T&K's XMas (2022) Advent Calendar Day 8 - A Christmas Movie Christmas

 2019, Brian Herzlinger (Reindeer Games: Homecoming) -- CBC Gem

The Draw: I had a few ideas for this season, to ease the burden of decidng which of the 4000 new Hallmarkies I could watch: food, magic and meta. This one is meta. Very meta. So much meta that at points, I wondered if the terrible elements were intentional, or just actually terrible. But its also magic.

HERstory: We fly in on a rather spectacular snow scene, a snow kissed Picturesque Small Town, and then down to a Leading Man doing his usual schpiel about love and her and ... we zoom out and Eve is about to kiss the Leading Man on her work monitor. Yoinks, does not bode well.

We are meeting Eve (Lana McKissack, 9-1-1: Lonestar) and her sister Lacy (Kimberly Daugherty, Corbin Nash). Eve watches faaaar too many Christmas Hallmarkies, and this one Christmas Cove repeatedly so. Lacy derides her choices, and also picks on her for not putting herself out at work, while interrupting her at work.

This is some Z Grade level movie, where the office shots look & sound more like a corporate training video; some impressively bad acting. And the "impressive work" she is doing looks so low-end, barely corporate newsletter level, let alone magazine spread level. OMG, what have I got myself into?

And our first commercial break. This is CBC Gem where the inserted ads are repeated over and over and over and over. Amazon kicks it off.

We return to the girls watching Return to Christmas Cove where the opening begins as the first movie, Christmas Cove began, but in reverse. The characters were walking away, and now they are walking back, wearing the exact same clothing. If this movie I am watching is bad, the movies she watches are n-th degree worse, especially that smarmy Leading Man.

Eve and Lacy go out walking with their hot chocolate in mugs, mugs upon which you can see the sale stickers on the bottom. Don't set dressers usually clean that stuff up? And they bump into a (Creepy) Magic Santa who is accepting wishes. Eve, of course, wants to be in an Xmas Hallmarkie, and Lacy keeps her wish to herself. But we know that (Creepy) Magic Santa knows.

The girls return to finish the movie (couple leaving Chistmas Cove again....) and we are then given astoundingly low-budget Xmas Magic effects as the two fall asleep on the sofa. Why did they go out walking with hot chocolate again, only to come back to finish the movie? Not sure it was mentioned, not sure it matters. They just needed an encounter with a (Creepy) Magic Santa so we could actually kick off the real meta part of this movie, as the girls wake up, buried under six inches of afghans, wearing matching onesies, and...

"Did you go to bed with your makeup and hair done?" Snort.

Yup, the sisters are inside an Xmas Hallmarkie. They awaken to a GrammGramm they don't recognize, who accepts their hostility with grandmotherly charm, and feeds them perfectly cooked & styled cinnamon waffles.

"They could be arsenic waffles !!" Lacy says. "Don't care, worth it," Eve replies.

Is their acting getting better? Are they actually invested in their characters? GrammGramm is some extra creepy level grandmotherly cheerful, so much so that I am not surprised Lacy expects arsenic in their Picturesque Breakfast. But nope, just tasty tasty carbs.

The sisters head out for a walk around their PST, and... OMG, EVERY WOMAN IN TOWN (and there are LOTS of extras) IS WEARING A RED COAT !! And the trees are covered in ... cotton batting snow. Eve pokes one as she walks by. Snort. They wander around the perfect looking Holiday Falls (at least they are not in Christmas Cove), which looks more and more like the fake houses built for theme parks, in bright gaudy colours, and ... a Christmas Market! Lacy spots Santa, and decides to jump the line.

"What are you going to ask Santa?!" asks Precocious Child with Cindy-Lou Who voice. "I'm going to ask him for some answers !!" replies Lacy. 

(Creepy) Magic Santa is surprisingly forthcoming with the fact he brought the sisters here for their Xmas Wishes, but any further revelations are interrupted when they find out the Christmas Festival is in danger! OH NOES! And guess who gets volunteered to help Save the Christmas Festival? Eve! By this time, Lacy is just tagging along to see WTF is going on, while Eve dives in deep, meeting Hunky Boy number one, Dustin (Ryan Merriman, The Pretender). He's the town handyman and will be helping Eve Save the Christmas Festival. And also Hunky Boy number two, her actual in-story BF, Chad (Randy Wayne, Asking For It [where, he played "douchebag"]) who also happens to be Leading Man from Christmas Cove movies. Ruh roh, love complications! Dick BF from The Big City vs Nice Guy from the PST !! We know who wins.

