#missing jack

"...If you go now I'll understand

If you stay, hey, I've gotta plan

You wanna make a memory?

You wanna steal a piece of time?

You can sing the melody to me

And I can write a couple lines

You wanna make a memory..."

Oh boy, we've come to an end... or not?

I mean I still have hope that was not the end, but wherever we go from now... whatever happens... at least we had him for awhile. Denial is one of the stages of grief after all...

Although I may have skipped them altogether and live forever somewhere that nothing happened that could hurt my favorite boy.

I had different levels of expectations for this ep as the year progressed. I came in the fandom around April/May last year, and I was told about the possibility that this ep could be the one we were all dreading. But all in all the end result was better than I expected. I've had headcanons about Kovacs and the mission itself and wrote about it, still plan to write about it... and I gotta admit some of the plot and stuff happening in this ep felt like it came straight out of my head and my stories. It was kind of a poetic justice for someone who gave so much to this show. In my head he was always the soul to the heart. Mac and Jack, you know?

It did feel like old times though, so I'm taking that as a win, no matter how much my heart is in pieces over Jack being gone. It really felt like the fam was back together. After s4, it was a balm to my soul.

Like I said, I had zero expectations, but the theories were never-ending. In fact, I was positively surprised about where things went, and without giving too much away to spoiler someone while it's still too soon, I'm glad it ended the way it did and that things weren't worse than the actual events happening in the ep.

Okay, so... *clears throat* it's time for me to say what I wanted to say from the start, but my writer's brain wanted to wax poetic first...

Thank you to everyone for their extraordinary acting tonight! It was just so amazing to see y'all shine and bring your A game. Especially Lucas and Tristin. It felt good to see the dynanic and the emotions, the reaction to the news of Jack's death. I just... I'm in awe.

My kudos go especially to Lucas. I think that this is the second time since May where I stopped breathing while watching an ep of MacGyver. First it was with 4x13 and now it's 5x05. The acting, the emotions, the unsaid words, unshed tears; the voice catching on words, choked off words... almost tangible feelings over what could have been and what was lost. You are very talented, and I don't think it's been talked about enough. It's something that never ceases to amaze me and it always breaks me down with how much I FEEL what your characters feel. Bravo!

(That breakdown ruined me forever and ever, just so you know. It was the point where I broke in tears. So good).

Thank you, Tristin, Mer, Justin, Levy and Henry.

Thank you, Bojana! That was an amazing villainous work you did there. I was so used to Lizzie Needham that this hit me like a freight train.

Last, but not least, thank you George for giving us Jack and 2.5 seasons with him.

I think this ep hit me harder on the feels than 3x14 did... and it's just my luck to start crying again as I'm finishing this post. I'm gonna miss my Jack so much (more than I did so far) *sniffles*

So earlier we saw a BTS video of Tristan, wearing a stretched out Rolling Stones shirt; same one that Jack just happens to have.

Then, we have Lucas, riding around in a car that looks suspiciously like Jack's GTO.

Are the kids missing Jack and borrowing his things? Is it a more ominous sign? 🤔

MFMM alums abound in Olivia Newton-John biopic

8 in total. Captions on each pic. @geenee27 wanted me to do an old-fashioned recap so blame her let me give you the break down in as few words as possible:

Young ONJ is all about cutie-patootie Ian, who works at the TV station and has only seen her sing for kids until she gets her big break. She doesn’t want to ditch him but Mama knows best and ONJ follows her dream. Apparently, they have an agreement that if she’s not back in Oz in 3 months, they can start seeing other people. She isn’t and he does. Maybe he’s banging a skull somewhere in medical school. Whatevs. NEXT!

We get a first brief glimpse of ONJ’s dad (played by Richard Bligh) when he attends his daughter’s audition on Sing!Sing!Sing! It should be touching, seeing that pride on his face but all I can think is: Mr. B! You’ve got an Amazonian caterpillar on your face! Get it off!! He has a small role but creates an awesomely awkward moment when he meets Olivia’s live-in boyfriend, Hugh Collins Bruce Welsh, and tells him he’s a JSB man (Johann Sebastian Bach). Stay smooth, Mr. B. Strange how he never shows up with a martini... The moustache must be interfering with his magic. Moving on.

Bruce Welsh: rock star, legend, constable in training.  Loving the English accent and the guitar strumming but I cannot unsee what I have seen. Wear all the hippie shirts and wigs you want, Hugo, I will always be waiting for you to ineptly suggest, “Arabella” to someone. It’s not helped by the fact that his character struggles with having a relationship with a modern woman and managing his ego. ONJ ditches him, too.

The always lovely Kate Jenkinson plays recurring character Pat Carroll, ONJ’s bestie and constant companion. Perhaps all of ONJ’s romantic drama boils down to this: who the hell needs men when this smokin’ babe is your rock? Anyway, I digress.

Next up is reporter-turned-friend, Nancy, played by Diana Glenn, whose helmet hair and American accent are absolute perfection. If she’s not a national treasure, she damn well should be.

Coming in at #6, the long-awaited appearance by Nathan Page - whose character no one calls by name until, like, the 3rd time we see him. But then, hotness needs no name. Turns out he was playing security and self-protection specialist Gavin de Becker. (Side note: deBecker’s book “The Gift of Fear” was a revelation when I read it back in the late 90s and still has a place on my shelf.) Anyway, can we talk about the hair just for a minute? Just... NNGH. This was shot somewhere in the middle of Nathan’s last proper haircut and his 80′s mullet-fest theatre work, and it is just lusciously spectacular! Even the patented Can’t Cope Cowlick (TM @omgimsarahtoo ) makes an appearance when his spots ONJ’s stalker in a crowd. The American accent doesn’t work out too well - he hits a rough patch on his “r”s and you can’t tell if he’s just in a lot of pain or imagining how horrible it must be for us to talk like that. All in all, was it worth sitting through 3 hours of whitebread TV special for what amounted to be less than 10 minutes of Nathan on screen? You bet your cowlick. And I’m not here to apologize.

Probably the most surprising MFMM cameo for me came by way of ONJ’s doctor. I don’t know when Sergeant Baxter graduated to a physician but he seems a lot more competent in the new gig.

Finally, herb-collector and future Mr. Olivia Newton-John, John Easterling, is portrayed by Phryne’s old friend Stanley Burrows (Jeremy Lindsay Taylor). I don’t know where this guy is supposed to be from... Texas? Alabama? But it was painful, kids. I thought hearing Southern folks try to imitate my Jersey accent was bad. It’s nothing on an Aussie trying to sound sweeter than tea. ONJ probably pity-banged him just to keep him from talking.

Missing Jack – A Book Review

Earlier in the week the Little A’s received a brand new book published by Lion Children’s Books called Missing Jack by Rebecca Elliott.

Missing Jack is all about Toby and his cat Jack who Toby thinks is the best cat ever!  As Jack is getting old the inevitable happens and Toby doesn’t think he will ever find a cat as fun as Jack, that is until a crazy cat called Humphrey comes into his life.

It…