Book Review: I’ll Bee Home for Christmas by Cathy Wiley (Fatal Food Festival Mysteries #4)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Character growth and a good mystery

Cons: Food talk slows down the mystery of the middle

The Bottom Line:

Honey at Christmas

Trying to clear friend’s sister

Another fun book

Murder is Never Sweet, Especially at Christmas

I am completely enjoying Cathy Wiley’s Fatal Food Festival Mysteries. So I was thrilled when I saw that she was slipping in a Christmas mystery this year. Naturally, I made time to read I’ll Bee Home for Christmas before the holiday. 

The series features Jackie Norwood, a former celebrity chef who lost her TV show when her drinking got out of control. Now, she’s trying to mount a comeback by being a guest judge at food festivals across the country. Sadly, she seems to find herself involved in murders at each festival she visits. 

It’s the second week of December, and Jackie and her friends are descending on Oklahoma for a honey festival. Jackie’s cameraman, Greg, connected her to the judging gig since his sister, Emily, is putting everything together. Jackie arrives a couple of days early to get acclimated and help set things up. Part of that is going with Emily while she visits her beehives. 

However, at one of their stops, they discover the dead body of Emily’s ex-husband. He was obviously in the process of stealing her hives, which gives her a motive. As Jackie jumps in, she finds plenty of others who hated the man. But can she find the killer?

As I said earlier, I’m really loving the characters and their growing relationships. There are some continuations of these arcs from the earlier books, especially the previous one. As a result, I recommend you read these books in order. 

And if you have been, you’ll be happy with what happens here. I’m already looking forward to seeing how these events impact the characters going forward. And the new characters we met along the way were also great. 

Authors who write cozies have a balancing act trying to bring in the theme while also keeping the mystery moving forward. I felt like this book missed the mark in the middle, looking at bit more at the festival and the contests that Jackie is judging. As a result, I felt like a couple things were rushed story wise. That’s not to say that the climax didn’t make sense. It logically followed the clues that Jackie and the rest had uncovered. 

Part of the reason I love this series is the humor. Yes, there is one character who loves his puns, which I appreciate. But there are some other great laughs from the characters and their relationships. 

The book does have lots of food talk with some very delicious sounding recipes featuring honey. We get a lot of recipes at the end, and all the best sounding dishes in the story are included. By my count, we have a total of seven recipes at the end. 

And yes, there are also some fun nods to Christmas over the course of the book, as well.

All told, I’ll Bee Home for Christmas is a sweet addition to the series. Fans will be thankful for it. If you haven’t started it yet, I definitely recommend you do so today.

Travel to the rest of the Fatal Food Festival Mysteries.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book. 

Book Review: Unraveled by Shannon Messenger (Keeper of the Lost Cities #9.5)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Interesting revelations and character development

Cons: Pacing. For some parents, two unnamed characters

The Bottom Line:

Focus is on Keefe

See what he learned from humans

Has pacing issues

Keefe’s Adventures in the Human World

Keepers of the Lost Cities fans have learned that the story has plenty of twists and turns. And some of those include the way the books are released. In order to fully tell the story, author Shannon Messenger realized she needed to tell the story of the time that Keefe spent in the human world during the first part of Stellalune, book nine in the series. And so we got Unraveled, book 9.5 in the series. 

It goes without saying that if you haven’t started this series yet, don’t jump in here. Not only are there massive spoilers, but you’ll be very confused. But you’ll enjoy the journey along the way, so definitely pick up these books. 

This book picks up where book 8.5 ended. (Told you there were lots of twists and turns in the series itself.) In order to protect his friends from his new abilities, Keefe leaves the Elfin world behind to hide out among the humans. While his first attempts are rocky, he soon finds a way to survive. And then he hits on an idea to not only figure out how to control his new abilities but also to figure out some things from his past. Will he succeed at either?

Yes, I’m being vague here. Remember what I said about spoilers. Although, anyone who has read Stellalune can pretty much guess the setup of this book. The important thing would be the details along the way. 

This book in the series is only 400 pages. Compared to some of the volumes we’ve gotten, it’s practically novella length. Even so, I felt like some things could have been cut. Yes, I get what they were supposed to be showing, but I felt like it took us longer than it needed to to get to the meat of the story. 

