Whoa!! This episode left me breathless. I was planning to pull a season 3, which was read the recaps and skip the show, but
Jacob had me pulled in by the middle of the second ep and for that I am eminently grateful, 3 times in a row now.
Randal had the toys!! He had the ACTION FIGURES growing up! Not for nothing did that man go to MIT. Randal-love and geek-love--geez, my heart is going to explode. I love how Brian said "Tell me everything about these movies from the beginning." Mah lord. If that was me I'd get cut off in my James "In five pages I can't even say hello" Michener-like introduction before I even got to episodes i, ii & iii. Poor Randal. Definitely a forest-for-the-trees (as has been said above) moment. Looking up one treatment of the film on the internet would have given them a clue.
Brian, dude, you lost it at "We're leaving the suite at 10:00", and I am the queen of lateness. Getting out the door and down to the bottom floor alone would have taken several minutes. I live in Phila
delphia and I wouldn't allow 15 minutes to go 10 blocks, let alone 30. Mind-boggling.
I can't. believe. Marshawn. This came so out of the blue for me, especially comparing how she took the tough question on the DQ presentation. I really thought she was such a taker-onner. This is so bumming. If she had gone all-out on the presentation, she would have been golden, at least for this week. Instead she left the hundred-dollar bill on the sidewalk and Rebecca was smart enough to pick it up.
And how about how Alla's Jedi mind-trick at the beginning? "Let's have a debriefing." "Should we ask Clay?" "[tiny pause]NO" And then in the debriefing Felisha says exactly about Clay what Alla had been saying before Adam and Clay came up. They all must bend to the will of Alla (tm another poster ...in the 4-6 episode thread, I think). I wish Alla could just
compete and not manipulate everybody. She's strong enough and smart enough to do without it. I think she's going to get nailed bigtime in the interview round. By the women executives, whose "homewrecker" geiger counters will be rattling crazily during the entire interview.
Having said that, I LOVED hearing her say "Step up step up step up" at the reward. *snerk*
I honestly have been starting to feel a little Clay love in this and the last episodes, but it's the sneaking underdog sympathizer in me. I love that despite their clear decision to toss him over the side (see? I didn't say "under the bus") he was strong enough to claim the team leadership position, although after doing that he just rolled right over for Alla.
I'm still enjoying the Clay-Tana parallels. (Anyone else? Only me. OK, I'm happy in my head.) Of course in this episode, this makes Alla the Kendra, which freaks me out. Have I said I hate and fear Alla? I hate and fear Alla. But damn does she know marketing.
ETA: Adding to the already abundant Randal love for his Star Wars ubergeekery. I knew a medical examiner from some very tough streets in Philadelphia, a supersmart African American guy, who was similarly nerdtastic. His thing was Star Trek, but he was a little older than Randal.[/quote]
Hoboken Martha, um, is this guy single? Would he like to meet a nice Italian/Irish Baptist girl? Do you have his number? (Or maybe I'm just in love with the word "nerdtastic".)
ajesquire
Nov 11, 2005 @ 12:15 am
HOBOKENMARTHA:
Adding to the already abundant Randal love for his Star Wars ubergeekery. I knew a medical examiner from some very tough streets in Philadelphia, a supersmart African American guy, who was similarly nerdtastic. His thing was Star Trek, but he was a little older than Randal.[/quote]
I think I know who you're talking about. It probably wouldn't be proper to use names here, but by any chance are his initials J.L?
auntiemame
Nov 11, 2005 @ 12:18 am
Traffic and real estate are two of the things New Yorkers like to opine about at length, so I am going to give the subject just one more kick:
I think was the cross-town factor that put the nail in Brian's wee coffin. The uptown-downtown routes ain't no thing, and Brian could have made it downtown in 15 mins. In this task, he had to go not just downtown (a cinch) but also to Chelsea, on the West Side (way difficult). And getting through cross-town traffic on the West Side is like driving a donkey through the streets of Bangalore. You're in for 45 minutes and the $20 cab fare that comes with it.
Brian lives in Murray Hill, on the East Side, where traffic is nearly always pretty light. I would venture that Brian doesn't have many reasons to go to the West Side, ever, especially Chelsea. He has movies, shops and everything in his neighborhood. Most of the theaters are on the West Side, but he doesn't strike me as a theatergoer.
Many New Yorkers are weirdly territory-driven and rarely venture out of a few chosen/favorite neighborhoods. This may be true of Brian. And it could be why he screwed up the travel time so badly.
Also, the whole East Side/West Side thing may have made him fear that Biggie Smalls would shoot him. There's beef.
ahem.
