I’d forgotten about that.

Jane made it through the year!

Did Madison (intentionally) do anything more than just be an awful dick?

Plus she’s kind of mayor which would have been a nice aspect to explore more.

I think the merchandising aspect alone would prevent that from happening. It would be one thing if they built it into the framework of the show (even every 5 years is 1 year), but at this stage they’re not just going to make billions of dollars worth of merchandise not ‘relevant’ (it will still have appeal obviously).

I think one nice aspect of a long running show about this kind of profession is seeing the characters develop. It’s been great to see Meredith go from awkward intern under the shadow of her mother and sleeping with a superior to someone that is loved and respected in the hospital. It’s sometimes hokey and forced, but…

As a Brit I can confirm nincompoop is a horrendous insult and cause for vehicle flipping.

They’ve not had so much to work with since the mud wrestling scene.

I actually found season four better second time around once you know where it’s going. Will be interesting to see this new mix.

Liv and Levon. Guess Rob Thomas is a 30 Rock fan.

I recall seeing an interview just after they jumped where they said something like “when we planned this we didn’t expect this kind of political climate but we can’t not comment on it” so I think they just said the first few seasons went back a few years and we’re now back (again) at the present day.

I think Francis has struggled with weight issues in the past but he seems to be doing well now. He looks different from the show, but it has been over ten years (😞) since it ended so there would be some natural change too.

There was that period where he was a nudist right? Was it discussed during that point?

I suppose it’s kind of moot as the zombie population has increased significantly and his access to resources (outside the city) are now limited. But he’s still kind of his own test subject so maybe he’s doing things we’re not seeing.

I know right?

I was coming to say I didn’t mind them too much. I suppose if you didn’t know the behind-the-scenes reasons (fans buying lots of Subways as they were an advertiser, which led to Subway agreeing to help with the finances to keep it going) it can be grating but it was silly and ridiculous like a lot of the show was.

Thankfully the results came back negative and what they thought was a lump caused by returning cancer is apparently just side effect of the last surgery so that is a relief.

Seattle has turned into Neptune so slowly I’ve only just realised.

Thank you. That’s very kind of you :)

I knew this was going to be a difficult episode and I practically welled up throughout, and just now reading this. Since the last episode my mother told me one of her cancers has returned and the other (breast) may have. Needless to say watching this was difficult, but useful in its own way that I can’t describe.