There’s
one niche that appeals to everyone these days – young and old, men and women –
even teens are getting into this hobby. It’s photography, and if you have a
budding photographer (or someone more experienced with it) on your list, there
are many different options for gifts you can give them.
Photography and videography used to be much too expensive, but today, prices have dropped without losing the quality so you are the winner. You can shoot amazing photos that make you look like a professional without having to choose between eating that week or getting a top of the line camera.
MTTG 2019 Holiday Gift Guides
You can find everything here in this guide right here, so bookmark as the holiday season approaches. All of our 2019 Holiday Gift Guides are in one spot here, and they cover every person and situation you can think of along with our Top 5 Gifts for everyone on your list.
Digital Cameras
One of the most in-demand camera gifts is a digital camera. These are something everyone seeks to have – whether it’s for a simple Instagram account or for more professional pictures.
The
Sony Digital Camera is the perfect option
for someone just starting out. It isn’t an expensive camera, but it produces
beautiful images that have a professional appearance.
You’ll be giving them a camera that has 5 x optical zoom capability and that can product 360-degree panoramas. They won’t have to suffer from blurry images, either – thanks to the SteadyShot technology that’s built-in.
Canon
Another
digital camera they’ll be happy to own is by Canon and it’s the EOS Rebel DSLR camera bundle. This is a bit
more expensive, but that’s because it also comes with extra lenses, a couple of
memory cards, a padded camera case, flash light, filter kit, extra battery
pack, car and home charger, USB card reader, tripod and more!
Not
only can they take great pictures with this camera, but it can also record
video on it in sharp detail. They’ll appreciate the ability to maximize the
visual and audio potential of this camera, even when the setting they’re in
isn’t optimal.
Video Cameras
Prices for video cameras are all over the board, but as we know, the better quality you want, the better camera you should have. One of the best 4K video cameras is the Sony 4K HD FDRAX33 Handycam Camcorder. At only one and a half pounds, it’s easy to carry around all the time when you suddenly feel inspired and want to shoot something. It’s very user-friendly and is much cheaper than many other 4K video cameras that don’t deliver half the quality. We have more below, but for top of the line videographers, the Sony 4K is the only one you’ll ever need.
Lenses
Lenses
are a specialty item that many people don’t splurge for, even though it can be
game changing when it comes to producing the perfect pictures. You can gift
someone you love a Canon EF 50mm STM Lens
that’s perfect for capturing an action shot, taking pictures at night, or
creating beautiful and artistic portraits.
Another lens to consider is the Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR lens that has an auto-focus feature. These work with the Nikon DSLR cameras, which are popular among many photographers.
This
is not a zoom lens, but rather one that has dramatic capabilities, like
blurring a background for you so you can hone in on a focal point. If someone
you know loves taking pictures at dusk or dawn, this low light lens is a good
gift option for them.
Accessories
There
are many camera accessories that both amateur and professional photographers
enjoy getting as gifts. For example, you might get someone a filter for their
lens – like the K&F Concept 77 mm Fader
ND Filter.
This filter can reduce the light while still presenting the full-color effects of the image. It’s very durable, too – because it’s waterproof and won’t get damaged from scratches or fingerprints.
Altura
Another accessory to consider is a big bundle of items, like the Altura Photo Professional Accessory Kit. This includes a fisheye and wide-angle lens, remote control, photo filters, close-up set, wrist strap, lens hood, lens cap, a cleaning kit and more.
With an accessory bundle like this, the person you’re gifting it to can focus on the image they’re capturing and not on trying to acquire a variety of tools to help them to the job. The photos taken with these accessories will be artistic and jaw-dropping in their appeal.
Bags and Cases
Getting
camera equipment as a gift or that you buy yourself is wonderful. But people
suffer a lot of disappointment when they end up ruining their lenses, filters,
and cameras – all because they didn’t have a good camera bag or case to protect
it.
You
might consider gifting them a TARION Camera
Backpack. This canvas, water repellent backpack is perfect for DSLR camera
owners who are on the go – especially outdoors.
They can put their camera in it, or their laptop, too – if they want to upload the pictures they take. And no matter how rough things get, it won’t matter – because even inside the bag, it’s shock-proof, so the lining will protect the gear from getting damaged.
The
great thing about this bag is its ergonomic design. That means ultimate comfort
if your friend decides to fill the bag with their best gear and go on a hike or
climb a mountain.
It’s
easy to clean in case it gets dirtied up, and the strap is adjustable so it’ll
be comfortable, even if they have a larger load to carry in it. They can even
tack on a tripod and strap it to the base of the backpack if they want to.
Another
good option that’s even sturdier is the Pelican
1200 case that has a foam interior. This is perfect for the photographer
who has many pricey lenses and expensive equipment. It’s a waterproof design
and the foam interior means your gift recipient can tailor the case to their
own gear needs.
Lighting and Studio
Without
the right lighting, many pictures just wouldn’t be as beautiful or striking as
they could have been if the right lights were involved. Photographers need
lighting and studio equipment, so there are a couple of options to consider for
those kinds of gifts.
First,
you might want to give them a lighting kit.
There’s one made by Neewer that’s an 18-inch ring made with LED lighting. It
includes a stand and phone holder, too. This is perfect for both photography
and for video shoots, too.
With
this kit, they’ll be getting the ring light, stand and phone holder – along
with filters, a hot shoe adapter, power adapter, and US plug. This is a
lightweight kit that’s easy to transport to different locations.
Instant Studio
Another gift would be a studio kit. Julius Studio makes a photo and video studio that’s 10 x 7 feet in size. They’ll get the crossbar components, the support stand, photo clamps, a sand bag, and a carry bag.
This is perfect for people who want to put a backdrop up and film or snap pictures in front of it. It’s very light and easy to put up and take down. It’s made from aluminum alloy and is sturdy, so it won’t flip over in mid-use.
Tripods and Monopods
Whenever
someone is shooting pictures or video, they’re not always holding the camera by
hand. Sometimes, they want to use a tripod or monopod to mount the camera and
get a steady shot.
Geekoto
makes a 77-inch tripod for the DSLR cameras
that can swivel up to 360 degrees. It’s easy to take on the go and when they
set it up, they can adjust the height from 19 inches to the full 77 in mere
seconds.
With
the 360-degree rotation element, they won’t have to pick up the entire tripod
and move it around, They can capture perfect panoramas time and time again –
even on rough terrain, thanks to the stabilizing design. It easily folds up and
can be stored in a carrying case or bag.
Monopods
You
also might want to consider the Manfrotto
Element Monopod. This is an aluminum product that give the gift recipient
the option of having rubber or spiked feet on the bottom.
When
using it, it’s a simple twist-and-lock mechanism and the grip is ergonomic, so
they’ll maximize their comfort every time. You can choose which color you want
to gift it in, so make sure you know the preference of the person you’re buying
it for.
Underwater Photography
More
people are taking their cameras for a plunge these days. Capturing images
underwater is a great hobby that many people enjoy. So you might choose to
invest in some underwater photography gifts for someone in your life.
AKASO
makes a WiFi Sports Action Camera that’s
waterproof and works as both a camera and a camcorder. The 4K Ultra HD shots
are taken at 30 frames per second and can be taken by remote control.
This
particular camera has a very long battery life, and because it comes with two
of the rechargeable batteries, your gift recipient will always have one fully
charged when they need it, for up to 90 minutes per battery.
The images and video shot with this camera have better lighting and more detail in them. Even if your hand is shaking, the camera’s built-in EIS system corrects it, stabilizing your shot.
The person using it can upload and share the images and videos in an instant. It can also be used as a dashcam monitor. Many people use it as a dashcam while driving but still capture the underwater shots with it whenever they’re in need of that.
Photo
Scanners
There are many family pictures that have been passed down in print form. But most of today’s images are captured digitally and uploaded to a cloud where they can be shared online.
They don’t have to have a lot of space for this scanner. It comes with a kickstand that allows it to be placed vertically in a room instead of on a desktop. They’ll be able to scan large documents that are often too big for other machines and even restore color to pictures that have faded.
Epson
Another
scanner by Epson is the V600 Scanner.
This one scans pictures and documents as well as film and negatives. Your gift
recipient can create enlarged photos from film or take out the appearance of
debris, creases and ripped edges.
It
uses an LED light system, so they won’t have to sit and wait for the machine to
warm up before scanning. And if they have a document they want to edit, they
can simply scan it and use the ABBYY feature to edit it.
Camcorders
Camcorders have been around for a long time. But they keep getting better. Kickteck is one company that is staying cutting edge with its technology. They have a video camcorder that records in full HD 1080P and can zoom in on an image for you.
It uses two batteries and displays the video on a 3-inch screen. There’s a rotation capability of up to 270 degrees and they can even use the fill-in lighting feature if they’re in a low lighting setting.
Kickteck Features
The
camera has stabilization in it, as well as a face capture and beauty function
for the perfect images. If the person you’re gifting it to wants to Facetime
with friends and family, it has a feature for that, too!
This
is a great gift if you have a budding YouTuber in your family. The pause
feature lets people stop and start their recordings without having to start a
brand new file. Then they can simply use the USB to upload it to their computer
for publishing!
GoPro
Another
camcorder you might want to consider is the GoPro
Hero 7 Edition. It has a couple of extra batteries includes, plus a 64 GB
MicroSD and a free Polaroid 16GB MicroSD.
It’s
a waterproof camcorder, so it’s perfect for people who like water sports like
white water rafting, water skiing, kayaking and more. They’ve also got the
ability to take portrait shots with this video camcorder – instead of the
simple horizontal version in previous models.
Quadcopters for Cameras
Quadcopters
have become very popular with photographers. They take the camera high into the
sky and allow them to capture beautiful images and video from above the
treetops.
This is being used more and more in real estate and wedding photography, too. But it’s also just for fun. A Snaptain S5C drone is a good option. It has WiFi built-in with an HD camera they can control with their voice or with gestures.
This is a good RC Quadcopter for beginners. This has altitude hold and gravity sensor built-in, to prevent accidents and damage. They can use it with a VR headset to get a birds-eye view of what the camera is seeing.
Potensic
Potensic
is another brand to consider. They have a GPS
Drone that gives 2K HD live video feeds using 5G WiFi. The viewer gets a
panoramic picture that’s smooth and amazing.
It
automatically returns if it loses the signal or is low on power, so they don’t
have to worry about it getting lost. Each flight can last 20 minutes at a time
using the lithium battery and they can use an app to program a specific route
for it to fly.
If you want even higher quality photos, you should check out this amazing array of 4K HD Camera Drones that will deliver stunning images and mindblowing video.
“Supernatural”s fourth episode of its
fifteenth and final season reminded me of all the reasons I’m going to be a
sobbing mess when the show wraps – and I don’t have this sort of episode to dig
into and enjoy! Written by Davy Perez and directed by Jensen Ackles himself, ‘Atomic
Monsters’ ran the gamut (as some of the most enjoyable “Supernatural” episodes
do) from action hero sequence to humor to meta to tear-your-heart-out boys in
the car conversation. In other words, exactly what I want from my Show.
I was bouncing with anticipation for the
opening sequence after hearing Ackles talk about it so excitedly and hearing
some of his original ideas (never doubt that the man can write), and then
reading some of his interviews about the sequence. Jensen sent a full pitch to
showrunner Andrew Dabb, who came back saying he loved it but it wasn’t possible
unless they were doing a full length feature film. (Um, who’s on board to watch
that film? Line up to the left).
Let’s Go Hard Here
Ackles and stunt coordinator Rob Hayter
posted the two of them practicing some of the John Wick type moves in the
studio. Jensen’s conversation with Rob: “Let’s go hard here. We’re gonna go
big, we’re gonna do like a full Dean Winchester as John Wick.”
And that’s exactly what they did. All the
applause for triple threat writer/director/actor Ackles for creating the
perfect showcase for the character he loves so much, making Dean badass (and
bearded) and showing off his own smooth stunt moves in the process. He filmed
the sequence red lit, much like the scenes
of demon Dean tracking down his brother in the bunker, with the lighting giving
it all a surreal feel and somehow accentuating the violence and desperation. We
get the feeling this is Dean, but not our
Dean, as he takes down demon after demon, stalking the familiar halls of
the bunker. The dread builds as he encounters a fallen comrade – and we realize
it’s Benny.
Characters Aplenty, But It’s Okay This Time
I’ve complained already about too many
characters being brought back in one episode, but this time it worked for me,
in part because Ty Olsson was in a short but emotional scene. Despite his few
lines, the chemistry between Ackles and Olsson was clear, as was Dean’s genuine
affection for Benny, and the lines that he did have hit right in the heart. The
show is understanding and leaning into the power of the call back this season,
as we all try to prepare ourselves to wrap it up. Benny’s words to Dean echoed
his words from many seasons ago, as Benny once again dies.
Benny: I’ll see you on the other side, brother.
Well done, Ty Olsson and Jensen Ackles.
Jensen also shared that it was he who wanted
someone memorable to be killed in the fight sequence, and suggested Olsson.
Although Ty was working elsewhere, he was able to fly in for just a few hours
to do the scene, and he killed it. And we got another fan favorite character
back before the show ends! Interestingly, in this sequence – which seems to be
an alternate reality – Benny is human. But it seems like in every universe
they’re in, Dean and Benny care about each other.
Our sense of dread builds as the body count
increases, and when Dean finally demands “Where is he?” I think we all knew who
he was looking for. It’s still shocking
to see Sam standing there, lit in red, a halo of beautiful hair around that
handsome familiar face – which looks totally unfamiliar because of the cold
expression. All Sam’s empathy, which Jared Padalecki is so skilled at showing
us, is gone. Erased. Sam’s voice is cold, even in the face of his brother’s
pleading. Long before his eyes go black, we know that this Sam is not going to
hear Dean. And that is profoundly terrifying, upending the one thing that we
all count on for this Show. The Winchesters always, always care about each
other.
What’s worse, we know from Dean’s entreaty to
Sam to fight the demon blood that’s causing this, that this really is Sam. Not
Lucifer!Sam, but Sam himself, gone down that dark dark road that he’s always
feared. He’s become that monster that John Winchester once told Dean that “he
might have to kill”, that our Dean has spent his life making sure isn’t a
prophecy and that our Sam has never entirely stopped worrying about. In this
reality, Sam has killed Jody and Bobby and Benny, and as Dean begs “Please,
Sammy,” we know with awful certainty that he will kill his brother too.
Cold and Calculating
Still, Jared’s cold and calculating head tilt
and Jensen’s instant corresponding head turn and full body collapse made me
gasp. It’s the thing that’s hung over the Show since the start, and the thing
it feels like we have all fought against. The ultimate horror of one brother
killing another. Is it foreshadowing? A warning of what might happen if things
were different? A vision of the future? I’m
going with Sam seeing into other realities for now, especially since we find
out that Chuck can no longer see the Winchesters. That God wound that’s tying
them together, I think, has given Sam a glimpse of the other AU’s out there.
And they’re not pretty.
I got stuck on Dean’s face and voice as he
pleads with Sam. Even knowing what Sam has done, Dean doesn’t come there to
kill him; he comes to talk to him, to try for redemption even though it’s
clearly too late. The look on Ackles’ face and the desperation in his voice
kills me – the fact that Ackles directed himself in this scene just makes it
more emotional. He knows Dean, knows exactly how he would feel and what he
would do in this situation, no matter what universe the Winchesters are in.
God, I love this show.
Sam wakes up gasping as though from a dream,
looking around the room frantically for a second to be sure that Dean isn’t on
the floor.
Deep Breath
We breathe a sigh of relief along with Sam,
and then the tone shifts as Sam joins Dean in the bunker’s kitchen. I love when
the Winchesters are on the road, but I admit I do have a fondness for their
talks in their very own kitchen. It feels incredibly real when you sit in it,
every detail fully rendered, and that shows on screen too.
Dean offers Sam veggie bacon, saying that Sam
has been asking for it.
Me:
Awww, Dean taking care of his little brother.
Sam: I’m good.
Dean: No you’re not, you’ve barely come out of your room the past few days.
Convo Time
I love their conversations now, how real they are. For years and years, when one of them avoided ‘going there’ by insisting that they were fine, the other shrugged and didn’t push. Those days are over. They’re more open with each other than ever (although of course they still have their secrets). But I liked this whole conversation. Dean doesn’t try to cheer Sam up with false reassurances. Instead, he empathizes, sharing that he knows how hard it is, that he knows that realizing Rowena knew what she was getting into doesn’t make it any easier. He doesn’t try to talk Sam out of his feelings, just validates them. Then finds them a case to distract Sam – what both Winchesters do when the other needs to feel a sense of purpose that’s been quashed by loss and grief.
Sam is hesitant, perhaps because he just watched himself snap his
brother’s neck.
Sam: You can handle this.
Dean: No. You and me. Sam, we need this.
He’s right. Dean also plays up his
self-professed moniker ‘the meat man’ for a little levity for his brother, even
as Sam uncomfortably protests that it doesn’t mean what Dean thinks it means.
(The entire fandom knows what it means now, btw, and most of us are fairly sure
Dean Winchester knows exactly what it means too. According to fanfic, it’s
pretty accurate. Just saying.)
Sam: (takes a bite of veggie bacon and spits it out) This is real bacon!
Dean: (comically backing up into frame because Ackles’ comic timing is
flawless) Damn right it is – meat man!
Flawless
That whole scene was flawless. Sometimes, as
Becky rightfully points out later in the episode, the best parts are not
fighting monsters. They’re those small moments that the characters share, when
they get real and show how much they care about each other. Ackles and
Padalecki know that too. So thanks, Davy Perez.
Sam and Dean put on their very attractive Fed
suits to research the case Dean found for them, which leads to the annoyingly
named Beaverdale High School and some truly annoying parents who are more
concerned about their son’s lacrosse career than a cheerleader’s death. Sam
uncharacteristically has zero patience for the annoying parents, so we already
know that his empathy is worn dangerously thin.
