It wasn't too cohesive, and included an extremely frustrating spin on the so-called competition between DW and VM.
It did have the - advertant or in - subtext that Scott knows exactly just how insane Tessa is.
Even though we're not supposed to know (or notice) that Scott loves her, the subtext and visuals were that he loves her - and is in love with her - and is accustomed to working her through her batshit, reality challenged, control-freaked self.
I dislike the "Scott is catnip to the ladies" and "Tessa is frigid and insecure" message we're getting from this reality show - the more so because of how ruthless Tessa herself is about presenting herself as worthless. BUT there were times during this episode where it played as: okay, he knows she's out of her mind. OUT. Of. Her. Mind. And there was something fascinating about his apparent recognition of, familiarity with, and ability to nurse her through her control-bot moments.
It made me wonder other things about her. I suspect that Tessa's claims that all the girls had a crush on Scott when they were little is just spin. The two of them bonded very fast, and he was way too small, crazy, hot-tempered, critical, impatient, moody, emotional and high energy for most girls (his first partner dumped him, remember). And he was rapidly (and while very young) in love with her, and vice versa.
So, to protect his vulnerability - and since Moirville appears to find shame in vulnerability, particularly when it's a guy vulnerable to a woman (there's nothing more hilarious) - we get the Macho Scott/his milkshake brings all the girls to the yard, edit, an edit which is mortifyingly transparent and pathetic.
But the more I watch this show, the more I wonder where on this planet there exists a man other than Scott Moir who would be motivated to to drill through Tessa Virtue's insanity and connect with something human.
Previously on Tessa & Scott:
Kate Virtue encouraged Tessa to inventory her shortcomings. Chiddy and Scott shared quality time and grew closer.
 | ||
| Tessa: "I'm super private, but at the same time, I want to promote our brand. It's a balancing act. Our brand is I'm a paranoid, high-strung, re-virginized sack of fail who is barely tolerated by her partner, and my partner is a smug overcompensating pencil-dick." |
There's a lot of talk in this episode about retirement, but they never explicitly say they're retiring after Sochi. We know Sochi is coming, and they're talking about retirement or "after this is done" but they don't say "after Sochi, our eligible career is over." This is a connection we're supposed to assume.
 |
| Scott fail. Scott: "I can't. I can't be that much of a dick. I can't say the line the way you want me to say the line." |
Scott took a shot at shutting down Tessa for the camera, but punted.
This is the first time Scott has ever been injured. Except for last season when his neck took him out of Finlandia. But except for that.
However, this time, it's much more ominous, because:
 |
| Tessa: "I look at Meryl and Charlie and see perfection. I see flawlessness. Meantime, Scott and I are just hoping to stay in front of Kaitlyn and Andrew." |
Part II next
P.S. - but before I go too far with the "insanity" verdict, there's always "stupid." I think that one is a whole lot more likely, actually. Stupid people who believe they're bright because they're talented, because they're friends with and work with people who are smart, and because they look smart (classic looks and polish translate to the assumption that someone must be smart).
OC - it appears by VM would be retiring after Sochi by what's been assumed by the media, the show etc. Do you have any opinion on whether it's a done deal?
ReplyDeleteI'm so sick of the sham, but damn, what a killer Paso Doble SD they would do.
DeleteAnd would love, love, LOVE to see them do a blues-y FD.
DeleteAnon at 8:14 pm - I agree - they would kill the Paso Doble SD. Actually would have also loved to see a tango or blues FD from them as well. As much as I enjoy other teams - they don't come close to the versatility of VM. It's really too bad that there is no pro tour and that the Japan Open is only eligible for single skaters...
DeleteAnon 8:23: they did a tango FD back in 2005. Hard to believe this was their first senior Nationals, and they were only 15 and 17. Much, if not all this program, would still hold up today, especially the footwork sequences.
DeleteThere is a transition move that they do at 2:05; if Meryl and Charlie attempted that, Meryl would end up in a face-plant.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-CNrjRdxNA
"if Meryl and Charlie attempted that, Meryl would end up in a face-plant"...and score 10s for it.
Delete^^^ kinda like they did at skate america that one year where they had a tango fd. also fuck the usfsa and their stupid lobbying the paso should've been the SD this year.
DeleteYou have to admit - one of the best fluff pieces with Marina and VM for the paso doble - is when Marina said VM were not like Torvill/Dean...both of you...matador! And she was right...lol...
ReplyDeleteThey would do an amazing Paso Doble and would blow the field away. I wonder how much of it will depend on whether or not DW choose to stay in or retire. The judges have made it clear that no one else can win, even if DW make mistakes.
DeleteI have no inside scoop about where they're leaning - it just looks to me as if they are really hedging about it. If they lose both golds in Sochi (which looks to be on the agenda), what would be the point of going to Worlds knowing they can't win there either? OTOH, do they have specific plans for their professional lives after Sochi (personal lives will likely include another child unless that's also been re-thought)? I never get the idea that they actually do.
DeleteThe inventors of the Finnstep give V/M props in this Icenetwork article:
ReplyDeletehttp://web.icenetwork.com/news/2014/01/23/66850542/who-framed-the-finnstep-rahkamo-and-kokko
https://twitter.com/bigcanadiano/status/427570168844144640 Do we know who is this lover this person is referring to?
