Theater. We had seen filmed productions of it, but it was so much fun to see it live with him. Most of the cast did a great job, but Roger's voice seemed weak. 

In April, we finally got to see Mean Girls. Here are my thoughts on that performance.

In July, my oldest and I saw The Band's Visit at Kennedy Center. I was excited about it because one of the actors from Shtisel played the lead male character. When we arrived, I was even more excited to find out that Janet Dacal from the Original Broadway Cast of In the Heights was playing the lead female character. The show was decent with some good music, but it was hard to follow what was going on sometimes.

Right before my birthday, we got to see Six. That was amazing!!! Here are my thoughts.

A few days later, my husband and I saw a Second City show at Kennedy Center for my birthday. It was really funny and totally on point with all the commentary about politics and today's society. 

We're supposed to see Beauty and the Beast this week, but it was cancelled twice before when we tried to see it this month, so I am keeping my fingers crossed...

I recently got into the music from Carrie: The Musical, thanks to Riverdale. I'd love to see a performance of this someday!

Famous people I want to meet:

Cole Sprouse. That's all. (Not me being a cougar or anything...)

Courtesy of Puzzle Factory

Highlights from 2022:

* My nephew's arrival in August. He's the cutest little guy and I love seeing pictures of him and doing video chats. I can't wait until the next time I get to hold him again. This is the first nephew on my side of the family and I adore him so much!

* Seeing Rocky Horror with my oldest a couple times. I still remember most of the lines and it was so much fun to shout them at the screen. My oldest thought they were really funny too. Our shared favorite is "I hate celery!" I didn't realize how much I missed the experience of Rocky Horror until I did it again. And it's good to know that most of the lines are universal and don't just apply to one theater in the Chicago suburbs. :) 

* Running blog tours for my job. It's one of my favorite things to do for the company I work with and I get good turnouts each time.

* My oldest getting his license. While I'm going to get a lot more gray hairs from this, I appreciate that I don't have to do as much driving. 

* My younger two kids graduating from elementary and middle school. 

* Seeing my oldest in his school play and musical and seeing my youngest in her camp musicals.

* Celebrating 20 years of being with my husband altogether. (Also 18 years of marriage.)

* Seeing "Will" again on our way to Chicago. 

* Reuniting with some friends while we were in Chicago. 

* Going to Pride Fest. It's been so long since I had last done anything fun to celebrate LGBTQ+ pride.

* Getting to see Liza Wiemer again. She's a fantastic author and if you haven't read The Assignment yet, you definitely should! Along with Liza, I also got to see my friend Kelly again. Liza is the one who introduced us.

* Getting to meet up with some other friends I hadn't seen in person since before the pandemic. 

* Meeting Camille Di Maio in person, as she's an author whose historical fiction novels I really like. She is absolutely lovely in person as she is online!

* Going to Philadelphia over President's weekend. We visited a really interesting museum called Wonderspaces and also got to explore the Franklin Institute. 

* The election having better results than I was expecting. While we avoided a red wave, there were still some disappointments, but we did pretty well as a country, overall. 

On a sad note, this year brought an unexpected loss to our family. In early August, my father-in-law passed away from a sudden heart attack. I am thankful that we saw him over Memorial Day weekend, but I didn't expect that to be the last time we'd ever see him again and forgot to take pictures with him. I'm still processing his passing and I know it has had an impact on my husband. He got to say goodbye to his father in person, even though it was difficult to see him that way. I feel awful for his half-sisters and stepmother, but the upside is that my husband has reconnected with them as a result. 

Anyway, I hope 2023 only brings good things to everyone. 

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The Past is Obdurate: Review of 11/22/63

I had been dragging my feet on reading Stephen King's epic novel, 11/22/63, for quite some time. A couple friends of mine have been constantly nudging me to read it, so I made it a goal for this year and bought a copy in January, knowing I would read it at some point. I finally set aside some time this fall and started it last Monday. I finished it less than a week later! This novel is 850 pages of emotion, adrenaline, and lots of "what ifs". I just couldn't put it down and now that I'm done, I can't stop thinking about it. I'm even angling to watch the TV series soon. 

Jake Epping is a thirty-five-year-old high school English teacher in Lisbon Falls, Maine, who makes extra money teaching adults in the GED program. He receives an essay from one of the students—a gruesome, harrowing first person story about the night 50 years ago when Harry Dunning’s father came home and killed his mother, his sister, and his brother with a hammer. Harry escaped with a smashed leg, as evidenced by his crooked walk.

Not much later, Jake’s friend Al, who runs the local diner, divulges a secret: his storeroom is a portal to 1958. He enlists Jake on an insane—and insanely possible—mission to try to prevent the Kennedy assassination. So begins Jake’s new life as George Amberson and his new world of Elvis and JFK, of big American cars and sock hops, of a troubled loner named Lee Harvey Oswald and a beautiful high school librarian named Sadie Dunhill, who becomes the love of Jake’s life – a life that transgresses all the normal rules of time.

