December 5, 2009: Tokyo Travel Day #11 – Miravile, Ristorante Aso, Avoiding the Anal Colica.
So while I was uploading blog pics last night, I received an email from my friend Akemi asking me if it would be alright if she dropped by in the morning. I told her sure. Well, this morning, at around 10:45 a.m., there was a knock at the door. It was Akemi – and she came bearing more gifts. Last night at dinner, I had mentioned my chocolate party and how I would have loved to include a Japanese representative in the mix. The one that came to mind was Madame Setsuko. This surprised her because, apparently, Madame Setsuko is based in Akemi’s hometown. So, this morning, she dropped by one of the shops and picked me up a couple of beautiful assortments…
Very sweet of her.
For lunch on this day, I was scheduled to meet Jessica and Stefan at Miravile in Komaba. It was a bit of a haul, almost a half an hour by taxi. I wore my coat on the advice of someone at the hotel but, by the time I got there, the clouds had disappeared and the sun had come out. I arrived to find Stefan seated outside the front of the restaurant, eyes closed, soaking up the rays. “Yeah,”I quipped. “I think your top is nice and toasty. You might want to flip over and do the other side.”
As it turned out, Stefan had come bearing gifts as well – a bar of 70% Maracaibo Bitter dark chocolate from Takashimaya. Aw shucks. And it wasn’t even my birthday. Actually, it was Stefan’s birthday. No kidding.
Jessica arrived and we headed inside to celebrate with the Miravile prix fix lunch which gets you a multi-course lunch for 3900 yen, by far the least expensive meal I’ve had on this trip. And pretty damn good one.
The entire restaurant seats maybe 25. If you're going to go - you'll be hardpressed to find a better deal - call ahead.
Lunch was a blast. Stefan and Jessica chatted away almost non-stop between the point we sat down to the moment we left the place, covering everything from the Ivy League to cheese sales to dining on grouse in most barbaric fashion. Meanwhile, our meal was comprised of…
To start: A sweet potato soup topped with sesame. Fine but given the similarly-themed dishes I've had in Tokyo, this one was lacking in sweet potato flavor.Jessica.Moving on to the appetizers: Jessica went with a wonderful little boar terrine.For an extra thousand yen, I went with the foie gras and beef tongue mille-feuille. Fabulous.Stefan had the shirako brandade. Also very good.Another great pic of Jessica.Next was the fish of the day, served with a salad.
And, finally, the mains: I went with the duck and chestnut. The duck had a terrfic smoky flavor.The lamb for Stefan. Great.Jessica had the cabbage-stuffed quail. I liked the quail but was less of a fan of the cabbage that I find tends to overwhelm.Jessica practicing for her appearance in the next World Series of Poker.I say he should pick up a pair.Desserts: Jessica had a lovely little fruit island. Nestled at its heart, a delicious sweet cream.The house special Gateau au Chocolat made with 100% cacao topped with homemade vanilla ice cream. Packed a nice chocolatey punch.Stefan had the sorbet trio: beet, yuzu, and carrot. He loved 'em.Me and Chef Seiji Tsushimi
After lunch, we took a long stroll back to Shibuya…
No idea what the hell these were. I figure maybe they erect these tall blocks, then hollow them out and put in apartments. Not much of a view, but certainly cozy.I thought this was a pretty oasis amid the surrrounding concrete and chaos.A statue commemorating Hachiko, Japan's most dog. The akita would visit the train station at the end of every workday to meet his owner. His owner died, but Hachiko kept turning up, every night, until his death ten years later. Ginza at night.
For dinner, I met up with Maro and we headed over to Ebisu to one of the city’s most talked-up Italian eateries: Ristorante Aso. The restaurant itself is a somewhat befuddling mix of casual cafe setting (up front), sophisticated dining rooms (upstairs), wedding hall chic (main floor), and garden area. We were seated upstairs in the dining room…
…where we were presented with a drink list, our dinner menu, and some eight different breads (rosemary, walnut, chestnut, tomato to name a few) and three kinds of whipped butter (regular, olive oil, and smoky).
Yeah, the Anal Colica. What exactly goes into one of those? Oh, never mind. I'll just go with the beer.
On to the meal…
To start: Angel hair pasta with caviar. Hmmm. While, on the one hand, the preparation of the capellini certainly brought out the flavor of the caviar, my Italian sensibilities reared at the prospect of cold pasta.
On the other hand, this one I loved: Foie gras canelloni. Reminds me of a dish I made way back when, a foie-grass stuffed pasta with black truffle cream that Marty G. dubbed “meat candy”. Aso’s version was much, much better however.
When I saw tai (sea breem) on the menu, I was less than enthused. But I was pleasantly surprised by this dish. The fish is placed in a pot along with a bundle of herbs, then steamed for approximately three minutes and served.Topped with prosciutto. Hands down the best preparation of sea breem on this trip.The main course: Grilled steak with polenta. The odd-tasting mascarpone-based dollop was the only misstep in an otherwise accomplished dish. The steak was well-marbled and as tasty as Japanese beef gets.A surprise refreshment course. We were instructed to rake the leaves lining the bowl's perimeter......with this handy rake and then apply the dressing. I did as instructed, raking the multi-colored leaves into a neat little pile which I resisted burning and ate instead. And quite enjoyed. The addition of the yuzu was wonderful.
We were then served some sort of pre-dessert that was a cross between a foam and a sorbet. Neither of us were enamored of it.
Moro and I both went with the salted caramel and coconut ice cream. But here's the kicker... You add your own salt. Our server provided us with a choice of three (ranging from the lighter tasting white one on the left to the stronger tasting black one on the right), along with a salt grater(?). We kept grinding away with the white blocks with no discernible effect and it reached the point where I suspected we were actually given rocks. In the end, all that was required was a little elbow grease. I preferred the pink salt. As for the black one - its flavor and odor were slightly...how shall I put it...sulphurous? At meal's end, we were gifted all three. I suggested Moro grind some of the black salt onto her co-worker's lunch as a gag.In the garden with Ristorante Aso's head chef.
I’m in the home stretch. Only four and half more days and I’m Vancouver-bound. That’s still 9 more meals. Given this wonderful two week experience, I think that on my next trip, I’ll limit the high-end dining to dinners and leave the lunches open to hole-in-the-wall restaurants and those off-the-wall eateries that serve up grilled chicken spleen. In fact, I’m thinking of swapping out my last high-end sushi lunch for something a little more casual, maybe yakitori or shabu shabu, something a little more fun for a group outing.
Hey, what’s happening where you are? Are the Saints still undefeated? Are the Democrats still in the White House? Is Tiger Woods still the poster child for low-key, scandal-free athletes? What have I been missing?
66 thoughts on “December 5, 2009: Tokyo Travel Day #11 – Miravile, Ristorante Aso, Avoiding the Anal Colica.”
British Columbia and Alberta have secceeded from Canada and are now states fifty one and fifty two. When you get home you can replace your current passport. Other than that, no news….
Thanks for the ongoing reports. Looking forward to the final reports. As for next year, we still have the back half of season one, the chocolate party, and the work on season two to keep us entertained for quite some time. Not to mention guest appearances by the dogs, Baron Destructo, and incriminating pictures of Carl.
Nope, not so much news. But your blog’s snowflakes may be falling on my head tomorrow. Possibly 1-3″ of snow here in PA.
Love all your culinary adventures, Joe. I’m stuffed just reading about it.
Just a quick huzzah for finally doing something with Chloe. I’m beginning to feel a little love here, as all the political machinations brew up nicely.
Just Finished watching “Justice”. Now thats Stargate! I Have Loved SGU from the Begining and that was my Fav. Episode. Cant wait for the 2nd half of the season. To you Joe, all the Crew and actors and producers. Thank you! Thank you for SG1, Atlantis and now SGU!
Hi Joe, no time to read the blog right now (will catch up next time I’m awake, like at 1 or 2 or 3 a.m.), but must tell you, this was the first episode that really got my interest. Wow! Like Das, I hate Wray. Good stuff, maybe I’ll stick with it after all!
EXCELLENT episode – certainly my favorite of the first half of the season. I think we need a murder mystery each week! 😀
Dang…I just checked…THAT was written by Alan?? Hell…what a shame he’s not with you guys anymore, because that was a great ep. It even bumps Time for my favorite out of the first ten. It had a great [sexless] shocker, and really had me on the edge of my seat. And I loved the toned-down Eli – I like the fact that he was much more serious in this, and less of a clown. Don’t get me wrong, I love funny Eli, but I really love his more sober side, too.
I could go on and on, but have Sanctuary to watch now!
