My take on Strictly
Oct. 21st, 2019 08:46 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shallownessStrictly Week 5 (watched on catch-up)
Boring trouser suit from Tess, but Claudia’s polka dot wafty dress was far more interesting, though, as ever, Shirley and Motsi went dressier and more appropriate. Returning guest judge Alfonso went for blue.
Kelvin’s cha cha was very accomplished, the black trousers did him a lot of favours, whereas I saw no need for the denim jacket.
A Sewing Bee presenter encounter for the Ts and Cs and…Joe Lycett did something a little different.
For tall David’s jive, Nadiya clearly limited the amount of content she gave him. He eventually sorted out his arms. Why did Alfonso mention sevens? Those weren’t sevens. (Rightly.)
I loved Catherine’s dress when she first appeared at the top of the show, but pulled a face when I realised it was for the tango. A tango with a storyline, mind you – but a storyline that made no sense. I didn’t like the jerky movements of the bit at the top, sighed in relief when she got into hold - although I thought it was more about Johannes’s strength than hers, and was glad she was more fluid out of hold at the end.
From the super impressive leap onward, Karim’s salsa was a complete hi-NRG delight, with showmanship (until at the end when he checked to make sure that he’d get the last lift right). I think the blip of the Kung-Fu Samba did him a world of good. And Amy seems better.
As expected, lots of good stuff about Michelle’s rumba, even if it didn’t quite fly. But I did not like Gio’s shirt, which should have been a plain colour, not patterned.
After a VT all about being under-rehearsed, I was surprised by how into Actress!Emma’s paso I got. I saw drama and shaping, but I seem to have been more dazzled than the judges. (Alfonso, who was generally more generous, apart, were they reacting to last week’s madness?)
I loved the look, styling and concept of Alex’s Charleston. I thought it was really smart choreography (from Neil?) and what they did with Alex’s femininity gave her space to be herself (and handily cut out a little for her to do). Some step up from her, though.
Viscountess!Emma and the VW were always going to be a better fit than last week’s jive. While I didn’t quite get into it, I appreciated that she looked good and there was little to no gapping. When I say ‘looked good’, I mean the dancing, I didn’t like the detail on the front of her gown, although it worked on the back. Another lady reacting strongly to last week, although she was coming into ballroom promise we’d seen before, instead of surprising us as much as Alex had.
Mike did a thing (not dignifying it by calling it a samba) because Katya told him to. I’ve been over him/them for weeks now.
Will’s life story should probably prohibit all the other celebs from giving us theirs on VT (“I love my nan” does not match this backstory). The dance touched on that story, played to his strengths and he, of course, danced it with all his heart. No wonder Janette (and many others in the studio) were crying – and I’d say that Craig’s critique was in its way a compliment to his dancing.
With Chris’s quickstep, he showed how Strictly has improved his fitness. Um, I don’t know what to say about quicksteps this series. Can I just observe that his shirt and Karen’s jacket were a world of no together instead?
Saffron seemed quite happy to step up and star in the big routine to close the show. Really dazzling. Didn’t expect it to be so good.
Watching on catch-up meant I could pause on the leaderboard and gawp at Saffron (more the score, but also being on top), Viscountess Emma, ALEX and Will’s presence in the top half. Chris, Mike and David at the bottom seems about right, though.
Also caught up on the Results show after a suitable-for-me break. I really enjoyed the opening routine, even if the more I think about it, the more I realise I missed the point. But it was a lot of fun, and I loved that they pulled in the judges.
The recap seemed kind to Chris, less kind to Emma’s paso, but otherwise fair.
I fast forwarded to learn that Mike and Katya were under the red light. Rightly.
Yet another not great live vocal but this time from Mabel and The Hair Extensions, so a good job some dancers turned up to do their thing.
Predicatably, Motsi got to say what she hadn’t said about Will’s contemporary, while Shirley had to deal with last week’s abuse of the word ‘miraculous’. The slo-mo didn’t flatter Saffron and AJ’s synchronicity.
I saw Emma and Catherine rightly be saved, Chris pull all kinds of faces – he may regret that, although I think it was entirely genuine – and David join Mike in the dance-off, which I didn’t feel the need to watch. Right call. There was nothing of the sense of shock and sadness over Dev’s exit, obviously. Well, David was sad.