Rowr17
Nov 11, 2005 @ 12:29 am
Did he take lessons at the Tana Leadership Institute?[/quote]
Does that course come with a complimentary bag of pretzels?
"This is our most desperate hour. Help me, Randal-Wan Kenobi; you're my only hope."[/quote]
I think we have a new suggestion for Randal's thread.
[Word.]
Mobius
Nov 11, 2005 @ 12:30 am
The Bloven lives on! What the hell is Felicia doing still on? She's pretty much useless. Except to tell us how wonderful Alla is. And a tiny, tiny part of my heart does feel bad for Alla---she missed Micheal Kors...and got Bill Rancid.
Compare and contrast: Both Marshawn and Rebecca think the team's display sucks. Marshawn is afraid of looking incompetant if she tries to defend it vs Rebecca thinks the team will look more incompetant if someone other than her tries to defend it. Thanks for giving me a reason to continue believing in you, Rebecca!!
How do these people not know Star Wars? If you are an apprentice candidate lurking, spoilers ahead:
1. Luke and Leia are twins
2. Darth Vader is their father. Really.
3. There are antidotes availible for the sleeping pills y'all took in the 80's (Okay, this is not really a spoiler, but anyone who is surprised by 1 and 2 probably needs this information)
And I too am feeling the Randal love, except that I too would like to see him shine at something he doesn't do in his everyday life. The only thing that ruins his credibility...he's on this show. You have five degrees, dude. What do you have to learn from Donald Trump?
lostcawz
Nov 11, 2005 @ 12:34 am
Great ep, great firings, great non-immunity for Clay, not so great Carolyn hair do.
Brian was a goner from about minute 10 when he chose to not leave until after 10. Actually he was probably a goner around minute 10 of two weeks ago when his three best friends got axed in one fell swoop.
I kind of have a scale for how I think various Apprenti are. I figure that there is room for wiggle based on editing and whatnot. Marshawn ended up being at the lesser end of the scale I had for her. Before this week she could have turned out to be quietly competant with great skill in the boardroom but with nothing exciting or dramatic enough to warrant much task screentime. Or she was a CYA player who was trying to fly under the radar and doing a great job of it. Turns out it was the latter. And if that is your strategy how do you not have a plan to get out of the boardroom when called on it? Carolyn asked her multiple times, as did Trump and even Rebecca and maybe Brian. But she never had a decent excuse for not presenting. And her lies even contradicted themselves. Seeya!
I like me some Alla, who I find to be just the right amount of bitch. She turns it on and off at will. And generally uses her power for good not evil. Though she did turn it on a bit too much in the BR, I thought.
Clay is an idiot. And I agree with those who said that letting him be PM was the only way to not have him be disruptive.
alynn
Nov 11, 2005 @ 12:40 am
Trump: Your reward is to spend time with Bill Rancic at the construction site.
Viewers: We'd just assume kiss a Wookie! [/quote]
Burnett: I can arrange that. You could use a good kiss...on my new show
Kiss the Wookiee. This fall, on NBC!
I would like to pledge my allegance to
Tandemonium, Dark Lord of the Snark.
I have to say that I was tickled to discover that Randal was the Star Wars fan, although he doesn't seem to know the prequel trilogy very well, or actually, to be aware of it. But, he did a great job of getting to the core of the "original" three episodes.[/quote]
Obviously, Randal's a Star Wars fan the way I'm a Star Wars fan. Love the original trilogy, but the prequel trilogy kind of sucked a lot, so from my reference Luke will always be the main character of the saga (the high point of the last movie for me was the birth of the twins.) That said, if I were promoting Revenge of the Sith, front and center is Vader, that's a no-brainer. Second would be Artoo and Threepio and/or Yoda for the icon factor if I didn't decide to go with Ewan McGregor or Samuel L. Jackson simply because there are non-fans who might buy the movie just for them. But I totally understand where Randal's summary came from. Side note--I almost didn't bother to see Revenge of the Sith. Almost. I think Lucas pulled a mind trick.
Speaking of mind tricks, did somebody get to Marshawn? What happened to her? I was flipping back and forth between the Apprentice and Reunion, so I missed most of the task. I did see two things that didn't bode well for Excel or Brian and Marshawn--the transportation and her galactic stupidity concerning whom to highlight, respectively. I'm also pretty sure that on Excel's "good side" portion of their display, they had Stormtroopers. Yeah, they're kinda not the good side, but whatever. That said, I wasn't expecting for there to be a(nother) double firing or for Marshawn to implode like that. Yikes. Makes you wonder if some of her previous awesomeness had to do with editing shenanigans. After all, many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view.