No stone usage. Showing people back on earth interacting with their families is an episode killer every time.
Little to no kino usage. I dont want to watch reality tv in space. But this episode it served a purpose at least as part of the discovery of the plot.
No music. Self explanatory.
Return to at least some semblance of sci-fi and stargate lore.
Minuses….
The first half hour of the Law & Order / NCIS andromeda galaxy show. Usually we get Days of our lives in space. This time we got 30 mins of Perry Mason. (look it up)
Playing the race card. He isn’t old enough to know what it was like not to be able to date white women (speaking of tiger woods) Lets keep the social commentary out of the show.
Chloe. Nuff Said.
Not enough Sci in the Fi. 4 minutes of the chair thats it? Dont they get 72 hours on a new planet and it took them 69 to find the ship? And by the time Rush gets there its time to leave already? And instead of him making a discovery about the ship an episode of WWE breaks out.
Lying about what happened to Rush. I figured Young would have hauled his ass back to the ship and cleared the record instead he beat his ass and left him to rot and lied about it. I thought better of him than that.
So I am guessing that unless Rush is no longer on the show he is going to figure out how to make the ship work or find a way to call another ship to the area and hook back up with destiny. Pretty predictable.
Oh hey look, it’s Jessica. I recognized her hand. Wow, wow, and wow! Perhaps these are the best group of pictures yet. All the dishes look devine. The artistry is unbelieveable. Are you ordering everything on the menu at all these restaurants?
Here is what you’ve missed. Tiger is apparantly a naughty boy and Entertainment Tonight is “investigating”. The Dallas Cowboys are leading their division. (Will wonders ever cease?) Susan Boyle has a hit record. A couple of yahoos crashed a President Obama party at the White House. Soon they will be crashing in prison. Sarah Palin is touring the country promoting her new book. Does anybody care? But most importantly, I got a stupid speeding ticket! I’m waiting to hear how much it is going to cost me.
Enjoy your final days, then it will be back home going to Chili’s with Carl.
Now, WOW!!! Justice was as amazing as Time, probably even more so! I can’t believe we have to wait until April, hopefully the show won’t lose momentum.
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As I said in commenting on Time, this is the kind of episode you should be making every week! You can have powerful and gripping character moments without using the sex stones. R. Carlyle and L. Ferreira were outstanding in their confrontation at the end of the episode. I didn’t start to suspect Rush until later in the episode, and I was right as to his motives. I loved how Rush actually put up a modest fight against a military man. I am really surprised at how many layers Rush has. I was stunned that Young left him on the planet. I thought he would drag his sorry butt back to the ship, as he is the most experienced with ancient tech. I was surprised because the print ads that advertised this episode said that something on the planet would cause problems for the crew. It didn’t seem like that was the case. I forsee problems between Greer and some of the other marines and Wray. They just don’t like each other, and if Young hadn’t come in there could have been a dangerous incident. Also, nice that after 10 episodes Chloe actually had something to do. I love how you ended the episode, with Rush looking up at the darkened sky. I can’t wait until April!!!
HOLY SHIT how can you not be here to discuss this episode? Is IMDB misinformed about a certain actor no longer being around? OMG. WOW. OMG. Did I mention WOW?
I just found your Gateworld blog and read a few of your very old entries. I noticed this: “Help me out, Aussies. There’s this sweet shop about five minutes from my house that specializes in imported sweets. I picked up a box of these incredible cookies that I had intended to use for a future ice cream creation, but ended up eating all by their lonesome. The package says Arnott’s Kingston. What is the cookie called? When I go into the shop, am I asked for Arnott’s or am I asking for Kingstons?”
I’m a huge fan of those Kingstons too! They are too good. They probably don’t compare to all the fancy macarons you have (I want to try one some day), but for a simple chocolatey sugary hit they cannot be defeated.
Have you had any Aussie foods lately? Tried vegemite since your March 5, 2007 entry? It’s really not that bad as long as you spread it thinly.
Those chocolates look delicious! Very pretty looking. Truffles are my favourite; they’re part of the christmas baking every year.
So I should have been studying for finals (curse you, university) but instead I watched me some SGU. Justice was amazing! Quite the cliffie. Love how the Rush/Young tension has finally come to a head, but it can only get worse from here, me thinks. I wonder how everything is gonna come into play…Franklin w/ all that ancient-y knowledge, the conflicts that are brewing, etc. Looking forward to the second half, oh how I wish we didn’t have to wait till spring.
Out of curiosity, how long have they been on the ship by now? I’m guessing a couple months….but thats just a wild stab in the dark.
Hmm, as a non-golfer, why would you specifically inquire about Tiger Woods if you didn’t already know something was up? — Alan McCullough’s very nifty script is having a lingering effect on me. (Hah. My investigative prowess is notable primarily for my misperceptions. My bro still likes to call me Inspector Gadget.)
Very much enjoyed “Justice.” It’s hard not to speculate on events to come, but I’m sure developments will include something, or any number of things, I would never have thought of. Once again, kudos to the entire team. No matter how I look at it, SGU is quite simply excellent television.
Thanks for all the pics and for the time you’ve put into posting them, when you could be (let’s say) out hunting down previously undiscovered chocolatiers or other confectioners’ shops. The effort is greatly appreciated.
— Say, does WordPress have a widget yet that can screen for blood alcohol level when someone posts? My attempts at self-screening leave a fair amount to be desired. *dejected sigh* — Still, new SGU eps and new blog entries do quite well at restoring my spirits (no pun intended). And recorded eps will help a lot with getting through the long midseason break.
What’s happening? Well, it snowed today in Houston. I’m not kidding, really it did. Lots of moisture came in from the Gulf of Mexico combined with a frigid cold front from Canada and met here in perfect combination. They got 3 inches at least; it snowed 30 miles north of Houston for 6 hours and nothing stuck; however, the roads are now iced over and Houston isn’t prepared to deal with ice. Fortunately tomorrow is Saturday and most people are not going to work. After 9 a.m., it will be sunny, all will thaw out, dry up and we’ll go on. Seems like we’re getting 1 day of snowfall each year as of late. Christmas Day 2 years ago, Houston (and again parts south there — damn them) got 6 inches. If you are going to have snow, that is just the perfect setup. Beautiful, uplifting and gone in 1 day.
I also bought my official SG-1 Christmas ornament today. My husband and I enjoyed a nice lunch date while the child was at school (it’s been months since we’ve gone out). And we met with a local government agency about a program my son has finally come off the waiting list for….after 10 YEARS of being on it.
However, with all this excitement, I made no money today at work since I get paid by production ($5.00 for every thousand words I type) and I don’t get vacation days.
Also, we heard on Twitter that Alaina Huffman was in labor — in case you haven’t heard. Hopefully by the end of the weekend, her family will be welcoming their new baby into the world.
Well can I say about Justice without spoiling it for those who haven’t watched. WICKEDLY EVIL. Very unexpected behavior from many of the characters. Obviously it is well known there is a murder on board Destiny, and I just want to say how sad I am knowing who it is.
TPTB have got to come up with a more modern way of doing a series. This 10 episodes, wait 4 months, 10 more episodes is really so year 2000. When “24” discovered (and “Lost) that the viewers didn’t tune in after long, extended hiatuses, they changed their format to continuous viewing. I have never liked this about Syfy. As PG15 said on Twitter, “Imagine sooner.”
What’s been happening here? Well, the Bridge Studios have burned down. The news reports that a middle-aged, moustached man came by the scene moments after the blaze had been quenched, carrying a donut, and yelled “BUT I WAS ONLY GONE FOR A MINUTE!!” Before collapsing to his knees and sobbing for a full hour. The firefighters thought it was an Emmy-worthy performance.
Similarily, my mind is on fire from what I just saw on TV, namely “Justice”. DAMMIT WHY. WHY CLIFFHANGER WHY?!!?!
I don’t have that much time to type out a full review (got a 3000 word paper due on Monday, and I haven’t started yet), so I’ll just say that the twists and turns kept coming in this episode, and all involved were Awesome! The tension has been building for the past 10 episodes, and its culmination in this one was just cathartic.
Young is unravelling and I absolutely love it, especially how it’s been a smooth progression from day 1 to day…whatever day this is (hey guys, a timeline on the series so far? How long has it been since Air?). Rush continues to be a magnificent bastard and I love that too! I especially loved his smug “and that’s just pure speculation and I will have none of that.” Even in a court when he’s the one in the stand, he attempts to seek control. Lovely. 😀
We see plainly that Young and Rush aren’t really that different by the end of the episode; despite Young’s composure at the beginning, about being open and truthful, at the end he essentially kills Rush by stranding him on a desolate world, doing exactly what they accused him of. Both can be extremely selfish, only that Rush is more overt and obvious about it. One day, when/if Young realizes all this, it’s going to be quite a revelation.