ReplyDeleteIt would have to be Scott. She doesn't have another one.
Deleteoc
P.S. - this is a good place for me to slot this in - you don't need to know for a fact, have sources or otherwise inside knowledge to know Tessa and Scott aren't platonic. You can see it from space.
DeleteYES, they try to spin it back to us and frame it another way, but that doesn't change how transparent it is. There is a culture among online fans to theorize, rationalize, and to cherry pick what's to be taken at face value. Oh, the skaters say THIS? I don't believe them. OTOH, Scott and Tessa say they're platonic - I believe them!*
Guys who are not part of the online fandom who run across Tessa and Scott know exactly what this relationship is even if they don't know they're married. Actually, pretty much anyone who watches them for two minutes knows it - unless they are willing to forget all common sense.
*One of my favorite examples of cherry-picking is - oh, I'll believe Scott and Tessa when they say they're platonic! But I will completely DISBELIEVE that they are happy with Marina no matter how often they say it.
People who aren't part of the skating fandom are also able to understand that these people LIE.
DeleteThe skating fandom struggles with that, often out of ego reasons. They think they can observe what's going on, and don't like to believe that actually they're manipulated. They like to think fans aren't really part of the p.r. calculation. There's a bunch of reasons some fans pretend to believe Scott and Tessa are platonic and a lot of it has to do with what they want to think about the fan/skater dynamic and relationship. It's about how they want to believe it is.
"you don't need to know for a fact, have sources or otherwise inside knowledge to know Tessa and Scott aren't platonic. You can see it from space."
DeleteThis is one more reason why the narrative that Scott has a gf (insert any name that is not Tessa) never sits well with fans. I never shipped VM and don't give a darn who the skaters are dating, but it's always been obvious Tessa and Scott are NOT platonic. So then Scott's extracurricular activities with his "gf" invariably come across like a guy who is in a relationship (Tessa) but is having an affair.
It's one more layer of disgust added to the general revulsion.
ew what a misogynistic statement from mr. marco
DeleteHe was probably referring to that ever pervasive David Pelletier rumour. I wonder why that won't die....
Delete9:34 That rumour has been dead in the water for more than two years now. It makes no sense this tweet would be referring to an old, discredited rumour.
DeleteAny time it is resurrected is by people like yourself who bring it up. This is not part of the chatter re. Tessa anywhere on the internet. Why are *you* invested in bringing it up?
9:46 is right- the rumor is DEAD and has been for at least two years, and there is only one person incredibly invested in bringing it up, likely the same person who proactively worked to spread it all over the web back in the day, and lied their face off with fake "sightings" while they did so.
DeleteThat twitter guy is a tool, so I guess he thinks he recognizes one in Scott. But most people, not just guys, most people outside any fandom would immediately mock Virtue and Moir's claims of being platonic, going back years. But skating fans can be egocentric (and also have their own ideas of who they want their favorite skaters to be) and they protect themselves.
7:15 AM - how logical is it, though, to have the takeaway that since Scott and Tessa are obviously not platonic, he must be having an affair? What sort of man is blatantly in a relationshp with one person and then conducts a PUBLIC affair on social media with the participation of their family, teammates and friends?
That makes ZERO sense. People don't do that. What inevitably comes across isn't that he's having an affair, but that he's in a sham relationship. Scott and Tessa didn't invent those - they've just had more hubris.
oc 10:15
DeleteYou're right. It makes no sense what Scott is doing with his fake GF.
The hubris coming out of the TEB episode promises to be epic.
Just watched the NBC ice dance coverage of the US Nationals. I can't stand any more commentary from Scott and Sandra, not when it comes to ice dance. As usual with them, they (Sandra in particular) just throw out adjectives to describe the dance, something obvious to every viewer out there. "Chock and Bates...this music captures the romantic and passionate with the powerful and forcefulness" blerggggghh. Vomit. Just get a random audience member to throw out flowery buzz words to describe the music instead of hiring these two. There was absolutely no talk on edges, lines, dancing, nothing.
ReplyDeleteOh, and btw, Shpilband's choreo for all his teams are incredibly weak this season. Side by side skating (alarming for top teams, see C/L's FD) and no transitions. C/B's FD look a lot like D/W's Schez.
DeleteP/B's FD has more transitions than any Igor team out there, and that's not saying much.
Someone on FSU posted V/M's Paso Doble and noticed that even the B. Esp. commentators provided better commentary back then. They described V/M as technically fantastic, had tidy footwork and deep edges. Now, you barely hear that from them anymore.
DeleteP&B's FD has more transitions than any other Igor team out there because the dance wasn't choreographed by Igor.
DeleteThey are unbearable (Scott and Sandra).
DeleteThe ice dance commentary by Kurt Browning and Carol Lane for CBC is going to be just as unbearable.
DeleteEurosport didn't get the broadcast rights for Sochi, so we will be spared the inane commentary of the Eurosport idiots. BBC has the exclusive rights, and I believe it will be Robin Cousins doing the commentary. He's usually pro-VM, it will be intersting to see if he will be sprouting the DW propaganda.
