Tag: netflix

“Run Away” (2026): a Defense, & a Complaint

January 16th, 2026

Caution: Spoilers for the limited series “Run Away” (2026) on Netflix, which is based on the book by Harlan Coben, so this probably contains spoilers for the book too.

The Defense

Wait, so I just Googled and saw that apparently people are hating on this show? What, why? FFS. Redditors really are the most insufferable people. They hate everything, including each other and everyone else. Every time I decide to casually check something on Reddit, I always leave feeling like I need a shower. All of the criticisms in this discussion – “this was stupid,” “that was stupid” – I must really be incredibly stupid indeed, then, because I loved this show.

Okay, I will admit that it did overuse the “dramatic musical sting” effect, especially in that one scene. And I will also give them this, that it did seem totally out of the blue how Simon randomly remembered his wife’s old modelling photos at the end of the show like that; that seemed to come out of the blue. Maybe the circumstances leading to his decision were explained better in the book.

As for the Reddit remarks about gun ownership in the UK and the availability of same-day DNA test results for significantly less than 10K, I can’t comment on that, other than to say that, for me as an ignorant American, it was convincing enough. I once had a writing professor tell me that fiction writers don’t necessarily have to get everything 100% realistic and accurate – they just have to be confident and sell it. And IMO, Harlan Coben really sold it.

One other minor complaint that my husband and I had was: why is the wife in a medically-induced coma for weeks after a shot to the shoulder, when Simon suffered pretty much the same exact injury and was out and about just a few days later? We kept wondering why she was still comatose, lol. Maybe this, too, is explained better in the book.

And now that they mention it, I guess it was pretty silly that Paige was just in rehab the whole time. Like really? While a missing persons report was active? And while her dad was running around getting in all kinds of trouble with drug dealers and such? The wife and her sister knew all along but were keeping it a secret, even through all of this high-stakes drama, simply because Paige has asked them to because she didn’t want Dad to be disappointed? That was the whole reason? 🤔 Imagine how Ingrid will feel when she finds out her husband blew 70k on this while she was asleep. 70k! In retrospect, the rehab thing just didn’t feel like an expensive enough secret.

However: none of these issues took away from my enjoyment of the show while I was watching it. I guess that makes me an idiot. Oh well, that’s not news to any of us around here, is it?

I agree that glaring plot holes do ruin the effect of a story… but I guess in the case of “Run Away,” the holes were, well, not exactly “small/minor” enough, but “sold” well enough that they just didn’t bother me. They blended in. It didn’t feel lazy. It’s like how some people pay good money for ripped jeans. Sure they have holes, but it works!, they look cool!

Like a great pair of ripped jeans, this show, as entertainment, is a 10/10 from me. It’s everything I needed it to be. The storytelling, the pacing, the characters, the twists – no complaints there. Totally engrossing. Just peak escapism.

I’ve never read any Harlan Coben books before, but now I think I probably will. As you know if you read this blog, I am very much in awe of mystery/suspense writers. They’re like sorcerers to me. The ability to captivate a reader/viewer like that, and hold their whole attention span and their emotions in the palm of your hand — to be so wildly entertaining that you can get away with a plot hole or two: it’s a superpower. I’d love to know how they do that.

This was, in some ways, a pretty standard crime thriller – formulaic, some even said – but there were a few things it did that kind of flipped the stereotype on its head, which particularly delighted me:

1, When Elena’s “tech person,” the computer whiz who can hack into anywhere and find out anything online, is her little 75 year old MIL, Lou.

2, Isaac + Ruby’s relationship. I know all the Reddit critics called it “unnecessary,” and maybe it was, but if we always boil a story down to just what’s “necessary,” what are we left with? A single Tweet? A 20-second reel? Why even read (or watch), if you only want what’s “necessary”? Come on now. Imo the love story added something of value. And the thing I really liked about it was, for once we see a very fit, conventionally-attractive man completely enamored of a heavyset woman with a sharp wit and sense of humor. And she seems to wield the power in their relationship: he wants to go public with it, she wants to keep it a secret because of work. Not to mention the way she objectifies him for fun, lol. I’m very much here for this role reversal (and their happy ending).