Loved Scott and Greer’s loyalty (bonus points for not sugercoating the race issue), loved Chloe’s inner strength (as I expected, she’s slowly but surely getting stronger and stronger), and loved Wray’s grab at power and her ultimate humanity at accepting the truth.
There is a thread at Gateworld that specifically talks about how Chloe had more to do in this episode. This is what I wrote:
I think Eli’s on the cusp of something. From that last scene of his where Young was ordering him to delete bits of his documentary (remember how I keep saying that I am the real life Eli? Yeah, guess what? I’m also planning to make a documentary of a sort. This is getting creepy. You sure you guys don’t have secret cameras installed at my house or something? ;)), Eli seems apprehensive. For all this time he seems to be more on Young’s side, but ever since he was asked to spy, Eli seems to be wavering on his support of the Colonel, even to the point of thinking that he may have committed the murder afterall. Now Young wants Eli to erase information – if I were Eli, and I am, then I’d be a bit freaked out; this is the beginning of a totalitarian government, the withholding of information. With this terrible potential in mind, I don’t think Eli will just stand by and let Young or Rush use him to do these morally ambiguous things; he is going to start acting more like his own man than a pawn in Young and Rush’s constant game of chess (note how Rush made it a point to get Eli into his team when he talked to Wray; both he and Young know of Eli’s importance. The thing is though – Eli doesn’t; not yet).
The secondary characters (can they really be called that anymore? They’re all over the place!) were great as well. Volker’s “It’s pretty impressive…as far as chairs go” and “Yay” at being offered command were hilarious. I also loved how Franklin is still wearing his blood-soaked shirt. And now he seems to have the same symptoms as O’Neill did after he got grabbed by the Ancient Repository of Knowledge. Interesting times ahead for Franklin.
Oh wow. I just realized that the snow “flakes” on the blog stops moving while I type these comments. They only start moving again when I click on the page outside the comment box.
Anyways, I gotta mention that last shot. It was art. No dialogue, just Robert Carlyle’s desperate and hopeless facial expressions as he react to the utter devastation he’s feeling at his loss. And that incredibly beautiful cloudy sky. The sky that shielded the stars from him, mocking him, locking him on the surface of that planet. Loved the shot of Rush from below as he stands up, his face silloutted against the stiffling clouds, and then collapsing onto his knees. It was kinda dark, but I distinctly saw that he was nearly in tears.
The man who just lost his Destiny.
What a cliffhanger! Not a “holy crap how are they gonna survive?!?!” cliffhanger, but more like a game changer for the entire situation. The build-up of the last 10 episodes, especially the animosity between Young and Rush, pays off here in a pretty big way; though we are far from a full resolution. Awesome. What now? The unspoken anger between Rush and Young is clearly out in the open now. What will the two men do when they meet again? After all, they WILL meet again…right?
Ugh. This is going to be a looooooong winter.
On a completely different topic: I watched one of the MGM videos a few days back, and saw again that wonderful scene from “Time” of Eli talking about his brave mother. I was shocked SHOCKED to see that, when Eli mentioned how his father couldn’t take it and left, the KINOCam panned towards Lt. Scott!! Holy Hannah! If that was deliberate, then that was a magnificent piece of foreshadowing! It blew my mind, Joe. It blew my mind.
So for those keeping count, SGU and all those involved have blew my mind twice, and set it on fire once. Keep it up!
Finally, I just had a revelation. Remember those Symphony of Science videos I posted here? I think that one of the lines from those videos fit SGU perfectly:
“The exploration of the cosmos is a voyage of self-discovery.” – Carl Sagan
Yeah, he was an ass to quite a few people, but I can understand how he feels. “This ship is like a coffin” – no one likes to be trapped, especially when your control over your own fate is taken away at the same time. The man exploded at people while he was in public, but in the private of his own room, he was honest, and clearly in pain and turmoil. I felt for him.
He had problems, but at the same time I loved seeing his less-than-perfect demeanor. Josh Blacker was brilliant in the role, and I’m going to miss his character.
That said, it was surprisingly and lovely to see the “grieving” for the man wasn’t all roses and butterflies like you usually see on TV. The guy was an ass at times and the characters weren’t gonna sugercoat it, even if the guy was killed. They were brutally honest about it. I liked that a lot.
“We kept grinding away with the white blocks with no discernible effect and it reached the point where I suspected we were actually given rocks.”
Ha ha, you WERE given rocks!
Salt = halite = mineral = ‘rock’
You said the black one was sulphury. Could you discern any particular flavours in the white or pink ones? What about the pink one made you prefer it? Did they gift you the grater as well?
Still waiting to hear what “Holy Bitch” actually is.
Lol sa y est vous ne parlez plus en jours mais en repas XP!
Vous savez quoi cette nuit j’ai rêvée de vous! Vous étiez un agent secret et dés que je vous est vue je ne vous est pas laché, lol un moment je vous ai posé une question
Moi: “Dite vous ne me trouvez pas un peu chiante?”
Vous: HUmmm si un peu…
Moi: Je sais c’est parce que pose trop de question… je suis un peu stressé et contente de vous voir.
Vous: ah d’accord…
Et là y’a eu des méchants qui sont arrivés, vous êtes rentrez dans un mur, sorti de la voiture avec un arme pour poursuivre quelqu’un…..Je suis rentrée alors dans le magasin pour vous retrouver, mais je n’ai jamais su ou vous étiez, au final je me suis retrouvée dans un supermarcher où l”on pouvez tout goûter avant d’acheter ……..j’ai tout manger mais rien acheté (-_-“)
Lol, c’est rigolo les rêves, au moins cette fois j’ai pu vous voir un peu 🙂
Je regarde l’épisode de sgu et je reviens vous dire ce que j’en pense.
Joe the pups called and asked me to remind you of presents or something like that, roughly translated.
Thats probably not new news to you.
I am trying to figure out how to hook up my new laptop and get it running, but I was sleepy last night, so today we will begin. We had a couple days of needed rain in central Florida, but it can warm back up anytime now. Nothing much on tv, well it is mid break for SGU, so at least until it comes back, I still enjoy Santuary.
I think I agree with your lighter lunch fare and down and delicious for the dinner, sounds like a great plan. Prepare the palate. About the weather there, what temps are you having, with the coat,without, is it the rainy season? I know you are counting the days left as meals, and yes that might make it better than hours or days, so just have more fun and eat lots more, if thats possible. thanks for sharing!
I just saw on amazon that they’re releasing SGU “season 1.0”. I know you don’t have anything to do with DVD releases, but if anyone ever asks, you might let them know that for a lot of people, there’s no surer way to make sure we won’t be buying the DVD than for them to try to con us into buying a half-season for the price of a full season. Sheesh.
BRAVO…. simply BR-freakin-VO…. “Justice” was a mind blower!
The ending was perfection, and the mixture of high intensity drama with the truest sense of science fiction intrigue and suspense. “Justice” was an absolutely brilliant episode. It was without a doubt my favorite episode of the first half – and that is very very hard to say since I loved “Time” and “Light” in the leagues of the all-time great Stargate episodes.
Season 2 or bust…. I’m all in for the adventure to come!
J’ai vu l’épisode ‘Justice’…la seul chose que j’ai aimé c’est quand ils vont sur une planète et découvre un vaisseaux…..sinon le reste ça ne m’a pas paru trés intéressant.
Since I am a Louisiana native who currently lives in Massachusetts, the defeat of the Patriots by the Saints has caused a philosophical and psychological rift in my brain that I have yet to mend. I’m sure there is voodoo involved, though, somehow….
Wow, – Deni if you liked last nights episode of SGU, then I am intrigued, I gotta watch it. Thank God I taped it.
If anyone has been following the news,America’s Most Wanted will be featuring the lastest Thanksgiving murders in Jupiter. There’s a memorial service for the little girl and her grandmother, not sure if the other relatives will be included in this one, since there has been one for the twin sisters in Miami last week.
This one really hit home since it happened not only in my neighborhood but right behind me. We weren’t home at the time. We were at my mother in law’s dropping her off at 11:00 pm we heard helicopters 7 miles away, looking for this guy.
That little girl, how sad. She was so innocent. Why??? Why any of it?
The town seems to be a little eerie, it’s hard to describe. And being so close to it, it’s little unsettling at night.
Please keep the family in your prayers their faith in God at this time is amazing.
