The Best Thing I Saw on TV This Week (6/23 – 6/30)

This was a relatively slow week in the world of summer television, but it still provided us with some discussion-worthy moments. The Real Housewives of New Jersey provided some intense scenes of family drama once again, with Teresa engaged in passionate fights with her brother Joe last Sunday and her cousin Rosie this week. The Bachelorette featured possibly its most awkward date ever last Monday, as Desiree sat in the middle of an intense cross-examination of two-faced Ben by federal prosecutor Michael. And So You Think You Can Dance had its first real performance show of the season.

That SYTYCD performance show is where my favorite moment of the week comes from. Jasmine Mason and Alan’s Travis Wall contemporary piece was breathtaking, and it was filled with small, detailed movements that spoke to both their skills as individual dancers and the surprising strength of their early partnership. The moment when Jasmine fell backwards into Alan’s arms with complete abandon was one of the most intense representations of the trust between partners I’ve ever seen on this show, and it’s the single greatest thing I saw on my TV this week.

What was your favorite thing you saw on TV this week?

TV Time: Teen Wolf 3.04

It’s time once again for Leah to share her thoughts on the latest episode of Teen Wolf!

Title Unleashed

What Happened? Scott, Isaac, and Allison deal with the Alpha Pack twins (Ethan and Aiden) when they start to cause trouble at school. Derek and Cora are paid a visit by Deucalion, Kali, and Ennis, who tell Derek that they want him to join them by killing his own pack and thus becoming a more powerful Alpha. Stiles and Lydia continue to investigate the recent murders along with the help of Deaton, and they realize the killings are the work of a druid who has gone down the wrong path.

Favorite Quotes
“I was gonna see if you were okay.”
“Physically or emotionally? Though, I guess that presupposes I was emotionally okay before any of this, and, according to my therapist, that—that’s been debatable for a long time.” (Derek and Ms. Blake)

“Ethan—I always forget—how many bones in the human body?”
“I don’t know; let’s count.”
[Scott arrives and punches Ethan]
“That’s one.” (Aiden, Ethan, and Scott)

“Seriously dude, human sacrifices?”
“Scott, your eyes turn into yellow glowsticks, okay, hair literally grows from your cheeks and then will immediately disappear, and if I were to stab you right now it would just magically heal, but you’re telling me that you’re having trouble grasping human sacrifices?” (Scott and Stiles)

“Okay, good. So look, here’s what I’m thinking. I’m thinking that maybe the murders come in threes; ancient people love things in threes, right? So maybe first it’s three virgins, and then I don’t know, maybe it’s three people who own little dogs.”
“I own a little dog. I am not getting rid of my dog.”
“Just think about getting rid of your little dog.”
“Nope.” (Stiles and Lydia)

My Thoughts The episode this week was pretty emotional for me, as well as being full of important plot details that of course generated a lot of questions, so it took me a little more time to process. In this episode, we took a big step towards understanding what exactly is going on in Beacon Hills and what our characters are up against.

In “Unleashed,” we saw Derek (and Cora) receive a visit from Deucalion, and it looks like the main purpose was to traumatize the two while trying to persuade Derek to join their pack. (Or maybe they were just trying to traumatize me—I kept yelling “Ewww eww eww why?” at my TV screen every time I saw a bit of a close-up of that pole through Derek’s chest. It was one of the most disgusting things I’ve seen on TV. Thanks a lot, MTV. I still love you anyways.)

In order to join the Alpha Pack, however, Derek would have to kill all of his current pack, which each of the alphas currently in the Alpha Pack have already done. In killing their betas, they gained more power since that action results in the addition of the power of the one they killed to their own power. Killing the whole pack gives the Alpha the power of all of his pack combined. This, of course, means that the Alpha Pack is not only dangerous because they’re all Alphas, but because they are all alphas with extra power—super-alphas, I suppose. And according to his speech (which not only caused lightning but also cracked his own sunglasses) Deucalion is the most powerful alpha: “The Demon Wolf.” We’ll see if that comes to mean something significant, or if it’s just our current main antagonist being extremely dramatic. Teen Wolf certainly enjoys its dramatic villains (Gerard, anyone?), and I love them as well.