Edited to add one more thing: Their ages are no excuse for not having a cultural reference for Star Wars. I'm 24, I was the ripe old age of two when Return of the Jedi came out, and I've been a fan since my mom put me in ewok ears and I coveted a speeder bike. They have no excuse. Get thee to a DVD.
HobokenMartha
Nov 11, 2005 @ 12:43 am
RainbowRat: I don't know about his current marital status...I met him a decade ago, or two Trump marriages past. I was a scout for a true crime TV movie producer, and mostly, we talked about dead people, not, ew, live spouses. He was big fun to talk to, I must say.
ajesquire, yes, you called it. Perhaps if you have current information on him, you can help RainbowRat in her nerdalicious quest.
I also live in the NYC area, and don't understand why somebody didn't leap out of the cab and at least try to do the subway thing, or a pedicab, or a horse, or something. And word to all future Apprentice applicants: learn some New York geography, subway routes, and general common sense--or I will send you to Staten Island to look for a Bedazzler.
Hoola
Nov 11, 2005 @ 12:48 am
it's really not unusual for someone to alot 15 minutes to a trip like that. It's definitely doable late at night and I doubt any New Yorker would have budgeted the 45 minutes it took Excel to get from Trump Tower to Chelsea. [/quote]
I would budget about 30-45 minutes for that time of day. More if it was a crucial appointment and I had no other appointments. They could have used downtime waiting to brainstorm or think of great questions to ask.
Marshawn was shown asking to leave several times and I believe she said "If the PM doesn't want to leave before 10, I can't make him."
I would have died and gone to heaven if this was my task. What a cool task and I'm so surprised that no one had more experience with the movies. I'm 26 and a few of the candidates are around my age and it was such a huge presence growing up that I can't imagine not being familiar with it at all.
MightyThor
Nov 11, 2005 @ 1:03 am
Some interesting parallels in this episode.
Clay - delusional about his contribution to the team win
Marshawn - delusional about her contribution to the team loss
Alla - should have been PM, but puts the utmost effort into winning for her team
Randal - should have been PM, is exempt but doesn't really try as hard as he could
I'm rooting for Alla to win this.
BetJo
Nov 11, 2005 @ 1:04 am
Since Trump has shown he doesn't follow the rules of his own game by firing more than one in an episode, who can say that he won't HIRE more than one person at the end???
If he likes both finalists, that seems like another possibility. Brings a new dimension to the game.[/quote]
Absolutely. And it could be Randall and Alla..
Except its NBC who actually pays the winner's salary, so that's probably not gonna happen....[/quote]
The Donald can do just about anything he wants, and if he wants both of them, I think it could happen.
Masem
Nov 11, 2005 @ 1:08 am
Even though their display would probably have still lost due to other issues (like missing a meeting), I was completely bewildered on when the LucasArts exec (and Trump and Co following suit) in calling Darth Vader the "central character" of RotS. Assuming I at least have the same geek-ery as Randal did, I would certainly not have included a towering Vader figure since he's only in the last 5 minuts of the movie proper, drowning out the characters that do have the lead (which includes the pre-Vadering Anakin). At least for me, just the inpression of the infamous helmet would have been enough to indicate that Vader is in the movie.
Of course, that could have been a central fact of the meeting that they sorta happened to miss, in that they really really wanted Vader pushed in the display. Which if that was the case, well, sure, stick him in there lots, since they are the customers.
That boardroom nearly made up for every bad BR from Seasons 2 and 3. Logic? Common sense in the firing? Seeing through lies? Questioning unspoken motives? My god, it's bizarro Trump!
AwNutz
Nov 11, 2005 @ 1:11 am
From waaay back on page one...
his season is really gonna become short unless he does a NEB[/quote]
(I apologize if this has been addressed already. I'm too tired from packing to slog through the whole thread tonight.)
I read in, I think, TV Guide last week that Trump actually planned to do multiple firings this season, and hired on more Apprenti to be able to do so. This should have been the last multiple, according to the article. The season will finish with exactly the number of episodes Trump planned to do.
LadyKenobi
Nov 11, 2005 @ 1:24 am
All right, all right, fangirl comin' through...
They had LucasArts at their disposal...and THAAAAAAAAAT was what they came up with? OMG, except for the twirlycube at the top of Excel's, my freshman composition class could have done better than that with a trip to Media Play for the Samuel L. Jackson cutouts.
Good thing Lucas is so obsessed with re-editing his own work. He can sweep right in and digitize something decent over those piles o' crap.
Also? Felisha was wearing an Amadala outfit from Episode I, which... way to keep up with the trends of 1999, Capital Edge.