Thank you so much for sharing your experiences while on vacation. I love your comments on the “interesting” people and places. I especially appreciate the food pictures and descriptions. I’m amazed at the things you eat. 🙂
This particular comment really made me giggle. “I did as instructed, raking the multi-colored leaves into a neat little pile which I resisted burning and ate instead.” It’s still making me grin.
I’ve been enjoying your Japanese trip food pictures, although I have to confess that when I read some of the ingredients I think “I could never eat that!” LOL
The Patriots lost to the Saints *sigh* – I’m a NE fan and their performance in this game was pitiful. The Saints looked AMAZING and were quite a force. Brady seemed to lack confidence and Moss played rather sadly.
Watched “Justice” – it was a really good episode. I gained a lot of respect for Young as a leader and thought it was such interesting character development to have him abandon Rush! Such a dark side! I love it 😀 I’m assuming Rush will come back (with a vengeance), at least I hope so – I still think of him as the unfunny Dr. House – which makes him one of the cooler characters for me (I go for intriguing, not necessarily likeable). Chloe gained a few points – I loved that she stood up for herself and didn’t get cowed over by Wray. Camille went from merely annoying to cringe worthy for me. She strikes me as such a conviction-less character. Does she want to lead? Does she have an opinion of what’s right and wrong? Can she think for herself or is she just a shell of a woman who does whatever the strongest decides? For someone who seems to have gone against her parents’ wishes to be herself, she sure lacks any real… oomph.
It’s just my opinion 🙂 Hope you continue to enjoy Japan!
Just finished watching Justice and it was the first episode of the season that made me actually say “Wow!”. Terrific!
Personally, I had been underwhelmed with the show thus far, but the dynamics in this episode were awesome. Thanks for such great work… I’ll be making sure to keep watching if you all have more great stories to tell.
now that I’ve mulled over Justice, figure I’ll add a few more comments now.
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Ok, the opening was interesting, but stumbled in one serious way. As Greer pointed out, no weapon. However, blood spray, injury site, and body position are consistant with a self inflicted gun wound. As tightly wound as Spencer was, why did anyone on Destiny believe he would have allowed someone to move close enough to him to shoot him that way? Surely someone would have considered that Spencer had been found by someone else, and the gun stolen.
Other than that, the investigation was ok. Young handled the situation very well. His political adroitness is actually a bit suprising, though in the real world you have to have some savvy that way if you want to earn stars. Alas, Wray failed to match Young’s acumen. While she took advantage of the situation, she is still not showing independent strength. She’s done nothing to assure the military personnel repect civilian leadership, she is the one manipulated rather than manipulating in the episode, and she caves too easily to Young in her final scene. I love the idea of the civilian and military leader at odds, but for the conflict to work it has to be a battle of equals, or near equals.
Chloe finally is stepping up to her potential. Even if it did take a push by Young to get her to do so. Loved Greer, it’s nicely ominous how he is aggrevating the civilian/military leadership issue. Glad to see someone finally had the nerve to try the chair, and can hardly wait to see what the final repurcussions of that decision will be. And the Young/Rush conflict and resolution, absolutely lovely. At least when Rush returns, he can’t complain about Young’s ability and willingness to make hard, ruthless decisions…. all in all I really really liked this episode. No, I actually loved it. Looks like Universe is finally coming into its own. Looking forward to seeing how the back half of the season plays out.
I’m still a huge fan of the episodes Earth and Life but I loved Justice too.
I love Col. Young, I think from what we’ve seen he’s more complex of a character then Rush. It felt really sweet to see him smack the daylights out of Telford but I kind of felt the opposite when he did so to Rush and Rush really deserved it….but being stranded? my jaw dropped.
The way your writers can make you love a character and then seconds later hate a character is amazing in a good way.
I was completely shocked.
Good stuff! the hiatus is going to kill me though. You should fill in the extra space with numerous new kinosodes to sate my need for more.
gotta skip the comments right now as I’m on my way out the door. Sorry to say tho dude that Hollywood has re-invented the Hachiko story which stars Richard Gere *sticks fingers down throat*
Anyways, off to see 2012 with the family.not my choice of movie to fork out on normally but Liam has a fascination with devastation and has requested my presence so there I go 🙂
Enjoy the rest of your stay
@Joe – Hey there. I just thought I’d stop by to say that I’m letting it go (SGU). I will watch your episode (Space), but I’m sure that’s going to be the last one. The writing tends to be really good with your episodes. I really loved episodes like Remnants and This Mortal Coil, but my favorite of yours is Home.
I just love where Teyla says in the limo that she’s traded on “many worlds” and John quickly covers for her by saying “countries” so the limo driver won’t notice. That was great, and it still makes me laugh. Thanks for that, and for everything else like your blog. I hope you continue to be successful; I really mean that.
I hope you don’t mind, I’ll still drop by from time to time to check out your puppies, and to see how you’re doing.
Joe, in a past mailbag you said that the episode wouldn’t be a two parter, but it was still a cliffhanger! I don’t know whether to be excited that the show has a hook to bring back the audience in March, or to feel misled. I’ll stick with the former. It’s kind of obvious that Rush will show up later and there will be repercussions for what Young did, but the questions are when, where, and how?
Episode 10 was a really amazing episode though the ending was slightly predictable, the moment Rush started talking you almost expect Young to punch him and kick his butt. Which he did. What Young did I think most people would do too, although he didn’t show it, it was obvious being framed for murder hurt his pride, after all he is the leader.
Oh, there’s a really cool new(ish) show called Stargate Universe or as most people like to call it – SGU. Last episode “Justice” was insanely awesome. I’d talk more about it, but I can’t find enough words, or any actually, to describe how much I loved it. Okay, one word – intense.
I think it was pretty obvious from the start that Rush had something to do with it. He wasn’t at all concerned with the identity of the ‘killer’ except to voice that there was one…and his casual attitude about it afterwards pretty much confirmed that he knew alot more then he was letting on.
Marooning a lead character on a planet….wow…unless Rush is being written out which is unlikely…I’m really curious to see how him and Young can “make nice” with each other later….if Rush can get back…which seems likely…just seems like any “make nice” bridge has been burned.
And just as a side note…did you add “snowflake” effects to your blog? In the last day or two when i’ve looked at it…every so often I see white colored blocks come down…its not on any other site…thought I had some kinda virus when I first saw it…
Normally, not being a gourmet, I skim through the food posts until you get to chocolate. I have to be careful of my sugars, but those posts send me into a virtual (yes, literally, virtual) swoons.
Also, I’m wondering why you limit your food vacations to Tokyo? Are there no hole-in-the-wall, or shoji-walled, gourmet discoveries to be made in the Japanese hinterlands? I (in my self-absorbed center-of-the-universe persona) might also enjoy blog adventures and cell-phone pics of said hinterland. But that’s just me. 🙂
I hope that the cute little pattern survives when I press ENTER.
I hope that the hounds forgive you for leaving them home (almost) alone with only Fondy to pamper them and feed them and to obey their every command – or is it just cats who boss humans around? But at least the pack will get more space on the bed whilst you are away eating Tokyo.
@ Scigirl45 – I’m originally from New England, Rhode Island actually. Really miss it this time of year. Not being a football fan, I don’t really follow the Pats, maybe when they are doing well. Guess I’ve been in FLA too long.
Yes, Mr. M, I believe Tiger’s wife is taking up golf herself 😉 . I heard she may get up to 80 million to stay with him for a while longer so he can keep his endorsements. I’m really sorry for his children in all of this. They are the biggest losers in this sad story.
Did you read about the party crashers at the White house?
Thanks PG15, great points!
I’ve been playing with my new laptop. Uninstalling programs that came pre-loaded and such. Did you know that if you have a validated copy of Windows you can download Microsoft Security Essentials free? It’s a virus scanner for free! Anyway, I uninstalled the free trial version of ****** and installed the MSE version. That is one yearly bill I will avoid.
Sorry to get off topic. Anyway, I had no idea that salt was such a gourmet dish! You’ve shown me that I’m totally ignorant of real cuisine. BUT That’s ok, I guess I will stick with Chili’s, Olive Garden and such. I would need a food guide if I tried some of those places you went. I would probably be more happy with those lunch places you mentioned for your next trip.
Once again, great pictures and Thanks so much for sharing your adventures!