Another main plotline in this episode was the conflict between Allison, Scott, Isaac, and the Alpha Twins, Ethan and Aiden. I’m really excited for Scott, Isaac, and Allison to become a tag-team of awesomeness, because that scene where they set up Aiden with the motorcycle in the school hallway was genius, hilarious, and one of my favorite scenes of the season so far. The twins’ Alpha form continues to be both disgusting and very cool to me, and I think their sheer power combined with the ability we saw this episode to have at least some strategy in irritating Isaac means that they’ll be difficult to deal with for the rest of the season. The scene with Isaac and Allison locked in the closet quickly turned from cute to heart-wrenching and scary, and I love that both Scott and Allison knew enough not to blame Isaac for his loss of control. In general this episode made me feel ALL the emotions for Isaac, poor kid. He’s quickly becoming one of my favorite characters.

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TV Time: SYTYCD Season 10 “Top 20”

Summer generally means a slowdown in my TV watching habits, but that doesn’t mean I will be completely abandoning my recapping/reviewing duties until fall. Instead, I’m going to focus on my ultimate summertime favorite, So You Think You Can Dance. Each week, I’ll bring you some brief thoughts on the episode as a whole as well as my standout performers and favorite routine (as well as my favorite solo when we reach that point).

This week began the voting portion of the season on strong footing with some interesting pairings, a great guest judge (the incomparably charming Wayne Brady), and a fun opening number from Tabitha and Napoleon.

Were there some duds this first week? Of course (Carlos and Mariah’s labored jive comes to mind, as does Alexis and Nico’s uninspired hip hop). Was I sad to see Alexis, one of my beloved tap dancers, in a routine that was torn apart by the judges? Of course. But I was also pleasantly surprised by the praise given to her fellow tappers Aaron and Curtis (which was deserved since both were strong in their routines). I also found myself thoroughly enjoying the majority of the dances last night, which isn’t always the case with the first bunch of performances.

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The Best Thing I Saw on TV This Week (6/16 – 6/23)

Being back in the real world after a long vacation in Disney World means that I’m finally back to my regular summer TV schedule, too. This week, The Bachelorette visited Sandy-ravaged New Jersey and made me care much more about the older couple Desiree met there than any of her potential husbands. So You Think You Can Dance introduced us to this year’s Top 20. And there’s been plenty of great moments in sports on TV this week too, with both the NBA and NHL Finals giving us great games to watch.

The best of the best came from SYTYCD‘s “Meet the Top 20” show. Whenever tap is in the spotlight as a dance style, I’m a happy girl, and this season features not one but three tap dancers in the Top 20. Aaron, Curtis, and Alexis performed a fantastic tap routine that rocketed all three of them up my list of early favorites for this season. Their taps were incredibly clear, they were challenged with some very complex rhythms, and each one of them has a unique style that makes them stand out. I’m really looking forward to seeing them go far and be great representatives of the tap dance community this season.

 

What was the best thing you saw on TV this week?

TV Time: Teen Wolf 3.03

Today, the lovely Leah is back to share her thoughts on the latest episode of Teen Wolf!

Title Fireflies

What Happened? Derek, Scott, and Isaac chase after Boyd and Cora in an attempt to stop them from hurting innocent people, and, when it becomes clear that they need help, they go to the one person in town they know has experience with trapping werewolves: Chris Argent. Meanwhile, Lydia discovers a body at a nearby pool, and after learning more from Melissa McCall about all the recent attacks, Stiles figures out what all the victims had in common, leading him to the discovery that someone is using Beacon Hills as a resource for their human sacrifices.

Favorite Quotes
“You called the police before you called me?”
“I’m supposed to call you first when I find a dead body?”
“Yes!” (Stiles and Lydia)

“We need help.”
“We have Isaac now.”
“I mean real help.” (Scott and Derek, with Isaac right next to them)

“And—just curious—is there a reason the gun is still pointed at me?”
“Well, there’s probably still some part of me that wants to shoot you.”
“I get that.” (Scott and Chris)

“Let him be the hero of his morally black and white world. The real survivors, you and I, we live in shades of gray.” (Peter)

“What kind of werewolf strangles someone? You know, that’s not very werewolfy.” (Stiles)

My Thoughts This week our main plot was following Derek, Isaac, and Scott as they tried to catch Boyd and Cora before they hurt anyone. I really enjoyed seeing them work together as a team, especially the continuation of Derek and Scott working together instead of the antagonistic relationship they had last season. Also, Isaac and Derek’s interactions in the car while waiting for Scott were hilarious. Isaac is getting to show more and more snark, which I very much appreciate, and I’m hoping these first few episodes are indicative of him having lots of screen time this season!