Annoying mom: It’s the end of the world!
Sam: No, the end of the world is the end of the world.
Oh, Sam. You would know.
I recognized the dad right away from the
early season’s episode ‘Bugs’, but I didn’t realize until later that the mom
was also the mom from that episode (Andrew Airlie and Anne Marie DeLuise)! I
love that random call back, and both those actors were top notch in this
episode.
Sam and Dean visit the crime scene, and
director Ackles gives us some very lovely shots of them in suits, including
lots of Dean from behind and yes I did notice how that suit jacket stretches so
tightly over those broad shoulders and then tapers down to…. Anyway. Nice
shots, director Ackles.
The Flask
Despite Dean’s insistence throughout this
episode that he’s doing better than Sam, he pulls out his flask and takes a few
drinks as they realize another cheerleader is missing and as Sam sounds
frighteningly cynical about the weight on their shoulders as they know the
truth about what’s out there and protect other people’s white picket fences.
Dean reminds Sam that when he was young, normal was all he wanted, but Sam
can’t go there anymore. It’s clear he knows too much. He sounds bitter, and
right on the edge of giving up, and I think that more than anything is why
Dean’s day drinking again.
Vampire Alert
Sam and Dean figure out it’s a vampire doing
the killing/kidnapping, Dean eats a hot dog (and offers either Sam or Jared
some according to behind the scenes pics but not the episode).
Then they confront the cheerleader who’s
third in line to the “throne”. Oh, small quibble, Show. I don’t know anyone who
says “gag me” anymore even if they are sixteen. Anyway, smart boys figure out
this isn’t the vamp because she has braces (brilliant!) and “Supernatural” fan
and Outsiders author S. E. Hinton gets a shout out from the character Susie in
“stay gold”. Show is really all about
paying homage to everyone for whom this show has been special this season!
Smart boys also notice the school
surveillance camera and go to the annoying parents’ house to confront them,
thinking the dad is the vampire.
Meanwhile….
I’ve mostly known that Emily Perkins would be
back on the show this season, and Becky was in the ‘Then’, so it wasn’t a shock
when she showed up in this episode. What was a shock was that Becky was all
grown up, married with children and a nice house and SO much happier than when
we last saw her. I’ve written about this many times, but I loved the character
of Becky the way Kripke created her, as an affectionate poking fun at the
show’s passionate fandom the way Kripke liked to poke affectionate fun at
everything about his show that he loved. She may have been overly passionate
sometimes, but she was also the one whose encyclopedic knowledge of the “Supernatural”
universe saved the day, and the fangirl even “got the guy” for a while when
Chuck was the avatar of the show’s creator. How much more love between fandom
and creator could there be and how much more meta could the show get? I loved
it, even when some cringed a little. And I loved Emily Perkins, who I got to
know a bit personally and whose thoughtful takes on her complicated character
were fascinating.
Then came Season 7: Time For A Wedding.
The affectionate poking fun at fandom that
characterized the first incarnations of Becky became instead critical and
humorless. Becky herself became a delusional frightening character who crossed
the line in multiple ways and ended up assaulting Sam. Then the ending had Dean
being incredibly cruel to her and in the process voicing what sounded like the
writers’ derision and judgment of the show’s actual fans. I loathed that
episode and refuse to even consider it part of the show’s canon most of the
time. And I grieved the loss of a character who I had really enjoyed and an
actress I wished could return to the show.
So, I was ecstatic to have Emily and Becky
back! Emily was perfect as Becky, playing the character with enough coherence
to make her believable and familiar, but showing us clearly her evolution. I
loved the role reversal, that this time it’s Chuck who needs Becky, and she
gets to say “I don’t want or need to see you.” Chuck is at first a lot like the
“old Chuck” that Becky knew, needy and pleading with her and saying he has
nowhere else to go. (I will never 100% buy that Chuck was never Chuck and that
he was this vengeful spiteful asshole all along, but I do buy that we’re
supposed to buy that. If that makes any sense. Becky dated this guy for a
while, I mean…. Anyway.)
Davy Perez Love
I love Davy Perez for letting Becky address
that train wreck of an episode in Season 7 and to shudder at what she did to
Sam (which is what all of us did at the time) instead of just glossing over it
and pretending it didn’t happen. A little canon fix is a good thing! Becky got
some counseling and now makes “Supernatural” miniatures and runs a successful
Etsy site and is happily married and damn, I am happy for you, Becky. And happy
for the meta message that acknowledges fannish creativity and sanity too.
Side note of awesome: Jason Fischer in the production office actually
reached out to fans who had sent things to the office over the years and was
able to use many of them in the actual episode. What a perfect shout out in a
meta episode!
Becky Realizes
Becky also realized that she was never in
love with the actual Sam Winchester, because of course she wasn’t. She was in
love with the character, and that means she can write the character any way she
wants – in fan fic! The way so many of us do it.
Becky: So I wrote my own characters…and they’re not hunting monsters all the
time, sometimes they sit around and talk and do laundry. That’s what people
like the most anyway.
Me:
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS gimme that laundromat episode that Robbie
Thompson wanted to do so badly, Becky!
Chuck: (unconvinced and perhaps channeling real life writers and showrunners
and studios…) People like monsters.
Becky: (channeling a significant portion of fandom): Nyeh.
Chuck seems so sad here, and Rob Benedict is
insanely good at making him appealing. I know he’s a bad guy, but I couldn’t
help but feel bad for him anyway.
Chuck: So I came to see my #1 fan, to see if you can help me feel….big again…
Fluff What???
Becky: So you want me to… fluff you?
I literally burst into laughter at that line.
I’m surprised the CW allowed it, but omg it was hilarious.
Chuck: What? I mean…no?
Becky lays into him like anyone who has ever
had a down-on-their-luck ex wander back into your life and say hey, how about
we pick up where we left off.
Becky: You thought you could just come back to me, your pathetic fan, and get
what you used to. No. I like myself. So I don’t need you.
Chuck: No, you don’t. No one does.
Damn you Rob Benedict, that got to me – and
it got to Becky. In part I think she’s just trying to get rid of him, with lots
of fic deadlines hanging over her and we all know how that feels, but she takes
the bait and asks Chuck what makes him happy. When he says writing, she jumps
on it.
Becky: Then see, you have to write!
Fandom: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
We learn that Chuck can’t see Sam and Dean,
his favorite story, anymore. He’s insecure about writing, procrastinating.
Becky shares some writerly wisdom to inspire him, and he wonders aloud how she
learned all that.
Becky: I’m a writer too, Chuck.
Chuck: Fanfic’s not really…
Becky: (fed up to here) Writing’s writing!
Meta Episodes
The best thing about meta episodes is when
you get that kind of message from the show you love. Keep on writing that fic,
fandom, because Becky is right – writing’s writing!
Predictably, things go south between Becky and
Chuck. He writes, she gives lip service that it’s great mostly to get him to
leave, he demands a note and….she gives him one. Or more accurately lots. Here
we veer into more dangerous meta territory – Becky the fangirl has lots to say
in terms of critique, from thin stakes and villains who aren’t scary to the
lack of classic rock and too long monologues. Some of this critique is for
real, and we all know it, and that makes the meta message less positive than
the ones before it. Yes, fans are critical – but it’s because we love you,
Show!
Rob Benedict Love
Rob Benedict is brilliant in this scene. You
can see Chuck’s pleasant façade slipping away, and the dark and dangerous God
underneath.
Chuck to Becky: You want jeopardy? Danger? MOVE.
Back to the Winchesters confronting the
annoying parents, and Sam rescues the cheerleader-used-for-blood and figures
out that it’s not the dad who’s the vampire, but the son. (Ackles films these
scenes with lots of stops and starts, almost like stuttering, as we try to
figure out what’s happening in sort of the same way the Winchesters are). The
parents, it turns out, were trying to protect their newly turned son in rather
horrific ways.
Sam: Awesome parenting.
Parallels
It becomes clear that the vampire kid story
is probably a parallel to Sam’s fears of going dark side and turning into a
monster, and perhaps of Dean’s long-standing fear that if that happens, he
might have to kill his brother. Sam’s vision of how things could be suggest
that too.
Dad: You don’t have children, do you? When you see your child in pain, it
rips your heart out. You’d die for them.
Mom: Or kill for them.
Dean and Sam are brothers, but Dean has
always been a parent figure for Sam. I think he knows exactly what that feels
like, and he’s feeling some of it right now, as Sam is wracked by such pain and
Dean can’t fix it for him.
Vampire kid tells his parents that he can’t
control this, even though he didn’t ask for it (just like Sam didn’t ask for
it), as we see flashbacks of his unintentional but violent killing of his
girlfriend.
Billy: I’m a monster.
(It’s what Sam fears of himself in his darkest times)
Billy tells his tearful parents that he needs
to go with the Winchesters, and we know what he means. My heart broke for them,
and for him, because he didn’t have a choice and he didn’t ask for this and yet
he’s determined to do the right thing. He’s a good person and that won’t save
him, and that’s heartbreaking.
‘Sounds of Someday’ starts to play and all of
fandom got even more emotional than we would have been otherwise as Jensen
Ackles’ voice became the soundtrack for the scene. Jensen’s album was released
the very next day and most of us already had heard some of this hauntingly
beautiful song. It fit perfectly for the beautifully lit tragic sequence as the
Impala carries Billy away and he kneels before Dean in the forest, Sam watching
as Dean raises the giant knife and swings….
Is that a foreshadowing too?
Are we heading for an ending that sees Dean
finally have to do the unthinkable and kill his brother? Is that also a way to
kill Chuck since they’re attached somehow? Does he do it with the God gun so he
dies too? I have no clue, but I’m not sure I’d survive.
Back to Chuck and Becky, where nothing gets
any less heartbreaking. Becky reads Chuck’s new writing.
Becky: No. You can’t. This is just an ending.
Chuck: (with a dark almost smile) But I know where I’m going. Fans are gonna love it! I can see it now, “Supernatural:The End”. And the cover is just a gravestone that says “Winchester”.
Becky: No, it’s awful, horrible. Hopeless. You can’t do this to the fans.
Oh, the meta, it burns.
Chuck ignores her, zapping away both her
husband and her children as they return. Becky whirls around, dumbfounded.
Chuck: (deadpans) Oh yeah, I’m God.
She begs him to bring them back, but he
refuses, telling her he can do anything, then zaps her out of existence too.
Chuck: I can do anything. I’m a writer.
Later Meta Vs. Early Meta
Like I said, the meta for the last part of
this episode doesn’t sit as well as the meta for the earlier part. Is this
Andrew Dabb and Bob Singer and the writers’ room reminding fans that they’re
the ones with the power here, that they can – literally – write any ending they
want? They can devastate us, in a very real way. And that’s….terrifying.
I want to trust them, and I want to trust
Jared and Jensen and Misha Collins when they say that the ending makes sense
and will feel at least somewhat satisfying. But I’m not gonna lie, that was
ominous.
The last scene of the brothers is one of my
favorites of the last seasons. Sam and Dean in the Impala, which is my favorite
way for an episode to end. It’s night, the boys having had to do something
tragic but heroic, saving the day even if it cost them to do it.
And Dean is still worrying about Sam, still trying to help him. He’s so gentle in this conversation, listening closely to Sam’s feelings and trying hard to understand. It makes me tear up just thinking about it. I admit to feeling a little dizzy with how Sam and Dean are switching back and forth between who’s hanging onto relentless optimism and who’s falling into despair. In the first episode, it was Dean despairing and Sam talking him into keeping fighting, then Dean was suddenly despairing again like that conversation had never happened. Now he’s pulled it together and is trying to keep Sam from falling into despair. I suppose sometimes it happens like that, and the Winchesters are well aware that they work best when they balance each other out, but it’s jarring.
He Gets It
Dean tells Sam he gets it, that they’ve lost
way way too much, that it’s hard not to feel like just cashing out.
Dean: I felt like that. After Chuck, back at the crypt. But you know what
brought me back? You did. By saying that what we do still matters.
He tells Sam that they still do the job, to
save lives, that they do it for the people they’ve lost – for Jack and Mom and
Rowena. (I’m assuming they’re assuming that Cas is eventually coming back.)
Dean: We owe it to anybody who has ever given a damn about us to keep
putting one foot in front of the other, no matter what. And hey man, like you
said, now that Chuck’s gone, we’re finally free to move on, you know?
Sam looks so pained, probably so tempted to
just say yeah like he would have in years past. But that’s not who they are
anymore, so he tries to share with Dean how he’s really feeling.
Sam: I don’t know, I don’t know if I can move on, you know. I can’t forget
any of them. Dean, I still think about Jessica. I can’t just let that go.
And Dean tries so hard too, he wants
desperately to be understood.
Dean: No, man, that’s not what I’m talking about.
Sam: I know. I know, I know. I’m sorry, I know.
Side note:
That little exchange was so REAL. I don’t
know if that was Jared repeating that or if it was scripted, but it rang so
true. Sam wants to make sure that Dean knows that Sam understands and
appreciates what he’s trying to do. It’s so important to him that he repeats
it, apologizes for Dean ever thinking that he didn’t understand. It made me
tear up, and I could see the tears glistening in Sam’s eyes too. Padalecki was
masterful in this scene, Sam’s struggle and emotions written all over his face.
Sam: But what I’m saying is that I don’t feel free. What we’ve done, what
we’ve lost, right now that’s what I’m feeling. And sometimes it’s like I can’t
even breathe.
Dean says nothing, but he hears his brother.
Sam: But maybe tomorrow, you know, maybe I’ll feel better in the morning.
Dean: And what if you don’t?
Sam: I don’t know.
It’s such an honest and real conversation. I
saw so many people post that this scene rang so true for them, that this is so
much what it feels like to be depressed and want to give up, and to take it one
day at a time and keep saying maybe I’ll feel better in the morning. I think we
all appreciated both the writing and the incredible acting and directing. I
love how real and open the brothers were with each other here, both being
honest and neither trying to hand wave the other’s valid feelings or just quick
fix it.
The episode ends on an ominous note, Chuck typing away on Becky’s
laptop.
Chuck: Oh yeah, this is gonna be good…
Ackles gives us a close-up shot of the Sam and Dean Pop Funko dolls that most of us have somewhere in the house, their bobbleheads shaking in what looks like trembling fear as Chuck pounds the keys. It was a fitting ending for a tightly directed episode – Ackles more than held his own in the director’s chair this time out!
Perhaps because this is the last season,
we’ve been treated to lots and lots of press coverage of the show. (Where were
you in the early seasons, when the fandom was scrambling to keep the show on
the air??)
Jensen spoke to TVGuide
about this episode, saying that Dean is in fact quite worried about his
brother, saying that “Sam’s state always worries Dean. That’s who he fights
for. Sam’s been the reason he keeps fighting.”
He went on to say that when Sam wavers, Dean
needs to figure out a way to help him out.
Jensen: So it’ll be a struggle, not against each other, but for each other.
Sam is struggling to find purpose and Dean is struggling to help Sam find
purpose.
Final Thoughts
All that came through beautifully in this episode. I’m going to keep on biting my nails and angsting about the eventual ending that ‘Chuck’ seems to be taking such evil pleasure in and that Jensen has said he was initially a bit traumatized by (like Becky), but I’m also going to continue being extremely grateful for episodes like this that make me write ten-page reviews because I have so damn much to SAY.
One
of the best gifts to give at Christmas is something to do with fitness or
sports. Just a week or so after the holiday, many people begin a regimen of
implementing their New Year’s resolutions, and those often align with getting
healthier.
Regardless of whether someone wants to achieve a fitness goal, like losing weight or building muscle – or they just like to be involved in activities that have them outdoors in the fresh air, you can find a gift that suits them well.
MTTG 2019 Holiday Gift Guides
You can find everything here in this guide right here, so bookmark as the holiday season approaches. All of our 2019 Holiday Gift Guides are in one spot here, and they cover every person and situation you can think of along with our Top 5 Gifts for everyone on your list.
Camping and Hiking
Camping
and hiking are two activities many individuals and families alike enjoy. You
can get a gift for them that is both functional and enhances their enjoyment of
the outdoors so that they can go on a nice long hike and then set up camp and
enjoy the beauty of nature.
The
first one to consider is a Coleman Sundome
Tent. It comes in a few different color options, and with a 7 x 7 foot
floor, it’s big enough to fit a queen sized airbed inside. The center measures
4 feet in height.
This
is a roomy tent where they can move around inside and it sleeps two people
comfortably. It’s easy to set up and even if it’s rainy outside, they’ll be
protected with elements built in to keep them dry.
There’s
also a big window they can see out of and there’s a ventilation feature built
in to keep the inside of the tent fresh and odorless. It just takes 10 minutes
to set up, thanks to the poles built to prevent snagging.
Camp Chef
Another
option is the Camp Chef Outdoor Camp Oven.
Camping is a very enjoyable experience, but only when you have the means to
feed your family or friends. With this propane oven, they’ll be able to start
cooking without even needing a match.
There
are a couple of ways to cook with this product. The oven is one, with its two
oven racks able to hold a variety of meals in 9 x 13 inch pans – but it also
has a nonstick surface burner on top.
Cycling
Many
people are riding bikes these days – as a way of getting and staying fit, for
enjoyment of the outdoors and scenery, or to compete in races on an amateur
level. If you know someone who rides, or would like to, consider getting them
the Ancheer 2019 Pro Electric Mountain Bike.
This
21-speed, aluminum alloy and frame, carbon steel bike for adults has a
lithium-ion battery that keeps the bike in working order. It has a superior
shock absorption system and the seat and hand-bar can be adjusted for the rider.
For
night riding, there’s an LED headlamp that keeps the path lit. Riders can
choose to manually operate the bike or use the e-system if they get tired or
need a break. So it’s perfect for longer rides outdoors.