Fine. Got my Lonely Planet guide book out and started making plans to go back next year. Need to spend some quality time in Tokyo and Kyoto and maybe visit some new places this time around. And all because you said the magic word – yakitori. Hope you’re happy! 😛
Hey I can tell you about the “Snow” in Houston, yes it was snow….yes it was cold, yes it did stick, but only in some places, yes it was in general the type of snow that melts as soon as it touched something. were the roads icy, no, no they weren’t, it was an exaggeration made by folks who are not familiar with the fluffy white crap. If any Ice did form, it formed on bridges and over passes, anywere the wind could go under and over the road, creating extra chill. Its so stupid sometimes how some people are…
Well apart from hating so many characters keep repeated use of “I need” when what they mean is “I want” (much like when people say “I could care less” when they mean “I couldn’t care less” – someone poke McCullough on the way out) it was better than last time, it could still fairly easily be transplanted to an all earth plot (people trapped on an island during a tempest, bullies fighting in at the abandoned mine where there might be treasure yada yada yada) but there was less tough to sell soap dialog, though someone should remind the writers room its possible to have realistic people, who are also likeable.
The fight was good, look more like dirty abuse of physicality which happens in the real world than what hollyweird has shown us.
The stranding of Rush was slightly unpredictable, as opposed to Wray stepping down (should have kept her in charge!) and Young being innocent – given that we know he lies, disobeys orders, beats people up he doesn’t like or try to kill them – it would have been interesting if he had actually killed Spencer.
Now, what are the odds of Rush finding a time traveling pod and go back to episode 1 to skulk on the ship *g*
“Japan’s most dog” ????? I think there’s a missing adjective there.
Anyhow, Justice was an excellent episode, with lots of twists and turns, and what an Epic Ending! Wow, that really shakes things up in a way I wasn’t expecting. Well done.
Bring on the Blu-Ray!
Very sweet of her.
British Columbia and Alberta have secceeded from Canada and are now states fifty one and fifty two. When you get home you can replace your current passport. Other than that, no news….
Thanks for the ongoing reports. Looking forward to the final reports. As for next year, we still have the back half of season one, the chocolate party, and the work on season two to keep us entertained for quite some time. Not to mention guest appearances by the dogs, Baron Destructo, and incriminating pictures of Carl.
Tiger Woods?
Sorry. Just started watching SGU – will have to get back to you on that… 😉
Oh, and I want a box of those chocolates! (please! 🙂 )
Yeah…fat chance. Just do me a favor and eat one for me…maybe I’ll be able to enjoy the experience telepathically, or something.
Gotta run!
das
What are your thoughts on Royce Chocolate?
Nope, not so much news. But your blog’s snowflakes may be falling on my head tomorrow. Possibly 1-3″ of snow here in PA.
Love all your culinary adventures, Joe. I’m stuffed just reading about it.
Just a quick huzzah for finally doing something with Chloe. I’m beginning to feel a little love here, as all the political machinations brew up nicely.
Suddenly I’m in love with Chloe…the girl has some balls. (Oh, and I officially hate Wray. 😀 Heh…and I though Chloe was gonna be the biatch. )
das
Tiger Woods, Tiger Woods, sorry, I don’t follow baseball.
Oooh…uh-oh. I smell a ‘red shirt’….
das
Just Finished watching “Justice”. Now thats Stargate! I Have Loved SGU from the Begining and that was my Fav. Episode. Cant wait for the 2nd half of the season. To you Joe, all the Crew and actors and producers. Thank you! Thank you for SG1, Atlantis and now SGU!
The food looks absolutely amazing – especially the desserts.
Tiger Woods – it makes me chuckle to think that he almost met his maker after being beatien with one of his own golf clubs.
Susan
Hi Joe, no time to read the blog right now (will catch up next time I’m awake, like at 1 or 2 or 3 a.m.), but must tell you, this was the first episode that really got my interest. Wow! Like Das, I hate Wray. Good stuff, maybe I’ll stick with it after all!
Joe,
What a trip… I have loved every entry. The food has been killing me, due to still being on “the program.”
Wow… what a trip
Whoa…just…whoooooaaaa…..
EXCELLENT episode – certainly my favorite of the first half of the season. I think we need a murder mystery each week! 😀
Dang…I just checked…THAT was written by Alan?? Hell…what a shame he’s not with you guys anymore, because that was a great ep. It even bumps Time for my favorite out of the first ten. It had a great [sexless] shocker, and really had me on the edge of my seat. And I loved the toned-down Eli – I like the fact that he was much more serious in this, and less of a clown. Don’t get me wrong, I love funny Eli, but I really love his more sober side, too.
I could go on and on, but have Sanctuary to watch now!
das
“beatien” should, of course, be beaten.
Should have used the spell check!
🙂
Pluses….
No stone usage. Showing people back on earth interacting with their families is an episode killer every time.
Little to no kino usage. I dont want to watch reality tv in space. But this episode it served a purpose at least as part of the discovery of the plot.
No music. Self explanatory.
Return to at least some semblance of sci-fi and stargate lore.
Minuses….
The first half hour of the Law & Order / NCIS andromeda galaxy show. Usually we get Days of our lives in space. This time we got 30 mins of Perry Mason. (look it up)
Playing the race card. He isn’t old enough to know what it was like not to be able to date white women (speaking of tiger woods) Lets keep the social commentary out of the show.
Chloe. Nuff Said.
Not enough Sci in the Fi. 4 minutes of the chair thats it? Dont they get 72 hours on a new planet and it took them 69 to find the ship? And by the time Rush gets there its time to leave already? And instead of him making a discovery about the ship an episode of WWE breaks out.
Lying about what happened to Rush. I figured Young would have hauled his ass back to the ship and cleared the record instead he beat his ass and left him to rot and lied about it. I thought better of him than that.
So I am guessing that unless Rush is no longer on the show he is going to figure out how to make the ship work or find a way to call another ship to the area and hook back up with destiny. Pretty predictable.
4/10.
better than last episode.
Justice – wow, brilliant and another one of them damned – you have to wait to see what happens. Patience shall prevail. I think.
Ivon posted on his twitter a comment attributed to his sister. Who know a Tiger could be a Cheetah? This should answer/address the question, eh?
Oh my. If I were Rush right now I would be feeling incredibly sick.
Great mid way ep.
Justice = sweet. Really looking forward to the next 10!
And thanks to Space in Canada, we’re going to get a 10 ep marathon. 🙂
Oh hey look, it’s Jessica. I recognized her hand. Wow, wow, and wow! Perhaps these are the best group of pictures yet. All the dishes look devine. The artistry is unbelieveable. Are you ordering everything on the menu at all these restaurants?
Here is what you’ve missed. Tiger is apparantly a naughty boy and Entertainment Tonight is “investigating”. The Dallas Cowboys are leading their division. (Will wonders ever cease?) Susan Boyle has a hit record. A couple of yahoos crashed a President Obama party at the White House. Soon they will be crashing in prison. Sarah Palin is touring the country promoting her new book. Does anybody care? But most importantly, I got a stupid speeding ticket! I’m waiting to hear how much it is going to cost me.
Enjoy your final days, then it will be back home going to Chili’s with Carl.
First, has anyone seen this story yet:
http://scifiwire.com/2009/12/man-spends-70k-building-h.php#more
I think this is amazing! I wish I could move in.
Now, WOW!!! Justice was as amazing as Time, probably even more so! I can’t believe we have to wait until April, hopefully the show won’t lose momentum.
Spoilers
Spoilers
Spoilers
Spoilers
As I said in commenting on Time, this is the kind of episode you should be making every week! You can have powerful and gripping character moments without using the sex stones. R. Carlyle and L. Ferreira were outstanding in their confrontation at the end of the episode. I didn’t start to suspect Rush until later in the episode, and I was right as to his motives. I loved how Rush actually put up a modest fight against a military man. I am really surprised at how many layers Rush has. I was stunned that Young left him on the planet. I thought he would drag his sorry butt back to the ship, as he is the most experienced with ancient tech. I was surprised because the print ads that advertised this episode said that something on the planet would cause problems for the crew. It didn’t seem like that was the case. I forsee problems between Greer and some of the other marines and Wray. They just don’t like each other, and if Young hadn’t come in there could have been a dangerous incident. Also, nice that after 10 episodes Chloe actually had something to do. I love how you ended the episode, with Rush looking up at the darkened sky. I can’t wait until April!!!
HOLY SHIT how can you not be here to discuss this episode? Is IMDB misinformed about a certain actor no longer being around? OMG. WOW. OMG. Did I mention WOW?
I just found your Gateworld blog and read a few of your very old entries. I noticed this: “Help me out, Aussies. There’s this sweet shop about five minutes from my house that specializes in imported sweets. I picked up a box of these incredible cookies that I had intended to use for a future ice cream creation, but ended up eating all by their lonesome. The package says Arnott’s Kingston. What is the cookie called? When I go into the shop, am I asked for Arnott’s or am I asking for Kingstons?”