Back to GrammGramm's house, the gaudily painted single storey house that only has cookies in the fridge and a fucking creepy demonic child toy on a high shelf. The sadistic set dressers for this movie must have hired an Evil Xmas Witch to play GrammGramm, and eventually these two false granddaughters will end up as ingredients in her cookies. No matter, Eve has to decorate the Xmas Tree, which she claims she is terrible at, but in a whirlwind of off-screen cartoony decorating magic, she creates a perfectly hideous decorated pastel coloured tree. Snort. 

By this point, I am beginning to think the people who made this movie HATE Hallmarkies.

Lacy, who really doesn't have any place in this Hallmarkie, eventually begins wandering about on her own, while her sister joins the narrative. Considering there is no getting fat in Hallmarkies, she pops into the cookie place and has a klutzy moment, AND is offered free cookies by Paul (Brant Daugherty, Mingle All the Way), the Cute Baker. Cute Baker instantly becomes her love interest for the B Plot, not that Lacy has asked for it. He also becomes her stalker, an attitude that I thought only we were noticing (Peanut Gallery, "That's fucking STALKER-EY !!") but not long after, Lacy is weirded out as well. I was thinking, that since she was known for dating lots of loser guys, that she could really take advantage of this world for tons of consequence free sex, but we all know sex doesn't happen in Hallmarkies, so she had to satisfy herself with cookies and the non-stop affection from Paul the Bakery Stalker.

Meanwhile, Eve is alternating between Dustin and Chad, who proves himself majorly the Dick BF being farce level cheesy, smarmy, and annoying AF. And he's a snobby "world famous pop star" who will save the Christmas Festival. Or will he? He also has a snooty ex who is out to be a rival, and to scuttle the Christmas Festical. We also learn that in a Hallmarkie, Eve can sing rather well, as long as its only, "Fa La La La La La La..."

I am reaching the point of this recap where I am realizing plot doesn't matter, but there are sooooo many terrible/wonderful moments worth recounting. Sooooo many. Sooooo terrible.

Meanwhile in Amazon TV ad World, Dad is buying a shredder, and is probably shredding the medical bills from his wife's hospital stays. Mom didn't survive.

OH NOES ! Paul, the Bakery Stalker has started sending Lacy love notes, in the form of intricately created greeting cards. They escalate rather quickly, and steeply as he leaves one on the ... bedroom window? Wait, why is their bed in the main floor living room just left of the door?!?! Lacy has had enough, especially considering Window Card has a drawing of her sleeping. OMG ! Annnnd, there is a stalker card in every single tree outside the house! This movie is doubling down on mocking everything about Hallmarkies, and somehow is unbelievably terrible and incredibly charming & actually funny. Its a Christmas Miracle Paradox.

OMG !! Paul the Bakery Stalker, does Kent's arm pumping cute voice !!

SNOW GLOBE AMAZON COMMERCIAL !!

"Thank-You Token Adorable Child !" says Lacy as she confronts Paul the Bakery Stalker about his creepy CREEPY obsession but the Token Adorable Child tries to convince Lacy its alright, in her Cindy-Lou Who voice. By now, Lacy is being worn down and is actually beginning to enjoy herself ! And like Stalker Paul's company. She is now drawing her own hand made cards for him; alas she didn't go with the "her gnawing on his leg" drawing. Snort. Too bad, I would have liked to have seen it.

Toss away scene! Not only could they be saving the Christmas Fair, they could also have to save the Local Dance School.

We are now plowing into Act 3/4 where things are fucking up, and Dennis and Chad have been made aware of each other. Noelle the ex has scuttled the Christmas Festical, Dennis is heart broken, Chad is pissed and will NOT Save the Christmas Festical with his international pop star fame. BUT GrammGramm doesn't got time for Evie's self pitying bullshit ! Time to fix this shit ! Yep, both sisters just yell out "MONTAGE !!" as they proceed to SAVE THE CHRISTMAS FESTIVAL !! Wait, the Christmas Festival is on Xmas Day? Don't people have things to do on Xmas Day, like spend it with family? Not in Hallmarkie Land !!

The Amazon ad song is "You Hold Me Up" by The Bones of JR Jones... with the misheard lyric of, "You hoooold me up, so I get blind."