3, Professor VdB actually being a good guy. It would have been so easy to include another tropey, creepy male professor. I’m kinda glad they showed that it was actually just rumors perpetuated by thirsty female students.

Overall, 10/10 entertainment. I will say though that I had just one serious complaint about the plot. And it is more of a philosophical disagreement than a technical criticism.

The Complaint

When Elena finds out that her dead husband’s secret child was the product of not an affair, but of his so generously donating his sperm to a female friend who wanted to have a baby… and never telling his wife about it… and this exonerates him, in her eyes? She can now forgive him? 🤮 As I told my husband, I would actually much rather he have some passionate affair with another woman than deliberately conceive a child with another woman. Because the latter is so much more serious! Passion is fleeting and meaningless, but the human soul, joined to the body at the moment of conception, is eternal. And the fact that Joel did this knowing that Elena, his wife, couldn’t conceive a child – what a slap in the face! If I were Elena, I wouldn’t have gone and gotten myself killed because I’d be too busy trying to get a posthumous divorce, and/or drawing dicks all over Joel’s headstone with a Sharpie.

For me as a Catholic, this whole brushing off of the seriousness of Joel’s offense as “a selfless favor for a friend,” is just a glaring symptom of our culture’s distorted views on human reproduction. Children are not commodities that you can just decide to piece together at your convenience just because you want one. (Ironic, that this gross offense is cast in such a positive light in this show, while in the same breath the show decries illegal adoptions and the selling of babies, when these two are basically the same thing.) Children are the fruit of the singular, sacred love between husband + wife, co-created by God and entrusted by Him to those parents. When people try to play God with “reproductive technology,” surrogacy, sperm donation, what have you, it distorts that design. (And all kinds of bad things happen: surrogate mothers forced to undergo abortion if the “customer” changes their mind; wrong embryos implanted in the wrong mothers; not to mention the emotional/psychological distress and confusion that comes from being cut off from your biological relations (I mean just look at the whole plot of this show!); & et cetera.) Your DNA, your lineage, isn’t just something you should give away to a buddy or sell to someone who wants to buy it. Children are not products to be bought and sold.

In Conclusion

But, to step off my little soapbox, that’s the only thing that pissed me off about the show. Everything else is excusable, even Elena stupidly hopping in that car with Dee Dee, which was out of character for her. Super entertaining show, tight twists and turns, suspenseful as heck, even some bonus beautiful British scenery thrown in; don’t listen to those bitter Redditors who never like anything anyway.

I especially loved the slightly ambiguous ending. A lingering question is such a juicy cherry on top of a story, for me. Will he tell Ingrid the truth about Aaron, or will he not? IMO, he absolutely should not. Because what good would that accomplish? Why burden her with that knowledge? He better take that secret to the grave. But if you disagree, my inbox is always open, feel free to make your case.
GBBO Series 16 Final: Mith Reacts

November 8th, 2025

Contains Spoilers for this season as well as series 5 (2014)

“For the final to rest on one cake – it’s terrifying, really.” – Prue, before the third challenge

Well, we all saw that one coming, didn’t we? There was no stopping Jasmine – although the show really did all it could to try and create tension (see above quote), to give the impression that any one of them could win, and I think they did a good job. I really had my hopes up for Tom, after the technical, and then he got such rave reviews in the showstopper. Was it just me, or did it seem like the judges actually liked his showstopper better than Jasmine’s? I personally don’t think cardamom-raspberry-almond-lemon sounds like a good flavor combination at all, and Tom’s raspberry-basil-mango-passionfruit sounded much tastier… but, oh well. The win was fair and square.

Can we talk about how Jasmine is quite possibly the best contestant they’ve had on this show ever? Five Star Baker wins (a record shared with only one other contestant, Richard Burr from eleven years ago, who did not win his season) (the season of the original Bingate! Yet another parallel!). Jasmine made barely a single mistake the entire season – frankly, she is so good it became boring to watch! And she’s only twenty-four – good grief! Not to mention she was also completing her medical exams at the same time as she was competing on this show?! High-achieving people like this just boggle my mind! What an amazing baker and person.