A tribute to a simpler era and a devastating exercise in escalating suspense, 11/22/63 is Stephen King at his epic best. (Synopsis courtesy of Amazon.)

I honestly don't know why I waited so long to read this one. I found out that it published in 2011, but it only just hit my radar a few years ago when my friends kept mentioning it. I didn't give much thought about it until then, so I had no idea it had been out for eleven years. If I had read it back when it was published, Jake and I would have been the same age. However, at that time I had a five year-old, a three year-old, and a baby. So big books like this one would have scared me off. Nowadays, my kids are teens and tweens, which allows me plenty of quiet reading time and I just devoured this book whenever I had the chance. Eight hundred and fifty pages just flew by as the story was so well-written, fast-paced, and engaging throughout. So if you're ever questioning why you should invest the time to read this novel, I would encourage you to just go for it! It will be worth your while, I promise. 

This is not King's usual fare if you consider that he mostly writes horror novels. However, it has his genuine storytelling skill that I enjoyed from the few other novels of his that I have read. (Most recent before this was The Institute, reviewed here.) At times, it took on a Wally Lamb feel. There's more to the story than just the time travel element. It delves into human nature and compassion and there's a romantic storyline, as well. The level of detail is so impressive that I could just see the story playing out right in front of me. It was so well-researched too. There were some unsettling parts though, which may be hard for some readers to handle. I squirmed during those parts but then it was worth getting through each one to see what would happen next. I just had to know if Jake would accomplish his mission or if the obdurate past would continue to get in his way. 

I love the feel of a simpler time that was played out in this story, from 1958 to 1963. Sure, not everything was perfect, but I loved all the camaraderie in Jodie, especially at the school. I just can't fathom what it would be like to function without a cell phone, the Internet, GPS, etc. I give Jake kudos for getting by without all the tools of the present.

There were a lot of themes and words that ran through the story multiple times. "Jimla," for example. Or saying obdurate all the time. Also, a lot of focus on things being in harmony. He said "Land of Ago" often, as well. And "In the Mood" by Glenn Miller was constantly playing. 

Some of the stuff going on with Lee reminded me of 90 Day Fiancé. He had a wife from another country and his mother was completely overbearing. Sound familiar? :) 

Overall, I just really loved this novel and can't get enough of it. I wish there would be a sequel written about preventing something that happened about six years ago. I'm sure Stephen King would love to give that storyline a whirl, given what I've seen on his Twitter feed. 

Since there's already a TV series out there, I'm not going to cast this book. I never pictured James Franco as Jake, but would be interested to see how he takes on this role. The other roles seem pretty well cast, especially Sarah Gadon as Sadie. 

I'm going to share some spoilers down below, so back out now if you haven't read this masterpiece yet (and then come back later, after you do). 

Before I get there, I am sharing this picture on Instagram, as I found some newspapers in a box that my parents gave me during my last visit to Chicago. It seemed pretty random, but maybe they knew I had plans to read this book. Either way, it's fascinating that they held onto it for so long and I am curious to read the articles when I have a chance. 

Spoilers:

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Did Al have any clue of what could happen if Jake stopped Lee from killing JFK? It seemed like it led him to such a completely different world when he came back. Almost like a dystopia of sorts. 

How did Deke and Ellen know to look after Sadie to save her from Johnny Clayton if Jake didn't send the letter to warn them? And why would Johnny go after her if she wasn't in a new relationship anyway?

Why was the green card man trying to stop Jake from undoing his damage when he went back in?

Why wouldn't Jake want to save Harry and his family again on the last go-around, especially if he wasn't going to save JFK again? I know Harry could go off to war if he wasn't hurt, but why should his mom and siblings have to be killed again in this new timeline?

How did the mob know where Jake was living in 1963? He always hid his address when he showed his license and I thought it had his information from Jodie on there anyway. 

At the way end, what do the dates from January 2009-December 2010 and the Florida and Maine locations have to do with anything? 

If you have read this novel (which you should have if you've gotten this far), I'd love to hear your thoughts!

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In a Dale-spin: Thoughts on seasons 4-6 of Riverdale...with SPOILERS

Since I already shared my overall thoughts on why I love Riverdale (a.k.a. The Dale), I'm going to jump right in with sharing my thoughts on seasons 4-6. Yes, there will be lots of spoilers, so if you haven't seen these seasons yet, it's not too late to back out of reading this post....

Courtesy of Newsweek

There is sooooo much to process from these past three seasons. First of all, I forgot to mention in my previous post that the youth prison where Archie goes in season three is so much like Shawshank Redemption that I don't get why they didn't name that prison Shankshaw instead of the one in town. The warden's last name is Norton too. 