With the Christmas Festival saved by the montage scene, a gracious Dick BF Chad returns to do a fuuuuuuucking terrible Xmas pop song. And Stalker Paul ugly cries over Cindy-Lou Who's daddy coming home from the war between Belgravia and Montenaro. OK, I made that bit up, but he was a returning soldier. Christmas is saved, Dennis has forgiven Eve, Lacy likes Stalker Paul, Precocious Little Girl has a daddy, Chad is now back with Noelle, GrammGramm is addicted to the best hot chocolate EVER and (Creepy) Magical Santa returns the sisters to The Real World on Christmas Morning. 

O... M... G... and they brought the Hunky Boys ... back with them ?!?? But they don't have a SIN, or a job, or ... well, a real life.

But lookey there, the snow in TRW is .... real.

How did I not remember that Kent also watched this last year ?!?!

The Formulae: Pretty much everything and all things and even more of that. They kept on adding in brief moments of tropes from other movies, even off-handedly mentioning a single Prince being in town. The tropes were buried under the Meta, but also intertwined within it.

Unformulae: The comedy? The comedy that was actually funny? The bad acting that was so bad, I began losing the thread of whether it was intentional, or just low budget or a bit of both... Not sure if the random Scroogey character is formula unless you extend Hallmarkies into Scroogeys land.

True Calling? Of course !

The Rewind: Wait, what is that written on Lacy's butt? You see, she's wearing an Xmas themed union suit that looks like its covered in Xmas lights and written on the butt is, "Out Like a Light!"

The Regulars: Stalker Paul has been in a few, but most of them are not in that circle of actors. I guess it would have been a metastrophe if all the faces were also already familiar Hallmarkie actors?

How does it Hallmark? Beyond the referential material being spot on, the movie itself is ... not? Considering that absolutely nothing is real, how can the budding romances of either sister be considered real at all ? Not that the "I just met you but I love you" aspect of any Hallmarkie is ever realistic, but in this one, they KNOW its being forced upon them, so how can they gain real emotional connection anymore than someone acting in a movie.... except that Stalker Paul and Lacy ended up getting together IRL, so.... make your own conclusions.

How does it movie? So, despite the now rather confusing absolutely low budget feel of the movie, I found myself chuckling and laughing out loud far too many times to not consider this an enjoyable flick all on its own.

How Does It Snow? Brilliantly. When in TRW, there is real snow and when in the Hallmarkie Cinematic Universe, COTTON BATTING ABOUNDS !!

I Saw This!! What I Have Been Watching: A Long Long Look Back, Pt. F - I Suppose It's Only Occasionally a Long Look

I Saw This (double exclamation point) is our feature wherein Kent(!) or Toasty attempt to write about a bunch of stuff they watched some time ago and meant to write about but just never got around to doing so. But we can't not write cuz that would be bad, very bad.  Freedumb Convoy bad.

What I Have Been (or Am) Watching is the admitted state of me spending too much time in front of the TV. But what else was the last few years about? Sure, we got a few breaks from being confined at home, and might have actually gone outside (gasp!) and socialized with (double-gasp!) human beings (faint-dead-away) but we always ended up back on the sofa, flicker in hand, trying to find something to watch amidst the 35 shows we downloaded, and the 5 or so streaming services we are subscribed to.

Part A is here. Part B is here. Part C is here. Part D is over there. Part E is there.

Travel Man, 2015-2019, Amazon Prime Video / CBC Gem

This is more a Marmy show, than a Toasty show, but I walked into the room enough times and sat through a couple of episodes, as she binged the entire series on Gem and Prime, that I have some words to share.

So, premise. Richard Ayoade (the host at the time; The IT Crowd) and a celebrity guest travel to a tourist destination city for 48 hours. Most of the time, the idea is to pack the two days with as many of the local attractions, and food, as they can while still being budget conscious. I assumed the idea worked because Europe is small enough, and diverse enough, that you can travel from the UK to just about anywhere pretty quickly, but that idea is blown apart in season 1 by visiting Iceland and Marrakesh, which are not nearby whatsoever. The other idea is that Richard generally doesn't like to travel, hates sun, hates water, hates new food, etc. So the idea of a celebrity guest, usually a British comedian, following around thus curmudgeon's itinerary is where the funny comes in.