And there was a reason we never saw Allatine and the Chancellor in the same shot at the same time.
Jeebus Shuttlesworth
Nov 11, 2005 @ 1:26 am
How hard is it to sum up all six movies?
If I may - really really hard. First you have to explain who the Empire and Rebels are. Then who Luke is. And how he gets involved. And the force - and the Jedi. And who Ben is. The whole I'm your Daddy. The brother/sister angle. How vader turns good in the end. Bla bla bla. And we haven't even gotten to trilogy the task was about.[/quote]
They should've taken their synopsis from that scene in Return of the Jedi where C-3PO is telling the entire story to the Ewoks, complete with sound effects.
Randal is a Star Wars fan? HIRE HIM! Just when I thought I could not love him more, he displays his geekery at telling the entire story. Seriously, though, Brian, Marshawn, and Rebecca are freaks. How could you be totally unaware of the main plot points of that movie? And especially Marshawn, wanting to put random minister dude prominently in the display. Are you fucking out of your mind? General Grievous, I could understand. Though he totally sucked and got pwn3d. Maybe even Kit Fisto, though he got pwn3d too. But saying Darth Vader is boring? Marshawn, you deserved to be fired.
I didn't think I would grow to love Alla from her Bloven days, but I do. She is just so awesome and competent. I can't see anyone but her and Randall in the final two now that Marshawn is gone.
zenner
Nov 11, 2005 @ 1:27 am
Marshawn felt that she was being set up by Brian, and refused to go along with it; this is known as confusing gameplay with doing your share of the task. She felt they would lose, as indeed they did, and she'd be on the hook. The irony is, she'd probably have survived if she had done it. She didn't want to tell Trump the truth, which is not that she thought Brian would be better, but that she didn't want to take responsibility. And as soon as you back away from that, you're toast.
Brian seems to have had a brain spasm. He knew better, probably was concentrating on something else, and had no explanation. This happens to everybody at times, but his timing sucked.
Vader/Anakin is not only the central character of the six movies, he's the big draw, especially of Episode III. Since branding is a central feature of marketing, Marshawn's concern about featuring Vader is just plain strange.
Lucasfilm must have been concerned that out of eight people, only one knew anything about Star Wars.
Clay's pouting earned him a much deserved non-exemption.
I notice a lot of people--Toral, for one, and Marshawn for two--were trying the 'fly under the radar' strategy that worked for Kendra last season. The problem with this is: it only works when everyone else sucks, and this season it will not work. And Kendra, when she did emerge, won several tasks.
Chicagoland
Nov 11, 2005 @ 1:40 am
Bill R. said it best about Marshawn. "It's getting late in the game, and your took a big risk like that". When it's the top half of the "class", one mistake is all it takes.
Brian as someone said is from L.Isle and lolly gagged thinking ''only 15 mins away''. The execs satyed long enough so they'd see them leave, to stress the point to not be late to any meeting, unless there's a hurricane.
Since the ''Jenthura'' ep., the show is a thrill to watch, and good surprises each week. Also, even with the bickering, there is still some smart conversations about 'biz'.
Brent724
Nov 11, 2005 @ 1:42 am
Some interesting parallels in this episode.
Clay - delusional about his contribution to the team win
Marshawn - delusional about her contribution to the team loss
Alla - should have been PM, but puts the utmost effort into winning for her team
Randal - should have been PM, is exempt but doesn't really try as hard as he could
I'm rooting for Alla to win this.
[/quote]
LOL... that is very interesting.
Bill R. said it best about Marshawn. "It's getting late in the game, and your took a big risk like that". When it's the top half of the "class", one mistake is all it takes. [/quote]
Exactly. I don't know why she just gave up like that. It was her chance to make herself even stronger, and she failed, and didn't even TRY.
Wallyhorse
Nov 11, 2005 @ 1:46 am
I have to believe Burnet and Trump planned these multiple firings when the cast the show. There are only so many weeks in a season and at the pace of one firing a week the season would have ran past Christmas...[/quote]
I explained part of this a while back in The Ratings & Scheduling thread.I then explained why I felt that was not the way it should have been done in a later post in the same thread.Edited for grammar
CapeCodder
Nov 11, 2005 @ 1:49 am
I'm trying to keep my interest up this season but it's harder by the week. Hard to believe Marshawn self-destructed...I thought she'd go much farther than this. I don't blame her for not wanting to present (she seems to do it every task,it was such a lame display, and she didn't know the subject well) but I wish she had anyway. Given how Trump loves Rebecca she should have looked at the big picture.