Anyway, season four is where Jughead goes to that fancy school so he can write a book. However, he comes up against Bret and Donna, who are both terrible. First of all, Bret only has one T in his name. That annoys me. And Donna is just a total b*tch. The headmaster guy was awful too. Jughead should have just left the moment he sensed something weird going on. Also, being stuck in that coffin overnight was just too horrifying. Then again, things weren't much better at Riverdale High with Principal Honey, a.k.a. Jack from Dawson's Creek. He was such a jerk the entire time. And it seemed like he was gaslighting everyone too. I really loved the Hedwig episode though. Kevin was so great in that costume! I like the music from Hedwig and the Angry Inch and I had just rewatched the movie recently, so it was fresh in my head. Also, Jughead has a great singing voice, so that adds to it. 

Courtesy of Wikipedia

The whole situation where Betty was tricked to think she killed Jughead but then she finds out what really happened and plays along to mess with Bret and Donna...that was just such a fun plot twist. I loved seeing Jughead alive again and knowing he masterminded everything to take those two entitled jerks down. However, I did NOT like that she and Archie kissed for real in the Hedwig episode. I was okay with it when it was a ruse to mislead everyone but not when it was the thing that would drive wedges between Varchie and Bughead. 

The Farm situation also bled into season four. No one will be able to forget Edgar Evernever's rocket...

Finally in season four, we say goodbye to Fred Andrews. That was at the beginning of the season, due to Luke Perry's death from a stroke. It was definitely a sad episode, even with Shannen Doherty making an appearance. I may have cried a couple of times.

Courtesy of USA Today

Onto season five! It picked up where they left off from season four and celebrated the end of school. However, there was something nefarious going on with weird videos that people were sharing with everyone in town. That also started in season four. We found out that Jellybean was behind the videos because she wanted to give Jughead something to do so that he wouldn't go to college. After she confessed, she and F.P. left town. That didn't work so well for F.P. and Alice rekindling their relationship though. Charles also confessed to some murders, from what I remember, and he went to prison. Betty finally told Jughead about kissing Archie and that was pretty much the downfall of Bughead. :( Archie went off to join the army. Cheryl and Toni broke up because of some family conflict. That was sad too.

Suddenly, it's seven years later and we see the Riverdale gang leading different lives. Betty is in the FBI and trying to catch the Trash Bag Killer, who kidnapped her for two weeks. Jughead is a struggling writer who owes a lot of money and is always drunk. Archie is back in Riverdale after an injury that forces him out of the army. Veronica is married to some rich guy and running a secret jewelry store. Cheryl is a recluse and Toni is a social worker. Riverdale is falling apart though, thanks to Hiram, of course. He wants to run the town into the ground, but thankfully Archie is back to stop that from happening. Polly gets herself into some situation where she ends up being killed. Oh, and there are aliens or something like that. They're called Mothmen and I think they're responsible for Polly's death. Some supernatural things happen too. There's a new girl working at Pop's....his granddaughter Tabitha. Of course, she's a romantic interest for Jughead. And why not? She's pretty and she can sing. (The actress, Erinn Westbrook, was on Glee even though I don't remember her at all from that show.)

Courtesy of TV Fanatic

They did a Next to Normal episode, which was pretty good overall. It was kind of surreal with Alice seeing dead people (namely Polly, since Charles is only in prison). I haven't seen Next to Normal, but this episode does fit well with the premise of that musical, based on what I've heard.

There's also the Dickinsons, which is a terrible family whom you don't want to cross. Darla is so evil and terrifying. Thankfully, Archie figured out a way to take them down. 

Speaking of taking down villains, everyone finally ganged up on Hiram and blackmailed him into getting out of town for good. However, Hiram left one last surprise in Archie's room, which leads us to the most bizarre season of all so far...season six.

I don't even know how to explain season six. It starts out as Rivervale. Some really strange stuff happens in Rivervale and people are being killed left and right, starting with Archie. However, Jughead finds some connection between Rivervale and Riverdale and opens some portal that allows multiple versions of him to show up. The best was when the first Reggie showed up to face off with the current Reggie. I'm all used to Charles Melton as Reggie, so it's weird to even remember that he wasn't the original in that role. Anyway, we're suddenly back in Riverdale after that and the surprise in Archie's room, which is a bomb, just went off. Thankfully, Betty received a call before it happened and was able to get them both out of Archie's room. (I forgot to mention that Betty and Archie are currently together. They were together after the seven year leap, but then Archie got back with Veronica and when that fell through, he went to Betty again. Consolation prize, anyone?)

Archie is now invulnerable and can't be hurt. Betty sees auras around dangerous people. And Jughead can read minds. Cheryl has lots of magical powers, like being able to throw fire from her body, also known as pyrokinesis. In the meantime, this British guy named Percival Pickens shows up out of nowhere and starts using his mind control powers to take over the town. Archie, Betty, Jughead, Tabitha, Toni, and Fangs can see through his trickery though. However, that doesn't stop him from being a completely horrible menace. He's even worse than Hiram and it actually makes me wish Hiram would come back. Oh wait, he can't because Veronica hired a hitman to kill him. Meanwhile, Zig from Degrassi shows up, but his name is Heraldo on this show. 