But, it was more boring than exciting to watch, honestly. I think part of the reason her consistent perfection was more annoying than thrilling was because, perfect as she was, she wasn’t exactly adventurous. Aaron and Tom were both artistic, bold, ambitious, creative – really fun to watch. Jasmine was predictable – even the judges commented on how she liked to use the same flavors over and over – and she never seemed particulary impassioned about her projects, never really seemed to be fighting a battle, and never had some out-there idea that she was trying to realize; she always just calmly produced these perfect, rather impersonal, technically-perfect bakes.

Which, as I’ve observed before, is exactly what they’re looking for, on GBBO; this show is supposed to be about consistency, tradition, classics, and technical skill; Jasmine is exactly the champion they set out to find, when they started this show. In no way do I mean the above paragraph as any kind of criticism of Jasmine. It’s honestly incredible that she’s able to stay so dispassionate and even-tempered under pressure (I’m sure her experience in the medical field has something to do with this). I just like to see bit more drama and angst, I guess, and like to root for the underdogs.

No banana coladas! In episode five, Tom and Noel agreed that, if Tom were in the final, there would be banana coladas. I was hoping they’d actually follow through!

This was all just kind of disappointing, to be honest. Tom using citric acid instead of salt in the signature; Aaron never getting a handshake; Aaron breaking a glass bowl in the showstopper, which forced him to have to re-start the batter, and set him behind for the rest of the challenge; the unfortunate messes that were the technical madeleine towers (“sadeleines,” my husband called them).

At least it was cool to see all the other contestants back for the party. My favorite, Pui Man, looked gorgeous with her new hair, and of course Iain is engaged now, yay!

Speaking of, I looked Iain up on Instagram (I never follow any of the contestants or hosts while the show is ongoing, because the episodes air three days earlier in the UK, and I don’t want spoilers, but now the season’s over so it’s fair game!). And, he might be my retroactive favorite now, alongside Aaron, Pui Man, and Hassan. First of all, did you know that his insta handle is “thug loaf”? And, he’s apparently made a post about his Bingate: Redemption bake, in which he asks the Series 5 Iain from Belfast to reach out to him so they can collab and perhaps make a baked Alaska together. The video and the comments on it are gold:

… but, it doesn’t appear that Series 5 Iain ever got back to him. Alas! I kind of wonder if Original Iain is pissed off that people are still talking about it, haha I kind of get the sense that he just wants to move on and stop being perceived as “Iain from Bingate.” Anyway, Short King Iain was pretty much the high point of this season for me.

So yes, it was still a good season. Alison and Noel were especially great this year; I feel they’ve found their vibe, and have really achieved peak chemistry as a comedy duo. And the themes this season were all solid, and the judging was fair. Oh, and we got to learn about Paul Hollywood’s meerkat commercials! As an American, this was news to me, and I had to go find them on YouTube. There appear to be several, but this one is my favorite.

So yeah, a good season overall. I just hope that, next season, the playing field is a little more level. What are your thoughts? Leave me your comments!

“Claggy” count: 0 (grand total for the season: 5)

“Concertina” count: 1 (grand total for the season: 2. Is it just me, or does Paul normally say “concertina” a lot more frequently than he did this season?!)

High point: Tom’s expression of flabbergasted delight upon receiving such high praises for his showstopper table cake. His face looked like that of a teenage boy seeing boobs.

Low point: Aaron’s expression of utter defeat upon hearing that he came in second, not first, in the technical. The way he took a few extra seconds to even raise his hand. It really felt to me like at this point he kind of threw in the towel: no handshakes, no technical wins, and we all knew that Jasmine was gonna win anyway. Aaron seemed sad, to me, today, like he just had an aura of sadness, and I realized that I have a vague, irrational and perhaps-erroneous impression that he may be a melancholic personality type like myself, which is maybe why I like him. What do you think?

The dessert that I would most have liked to eat: Aaron’s pear-yuzu iced finger buns with hazelnut mousseline. It might have been Tom’s peaches-and-cream-cheese “hot dogs,” but the mistake with the bread dough looked and sounded pretty disastrous. What a bummer!
GBBO series 16 episode 9: Mith Reacts

November 1st, 2025

Spoilers Ahead for this episode of GBBO.