Receiving help from Chris Argent was not surprising, as we all knew that Chris and Allison were likely going to be back in the hunting game sooner rather than later, despite their agreement to stay out of it. However, it was quite interesting to get to hear more of the techniques used by hunters to trap werewolves. If nothing else, it created a very interesting group dynamic (and a fun scene between Chris and Scott in the parking lot).

They manage to trap Cora and Boyd in the high school where, of course, there is one teacher left in the building. Why in the world Ms. Blake was still at the school grading papers at what must have been somewhere around four or five in the morning (the sun comes up while they’re there!) I have no idea, and why she goes to get a ream of paper from the supply room when she appears to be grading tests I don’t know either. While this was perhaps the most unrealistic part of the episode, I can mostly ignore it with a “because of plot and character reasons” handwave. I’m much more interested in seeing how Ms. Blake reacts to learning about the wide world of werewolves present in her new town, and I’m sure we’ll see more of her reaction in the next episode!

Meanwhile, Lydia and Stiles this week had some detective work to do. Lydia stumbles upon a body at the pool, and we quickly realize she’s going through more horrible mind games, as she had no idea she was going to the pool until she arrived. I really can’t wait to see where they take whatever is happening with her character and watch her be amazing once she has the knowledge of what her powers are. For now, I’m just hoping she finds a way to start figuring out what exactly is going on with her, and, if it’s Peter, find a way to get revenge on him for messing with her mind not just once, but twice. I’m hesitant to believe that it’s actually Peter pulling the strings this time though, as I feel like whatever’s going on with Lydia appears to be something slightly different than last season. Whatever it is, I hope we find out more soon.

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TV Time: Teen Wolf 3.02

Title Chaos Rising

What Happened? Derek, Isaac, Scott, Stiles, and Peter try to figure out where Boyd and Erica are being kept and how to save them, while Allison researches the symbol that is formed by the bruises on her and Lydia’s arms. Their efforts lead them all to a closed down bank in Beacon Hills, where a showdown occurs that will change things for everyone.

Favorite Quotes
“What do you think you’re gonna do, Derek, you gonna punch through the wall?”
“Yes, Stiles, I’m gonna punch through the wall.”
“Okay, big guy, let’s see it, let’s see that fist. Big old fist. Make it, come on. Get it out there, don’t be scared. Big bad wolf, yeah, look at that.” (Stiles and Derek)

“Do I have to remind you what we’re up against here? A pack of alphas, all of them killers. And if that’s not enough to scare your testicles back into your stomach, try to remember that two of them combine bodies to form one giant alpha.”
“Can someone kill him again please?” (Peter and Stiles)

“I can’t take waiting around like this, you know, it’s nerve-wracking. My nerves are wracked, they’re severely wracked. Wracked.”
“I could beat you unconscious and wake you when it’s over?” (Stiles and Peter)

“Why did they wait for the full moon, huh? Why not just kill them whenever they want to.”
“Maybe they think it’s poetic.”
“They already had three full moons to be poetic.”
“And here you’ve only had one full hour to be so annoying…” (Stiles and Peter)

“They’re the lions. They’re the starved lions and you and Derek just stepped into the colosseum.” (Peter to Scott re: Boyd and Cora)

My Thoughts Wow, was this an intense episode! I really, really enjoyed it. It brought not only the intensity and tension that Teen Wolf is so good at, but it also brought the sass and the funny moments as well as some big twists.

The first main plotline was that of Derek, Scott, Stiles, Peter, and Deaton trying to help Isaac access the memories hidden from him by his encounter with the Alpha Pack, and then all of them (except Deaton and Isaac, who is probably recovering) coming up with a plan to get Erica and Boyd back.