Anyway, back to Percival Pickens. There are very few people who make it to my ultimate hatred list, and he is one of them. Yes, he's a fictional character, but that's just how truly despicable he is. I HATE HIM SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!! Everything that Archie and the gang try to do to take him down, he finds a way to one-up them. He even finds out about Archie's palladium weakness and uses it against him. Not surprising though. Percival is pretty much invincible. He does so much to mess with everyone's head and trick them into doing his bidding. And when he doesn't get his way, he casts all these spells. (If you ever wanted to know about the plagues in Egypt that are part of the Passover story, look no further than Percival and his band of evil emissaries...) He looks like Christian Bale and that has basically ruined Christian Bale for me. Ironically, they do an episode with songs from the American Psycho musical and Christian was originally in that movie. Hmmm.... 

Courtesy of Personality Database

I mean, look at him! Don't you just want to smack him?!? UGGGGGH!

Speaking of musicals, I wish they had done Spring Awakening. It is such a good one for them to perform on Riverdale. The only connection is that Duncan Sheik also did the music for American Psycho. However, Riverdale hasn't moved me to listen to the cast recording all the time like I do with Carrie. I liked the performance of "You Are What You Wear" and the song Betty performed because she sounded amazing. By the way, why did Veronica invite Drake to the bachelorette party if she was annoyed at her for hitting on Betty?

I love how Rivervale comes back into play and how it helps everyone get rid of Percival. It was genius how Jughead tricked him, especially after how he messed with Jughead's mind. I was furious when he did that!!! Not that I wasn't furious about anything else, but this was the last straw. I was glad when Kevin and Reggie finally saw through Percival's BS.

I also love Cheryl's witchy storyline this season and how she reunites with her girlfriend from middle school. Heather was really cool and reminded me of Lisa Loeb. I love how she helped Cheryl enhance her skills, like with becoming invisible. She also softened Cheryl's personality a lot. 

I'm glad Betty was able to kill TBK. I think he was some guy who maneuvered his way onto Archie's construction crew and tried to kill Archie, but they don't show his face again even after Betty kills him.

How is the mortician also the town doctor? Dr. Curdle gives me the creeps too.

Am I the only one who gets annoyed at Toni and Fangs calling their son "Baby Anthony"? We know he's a baby. BTW, he looks really good as an adult and I love his curls. I also love that he's gay in the sweet hereafter.

I love the meta use of comic books this season, especially when Jughead was in someone's mind and using them to access their memories. 

Anyway, even with Percival gone, there was one last issue to contend with, as he put a spell on the town with the comet and the lockdown. I love how Cheryl and Veronica worked together to solve that problem though. However, it took Riverdale into a completely new direction....back to the 1950s. And Jughead is the only one who knows differently. It will be interesting to see what happens in season seven, now that there's a blank slate for all the characters. Will Hiram be returning even though Fred clearly can't? How will the time warp get reversed? There's so much to process and we might have to wait until early 2023 to find out. I just hope Bughead gets back together!

Courtesy of TV Fanatic. I couldn't share
this post without at least one Jughead pic!

I know I shared a lot of random Riverdale thoughts today, but so much has happened in these past three seasons and it's a lot of work to try to remember everything. I'm always glad to discuss Riverdale though!

What do you think of the past three seasons?

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The Sharp Knife of a Short Life: Thoughts on tick, tick...Boom!

Courtesy of TV Insider

Back in 2003, I saw tick, tick...Boom! on stage. I had wanted to see it because I knew it was written by Jonathan Larson and I was (and still am) a huge Rent fan. I didn't really know much about the story or songs, but I  fell in love with it right away. At the time, Christian Campbell (Trick), Wilson Cruz (My So-Called Life), and Nikki Snelson (Legally Blonde: The Musical) were in it. After the show, my sister, friend, and I got to meet the actors and they were so nice! I also bought the soundtrack right away and couldn't stop listening to it! So yeah, I've been into TTB for a long time. I was thrilled to find out that it was being made into a movie and I counted down the days until it finally was released on Netflix. So seeing it this past weekend was a total treat in more ways than one. It was well worth the 18 1/2 year wait (since I last saw it, at least). I don't remember the dialogue from the stage production, but the music was definitely fresh in my head, so it was interesting to see what they would do with it on film. I was more than pleasantly surprised. 