Most guests don't handle Ayoade's weird, dry, grumpy comedy very well but some play off him very well, and some even surpass him, giving him more than a bit of his own medicine back in return. But really, its the locations that shine. Even in such small doses, the places chosen, even the far out there ones, are just fascinating. I have always said, that if I was to travel, that I would prefer to stay in a single place for an extended time, like a month or more, to learn about the places the locals know, to get the feel for the area that is not focused on pure tourism. This show is the opposite, in that almost everything they do is utterly tourist focused, often led by local guides, but they are always about the experience which is typically so purely tied to the area, that even the micro-dose of exposure encapsulates the experience. 

Some of my favs include Richard and IT Crowd alum Chris O'Dowd in Vienna, where O'Dowd seems to be a genuine friend to Ayoade and completely in tune with the humour of the show, and the "tourist" choices they make, one of which is a sewer tour, overwhelming stink and all. Jo Brand in Venice is fun because she is also not quite the traveler but has a wonderful time despite the two being themselves. Paul Rudd cracking wise in Helsinki in a sauna with other half-naked people doing their best to not lose it on camera is hilarious, but I am not sure he and Richard ever meshed well in comedy styles, given that both like to make others uncomfortable; but that could have been the entire point. I might be biased but Aisling Bea was both funny and charming outshining Richard entirely for their visit to Budapest. Jon Hamm and Richard getting absolutely wild custom tailored suits in Hong Kong made the episode worth it.

In the end I was overwhelmed by a desire to travel, but won't, with a large budget, which I will never have. I also think that a show could be created and presented by a guy such as myself, a self described "I have never really been anywhere" but replacing the curmudgeon with just typical anxiety ridden enthusiastic curiosity about everything and everywhere. I know I would love to travel but doing so always drags up such... baggage.

*cough*

The FBIs, 2021-2022, Stack TV / Download

I had the Slot A of this collection of crime shows in a previous edition of this topic, but I only briefly touched on it, really just said "I am watching it." I have continued to watch the show(s), usually waiting for a season to complete before downloading them in large bunches for Saturday morning me-time viewing. But in the winter of 2021, we grabbed StackTV for the access to Hallmarkies and two of these shows were there for the watching -- so I caught up. I say "two" because the third, FBI: International was listed as available, but they would only let me watch the first three fucking episodes. Seriously, fuck StackTV -- you pay for Amazon Prime video, you pay to add on StackTV, they force you to watch commercials, and then they also deny certain shows for bulk viewing, likely due to some sort of rights mis-negotiation. And yet, they still have the gall to advertise the fuckin show as something you can watch, while... you cannot.

But that's alright, it is the least of the three. The Alot A show FBI continues to follow the careers of Maggie and OA, as they fight the good FBI fight in NYC, against serial killers, terrorists, bombers and other criminals. The show has begun to explore the roll the FBI has in the war on terrorism, or more accurately, the war on Muslims. OA is a Muslim so that contradiction has always had a role in the show's current affairs, but more recently he has been forced into difficult situations, bringing in people who have been corrupted by more powerful influential folks. They have also touched briefly on the BLM stories, and explored the societal challenges via two supporting characters, one white and wealthy (he left behind Wall Street when he felt its sliminess lay its hands on him) and one a young, black woman who is challenged by her own community for being a police officer. The Crime of the Week is fine, but I like when the show explores what we are dealing with in the real world.

So yeah, just another, "Yeah I am watching it."

Meanwhile, I don't know what the fuck is going on with FBI: Most Wanted. The first offshoot was focused on a federally mandated recovery team, so kind of like the US Marshalls service but focused on crimes within the FBI mandate. But other than locale, it was pretty much Crime of the Week. It differed in that it had a side-focus on the personal life of their leader Jesse LaCroix, who was raising his daughter with the help of her maternal grandparents on a farm in upstate NY. LaCroix's late wife had been a soldier killed in action, but the fact she was Native American also played a part in the plot, including one of the team being her brother.

LaCroix was depicted as an emotionally reserved individual utterly trusted by his team. Little affected his steely exterior but his daughter. The show started up during the beginning of the pandemic and production was almost instantly impacted by things going on, leading to some major character changes by the end of the season, that just felt... off. LaCroix's brother in law leaves the show, along with his parents, the grandparents taking care of LaCroix's daughter. I am still not sure if something happened behind the scenes to influence the departures, or it was just connected to The Pause, but it changed the dynamic of the show significantly, eventually leading to more departures and new castings.

