PAW Patrol Episode Thoughts - Season 2
Another cross-post from my DA, although this is the last one since it's been like a year and I still can't bring myself to finish season 3.
Anyways, as a reminder, here's my scoring system that goes from 1-10 based on my initial reaction:
1/10 - The episode you'd force your worst enemy to watch on repeat
2/10 - Just awful
3/10 - Pretty terrible
4/10 - Didn't hate, but wouldn't wanna watch again
5/10 - Just okay
6/10 - Decent, wouldn't mind watching it again
7/10 - The average good
8/10 - Really liked it!
9/10 - This is a must-watch
10/10 - Probably my favorite episode ever like maybe two are going to get this rating
To keep things simple, I'm not getting into point values, so just because two episodes have the same rating doesn't mean they're equal to me. And yes I love my OCs and will be bringing them up whenever I want because this is my post.
Without further adieu, here's how my rewatch of season 2 went.
Episode 1: Pups Save the Penguins/Pups Save a Dolphin Pup
A: Already the animation is a downgrade. Something about Marshall sitting on a swing like a human is very disturbing, although with the debut episode of a new season comes the first showing of Super Spy Chase. But seriously, Adventure Bay gets SNOW, are you now trying to tell me it's a tropical area and an iceberg would last going to and fro southern South America? Weak for a new season's first episode. 5/10
B: Marshall being knocked out of the elevator and his uniform put on a toy dolphin, leaving him to scramble up the pole has to be one of the funniest jokes they've done. Still, it feels lacking. 6/10
Episode 2: Pups Save a Space Alien/Pups Save a Flying Frog
A: Rocky learned how to fly alien tech in a matter of minutes, amazing. Still, this one wasn't as bad as I was thinking it would be. 6/10
B: Didn't notice it before, but the top floor of the lookout got a redesign for this season. It went from beige to blue. More of Chase's crush on Skye is shown, Chase is actually overall very cute and clingy in this episode and Marshall is also great. 7/10
Episode 3: Pups Save Jake/Pups Save the Parade
A: A cave episode, immediately Tara would be perfect here. Here's the debut of Marshall's EMT gear, I actually like Marshall doubling as an EMT since real fire fighters often times do both jobs. 7/10
B: At first I thought this was cute and then we got inflated Marshall. Please no I've unwillingly seen too much inflation fetish-- Overall okay though, Chase was once again very cute. 6/10
Episode 4: Pups Save the Diving Bell/Pups Save the Beavers
A: Francois stop being mean, as long as something old still works, it's better to use it rather than have it in a landfill. But Turbot...you knew you lost the steering fin so why did you think you could just drive? Although, first episode with Zuma's sub and it was pretty good! Rocky diving and Marshall traumatizing that poor woman on the beach was great. 8/10
B: Yumi, you don't put hay in the coop, you put straw. Hay is for eating, straw is for bedding. This is an episode where Nami's animal skills would really come in handy, though I am just so happy to see them communicating with animals in a way that isn't words for once. 8/10
Episode 5: Pups Save a Ghost/Pups Save a Show
A: They're baiting a trap for a dog...with a chocolate chip cookie. I get they don't know it's Marshall, but...dude. Oh wait, Rubble eats it at the end and calls it a liver chip cookie. Um...ew. 7/10
B: Oh look, Rescue Knights 6 seasons early. But did they just have Marshall try to do a Tim Allen "Uwha" grunt reference?