With Christian Campbell, who played Jonathan (2003)

With Wilson Cruz, who played Michael (2003)

With Robin de Jesús, who played Michael in the movie (2009)

The story is set up with Jonathan (played perfectly by Andrew Garfield) doing a one-man show for an audience, with some singing help from Roger (Joshua Henry) and Karessa (Vanessa Hudgens). During this time, he's telling his story and interjecting songs throughout. It is similar to this actual performance by Jonathan Larson. In case you weren't aware yet, TTB is about Jonathan Larson trying to get a musical produced (not Rent though) and all the obstacles he runs into along the way, such as time, money, demands from his girlfriend (Susan, played by Alexandra Shipp) and best friend (Michael, played by Robin de Jesús, shown above), needing to write one more song, etc. The story takes place right before he turns 30, in early 1990 and he is feeling like he's not meeting any milestones. To go with this time period, there's a cordless phone with an antenna, an old computer with really old word processing software, etc. The fashion is early 90s and New York City doesn't have all the bright lights everywhere you go. This is also during the height of the AIDS crisis. I don't want to say too much about what happens, as to not spoil it. To alleviate confusion, the scenes where Jonathan is playing piano take place shortly after the scenes where he is interacting with people in the city, at the diner, or at his apartment. I will be sharing spoilers below the trailer, for anyone who has seen it and wants to share in my love for this movie.

While Jonathan Larson wrote the story and it was about his life, Lin-Manuel Miranda directed the movie. This is such a great marriage of two incredibly talented minds. I wrote about my love for both artists a while back, so it's fitting that they came together in this way. There are a LOT of Broadway and other celebrity appearances in this show and so many Rent Easter eggs throughout. So be on the lookout when you watch it.

Even though I loved the movie version of In the Heights, I enjoyed this movie version of a musical even more. My older son agrees with me on that. There was something about this movie that spoke to me and I can't stop thinking about it. It felt so raw and honest the entire time and it is relatable no matter what age you are. I was younger than 30 when I first saw it, and 30 is now far back in my rearview mirror.

Andrew Garfield was excellent and captured Jonathan's essence and kindness, bringing him back to life in so many ways. I also love how NYC served as the backdrop and just added so much more to the story. It didn't need to be all flashy to do that job.

If this is the first you're hearing about tick, tick...Boom!, check out the trailer and then make a date to watch it soon! Just don't read past the trailer to avoid spoilers! And have a box of tissues nearby...

 

My thoughts with spoilers:

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* While they added in some new songs (well, songs that Jonathan wrote that weren't in the original stage production), they also took out or shortened some others. "Green Green Dress" was used as background music during a seduction scene. It was a cool cover of the song and I was told that the song is played in full during the end credits, but I didn't get that far. "Sugar" was reduced to one line in order to prove a point. "Real Life" was one line repeated a bunch of times. 

* "Sunday" was the best, with all the Broadway cameos. I recognized Bebe Neuwirth, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Renee Elise Goldsberry, Phillipa Soo, Andre De Shields, Bernadette Peters, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Adam Pascal, Daphne Rubin Vega, and Wilson Jermaine Heredia, Phylicia Rashad, and Chita Rivera. There were some others I didn't recognize or missed altogether until it was pointed out to me later. I really need to watch that scene again. I love how it added so much essence to the song. And the chaos right before it started reminded me of restaurant jobs I've had in the past. 

* At the focus group, it was easy to recognize Laura Benanti and Utkarsh Ambudkar (who is in every single TV show and movie), but you may not know that Danielle Ferland played the woman with the short blond hair. She was the original Red Riding Hood in Into the Woods!

* There was an abstract feel to the show that reminded me of Chicago soemtimes, especially during 

* I loved some other celebrity appearances, as well. Judith Light was great as Jonathan's agent, Rosa. Bradley Whitford was so convincing as Stephen Sondheim. It was fun to see Richard Kind, even though I always think of him as Bing Bong. It was also a pleasant surprise to see Christopher Jackson! I found out later that I missed appearances from Chris Sullivan, Luis Miranda, and Roger Bart. Another reason (among many) to watch again. 

* I think knowing Jonathan's ultimate fate made the story feel much heavier, like time really was ticking for him and he had no idea six years prior to his death. It packed in an extra punch to an already emotionally impactful story. My subject line is from The Band Perry's "If I Die Young" and it's fitting for Jonathan. 

* I liked that they included "Boho Days" into the movie. It's a hidden track on the stage cast recording, so I feel like it's incredibly underrated. 

* One of the Rent Easter eggs I caught was when Jonathan was mentioning friends who died from AIDS and all the names were those from the support group in Rent. (Steve, Ali, Pam, etc.) There was also a Rent vibe in general whenever Jonathan was talking and describing things. He reminded me so much of Mark during those times.

* The song "Why" is the one where Jonathan is singing about Michael, but the title is confusing since he asks "why?" a lot in "Louder than Words."

* Robin sounded different to me. I saw him twice in In the Heights and I feel like his voice changed since 2017 (when I last saw him perform live). "No More" was fun to watch on screen though. Watching them dancing in the different places added to the humor. 

* It would be cool to see Superbia as an actual musical. Maybe Lin-Manuel could work his magic and bring it to life even more.

* "Swimming" was new and different. It reminded me of "Contact" from Rent in some ways. It's one of those songs that grows on you after a few listens. (I just wondered how he had time to swim if he didn't have time to talk with Susan and Michael.) I like how it inspired him to write "Come to Your Senses." Speaking of which, I loved how great Alexandra and Vanessa sounded in that song. I sometimes had trouble telling their voices apart, but then they harmonized really well.