The Slot C of the show, FBI: International is still rather new, and I did eventually catch up via my  usual of downloading everything. This is a weird one, focused on an FBI task-force based in Budapest, that are supposed to take the reins on crimes with American connections anywhere in Europe. The show barely attempts to play it out exactly as it sounds -- that the local police forces, including Interpol, are barely adequate and not equipped to do anything without American intervention. Its still pretty much the formula for all other FBI shows, where the locals (American small town) have to give up jurisdiction to "the Feds", except its on a wider scale, but the same tension plays out. There is also a weird undercurrent that most of these police forces suffer an immense amount of corruption and local government intervention, which is all kettle black pot territory.

So far, I am not all that enthralled by the cast, but for the re-tasked cadaver dog who came out of retirement to round out the team. Of course, the locales are beautiful, but rather than explore more of the host country's unique natures, much of the episodes seem to have everyone being angry, swarthy men with funny accents. One episode was an exception, taking place in the break away state of Transnistria, in eastern Moldova, the real country, not one of the many (including Hallmarkies) fictional countries with similar sounding names. I had never heard of the place before the episode. And now, with Europe mired in an unexpected war, I wonder how later production, and plots, of the show will depict this turmoil (tragedy, crisis, utter fucking rage-inducing nightmare).

Discovery S04, 2022, Paramount+

My enthusiasm for this Star Trek series is diminishing with each season, and if the previous one left me unsatisfied, this one just left me ... entirely flat. Its like going back to the Next Generation and realizing, the series on its own was not great, more so, it is about the franchise reemerging and the gem episodes that shine. But Discovery is less episodic and more serial, so the entire season plot has to be of interest to me, and it just ain't. Sure, I will continue to watch, but not feverishly so as I did with the first two seasons.

This season moves on from re-establishing the Federation and just tosses yet another full season arc Big Bad. For a culture that had all but collapsed into anarchy with the loss of safe warp travel, they sure recovered in the blink of an eye. Burnham is now captain of the Discovery and is pressed as to her loyalties when Book's home planet is destroyed by some new space anomaly that they very quickly discover is not natural, but manufactured... by some race from beyond the galaxy's edge. Book is rightfully upset and teams up with a mysterious genius to find the BBEG and kill them.

I always forget that everything in Star Trek takes place in a single galaxy, and the edge of said galaxy has always been a crazy purple barrier. But no matter, Discovery is able to bypass any obstacle and needs to reach this "extra galactic" race before Book and his murderous scientist do. And they do, because of course they do.

I don't really have anything in particular I disliked about this season, but.... <in best Vamp Willow voice>, "Bored now!" Burnham and her ever present whisper-talk (curses upon you Kent for pointing this out) doing her best to stay as a reputable captain (instead of running off half-cocked like she has ... for the entire series) while still trust Book to Do the Right Thing. Meanwhile they do some half-baked but admirable attempts to add in some gender politics and mental health stories into the mix but... <yaaaaawn>

I have a feeling Strange New Worlds will fill my interest more than this show, and this season's Picard have.

I Saw This!! What I Have Been Watching: A Long Long Look Back, Pt. B - Gems

 I Saw This (double exclamation point) is our feature wherein Kent(!) or Toasty attempt to write about a bunch of stuff they watched some time ago and meant to write about but just never got around to doing so. But we can't not write cuz that would be bad, very bad.  Ottawa Freedom Convoy bad.

What I Have Been (or Am) Watching is the admitted state of me spending too much time in front of the TV. But what else was the last few years about? Sure, we got a few breaks from being confined at home, and might have actually gone outside (gasp!) and socialized with (double-gasp!) human beings (faint-dead-away) but we always ended up back on the sofa, flicker in hand, trying to find something to watch amidst the 35 shows we downloaded, and the 5 or so streaming services we are subscribed to.

Part A is here. 

When I talk about my streaming services, I always refer to the ones I pay for, like Netflix or Disney+ or Amazon Prime Video. And on occasion, one of the Amazon add-on's like StackTV -- I will get to that utter loathing another day. But SmartTVs give you apps, and some apps let you watch stuff for free, like Tubi or CBC Gem. Sure, they have limited choices and usually add in ads, but you can find some *ahem* gems in there, to watch.