Episode 6: The New Pup
IT'S EVEREST TIME, BABY!!!! Aight but the first 5 minutes is just an ad for the PAW Patroller, like Ryder I don't think self-driving vehicles are legal and pretty sure having a robot that sits in the seat to do the driving doesn't change this rule, he's clearly not even very good at it yet. But we meet Everest and poor baby is so lonely. BUT JAKE GIVES HER A GRANOLA BAR THAT HAS RAISINS IN IT LIKE BRO YOU WANNA GIVE HER KIDNEY FAILURE? Anyways, Everest steals the show here, but aside from her there's not a whole lot going for this? Kinda sad considering I used to love this episode and I'm probably rating it higher than I should because I just love Everest so much. 6/10
Episode 7: Pups Jungle Trouble/Pups Save a Herd
A: First time in the jungle, huh, and Marshall really just jumped on a snake and then nearly got eaten by a carnivorous flower. I must admit, the dialogue with Mandy just stealing Ryder's Pup Pad is pretty funny, although they really just wanted an Indiana Jones moment, huh. 7/10
B: Ah, the episode that features 3 seconds of a Chase recolor which the whole fandom wanted to return as an actual character. Do love how Chase's bully here is a sheep. 7/10
Episode 8: Pups and the Big Freeze/Pups Save a Basket Ball Game
A: Does the town not have snowplow/salt trucks? At all? Goodway, you should know better than to drive faster than you can control your car, and really they called Rubble to clear the roads and not Everest? She was an afterthought? In a snow episode? Okay but Zuma and Skye skating at the end was cute. 7/10
B: They really are facing off against Boomers, huh. I know this isn't the first time the rivalry between Goodway and Humdinger has been shown, but this is the first full on "yeah Foggy Bottom cheats" moment. Still, Marshall having no confidence in himself and everyone helping to build him up is cute. 7/10
Episode 9: Pups Save an Ace/Pups Save a Wedding
A: This is the opposite of Sonic Lost World where the motor somehow causes damage to the wing, also Marshall just randomly exposing people to radiation with his x-ray screen for no reason. 8/10
B: Do they only invite the PAW Patrol so they get free decorating? Of course though, they censor the kissing because that's...a no, I guess? But Skye was really desperate to catch the bouquet. 7/10
Episode 10: Pups Save a Talent Show/Pups Save the Corn Roast
A: I know they're dogs and them playing music is great, but...ROCKY THAT'S NOT HOW YOU PLAY CHORDS. Why is Al acting as if he's never met the PAW Patrol before like...heck they helped him IN THE LAST EPISODE. I don't normally care for the singing, but here it was okay, just 2 Marshall-has-no-confidence episodes so close together. 8/10
B: Popcorn and roasting corn are two different types of corn, they aren't interchangeable. Regular old yellow corn will not pop. Also they're serving and eating food THAT'S BEEN ON THE DIRT. Pretty sure that's a health code violation. 6/10
Episode 11: Pups Leave Marshall Home Alone/Pups Save the Deer
A: Rubble was the writer's pet of season 1, but honestly I'm enjoying Marshall getting a big spotlight here, I can't believe I didn't like him for a long time. Katie this is why you don't have automatic doors to your grooming parlor, but it means we see Marshall and Katie with a bunch of adorable kittens so I'm actually okay with this. Marshall was funny and cute. I'm glad to say this was even better than I remembered it being. 10/10
B: EVEREST, MY BELOVED! I guess when Ryder made Everest part of the PAW Patrol, that included Jake, too. I don't wanna think how cold it has to be for the bay, which is most likely salt water, to freeze that solid. Also if Nami was a member at this point in time, her animal skills would once again come in very handy. 7/10
Episode 12: Pups Save the Parrot/Pups Save the Queen Bee
A: Are Ryder's dogs not color blind? Cause they can see red and green pretty well. Something that is accurate though is birds being incredibly hard to tell their gender. 6/10
B: This exists. Lots of the stuff in it is accurate to bees though, which is nice. Dogs do love honey, too. 6/10
Episode 13: Pups Save a Mer-Pup
Ah, the fantasy in the show starts. Gotta love Chase being the biggest skeptic around, like don't you know when you're fed this exposition, the myth is gonna come true? Still his reaction was so priceless. You know Zuma and Skye also get along really well in this episode, it's cute. 8/10