Kask Helmet
Another
item every cycler needs is a good helmet. The Kask
Protone Helmet is a great choice because it has a wonderful MIT Technology safety
system built into the shell covering that protects the rider from initial and
secondary impacts.
As
for performance, this helmet has been created with Aero Control Technology, so
it gives cyclers a wonderful CX rate. It also helps dissipate heat for the
rider and it includes a refreshing ventilation system.
Athletic Clothing
Whether
pursuing a specific sport or just wanting to live an active and enjoyable life,
men and women both need athletic clothing that’s both comfortable and stylish.
For men, the Under Armour Men’s Raid Shorts
are a good gift option.
These are 10-inch shorts made of polyester that come in a wide variety of color options. They’re very lightweight and soft. The material wicks sweat from the body to keep the person wearing it dry, and it has anti-odor technology built in to keep them smelling fresh.
Yogalicious
For
women, check and see if the person you’re buying the gift for is involved in
yoga (or likes to wear that type of clothing when they exercise). Yogalicious High Waist Leggings are
extremely comfortable and lightweight – perfect to wear during any type of
exercise.
They’re available in different colors, and women love them as a smart substitute to bulky, hot sweatpants. They have sweat-wicking technology built-in and there’s a pocket that’s hidden where she can keep her keys, a smartphone, or other items safe and secure.
Exercise and Fitness
Fitness
equipment gifts are something some people won’t splurge on for themselves, but
they’re greatly appreciated when others gift it to them. A simple piece of gear
would be a pair of Bowflex SelectTech
Adjustable Dumbbells.
These space saving dumbbells are great because they can be used by both men and women or those with varying strength capabilities. They can each be dialed to a weight of between 5 and 52 ½ pounds, going up or down in increments of 2 ½ pounds for the first 25 pounds. I’ve had these for nearly 5 years now, and my husband and I still feel it was the best investment ever.
Recumbent Elliptical Bike
Another,
larger gift you can give someone is a Marcy
Recumbent Exercise Bike. This is great way to get active and stay
comfortable in your own home, so if you have someone who wants to avoid the
weather elements or who just prefers to exercise while watching TV or being in
an air conditioned environment, this would make a great gift.
This
bike has a total of 8 levels of resistance, set through easy to use tension
knobs. So they can pedal according to their own level of fitness and the
difficulty of terrain they want to mimic.
A more higher-end that is just amazing for no resistance training and great for those going through physical therapy is the Octane Fitness XR6 Classic Recumbent Elliptical. This is and serious piece of machinery that will last forever.
It’s sensitive and lightweight, thanks to the Carbon Nano Tube, and works better than graphite rods when it comes to lighting strength. It has golf-style WINN grips that ensure comfort and control are always maintained. Anglers will love the way this fishing rod performs.
If
you have a hunter you’re buying for, then consider giving them a pair of Vortex Optics Crossfire Roof Prism Binoculars.
They give off an amazing view with a wide and enhance depth look at the world
around them.
The
eyecups twist up for better functionality and they come with a non-slip grip to
keep them from falling as you scan the horizon. The binoculars also work in any
kind of weather, because they’re both waterproof and fog proof.
Rechargeable Heated Socks
Global
Vision has got some amazing Rechargeable
Heated Socks with 3 heat settings to keep you in full comfort outside.
For
some great ideas for that hunter in your life check
out everything from Hunting Blinds, Rechargeable Warming Socks, Field Dressing
Kits to even a Dead Down Wind Trophy Hunter Kit right here.
Hydration Packs and Water Bottles
All
active individuals (and even those who aren’t) need hydration. You can get
something truly sporty or very casual and perfect for anyone. For the sporty
crowd, a TETON Sports Oasis Hydration Pack
would be a good gift option.
This
backpack comes with a free 2-liter water bladder included in it and you can
choose from many different colors and styles. If you have someone who does a
lot of running, cycling or other outdoor activities, they’ll love the sipping
tube that will never kink up and prevent them from quenching their thirst.
They
can even pack it with ice, thanks to a large 2-inch opening. This backpack is
easy to clean and very comfortable for all body shapes and sizes because it’s
adjustable and has a stabilizer made of foam.
Hydro Flask
For
the more casual crowd, a Hydro Flask Water
Bottle is very much in style these days. Students all across America are carrying
them and you’ll find them in the hands of gym goers everywhere.
There
are many colors and sizes of this stainless steel water bottle to choose from
and they’ll love the leak proof security it offers, along with a standard mouth
opening. It keeps drinks both cold and hot, depending on what you put into it.
Golf
Golf
gear can get expensive for those who love the sport. That’s because there are
so many different items to buy, and they range from budget to top of the line
gear. You can set someone up with a single gadget to help improve their game –
or an entire starter set.
Callaway
makes a great men’s Strata Complete Golf Set
that includes 12 pieces total – perfect for a beginner or for someone who has
only pieced a variety of different clubs together.
You
can buy them in left o right-handed versions and they include a driver, 3 wood,
5 hybrid, 6 and 9 irons, a pitching wedge, putter and a blue standing bag with
a couple of head covers.
These
are lightweight clubs. The driver has a large sweet spot with a titanium head
on it. Both it and the 3 wood are forgiving for a longer, higher flying shot
off the tee box or fairway.
Callaway
Sometimes
a smaller gadget would be more appropriate as a gift. You can give someone a Callaway 300 Pro Golf Laser Rangefinder.
This tool not only tells them how far it is to the hole, sand bunker or water
hazard – but also gives them an accurate measure of the slope of the green.
It makes picking the club that much easier and it works for up to 300 yards from the hole with a plus or minus 1-yard accuracy. Because golfers are known to play in any type of weather, this rangefinder works in rain or fog without fail.
You can find even more great deals on golf items right here.
Collectibles and Fan Items
Sometimes
you have people in your life who may or may not be athletic themselves, but
they sure are fans of other people who play professional sports! One of the top
sport fan gifts this year is the 2019 Topps
Baseball Card factory set with 700 cards from both series 1 and series 2.
It
also comes with a set of five exclusive rookie cards and features major MLB
stars like Bryce Harper, Mike Trout, Aaron Judge and more. The person you give
it to will also find a surprise inside – either an autographed card or a
memorabilia card as a bonus.
Stanley Cup
Last
year, the Stanley Cup winners were the Washington Capitals. If you know a fan
of this team, you can get them a puck filled with melted ice from the 2018 Stanley Cup Finals.
This
is a gift that commemorates their big win. It’s shipped in an authentic
Fanatics gift box and includes the certificate of authenticity with it. This is
a great gift that can be displayed and act as a conversation point whenever
they have guests over.
Scooters, Skateboards, and Skates
There
are many ways to be active or enjoy outdoor entertainment and some people love
to ride on a scooter, skateboard or skates. The Razor Power Core E90 Electric Scooter gives
riders twice as much ride time as the original version and there’s no difficult
maintenance to keep up with for it.
It has a kick start and a hub motor with high torque. The throttle is the push-button version. This scooter is recommended for riders up to 120 pounds who are at least eight years old.
WhiteFang
If
a skateboard is more their style, try the WhiteFang
Skateboard for Beginners. This is a Candian maple deck that’s great for
regular riding or for doing tricks. It measures 31.75 x 7.88 inches and it
durable and capable of holding up to 400 pounds.
Perfect for taking to the skate park, this model can handle the smooth surfaces or rough terrain. The surface of the concave design keeps your feet firmly planted as you maneuver the skateboard.
Inline Skates
Another
good gift would be the Bladerunner Inline
Skates for women by Rollerblade Advantage Pro. These are best for beginning
inline skaters because the shell is supportive for those just learning to
skate, too. They’re super comfortable and padded inside. They make them for men too!
Water and Winter Sports
If there’s a water sport lover on your list, try gifting them a Retrospec Weekender Inflatable Paddleboard. This 10-foot board is made of military grade PVC and it comes with its own carrying case.
It
also has an aluminum paddle, manual pump, cell phone case, and removable nylon
fins. You can pick the color they’d like best. It’s a great gift for beginners
who weigh up to 275 pounds.
If skiing is more their style, consider the Nordica Enforcer 93 Skis for men. These skis are made of titanium and have a blunt nose profile. They work well in just about any conditions and provide the kind of stability every skier hopes to have. You can find skis for every one of your needs right here.
One
of the most popular categories for gift giving is in the beauty and skincare
niche. Men and women alike take pride in their appearance and every year,
cosmetic brands release brand new products that enhance a person’s natural
beauty.
There are many different beauty and skincare gifts you can consider for gift giving. Make sure you know the needs of your recipient before splurging on one of the items – such as whether they like neutral tones or bright ones, and what skin issues they experience.
MTTG 2019 Holiday Gift Guides
You can find everything here in this guide right here, so bookmark as the holiday season approaches. All of our 2019 Holiday Gift Guides are in one spot here, and they cover every person and situation you can think of along with our Top 5 Gifts for everyone on your list.
Eyeshadow Palettes
Eyeshadow
pallets have become something of a trend among beauty followers. Careers have
been boosted significantly whenever a social media influencer creates one of
their own eyeshadow palettes to launch to the public, so these are always appreciated
as a gift.
One
staple for eyeshadow is a palette that provides highly pigmented colors. LORAC PRO makes a Palette Eyeshadow Kit
that’s perfect for this purpose. It includes 16 ultra pigmented shades, which
last longer than other brands.
This eyeshadow is good for sensitive skin, because it has botanicals infused that are meant to soothe the skin. In this palette, they’ll get 8 matte and 8 shimmer shades of beautiful eyeshadows that can be used dry or wet, depending on if they want to color their eyelid or use it as an eye-defining liner or contour.
Morphe
Another
popular brand to consider is Morphe Cosmetics.
Together with Jaclyn Hill, they launched an eyeshadow palette that includes 35
gorgeous shades of shadow. There are five rows of colors with cool names like
Diva, Twerk, and Pool Party.
They’re
a mix of matte shades, shimmers, foils, glitter and satins – so there’s
something for everyone and every occasion. The color application is easy and
this pigment will last through the day or night.
There
are also plenty of face concealers and
blemish sticks for men right here.
Fragrance
One
common gift that people give others is fragrance. In fact, around Christmas and
at other times of the year, many fragrance companies will release gift sets for
their scents. But you can also get the individual bottles, like the Juicy Couture Viva La Juicy Women’s Perfume.
This
is a fruit and floral mix that exudes feminine appeal. It’s great for daytime
or an evening out and it’s made to last, since the volume of actual perfume oil
is higher than other brands.
In
addition to the fruit and floral mix, the person you’re giving it to might pick
up on some other scents in this bottle of fragrance – like creamy vanilla
caramel, sweet honeysuckle, amber, berries and mandarin.
Elizabeth Arden
Another hot fragrance that’s in demand is by Elizabeth Arden, and they have a Green Tea Scent Spray Gift Set available. It’s a set of 3.3-ounce gifts that includes a Green Tea Scent Spray, a Green Tea Refreshing Body Lotion, Green Tea Energizing Bath and Shower Gel and a Green Tea Mini Scent Spray that’s 0.12 ounces.
This fragrance has been described as energizing. It’s the scent you want to wear when you need a little pick-me-up. The mint and tea give off a refreshing appeal. If you know someone who has been feeling sluggish lately, this might be the perfect gift for them!
In
addition to makeup, many people love receiving accessories as a gift from
others. One common and appreciated one is a new makeup brush set. There’s an 18-piece vegan set made by Morphe that would
make a great gift.
This
set is good for everyday use or for professionals who work as makeup artists,
so you know it has to be top quality. The set is perfect for makeup made of
liquid, cream, powder and more.
Luxe It Up
Or,
you can gift someone in your life a brush cleaner, since the makeup brushes are
often clogged with oils from your skin or the makeup itself. There’s a Luxe makeup brush cleaner that washes and
dries makeup brushes quickly and easily.
This one has a USB charging station and it comes with a 5-ounce cleaning solution. They can adjust the speed on three different levels, depending on which brush they’re cleaning and how much needs to be done to it.
All
they have to do is dip their brush into the solution and let the machine wash,
spin, rinse and dry it. They get the brush spinner, charging station, bowl
splash guard ring, cleaning solution and a set of 8 rubber collars with their
gift.
Shave and Grooming Tools
For
the men in your life, you may want to invest in a shave or grooming tool. Even
if they keep a bearded face, these tools can help with maintaining a clean
look. The Gentleman Jon brand makes a Deluxe Wet Shave Kit you may want to buy.
This
includes 8 different items: a stainless steel bowl, shave soap, safety razor,
shave stand, badger hair brush, canvas and leather Dopp kit, Astra razor blades
and an alum block.
Maison Lambert
Another
one to consider is the Maison Lambert
Ultimate Shaving Kit Set. This one has a double edges safety razor, organic
shave soap, wooden shaving bowl, shaving stand, aftershave oil and a pure black
badger shaving brush.
It comes in an artificial leather bag, but you can also choose to get it in a wooden cigar box if you prefer. This is a handmade set, with exquisite craftsmanship. The ingredients are luxurious, too – a mix of organic argan oil, cocoa butter, aloe vera and jojoba oil.
Styling
Tools
For
the person in your life who wants to look her very best, you might consider
getting them a styling tool. Revlon makes a One-Step
Hair Dryer and Volumizer Hot Air Brush that everyone’s clamoring to get.
The
bristles of this brush are nylon pin and tufted – which helps the person
untangle their hair without pain and increase volume, simultaneously. The heat
isn’t too harsh on your hair – it’s just right, and because it’s not harmful,
you don’t have to worry about it getting too close to the scalp and burning
you.
The
ION generator helps the hair dry quickly but it doesn’t leave it dried out and
ratty looking. Instead, it appears smooth and healthy. This is great for those
who have long hair and who need help taming it.
LANDOT
Another
consideration should be for the LANDOT Flat
Iron. This tool can straighten hair in a flash – or, curl it if they want
to go that way. It’s a 2-in-1 tool for curling or straightening!
It’s
made with a heating surface that has four adjustable temperature settings. It’s
a lightweight styling tool, so they won’t get tired using it. They’ll be able
to have sleek, straight hair or form loose beach waves – or even tighter
ringlets if they want to.
Nail Care
Nails
are another part of having that “put together” look. Nail care tools are always
appreciated, by both men and women alike. Beurer
makes a 10-piece professional manicure and pedicure home system you might
want to give someone.
This
set has 10 attachments and 10 sanding bands to use with the electric nail drill
kit. So they can achieve the perfect style and look they want on their hands
and feet. The attachments and bands are made of sapphire, not plastic – so
they’ll last. And the set has a convenient carrying case in the event you want
to take it on the go when you travel.
True Glow
You
can also buy the True Glow All-in-One Nail
Care Center by Conair as a gift if you prefer. This helps them smooth out,
shape and polish their nails like a professional. The nail tool itself is
rechargeable and there are a dozen attachments they can use, along with a
manicure bowl and nail dryer.
Skincare Kits
Aside
from beauty, there are a number of skincare kits you might want to gift to
someone you need to buy a gift for. This would probably be best for someone in
your family or a close friend, not a casual acquaintance.
The person using it will see fast results of a radiant glow, fewer wrinkles, and smooth and soft skin. The technology involved ensures their skin is safe – so it’s perfect for someone who has sensitive skin, too. The system only takes a total of four minutes to use.
Proactiv
If
acne is a real problem, then you might want to gift someone a Proactiv Solution 3-Step Acne Treatment System.
This is the original 60-day kit they sell that clears up acne and prevents
future extreme breakouts.
Using
this system, the red coloring and inflammation will subside and the root of the
acne – the excessive oil and bacteria – will be removed along with the dead,
sloughed off skin cells.
This system contains micro-crystal benzoyl peroxide, which is known to be highly effective in clearing up and managing troublesome skin issues. It includes an 8-week supply of the Renewing Cleanser Acne Wash, Revitalizing Toner, and Repairing Treatment.
Teeth Whitening
Along
with having clear, beautiful skin and healthy hair, someone in your life might
want to develop a whiter smile. Teethwhitening kits, like the AuraGlow one, are being touted on social media fan
accounts as something to use to get that perfect smile.
You
get the tray and case, along with a couple of 5 ml gel syringes with the 35%
Carbamide Peroxide in them. It also comes with the LED light that helps quicken
the process and make it much more effective.
The
toothbrush has a built in 2-minute timer so they can see if they’re brushing
adequately. If you want to, you can gift some additional brush heads for future
use so they don’t have to worry about getting replacements later on.
Bath and Body
There are also luxury bath and body products that help people nurture areas other than their faces, hair, and teeth. The bath and body gift lines are numerous, and you might want to consider going with a Home Spa Gift Set by Lovery.
This
set is for men and women alike and contains a honey and almond scented shower
gel, body lotion, bubble bath, bath bomb, bath salt, and puff – all contained
in a gorgeous homemade woven basket.
The
person you give it to will be able to indulge in an at-home spa environment
anytime they want or need it. The ingredients – such as vitamin E and shea
butter – are meant to soothe the skin and heal it as it moisturizes and
protects the body.
Bath Bombs
Another
popular gift in the bath and body category are bath bombs. You can give one if
you’re on a tight budget, but you may want to give them a set with 42 bath bombs. These are perfect for kids
and adults alike – both men and women.
Bath bombs offer a rich therapy for your skin, leaving it supple and soft. The scents vary, but each one will create silky-smooth water that envelops the body in a warm, luxurious cloak of hydro healing.
Makeup Kits
Instead
of getting individual makeup items like eyeshadow palettes, you might want to
give someone an entire kit of makeup. It’s not just professional makeup artists
who enjoy these.
Jane
Iredale makes the Pure and Simple Makeup Kit
that so many people love for its simplicity and effectiveness. It has four
items in it – the PurePressed Base Mineral Foundation, Blush and Eye Shadow and
Just Kissed Lip and Cheek Stain.