Randall knows how to play the game. Perform when you need to, sit back and watch the others fall apart when you're exempt. Stand out the following week, then repeat. Always do something on the task, cooperate, and remain calm. I do
think he'll win but it's kind of a bore when they're too good. Just imagine 16 like him though-now that would be great to watch and the task results would be amazing.
I'd love to see a team of Felishia, Clay, Rebecca. I doubt they could make it out of the suite. None of them seem to do a damn thing until the end of the task if forced to. My guess is Clay and Rebecca "performed" tonight because they knew they have done jack up until now and would be called out on it if their team lost.
Was it only me that was expecting something kind of snazzy when I heard "interactive" with the resources they were given? Doesn't bode very well for the songs next week. What was Trump looking for when he hand picked this group?!
Lead Magnet
Nov 11, 2005 @ 1:53 am
From upthread:
The Palace Worm:Lead Magnet, you are my new best friend! That was awesome!
[/quote]
Thanks!
I must also compliment
Tandemonium for the "Inner monologues" post and the other posters who have added to that one...
Jeebus Shuttlesworth:
They should've taken their synopsis from that scene in Return of the Jedi where C-3PO is telling the entire story to the Ewoks, complete with sound effects.[/quote]
Of course, now I'm imagining Randal doing this...
I had a long convoluted comment about people knowing the movies, but it was getting Markusian in typing, so...
Probably any one of the candidates who's between, say, 25-35 would have spent at least a few formative years during the time that Star Wars was everywhere and they should know at least something about the story. Then, aside from Randal, most of them eventually put away their toys and forgot most of it. Some fan spirit (Randal's) might have helped their enthusiasm for the task, (versus, for example, having to promote Zathura) but in the end, that's not why Excel lost or Capital Edge won. Vader (in the suit) is probably the most identifiable movie villain ever; yes technically he isn't in RotS all that much, but again, branding! Excel managed to at least include Vader in the display, but missing out on the execs' critical points killed them.
Hmm. In addition to the idea of evacuating the cab and making it to the meeting using any methods necessary, would it have been bad form to say to the execs, "We're stranded in traffic and won't make it on time. If we can get this started now on the phone or if there are any important points that are critical to the task could we start now?" Those phones are prominently featured in every episode and they don't get used when it could have saved their bacon...
Still enjoying the Alla Is Palpatine factor... she's doing a good job on the tasks, her personal skills might not completely endear her to me if I met her, but again... the best prequel character is Palpatine, puller of strings :)
(Various edits for grammar. It is 2 AM after all..)
alynn
Nov 11, 2005 @ 2:01 am
Even though their display would probably have still lost due to other issues (like missing a meeting), I was completely bewildered on when the LucasArts exec (and Trump and Co following suit) in calling Darth Vader the "central character" of RotS. Assuming I at least have the same geek-ery as Randal did, I would certainly not have included a towering Vader figure since he's only in the last 5 minuts of the movie proper, drowning out the characters that do have the lead (which includes the pre-Vadering Anakin). At least for me, just the inpression of the infamous helmet would have been enough to indicate that Vader is in the movie.[/quote]
Along the same lines as what Zenner mentioned upthread, it's because Vader is the icon. Anakin isn't. It's even easier to understand when you hear consider the cheers that went up in the theater when the mask snapped into place and James Earl Jones' voice came booming out. When wonky-teeth guy was talking to Obi-Wan? Not so much. (So on a side note, and I never thought I'd be saying this: shut up, Marshawn.)
Chironian
Nov 11, 2005 @ 2:09 am
yadayada wrote
Even if I am to dodge tomatoes for this statement, I have got to get it off my chest. I think Randal is coming off great because so far at least 3 tasks we know of are skewed towards his skills. The old folks home, the Learning Annex and now Star Wars, it is almost like the producers and Trump decided that they need to hire a minority this time around and decided to skew as many tasks as possible in order to enable that person to shine.[/quote]
I really disagree with this analysis. First of all, the skills that are necessary for coming off looking great in any of the three tasks you've mentioned are ones that would (presumably) be in plentiful supply among these candidates, if we're looking only at their profiles. It's a cast full of real estate developers/investors, highly-educated folks, and self-made businesspeople. It's not like the producers asked the contestants to complete a task where they had to write an essay worthy of winning a Rhodes scholarship, and hey look! - they just happen to have a Rhodes scholar in the group. All it really takes to shine in any of those tasks was hard work, intelligence, and being willing to contribute to your team. That's what Randal has, and that's why he's a stand-out.