Coroner, 2019 - 2022, Netflix/CBC

One of the WFH days, I was looking for something I could watch without Marmy, something I could start and stop and not worry about. Click click Crime TV ! I was caught up on the FBIs and waiting their return, so I started the Toronto-situated Coroner, based on the Jenny Cooper books out of the UK. Cooper (Serinda Swan, Inhumans) is the titular coroner for the GTA, who returns to work after her husband unexpectedly died. The show has her dealing with his loss, as well as the legacy of her sister's death when they were kids, and how they both contribute to how she handles cases, for if she didn't get personally involved in each and every death, we wouldn't have a show.

The death of the week was always fascinating from viewing the morphed geography and culture of Toronto (e.g. one of the episodes is about the owner of my fav Dumpling House on Spadina being murdered, and its relation to Chinatown being gentrified), but what really caught my attention were the creative choices the show made. I caught myself constantly saying out loud, usually to Marmy in the kitchen, "Wow, I love the direction that just took. In an American version of this, it would have..." The two main characters, Jenny the coroner, and Detective McAvoy (Roger Cross, Eureka) become close, but the two never become a couple; in fact, the show makes definite choices in the first two seasons to show how strong their friendship grows, as just friends. The police always focus on disarming situations and gun play is limited. The diversity in Toronto, and the still existing constant challenges, is at the forefront.

The show also tackles current affairs rather well, from the realization that the previous coroner was regularly cutting corners, putting the rulings on many cases into question, to the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. The latter is rather curtailed, thankfully so, as it arose during the pandemic fatigue stage, but the episode on Jenny bagging bodies in long term care homes is heart breaking, more than news exposure ever could reveal. 

Alas, the show seemed to lose its way after a couple of seasons. Its that typical desire to constantly repeat the key tropes that make the first season popular: Jenny dealing with the loss of her husband (they kill off her new boyfriend), Jenny being haunted by her sister's death (panic attacks and hallucinations), Jenny dealing with challenges of work (Jenny returns from leave to find another coroner strong arming the office). I prefer to let shows evolve, not always having to return to the beats that make the first few seasons popular.

The Great British Bake Off / The Great British Baking Show, 2010 - current, CBC Gem

And then there is a format that they can repeat over and over for more than a decade and I love it over and over and over. 

We have been watching the show here and there, when it pops on, from PBS to CBC, but never putting any concerted effort into watching. That is, until we found it on CBC Gem. More accurately, Marmy found it, and began binging, and it was on every time I walked into the TV room. For weeks, I would saunter in, get caught up filling in the gaps for my favourite seasons and favourite home bakers, even seeing most of a season I had never caught at all before. And every single time, I was provide the urge to try baking that, and this, and that and that and THAT !

I didn't bake a single thing in response.

For those who don't know, Bake Off (called Baking Show in North America because of copywrite issues) is a British series created by (more than a little pompous) bread baker Paul Hollywood and legendary baker Mary Berry. Each season, a group of home bakers are presented a bunch of challenges to bake/cook, most often having a chance to practice at home, but also provide surprise "technical challenges" that are supposed to stretch their skills to the limits, providing limited instructions and ingredients. Every challenge is judged on appearance, taste and the adherence to the heart of the recipe. Along with the judges, we get a couple of hosts who walk the bakers through the stages, and provide colour commentary. As episodes end, some people are sent home, and the season ends with a winner chosen from a final three.

Most of the styles of baking are traditional British and French baking staples, with some classics from the past reaching in, as well as the occasional nearby European classic item. But as seasons progressed, other things started creeping in, and even on occasion, popping in a North American style baked good. Never was I more aware of the difference between North America and baking across the pond than I was when Paul judged cookies/biscuits.

Along with seeing all the delicious food, you also cannot help but find favourite bakers each season. And unlike American style competition shows, you might get annoyed by the occasional baker drama antics, but you are never expected to dislike anyone. This show is not about Good Guy vs Bad Guy or manufactured upset. This is about good baking and people doing something they love to do. Some of my favourites were Rahul, though his lack of self confidence became tiring when binging the season, the Ruby's and whatever endearing grandmother showed up for the season. To be honest, its hard to choose "favs" as it was all about the moments.

And the hosts. Originally comic duo Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc, they went through a few changes, including my favorite seasons with Noel Fielding and Sandy Toksvig. Paul was always presented as a stodgy, unforgiving baker short on his compliments and strict on his expectations. The comic hosts surprisingly had great leeway to play with his cranky character creating some rather surreal and down right weird cut scenes. But despite Paul's grumpy nature, every single contestant sought out the signature Paul Hollywood Handshake, that identified exactly how impressed he was with a baked good.

And now I want to go bake a cake. But I probably won't.