The
products are gluten-free, vegan and cruelty-free, and contain a host of
antioxidants that nourish the skin and help them keep a beautiful, healthy
appearance. It’s an elegance kit that almost anyone would love to receive.
SHANY
Or,
you can go with something much bigger – like the SHANY Carry All Trunk Professional Makeup Kit.
This has a clear case that includes everything a professional or new makeup
wearer would need.
They’ll find a mirror and sharpener, nail polish, eyeshadow, blush, powder, brush set, mani-pedi tools, lip gloss and lipstick, and more! There are over 30 items in this kit, so it makes the perfect gift for someone who loves makeup.
Whether
it’s for Christmas, a birthday, or “just because,” kids are on the receiving
end of gifts quite often – from mom and dad, friends, and other family members.
But the trends change fast, and you want to make sure you get the child in your
life a toy they’ll cherish and be proud to own.
There
are many different types of toys – some that stimulate learning or creativity,
that nurture pretend play and more. You’ll find many toys that serve a dual
purpose – one that benefits your child and isn’t just for the sake of having
fun. Some of these toys can be for ‘kids’ of all ages such as the Iron Man
Gauntlet glove. Every Marvel geek and fan will be eyeing this one.
11120475 – group of four children in christmas hat with presents
MTTG 2019 Holiday Gift Guides
You can find everything here in this guide
right here, so bookmark as the holiday season approaches. All of our
2019 Holiday Gift Guides are in one spot here,
and they cover every person and situation you can think of along with our Top 5
Gifts for everyone on your list.
Electronics
Electronic
toys can inspire kids to imagine, learn and grow. These toys are not only a fun
and creative outlet for children, but they can also increase cognitive
function. One of these toys is the Avengers
Gauntlet.
This
item is based on the movie and sparks kids’ imagination. It’s designed with the
important Infinity Stones. These 6 stones all pulse on the gauntlet. When kids
press the stone in the middle of the toy, it begins to emit sound.
Each
of the fingers can open and close. Like in the movie, the toy can also clench
into a triumphant fist. This type of toy helps your child transform into a
movie character and also consider some moral and ethical questions as they
play.
Artie 3000
Also
in electronic toys, is the Educational
Insights Artie toy. This is a coding robot that guides children in the
world of programming. It’s made with preprogrammed designs with STEM learning.
Kids
can learn coding using JavaScript as well as Python. With the robot, your child
gets a series of activities for him to use with coding skills. This learning
toy delights kids and allows them to explore the world of coding. The toy also
comes with built in Wi-Fi.
Arts & Crafts
Arts and crafts teach kids things like math, literacy and motor skills. But besides learning, these toys are just plain fun and they spend hours playing and creating. The Crayola Super Art Coloring Kit can spark a child’s imagination.
It’s
the perfect indoor or outdoor toy. This kit comes with a selection of crayons,
including the popular glitter crayons, as well as colored pencils. Some markers
are also in the kit.
Kids
will enjoy coloring the pages that come with it, as well as designing their own
crafts using the construction paper. They can use the glue stick to create
everything from paper puppets to paper worlds.
Scribble Scrubbie
The
items in the kit are non-toxic. It comes in a storage tub, so they can keep all
their things together in one place and make it easier on mom and dad in terms
of messes. Next on the top toys list is the Crayola
Scribble Scrubbie.
It’s
easy to see why this one is a child and parent favorite. This arts and crafts
toy allows kids to pick from a set of four pets. These pets are a yeti, a
dragon, a narwhal or a unicorn.
Once
the child picks out his pet, he can use the markers to color the creatures.
What makes this toy different from many is that these creatures are 3-D rather
than paper print-outs.
After
the child is finished coloring or creating designs on his pet, he can then use
the scrub tub to wash the animal completely clean. All kids have to do is press
the button that’s by the tub showerhead and the water washes the toy, turning
the tub water a variety of colors.
When
the animal is clean, your child gets to create all over again. The markers that
are included are washable. The kit also comes with a scrub brush as well as a
background that kids can color. Because the designs are washable, the child can
constantly create something new!
Building Toys
Building
toys not only help teach kids about creative development, but they also help them
learn fine motor skills. One of the most popular building toys this year is the
LEGO Harry Potter set.
This
set is a replica of the great Hogwarts Castle. It has everything that the
castle had in the book and movie series and will provide hours of fun and
imaginative play. The set is over 6,000 pieces and is the perfect gift for
fans.
When
the castle is complete, it’s over 22 inches in height. The attention to detail in
this toy is what makes it one that kids are going to return to time and time
again. The set has the same moving staircases like the ones shown in the movie.
The Great Hall
It
also has the gorgeous stained glass windows. It even has the shiver-worthy
Chamber of Secrets complete with the basilisk. Kids can build the Great Hall as
well as the Whomping Willow.
The
set comes with some minifigures, including Dementors. LEGO also has the Friends Rescue Boat building
set. This cruiser set is just over 900 pieces and allows kids to explore
the imaginary seas while rescuing creatures.
The
boat has a function that allows it to launch. It also has a crane that kids can
use to imagine lifting animals during rescue missions and treatment. The boat
contains a lab, cockpit and a bedroom. A floating island is also included with
the set, along with three LEGO friends.
Dolls and Accessories
Dolls
and their accessories are always a huge hit when it comes to gift giving for
kids. A good choice is one of the Baby Alive
dolls. These dolls come in a variety of different styles.
Kids
can pretend to feed the doll, which moves and opens her mouth when you use her
spoon. When the doll is fed, it will then pee or poop. Baby Alive dolls are interactive
and have over 50 sayings.
They come with a set of accessories, too. These include a bib, diapers for changing the doll, a comb, food packets, and a bottle. You can order additional accessories – such as the refill package or separate diapers or food packets.
Journey Girls
Another
doll that makes the toy gift list is the Journey
Girls Meredith doll. The doll is 18” in height and comes dressed in her
outfit, shoes and a purse. It has blonde rooted hair, blue eyes and the facial
features are hand-painted.
You
can choose from a variety of different dolls in this line. There’s Callie,
Kyla, Chavonne and more. These dolls also have a lot of different accessories
you can choose from to build the Journey Girls play world.
These
accessories are items such as the pink Jeep, the scooter or the horse.
Additional items in the line include a kitchen set, a styling salon, a travel
set and more. You can also buy different wardrobe accessories and even pets for
the dolls.
Dress Up and Pretend Play
Kids
love to dress up and pretend play. Doing this sparks their imagination and
allows them to express themselves creatively. The Rainbow Unicorn Tutu is a beautiful dress
that can transform any day into one that’s filled with magic.
The
dress is made with polyester, but the bodice of the dress has a silk lining so
it can be worn all day in comfort. The bottom of the dresses are lovely pastel
tulle strips that are looped into the bottom of the bodice.
Kids love how the dress poofs out and swirls around when they turn while wearing it. The dress-up outfit also comes with a headband featuring a unicorn horn. If you’re looking for a dress-up outfit for everyday heroes, then you can get the Melissa & Doug Fire Chief set.
Kids love this because it has so many realistic accessories. You get the red fire jacket, the fireman’s helmet, a badge, a bullhorn, and even a play fire extinguisher. Since kids love those pretend play toys, you’ll also want to look at getting ones that have plenty of accessories for hours of play.
Fisher Price
A
top-rated toy is the Fun Food Truck. This
comes with over 20 pieces and has an interactive kitchen area featuring both a
sink and a grill. Customers can pay for the food that kids ring up. The truck
also has learning levels that will teach more than 125 phrases, songs and
sounds to help your child learn and grow.
Stuffed Animals and Plush Toys
Stuffed
animals and plush toys are always at the top of a toy gift guide. This year, Flappy the Elephant is on the list. This
adorable elephant is soft and perfect for hugging. This little plush plays
peek-a-boo and sings the funny song, “Do Your Ears Hang Low” that’s sure to
elicit giggles.
The
stuffed toy’s ears will flap as your child interacts with the elephant. When
the toy’s left foot is pressed, it plays a game and when the right one is
pressed, it’ll play the song. It’s a hand washable toy and does require
batteries for the interaction stages.
Paw Patrol
Bedtime
is when kids love to have plush toys to hold as they drift off to sleep.
Snuggle Up Skye is the perfect toy for that. The toy is part of the Paw Patrol line, which has delighted kids of
all ages for years now.
This plush toy is a child favorite, and one of the many reasons why is the way the pup’s stomach will light up in the dark. This light emits a soft glow that soothes kids as they drift off to sleep.
The
pup can also sing a sweet lullaby or say certain phrases. The toy comes with 8
different sounds to thrill your child. When it’s time for bed, and your little
one wants to see the nightlight or hear a lullaby, all he has to do is give the
pup’s belly a squeeze.
The
nightlight doesn’t stay on all night long. It will shut off on its own after a
minute or so. And you don’t have to worry about the songs being too loud,
either because they play softly.
Collectible Toys
When
kids play with collectible toys, they can expand the worlds and characters so
that there’s always something new to spark their imagination. One collectible
set that’s popular with kids is the Heroes
Transformers.
These
toys are great for little fingers. These figures are 4.5 inches in height,
which makes them easy to grasp and move around. These toys are able to easily
change from robotic to a vehicle in one quick move, so there’s no struggling
with the conversion.
The
toys come with four main rescue bots, but kids can grow this collection. One of
the collectibles is the construction bot known as Boulder. He’s ready to spring
into action. In this set, kids also get the helicopter, which is known as
Blades.
This
flight-bot quickly swoops in for the rescue. Heatwave, which is the fire-bot,
is also included in the set. This bot transforms into a firetruck. There’s also
a police bot known as Chase that transforms from a police car into a robotic
police officer.
Marvel Avengers
Superheroes
are also popular collectibles because kids create play scenes and act out parts
of the movie franchise. This Marvel set comes
with 10 of the characters that are based on the Avengers movie.
Kids
will get the Captain America figure, including the iconic shield. The Hulk is also
included, wearing his ripped shorts. Black widow dressed in her gear comes with
the set and so does Hawkeye.
He
has his bow and arrows included as part of the figurine. Iron man is in the set
wearing his costume. There’s a Thor figurine complete with a mini cape and the
famous hammer. Nick Fury and Ultron are also part of the set your child can
play with.
Games and Accessories
Games
are cool toys that delight any age. The LeapFrog
RockIt is a game that gives kids 12
different options to play. The system has light up controls that allow kids
to do a multitude of activities and games.
There’s
an MP3 player with the game, too. One of the things they can do is grow pets
from the eggs. These virtual pets thrive based on the child’s interactive
feeding and care of the pets.
Each
game offers a separate challenge and there’s a variety of fun puzzles that
build a child’s skills in important learning areas, such as math. This game can
expand with the separate packs you can buy, such as the Penelope Penguin or Dinosaur Discovery.
Switch It Up
The
Nintendo Switch is a gaming system that
will give kids access to incredible game play. Kids can use the game to play by
themselves or they can have multiplayer games. Not only can they use this
system at home, but it can also go with them when they leave home.
All
they have to do is take it off the dock and it’s ready to go. Your child can
play games like Super Mario Maker 2 or Pokémon Sword. The game system has two
Joy-Con controllers and also comes with parental control if desired. Many
times, the Switch bundled systems can offer you a better price, especially around
the holidays like this Super Smash Bros. one.
For
more electronic games that special gamer in your life would love for a holiday
gift, check
out our Gaming Holiday Guide here. It has more extensive gaming items.
Square Off
Square Off is the first of its kind AI chessboard- the board allows players to
play with friends anywhere in the world or even play against the board. The
pieces move on their
own– Square Off also offers 20 different levels of difficulty
so all skill levels are welcome. Great for advanced players or younger players
that are learning! This is that truly special gift any chess fan will
love.
Play Vehicles
The
Disney Jeep Wrangler is a great toy for
kids. They’ll drive the vehicle time and time again. It never gets old for
them. As they drive the jeep, they’ll imagine themselves heading out on all
sorts of interesting adventures.
They’ll
zip along all over the yard in this snazzy jeep that’s designed with some of
the beloved characters from the Toy Story movie. The driver’s side of the jeep
features the lovable Woody, just waiting to take a ride with them.
The passenger’s side features Buzz Lightyear ready to join right in with all the fun. A set of cute graphics await on the rollover bar. These depict the three-eyed alien characters from the movie that was in the toy machine.
The
vehicle has driving sounds and the radio comes with phrases from the movie. The
toy can go on grass or hard surfaces. It’ll only move at 5mph in drive, and if
the toy is backing up, that speed slows to 2.5 mph.
Radio Flyer
It also has power lock brakes and parents have the option to control the speed. It’s suitable for a total weight of 130 pounds. To bring a smile to your child’s face, you can get the classic Radio Flyer Tricycle.
This
childhood staple will be one that your child loves and has plenty of fun
playing on as he imagines all the trips he’ll go on. It’s made of steel, so
it’ll last for many years. The rubber tires provide a solid grip for those
trips around the yard or along the sidewalk.
Unlike
many toys, the seat in this one can be adjusted so that as your child grows,
they can still play with the trike. It has chrome handlebars, red and white
streamers and a bell that rings.
Learning and Education
Kids
love to learn and they enjoy learning even more when it’s coupled with fun and
games. The Fire 7 Kids Edition does just
that. When you give this gift, they can learn and have fun using more than
20,000 apps.
These
apps include things like audiobooks as well as games. You’ll find educational
material from sites such as Disney or PBS Kids. The Fire comes with 16 GB of
storage that’s expandable for reading, listening to music and learning.
Parental
controls allow parents to set time limits and screen content. Because kids can
sometimes be rough on things, if the Fire breaks within 2 years, a full
replacement is given.
Botley The Coding Robot
Robots
fascinate kids and Botley the Coding Robot
is one that will be in demand this year. This toy teaches STEM skills that help
your child learn, grow and have fun. You don’t have to have a phone or tablet
to use this learning toy.
Kids
can use the remote to send instructions to the robot and watch him respond. As
the robot moves, it can sense things that are in front of it and it will alter
its path so that it won’t run into them.
The
robot can navigate a determined course and offers a variety of challenges to
kids. One of these challenges involves using lines in the follow mode that the
robot can travel along.
The
toy comes with 40 coding cards as well as the pieces needed to set up an
obstacle course. The robot can be pre-coded by your child to move 120 steps at
a time. There are 76 pieces included with this toy.
Regardless of which toy you decide to buy for your children or someone else’s that’s a part of your life, just make sure it has positive reviews and plenty of sales prior to yours, and you’re bound to see a smile on their face when they open it!
Kitchen gifts are great for everyone. Men and women both like to cook – and all ages of adults need kitchen items, whether it’s for cooking solo or for a large family. There are many neat kitchen gifts you can choose from, but first, you want to know what the person you’re buying it for is interested in.
MTTG 2019 Holiday Gift Guides
You can find everything here in this guide right here, so bookmark as the holiday season approaches. All of our 2019 Holiday Gift Guides are in one spot here, and they cover every person and situation you can think of along with our Top 5 Gifts for everyone on your list.
Cookware
Rachael Ray is a cooking fan favorite, and she has many kitchen products that anyone would be proud to own. For example, her 12-piece aluminum cookware set is great for those who need a whole new set of pots and pans to replace their worn ones, or for someone who is just starting out in their own home.
It
comes in a variety of colors to match any décor and the construction of the
items is of aluminum and a hard enamel porcelain, which can be used in an oven
up to 400 degrees.
These
are nonstick items, but they’re PFOA-free, so you don’t have to worry about
toxins. The handles are dual riveted and have a rubber stainless steel
combination. The lids are all glass, but they’re shatter-resistant.
In
this set, you’ll be gifting someone a 1-quart and 3-quart saucepan, a 6-quart
stockpot, a 3-quart saucepan with cover, and am 8 ½ and 10-inch skillet. It
also comes with a slotted turner and spoon.
Dutch Oven Heaven
Another
great cookware gift would be from Lodge – and it’s an enameled cast iron dutch oven that holds up
to 6 quarts. You can choose from a variety of colors for the person you’re
buying it for.
The Lodge brand is known for the quality of their cast iron cooking products, so this is the perfect gift for someone who loves to create memorable dishes for their family and friends. I personally loves this one, but for those with glass-topped stoves, you don’t want to slide this around or get it too hot as it will crack them. I’ve learned the hard way twice now! Other than that, this is the perfect cooking gift that will make you forget about those slow cookers which can be very frustrating.
Bakeware
Bakeware
is another option for kitchen gift giving ideas, and once again, Rachael Ray
has a wonderful set that consumers adore. It’s the Cucina Nonstick Bakeware set that comes with
10 pieces.
It’s made of heavy gauge steel and is both non-toxic and non-stick. The handles have silicone grips, making it super easy to grasp in the kitchen. And the set can be used in an oven up to 450 degrees. Your gift recipient will get a 10 and 15-inch cookie sheet, 2 9-inch rounds, a 9-inch square, a 2-piece meatloaf set, a 9 x 13-inch rectangle, and a 12-cup muffin pan.
OXO
Another
brand that you may want to consider for your gift is OXO, who makes the Good Grips 3-piece stainless steel mixing bowl
set to help with baking. They get a 1 ½ quart, 3-quart and 5-quart stainless
bowl that won’t discolor or hold onto odors.
The bowls have a non-skid bottom to them, and they nest so that your recipient saves space when storing them after cleaning. They’re dishwasher safe, too. Your gift will be perfect for those who like to bake cookies, cakes, and more – and the larger bowls are great for people who need to mix up double batches for special occasions!
Viking
For
that consummate cook who loves to have the best, Viking is the way to go. You’ll pay for it,
but if you want the best in the kitchen, this is the winner.
Small Appliances
Small
appliances are always a welcomed gift and there are so many to choose from. You
might be buying a gift that someone’s never owned before or something to
upgrade a worn out version of a previous one they have.