But once we got there, yes, we got some interesting developments. Things we didn’t know yet. And I’m very curious to see how everything is going to come into play for the rest of the series. 

I do want to discuss one aspect of the book that is causing controversy in the reviews I’ve seen. In the course of his travels, Keefe meets a couple of characters who are gay or lesbian. They are so unimportant that they don’t even get names, although Keefe does think it is nice that they can live their lives as they see fit. These references take up maybe two pages of the entire book, so clearly they are extremely minor. But that also makes them feel a little forced into the universe that’s been created. Do I wish they were not there? Absolutely. As an adult reading the books, they are easy to tune out. But parents will want to know it is there is they want to talk them over with their kids. 

Let’s move on, shall we? 

Over the course of the book, Keefe travels all over the globe. While some of these scenes are the ones that slowed down the plot, I did find some of them fun watching Keefe’s reaction to what we take for granted as humans. 

And yes, we also got some nice character development. We also got a couple scenes from Stellalune from Keefe’s point of view, which was really interesting given all that had come in this book. 

While Unraveled isn’t as action packed as I would have liked, it will still prove to be important going forward. Fans of the series will be glad they picked it up. 

Check out the rest of the Keeper of the Lost Cities books. 

December 21st's Weekly TV Thoughts

Wipeout – My TV claimed that episode was new, but it clearly wasn’t.  The obstacles were all old school, and a reference was made to 2022 (or was it 2023).  Either way, it does prove my point last week that the final course used to be harder.

Poppa’s House – Once again, the first scene is the funniest (it often is, but not always).  Some of those scenes were just painful as he was trying too hard.  I will give them this, the wigs looked great and were funny.

Night Court – So I was wrong two weeks ago when I thought we were breaking until the new year.  We had this Christmas episode still to go.  And what a fun episode it was.  Ridiculous, over the top (in the best way) and fun.  If the writers can go back to this more often, the season will be top notch.

LegoMasters – When I heard fire hydrant, I wasn’t that impressed.  I guessed what they were going for stability wise, but they really brought the character.  That was a clear winner.  All the scenes in the second hour turned out well.  And the stories were great.  Sorry to see the fun ending already.  The new regular season can’t come soon enough.

Survivor – They had four hours, yet they still barely had any time for a real reunion.  I want that!  Give me more of that!  With the entire cast from the season!  Not too surprised that Rachel won.  I felt sorry for Sue since it was obvious she was going to be ignored based on the questions she wasn’t getting.  But to go out and do that at 59?  I’m impressed.  I couldn’t do that at my age.  And Sam staying until the end despite the odds against him.  Three great finalists.

The Challenge – I’m glad Tori had to go into an elimination.  Would have been nice if she had lost, but at least she had to do one.  Has everyone been in at this point?  I’ve lost track.  What an elimination, too.  I would have been okay until the arms had to come out.  Very curious to see what the elements of the elimination are and how the voting is going to impact things.

Harry Potter: Wizards of Baking – I think I was expecting the other team to win.  Not that either team was bad.  Just going in, I felt like the other team was stronger.  But both of those show pieces were amazing.  This series has been fun.

December 20th's Friday Post

'Twas the Friday before Christmas, and here on the blog, it's time for a Friday Post.  (Sorry, I'm not a poet, at least a rhyming one.)  I'll be linking up to:

Book Beginnings
First Line Friday
Friday 56
Book Blogger Hop

I've got another Christmas cozy for you this week.  This time, it's I'll Bee Home for Christmas, the fourth Fatal Food Festival Mystery from Cathy Wiley.

These books are always fun, and this book was no exception.  And it pulls you in from the beginning:

I’ve done many crazy things in my lifetime. This one might take the cake.

Just what is the main character up to?  You'll have to pick up the book.  Meanwhile, here's this quote from 56% into the book.

“Where’s Emily?” Anna Brooks asked. “And your niece, April?”
I winced, realizing no one had told her about the murder. I bit the bullet. “Emily was talking to the police.”
“The police!” She repeated shrilly. “What’s going on now?”

This is a mystery, so I bet you can guess what's going on.

My full review will be up on Monday, so I hope you'll come back then.

Meanwhile, let's take a look at this week's Book Blogger Post.