I’m a huge fan of those Kingstons too! They are too good. They probably don’t compare to all the fancy macarons you have (I want to try one some day), but for a simple chocolatey sugary hit they cannot be defeated.
Have you had any Aussie foods lately? Tried vegemite since your March 5, 2007 entry? It’s really not that bad as long as you spread it thinly.
Those chocolates look delicious! Very pretty looking. Truffles are my favourite; they’re part of the christmas baking every year.
So I should have been studying for finals (curse you, university) but instead I watched me some SGU. Justice was amazing! Quite the cliffie. Love how the Rush/Young tension has finally come to a head, but it can only get worse from here, me thinks. I wonder how everything is gonna come into play…Franklin w/ all that ancient-y knowledge, the conflicts that are brewing, etc. Looking forward to the second half, oh how I wish we didn’t have to wait till spring.
Out of curiosity, how long have they been on the ship by now? I’m guessing a couple months….but thats just a wild stab in the dark.
Hmm, as a non-golfer, why would you specifically inquire about Tiger Woods if you didn’t already know something was up? — Alan McCullough’s very nifty script is having a lingering effect on me. (Hah. My investigative prowess is notable primarily for my misperceptions. My bro still likes to call me Inspector Gadget.)
Very much enjoyed “Justice.” It’s hard not to speculate on events to come, but I’m sure developments will include something, or any number of things, I would never have thought of. Once again, kudos to the entire team. No matter how I look at it, SGU is quite simply excellent television.
Thanks for all the pics and for the time you’ve put into posting them, when you could be (let’s say) out hunting down previously undiscovered chocolatiers or other confectioners’ shops. The effort is greatly appreciated.
— Say, does WordPress have a widget yet that can screen for blood alcohol level when someone posts? My attempts at self-screening leave a fair amount to be desired. *dejected sigh* — Still, new SGU eps and new blog entries do quite well at restoring my spirits (no pun intended). And recorded eps will help a lot with getting through the long midseason break.
What’s happening? Well, it snowed today in Houston. I’m not kidding, really it did. Lots of moisture came in from the Gulf of Mexico combined with a frigid cold front from Canada and met here in perfect combination. They got 3 inches at least; it snowed 30 miles north of Houston for 6 hours and nothing stuck; however, the roads are now iced over and Houston isn’t prepared to deal with ice. Fortunately tomorrow is Saturday and most people are not going to work. After 9 a.m., it will be sunny, all will thaw out, dry up and we’ll go on. Seems like we’re getting 1 day of snowfall each year as of late. Christmas Day 2 years ago, Houston (and again parts south there — damn them) got 6 inches. If you are going to have snow, that is just the perfect setup. Beautiful, uplifting and gone in 1 day.
I also bought my official SG-1 Christmas ornament today. My husband and I enjoyed a nice lunch date while the child was at school (it’s been months since we’ve gone out). And we met with a local government agency about a program my son has finally come off the waiting list for….after 10 YEARS of being on it.
However, with all this excitement, I made no money today at work since I get paid by production ($5.00 for every thousand words I type) and I don’t get vacation days.
Also, we heard on Twitter that Alaina Huffman was in labor — in case you haven’t heard. Hopefully by the end of the weekend, her family will be welcoming their new baby into the world.
Well can I say about Justice without spoiling it for those who haven’t watched. WICKEDLY EVIL. Very unexpected behavior from many of the characters. Obviously it is well known there is a murder on board Destiny, and I just want to say how sad I am knowing who it is.
TPTB have got to come up with a more modern way of doing a series. This 10 episodes, wait 4 months, 10 more episodes is really so year 2000. When “24” discovered (and “Lost) that the viewers didn’t tune in after long, extended hiatuses, they changed their format to continuous viewing. I have never liked this about Syfy. As PG15 said on Twitter, “Imagine sooner.”
Think those monolith islands in the middle of the road might be cellphone and/or microwave relay tower. Anyone actually know what they are?
Wow! Great episode last night! Especially liked the cliffhanger. Whoa. Whew. What an episode! 🙂
And did someone say the show isn’t coming back till APRIL?! So hope thats not true. That is far too long imo.
DF2506
It’s snowing on the blog again! Woooo!!!
What’s been happening here? Well, the Bridge Studios have burned down. The news reports that a middle-aged, moustached man came by the scene moments after the blaze had been quenched, carrying a donut, and yelled “BUT I WAS ONLY GONE FOR A MINUTE!!” Before collapsing to his knees and sobbing for a full hour. The firefighters thought it was an Emmy-worthy performance.
Similarily, my mind is on fire from what I just saw on TV, namely “Justice”. DAMMIT WHY. WHY CLIFFHANGER WHY?!!?!
I don’t have that much time to type out a full review (got a 3000 word paper due on Monday, and I haven’t started yet), so I’ll just say that the twists and turns kept coming in this episode, and all involved were Awesome! The tension has been building for the past 10 episodes, and its culmination in this one was just cathartic.
Young is unravelling and I absolutely love it, especially how it’s been a smooth progression from day 1 to day…whatever day this is (hey guys, a timeline on the series so far? How long has it been since Air?). Rush continues to be a magnificent bastard and I love that too! I especially loved his smug “and that’s just pure speculation and I will have none of that.” Even in a court when he’s the one in the stand, he attempts to seek control. Lovely. 😀
We see plainly that Young and Rush aren’t really that different by the end of the episode; despite Young’s composure at the beginning, about being open and truthful, at the end he essentially kills Rush by stranding him on a desolate world, doing exactly what they accused him of. Both can be extremely selfish, only that Rush is more overt and obvious about it. One day, when/if Young realizes all this, it’s going to be quite a revelation.
Loved Scott and Greer’s loyalty (bonus points for not sugercoating the race issue), loved Chloe’s inner strength (as I expected, she’s slowly but surely getting stronger and stronger), and loved Wray’s grab at power and her ultimate humanity at accepting the truth.
There is a thread at Gateworld that specifically talks about how Chloe had more to do in this episode. This is what I wrote:
Link
I think Eli’s on the cusp of something. From that last scene of his where Young was ordering him to delete bits of his documentary (remember how I keep saying that I am the real life Eli? Yeah, guess what? I’m also planning to make a documentary of a sort. This is getting creepy. You sure you guys don’t have secret cameras installed at my house or something? ;)), Eli seems apprehensive. For all this time he seems to be more on Young’s side, but ever since he was asked to spy, Eli seems to be wavering on his support of the Colonel, even to the point of thinking that he may have committed the murder afterall. Now Young wants Eli to erase information – if I were Eli, and I am, then I’d be a bit freaked out; this is the beginning of a totalitarian government, the withholding of information. With this terrible potential in mind, I don’t think Eli will just stand by and let Young or Rush use him to do these morally ambiguous things; he is going to start acting more like his own man than a pawn in Young and Rush’s constant game of chess (note how Rush made it a point to get Eli into his team when he talked to Wray; both he and Young know of Eli’s importance. The thing is though – Eli doesn’t; not yet).
The secondary characters (can they really be called that anymore? They’re all over the place!) were great as well. Volker’s “It’s pretty impressive…as far as chairs go” and “Yay” at being offered command were hilarious. I also loved how Franklin is still wearing his blood-soaked shirt. And now he seems to have the same symptoms as O’Neill did after he got grabbed by the Ancient Repository of Knowledge. Interesting times ahead for Franklin.
Oh wow. I just realized that the snow “flakes” on the blog stops moving while I type these comments. They only start moving again when I click on the page outside the comment box.
Anyways, I gotta mention that last shot. It was art. No dialogue, just Robert Carlyle’s desperate and hopeless facial expressions as he react to the utter devastation he’s feeling at his loss. And that incredibly beautiful cloudy sky. The sky that shielded the stars from him, mocking him, locking him on the surface of that planet. Loved the shot of Rush from below as he stands up, his face silloutted against the stiffling clouds, and then collapsing onto his knees. It was kinda dark, but I distinctly saw that he was nearly in tears.
The man who just lost his Destiny.
What a cliffhanger! Not a “holy crap how are they gonna survive?!?!” cliffhanger, but more like a game changer for the entire situation. The build-up of the last 10 episodes, especially the animosity between Young and Rush, pays off here in a pretty big way; though we are far from a full resolution. Awesome. What now? The unspoken anger between Rush and Young is clearly out in the open now. What will the two men do when they meet again? After all, they WILL meet again…right?
Ugh. This is going to be a looooooong winter.
On a completely different topic: I watched one of the MGM videos a few days back, and saw again that wonderful scene from “Time” of Eli talking about his brave mother. I was shocked SHOCKED to see that, when Eli mentioned how his father couldn’t take it and left, the KINOCam panned towards Lt. Scott!! Holy Hannah! If that was deliberate, then that was a magnificent piece of foreshadowing! It blew my mind, Joe. It blew my mind.