The
Instant Pot is really popular right now.
This cooker comes in 3, 6, and 8-quart versions. They can use it to cook rice,
make cakes or yogurt, steam vegetables and more.
It’s
programmable so it does the work on autopilot – whether you’re sautéing food,
warming it, or sterilizing something. The Ultra model is simple to use – just
twist and click and program it for a preset cooking program or customize it for
whatever you want it to do. This cooker is dishwasher safe and easy to take
care of, as well.
Deep Fryer
Another
possibility to buy as a small appliance gift is a deep fryer. The T-fal stainless steel Deep Fryer comes with
a basket and oil filtration system. It’s small, weighing only 2.6 pounds, and
holds up to 3.5 liters of oil with 2.65 pounds of food.
This
fryer is easy to transport and clean, because it’s dishwasher safe. This is
perfect for the person on your list who always cooks for large family
gatherings and who wants to make restaurant-style food.
Coffee, Tea and Espresso
Just
about everyone these days drinks coffee, tea or espresso, and these make
excellent gifts for your friends and family. You might want to get someone on
your list the Keurig K-Select Coffee Maker.
This
is a single serve coffee brewer that uses the K-Cup Pods. The person can choose
how strong they want the coffee. It comes in a variety of colors and has a
bonus pod variety pack.
Another
good option is a Nespresso machine. There’s a mini
espresso machine by DeLonghi that helps people making the perfect drink
time after time. All they have to do is use the one-touch system and it will
effortlessly deliver the right taste in just 30 seconds.
Simply The Best
Now
for those friends that are true coffee aficionados, the Jura is the perfect
gift for them. They are on the pricey side, but I can say from having one
myself, these make the absolute best coffee, espresso, flat whites and cappuccinos
you have ever had. It truly ranks with the ones I had in Italy, which is the true
test and why this is an Italian brand. The Jura
Z6 not only is a beautiful machine, but you will never again go to
Starbucks or another coffee place and compare realizing yours is better.
Dinnerware
You
may know someone who is in sire need of some new dinnerware. There’s a Corelle set that has 18 pieces and it’s a
service for six people. This set comes in a variety of styles to match any
décor.
It’s
chip resistant and includes dinner plates, appetizer or snack places, and soup
or cereal bowls. They’re all lightweight, and easy to handle as well as clean.
Style-wise, they’re great for everyday use or for special occasions.
They’re
made of a triple-layer of strong glass and they store easily, thanks to the way
they stack up better than a ceramic dish. This set is safe for the microwave,
dishwasher or oven.
Gibson Style
Another
good choice would be the 16-piece dinnerware set called the Gibson Elite Althea. It includes four
10.75-inch plates, four 8 ½ inch dessert plates, four 6.75 inch bowls and four
14-ounce mugs, too. Gibson has so many great
styles to choose from.
It’s
made of stoneware material and is both dishwasher and microwave safe. It’s a
beautiful square dinnerware set with vibrant colors and high durability. Anyone
would be happy to get this as a gift.
Cutlery
All
chefs – whether amateur or professional – love to have cutlery that works well
for them in the kitchen. One great gift would be the Cuisinart 15-piece stainless steel hollow
handle block set.
These blades are high-quality carbon stainless steel and very accurate in terms of stability and control. They fit perfectly in a person’s hand and are durable so they hold up well over time. They’re extremely sharp, and easy to clean.
The
handles are ergonomically designed and the knives won’t rust or corrode over
time. They have a full tang build, which means it runs the entire length of the
handle, helping the person using them maneuver them better.
The
glass block makes it super easy to see which knife they need with a quick
glance. They can just pull the knife straight up to remove it. These knives aren’t meant to be put in the
dishwasher, but they can be washed by hand in warm soap and water.
The
set comes with a 3 ½ inch paring knife, 5-inch utility knife, 8-inch chef and
bread knives, and a 6-inch boning knife along with the knife block itself. This
is a brand that many top chefs love, so it would be amazing as a gift for a
home chef.
The
set is a mix of stainless steel and silicone and comes with measuring cups and
spoons, a skimmer, a slotted spatula, garlic press, cheese knife, tea strainer,
wire whisk, wine opener, potato peeler and more!
Ailuki
Another
great utensil set you could buy would be a silicone
set made by Ailuki. It has 14 pieces and they’re also heat resistant and
non-stick stainless steel with silicone. You’ll be gifting a brush, spatulas,
soup ladle, draining spoon, tongs, solid spoon, pasta server, turners, and
more!
The
utensils are BPA-fee and won’t break, erode or melt. They’re easy to clean and
can resist heat up to 482 degrees. That means you can safely use them while
cooking without worrying about them melting or scratching up your pots and
pans.
Dining and Entertaining
Do
you have someone on your list who entertains at home a lot? If so, you may want
to invest in a gift perfect for dining and entertaining, like a cake stand with glass dome. The one by
Libbey Acaciawood has a footed, round wooden stand and it’s very eye catching.
The
glass dome looks very sophisticated and it’s perfect for showcasing desserts,
pastries or cheeses. Your recipient could use this at a dinner party, brunch or
cocktail party. The glass dome is lead-free and both that and the wooden
serving board can be washed by hand.
James Scott Perfection
Another
gorgeous server is the 3-tier crystal
rectangle server by James Scott. This is a beautifully designed,
hand-carved piece that sparkles. It’s guaranteed to stand out when they’re
showcasing desserts or other delectable goodies.
It
can be strategically used in a buffet table to present the food in an
attractive manner. And clean up is a breeze because it’s dishwasher safe! The
person you’re gifting it to can use it to display foods such as amuse bouches,
hors d-oevres and more and everyone will enjoy the lovely design of the
presentation.
Storage and Organization
There
are some kitchen items that help showcase things for people or clear up space
for them. One such item you might consider as a gift is a wooden wine rack by Vasagle. It holds 20
wines and displays them on shelves.
It
measures 18.4 x 10.4 x 42.9. This would make a perfect gift for someone who
regularly entertains and serves wine at their dinner parties. It can also hold
other items in the open area at the top, such as whisky or wine glasses.
The
way the wine rack is designed, the corks always stay moisturized, so the wine
is protected from spoiling. And they won’t have to worry about the wine rack
tumbling over because it has an anti toppling device.
Prepworks
Another
storage type gift you could give would be a storage container set like the one
by Progressive called the Prepworks ProKeeper
Set. It has six pieces – one for flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar,
powdered sugar, and a couple of mini containers.
The
containers are stackable canisters and the lids are easy to use. They close up
with a silicone, airtight seal to keep everything fresh, longer. And if they
want to run them through the dishwasher, that’s fine.
Glassware
Glassware
is another good gift idea you can give to people. There’s an 18-piece set you
can give from Duralex that’s made in France
from tempered glass – and it includes clear drinking glasses and a tumbler.
It
has six 8 ¾ ounce tumblers, six 12 ounce tumblers, and six 16 and 7/8 ounce
tumblers. This type of glass is resistant to chipping, breaking and other wear
and tear. Plus, it won’t absorb liquids into a porous surface, so it continues
looking sharp forever. These glasses are safe to use in the dishwasher, fridge
and microwave.
Waterford
Another
option if you want to give someone glassware is to give them an old-fashioned
set of glasses with a decanter. The set made by Marquis by Waterford Markham is perfect for
this purpose!
It’s
made of lead-free crystal and the decanter is square and can hold up to 30
ounces of liquid. The glasses can hold up to 11 ounces each. These are a great
gift idea for those who like to use them at home or who entertain and like to
serve guests in them.
They’re made in Italy and are handcrafted with fine crystal. They’re weighted perfectly, so you won’t have to worry about accidents and spills from flimsy glassware. Because of their exquisite design, it’s recommended that you hand wash them. And what’s great about this choice is that it comes in a gift box, which makes for a beautiful presentation!
While Google continues claiming that they want to protect users’ privacy, they are buying up companies that have all your data. So, technically the big G isn’t gathering up your data; they are just buying up companies that have already done it. Fitbit was a brilliant app that worked easily to gather up important customer data wrapped up in a healthy fun way to get fit. That data alone was worth the low cost of those Fitbit watches and trackers.
Google, the
company that helped make it fun to just sit around surfing the web, is jumping
into the fitness-tracker business with both feet, buying Fitbit for about $2.1
billion.
The deal could put Google
in direct competition with Apple and Samsung in the highly competitive market
for smartwatches and other wearable electronics. But it also raises questions about privacy and Google’s dominance in the tech industry.
The company’s announcement
Friday came with a promise that it won’t sell ads using the intimate health
data that Fitbit devices collect.
Fitbit is a pioneer in
wearable fitness technology, making a range of devices that have become
pop-culture accessories, from basic trackers that count how many steps you take
each day to smartwatches that display messages and notifications from phones.
They can track activities such as running, cycling and swimming and record heart rates and sleep patterns. Fitbit typically asks for date of birth, gender, height, and weight to help with such things as estimating calories burned. Some people use Fitbit’s app to record what they eat and how much water they drink. Women can track their periods.
Fitbit has 28 million
active users worldwide and has sold more than 100 million devices.
Google, meanwhile, makes
software for use in other manufacturers’ wearable devices, but those products
haven’t gained much traction in the face of competition from Fitbit, Apple,
Samsung and others. And Google doesn’t sell a device of its own.
The deal to buy Fitbit
could give Google a needed boost.
“Google doesn’t want to be
left out of the party,” said analyst Daniel Ives of Wedbush Securities. “If you
look at what Apple has done with wearables, it’s a missing piece of the puzzle
for Google.”
Google’s pledge that it
won’t sell ads using Fitbit health data is a continuation of promises
previously made by Fitbit.
Privacy experts, though,
were skeptical.
Consumer Reports health
privacy expert Dena Mendelsohn said she is concerned that people enrolled in
wellness programs through their employers that use Fitbit devices could lose
control over their data.
“While a person may not
have had concerns about Fitbit holding their data, they may have concerns over
Google holding their data,” Mendelsohn said.
Google’s promise is also
unlikely to stop it from gathering other information from Fitbit devices.
For example, Fitbit has
GPS models that could track users’ locations. That could help Google know that
a runner stopped at a coffee shop on the way home. Google could then display
ads for rival coffee shops.
More important, having a
Google device on the wrist could drive wearers to use Google services even
more, giving the company more ways to sell ads.
The deal is likely to face
scrutiny from state and U.S. Department of Justice antitrust authorities, who
are already investigating Google and other big tech companies over whether they
have abused their market power.
“Why should Google be
permitted to acquire even more companies while they’re under DOJ antitrust
investigation?” Sen. Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican, tweeted.
Still, analysts at equity
research firm Cowen said they believe regulators are unlikely to block the deal
because of Fitbit’s relatively small size and its focus on hardware.
While Fitbit all but
created the field, it has been shredded by the competition. It was worth nearly
$10 billion after it went public in 2015. But its value this week is well below
$2 billion.
When rumors of a potential
buyout by Google surfaced earlier this week, Fitbit stock soared almost 30%. It
jumped nearly 16% more Friday.
Google’s corporate parent,
Alphabet, will pay $7.35 per share. Alphabet stock gained about 1%.
“With Google’s resources
and global platform, Fitbit will be able to accelerate innovation in the
wearables category, scale faster, and make health even more accessible to
everyone,” Fitbit co-founder and CEO James Park said in a statement.
Fitbit has been expanding
its partnerships with major health care companies such as Humana to encourage
healthier living.
John Hancock announced incentives last year on its insurance policies for people willing to share data gathered by health-monitoring devices. It offers free Fitbits to participants.
Last year, Fitbit acquired
a health coaching business that helps people manage conditions such as diabetes
and high blood pressure.
Fitbit ranks fourth in
global shipments of digital watches, fitness trackers and other wrist-worn
devices, according to research firm IDC. Chinese companies Xiaomi and Huawei
were No. 1 and No. 3, Apple was No. 2, and Samsung came in fifth.
Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook empire was once the darling of Washington DC politicians on both sides of the aisle, but in the past couple of years, his social network in our nation’s capital is shrinking. Once a supporter, Hillary Clinton stated that the social media titan “should pay a price” for what he has done to democracy. She is now expressing doubts as to whether free and fair elections are even possible in 2020 as Facebook has chosen not to fact check political advertising.
Bipartisan
hostility against Facebook has been building for months, fueled by a series
of privacy scandals, the site’s role in Russian meddling in the 2016
presidential campaign and accusations that Facebook crushes competitors.
Now, with the 2020
elections approaching, Democrats especially are homing in on the conduct of the
social media giant and its refusal to fact-check political ads and remove false
ones.
“When you’re the No. 1
monopoly, people are going to come after you,” says John Feehery, a veteran
Republican communications strategist. The challenge for Democrats, as he sees
it: “They’re facing a base that is very angry and restive. So they have to be
much more aggressive in taking on corporations.”
Zuckerberg enjoyed a cozy
relationship with the Obama administration. But in the face of growing
public outrage, the co-founder of the upstart born under the motto “Move
fast and break things” is learning the art of smoothing over and piecing back
together.
His new strategy: a
personal blitz featuring serial private meetings in Washington with key
lawmakers of both parties and President Donald Trump; small, off-the-record
dinners at his California home with conservative journalists and opinion
makers; and the occasional public address or TV interview.
Addressing criticisms from
Democratic lawmakers and civil rights groups over Facebook’s track record on
fighting discrimination, Zuckerberg and Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg
planned to host a dinner Monday night with civil rights leaders. The two
executives want to hear the leaders’ “direct perspective and feedback,” the
company said.
The Rev. Al Sharpton said
last week that Zuckerberg would meet with him and others to discuss concerns
such as Facebook’s handling of political messages. Misinformation on the
platform can contribute to the suppression of voting by African Americans and
other minorities, civil rights leaders say.
Zuckerberg has become
lobbyist-in-chief for a tech giant that has about 60 people officially playing
that role. The company spent an estimated $12.6 million on federal influencing
last year.
The political ad issue
hits close to home for Democrats. Facebook, as well as Twitter and Google,
refused in September to remove a misleading video ad from Trump’s reelection
campaign that targeted top-tier Democratic candidate Joe Biden. Sen. Elizabeth
Warren, another top Democratic contender, chose to hit back by running her own
ad and making it personal by falsely claiming that Zuckerberg had endorsed
Trump for 2020.
Warren, who has called for
breaking up Facebook and other tech giants, acknowledged the ad’s deliberate
falsity to make her point.
Then came Zuckerberg’s speech last month at Georgetown University in
which he promoted free expression as the foundation for Facebook’s refusal to
take down content it deems newsworthy, even if the material violates company
standards. The next week, during prickly questioning by Democratic lawmakers at a televised House hearing, Zuckerberg dug in
on not fact-checking politicians’ speech and the handling of hate speech and
potential incitements to violence.
“This really is not about
money,” Zuckerberg insisted. “It is important that people can see for
themselves what politicians are saying.” Facebook says political advertising
accounts for less than half of 1% of its total revenue.
Separately from political
advertising, Facebook has policies and improved technology that it says now
enables it to more efficiently detect terrorist content in many languages.
Following the mass shooting in New Zealand last spring, for example, Facebook
now prohibits livestreaming by people who have violated rules covering
organizations and individuals deemed dangerous and potentially violent.
In the lambasting from Democrats, Rep. Joyce Beatty of Ohio, the vice-chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, focused on Facebook’s track record on civil rights and diversity. She told Zuckerberg that he had “ruined the lives of many people, discriminated against them.”
As part of a legal
settlement with civil rights groups, Facebook changed its ad-targeting systems
this year to prevent discrimination in housing, credit and employment ads. It
previously had allowed such ads to be targeted to people based on age, sex or
race, which is illegal.
At some points, friendlier Republican members of the House Financial Services Committee asked Zuckerberg how he was holding up through the six-hour hearing. “I’m doing OK,” replied the 35-year-old co-founder, chairman, and CEO. He’s one of the world’s richest individuals, with a net worth currently estimated at $71 billion.
Summing up, Rep. Maxine
Waters, the California Democrat who leads the committee, told Zuckerberg, “You
have opened up a discussion about whether Facebook should be broken up.”
A mandated breakup would
be the worst-case scenario for Facebook and the other big tech companies.
Facebook says splitting up large tech corporations would make the election
system more vulnerable to interference because the companies wouldn’t be able
to work together to prevent it.
For Zuckerberg and the
Democrats, “it may be a nasty divorce,” said James Thurber, a professor of
government at American University who founded its Center for Congressional and
Presidential Studies. “He clearly has taken a stand that’s really quite
unpopular.”
Thurber called
Zuckerberg’s backstage celebrity approach to lobbying efforts “very dangerous.”
“You’ve got to be very
careful about that, if you think you can do it yourself,” he said.
Rep. David Cicilline, a
senior House Democrat who leads the Judiciary Committee’s investigation into
the market dominance of big tech companies, is working on legislation that may
target the profits made by Facebook from political ads it knows are false. The
measure likely would also apply to social media rivals Twitter and Google.
Last Wednesday, Twitter
made the unexpected announcement that it will ban all political advertising from its service.
“This is a good first
step,” Cicilline tweeted. “Your move, Google/Facebook.”
Zuckerberg’s quick
riposte, during Facebook’s quarterly conference call on earnings, was to
reaffirm the company’s commitment to the value of free speech, including for
politicians.
It’s a sharp reversal of
fortune for Facebook from the days of the Obama administration, when the
company was hailed as an exemplar of innovation and an engine of economic
growth. Campaign money flowed to the Democrats from big tech companies.
At an employees’ town hall
at Facebook’s Silicon Valley headquarters in April 2011, President Barack Obama
said: “My name is Barack Obama and I’m the guy that got Mark to wear a jacket
and tie.”
As they removed jackets
and ties in unison and rolled up their shirt sleeves, Obama enthused, “Being
here at Facebook is so exciting for me. You guys are at the cutting edge of
what’s happening.”