Second, even if Trump and co. "decided that they need to hire a minority this time around," how could they possibly know who would rise to the challenge (see how I avoided "step up to the plate" there?) and actually perform well? There's no telling who's going to implode (Marshawn) or be totally ineffective (Toral) or just plain crazy on camera (Melissa)...well, maybe you can predict the crazy, but the rest is a crapshoot. I don't think there's any correlation between the task and whether a minority contestant is going to perform it well, and I really doubt that there's any way to predict it, either.
I am not saying he actually sucks in person, but I wonder what would have happened if the tasks were more like the ones in Season 2 where the contestants had to open a bridal salon, set up a dog washing park, appear on QVC or renovate a home. How much would Randal excel then?[/quote]
I think the tasks in Season 2 were skewed towards the backgrounds of the people playing the game. The reason such tasks were included was because the backgrounds of the people playing were so diverse. Here, there's far more similarity (on paper) between the players, so the tasks are fairly similar - generally concentrating on marketing, public speaking, and sales, because, overall, that's what this group of contestants has the most experience in doing in real life.
Tegan Jovanka
Nov 11, 2005 @ 2:12 am
My guess is Clay and Rebecca "performed" tonight because they knew they have done jack up until now and would be called out on it if their team lost.[/quote]
Clay was a winning PM in the 3rd or 4th episode.
If anyone on CE needed to perform it was Felisha, I don't know why she didn't volunteer to be PM. I guess she wanted to hide behind people.
hjmugillecuty
Nov 11, 2005 @ 2:12 am
I missed tonight's episode but from what my sister told me I have two questions.
Who was the character in red Marshawn wanted to use? ETA Okay, the Utapau guy. Thanks guys.
Why would she think that the last movie of a six movie cycle would be the time to focus on NEW characters? I mean, really...
ETA Until recently I hadn't realized I was a Star Wars geek, I wish I had taped tonight.
camelama
Nov 11, 2005 @ 2:12 am
How the heck have you people been able to post all this stuff - weren't you taking a drink every time they said "step up"? Me, I'm just barely able to roll over on the couch to try to avoid squishing the cat!
The 'reward' series of step-ups were hil-ar-i-ous. Oh my stars. It's like there was an echo in that last hallway!
(Ok, so I didn't really drink each time, and the cat is quite safe)
I loved the editing that showed Carolyn's face when Brian confessed he'd have been horrible at the presentation. Dude! Don't TELL THEM THAT! Geez.
retrose1
Nov 11, 2005 @ 2:52 am
Trumpy must have a giant grinding wheel behind his entrance doors for the machete he's been wielding.
Wow. Another double! I totally agree with this one. Ultimately, missing the meeting was the key thing that led to the loss, but bailing on the presentation was so bad TD could not let it go.[/quote]
Not in my opinion, it was the fact that they had Randal and didn't use him. They didn't need to waste time with the meeting, they had Randal who is drooling words like Sith and Yoda so hard that had they handed him a light saber, he would have soiled himself. And yet, all they did was ask about the story and nothing else. I think he stopped contributing because he was their expert and no one listened to what he was saying without questioning him. This was the exact situation that helped get Kelly Apprentice. Assigned a project that you know nothing about with a team member who is totally exempt but knows it all. Kelly was smart enough to just let her go and defer to her judgment in everything. But he didn't treat her like a workhorse or claim he did it all (like Clay what an ass). Brian just couldn't use the one advantage he had.
And Marshawn, henceforth referred to in my posts as Moron, just couldn't admit that she not only didn't have a clue she had no idea where to buy one. To admit in front of Trump that something that makes more money than Trump does is
just a display not only deserves a firing, she deserves to be thrown naked into the nearest Star Wars convention. Words just can't describe the sheer ignorance that is her.
Oh, and they totally forgot that the display was supposed to be responsible for selling merchandise.
I am totally amazed that Randal didn't just sit down and start drawing up displays. I realize that I own my own business and have been doing displays for-like-ever, but I had about 4 different ones in my head while these aliens from another planet were meeting with execs. And they could make their own standups! Oh man, I'm hurtin', access to the people who make the product
*whimper* alright, yes, I'm a geek but I have a light saber and know how to use it. Well, there goes my eye candy. I have barely gotten to see Martha's apprentice, but does she keep cute guys around?[/quote]
Martha's got Jim who looks like Marc Anthony's chimpanzee uncle.
I've missed a few eps so maybe this has become the norm, but Trump didn't have a second boardroom. He just called all of them in and started screaming and firing. Maybe he was furious because his Apprenti made him look bad in the eyes of representatives of a man who could buy him.
manic
Nov 11, 2005 @ 2:56 am
The only thing I kept thinking while watching the hash job on the displays was please no Jar-Jar!