Query after my second It Takes Two Monday this year: can Rylan stop making interviewing the losing two All About Him?
Boring trouser suit from Tess, but Claudia’s polka dot wafty dress was far more interesting, though, as ever, Shirley and Motsi went dressier and more appropriate. Returning guest judge Alfonso went for blue.
Kelvin’s cha cha was very accomplished, the black trousers did him a lot of favours, whereas I saw no need for the denim jacket.
A Sewing Bee presenter encounter for the Ts and Cs and…Joe Lycett did something a little different.
For tall David’s jive, Nadiya clearly limited the amount of content she gave him. He eventually sorted out his arms. Why did Alfonso mention sevens? Those weren’t sevens. (Rightly.)
I loved Catherine’s dress when she first appeared at the top of the show, but pulled a face when I realised it was for the tango. A tango with a storyline, mind you – but a storyline that made no sense. I didn’t like the jerky movements of the bit at the top, sighed in relief when she got into hold - although I thought it was more about Johannes’s strength than hers, and was glad she was more fluid out of hold at the end.
From the super impressive leap onward, Karim’s salsa was a complete hi-NRG delight, with showmanship (until at the end when he checked to make sure that he’d get the last lift right). I think the blip of the Kung-Fu Samba did him a world of good. And Amy seems better.
As expected, lots of good stuff about Michelle’s rumba, even if it didn’t quite fly. But I did not like Gio’s shirt, which should have been a plain colour, not patterned.
After a VT all about being under-rehearsed, I was surprised by how into Actress!Emma’s paso I got. I saw drama and shaping, but I seem to have been more dazzled than the judges. (Alfonso, who was generally more generous, apart, were they reacting to last week’s madness?)
I loved the look, styling and concept of Alex’s Charleston. I thought it was really smart choreography (from Neil?) and what they did with Alex’s femininity gave her space to be herself (and handily cut out a little for her to do). Some step up from her, though.
Viscountess!Emma and the VW were always going to be a better fit than last week’s jive. While I didn’t quite get into it, I appreciated that she looked good and there was little to no gapping. When I say ‘looked good’, I mean the dancing, I didn’t like the detail on the front of her gown, although it worked on the back. Another lady reacting strongly to last week, although she was coming into ballroom promise we’d seen before, instead of surprising us as much as Alex had.
Mike did a thing (not dignifying it by calling it a samba) because Katya told him to. I’ve been over him/them for weeks now.
Will’s life story should probably prohibit all the other celebs from giving us theirs on VT (“I love my nan” does not match this backstory). The dance touched on that story, played to his strengths and he, of course, danced it with all his heart. No wonder Janette (and many others in the studio) were crying – and I’d say that Craig’s critique was in its way a compliment to his dancing.
With Chris’s quickstep, he showed how Strictly has improved his fitness. Um, I don’t know what to say about quicksteps this series. Can I just observe that his shirt and Karen’s jacket were a world of no together instead?
Saffron seemed quite happy to step up and star in the big routine to close the show. Really dazzling. Didn’t expect it to be so good.
Watching on catch-up meant I could pause on the leaderboard and gawp at Saffron (more the score, but also being on top), Viscountess Emma, ALEX and Will’s presence in the top half. Chris, Mike and David at the bottom seems about right, though.
Also caught up on the Results show after a suitable-for-me break. I really enjoyed the opening routine, even if the more I think about it, the more I realise I missed the point. But it was a lot of fun, and I loved that they pulled in the judges.
The recap seemed kind to Chris, less kind to Emma’s paso, but otherwise fair.
I fast forwarded to learn that Mike and Katya were under the red light. Rightly.
Yet another not great live vocal but this time from Mabel and The Hair Extensions, so a good job some dancers turned up to do their thing.
Predicatably, Motsi got to say what she hadn’t said about Will’s contemporary, while Shirley had to deal with last week’s abuse of the word ‘miraculous’. The slo-mo didn’t flatter Saffron and AJ’s synchronicity.
I saw Emma and Catherine rightly be saved, Chris pull all kinds of faces – he may regret that, although I think it was entirely genuine – and David join Mike in the dance-off, which I didn’t feel the need to watch. Right call. There was nothing of the sense of shock and sadness over Dev’s exit, obviously. Well, David was sad.
Query after my second It Takes Two Monday this year: can Rylan stop making interviewing the losing two All About Him?