So for those keeping count, SGU and all those involved have blew my mind twice, and set it on fire once. Keep it up!
Finally, I just had a revelation. Remember those Symphony of Science videos I posted here? I think that one of the lines from those videos fit SGU perfectly:
“The exploration of the cosmos is a voyage of self-discovery.” – Carl Sagan
Fits, no? 😉
Oh my, forgot about Spencer!
Yeah, he was an ass to quite a few people, but I can understand how he feels. “This ship is like a coffin” – no one likes to be trapped, especially when your control over your own fate is taken away at the same time. The man exploded at people while he was in public, but in the private of his own room, he was honest, and clearly in pain and turmoil. I felt for him.
He had problems, but at the same time I loved seeing his less-than-perfect demeanor. Josh Blacker was brilliant in the role, and I’m going to miss his character.
That said, it was surprisingly and lovely to see the “grieving” for the man wasn’t all roses and butterflies like you usually see on TV. The guy was an ass at times and the characters weren’t gonna sugercoat it, even if the guy was killed. They were brutally honest about it. I liked that a lot.
@PBMom
I feel for you! No precipitation in San Antonio, but it’s FRIGID…26F at 2:30 AM. Normal average 43F.
Yeah, it’s past bedtime. G’nite.
“We kept grinding away with the white blocks with no discernible effect and it reached the point where I suspected we were actually given rocks.”
Ha ha, you WERE given rocks!
Salt = halite = mineral = ‘rock’
You said the black one was sulphury. Could you discern any particular flavours in the white or pink ones? What about the pink one made you prefer it? Did they gift you the grater as well?
Still waiting to hear what “Holy Bitch” actually is.
Coucou Joseph!!!
ça va bien?
Lol sa y est vous ne parlez plus en jours mais en repas XP!
Vous savez quoi cette nuit j’ai rêvée de vous! Vous étiez un agent secret et dés que je vous est vue je ne vous est pas laché, lol un moment je vous ai posé une question
Moi: “Dite vous ne me trouvez pas un peu chiante?”
Vous: HUmmm si un peu…
Moi: Je sais c’est parce que pose trop de question… je suis un peu stressé et contente de vous voir.
Vous: ah d’accord…
Et là y’a eu des méchants qui sont arrivés, vous êtes rentrez dans un mur, sorti de la voiture avec un arme pour poursuivre quelqu’un…..Je suis rentrée alors dans le magasin pour vous retrouver, mais je n’ai jamais su ou vous étiez, au final je me suis retrouvée dans un supermarcher où l”on pouvez tout goûter avant d’acheter ……..j’ai tout manger mais rien acheté (-_-“)
Lol, c’est rigolo les rêves, au moins cette fois j’ai pu vous voir un peu 🙂
Je regarde l’épisode de sgu et je reviens vous dire ce que j’en pense.
Bisou!
Joe the pups called and asked me to remind you of presents or something like that, roughly translated.
Thats probably not new news to you.
I am trying to figure out how to hook up my new laptop and get it running, but I was sleepy last night, so today we will begin. We had a couple days of needed rain in central Florida, but it can warm back up anytime now. Nothing much on tv, well it is mid break for SGU, so at least until it comes back, I still enjoy Santuary.
I think I agree with your lighter lunch fare and down and delicious for the dinner, sounds like a great plan. Prepare the palate. About the weather there, what temps are you having, with the coat,without, is it the rainy season? I know you are counting the days left as meals, and yes that might make it better than hours or days, so just have more fun and eat lots more, if thats possible. thanks for sharing!
I just saw on amazon that they’re releasing SGU “season 1.0”. I know you don’t have anything to do with DVD releases, but if anyone ever asks, you might let them know that for a lot of people, there’s no surer way to make sure we won’t be buying the DVD than for them to try to con us into buying a half-season for the price of a full season. Sheesh.
BRAVO…. simply BR-freakin-VO…. “Justice” was a mind blower!
The ending was perfection, and the mixture of high intensity drama with the truest sense of science fiction intrigue and suspense. “Justice” was an absolutely brilliant episode. It was without a doubt my favorite episode of the first half – and that is very very hard to say since I loved “Time” and “Light” in the leagues of the all-time great Stargate episodes.
Season 2 or bust…. I’m all in for the adventure to come!
J’ai vu l’épisode ‘Justice’…la seul chose que j’ai aimé c’est quand ils vont sur une planète et découvre un vaisseaux…..sinon le reste ça ne m’a pas paru trés intéressant.
Bonne journée!
Bisou!
Since I am a Louisiana native who currently lives in Massachusetts, the defeat of the Patriots by the Saints has caused a philosophical and psychological rift in my brain that I have yet to mend. I’m sure there is voodoo involved, though, somehow….
Obama’s sending 30k troops for the surge in Afganistan
Wow, – Deni if you liked last nights episode of SGU, then I am intrigued, I gotta watch it. Thank God I taped it.
If anyone has been following the news,America’s Most Wanted will be featuring the lastest Thanksgiving murders in Jupiter. There’s a memorial service for the little girl and her grandmother, not sure if the other relatives will be included in this one, since there has been one for the twin sisters in Miami last week.
This one really hit home since it happened not only in my neighborhood but right behind me. We weren’t home at the time. We were at my mother in law’s dropping her off at 11:00 pm we heard helicopters 7 miles away, looking for this guy.
That little girl, how sad. She was so innocent. Why??? Why any of it?
The town seems to be a little eerie, it’s hard to describe. And being so close to it, it’s little unsettling at night.
Please keep the family in your prayers their faith in God at this time is amazing.
LOL, Thank God I taped it… what era am I living in?? I guess some people still tape shows. Are VHS cassettes still being sold??
Wooow!!! what an episode… Justice!!! Three thumbs up and kudos to the writer Mr. Alan. I can’t wait for Space.
By the way when are you coming back to Canada?
Hi Joe,
Thank you so much for sharing your experiences while on vacation. I love your comments on the “interesting” people and places. I especially appreciate the food pictures and descriptions. I’m amazed at the things you eat. 🙂
This particular comment really made me giggle. “I did as instructed, raking the multi-colored leaves into a neat little pile which I resisted burning and ate instead.” It’s still making me grin.
I’ve been enjoying your Japanese trip food pictures, although I have to confess that when I read some of the ingredients I think “I could never eat that!” LOL
The Patriots lost to the Saints *sigh* – I’m a NE fan and their performance in this game was pitiful. The Saints looked AMAZING and were quite a force. Brady seemed to lack confidence and Moss played rather sadly.
Watched “Justice” – it was a really good episode. I gained a lot of respect for Young as a leader and thought it was such interesting character development to have him abandon Rush! Such a dark side! I love it 😀 I’m assuming Rush will come back (with a vengeance), at least I hope so – I still think of him as the unfunny Dr. House – which makes him one of the cooler characters for me (I go for intriguing, not necessarily likeable). Chloe gained a few points – I loved that she stood up for herself and didn’t get cowed over by Wray. Camille went from merely annoying to cringe worthy for me. She strikes me as such a conviction-less character. Does she want to lead? Does she have an opinion of what’s right and wrong? Can she think for herself or is she just a shell of a woman who does whatever the strongest decides? For someone who seems to have gone against her parents’ wishes to be herself, she sure lacks any real… oomph.
It’s just my opinion 🙂 Hope you continue to enjoy Japan!
Hi Joe ( & all the other writers of SG-U),
Just finished watching Justice and it was the first episode of the season that made me actually say “Wow!”. Terrific!
Personally, I had been underwhelmed with the show thus far, but the dynamics in this episode were awesome. Thanks for such great work… I’ll be making sure to keep watching if you all have more great stories to tell.
Thanks!
now that I’ve mulled over Justice, figure I’ll add a few more comments now.
S
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Ok, the opening was interesting, but stumbled in one serious way. As Greer pointed out, no weapon. However, blood spray, injury site, and body position are consistant with a self inflicted gun wound. As tightly wound as Spencer was, why did anyone on Destiny believe he would have allowed someone to move close enough to him to shoot him that way? Surely someone would have considered that Spencer had been found by someone else, and the gun stolen.
Other than that, the investigation was ok. Young handled the situation very well. His political adroitness is actually a bit suprising, though in the real world you have to have some savvy that way if you want to earn stars. Alas, Wray failed to match Young’s acumen. While she took advantage of the situation, she is still not showing independent strength. She’s done nothing to assure the military personnel repect civilian leadership, she is the one manipulated rather than manipulating in the episode, and she caves too easily to Young in her final scene. I love the idea of the civilian and military leader at odds, but for the conflict to work it has to be a battle of equals, or near equals.