JeffersonAero
Nov 11, 2005 @ 3:02 am
Okay, well, I'm disappointed that Marshawn's gone. I honestly did not expect her to go before Clay, Felisha, or Adam. When Trumpie fired Brian, I totally relaxed, thinking it was all good, and then he went and fired the runner-up to Miss America! But yes, she made a mistake by not presenting. Even if Brian was trying to set her up, she would have had an advantage in the fact that their group never met with the executives and didn't have a clear idea of the goal.
Brian's delusional thinking still leaves me speechless. The last time I was in New York City, I was eight years old and I still remember the traffic (mostly with fondness because I live in Atlanta and our traffic is now about ten times worse than that). Do the words "professional courtesy" mean anything to you? It looks so much better to be early than to be late. Does anybody want to lay odds on whether Brian will ever be late again for a business appointment?
My picks for the final 4 are Randal, Rebecca, Alla, and Felisha. I'm not really happy about Felisha but I'm reasonably sure that both Clay and Adam will crash and burn on the next few tasks. Clay's going to let his bitterness get the better of him and Adam...well, for some reason I keep having visions of him in his Luke Skywalker outfit, propositioning Carolyn.
Jeebus Shuttlesworth
Nov 11, 2005 @ 3:15 am
Adam...well, for some reason I keep having visions of him in his Luke Skywalker outfit, propositioning Carolyn.[/quote]
Adam: So Bill, what do you think of Carolyn?
Bill: I'm trying not to, kid.
Adam: (under his breath) Good...
Bill: Still, she's got a lot of spirit. Say, do you think a golf course manager and a guy like me...
Adam: No!
bpd
Nov 11, 2005 @ 3:51 am
Do the words "professional courtesy" mean anything to you? It looks so much better to be early than to be late. Does anybody want to lay odds on whether Brian will ever be late again for a business appointment?
Penn and Teller of all people once wrote in one of their books "To be early is to be on time, to be on time is to be late, to be late is unforgivable." This is the lesson Trump didn't even bother to bring up, because it should be more obvious than "don't trash your boss".
Marshawn's gamesmanship cost her. On seeing it again, however, I'm back to being hot for her.
MyEyesSee
Nov 11, 2005 @ 4:28 am
I wonder how long it took Brian to get home.[/quote]
was half hoping one of the teams would have to rely on the explanations of a slash fan for their presentation.[/quote]
CarolJude and AuntieKaren please be my BFF.
Manpace
Nov 11, 2005 @ 4:30 am
"his season is really gonna become short unless he does a NEB (Non-Elimination Boardroom"
With all the double firings on both Apprentice shows, I think there'll be a week where the last four or five contestants on each show go head-to-head against the other show, with someone (of course) being fired from the losing team. Maybe a Wed-Thur double episode.
...or better yet, the teams mix and match...
Bethany: I'm so sorry I riffed on your gayness, Clay. Don't hate me, please!!
Clay: Talk to the hand, you bony witch.
Wait for it...it's coming.
DanHDan
Nov 11, 2005 @ 4:45 am
I was surprised how few of the people knew about Star Wars. Not just trivia or minutia, but the basic plot outline for the film. I've always loved the first movie and I had wrongly assumed almost everyone had seen the first movie.
skeevo666
Nov 11, 2005 @ 4:54 am
How hard is it to sum up all six movies?[/quote]
A fallen knight is redeemed by his son's faith in him.
Not hard at all . . .
Midnightmom
Nov 11, 2005 @ 5:53 am
Yes, I agree she wimped out by not doing the presentation. But why was that grounds for firing when the presentation wasn't what hurt them at all?[/quote]
Tonight’s ‘pearl’ of business wisdom from the Donald was……..LOYALTY. Abandoning your part of the task at the last minute does not demonstrate loyalty to the team (corporation), but to CYA.
Brian-
How could you NOT think it was going to take longer than 15 minutes when you had to wait for an elevator.....and you had to hail a cab.....and you all had to pile into the cab.....and the cab had to drive through crosstown traffic.....and then you had to pay the cabbie......and then get out of the cab and go into the building.....and then get directions to the meeting.....then take the time to make introductions and get settled into your seats.....and ...............
Oh! I forgot! He made the decision that RESEARCH was important!
Well, WHAT do you think the meeting was about???????
BTW-Randal could have filled them all in about the plot ……………………..in the CAB…………….on the WAY to the meeting!!!!!
Except that Clay had no intention of giving her credit; he wanted all of the credit, [/quote]
Clay’s reason for wanting to PM? You OWE IT TO ME after what happened last week! WTH!!!!!
quaintirene
Nov 11, 2005 @ 6:25 am
I knew Capital Edge won as soon as I saw the team name fly over NY like the credits of a Star Wars movie!