In December, many people like snuggling up with a nice book and a warm beverage. What kind of reading environment do you prefer during the winter?

During December, I enjoy reading with my Christmas trees twinkling.  But I continue to read anywhere I can.  I read in my car at lunch time on days when I have to work in the office, and I park on the top of the garage so my car isn't too cold.  A perk of living in So Cal is that this is even an option for me, right?  The rest of the year, I park on lower levels where I get the shade to keep it cooler.

Hope you have a great weekend!

Book Review: Rockin’ Around the Chickadee by Donna Andrews (Meg Langslow #36)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Meg and the characters, good plot, Christmas spirit, fun

Cons: Why aren’t we singing religious Christmas carols?

The Bottom Line:

Conference troll killed

Which attendee is guilty?

Christmas spirit, too

Who Should Be Presumed Guilty?

I’ve come to really look forward to the Christmas entry in the Meg Langslow series. Reading it in December has become something of a Christmas tradition for me. Rockin’ Around the Chickadee, this year’s Christmas entry and the thirty-sixth in the series, was another fun entry. 

This December, Meg’s grandmother is putting on the Presumed Innocence conference at the inn in town the weekend before the holiday. Since it is local, many of Meg’s friends and family are giving presentations, and Meg is doing her best to help out. 

However, one of the attendees is well known for his stance that the justice system never makes any mistakes. He’s made his position on some of the newly exonerated attending clear, and he goes out of his way to disrupt things on the first day. The next morning, his dead body is found behind Meg’s barn. Who killed him? And why was he located there?

 Obviously, the plot of this book has little to do with Christmas and really could have been set at any time of the year. That’s become the case with other recent Christmas books. Yes, there is so discussion of the timing of the conference in this book, which I appreciated. And let’s be honest, with the number of books set during Christmas we’ve already gotten, I’m not sure what else we could get that was holiday dependent. 

Now, don’t take that to mean that there isn’t plenty of Christmas in these pages. No one does a Christmas set story better than Donna Andrews, and that holds true again here. The talk of decorations and carols alone are enough to make it feel like the holiday is right around the corner. Okay, so the fact that the holiday was right around the corner as I was reading the book helped, too. 

Having said that, I do have a bone to pick with the Christmas in the book. At one point, the choir from the Baptist church puts on a concert. Among the songs they sing at many of the secular songs of the season and even a couple of Hanukkah songs. Not one religious Christmas carol is mentioned by name. There is a reference to them doing some the next morning, but again, none mentioned by name. Now, hear me out. I have no issue with them singing any of the songs that are listed in that scene. But why couldn’t some of the religious carols be listed as well. A true mix. Especially if this is a Baptist church choir. 

Okay, deep breath. Because, honestly, this was a minor annoyance in an otherwise enjoyable book. 

The plot was great. It does a good job of setting up suspects before the murder happens, and we are pulled along for the ride as Meg attempts to figure out what is really going on. The climax wrapped things up well. 

And it’s always a joy to visit with Meg and the large cast of characters. I appreciated how many of the regulars were involved in one way or another. The suspects were interesting and fit perfectly into Meg’s world. I’m wondering if a couple of them might pop up again in later books. 

In addition to the Christmas cheer, we also get some laughs. One scene in particular had me grinning as I read it. It played out perfectly. 

Those who are looking for a light Christmas cozy mystery will enjoy Rockin’ Around the Chickadee. Meg’s many fans will not be disappointed in the least. 

And do check out the rest of the Meg Langslow Mysteries. 

Movie Review: Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

Stars: 2 out of 5

Pros: Action scenes are great

Cons: Confusing story points; depressing overall

The Bottom Line:

One last Indy quest

Sad way to leave character

More of a downer

“Indiana Jones, Out with a Bang, Back in the Saddle.”

I knew I was going to see it at some point, but all the negatives I heard about Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny made me put off seeing it.  I finally sat down and watched it a year after it landed on Disney+.  It’s a sad way for the franchise to go out.

During an extended opening scene in 1944 (it’s about twenty minutes of the two hour twenty minutes film), we see Indiana Jones (a de-aged Harrison Ford) as he attempts to steal an object from the Nazis.  When that item turns out to be a fake, Indy winds up with a different prize, half of Archimedes’ dial of destiny – a relic that would give whoever has all of it the power to rule the world.