Episode 14: Pups Save an Elephant Family/Pups and the Mischievous Kittens
A: Turbot really sleeping in the jungle without a mosquito net, huh. I mean...that was an episode, I guess. 5/10
B: Ah, the debut of the Catastrophe Crew. Did they always have names though? The Rocky kitten was called Tabby. Don't know why Ryder didn't call all the pups to help clean up, but Nami's gear was made for picking up after storms, so she would've been great here. 6/10
Episode 15: Pups Save a Friend/Pups Save a Stowaway
A: Another Marshall episode, but this one is sad. One of those cliché "I heard someone saying bad things and assumed it was about me." That said, it was still an alright episode. 6/10
B: Cats are curious but I can tell you they hate car rides. Surprised she didn't scream the whole way there. 7/10
Episode 16: Pups Adventures in Babysitting/Pups Save the Fireworks
A: Did Ryder get a VA change mid-season? He sounds so different here. Although the theme song playing 3 times was a bit much... 6/10
B: Surprise, show, but mailing most animals isn't allowed and I can assure you, piglets aren't. They do not go through the same mail as apples and shampoo. Also no fireworks either since those are a big safety risk. Chase really just stole a buggy though, huh. 7/10
Episode 17: Pups Save a Sniffle/Pups and the Ghost Cabin
A: I'd question how the virus spread so quickly to all the pups but after the past few years I don't think I need to. I will question why each of them has their very own branded box of tissues, though. 6/10
B: Yes, Chase, the mice will be sad, but that covering Rocky did will not keep them out. You need to stuff the hole with steel wool and CERTAINLY DON'T FEED THE MICE. THOSE ARE NOT PETS. 6/10
Episode 18: Pups Save an Adventure/Pups Save a Surprise
A: Poor Mr. Porter, he just wants a break but he's with a toddler. Also...don't give dogs chili. It's too spicy for them. This episode was more of a fire safety information dump than anything, although learning these types of things as a kid didn't stop me playing with matches. 6/10
B: Contrary to popular belief, tomato juice does in fact, not remove skunk spray. How did this myth even get started. Also he was wearing white clothes and they were still white, like...tomato stains, man. 6/10
Episode 19: Pup-Fu!
I feel like this came out just because it was the height of popularity for Kung-fu Panda, but after playing Xenoblade X and having to listen to Bozé, I can't hear "Sensei" without cringing. This was...something. 4/10
Episode 20: Pups Save the Mayor's Race/Pups Save an Outlaw's Loot
A: I am very quickly getting tired of the amount of problems being caused by the Catastrophe Crew. Do cats always have to be the enemy to dogs? 5/10
B: Annnd another Humdinger episode, you know I don't blame the pups for basically spying on him every time he steps foot in the city. Geez though is he RIPPED he just pulled a huge log! That has to be at the bare minimum 300 pounds! Not as strong as Ryder though, freaking 10-year-old just lifted an entire chest full of gold out of the ground. 6/10
Episode 21: Pups Save Walinda/Pups Save a Big Bone
A: Wally gets ass, confirmed. 6/10
B: Ah, excavation, something Tara would be great for, but that's it. 6/10
Episode 22: Pups Save a Floundering Francois/Pups Save the Pop-Up Penguins
A: Chase, were the cones really necessary when Rubble was just planting a bonsai tree...? But man does Francois cause so many problems, seeing this as a double-rescue though is cool. 7/10
B: Someone tell me how penguins get in a train freezer car in the first place, please. 6/10
Episode 23: Pups Save a Snowboard Competition/Pups Save a Chicken of the Sea
A: If Everest could clear the driveway with her snowcat the entire time, why did she sit there letting Jake shovel tons of it by hand? Also Humdinger is back but he's so minor in this episode that it's tolerable. 7/10
B: Okay, Cali underwater was pretty funny. 7/10
Episode 24: Pups Save a Pizza/Pups Save Skye
A: Marshall, sitting in a bunch of food people are going to eat is just gross. Also are they really using dough that fell rather than just making a new batch? Like pizza dough is 5 ingredients, it's not hard to make. Good they differentiated actual pepperoni from the dog kind, though. 8/10