Zuckerberg also isn’t planning on giving up on his Libra currency any time soon either. He claimed that he wouldn’t continue without politician’s support, but it should come as no surprise that he will continue on.
Six chapters
into the Terminator franchise, and it might be judgment day for Arnold Schwarzenegger
and company. Excuse the pun, but we might not be hearing the famous phrase “I’ll
be back,” any time soon as “Terminator: Dark Fate” bombed falling short of
expectations by thirty percent. Warner Bros. had another great weekend with
their ongoing hit “Joker” continuing to rake in box office sales nearing the $1
billion mark worldwide.
Even though it didn’t fall into the traditional superhero movie, the Joaquin Phoenix starrer has been a huge win for Warner and DC Films. Only costing $60 million to produce, it will be bringing in over $500 million in profits which is much more than the Terminator franchise can say this time around. “Dark Fate” production and marketing cost came to about $200 million. Unless it’s able to have a strong comeback, the movie could lose the studio $100 million. The loss would be split among Paramount, Skydance and Disney (through 20th Century Fox), but if the film could earn over $450 million it could just break even.
“Were we hoping for more? Of
course,” Kyle Davies, Paramount’s president of domestic distribution, said by
phone on Sunday. “But we are proud of the movie. It truly delivers big action
and big thrills. We tried to understand and honor what the fans wanted.”
Despite generally favorable reviews
and the return
of star Linda Hamilton and producer James Cameron, “Terminator: Dark Fate”
has opened well below expectations at the box office. Studios on Sunday
estimate that “Dark Fate” earned only $29 million from over 4,000 North
American locations. The film from Paramount Pictures cost a reported $185
million to produce.
It was enough to win the
top spot at the box office, but it’s a weak
victory for the franchise. Although “Dark Fate,” which was directed by
“Deadpool’s” Tim Miller, received much better reviews (currently at 69% on
Rotten Tomatoes) and was praised for being a return to form to Cameron’s
original films, it opened just slightly ahead of 2015′s roundly derided
“Terminator: Genisys.”
“These big brands carry
with them huge expectations, often unrealistic expectations,” said Comscore
senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian. “It wasn’t for lack of enthusiasm for
the stars and filmmakers.”
Internationally, “Dark
Fate” did much better, earning $72.9 million from 48 markets. Fox
International, not Paramount, is handling international distribution, excluding
China.
There
appeared to be little good will left for the franchise. “Terminator Genisys”
was a terrible movie. Its 2009 franchise predecessor,
“Terminator Salvation,” also received abysmal reviews. Ticket buyers will only put up with so
much disappointment before they move on, especially at a time when
entertainment options — Fortnite, Netflix, TikTok, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV Plus — are plentiful.
“The gang is back and
they’re better than ever is not enough,” David A. Gross, who runs Franchise
Entertainment Research, a movie consultancy, said in an email.
Paramount, Skydance Media
and Disney each shouldered about 30 percent of the cost for “Terminator: Dark
Fate,” with the balance paid by the Chinese conglomerate Tencent.
Skydance, run
by the Oracle heir David Ellison, and Paramount, part of the Viacom empire, can’t seem to
catch a break. “Terminator: Dark Fate” marked their second big-budget flop in
four weeks, with “Gemini Man,” starring Will Smith, also failing to connect
with ticket buyers.
Second place went to
“Joker,” which added $13.9 million, bringing its global
earnings to $934 million in just five weeks in theaters. In terms of the
top-grossing superhero films of all time, “Joker” has surpassed “Spider-Man 3 “($895 million) to rank as No. 13, not adjusted for
inflation. It’s also the fourth-top grossing DC title of all time behind “Aquaman” ($1.14 billion), “The Dark Knight Rises”($1.08
billion) and “The Dark
Knight”($1 billion), unadjusted.
Village Roadshow and Bron
Studios each have a 25 percent stake in the pic.
“Joker” is the highest-grossing Warners
release ever in 10 markets and highest-grossing DC title in 36. It has been the
No. 1 film in Europe for five weeks, and has topped “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice”to
become the highest-grossing Warners movie and DC film in the Latin American
region.
“Maleficent:
Mistress of Evil” landed in third place in its third weekend with an additional
$12.2 million. The Angelina Jolie-led sequel has grossed $84.3 million in North
America.
One bright spot of the
weekend, which is down nearly 19% from last year when “Bohemian Rhapsody”
opened, is Focus Features’ “Harriet,” which is the first film ever made about
Harriet Tubman. Starring Cynthia Erivo in the title role, “Harriet” performed
better than expected, earning $12 million from just over 2,000 theaters to take
fourth place. The film scored a coveted A+ CinemaScore from audiences, who were
primarily female (62 and over the age of 35 (59%). African Americans also made
up a significant portion of the audience (49%) according to exit polls.
“It’s really heartwarming
and gives you a lot of faith that there are still a lot of people who want to
see stories about real life superheroes,” said Focus Features distribution
president Lisa Bunnell. “There’s a real feeling of love for this movie. I think
it’s inspirational for people to see.”
Focus did outreach to
faith-based groups and educators and has seen enormous success with group sales
as a result.
Other newcomers struggled
to find that kind of enthusiasm this weekend. Edward Norton’s adaptation of
Jonathan Lethem’s “Motherless Brooklyn” opened in ninth place to $3.7 million,
while the animated “Arctic Dogs” took 10th with $3.1 million. “Motherless Brooklyn” collected $3.7 million.
Mid-budget movies — “Motherless Brooklyn” cost about $25 million to make, not
including marketing — have been sputtering in theatrical release, prompting
studios to avoid them entirely or reroute them to streaming services.
One of the highest profile new
films of the weekend, Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman,” does not have any box
office numbers to report, however, because Netflix declines to provide numbers
for its theatrical releases. Starring Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci,
the film which opened in limited release before hitting Netflix on Nov. 27 is
expected to be a major Oscars contender.
“With all eyes on ‘The
Irishman,’ it’s unfortunate that we don’t have numbers on it,” Dergarabedian
said.
It’s especially true
considering that other smaller release films with awards buzz continue to perform
well. “Parasite” took in 2.6 million in its fifth weekend “Jojo Rabbit,” in its
third weekend, added $2.4 million from 256 screens and “The Lighthouse,” also
in weekend three, grossed $2 million from 978 locations.
North American Box Office
Estimated ticket sales for
Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore.
Where available, the latest international numbers for Friday through Sunday are
also included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
“Terminator: Dark Fate,” $29 million ($72.9 million international).
2. “Joker,” $13.9 million ($37 million international).
3. “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil,” $12.2 million ($40.5 million international).
4. “Harriet,” $12 million.
5. “The Addams Family,” $8.5 million ($25.9 million international).
6. “Zombieland: Double Tap,” $7.4 million ($7 million international).
7. “Countdown,” $5.9 million ($1.1 million international).
8. “Black and Blue,” $4.1 million.
9. “Motherless Brooklyn,” $3.7 million.
10. “Arctic Dogs,” $3.1 million.
Worldwide Box Office
Estimated ticket sales for
Friday through Sunday at international theaters (excluding the U.S. and
Canada), according to Comscore:
Silicon
Valley has always had an eye on the battle between Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg
and Twitter’s Jack Dorsey. They never fail to entertain, and Twitter’s recent ban
on political advertising is ratcheting up plenty of pressure on Facebook and Zuckerberg
to follow suit. But so far, that doesn’t appear likely to happen.
It’s a tough
position to get the social media titans to regulate themselves so lawmakers
will continue pushing for the government to step in.
In a rather
Machiavellian move that didn’t mention Facebook or Zuckerberg by name, everyone
knew what was being said. Last week, Dorsey gave a strong “Hell no,” response
when asked if Twitter would be joining Facebook’s libra currency project.
Dorsey couldn’t have been more clear with his announcement Wednesday: If
you want to run a massive, open social media platform, you don’t need to accept
money to amplify a political message, especially false or misleading messages.
Facebook’s policy is to
accept paid political ads from candidates without fact-checking them or
censoring them, even if they contain lies.
And Zuckerberg doubled
down on that stand Wednesday following Twitter’s announcement, reiterating that
“political speech is important” and that Facebook is loath to interfere with
it.
Twitter, Facebook and
other social media sites have come under fire over Russia’s
use of such platforms to
spread misinformation and sow political division in the U.S. during the 2016
presidential campaign. That debate has heated up again in recent weeks along
with the 2020 race for the White house.
Twitter chose to respond
with a ban on all political advertising, suggesting that
social media is so powerful that false or misleading messages pose a risk to
democracy.
The timing of the
announcement, the same day as Facebook’s quarterly earnings report, seemed
designed to goad Zuckerberg.
“The pressure is going to
be extremely strong on Facebook to do something similar, and if they don’t, the
criticism of Facebook will only increase,” said Tim Bajarin, president of
consultancy Creative Strategies.
Zuckerberg
held firm, despite the flood of discussion Dorsey’s announcement caused just
ahead of Facebook’s third-quarter earnings call.
“I think there are good
reasons for this,” Zuckerberg said about allowing false political ads to run on
Facebook. “I don’t think it’s right for private companies to censor politicians
and the news.”
But Dorsey is taking the
opposite approach. This problem is far too messy and complex to fix now.
Instead, Twitter is over-correcting the problem by nuking political ads from
its service until a better solution to keep everything in check presents itself
later. People will still be able to post whatever they want on Twitter, but
they can’t pay Twitter to target and amplify a potentially misleading political
message.
In fact, some of the
Democratic presidential candidates immediately suggested Facebook follow
Twitter’s lead.
Montana Gov. Steve Bullock
tweeted: “Good. Your turn, Facebook.” And Pete Buttigieg said, “I think other
online platforms would do well to either accept their responsibility for truth
or question whether they should be in the business at all.”
But Zuckerberg stood firm.
“This is complex stuff.
Anyone who says the answer is simple hasn’t thought about the nuances and
downstream challenges,” the Facebook CEO said. “I don’t think anyone can say
that we are not doing what we believe or we haven’t thought hard about these issues.”
As for refusing to
fact-check political ads, Facebook has said it wants to provide
politicians with a “level playing field” for communication and not intervene
when they speak, regardless of what they’re saying.
Banning political ads has
its own challenges, starting with defining what exactly is political. For
example, Greenpeace might not be able to buy an ad urging people to support
legislation to fight climate change. But what if an oil company wanted to run
an ad for its products that also seemed to come out against such legislation?
Twitter and Facebook already
take steps to
prevent political manipulation by verifying the identities of political
advertisers — measures prompted by the furor over Moscow’s interference. But
the verifying systems, which rely on both humans and automated systems, have
not been perfect.
In one case, Facebook mistakenly
took down ads for Bush’s baked beans because they contained the
word “Bush” and the food company was not registered with Facebook as a
political advertiser. Media organizations have also seen their ads flagged for
review when they promoted news stories about candidates or important issues.
And then there’s the
question of what to do with individual posts from politicians or other opinion
makers, which can carry political messages and be shared widely even though
they are not paid ads.
Details about Twitter’s new policy won’t be released until Nov. 15, a week before it takes effect. But Twitter does call for removing not just campaign advertisements but also ads on issues of legislative importance. That could include such topics as climate change, gun control, and immigration.
EMarketer analyst Debra Aho Williamson said Zuckerberg’s stance probably isn’t a financial decision since political ads aren’t big moneymakers.
Facebook, which had 2018
revenue of $55.8 billion, said Wednesday that it expects ads from politicians
to account for less than 0.5% of its revenue next year.
Twitter, which had revenue
last year of about $3 billion, is thought to make even less from the ads; it
said it brought in only $3 million from political ads during the 2018 midterms.
“It is a really
complicated decision,” Williamson said. “I think that Mark Zuckerberg is truly
struggling with figuring out what is the best thing to do for the company and
Facebook users.”
Wedbush Securities
managing director Michael Pachter likewise said the Facebook founder is trying
to pull off a tricky balancing act.
“Zuckerberg is trying to satisfy
investors by growing revenues and satisfy regulators and legislators by
cracking down on false and misleading ads, while maintaining the virtuous
stance of being a defender of free speech,” Pachter said.
Daniel Kreiss, a
journalism professor at the University of North Carolina, said that a middle
ground for Twitter and Facebook might be to allow political ads but to prohibit
targeting, or showing them only to specific groups of people.
If campaigns aren’t
allowed to target, he said, messages will become broader and perhaps less
misleading.
Laura Packard, a partner
at PowerThru, a digital consulting firm that works with left-of-center
campaigns and advocacy groups, said Twitter’s ban was the right decision for
voters.
“This might make my work
harder,” she said. “But in general, I think that if any platform cannot police
misinformation and lies, then they shouldn’t offer paid advertising.”
“These
challenges will affect all internet communication, not just political ads,”
Dorsey tweeted Wednesday. “Best to focus our efforts on the root problems,
without the additional burden and complexity taking money brings. Trying to fix
both means fixing neither well, and harms our credibility.”
Plus, the business impact
is minimal. Both Facebook and Twitter say political advertising only makes up a
tiny fraction of their overall advertising revenues. (Twitter CFO Ned Segal
tweeted Wednesday that the company only booked $3 million in political ad
revenue during the 2018 U.S. midterm elections, for example.) It can only do
more good than harm to cut out political ads today.
For now, Zuckerberg is
sticking to his line that it’s not Facebook’s job to police paid political
speech. But Dorsey’s announcement was the biggest, most prominent threat to
that argument. Twitter wasn’t the first — TikTok also said it
would ban political advertising earlier this month — but as the platform that dominates much of the
political and cultural discussion, the decision carries extra weight.
Zuckerberg on Wednesday
left open a tiny window that he may change his mind, saying he’ll keep thinking
about whether or not to allow political ads.
“Although I’ve considered
whether we should not carry these ads in the past and I’ll continue to do so, on balance, so far, I’ve thought we
should continue,” Zuckerberg said on the earnings call.
As we’ve seen over and
over with Facebook, Zuckerberg’s decision is final, until it isn’t. And it just
might turn out that Dorsey will win the hottest debate in Silicon Valley right
now.
The third
episode of “Supernatural’s” fifteenth and final season in some ways felt like
the first – the first of this season that really felt like my Show. Written by
Robert Berens and directed by “Supernatural” veteran director Charles Beeson,
it was a rollercoaster of a story that had me on the edge of my seat
(literally) and then all out sobbing (also literally). Sometimes it seems
masochistic to say, but this is what I want from my Show – I want to FEEL. And
damn, did I ever feel during this episode! All the kudos to Berens, Beeson, set
dec wizard Jerry Wanek, Adam Williams and his VFX crew, and the incredible
actors who brought this episode to life. And made me cry so much.
After watching it live last night, I picked up my good friend Nightsky from the Winchester Family Business at the airport this morning and we decided to do a rewatch together – and to just blog our reactions real time. So here are our thoughts – and feelings, lots of feelings – about ‘The Rupture.’ Don’t worry, I had the tissues ready.
The Road So
Far pops up onscreen. Here we go, folks!
Seriously?
Lynn: Argh I have to sit through some of
that ridiculous second episode again. Do not want.
Nightsky: I thought it was a little spoilery that they included the clip that Sam has to be the one who kills Rowena. As if fandom has forgotten that??
Lynn: Seriously.
Ghost guy
from last week appears onscreen.
Nightsky: ARGH
Lynn: SAME
Then we were
off with episode 3. We start off with an interesting new hunter.
Please Stop The Optimism
Nightsky: I like that they pulled in other hunters since they’re not the only hunters in the country.
Lynn: And she had some personality too.
She was sassy.
Then our
heroes (and heroine) set off to try a new spell from Rowena, who has changed
into a frankly amazing pink dress. Rowena is oddly optimistic about the chances
of success.
Lynn: Oh no Rowena, stop with the
optimism, it never ends well on “Supernatural”!
Nightsky: I appreciated the consistency that
they referred back to how they left those people back at the gym with the
reference to the anxious townspeople though.
Lynn: Continuity FTW!
Ghosts are
flying up out of the huge crack as our heroes walk by.
Nightsky: Where were these ghosts for the past
three days? Late to the party? The doors of hell open and it takes you three
days to get out?
Lynn:
I’m totally confused by these souls/ghosts. Why do some of them have to
possess bodies and others just show up looking like they did in life, like Jack
the Ripper or the woman in white? I don’t get it.
We had no
answer.
Rowena and
her pink dress are beautiful in the creepy crypt, though. Just sayin.
They barricade themselves in. Banging starts on the door.
Nightsky: Okay, why are ghosts now banging on
the door? They just were strolling through the cemetery like they were on their
way to high tea, totally unconcerned.
Lynn: I got nothin’.
Rowena
starts her incantation as Sam, Dean, Castiel and Belphagor look on.
Violet
Lynn: I wonder if this is the scene where
she accidentally said “vulva” and J2M cracked up. (Turns out it was the next
scene with all of them and Ruth doing an incantation)
Nightsky: Berens was so proud of that pink
dress. At first I thought it was an odd choice for a red head, but in that
scene her eyes glow pink and the ghost attacks on the wall glow pink as her
spell works and maybe that was a nice tip of the hat that this was a woman
doing this.
Lynn: Her eyes were totally violet.
Nightsky: Totally pink.
Still Friends
Yes, we’re
still friends. There are too many ghosts for Rowena’s power to hold and she
collapses on the floor, gasping.
Rowena: We’re all going to die!
And that was
just the beginning of the episode!
Rowena asks
for a drink and Sam solicitously offers her water.
Rowena: A REAL drink.
Dean shrugs
like, I got nothin’.
Sam looks at
Dean like oh come on, I KNOW you have a flask. Dean tries to avoid, but Sam
gives him that I’m-your-brother-and-I-know-you look until Dean reluctantly
hands it over.
Brother Moment
Lynn: I love this brother moment! That was
so Sam and Dean.