“It’s just baking.” – Tom, gazing pensively off into the distance at the end of the semifinal

Semifinal! You can really tell, just from the atmosphere, that the season is wrapping up. No fun little intro, just straight into it; and this was probably one of the most emotional, but also funniest, episodes of this show ever. We really got to see some of that camaraderie and friendship that the contestants always seem to have for each other, especially this late in the game. All the cheering for each other and the hugs, the little nicknames, the freaking Polaroid at the end. It’s really sweet. The cynical part of me wonders how much of it is for the cameras. I like to think it’s genuine. What do you think?

Toby said in the opening interview that he’s had a feeling this whole time that the finalists would be Jasmine, Aaron, and Tom – which made him nervous going into today. I was so sad to see his prediction come true; so he was right, when he said last week that he’d only be a one-time star baker. Why is it so sad? Why does it feel like he’s dying?! He’s just going home to his everyday life! My husband pointed out that we watch this show as if it’s Squid Game (which I did not watch, btw – too weird and grim, for me). It’s not like the losers are getting shot. But that’s the fun thing about this show. It’s so low-stakes – no cash prize to speak of, even – but they manage to make the stakes feel very high.

I’m bummed that Toby went home. I was so delighted to see that he included a little nod to Pui Man by using her gingerbread in the showstopper! And, I’ll miss his funny commentary: “Paul’s framboisier… it sounds erotic.”, “Tom’s turned into a chocolatier. Go on, Tom!”, and “LoOK aT ThiS,” as he showed off his melted puddle of mousseline … not to mention his sneakily spraying his showstopper with freeze spray after the “time’s up” call, lmao.

But, this week’s outcome was pretty predictable, I suppose. I had no idea, literally zero clue, who they’d eliminate, it could have been any one of the three dudes; but Jasmine being the winner, again, was no surprise. My husband remarked that he thinks Jasmine traded her hair to the devil in exchange for baking skills. She’s unstoppable! I was really surprised though when she said that “eight weeks ago, I didn’t know what a genoise was.” What? Isn’t genoise one of the most basic, rudimentary things that they make all the time, on this show? How did she go on this show without knowing what genoise was – hadn’t she watched the show before?! (Asking as someone who’s been watching the show for years and still doesn’t know what a genoise is, lol.) In any case, it clearly hasn’t hindered her at all. Any chance she won’t win next week? – no, I didn’t think so either.

But, hey! Aaron’s in the finale! My favorite made it to the finale! Apparently he’s like the best pastry chef out of the four of them; “we can’t all be Aaron,” Tom said bitterly during the signature challenge, “so why try?” He had a bit of a battle in the showstopper – those macarons just did not want to work out for him – but, he managed to make it work, even though the sloth’s face was unfinished (which was kind of a cute look, actually). And, I’d be really interested to try a salted popcorn flavor macaron. And I appreciated that he said he likes making cakes that actually look like cake, rather than all these weird illusion-style challenges. THANK YOU! That’s what I’m always saying! Also, I just love his laughter, it’s adorable. Whoever wins next week, Aaron’s my winner.

I can’t believe next week is the final. It’s over so soon. More than in previous years, I’m looking forward to seeing all the other contestants again, and finding out what they’ve been up to since filming! Do you think there will be banana coladas next week??

“Claggy” count: 0 (running total: 5)

“Concertina” count: 0 (running total: 1)

High point: “It’s not that kind of show, Jasmine.” Or maybe “what’s more impressive is, Iain’s inside that.” Or maybe Alison getting stuck on the fence. Alison and Noel’s banter was on point this week!

Low point: Paul coming down so hard on Tom in the showstopper. What the helly?! That was completely unfair, uncalled-for, and rude. True, it was a macaron challenge, not a chocolate challenge, but it wasn’t as if that chocolate beehive wasn’t completely covered in macaron bumblebees! If he’d skimped on the macarons then sure I could understand this critique, but I totally did not understand; all the macarons were there, and beautiful; the painting was not “lackluster.” Where was this coming from?! You don’t ding a student for handing in a perfect assignment plus extra credit! I seriously wonder if Paul was just mad that it was such a spectacular feat that Tom pulled off. Poor Tom was so crushed. He deserved better.