Edited to add that, now I rewatched this, I noticed that when Alla was v/o-ing about Clay taking all the credit for her design and layout, there was a lovely little moment where laser lines showed up all over her face and neck. I'm not sure whether those lines denoted Clay winning his battle over her, or The Force being with Alla. I choose to believe the latter interpretation!
lucelu
Nov 11, 2005 @ 6:29 am
I have major crushes on Randall and Alla. They are my picks for final two.
Felisha is cute too. Loved seeing her dressed up like Amadala and then gushing about Bill. Her affect reminds me of Cameron Diaz. Not apprentice material but so Adam's dream trophy wife. I think underneath that BetaBlonde surface, she is smart and fun.
Adam, sigh. He also is sweet. Not nearly mean or backstabby enough for Trump. His negotiation skills are poor, and can't hold the line when it comes to leadership decisions.
Which is why I think Alla stands out so much. She is very assertive and direct about what she wants and why. I think that the arguments that she is manipulative are just as shaded as the arguments that Clay is being ganged up on because of his gayness. Is she motivating people or manipulating them? Has she more emotional intelligence than the rest of the team? Most likely. She knows how to work with people to get their best. Nothing wrong with that. Clay's attitude and body language on his return from the board room was total hissy fit tantrum behavior--warning people not to go near him. And yes, they are obviously correct in his personal dynamics. This has nothing to do with him being gay, just in him being a jerk.
Marshawn--pulled a Verna. She choked because she was tired and didn't feel up to doing a great job. Rebecca, (gorgeous), saw an opportunity and was frankly tired of hearing Marshawn whine and make excuses and Brian whine and make excuses (did she say she "stepped up to the plate"?). I don't know why she and Randall couldn't have done the presentation together. Why oh Why no product? No Darth? They didn't have Aniken on the good side and Darth on the other? Also, their burger king/bestbuy uniforms were very very boring. I have to say Capital Edge took it away with those costumes--they were eyecatchy, sure to attract the kids (and SW groupie nerds) and FUN. Brian was a tool in not being early or at least suggesting a phone conference before they left the suite. He still might have gotten zapped for the phone conference vs. being there in person but at least they would have gotten some important information (like what the executives WANTED).
More on Clay--
I think he totally deserved to be dissed in the boardroom like that because he was such an asshat glory hound. If he had given credit where due in the presentation (not marginalizing Alla's contributions and dismissing her points) and then again in the boardroom and been gracious about it, the team would have had a totally different opinion of him ("maybe we were wrong about Clay"). He would have come off classy and smart for utilizing the talent of the team-- as an effective leader. He is so channeling Tana, I am looking for his fake fur, pretzels and bedazzeler. What is amusing is that Clay comes to the conclusion that he wasn't a big enough asshat glory hound and in the future should just treat his teammates with more disrespect than he already did. Alla could have left him to arrange everything as she did her part of the task (concept and design). She basically micromanaged her PM. Felecia should have been the PM on this task but I don't know if any of the people on that team could lead it better than Alla.
Clay is on the Fire Train, Adam after him and then it will either be Rebecca or Felicia.
stopeslite
Nov 11, 2005 @ 7:14 am
I'd guess an average of 32. The initial trilogy came out in 1977, 1980, and 1983, which for someone currently aged 32 would mean that the ages would be 4, 7, and 10 when the initial trilogy was initially released - a good chance that person would be too young to get caught up in the hoopla.[/quote]
I think they're younger - I had tagged them at mid-20s (except for Markus). My cousin and I are both 32, and I vividly remember being jealous of his Star Wars sheets and action figures (not dolls!) when we were little. No matter what their ages, though, how did they escape the all-intense pervasive marketing of the last three movies? Like the one that came out, you know, last year. The one that had trailers in every single other movie in existence that started out with nothing but the sound of Darth Vader breathing, because, you know, he's the most important character in the whole thing.
Back to Clay, even regardless of how he did on the task, he shouldn't have been surprised to not be exempt. At this stage in the game, with so few people left, you should want as many potential targets other than yourself as possible. If there are only four people on the team, you sure don't want one of them to not be fireable. I foresee no more exemptions at all.
Part of me wishes that Markus was still around for this task. While the rest of the team would be coming up with ideas and putting together the display, he'd be wondering around in the background, idlely swinging a fake, plastic lightsaber (and his blade's color would be beige)[/quote]
BWAH! And now I'm picturing him trying to open a bottle of Diet Pepsi by hitting it with the lightsaber, muttering "this worked in France, I tell you".
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