B: Gotta love Skye, something bad happens and she takes it in strides. Everyone being so concerned about her is also very cute. Although don't give dogs ENTIRE BOWLS OF MILK, JAKE. 8/10
Episode 25: Pups Save the Woof and Roll Show/Pups Save an Eagle
A: Cleaning up after a storm? NAMI? But a celebrity is driving themself and that is because this is a work of fiction. Chase's smug grin after being able to tell off his mayor is great and surprisingly, the singing isn't annoying for once. 7/10
B: Ryder you need Byte to help you tinker with the Lookout electronics. ALSO WHY ARE YOU WORKING ON A CIRCUIT WITH ACTIVE POWER TO IT DO YOU WANT TO DIE??? I must say, it is sweet how Ryder's not making Skye deal with an eagle, well, at least right away... 7/10
Episode 26: Pups Bark with Dinosaurs
Remember when episodes like these were just dreams? But these dinos should have feathers and I have to admit, the sound effects they have for them are hilarious. Also dino on dino VIOLENCE. For a dream episode, it was pretty solid. 7/10
Season 2 overall:
While this season was still pretty good and I have a lot of nostalgia for it, I can see the heart starting to go. Some of the characters are losing personality and more than a few episodes feel so lifeless. Humdinger shifted from a rival to an actual villain and Marshall was the big writer's pet this time around, so it evened out somewhat. Just the sheer repetitiveness is really sinking in and I'm afraid even someone as amazing as Everest can't save that.
Will say this half makes me ship ZumaXSkye because they have so many good moments in this season.
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Visiting Champagne is always a treat. The treat this time is that I also had the family in tow, a celebratory long weekend of birthdays and anniversaries. This was to be their first wine tour and our first family holiday all together since childhood. What could go wrong?
L-R TheGrapewizard, Sister (Tanya) and Brother (Carl)
I decided that the best way for my siblings to understand the magic of this effervescent drink was for us to take in the diversity of what the region has to offer. So we based ourselves in Epernay, the regions capital in a gite at the start of the Avenue de Champagne – a famous street lined with the HQ’s of many leading champagne producers such as Moet et Chandon, Mercier and De Castellane. The trip was to include a visit to a small organic vineyard, several tours of the major well-known champagne houses and a private tasting organised by Yours Truly – TheGrapeWizard! But the highlight and the most anticipated was to the most admired producer in the industry, Billecart-Salmon in Mareuil-sur-Ay.
Maison Billecart-Salmon is a small-medium family-owned producer at the very top end and as you might imagine they are not able to say yes to all of the huge number of visitor requests. So it was with excitement, anticipation and a sense of awe that, like an excited herd of young billy goats, trotted off on our last day.
photo by Leif Carlsson
Pulling up to the house we were not disappointed; an elegant building of tan coloured stones, luxurious yet understated. Jerome, our guide for the tour greeted us warmly. Elegantly dressed, with refined manners and a subtle galliac dry humour he had us all transfixed.
Jerome and TheGrapeWizard
History was made 200 years ago, in 1818, when Nicolas François Billecart and Elisabeth Salmon who owned a vineyard were married, marking the creation of their Champagne House. Ever since, through 7 generations, each member of the family has stayed faithful to the motto: “Give priority to quality, strive for excellence”.
Our tour started outside at the esteemed 1 hectare vineyard Clos Saint Hilaire (which is about the size of Twickenham’s rugby field).
Clos St Hilaire
A Clos is a parcel of vines enclosed by a wall on 3 sides. Whilst grapes of different vintages and vineyards are blended, a Clos Champagne is made from the grapes from a single parcel of land. There are only around 20 Clos in the Champagne region and since one vine produces only around 5 bottles of wine you understand the cost of this most rare of vintages. The vines, soil and subsoil are farmed biodynamically with the use of draft horses and even grazing sheep to keep the weeds down!
The Clos Saint-Hilaire creates an exceptional champagne exclusively from Pinot Noir on limited release of between 3,500 to 7,500 individually numbered bottles and only in vintage years.
