So, we finally have
snow in Ohio. Not a lot but enough to remind people it's actually winter. This
isn't a bad thing. I'm hoping that means we won't have blizzards in April or
May. Just saying.
After a very slow
January workwise, February is going like gangbusters. I'd rather be busy than
not so no complaints here. I did have a slow week of television though.
I started with an
episode of Murdoch Mysteries and
enjoyed it. Fun to see a familiar face with Ruth's brother showing up. Should
be interesting to see what happens with Henry now that Ruth has access to loads
of money again. Also interesting happenings with William and Julia's neighbors.
I'm still not quite sure what to expect with them.
Caught the Frankie Drake Mysteries finale for
season three. Always fun when a character returns to stir up trouble for
Frankie and the girls. I'm hoping season four continues to have a big focus on
the friendships.
Arrow's second episode ended up being better than I anticipated. Interested to
see what happens with Lyla. I truly love the mix of present and future in these
episodes.
Caught another episode
of Midsomer Murders and quite enjoyed
it. It's fun when the case doesn't quite go where I think it will.
Also watched
another series one episode of Peak
Practice. I gotta say Will's wife is quite the piece of work. I have no
idea how long she lasts but I'm thinking it's not through the end of the
series. That's not a bad thing.
I saved the best
for last. I finally watched the season four premiere for Riverdale. I'd be lying if I said there was no ugly sobbing
involved. Because there was. A lot of it. I honestly didn't expect less, I mean
I'd been warned by at least three people to have a box of tissues. Needless to
say I did and used an undetermined amount of said box.
I can honestly say
I can't imagine a better tribute to Fred Andrews. I loved how pretty much
everyone put aside their grievances—Reggie and Cheryl in particular—and paid
homage to a stalwart member of the community. Reggie's gesture with providing a
hearse moved him up a notch on my like-the-guy meter. And Cheryl's conversation
with Mary and her about face regarding the parade had a nice symmetry. I have
no clue what the hell her deal is with CorpseJason but I don't need to know for
this episode to work so well. Relenting on having a parade to celebrate Fred's
life and put the focus on someone not a Blossom is big badass energy and I'm
here for it.
FP taking on a role
of filling big shoes also worked well for me. Figuring out where Archie was and
what he planned to do when he found out who ended up being responsible for Fred's
death and his subsequent response of calling in Archie's friends showed a good
bit of foresight for the former Serpent leader. I also loved the way he handled
asking Archie if he'd mind an escort home. I knew what was coming. I figured
out what Cheryl wanted to do. And, man, I literally grabbed the box of tissues
and pretty much sobbed through the whole thing. Throw in Jughead's obituary and
the reaction shots of people reading—the focus being on the grown-ups, friends
and enemies—and, yep, the tears flowed again.
Shannen Doherty's
guest appearance was a nice touch. For those of us who are a certain age, the
poignancy of having her involved in memorializing Fred and, in turn, Luke Perry
packs a punch and creates a nice thread that goes from beginning to end.
The other part I
found poignant is Betty at the cemetery by her dad's grave. Season three ended
with Hal being murdered by Penelope and it's easy to forget that happened and
have it eclipsed by Fred's demise. The trashing of his plot, while sad for
Betty, serves as a solid visual reminder of where things left off.
Finally… the last
scene of Archie in the garage sifting through memories of his dad, the only
scenes that actually showed Fred in action, was extremely well done. Kudos to
KJ, the writing team, and the film crew for what, I'm sure, had to be a
difficult time.
All in all, a
terrific sendoff for Fred and Luke. Next week, I'll dive back into the normal
batshit crazy world of Riverdale and enjoy the hell out of it.
That's pretty much
it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Crash and Burn, a novella that got a start with a writing community
prompt.
Here's the
mini-blurb:
Pepper Strand met the
wrong brother first and when her personal feelings get in the way, she takes
the easy way out. When it leads to the death of Bax's sibling, she drowns her
guilt with alcohol and Bax decides to make her crawl out of the bottle and into
his arms.
And a sneaky peek…
Baxter Loman loosened up, tilting
his head from side to side. He loved going round for round in the ring.
A knock sounded on the door and
Preble poked his head inside the changing area. "Yo, Bax. I've got another
eager brawler ready to work off some stress." He took in Bax's sweaty
countenance. "She might just give you a run for your money." Preb
gave an exaggerated wink.
Bax quirked an eyebrow.
"She? I love having female sparring partners." He reached for the
tape. "Give me a few… I'll be right out."
Preble lifted his chin and
smirked. "Good luck, buddy." His tone indicated Bax might need it.
Bax didn't waste time, getting
his hands taped up in record time. He jogged down the corridor leading to the
sparring area and got his first glimpse of his opponent facing away from him.
Hot damn. If she didn't race on the circuit, she could. Toned and cut muscle in
her shoulders and back showed her physical prowess shouldn't be underestimated.
When she turned to face him,
lightly hopping up and down on the balls of her feet, he barely bit back a hiss
of appreciation. Immediately attracted, he swung up into the ring and made a
slow circle around her.
Once he completed the task, he
thrust his palm forward. "Who are you and where the hell have you been?"
A wide grin split his face.
Her lips curved. "Pepper
Strand." She gave his hand a firm shake. "Been right here in town for
the past six months." She let her whereabouts before that hang in the air.
Shit. He didn't need the details.
Her racing record spoke for itself.
She taught an advanced racing
course and put new and requalifying members through their paces. And his
brother loved to throw her name around. About her teaching skill and other
talents she had.
His grin fell. "Brad's
latest and greatest." How did Brad always manage to worm his way into
convenient relationships?
Pepper frowned and shrugged. "Not
so great right now." She clapped her hands together. "Are we gonna do
this or what?" Her head cocked from side to side.
Bax fed off her angry tension.
"We're definitely doing this." He waved toward Preble.
The bartender gave him a
thumbs-up and pressed the starting buzzer.
Pepper crouched into a low stance
and barely hesitated before she launched forward with a sweeping kick to Bax's
hip.
He countered with a hard shove to
her shoulder and liked how she barely moved. They'd have a great round.
But he'd be hard-pressed to spar
at his best when his hard dick might get in the way.
I'm having a lot of
fun writing this one. Normally, I go for military in my sci-fi romances, but I
enjoy leaving my comfort zone and getting into something a little different.
Pepper and Bax are a challenge and I love a good one.
That's it for this
week. Catch everyone on the flipside.
ML Skye