The dessert that I would most have liked to eat: Probably Toby’s chocolate macaron in the showstopper. Dark chocolate with hazelnut and peanut praline, and both judges raved about how chocolatey and flavorful it was. What would your choice be?
GBBO series 16 episode 8: Mith Reacts

October 25th, 2025

Caution: Spoilers

“When I come back next week, it’s gonna be full-on honey badger fight. Jasmine’s not having that star baker.” – Aaron, at the end of the episode

“Oh, I can see it squidging.” – Tom, of his freestanding trifle, at the end of the showstopper

Did anyone else find this episode disappointing all around?

For one: I was so excited when I saw that it was Dessert Week, but all of the desserts in this episode were kind of blah. All those cheesecakes, and not a single flavor combination that sounded yummy. And then, gluten-free steamed puddings? And then a bunch of booze-soaked trifles? Womp womp. For two: poor dear little Iain going home. He’ll be fine, I mean he’s like 20 years old, so just a baby, and he’s got a beautiful pole-dancing fiancee and all, so, he has his whole life in front of him. But, I’ll sorely miss seeing him and his Irish elfin antics on this show.

And, for three: Jasmine getting star baker again. It’s just getting boring, at this point! Her bakes are perfect and traditional and classic every time. Everyone else is a little more interesting to watch – Aaron with his avant garde flavors, Tom with his ambitious designs, Iain with his fine arts skills, and Toby’s quirky and fun style – but Jasmine’s just textbook perfection, challenge after challenge. Which I guess is what they’re looking for, on this show, really, and I respect that. But, still. It is kind of cool that Jasmine is the last woman standing this year.

It was wild how this week the placements did a perfect one-eighty from the signature to the technical. In the signature, we had Aaron and Jasmine in the lead, Toby in the middle, and Tom and Iain at the bottom. Then in the technical, we had Tom and Iain in first place, Toby in the middle, and Jasmine and Aaron in the bottom! Which makes things extra tense, going into the showstopper, because you know so much is hanging on that last challenge.

Another perfectly symmetrical thing that I noticed, that I don’t think I’d ever seen in this show before: in the technical, the order in which the judges tasted the puddings was the exact order in which the contestants placed, from worst to best: Aaron, Jasmine, Toby, Iain, Tom. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m pretty sure they were even seated in that order, each in front of their own bake. What a weird little coincidence!

Of note this week: Toby said during the signature that he thinks he will be “one week and one week only” as a Star Baker. I’m curious to see if that will come true. Will Toby win star baker next week, or possibly even the final? I’m sure the winner will be Jasmine, but, I can still get my hopes up. I like Toby a lot, and I love that he’s a fan of Christmas like I am. But I do wonder: how, as a British baker, had he never once made a steamed pudding before?, lol.

I’m also allowing myself to get my hopes up for my favorite, Aaron! He’s been my favorite since Pui Man went home in week three, and he’s still here! He really has a shot! He didn’t do well in the technical this week, but his saké plum cheesecake got perfect reviews, and his champagne-raspberry-chamomile-peach trifle apparently tasted amazing even though the textures were off. He might just win it.

And even if he doesn’t, we’re at the point now – the final four/five – at which all of the contestants are successful. They will go down in Bake-Off history as some of the best. If you make it to the quarterfinal, you’re pretty much Bake-Off nobility, if not royalty. Any one of these contestants could go on to like get a cookbook published or get their own TV show or land a great job somewhere at the drop of a hat, if they wanted to.

One other mildly interesting thing that I learned about this week: “Flipping Nora,” apparently a milder version of the colloquialism “Bloody Nora,” is, according to Google, a phrase “used to express surprise, irritation, or dismay.” Never heard that before in my life. And we heard it from Jasmine, of all people, lol!

That’s about all I’ve got for this week. It was not my favorite episode. Only two episodes left. What do we think will happen? Leave me your comments!