Belphagor is
snarky as ever about Rowena’s spell not working. Rowena, for her part, is just
totally feeling hopeless, her earlier optimism crushed.
Nightsky: The quote, when Rowena says “they’re
so angry and those walls will fall and nothing on the earth will stop it” – to
me, that’s foreshadowing Dean’s anger. She felt the rage of these ghosts and
how they were trying to break through walls. Dean has built a wall around himsself
with all his rage, so that was a parallel for me, and how painful it was for
her to feel someone else’s rage when it’s that hurtful.
Lynn: Just how Castiel will be so hurt
later. Ooooh nice parallel. I don’t know if these things are really in the
writer’s conscious mind though – or does it just become clear later but it was
there subconsciously?
Nightsky: if they’re a good writer, there
should be multiple levels in their writing, so you can pull those threads out.
Lynn: This one has those layers, I think.
Dean
immediately jumps to a determination to fight, refusing to consider it
hopeless.
Dean: We’re not just gonna give up, that’s
not who we are!
Pause
We paused
the playback as Dean says that and Sam puts a hand out to his brother as he
listens.
Nightsky: To me, that was Sam accepting Dean
unconditionally. Dean has to attack the situation and Sam knows that about
Dean, so Sam is allowing Dean to be himself but he is also saying I’m
interceding between you and the world right now because you’re not seeing that
Rowena can’t do any more this second. He was protecting Rowena and also
respecting Dean. And I’ve never seen Sam do that before, say basically stop.
And Dean listened and took his lead.
Lynn: I feel like this season, they’re really
leaning into Sam as a leader. Even in the first episode, at the end it’s Sam
taking care of Dean when Dean is spiraling into hopelessness, Sam is the one
who gives him what he needs and reassures him. Now it’s Sam again assessing the
entire situation and trying to take care of everyone, both his brother and
Rowena. And Dean once again listens. He’s looking up at Sam and I don’t just
mean physically.
Brother Understanding
Nightsky: He’s looking to Sam and he takes
Sam’s lead, and Sam doesn’t reproach him in any way.
Lynn: He understands his brother so well
at this point and I am here for it. Then he gives Dean a reassuring pat on the
chest, and then goes to Rowena.
Nightsky: And then Dean looks down at Rowena
and realizes he has missed her pain. Sam is all compassion here and Dean is all
action.
Lynn: And that’s so them, their different
ways of coping.
Nightsky: And later they emphasize that when
Sam says “I feel like I should be out there on the front lines” and Rowena says
no, what you’re doing is just as important. He needs to be told that.
Lynn: Both are important, and maybe that’s
why the Winchesters balance each other out so perfectly.
Dean arms
up, spare bullets draped across his shoulder ala Jus In Bello, saying he’s not
gonna give up.
Dean: I’m not gonna sit in this crypt and
wait for the walls to come down…. No, we’re gonna end this Sam, like you said.
We’re gonna be free.
Angry, Not Freaked
Lynn:
See?? Dean did hear what Sam said in episode one and he did remember it.
That’s why that scene in episode 2 where he seems to never have had that
pivotal conversation with Sam was so jarring. Now he’s back to remembering that
talk and being influenced by it.
Nightsky: Maybe they did film them out of
order.
Lynn: (makes noises of frustration)
Sam is
empathic but calm, saying I’m freaked too.
Dean: Oh I’m not freaked, I’m angry!
He’s as
bitter as we are about Chuck’s manipulations and he doesn’t have a clue what to
do and he’s just stewing in it.
Nightsky: Threads readers will recognize the
theme of everyone trying to get in the last word, and now Dean just said I’ll
be damned if I’ll let a glorified fanboy get the last word.
Sam: Right.
He’s clearly
worried about his brother and about Rowena and about everything though.
Meanwhile,
Cas and Belphagor are arguing outside.
Bel to
Cas: You can’t even
look at me.
Nightsky: OMG did you catch that? That’s
exactly what Cas says to Dean at the end.
Lynn: OMG you’re right!
Cas is
getting a clue that Belphagor isn’t who he says he is.
Bel: That’s the longest you’ve ever
looked me in the eyes.
Nightsky: Also we’re back to not looking me in
the eyes as a theme.
Lynn: Ooooh
Belphagor
brings up Lilith’s crook (Dean: slash horn) as a way of controlling the demons.
Cas is skeptical but the Winchesters want to go after it and Rowena volunteers
to slam the door shut behind them with a spell of her own.
Assistant Samuel
Rowena: And I’ll need an assistant. Dibs on
Samuel.
Sam: What?
Rowena: You’re as close to a seasoned witch
as we’ve got.
Lynn: What did you think of that?
Nightsky: I was trying to wrack my brain if
Sam had done any witchcraft. I took it as he pays attention to books and Latin
and he’s comfortable reciting Latin so he’d be able to do that whole spiel that
he memorized by looking at the book.
Lynn: That makes sense. I mean, I love the
idea of Sam as a witch, but I was like huh?
Rowena: And we need someone close to the
edge to serve as a fulcrum, as a carrier – I light the fuse of the bomb, they
toss it in.
Nightsky: That’s perfect as a descriptor for
Dean, he’s close to the edge. But as a fulcrum, as a balance – what worlds will
he have to be the balance between? In this case it’s between Earth and Hell,
but it sounds like he’ll need to serve as the fulcrum between other worlds as
well.
Rowena: Whoever does this, they’ll be
unprotected. No salt circles, all manner of angry spirits all up in their
grill.
The camera
has been on Dean as Rowena speaks, who listens with a smirk on his face looking
so very very Dean Winchester.
Dean: Sounds like fun.
Nightsky: Up in his grill, that reminds me of
the Impala. You think of Dean, you think of Baby.
Belphagor
refuses to go to hell alone and demands protection.
Dean: Yeah, Cas will go.
When Castiel
looks up taken aback, Dean dismisses it: You’ve been to hell before.
No Choice
Cas : Sounds like I don’t have a choice.
Dean: Good. Great. Go Team.
Lynn: Ouch. A pointed reference to the
current state of Team Free Will.
Nightsky: I thought it was very interesting
that Dean volunteered Cas, threw him in harm’s way, and Castiels’ next words
were ‘it sounds like I don’t have a choice.’ Right back to the whole free will
debate. It was almost like Dean wished that Cas would go there and get hurt.
Maybe Dean was mad enough that he thought that would make him happy.
Lynn: I don’t know, but I do think he’s
entirely focused on what they’re trying to do and willing to put Cas in harm’s
way to do it. And he’s angry. So angry.
There’s a
jump to Ketch in the hospital recovering from his gunshot wounds, climbing out
of bed against doctor’s orders and insisting “I have friends who need my help.”
You Had One Job
Unfortunately,
the demon Ardat shows up and they have one of those sort of inexplicably
physical demon fights but she does prevail so that makes more sense.
Ardat: You had one job…
Nightsky: hehehe, you had one job…
Ardat: I think you’re protecting humans.
And you won’t give them up – at any price?
Ketch: Not at any price.
Nightsky: That was a hero’s death, his voice
cracked when he said it. He knew what that meant.
Lynn: I know a lot of fans are not on
board for turning Ketch into a hero, but that was at the very least a heroic
last moment.
Nightsky: His death shocked me, I didn’t see
that coming. OMG wait a minute, I didn’t notice that the first time – she pulls
his heart out but it’s still connected, so he can see it still beating but know
he’s doing to die?
Lynn: Yep. Ewww
Nightsky: OMG
Lynn: David Haydn-Jones did an amazing
job. Look at his face as he stares at his own heart, so brave but so shocked
and so dismayed. God, this was a brutal scene. Well done Bobo and Davey, but
ARGH.
@kayb625
Ouch
Ardat snaps
it off and he falls dead, for real clearly.
Nightsky: I wonder if that was a bit of
foreshadowing, that we’re all about to get our hearts ripped out.
Lynn: Ouch. Also we got cheated out of seeing
a bit more of David Haydn-Jones considering he’s having a fight in a hospital
gown. Just sayin.
Meanwhile, Belphagor
and Castiel stand on the edge of the hell rupture.
Bel: Funny, your friends didn’t seem to
think twice about putting you in danger.
Poor Cas
just takes it, looking increasingly resigned.
Bel: What is it, Cas, this seething
animosity?
Castiel: Every second in your presence is
intolerable.
Once again a
foreshadowing of the later painful conversation with Cas and Dean.
Cas: How do
we get down there?
Bel: I don’t see any stairs…
Castiel
stares at Bel with absolute disdain for a few seconds, then unceremoniously
pushes him in.
Going To Hell
Lynn: HAHAHAHAHAHAHA OMG I loved that
moment.
Nightsky: Berens tweeted that he wrote that
into the script as a gag and was so happy they left it in.
Once again
Misha nailed it.
Guest hunter
brings Rowena her supplies “for the ginger”. Heh. She’s sassy.
Meanwhile,
Ardat steals Ketch’s phone and texts Dean.
Lynn: I kinda don’t think Dean would have
fallen for this so easily. Why did he have to give away the entire plan in a
text message? I wonder why the bad guys don’t kill people and then steal their
phones to text more often? Hmm. Okay, handwave.
Castiel and
Belphagor go to hell, which is a beautiful Jerry Wanek set with great VFX.
Boy’s Got An Agenda
Nightsky: It looked like the proper grandeur
and lighting etc of hell, as opposed to that awful throne room we were
subjected to for years.
Belphagor
literally pushes Cas into the room where the crook might be and we really feel
for Cas at this point. They run into another demon and Castiel hauls off and
kills him the second they know he doesn’t have the crook, his patience clearly
at an end.
Lynn: Alex Calvert is brilliant here. He’s
changed Belphagor from a snarky likable harmless seeming low rank demon to a
menacing, totally in charge demon who clearly has an agenda and has no qualms
about ordering Castiel around.
Nightsky: When Belphagor says “good thing I
brought you,” you realize he knew that box was in Enochian. That was the first
time you realize he’s not an innocent ally.
Lynn: Boy’s got an agenda. Which we always
kinda suspected.
Bel: Sam and Dean seem to be coming
around, I think I’m growing on them. Like a cancer.
Cas: You’re not growing on anyone. Sam
and Dean are just using you. Don’t mistake that for caring about you because I
can assure you, they don’t.
Bel: You learn that the hard way?
More pointed
foreshadowing of Dean and Castiel’s later conversation.
Nightsky: Cas was revealing what he actually
feels now, the realization he’s coming to.
Lynn: Ouch. Really, ouch.
Going
through a rewatch frame by frame has its benefits. As Cas knelt down to read
the Enochian, he’s in the exact position and angle as the three statues behind
him are in, of the demon supplicants. They’re deliberately framed by director
Charles Beeson in the doorway so you can see that Castiel has taken that same
supplicating position.
Lynn: God damn I love this Show.
The fandom
had been given a few teasing comments about one of the cast doing some singing
on this episode, which had everyone speculating and anticipating. It turns out
it’s Cas having to sing the Enochian incantation – but we only got to hear the
first note and the last!
Berens
assured us they made Misha sing the whole thing and if that isn’t on the last
gag reel, we will have been really cheated.
Back to Dean
standing on the literal edge. Back to the wall.
Lynn: My god he’s gorgeous. Um, sorry.
Sam looks
toward the door.
Sam: I just feel like I should be out
there fighting.
Surprise!
Rowena: Dean’s doing his part, you do yours.
Lynn: Sam and Dean are used to fighting
side by side, this is hard for Sam.
Nightsky: Threads people, they keep talking
about shots – the long shot, our one shot, five times in this episode,
reminding us that Sam’s gun shot is important.
Surprise
Ardat! Throwing a monkey wrench in the crook heist.
Nightsky: I’m not sure of the prupose of
Ardat. She says ‘you don’t even know what he is.’ They emphasized that again
this week. But then he’s killed, so what was the purpose of that? Both of them
die.
Lynn: I thought the same exact thing.
Nightsky: Ardat seemed almost like the good
guy here. It seemed too important to go nowhere.
Lynn:
I wondered about the foreshadowing in episode one, when Ketch shows up
to take out a demon that poses a huge threat and it turns out to be Belphagor.
The Winchesters just take Belphagor’s side without giving Ardat any credence,
but that struck me as odd. Now we see that it wasn’t the smartest decision
they’ve made.
Nightsky: Another thread last week was power,
and all this about thrones and ruling are setting us up for a ruler of hell to
come back into the picture.
Lynn: For sure. No spoilers, but for sure.
After
killing Ardat to stop her from telling Castiel more about who he is, Belphagor
insists to Castiel that he’s not trying for the throne, as Cas confronts him.
Not the throne
— but to absorb all those souls and be a god!
Lynn: It’s a striking parallel to when Cas
was Godstiel, when he swallowed all the Leviathans and had all that power and
eventually became not a god but more like pure evil.
Nightsky: And it’s a parallel to what
eventually happens to Rowena, who also swallows essentially pure evil.
Castiel realizes that Belphagor has been playing them all along, as Bel stands framed by the lit doorway, clearly the one in power, Cas is thrown back into shadows with the other supplicants.
Siphoning
Belphagor
starts to siphon the souls in, while up above Rowena and Sam link hands to
start the spell and Dean crouches with his back to a gravestone next to the
edge, and we are all on the edge of our seats.
Sam keeps
worrying about Dean, distracted and looking toward the door. Rowena keeps
calling him back gently.
Nightsky: Rowena here is compassionate toward
Sam just as he was compassionate toward her at the start.
As the horn
blares and souls stream in, Dean jumps up and tosses the glowing bomb in.
Nightsky: Why did he throw it in before all
the souls were in and before Cas was out?
Lynn: Because he had to throw it while it
was glowing, I think?
Meanwhile, down in hell Castiel whales on Belphagor, knocking his sunglasses off, pummeling him repeatedly, his rage overflowing. Finally, Belphagor calls out to him in jack’s voice, saying “It’s me, Jack.” But Cas doesn’t fall for it, his eyes glow blue and he smites Belphagor so thoroughly that he’s just a burnt husk of a being, even the sunglasses turned to ash.
Digging Deep
Nightsky: Cas had to dig deep to get that much
power, it seems. He really really wanted to do that. I think maybe he’s losing
his power because he’s losing his heart, he’s losing his connection to Sam and Dean
and what he cares about. But he cares about this.
Lynn: I thought maybe he was losing his
power because God is losing his power and the angels are somehow connected to
him.
Nightsky: My theory is metaphorical, yours is
literal.
Who will be
right? (Most likely neither of us lol)
Lynn: Castiel looks so broken after,
looking up in despair, the bars above him seemingly keeping him caged in his
sadness. It’s a beautiful shot, but so sad.
Nightsky: That was very heroic of Castiel. He
saw that the threat was like he was as Godstiel, and like Lucifer wanted to be,
a new god, and he knew he had to stop it. It was very heroic and instead he got
dumped on for doing it.
Dean immediately calls Sam, saying it doesn’t feel right.
Something Isn’t Right
Rowena knows
something isn’t right too. She makes a decision without telling Sam, and as he
watches in confusion and alarm, she stabs herself and pulls out the last
resurrection sachet. And we all have a VERY bad feeling about this.
Rowena: Magic can do anything, Samuel. Can
contain anything. I can soak them up for a time, if I pay the price. Death is
an infinite vessel.
Lynn: And at this point I was screaming
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Sam tries to
argue her out of it, saying no, but Rowena is insistent.
Rowena: Yes, Samuel. To perform the spell, I
have to die. And it has to be you who kills me.
Sam still
says no, looking distraught at just the thought of taking her life.
Kill Me Samuel
Rowena: I believe in prophecy and magic.
Sam fights
her, tries to pull the knife away, and she keeps pulling it back and you can
SEE how much Sam is suffering, in pain, not wanting to do it. Ruth Connell and
Jared Padalecki were off the charts amazing, making us all feel every ounce of
what the characters on the screen were feeling.
Nightsky: What’s so compelling about this
scene is that Ruth maintains and continually increases the emotional intensity
and pulls Jared into the moment so he literally can be Sam, transformed from
not understanding to acting. She’s the one that escalated the emotional
intensity the whole time even when he didn’t understand, she had to carry that
whole scene as she convinced Sam of the tragedy of what had to happen.
Lynn: Absolutely. This is a master class,
Ruth Connell.
Nightsky: She did what she did for magic, for
what she cares about.
Lynn: Not even for the people she cares
about, but for what’s important to her.
Rowena: Do it, kill me Samuel!
She lays her
hand on his cheek, gently reassuring.
Rowena: I know we’ve gotten quite fond of each other.
But will you let the world die — let your brother die — just so I can live?
Sam leans
in, murmurs “No”.
Lynn:
OMG stop, this scene was so perfect and so perfectly done. Just as you
think Sam is saying no to refuse to do it, and he leans in and pulls her into a
hug and you realize…. (starts sobbing all over again for real)
Nightsky: It was so compassionate, so she
wouldn’t have to feel the excruciating last seconds of anticipating her death.
Rowena falls
into Sam’s embrace and the knife slides into her as she clings to him, and
Charles Beeson gives us a close up of her face, in agony, and of Sam’s face, in
equal agony. He’s crying; she’s crying.
Lynn: I’m crying.
That’s My Boy
Rowena grabs
his chin, stabs the knife in deeper and twists it brutally, ensuring that she
will die.
She looks
him in the eye, no judgment, only pride.
Rowena: That’s my boy.
Outside at
the rupture, Cas comes back and encounters Dean, who asks what the hell
happened.
Lynn: Why doesn’t Cas explain? He just says he killed Belphagor but not WHY so, of course, Dean jumps to the most negative conclusion.
Goodbye Boys
Nightsky: I hate that! And he lets people
assume the worst. He allowed Dean to jump to conclusions.