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TV Time: Teen Wolf 3.01

This summer, the lovely Leah will be sharing her thoughts on this season of Teen Wolf with us.

Hi everyone! It is finally the start of summer shows season and I could not be more excited for Teen Wolf to be back on my TV screen! I am delighted to say that this summer I’ll be covering Teen Wolf Season 3 here on Nerdy Girl Notes, with some occasional help from the wonderful Heather, and I can’t wait to hear all your thoughts as we go through this undoubtedly crazy journey that will be Season 3! As we’ve seen from the opening episode, this might hurt, indeed.

Sorry for the delay this week – I had my last week of college finals ever starting Monday, and so I’ve been quite busy focusing on school, but for the rest of the season (barring any unforeseen issues) I should have the recap up on the Tuesday or Wednesday following the episode’s airing! And now, let’s talk about the premiere!

Title Tattoo

What Happened? A mysterious girl is in Beacon Hills and appears have quite a bit of knowledge about not only our favorite werewolves and their friends, but also the Alpha Pack, as we see her fighting with the Alpha Pack, helping Isaac, and attempting to reach Scott to tell him something. Meanwhile, animals are starting to go crazy around town while the Alpha Pack begins to cause more trouble for everyone. Scott seeks Derek’s help in getting a tattoo, and Derek tells Scott and Stiles what he knows about the Alpha Pack that’s in town – that they can only mean one thing: trouble.

Favorite Lines
“And seriously, an American werewolf in London? Like that’s not going to be a disaster.” (Lydia, talking about Jackson – A reference to the movie “An American Werewolf in London.”)

“Do you have any other emergency werewolf contacts?” (Melissa McCall to Isaac)

“Since the amnesiac in 215 can’t tell us anything, I need the girl with the modified military stun gun in 216 to answer a few questions.” (Sheriff Stilinski)

“Prada bit me.”
“Your dog?”
“No, my designer handbag. Yes, my dog.” (Lydia and Stiles)

“I know you’re afraid of him.”
“Of a teenage boy?”
“Of the man he’ll become.”
“I’m aware of a certain potential threat. But then someone once taught me a very smart way to eliminate threats: get someone else to do it for you.” (“The Girl” and Deucalion)

My Thoughts I thought this was quite an enjoyable episode, and as usual with an episode of Teen Wolf, gave us more questions than answers.

“The Girl”

For me, she is the most interesting new character so far. She clearly knows a lot about this town and about our favorite characters – she knew that Allison, at least, knows Scott well enough to likely know where he was – and she appears to be familiar with not only Scott, Derek, and their friends, but also with the Alpha Pack. I don’t know whether she is time-travelling somehow, or can see the future through magic, or something else we don’t know about yet, but her obvious knowledge of the group surrounding Scott and “the man he’ll [Scott] become,” as well as the bruises she left on Lydia and Allison’s arms, tells me that this girl is definitely more than just human. I hope that she is not actually dead and that we get to see more of her, and I hope she gets a name soon!

Meet the Alpha Pack

We got our first look at the Alpha Pack this episode, and they were suitably menacing! We have seen that the pack appears to be made up of five members, and that they have a leader, Deucalion. I love that Deucalion is blind! (Or at least he appears to be.) I can’t describe how awesome I think it is that the show has the leader of the Alpha Pack having a disability and still being incredibly terrifying. The Alpha Pack will definitely be a formidable opponent for our characters this season as they seem to have not only strength, but strategy and smarts as well.

Sidenote: I think I could listen to Gideon Emery (who plays Deucalion) talk all day in that voice and I’d be happy.

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The Best Thing I Saw on TV This Week (5/26 – 6/2)

With most of my favorite shows painfully absent from my weekly TV viewing, it could have been difficult for me to make my pick for the best moment of the week. The Bachelorette‘s premiere left me with no strong impressions about any of the guys—or at least no strong positive impressions. (I definitely felt strongly about “hashtag guy” and “fantasy suite guy,” but those feelings were decidedly unkind ones.) So You Think You Can Dance is still in the audition stage. And it’s usually impossible to classify anything from the Real Housewives franchise as the “best” thing on TV.