* I wasn't really sure how "Play Game" fit in, but I love how the rapper auditioned for Cats at the end. 

* In the stage production, all three actors sang "Johnny Can't Decide", which I think worked better since they were all talking about themselves in third person. 

If you've seen tick, tick... Boom!, I'd love to hear your thoughts!

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A Musical Sensation: My thoughts on Schmigadoon

Courtesy of The Movie Database

As soon as I first heard about Schmigadoon, I knew it was going to be the perfect show for me. I love Broadway musicals and comedy. The combination is a dream come true! I had high hopes for this show to live up to the expectations I set for it....and it did! 

There is so much that I love about Schmigadoon, so I will just make a list: 

* One of the main characters is named Melissa. That almost never happens in a show, movie, book, etc. I also love how one of the supporting characters says it. You'll know what I mean as soon as you hear it said a certain way....

* It has so many different tropes from old-time musicals, including characters, plots, song styles, etc.

* It has an ongoing inside joke in the form of Pete, who is always getting injured. I also love the little boy announcing everything. 

* It has a star studded cast featuring: Keegan-Michael Key, Cecily Strong, Alan Cumming, Kristin Chenoweth, Aaron Tveit, Fred Armisen, Dove Cameron, Ariana DeBose, Ann Harada, Martin Short, Jaime Camil, Jane Krakowski, etc. 

* The songs! They are so much fun and many of them are hilarious. I especially love the parody of "Do Re Mi". I also enjoyed "You Can't Tame Me," "I Always, Always, Never Get My Man", "He's a Queer One, That Man o' Mine," etc. 

* It reminds me a bit of Pleasantville with some aspects of Waiting for Guffman mixed in. 

* There are some really sweet moments and one in particular got me teary-eyed. 

* The main characters, supporting characters, and ensemble work really well together. 

* The set is completely adorable and adds to the whimsical feel of the show. 

* I feel the need to say it again...it's hilarious! The comedy is spot on. 

* There's room for a second season, so I hope that will happen! It would be interesting if they had a different musical era for season two, like Andrew Lloyd Webber or Stephen Sondheim style...

If I haven't yet sold you on this show, check out the trailer:

 

And if you don't have Apple +, get a free trial and binge watch these six episodes. It's only three hours of your time and totally worth it!

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The importance of "Being Erica"

Photo courtesy of Facebook

A few weeks ago, I stumbled upon a show that is new to me, thanks to the Degrassi Fans group on Facebook. Some people were talking about how a bunch of actors from Degrassi: The Next Generation were on this show called Being Erica. So naturally, I had to check it out. It's not often that I feel like a show is completely meant for me. I don't know how I missed it when it first aired, but I think it was just on Canadian networks at the time. However, I'm so thankful to have learned about it now. And now that I'm done, I feel like I'm going through withdrawal. I'm really going to miss the characters and all the time travel scenarios. 

Reasons this show is totally meant for me:

1. I love time travel stories. This is the essence of Being Erica. 

2. There are a lot of "chick lit" elements: romance, career, family, friendships, fashion, etc.

3. Erica was born the same year as me and graduated high school at the same time I did, although this show takes place when she was in her early to mid-thirties. Having said that, there are a lot of time travel trips to the nineties. 

4. Erica is Jewish and we get to see elements of Judaism that you don't always see in TV shows. There were episodes about her Bat Mitzvah, Purim, and Yom Kippur, just to mention a few. I also loved her dad's shirts. They were always Jewish themed since he's a Rabbi. 

5. There is a lot of LGBTQ focus, such as a Pride Parade episode and a prominently featured gay romance. 

6. Erica works in publishing. I am seeking publishing work. She's also done editing, which is something I love doing already. There's a lot of focus on books. 

7. There are so many appearances by actors from Degrassi TNG. I know I mentioned this before, but it's something that appeals to me. Just to name a few (with their Degrassi character names): Lauren Collins (Paige), Drake (Jimmy), Paula Brancati (Jane), Adamo Ruggiero (Marco), Shannon Kook-Chun (Zane) Olivia Scriven (Maya), Jake Epstein (Craig), Jake Goldsbie (Toby), etc. Even some minor characters had various large or small parts on this show, such as the guy who plays Wesley's uncle/teacher, the cell phone kiosk owner who hires Drew, K.C.'s mom, Kelly (Emma's college boyfriend), Charlie, Sadie, Dylan, Dean, Johnny, Dakota, Becky's grandma, the guy who steals Craig's guitar, Mia's ex-boyfriend who bullies J.T., the teacher who K.C. was trying to set up with his mom, the film director Eli was trying to impress, the magazine publisher Clare wanted to work for, the racist store manager, etc. 

8. Tatiana Maslany is in it and if you know how much I love Orphan Black, you know why I think this is cool. 

9. There are a few actors from Schitt's Creek on the show, as well. I spotted Ivan (the baker), Antonio (the guy trying to copy Rose Apothecary, and David for that matter!), and Marnie (the woman at the unemployment office).