Nightsky: What’s interesting here is that Dean
is clueless about what Castiel has just been through, and also what Sam has
just been through. He doesn’t know about the emotional agony of both his
partners. They thought he’d have the hardest job, and he ended up having the
easiest.
Rowena staggers
outside toward the edge, bleeding, souls rushing into her. She looks back at Sam, a little smile on her
face.
Rowena: Goodbye, boys.
Swan Song
Lynn: Exactly what her son said to the
Winchesters. That killed me. And she throws herself into the gap, her own Swan
Song.
Lynn: (is crying for real all over again)
Nightsky: She stood on the edge of a pit of
hell and allowed herself to fall in, in the same way. It’s interesting that
when Cas ingested all the souls, it was through his mouth. Rowena, a woman,
pulls them into her abdomen, where she bleeds.
Lynn: I saw this as a parallel to Mary’s
original death on the ceiling with the bloody gash across her abdomen and Jess
too.
Lynn: OMG I just realized something.
Samantha Smith has said that the dress Mary was originally wearing was not
white – it was pink. Just like Rowena’s dress is now as she dies.
That Music
Nightsky: That music too…very Scottish
highlands music.
Lynn: Which made me cry even harder,
because it seemed like a goodbye and a tribute to Ruth as much as to Rowena.
Believe it
or not, after all this, the episode isn’t done with us yet. Then come two very
important, very emotional scenes.
Sam sits
alone in his room at the bunker, barefoot, looking devastated. Vulnerable. Dean
knocks on his door.
Dean: How you holding up?
Sam doesn’t
answer, just asks how the town is doing, gets some small satisfaction out of
hearing things are okay now.
Dean: They found Ketch. Dead.
Sam: What? How?
Dean: Bad. Probably a demon.
Nightsky: Dean was very considerate here, how
he told Sam about Ketch’s death. But he didn’t let him process, immediately
tried to cheer him up. He didn’t take a beat for poor Ketch. And I was
thinking, Ketch’s death would have been the climax of an episode if it wasn’t
the last season. But the poor guy got overshadowed by Rowena’s death, which
then got overshadowed by Team Free Will breaking up.
Lynn: That was my problem with Kevin’s
goodbye too, which got overshadowed by the 9876 other things that were happening.
Sam sighs.
We Did It
Dean
tries to cheer him up: We did it though, man. God threw one last apocalypse at us and we beat
it.
Lynn: At this point I was going OMG this
is heartbreaking, they think this is over. It’s only episode 3, boys!
Nightsky: I thought Jared’s acting in this
scene was brilliant. He shows us the full weight of everything that happened,
whereas Dean is hiding or repressing or ignoring the weight of what has
happened. He only wants to see the good.
Lynn:
Even the blocking, Sam sitting down, barefoot, vulnerable, his head
bent, the weight of all that’s happened visible on him. And Dean standing,
casual – even wearing a Henley – but also holding himself back, contained, his
hands folded in front of him, his ankles crossed. Only wanting to cheer Sam up,
not to acknowledge his own anger and grief.
Didn’t Have A Choice
Dean: You didn’t have a choice. What you
did. Rowena. You didn’t have a choice.
Sam: I know.
The Scottish
music plays and Lynn’s eyes fill up again.
Nightsky: He can recognize that for Sam, that
he didn’t have a choice, but not for Castiel. Of course he doesn’t really know
all the facts. My guess is that Sam explained and Cas never did.
Lynn: He’s his own worst enemy when it
comes to communication.
Dean pours
himself a drink, emblematic of his attempts to push down his emotions. Cas asks
how Sam is, and Dean admits “not great.” There’s tension, as Dean takes a drink and
keeps his head held high, defensive.
Face Off
The two face
off, a table between them, as Cas says he’s sorry about Rowena.
Dean: You’re sorry. Why didn’t you just
stick to the damn plan?
Cas: The plan changed. Something went
wrong, you know this. Something always goes wrong.
Dean: Yeah and why does that something
always seem to be you?
Cas: You used to trust me, give me the
benefit of the doubt. Now you can barely look at me.
Nightsky: The key point is, Dean doesn’t give
Cas the benefit of the doubt, even though he just did with Sam.
Lynn: It’s a testament to how angry Dean
truly is at Cas, and how much he blames him for the death of his mother, even
if that’s not entirely logical.
They face
off, and Dean really does have a hard time looking at Cas. His eyes are steely,
walled off.
Cas: I’ve tried to talk to you, over and
over, and you don’t want to hear it. I’m dead to you. You still blame me for
Mary.
Dean doesn’t
deny it.
Cas: Jack’s dead, Chuck’s gone, you and
Sam have each other. I think it’s time for me to move on.
Nightsky: Whoa, that’s the family theme music.
Lynn: Oh yeah, you didn’t notice that? Way
to stomp our hearts out, Show.
Nightsky: I was too busy saying, you didn’t
even say goodbye to Sam!
Lynn: I know, poor Sam.
Nightsky: He lost Rowena, and Ketch, and Cas,
and now what, just suck it up?
Nightsky: They’ve been building up to this rupture, or this rift between Dean and Cas, since Jack was conceived really.
Lynn: Yeah, they didn’t agree on any of
it.
Nightsky: Cas chose Jack over Dean and Sam.
Lynn: And Dean at least has never
completely gotten over that.
Nightsky: Cas exercised his own free will and
Dean didn’t like that. I think his departure has been a long time coming and
I’m glad Cas stood up for himself. I think Dean needs to understand, just like
Dean had to accept that Sam can make his own choices and has grown into an
adult with different opinions, Dean needs to accept that Castiel has grown into
enough of a “human” to have his own free will and make different choices.
Lynn: This episode, in particular, was hard to watch, as Cas seemed to absorb hit after hit — from Dean, from Belphagor, and to grow more and more despondent about his place in life and in his found family. I think that’s why it felt like a bit of a relief when he did make the decision to leave and carried through with it.
Nightsky: it was very painful to watch and I
hope they don’t stay apart for too long. This episode also cleared the way for
Jack to come back as himself, and maybe for Rowena to come back in a new role,
and for Castiel to take on a new role because his prior reasons for living are
all gone.
Lynn: I’m assuming Alex Calvert will be back and soon, and I can only hope that this isn’t the last we’ve seen of Rowena since it’s only 3 episodes in. On the other hand, Rowena’s death and this episode were amazing. I can’t imagine any other send-off for the character that would be better.
Nightsky: All of them were heroes. Ketch died
a heroic death, Rowena died a heroic death, Sam was heroic in killing Rowena,
Castiel was heroic in stopping Belphagor, and Dean did his part by tossing the
bomb. Toss it in, BOOM, just like Rowena said.
Lynn: In a sense, Dean really was the
fulcrum, the one in the middle who facilitates the action. The catalyst for Cas
exercising his free will and making his own choice to be independent and to
figure out what is meaningful for him. For Sam, when he provides the means for
Sam to forgive himself for his part in Rowena’s death so he can move ahead. For
Rowena, by being the one who volunteers to be in the middle, to stand on the
edge and toss the bomb in.
So that was episode 3.
Nightsky: The episode was brilliantly written
and acted but it was also brilliantly directed and staged and lit and set.
Lynn: I complained about the first two
episodes being so brightly lit in the middle of suburbia, which just didn’t
work for me. This looked like “Supernatural” – and had so much more impact lit
the way it was.
Nightsky: I think this will be among the
series’ best episodes.
Lynn: Well, if that whole ripping the
heart out of Ketch thing was supposed to be a metaphor, it sure as hell worked.
I don’t know if I’ve ever cried that hard on rewatch!
Jensen Ackles has said that he was hit hard by the scene where Castiel leaves, that watching Misha walk away reminded him that they will all be leaving for real before long. There will be goodbyes. I felt a similar rush of emotion when I realized we were saying goodbye to Rowena, and that she wouldn’t be the last. And again when it was Ketch’s turn to die. Everything feels different this season because we can’t say “oh they’ll probably be back a few seasons from now.” Sooner or later – if not now, then soon – the deaths will stick. The characters we so love will be gone.
I needed a
few more tissues as I wrote this up.
Nightsky: You don’t think Ketch will go to
hell though, do you? And then if Rowena’s down there…
Me: Oh…..
Okay, we’ll have to see how that one turns out.
And now it’s time for Lynn and Nightsky to go have some Philly cheesesteaks and cheese fries and calm ourselves down once again after “Supernatural.” Do we hope that next week is less of a rollercoaster with not so many FEELINGS? Oh hell no! Bring it, Show!
Frustratingly, “Supernatural” 1504 Proverbs 17.3 won’t be airing until November 7 so we have to stew for another week.
It’s always
been a mystery how “The Terminator” franchise seems to have forgotten about
Linda Hamilton after the third installment, but thankfully, Sarah Connor is
back in “Terminator: Dark Fate.” Rumors abounded that since she and creator
James Cameron had divorced, she would never be back, but sometimes it’s just as
simple as the actress not ready to come back…until now.
For the new
“Terminator” film, it was seemingly easy to bring back Arnold Schwarzenegger as
the human-looking cyborg assassin because of his devotion to the franchise. But
having Linda Hamilton return as Sarah Connor was a tougher decision considering
she’d already turned down a chance to reprise her iconic role.
It took Hamilton six weeks
to decide whether she wanted to portray Connor, the waitress-turned-warrior who
along with Schwarzenegger made the first two “Terminator” movies among the best
action films ever made.
Her hesitation stemmed
from the fear that a return as Connor in “Terminator: Dark Fate” might not live
up to the hype of the earlier films.
“I was terrified,” she
recalled. “I really didn’t want to disappoint Sarah Connor. That’s where I go
when I’m terrified. You usually regret what you didn’t do. So I thought, ‘If
I’m this terrified, then maybe that’s the reason to do it.’”
Another convincing factor
for Hamilton’s return was James Cameron, who directed the first two films and
would serve as a producer on “Dark Fate,” which arrives in theaters Friday. She
passed on the opportunity to appear in 2003′s “Terminator 3: Rise of the
Machines” believing she had “completed the character’s story” and because of
Cameron’s absence, calling him the “magic ingredient.”
Hamilton was concerned
with “Dark Fate” messing with the legacy of the uber-popular “Terminator 2:
Judgment Day.” But she said Cameron’s emails from three years ago detailing the
pros and cons of her playing Connor and his enthusiasm about the project helped
put her at ease.
The new film ignores three
of the franchise’s previous movies including 2015′s “Terminator: Genisys,”
which fizzled with domestic audiences but had a strong turnout overseas. “Dark
Fate” picks up soon after the events of “T2.”
This time, Connor and an
augmented soldier named Grace, played by Mackenzie Davis, must protect a young
Mexican girl Dani (Natalia Reyes) who is being hunted by a newly modified
liquid Terminator from the future.
Hamilton says Connor still
has a vengeful heart against Terminators, yet grudgingly reunites with
Schwarzenegger, a time-traveling killing-machine who’s developed a conscience.
Connor’s character is also not a fan of humans because “humankind builds
machines that create their own death,” the actress said.
“Sarah has nothing else
left, but vengeance,” Hamilton said. “She’s a woman without a country. She has
no mission, no son; broken, dark, black heart.”
Schwarzenegger said the
63-year-old Hamilton brought some “freshness” back into the franchise.
“I thought that she set
the bar really high again, just like she did in 1991,” Schwarzenegger said of
Hamilton, who trained for a year to get in fighting shape. “Especially as a
woman in her 60s now. There’s no action lady out there that I know of who’s in
her 60s doing what she does. Only Cameron really has the (courage) to do
something like that. But he always feels quite comfortable with those kinds of
ideas, especially women action heroes.”
Hamilton praised
Schwarzenegger for his work as well as her female co-stars, Davis and Reyes.
But sometimes, she said it was a struggle to find the voice of their female
characters with an all-male screenwriter team.
Hamilton said initially the writers had a hard time writing “organic” dialogue between her and Davis’ character. She called the process a failure at first and sometimes declined to recite certain lines until everyone got on the same page.
“They really had trouble getting the script together,” she said. “There were so many writers. They were four months late delivering it to me because they didn’t want me to read the first pass. In the end, I think they really did a bang-up job. But it was really changing throughout, even as we were shooting. That was wacky to me because I never really had to work that way and try to fill in the blanks when you don’t quite know where you’ve been or where you’re going or when you’re going to learn that. Acting is a linear job. You want to know precisely where I just come from, where I’m going and I fill in those moments with as much authenticity as I can. There were some issues with the script, but ultimately I think we got it worked out.”
Hamilton believes her
input helped serve the film, her character and others well.
“In the end, I know her
best,” she said. “That is the advantage of having played someone over a 35-year
period. Otherwise, in all my other work, I would let the greater minds have
their way. But not this time.”
Sarah Connor Now and Then
Hamilton has been semi-retired since 2012 and can usually be found living in comfortable normality in her New Orleans townhouse, but she admits that she’s enjoying the resurfaced attention and responsibility far more than she thought she would. “I think it’s a function of being older and more confident,” she explains. “I’ve got nothing to prove. I’m not trying to win anything, I’m not nervous, I’m honest and I’m sometimes profane. I own myself in a way that you can’t when you’re young. It’s not confidence as much as it is full ownership of who I am.”
Now 63, Hamilton has forever been burnt into action genre lore 35 years ago. Cast in 1984’s “The Terminator” as Sarah Connor when she was just an ordinary but plucky waitress, she found herself inexplicably hunted by a futuristic assassin of few words but killer shades (Schwarzenegger). Hamilton transformed herself into a shredded warrior woman with rock-hard abs and a 12-gauge shotgun beneath her arm for “T2: Judgment Day.” The most successful film of 1991, “T2” altered Hamilton’s life, saw her kickstart her relationship with Cameron and, much to her chagrin, led the press to become fixated on her physique. “I didn’t want to be ‘Linda-Hamilton-arms’ for my entire career,” she explains. “And that’s what it was. ‘Linda-Hamilton-arms’… one word.”
A classically trained actor taught in Seventies New York by the revered Lee Strasberg, who also taught Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, and Paul Newman, Hamilton had to be coaxed by her agents into accepting the first Terminator film. Despite believing it to be the kind of low-budget B-movie she shouldn’t be doing, she eventually did it anyway, and then its sequel, hoping both times that it might provide her carte blanche when it came to the roles that came next. Specifically, she was desperate to do comedy. Instead, she was repeatedly offered three kinds of follow-up roles.
“Police officers, military officers, and lesbians,” she laughs. “That was pretty much what I got, and nothing else. Going in to audition for “Dante’s Peak” to meet with [director] Roger Donaldson, he literally said to me: ‘You’ve never played a part like this before.’ And I went, ‘What do you mean?’ ‘Normal.’ He thought I couldn’t play normal! Jesus! It was just the way people thought.”
She says she has no regrets
(“We can all wish for things to be different, but why waste the energy?” she
says) but admits that Sarah Connor was something of an albatross from under
which she struggled to escape. She says that no matter the film set, it’s rare
for a crew member not to approach her and ask if her arms are still shredded.
“I just keep them covered and go: ‘Yep, I’m buff!’”
So, it’s not been the smoothest of rides. Yet here she is again: the star of “Terminator: Dark Fate,” her face dominating its posters, and having undergone a year of grueling physical training before it had even begun shooting. She recognizes the pressure she’s placed on herself. “You don’t skate on legend,” she tells me. “Because if you don’t live up to it, then it’s a real disaster.”
In “Dark Fate,” which is directed by “Deadpool’s” Tim Miller and written from a story co-crafted by Cameron, Sarah Connor is broken. Haunted by tragedy and even more paranoid than she was in “T2,” she reveals at one point in the film that she has to drink to blackout just to make it through the day. Early on, she mysteriously crosses paths with Grace, a human/cyborg hybrid from the future (Mackenzie Davis), then with the young woman Grace has been sent back to 2019 to protect (played by newcomer Natalia Reyes), and eventually Schwarzenegger’s T-800. She searches for redemption, demonstrates she’s just as proficient with very big guns as she was in 1991, and curses like a trucker.
“We started out trying to be PG,” Hamilton remembers, rolling her
eyes. “Tim was like, ‘We’re only allowed one f*** in this entire movie – where
are we gonna use it?’ And by the end of the first day, I had said it in 10
different scenes. I was like, ‘I don’t think we’re gonna get our PG rating.’
Tim has no filter, so everything he says is f*** f*** f***. And he just kept
adding [them]. All I did was say ‘f***’ and shoot ’em in the head.”
So she had fun. But it’s only at the end of our conversation that it becomes clear why Hamilton came back to the Terminator in the first place. Not because of the money (anyone with a divorce settlement from James Cameron doesn’t need to worry about their pennies, after all), and not just because she felt like the fans deserved a treat. Instead, it’s more an expression of gratitude.
“I love being soft,” she says, her smoky voice suddenly dropping
an octave. “I’m very normal, middle-class. So, like, soft. I didn’t know about
that strength until it was asked of me. And I think that’s just the most
wonderful gift that I’ve ever had. My work has truly informed me about what –
who I am. It’s not like I thought I was weak or anything, but you never know
what you’re capable of until it is demanded of you. Who knows who I would have
been if I hadn’t got to play Sarah Connor? Would I be the same person?”
She recalls shooting a scene for the end of “The Terminator,” when Sarah’s protector Kyle
Reese (Michael Biehn) has been badly beaten and is fading in and out of
consciousness. Sarah drags him up from the ground and demands his attention
with a fiery growl of “On your feet, soldier”.
“I remember how wonderful it was, without being heady or cerebral,
to just play it,” Hamilton explains. “To play it and go, ‘Oh, this is an
interesting moment.’ It was only when I was playing it that I felt myself stand
up and take something inside of me that I didn’t know that I owned.”
She looks appreciative and slightly misty-eyed. The mood of the room has become very serious. When in fact, she tells me, all she really wants to do is star in something funny.
“At least once in this lifetime,” she smiles. “I’ve earned it.”