"absolutely no talk on edges, lines, dancing"
Deletemaybe because they were hard-pressed to find these things in DW's programs?
I know, though, this kind of commentary sucks. It is just theatre as someone else said.
good thing p/b fd wasnt choreographed by igor
Delete8.49, I know, right? P&B were very smart (and strategic) to have the FD created before they moved to Igor. "Ooops, sorry Igor, we already had our FD choreographed in France, guess we won't be skating to the shit you're planning to throw together for our last Olympics". Only maybe the last quarter of the P&B's FD looks like Igor. Other than that, that program has more transitions than anything Igor's done this year.
Delete"Only maybe the last quarter of the P&B's FD looks like Igor. Other than that, that program has more transitions than anything Igor's done this year."
DeleteI thought the same. The rest has some good transitions in them and is far more interesing than any of Igor's other stuff. CL also work with an external choreographer i think.
I can't understand why Carol wouldn't speak up for VM when she did for WP. I can't believe she said at the GPF the judges could choose either team and it would be the right decision. I know she knows better. She cannot possibly think that.
ReplyDeleteAnd, I mean, she did briefly point out that DW messed up their twizzles and said the SD for her "was all Tessa and Scott". So tell us what DW did to deserve 1st place? And why aren't the TV commentators pointing out that DW are barely dancing and certainly are not dancing a foxtrot and quickstep. This is just irresponsible.
i think they know d/w are going to win. i think even v/m know d/w are going to win thats why tessa called them perfect
DeleteLane speaks up for W/P against BS just because BS are Russians. She said V/M had the SD of the night, then when it was announced DW won she quickly reverted to the apples vs. oranges narrative: either team is worthy, no complaints there, blah blah blah. I too am not looking forward to her commentary in Sochi.
DeleteI feel like a SLC 2002 kind of controversy is looming, because someone is going to get off-script, likely a judge. I can't believe the ISU is about to crown a shitty US team gold so easily like this, and all the feds, including the Russian and French feds are down with this. Looking back at 2002, A/P were deserving champions, they really were head and shoulders above the field. And although S/P didn't deserve the second gold, at least their skating wasn't cheated like D/W. The difference betwee B/S and S/P back then is the equivalent of V/T and S/S today: both capable teams, but the Russian teams are that little bit better. Its not a glaring difference like V/M and D/W.
Delete"Lane speaks up for W/P against BS just because BS are Russians."
DeleteThat makes a lot of sense. And maybe Canadian media are paying the US back for the SLC gold medal.
so how would the big reveal of their real love life come about? they cant hide forever
ReplyDeleteI do wonder why France did not speak up earlier in the quad and let PB get placed behind DW when they were always superior to them. Didier, you messed up big time.
ReplyDeleteI wonder what Russia is doing politically.
Russia is probably throwing VM under the bus to get a bronze medal and a gold in the team event. With Plushenko on board they need all the politicking in the world to hold on to that gold.
DeleteThis team event is just throwing all sorts of shade - and holycow it will be a pressure-cooker for everyone involved. And really for what countries - Russia, Canada, US, Japan, France, Italy...and what does it really mean?
DeleteAlso it's kind of depressing to think that many skaters will retire this season. In addition, I wouldn't be surprised if Chan and VT also retire. The ISU might entice them to continue - but I don't think that they are as passionate about the sport as others in the past...
I just don't get why all the feds are allowing this to happen (and by allowing it to happen, I mean that their silence is deafening). Why reward such a crap team like D/W? Even Belbin/Agasto were better. ANYBODY but this shit team.
DeleteV/T have already said they're not retiring. http://web.icenetwork.com/news/2014/01/18/66820510/hungarian-goulash-trankov-gets-engaged
DeleteThis Sports Illustrated article is the biggest pile of tripe. I don't know what's more laughable,the description of D/W "using fox-trot and quickstep patterns to skip across the ice" and "...dynamic entrances into their lifts", or Scott wanting to be a farmer and watch hockey all day once he hangs them up:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.flickr.com/photos/needsleep/sets/72157640201806214/
This makes me think the criticism from those of us who refuse to play along is getting back to them. They take that and put a positive spin on it. The DW PR machine is really on its game.
Deletebut wait--does this mean they are also doing foxtrot+quickstep to interpret Scheherezade? Oh, neat!
full summary pls i dont feel like reading this propaganda
DeleteLol, Scott a hockey obsessed farmer.
ReplyDeleteAnd it's somehow supposed to imply he's not as great a skater as Charlie of course. What a bunch of....***
Sometimes you have to wonder who the real Scott Moir is. I have nothing against farmers - they are actually very hard workers and I respect them. And seriously how much hockey can you watch...sometimes I really think Moir must be the biggest troll....and as usual Tessa wants to go to law school..
DeleteI guess Ms. Hilborn should forget about any future trips to Paris...for pleasure or modeling shoots...instead she'll be making organic omellettes from the farm and bringing budweisers to honey dearest while he watches hockey on the tube...romantic n'est-ce pas? hahaha...what happened to the guy who enjoys romcoms?
Delete