The champagnes of Maison Billecart-Salmon are created thanks to the knowledge of the men who rigorously cultivate an estate of 100 hectares, across 40 crus of the Champagne region combined with a complex and thorough blending process supervised by the elderly head of the family Monsieur Antoine Roland-Billecart. The majority of the grapes used for vinification come from a radius of 20km around Epernay, where the Grand Crus of Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay co-exist, in the ethereal vineyards of the Montagne de Reims, the Vallée de la Marne and the Côte des Blancs.
The Cuverie
As part of the ever present quest to raise the quality of their champagnes, in the Fifties, the House were the first to use the technique of cold settling (normally used in the brewing industry) combined with the use of stainless steel tanks for a longer fermentation at a lower temperature. The vinification is carried out cru by cru, grape variety by grape variety which allows for conservation of the full range of characteristics of the terroir to be captured. The low temperature encourages the most delicate ofaromas and allows all the purity of the fruit to be expressed. The elegance produced is the absolute signature of the Billicart-Salmon style.
Next on the tour was a visit to the Chais (wineries) one of which is a brand new state-of-the-art room built to celebrate Billicart’s bicentenary. They house 400 small and 24 gigantic oak casks where the wine is vinified in oak to reveal all its richness and aromatic complexity to create their latest cuvee “Sous Bois”.
The bottled wine then makes it’s way down to the chalk cellars which date from 17th and 19th centuries. Over three to four years, the non-vintage champagnes really blossom, staying around twice as long as the fixed regulations of the appellation. The vintage cuvées patiently wait ten years before they begin to reveal their maturity.
Allowing time to play its role is behind the grandeur of Billecart-Salmon champagnes.
And time now to savour the results. It did not disappoint. Tasting notes below.
If you want to learn more about Billecart-Salmon, catching up with an interview with Mathieu Roland-Billecart, the current CEO and the Chef de Caves then please go over to my website www.thegrapewizard.com. Simply sign up with your Email.
Tasting Notes
Billecart- Salmon Cuvee Elizabeth Brut Rose 2007
A salmon pink appearance with a whiff of red berries, citrus peel and stone fruits. Some would say fresh figs, white peach, almond macarons. A delight !
On the mouth a mixture of nectarine and cardamom – exposing the elegance of a tangy mandarin together with delicate flavours of cedar and exotic wood.
Pair with creamy poultry, langoustines and /or crunchy hibiscus macarons.
Serve at: 11-12°C
GW Rating 5/5
Billecart- Salmon Cuvee Louis Brut Blanc de Blanc 2006
APPEARANCE
golden yellow hue and a few green glints of youth.
PALATE
A beautifully refreshing flavours of citron zest, peach and white pepper
AROMA
whipped cream, white flowers and citrus fruits
Pair matches such as turbot or a creamy shellfish risotto.
Serve at: 11-12°C
GW Rating 5/5
Billecart- Salmon Cuvee Nicolas Francois Brut 2006
APPEARANCE: yellow gold veiled in luminous golden reflections.
PALATE:honeyed notes associated with stone fruits with aromas of citrus zest.
AROMA: preserved peaches, fine apple tart and lemon verbena tea
Pair with roasted poultry or a turbot in a creamy sauce.
Serve at: 11-12°C
GW Rating 5/5
Billecart-Salmon Extra Brut
APPEARANCE
A pale gold intensity.
PALATE: biscuity flavor with notes of white flesh fruits
AROMA :dried fruits and brioche combined with floral notes. Subtle notes of lemon verbena.
TASTING: Pair with prawns, grilled scallops and ceviche.
GW Rating 4/5
As for the family dynamics and the smooth running of a 4 day getaway for the first time ever… well thats a story for another day !
Any more info wanted on Billecart-Salmon please contact me. Truly a delicious wine and a fabulous House.
MUSIC Pairing
GW
Billecart- Salmon – Understated Elegance. Visiting Champagne is always a treat. The treat this time is that I also had the family in tow, a celebratory long weekend of birthdays and anniversaries.
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