From there, we move to 1969, where a much older Indy (still Harrison Ford, but now showing his true age) is leading a sad life.  He’s about to retire from teaching at a university in New York City.  However, his plans are interrupted when his goddaughter, Helena (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) shows up asking about the dial.  Before Indy knows it, Helena has taken off with the half he found all those years ago.  Indy is right behind her, but too many people are also after it.  Can Indy once again find the relic and save the day?

I will give the movie this – it does a good job of making us believe that Indy could still be involved in the action despite his age.  Yes, we get the occasional comment about it, but for the most part, the film carries on like a typical Indiana Jones movie.

And there is plenty of action.  As usual, the dial is just an excuse for globe-trotting and action.  Some of the scenes are quite creative and fun to watch.  Oh, they are completely unrealistic, but isn’t that the way things always go in these movies, both Indiana Jones and action movies in general?  I had to remind myself of that a couple of times.

However, I do have to wonder exactly how the villains manage to always turn up when they need to so they can cause problems.  I would get it if we saw them deciphering clues, but they seem to follow Indy around even when it makes no logical sense how they followed him around.

Then there’s Helena.  The movie can’t quite decide what it wants or needs her to be.  As a result, I wanted to like her, but I just couldn’t.

We do have the usual cross over to science fiction near the end.  For some reason it bothered me more here than in other movies in the franchise.  And we also get a few encounters with creepy crawlies.

I do have to ask, was Indiana Jones retiring mid-semester?  That’s sure what it looked like to me.  But maybe I missed a line that explained it.

But my biggest issue with the movie is that it just isn’t fun.  The earlier movies in the franchise were ridiculously over the top, but we didn’t mind because they were campy with plenty of humor and an Indiana Jones we enjoyed spending time around.  Here, he’s an old man who has been beaten down by life.  And it’s just depressing.  Yes, there’s some humor, but overall, the mood is sour.

And it’s not helped by the fact that the bad guys go around killing people indiscriminately.  It just gets to be depressing pretty quickly.

Also, I never did understand how one group of bad guys fit into the overall plot.  They just overcomplicated things.

Ironically enough, when I was watching the movie, I felt like the opening scene went on too long since it was obvious how that particular sequence would end.  By the end of the movie, I wished we’d spent the entire time back in 1944 because that was the most fun of the entire film.

Overall, the acting was fine.  It’s the script that gives us the gloomy movie.

Now that I’ve watched this film, I’m quite happy to forget that Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny ever happened.  Fans of the franchise will want to enjoy the earlier movies and forget that this is how someone thought the character’s life should go.

Book Review: Sleep in Heavenly Pizza by Mindy Quigley (Deep Dish Mysteries #4)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Strong characters and mystery; holiday setting

Cons: None for me

The Bottom Line:

Holiday murder

With very personal stakes

A page turning read

Delilah’s Friends and Family Find Themselves in Deep Dish for the Holidays

I always enjoy reading Christmas cozies during December, so I was happy to see that the fourth Deep Dish Mystery was set during the month. I picked up Sleep in Heavenly Pizza expecting another tasty mystery, and I wasn’t disappointed. 

As the book opens, it’s the first night of Hanukkah and Delilah and the crew from her restaurant are catering a combined Hanukkah and Christmas party. Delilah’s evening takes a surprising turn when she runs into her brother-in-law and college aged niece among the guests. She didn’t even know they were in town. 

However, the next day is when things really take a turn. Delilah is nearby when a dead body is found in a snow pile for the town’s snow sculpting contest. The victim was one of the guests at the party, and Delilah finds that the best suspects are her employees and her visiting family. Can she figure out what really happened? Or is one of them guilty?

Earlier, I referred to this as a Christmas cozy. And that’s certainly part of the book since that is the holiday that Delilah celebrates. However, I wasn’t surprised to see that Hanukkah gets its due here as well since Delilah’s best friend/sou chef is Jewish. I enjoyed seeing both holidays involved in the background of the story. As a Christian, I celebrate Christmas this time of year, and I got the Christmas cozy vibes while reading.