Here's what the show is about:

Erica Strange is thirty-two and just got fired from her job and her date cancelled on her at the last minute. She then gets caught in a rainstorm and ends up getting anaphylaxis from a drink sample at a coffee shop. She wakes up in the hospital and is greeted by a therapist named Dr. Tom. He invites her to visit with him and after a rough morning, she does just that. He asks her to write down her regrets and then sends her on her first trip back in time to change one of them. Soon Erica is taken on a journey through all of her regrets, which teaches her lessons about her reactions to present day experiences. 

This show has made me think a lot about how I view my regrets. It's really poignant and emotional at times. It also gives perspective on what we expect from ourselves by a certain age vs. what others expect from us. There was an episode where Erica's mother was mapping out her life for her...at her Bat Mitzvah, and she made a big deal about being married and having kids by age thirty. That doesn't work for everyone!

Intrigued yet? Check out this trailer. Not sure what else I need to do to convince you to watch this show at this point. It's available on Hulu and you can also find it on YouTube. 

For those of you who have seen all four seasons of Being Erica, read on after the trailer for my thoughts, with spoilers included. 

 

If you reached this part, I assume you've seen the entire series and want to hear my thoughts on it. If you'd like to share your thoughts, please feel free to do so in the comments. 

First of all, I love this show so much. I wish there were more than four seasons because it has so much room to still go in new directions. I thought it was cool how things came full circle with Erica becoming Sarah's doctor. I had a feeling that would happen from her visions, but it was nice to see anyway. 

Thoughts on Erica: 

I liked that Erica wasn't perfect. She's pretty and sometimes she seems like she has her act together, but then you see through all these glimpses of her past that she has messed things up a lot in her life. I love that she can sometimes be awkward and anytime she time travels, she does something clumsy upon entering. She looks like a mix between two of my friends, as well as Shenae Grimes. I didn't like that she could sometimes be condescending to people or act like she knew what was best for everyone else. Like I get that she hated Josh and thought Sam was making a huge mistake, but was it worth saying something for the sake of her relationship with Sam? Sam would have come to the same conclusion either way. Aside from that issue, Erica just reminds me a lot of myself. I found her to be totally relatable. 

Thoughts on time travel aspect:

Sometimes Erica's time travel adventures made me think of Quantum Leap, even though she was usually leaping into her own life. I would have liked her to see someone else's face in the mirror when she was leaping into a different character, like the times she went back to see her mom before she even existed. I know they did this with Tom when he went back into his younger body, but we still saw his current, albeit shaven, face. They also did this when Erica got to be teenage Julianne. I also thought she should have been played by someone else as a teenager, even if we only saw that through images in a mirror. 

The show had an Erin Morgenstern (The Night Circus) quality in the way time and space were able to be bent so easily. Like walking into different offices through doors. I love the symbolism of doors in this show and how they kept saying that when one door closes, a window opens. When Tom's office decorations disappear in the final episode, it has such a magical quality to it, where it almost seems like his office was enchanted. Same with Erica first imagining her office into being. There was a lot of suspension of disbelief in this show, but it was so much fun to watch for that reason.'

It also made me think of The Time Traveler's Wife, especially in regards to Erica's relationship with Kai. 

The episode where Erica is being tested before becoming a doctor made me think about a lot of things. I kept wondering if she and Tom were actually dead and that's how they could do all this, but that would mean that all the extra characters were also dead, yet we see them have their own stories too. Also, how could Erica be dead in 2019 from an explosion on a train if she is already dead now? The final episode didn't give any more answers and somehow Leo's appearance made things even more questionable. Also, how would Erica not have any interaction with Dr. Tom if she is helping his daughter? I'm guessing he'll just be on vacation with Amanda the whole time? 

There's also the alternate life concept that Erica brought up when she came back to 2011 as her 43 year-old self. She introduced the concept when talking about the episode where she lost her virginity to Zach Creed originally, and then to Alex Berlin when she time traveled. So there's a Sliding Doors (yes, doors again) concept to the show, as well.

I love how there are no actual devices to enable the time travel. It just happens when Erica says she wants to go back and do something different and Dr. Tom makes it happen. We usually see the time travel occur through someone's eye. 

Thoughts on the theme song: 

It is probably going to be stuck in my head forever. I didn't even like the theme song all that much. I think it could have just been something instrumental and with a shorter intro video altogether. I always skipped through it anyway. 

Favorite characters (aside from Erica):

Julianne: At first, I didn't like her at all. I hated how rude she always was to Erica. Then when Freidken pulled all that crap on her, she became so likable. And even more so when she started 50/50 with Erica. I love how she called her "chicken" all the time and said "Pronto Toronto!" Her friendship with Dave and Ivan was sweet too. Also, she's so girlcrush-worthy. 