“Claggy” count: 0 (running total: 5)

“Concertina” count: 0 (running total: 1)

High point: Tom’s first technical win! He was saying after the signature that he really wanted to do well in the technical, and then he not only did well, but finally won. He’s been wanting to win one for weeks.

Low point: The lack of a single chocolate dessert in the entire “Dessert Week” episode. Toby did use white chocolate in his marbled cheesecake, but that just barely counts.

The dessert that I would most have liked to eat: Really, none of them. I was so disappointed that all of the trifles were soaked in booze! I don’t do alcohol, so these were all off-limits for me, which was devastating, because Tom’s Greek trifle sounded amazing: fig, almond, and honey – I was so excited about that one! But, in any case, he fell victim to almond extract, which, I literally do not know why any baking show contestant ever dares to touch almond extract for any reason, anymore, and the judges said it didn’t taste that great. Bummer all around. I guess if I had to pick one from this episode I’d go with Tom’s gothic-looking black sesame basque cheesecake, just for the vibes.

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GBBO series 16 episode 7: Mith Reacts

October 18th, 2025

Contains Spoilers for this episode, as well as Series 5 (2014)!

“This is so fun, Toby. You’re gonna really enjoy this!” – Iain, the first one to start in the staggered-start-time technical challenge, as Toby, the second, walked in

I think it goes without saying that Iain was the undisputed hero of the show’s first ever Meringue Week. Both his signature and showstopper made references to the history of the show itself: a little treat for us longtime fans. He’s clearly a huge nerd for this show, and I love it. The “lucky” rhubarb paid off, and then he went and won the technical (despite adding a truly aggressive excess of sugar to his soufflés), and then, in what was possibly the funniest thing to happen on this show since Bingate itself – Bingate: Redemption.

Was anyone else cry-laughing as Iain explained his trash-can-shaped showstopper?! As soon as I heard them explain today’s challenge – Vacherin Glacé, i.e. ice creams encased in meringue, sound familiar? – my mind went to baked Alaska, which of course made me think of Bingate, and wonder if another such fiasco would ensue. But, I’d completely forgotten that the guy who chucked his Baked Alaska in the trash back in 2014 was also named Iain and also from Belfast! (I just remembered him as an angry bearded white guy.) So this was just a hilarious coincidence, which this year’s Iain capitalized on brilliantly. I only wish that the judges had loved it more, so that the redemption would have been even more satisfying. Conveniently, though, 2025 Iain could “pass the buck” and blame the questionable flavor combo (coffee and dark chocolate) on 2014 Iain, which was again hilarious. I’m just dying to hear 2014 Iain’s response to this episode.

Iain may have been the hero this week, but Toby was the star baker – and well-deserved! Wasn’t it nice to see him win one? At first my husband and I were worried for him, because Paul seemed unenthused when Toby was explaining his plans for his signature – but then he ended up with the best signature of them all! He really did something original with the little meringue lattices on those apple tarts. I’m not that big on tropical flavors myself, so I wasn’t that interested in his mango-coconut showstopper, but the judges both loved it, and it was completely lactose-free which is pretty cool, and the meringue didn’t crack, which is quite a feat in itself; frankly, I was just glad to see him win instead of Jasmine, for once. His call home at the end was the best of the season so far, too.

I kind of got my hopes up that my favorite, Aaron, might win again. His signature was incredible, he was second in technical (one place ahead of Toby), and his showstopper was incredibly beautiful. “Ethereal,” as Paul described it. The monochromatic look was so bold, so elegant! But, I guess the judges weren’t so into the flavor combination – lemongrass, key lime, and stem ginger. It sounded refreshing, but, I guess they didn’t find it as delicious as Toby’s. Also, Aaron was the only one to merengue with Alison, which deserves a win imo.

How about Tom? Just like last week, he had me nervous, after not doing great in the signature and coming in next-to-last in technical – but then he saved himself with an amazing showstopper. Meanwhile, Jasmine was almost perfect once again, producing A+ signature and showstopper (Paul is apparently tired of giving her handshakes, lol) – but then! her soufflé in the technical was liquidy! Mark it on your calendars: this day was the day that Jasmine did a single thing wrong on Bake-Off.