I was also really drawn into the story. This book doesn’t unfold like many of the mysteries I read since Delilah is so focused on her own friends and trying to learn the truth from them. Yet when everything came together at the end, it made perfect sense. In fact, I couldn’t help myself from saying “Of course,” a couple of times as I read this section. 

The characters obviously helped draw me into the story. If I didn’t like them, I wouldn’t been as captivated as I read. We also got some great growth in several relationships and in Delilah herself. All this without slowing things down at all. And yes, the new characters feel real as well. 

There is plenty of talk about food, so don’t read this book hungry. We don’t get quite as much pizza as normal, and the recipes at the end reflect that. They definitely sound delicious. 

Whether you read this book during the holidays or some other time during the year, you’ll be glad you picked up Sleep in Heavenly Pizza. This is the culinary cozy you’ve been hungry for. 

Do check out the rest of the Deep Dish Mysteries. 

Ornament Review: Santa Mickey - All About Mickey #3 - 2024 Hallmark Release

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Mickey looks good as Santa

Cons: We’ve gotten similar ornaments in the past

The Bottom Line:

Mickey plays Santa

Familiar ornament theme

Now part of series

Mickey’s Looking Merry This Year

I almost didn’t add the third All About Mickey ornament to my collection.  It’s not that I didn’t like the ornament, but I was sure I already had an ornament with Mickey dressed up as Santa in my collection.  But when I realized I didn’t, I was happy to get Santa Mickey.

Just as it sounds, Mickey is dressed up like Santa.  While he doesn’t have a fake beard over his face (it’s under his chin like he’s just pulled it down), he is decked out in Santa’s red outfit and hat.  He’s got a green bag of presents over one shoulder, and he’s got a present in his other hand.  In a nod to classic Mickey, his ears are sticking out of the hat, and he’s still wearing his white gloves and yellow shoes.

My initial hesitation in buying the ornament had nothing to do with whether I liked it or not.  It’s cute, and Mickey makes a great Santa.  I can just imagine him working hard to make Santa proud with his portrayal.

Because of how his feet are positioned, Mickey doesn’t stand on his own.  Or maybe it’s the bag throwing off the balance.  Either way, you’ll have to hang this ornament.  However, when you do hang it, you’ll find that Mickey hangs straight.

And you’ll find the series marker on his foot.

If you don’t already have Mickey dressed as Santa on your tree, you’ll enjoy adding Santa Mickey to your collection.  However, if you’ve got a similar ornament, this might be one to skip.

DisNerd?  You’ll want to check out more ornaments in the All About Mickey series.

December 15th's Sunday/Monday Post

That time of the week again.  Time for my Sunday/Monday Post.  I'll be linking up to:

Sunday Post
Sunday Salon
Stacking the Shelves
It's Monday, What Are You Reading?

This will probably be my last Sunday/Monday post for 2024.  I'll be spending time with my family for Christmas and won't have time to craft a post.  I will still have reviews on my blog, so please stop by and visit.  I just won't have time for one of these posts until 2025.  At this point, I'm worried about when I will get to go my reading challenge wrap up and sign up posts, which always go live on 12/31 and 1/1 respectively.  But I'm sure I will get it figured out.

And how weird is it to think we are almost to 2025?

Let's see - this past week.  Not too much going on, honestly.  I'm almost done with all our fiscal year end deadlines at work.  It's been interesting trying to juggle everything this past week, but it wasn't as crazy stressful as it could have been, which I'm thankful for.

Christmas presents I'd ordered for people arrived this week.  Got to purchase the Kindle books for my aunt (to be delivered on 12/26), and then start wrapping presents.  Got a lot to do this coming week.

But I'll start on that on Sunday.  As I'm typing this Saturday morning, I've got game day in a couple of hours.  And some reading I want to do before that.  So let's get to it.