Dave and Ivan: You can't have one without the other. They're such a fun couple and I love that they got married on the show. I think I probably like Ivan more than Dave, but they were so cute together in general. (P.S. Dave is played by the cell phone kiosk guy from Degrassi that I mentioned about earlier.)

Kai: He's my favorite out of all of Erica's romantic interests. It's just too bad that it could never really work between them because he wouldn't always be in the past (which is Erica's present). He is gorgeous and has such a sexy singing voice. 

Dr. Tom: He's just wonderful in so many ways. I love how he took Erica under his wing from the very beginning, that he has demons in his past, that he tries genuinely hard to be a good person, that he quotes different people all the time, from Shakespeare to Spider-Man. 

Sam: I liked Erica's sister a lot. She came a long way from figuring out that her marriage wasn't what she was hoping for, to getting back on her feet, to landing in a stable relationship, to becoming a mom. She looked a lot like Jane Levy (Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist). 

Lenin: I liked him from the moment he first started flirting with Sam. He's such a great boyfriend for her. 

Cassidy: I can't really pinpoint why I like her aside from being nice and pretty. Her confidence, perhaps?

Least favorite characters:

Thomas Freidken: I really wanted to see someone take him down. He was such a horrible creep with the most inflated ego ever. I was literally yelling the F-word at him whenever he spoke. 

Scott Galvin: He was a terrible boss and I hated how he treated Julianne and Brent. 

Josh: I never liked him for Sam and I'm glad she finally came around to realizing it. He had a few nice moments, but then he would ruin them by acting like a jerk again. 

Claire: She was always rubbing her relationship with Ethan in Erica's face and then she ended up cheating on him and trying to take him for everything in the divorce. She had a good moment in one of Erica's time travel scenarios, but it wouldn't have happened in the original version of that same evening. 

In the middle:

Jenny: She could be a bully and a hot mess, but I feel like she genuinely cared about Erica and their friendship. (This is the character played by Paula Brancati. However, I liked Paula better as Jane on Degrassi.)

Brent: He started off nice, had a period of being a jerk, and then came around again and was a lot more likable. I love that he and Julianne finally got together!

Dr. Naadiah: She always seemed to be in Dr. Tom's business and trying to make decisions for him, but when she invited him to see her life outside of work, it endeared me to her. Also, she's the reason Dr. Tom got to be a therapist in the first place. 

Leo: There were just some things I liked about him and some things I didn't. Like he could be a good brother to Erica and Sam sometimes, and then act selfishly at other times (like with the car situation). 

Adam: He was cute and a good match for Erica, but I didn't like how he'd get mad at her over every little thing. And yes, he wasn't Kai, so I had trouble completely investing in their relationship. He was considering getting a BSC wax though...

Ethan: I liked his friendship with Erica, but not their romantic relationship. He was so rigid and boring. 

Erica's parents: It took me a while to warm to them, but then I liked them later on. I enjoyed learning more about her mom through seeing her in the past and learning that she wasn't perfect either. 

Some of my favorite episodes:

* Pride parade. I love anything with LGBTQ and this reminded me of the times I went to the Chicago Pride parade.

* The one with Erica's final test. It was such a game changer (it had me panicking) and made me think a lot. 

* Erica's Bat Mitzvah. She had a Dirty Dancing theme. Too bad she's a fictional character or we have totally been friends! 

* When Erica becomes Julianne on Christmas. I especially loved when she did the air quotes.

* The Groundhog Day (or half-day) episode.

* The one where she goes into the future (2019) to learn more about Kai. It was fun to see what they thought 2019 would be like in 2009. 

*The camp episode that featured Jake Epstein (Craig from Degrassi). 

*The one where she brings Judith's baby to her college memory.

*When she goes back to 1969 to find out the truth about her mom's past. (Her mom was played by Lauren Collins--Paige from Degrassi--and she fit the role so well since she looks like Erica's present-day mom.)

*When she's Julianne's doctor-in-training and we find out more about why Julianne lashes out at people.

*The episode about Purim because it doesn't often happen on TV shows and because of how Erica repairs her relationship with her Zadie.

Little inconsistencies I noticed:

1. The actress who plays Erica at her Bat Mitzvah is completely different from the actress who plays her in the Hanukkah episode. They're supposed to be around the same age.  

2. The Goblins sign reverts back to the old design in one of the episodes of season four, but changes back after that. 

3. Erica got mad at Dr. Tom for trying to change her history, but she felt it was okay to change Adam's timeline in the episode where she has control over time travel. 

4. I heard Kai call Dr. Fred "Dr. Frank" in one episode. At least it sounded that way.

Things I thought were funny:

*The kitty book

*Adam walking into Dr. Tom's office completely naked

*Erica's jokes at the Purim party and her Zadie wanting to know the punchline of the one he interrupted.

*Brent's dog licking his mouth.

*Erica calling Dr. Tom out on quoting Spider-Man

*Erica ruining the ice penis sculpture at the Pride party

I'm sure there are many more, but these were at the top of my head.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on Being Erica.