Yeah, Season 11 got very, very good. The creative up and downs these shows that get to run forever roll on I find utterly fascinating. What did it take to get their groove back three years later? How do they have the genius one-offs in between but no consistency, then all of a sudden find it again? I need someone to…

I don't care what anyone thinks about my religion, I care a lot about what they think about my right to practice it freely. Maher makes fun of Scientology, but he hasn't supported or casually justified people who think they should be deported/segregated/subject to invasion of their civil liberties, as he does with…

"Judaism" doesn't have a view, because things that are made up of millions of people don't have unified coherent stances. You will find many Jewish individuals who believe violence has no place in the world, just as you will find the occasional terrorist who uses their end-times views to justify destruction, as you…

I think there are plenty of things to challenge in Hitchen's various arguments about the world (they often prized style over actual data and provocation over substance) but inconsistency shouldn't be one of them. People should have the freedom to change their mind and say why, and it doesn't make either their first or…

Maher isn't actually that great at putting together arguments, assessing evidence, engaging in deep conversation, etc. He enjoys making people irritated and righteous speeches and thinks they are the equivalent of having a point, so of course he has no tools in his toolbox for a guy like this.

From my vague memories of the last season he was on, I would have said "thinks he's smarter than other people, likes to tease." This season he seems like he is actively attempting to cause people pain, and reaching a surprising level of personal cruelty. I don't know if he has changed or is in a bad place, or they…

Unless you read that scene as an early demonstration of Prairie's ability to manipulate and twist stories on the fly, and not her capacity as a moral teacher.

Maybe I'm overly cynical, but I thought that possibility was always there. It's there in the way Alfonso and BBA question her at various times, the way they all try to verify details online and find some stuff but not a lot of stuff, the way they are all young or vulnerable. I think the show offers a lot more support…

The one thing the creators have said is that she definitely has had significant trauma - it's just unclear whether her trauma took the form she claims it to have. One interesting theory is that the details we see her tell her parents - "I was in a cage, I fell in love with the person in the cage next to me, I didn't…

A couple possibilities: 1) Magic is magic and requires inscrutable elements to work 2) It's connected to the "flexible" and "right attitude" thing, they have to be truly open to her to work the Five Movements and that is a way to demonstrate true openness 3) Most intriguingly to me, she had just been told by her…

My heart's dream is a finalists' season where all contestants are drawn exclusively from former winners or former runners-up. The talent level would be super high, you'd have a good mix of people super hungry to finally succeed and people who want are afraid to be losers again after their victory, and we could see…

Seattle was such a good season - talented and not annoying contestants, but I also think it was one of the best-produced seasons. The challenges were interesting, made sense, super contextual and varied, and were designed to bring out good food even when the contestants messed up and they didn't.

I really thought Katherine would be one of the posse - some early interaction with Mama S in Europe brought Damon & Stefan & Mystic to her attention, and she had the weird no-Bonnie fire death because that's how Gemini coven had cursed her to be dragged to prison world when it was death time instead of getting Other…

Mythology point I never understood - doesnt the cure only work permanently if you drink it directly, not from someone? My understanding was that Katherine was living a regular mortal life until Silas sucked it from her, and then she and Silas and Amara all would have deteriorated pretty quick because they took it the…