Chloe finally is stepping up to her potential. Even if it did take a push by Young to get her to do so. Loved Greer, it’s nicely ominous how he is aggrevating the civilian/military leadership issue. Glad to see someone finally had the nerve to try the chair, and can hardly wait to see what the final repurcussions of that decision will be. And the Young/Rush conflict and resolution, absolutely lovely. At least when Rush returns, he can’t complain about Young’s ability and willingness to make hard, ruthless decisions…. all in all I really really liked this episode. No, I actually loved it. Looks like Universe is finally coming into its own. Looking forward to seeing how the back half of the season plays out.
I’m still a huge fan of the episodes Earth and Life but I loved Justice too.
I love Col. Young, I think from what we’ve seen he’s more complex of a character then Rush. It felt really sweet to see him smack the daylights out of Telford but I kind of felt the opposite when he did so to Rush and Rush really deserved it….but being stranded? my jaw dropped.
The way your writers can make you love a character and then seconds later hate a character is amazing in a good way.
I was completely shocked.
Good stuff! the hiatus is going to kill me though. You should fill in the extra space with numerous new kinosodes to sate my need for more.
gotta skip the comments right now as I’m on my way out the door. Sorry to say tho dude that Hollywood has re-invented the Hachiko story which stars Richard Gere *sticks fingers down throat*
Anyways, off to see 2012 with the family.not my choice of movie to fork out on normally but Liam has a fascination with devastation and has requested my presence so there I go 🙂
Enjoy the rest of your stay
@Joe – Hey there. I just thought I’d stop by to say that I’m letting it go (SGU). I will watch your episode (Space), but I’m sure that’s going to be the last one. The writing tends to be really good with your episodes. I really loved episodes like Remnants and This Mortal Coil, but my favorite of yours is Home.
I just love where Teyla says in the limo that she’s traded on “many worlds” and John quickly covers for her by saying “countries” so the limo driver won’t notice. That was great, and it still makes me laugh. Thanks for that, and for everything else like your blog. I hope you continue to be successful; I really mean that.
I hope you don’t mind, I’ll still drop by from time to time to check out your puppies, and to see how you’re doing.
Thanks again.
Peace & Love,
J
Joe, in a past mailbag you said that the episode wouldn’t be a two parter, but it was still a cliffhanger! I don’t know whether to be excited that the show has a hook to bring back the audience in March, or to feel misled. I’ll stick with the former. It’s kind of obvious that Rush will show up later and there will be repercussions for what Young did, but the questions are when, where, and how?
Episode 10 was a really amazing episode though the ending was slightly predictable, the moment Rush started talking you almost expect Young to punch him and kick his butt. Which he did. What Young did I think most people would do too, although he didn’t show it, it was obvious being framed for murder hurt his pride, after all he is the leader.
What have I been missing?
Oh, there’s a really cool new(ish) show called Stargate Universe or as most people like to call it – SGU. Last episode “Justice” was insanely awesome. I’d talk more about it, but I can’t find enough words, or any actually, to describe how much I loved it. Okay, one word – intense.
:D:D
That was certainly an intriguing episode….
I think it was pretty obvious from the start that Rush had something to do with it. He wasn’t at all concerned with the identity of the ‘killer’ except to voice that there was one…and his casual attitude about it afterwards pretty much confirmed that he knew alot more then he was letting on.
Marooning a lead character on a planet….wow…unless Rush is being written out which is unlikely…I’m really curious to see how him and Young can “make nice” with each other later….if Rush can get back…which seems likely…just seems like any “make nice” bridge has been burned.
And just as a side note…did you add “snowflake” effects to your blog? In the last day or two when i’ve looked at it…every so often I see white colored blocks come down…its not on any other site…thought I had some kinda virus when I first saw it…
Have you seen this in Tokyo? Don’t know when they “turn it on.”
It is a Christmas tree nighttime neon display projected onto the exterior of the Grand Prince Hotel Akasaka.
Normally, not being a gourmet, I skim through the food posts until you get to chocolate. I have to be careful of my sugars, but those posts send me into a virtual (yes, literally, virtual) swoons.
Also, I’m wondering why you limit your food vacations to Tokyo? Are there no hole-in-the-wall, or shoji-walled, gourmet discoveries to be made in the Japanese hinterlands? I (in my self-absorbed center-of-the-universe persona) might also enjoy blog adventures and cell-phone pics of said hinterland. But that’s just me. 🙂
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ღஜღ .•*´`*♥*´`*•. ღஜღ .•*´`*♥*´`*•. ღஜღ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ
I hope that the cute little pattern survives when I press ENTER.
I hope that the hounds forgive you for leaving them home (almost) alone with only Fondy to pamper them and feed them and to obey their every command – or is it just cats who boss humans around? But at least the pack will get more space on the bed whilst you are away eating Tokyo.
😉
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ღஜღ .•*´`*♥*´`*•. ღஜღ .•*´`*♥*´`*•. ღஜღ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ
@ Scigirl45 – I’m originally from New England, Rhode Island actually. Really miss it this time of year. Not being a football fan, I don’t really follow the Pats, maybe when they are doing well. Guess I’ve been in FLA too long.
Where in MA are you?
Yes, Mr. M, I believe Tiger’s wife is taking up golf herself 😉 . I heard she may get up to 80 million to stay with him for a while longer so he can keep his endorsements. I’m really sorry for his children in all of this. They are the biggest losers in this sad story.
Did you read about the party crashers at the White house?
Thanks PG15, great points!
I’ve been playing with my new laptop. Uninstalling programs that came pre-loaded and such. Did you know that if you have a validated copy of Windows you can download Microsoft Security Essentials free? It’s a virus scanner for free! Anyway, I uninstalled the free trial version of ****** and installed the MSE version. That is one yearly bill I will avoid.
Sorry to get off topic. Anyway, I had no idea that salt was such a gourmet dish! You’ve shown me that I’m totally ignorant of real cuisine. BUT That’s ok, I guess I will stick with Chili’s, Olive Garden and such. I would need a food guide if I tried some of those places you went. I would probably be more happy with those lunch places you mentioned for your next trip.
Once again, great pictures and Thanks so much for sharing your adventures!
T
Haha I JUST NOW realized where the justice was located within “Justice!” I’d say more, but it would be spoilerific so… 😀
Fine. Got my Lonely Planet guide book out and started making plans to go back next year. Need to spend some quality time in Tokyo and Kyoto and maybe visit some new places this time around. And all because you said the magic word – yakitori. Hope you’re happy! 😛
PG15: The snow follows the mouse.
T
x…
Hey I can tell you about the “Snow” in Houston, yes it was snow….yes it was cold, yes it did stick, but only in some places, yes it was in general the type of snow that melts as soon as it touched something. were the roads icy, no, no they weren’t, it was an exaggeration made by folks who are not familiar with the fluffy white crap. If any Ice did form, it formed on bridges and over passes, anywere the wind could go under and over the road, creating extra chill. Its so stupid sometimes how some people are…
anal colica just means not alcoholic, it really should be separated like an alcolica.
just saying tho
Well apart from hating so many characters keep repeated use of “I need” when what they mean is “I want” (much like when people say “I could care less” when they mean “I couldn’t care less” – someone poke McCullough on the way out) it was better than last time, it could still fairly easily be transplanted to an all earth plot (people trapped on an island during a tempest, bullies fighting in at the abandoned mine where there might be treasure yada yada yada) but there was less tough to sell soap dialog, though someone should remind the writers room its possible to have realistic people, who are also likeable.
The fight was good, look more like dirty abuse of physicality which happens in the real world than what hollyweird has shown us.
The stranding of Rush was slightly unpredictable, as opposed to Wray stepping down (should have kept her in charge!) and Young being innocent – given that we know he lies, disobeys orders, beats people up he doesn’t like or try to kill them – it would have been interesting if he had actually killed Spencer.
Now, what are the odds of Rush finding a time traveling pod and go back to episode 1 to skulk on the ship *g*
Tune in, in 4 months!
“Japan’s most dog” ????? I think there’s a missing adjective there.
Anyhow, Justice was an excellent episode, with lots of twists and turns, and what an Epic Ending! Wow, that really shakes things up in a way I wasn’t expecting. Well done.
Bring on the Blu-Ray!
Every time I read an installment from Tokyo, it makes me hungry.
I loved the plate with the leaves!
Just loved it! I want something like that. My mom always got onto me when I was young about not playing with my food…LOL!
🙂