This Past Week on the Blog:

Sunday - Sunday/Monday Post

Monday - Ornament Review: Sandal the Sandman #3

Tuesday - Book Review: Fondue or Die by Korina Moss

Wednesday - TV Show Review: Superman & Lois - Season 4

Thursday - Book Review: Shock and Paw by Cate Conte

Friday - Friday Post featuring Sleep in Heavenly Pizza

Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

This Coming Week on the Blog:

Sunday - Sunday/Monday Post

Monday - Ornament Review: Santa Mickey

Tuesday - Book Review: Sleep in Heavenly Pizza by Mindy Quigley

Wednesday - Movie Review: Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

Thursday - Book Review: Rockin' Around the Chickadee by Donna Andrews

Friday - Friday Post

Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

Teasing What's Coming on the Blog:

Sunday the 22nd - Book Review: Unraveled by Shannon Messenger

Monday the 23rd - Book Review: I'll Bee Home for Christmas by Cathy Wiley

Tuesday the 24th - Ornament Review: Noelle T. Klaus

Wednesday the 25th - Merry Christmas!

Tuesday the 31st - 2024 Reading Challenge Wrap Ups (multiple Posts)

Wednesday the 1st - 2025 Reading Challenge Sign Ups (multiple Posts)

Thursday the 2nd - Book Review: Irish Soda Bread Murder

Book Haul:

I do have two books to tell you about.  Well, one short story and one book.

I've been keeping in eye on Gregg Hurwitz's short story "The Recital" for a while now.  It's in his Orphan X universe, but focuses a bit more on some of the side characters.  It's free from now until Christmas, so naturally, I snagged it.  It's ebook only.  Of course, I've had another similar short story from him for a while and haven't gotten to it yet.  So hopefully, I can change that soon.

I just got an ARC for I'll Bee Home for Christmas by Cathy Wiley last night.  No, that's not a typo.  It's the fourth Fatal Food Festival book, and it involves a honey festival.  I really like this series, so I'm looking forward to this book.

What I'm Currently Reading:

As teased last week, I'm now reading Unraveled, book 9.5 in Shannon Messenger's Keeper of the Lost Cities.  It's middle grade fantasy, and a short book from her - only 400 pages.  I'm hoping to get a bit more read before I leave for game day with the goal of finishing it up tomorrow before I start wrapping presents.

If that happens, Monday, I'll start on I'll Bee Home for Christmas.  Told you I was looking forward to it.  Plus, I need to get started on it if I am going to get it reviewed before Christmas, which is the current plan.  Fortunately, these books are usually fast reads, so that helps.

That's it for me.  If I don't talk to you in the next couple of weeks, have a Merry Christmas or a Happy Holiday if you celebrate something else.  And have a Happy New Year!

December 14th's Weekly TV Thoughts

Wipeout – Is it just me, or does the final course seem a little easier?  Definitely the first half.  Of course, if I were on it, I’d probably fall off multiple times trying to cross that beam.

Poppa’s House – I kind of liked that episode.  Still some things that went on way too long, but there were some good laughs a long the way.  Hopefully, the writers can find what works and make the show funnier.

LegoMasters – How I’ve missed this show.  Will is so silly that it makes it fun, and I love seeing what the teams come up with.  The two winners were obvious in each challenge, so I’m glad the judges agreed with me.  Seriously, I was very impressed with what both teams that won came up with.

Survivor – Not sorry to see either of them go.  Andy has been bothering me for a while, and the fact that he was such a flip flopper was also pretty bad.  Geneiveve was a bit too arrogant.  Honestly, I’d like to see Rachel gone for the same reason, but my gut says she is going to be in the final three.  Speaking of which, next week, with all they still have to cover, I bet we hardly get any reunion.  Again.  Seriously, stop it already.  We like to see that.  Trim elsewhere.

The Challenge – So, who sponsored the episode?  I didn’t quite get it.  As annoying as the sponsorship stuff is on The Amazing Race, this seemed so much worse.  Having said that, the challenge itself looked terrifying, but I’m not a fan of heights.  And the difference in the strategies in the elimination certainly paid off.

Harry Potter: Wizards of Baking – Considering I had no idea what I would have done with a time turner, I’m very impressed with what that team came up with.  Obviously, the judges were, too.  I agree with the results.  I feel both of those teams needed more time to make the pieces look their best.

Happy’s Place – Considering the episodes where they focused on the sisters have been some of my least favorite so far, I was a bit worried about this one.  I shouldn’t have been.  It was very fun and funny.  I think they’ve finally found the dynamic between those characters to make them funny and not cringe worthy.  And the subplot was fun, too.   I still think last week’s is my favorite episode of the season so far (and why wasn’t the Christmas episode this week?), but this was still very fun.