But thankfully not every high-quality TV show is on hiatus yet. In fact, one of the best shows on television aired perhaps its most anticipated episode this week.

It was time for another wedding on Game of Thrones, and this time it was a red one. I’ve been waiting for this episode with an odd mixture of excitement and dread since I finished that horrible chapter in A Storm of Swords late last year. I’d never read anything like that before—a scene that literally turned the whole story on its head from both a plot perspective and a thematic one. The Red Wedding took the common heroic myths and stories we’re used to and stabbed them in the chest. It broke my heart, but it made for some of the most compelling literature I’ve ever read.

I also knew it would also make for some incredibly compelling television. And I was right.

Warning: If you don’t know what you’re about to watch, this is EXTREMELY violent and disturbing. 

The way this scene built from revelry to dread was utterly perfect—a masterpiece in creating tension that is almost as powerful as it was on the page. Each death was horrific to watch, and you got a real sense that this wasn’t a battle; it was a massacre, which needed to be established in order for this event to carry the weight it needs to carry as the series goes on. But no mention of this scene could ever be complete without acknowledging the absolute brilliance of Michelle Fairley’s performance. The way her voice and her face completely transformed when she’s pleading for Robb’s life gave me chills, and I’ve never heard a scream as purely guttural and agonizing as hers after Robb was killed. And then in those horrifyingly quiet moments after she slit the throat of Walder Frey’s wife, you can see that she is already dead; everything but her body died with her son. I’ve never seen acting like that—so visceral, so utterly destroyed and broken. It was even more haunting for me than the final image of Catelyn in the books—because we can actually see the moment when she’s no longer a human being; she’s simply a body existing despite everything in her soul being dead.

I know this is a horribly depressing pick for the best of TV this past week, but sometimes the best is better than anything else because it makes us feel more deeply—even if those feelings are heartbreak and horror. This scene is what great media is all about—it makes us feel; it makes us care; it makes us react.

Heather has a great post over at TVexamined about why Sunday’s Game of Thrones is an example of how great television is as a medium, and I agree with every word. The reactions to this scene are part of the reason why it was so good. If something can make you feel that strongly about people and events you know are fictional, then it must have done something right. The best fiction makes us think, but it also makes us feel. And the Red Wedding certainly made everyone watching feel something—and feel it intensely.

What was your reaction to the Red Wedding (either onscreen or on the page)? Do you think it was the best thing on TV this week?

Nerdy Girl Predicts: The 2013 Critics’ Choice Television Awards

A week from today, television’s best will be in the spotlight as the fabulous Retta hosts the 2013 Critics’ Choice Television Awards. I was incredibly pleased with the nominees chosen by the Broadcast Television Journalists Association (BTJA); I feel like they’re a strong representation of what has been an outstanding year for television.

As is usually the case in the world of television awards, who I’d like to see win is often different from who I think will win—although that isn’t always the case. My predictions for these awards will include both the actor or show I feel is most deserving and the one I think the critics will most likely honor. However, I know practically nothing about the nominees in the “Mini-Series or TV Movie” categories, so I’m just going to pick who I think will actually win those after doing some intense research (aka going on Google for a couple of hours to read reviews from critics I trust).

Without further ado, here are my predictions!

BEST COMEDY SERIES
• The Big Bang Theory – CBS
• Louie – FX
• The Middle – ABC
• New Girl – FOX
• Parks and Recreation – NBC
• Veep – HBO
Should Win: As much as I love Parks and Rec, New Girl was both the funniest and most emotionally honest comedy on television this year.
Will Win: Louie is loved by critics and fans alike, and I don’t see it losing to any network comedy. Veep is the only show I could see giving it a run for its money as far as awards go.

BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
• Don Cheadle (House of Lies) – Showtime
• Louis C.K. (Louie) – FX
• Jake Johnson (New Girl) – FOX
• Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory) – CBS
• Adam Scott (Parks and Recreation) – NBC
• Jeremy Sisto (Suburgatory) – ABC
Should Win: Jake Johnson was one of the best actors on television this year in any genre. Whether he was dancing to Taylor Swift, delivering an emotional eulogy for his father, or kissing Jess “like a man” on more than one occasion, Nick Miller surprised me as a viewer every week, and thanks to Johnson’s charming, hilarious, and surprisingly sexy screen presence, it was always a pleasant surprise.
Will Win: Louis C.K. is hilarious, and he’s a critical darling. While this category is stocked with some great names (Adam Scott’s inclusion makes me especially thrilled), no one’s beating him.

BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES 
• Laura Dern (Enlightened) – HBO
• Zooey Deschanel (New Girl) – FOX
• Lena Dunham (Girls) – HBO
• Sutton Foster (Bunheads) – ABC Family
• Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Veep) – HBO
• Amy Poehler (Parks and Recreation) – NBC
Should Win/Will Win: I’ve been burned with this prediction many times before, but I think it’s finally Amy Poehler’s time to win. Parks and Rec is loved by so many critics, and it wouldn’t be anywhere near as entertaining without Poehler’s sunny and smart presence at the center of it. This was a big year for Leslie Knope—she became a city councilwoman, got engaged, and got married—and Poehler made us laugh, cry, and smile along with this character through all of it.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
• Max Greenfield (New Girl) – FOX
• Simon Helberg (The Big Bang Theory) – CBS
• Alex Karpovsky (Girls) – HBO
• Adam Pally (Happy Endings) – ABC
• Chris Pratt (Parks and Recreation) – NBC
• Danny Pudi (Community) – NBC
Should Win/Will Win: There’s no character on TV right now like Schmidt, and I really think critics are going to find some way to reward New Girl for its excellent sophomore season. These two factors should combine to give Max Greenfield some well-deserved love from the BTJA. Greenfield’s talent for playing the world’s most lovable douchebag has made him a critical darling even when the rest of the cast was struggling to gain recognition. While I think he had less to do this season than last season, his unique combination of quirky overconfidence and genuine vulnerability were still put to excellent use.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY 
• Carly Chaikin (Suburgatory) – ABC
• Kaley Cuoco (The Big Bang Theory) – CBS
• Sarah Hyland (Modern Family) – ABC
• Melissa Rauch (The Big Bang Theory) – CBS
• Eden Sher (The Middle) – ABC
• Casey Wilson (Happy Endings) – ABC
Should Win: Sarah Hyland has always been an underappreciated force to be reckoned with on Modern Family, and I’m so happy to see her getting the recognition she deserves.
Will Win: It wouldn’t be a TV award show without The Big Bang Theory winning something, so my money’s on the charming Kaley Cuoco to take home the show’s obligatory award.

BEST GUEST PERFORMER IN A COMEDY SERIES 
• Melissa Leo (Louie) – FX
• David Lynch (Louie) – FX
• Bob Newhart (The Big Bang Theory) – CBS
• Patton Oswalt (Parks and Recreation) – NBC
• Molly Shannon (Enlightened) – HBO
• Patrick Wilson (Girls) – HBO
Should Win/Will Win: Molly Shannon is always a treat whenever she shows up onscreen—and I think most critics would agree with me. ‘

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Save the Last Dance for Me: My Favorite SYTYCD Performances

It’s that time of year again—dance recital season! As a dancer and a choreographer, this is one of the most exciting times of the year, and it’s not just because of what my students and I are getting ready to perform this weekend. It’s also because So You Think You Can Dance is getting into the home stretch of audition episodes before finally revealing its Top 20. Once the performance shows begin, SYTYCD becomes must-see TV for me every week. It’s so exciting to see one of my biggest passions displayed on national TV for others to fall in love with the way I fell in love with dance 20 years ago.

In the spirit of sharing my love of dance with everyone I meet, I decided today to share links to my Top 10 So You Think You Can Dance performances. These dances continue to inspire me, motivate me, entertain me, and move me long after I first saw them.

10. Danny and Lacey’s “Hip Hip Chin Chin” Samba (Season 3)
This dance is still one of the sexiest dances to ever be performed on SYTYCD. The choreography was exciting, the musicality was perfect, and both Danny and Lacey gave star-quality performances. At this point in the season, everyone knew Lacey was a fantastic performer, but this was the dance that really showcased Danny’s stage presence. He looked like he was having the time of his life out there, and those moments of pure joy are my favorites on this show.

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