Poor Lesley. From the start, I had a bad feeling that she was going to go home, when her lemon-raspberry tarts were “gloopy;” then she came in last in technical, after having to re-bake her tuiles. To her credit, though, considering how she had to churn out a second batch of meringues after botching the recipe the first time in the showstopper, she still managed to produce something very beautiful and delicious! Paul actually couldn’t stop eating her lemon-basil-strawberry “wedding cake” Vacherin. Unfortunately, the meringue was, predictably, underbaked, and because this whole episode was supposed to be about meringue, it’s fair that they dinged her for that. She was such a good sport, though. What a lovely person! As Prue pointed out, Lesley was in some ways the ideal baker: just having a good time, not trying to be cutthroat nor edgy, never getting too flustered or stressed. “Less haste, more speed,” Lesley said to herself in the signature. I’ll remember that one.

One other high point of this episode: Noel’s “fruit impressions” banter session with Jasmine. Why were his blueberry and mango so on point?! I wanted to see him do all of the fruits!

“Claggy: count: 0 (running total: 5)

“Concertina” count: 0 (running total: 1)

High point: Bingate: Redemption, obviously. This is probably the high point of the whole season so far.

Low point: Iain not getting rave reviews, tears of joy, a handshake, and Star Baker for Bingate: Redemption.

The dessert that I would most have liked to eat: Easy: Aaron’s blackcurrant-chestnut tarts in the signature. If you know me, you know I have a thing for blackcurrant. Combined with chestnut and yuzu, this sounded so different, and so fabulous. Usually Aaron’s flavors are a bit too adventurous for me, but I was so here for this one.

My official prediction for the order of eliminations from here on out: sad to say it but probably Toby, then Iain, then in the final: Aaron, Tom, and of course the winner will be Jasmine.

What are your thoughts? Leave comments!

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GBBO series 16 episode 6: Mith Reacts

October 11th, 2025

Contains Spoilers for this episode, as well as for Series 8 (2017) and series 12 (2021)!

Is it just me, or was this week massively disappointing? So much freaking sausage! I can deal with the occasional savory challenge here and there, but two in a single episode? Gross! I come to this show to ogle sweets, not for lard and pork and hard-boiled eggs. I feel like either the signature or the technical should have been a sweet pastry. I’d never even heard of a Gala Pie, but it did seem like an incredibly dated dish. Noel kept making jokes about how retro these dishes are, referring to little postwar 1950s kids in shorts eating lard sandwiches (“please, guvnor!”). Give a Gala Pie to any Gen Z, he said, and watch them start to weep and wail about “trauma.” Lol. I mean, to be fair, this show is supposed to be about classic British baking, which includes a whole lot of meat pies. It just turned my poor vegetarian stomach, watching all that leaky ground meat.

Which was why I was rooting for dear little Iain in the signature, out there representing for us herbivores! His tofu-broccoli “claddagh ring” pie looked and sounded really good. I just wish Paul had liked it more; apparently it was flavorless. (C’mon, you can’t serve flavorless tofu on TV! Don’t perpetuate the false stereotype!) It would have been nice if Paul’d been proven wrong about tofu twice in a row. Apparently the last time a contestant wowed him with tofu it was some actor from the show “Friends,” who I guess appeared on Celebrity Bake-Off at some point; I didn’t watch that one.

On the bright side, though, Aaron pulled through! (Again with the avant garde flavors, Aaron! Jasmine, ginger, and peach gel?! He’s so imaginative; I love to see it.) I was so sure he would be going home; even though his signature spicy Jamaican beef curry dish got rave reviews, he was last in technical, and made the mistake of using jasmine extract in his showstopper. How do people on these shows keep on making this mistake, lol? 99% of the time, in a baking show, if someone uses any extract other than vanilla, it bites them in the butt. Whenever you see someone using this that or the other extract, just know you’re about to watch them get chewed out about it. I was prepared to lament the loss of yet another favorite.

But it ended up being Nataliia instead. Which is fair, I guess – her chicken kyiv in the signature was too liquidy, she was fifth of seven in technical, and, like Aaron, she was personally victimized by artificial flavorings in the showstopper. I’m bummed! She was such a delight. This season will be a lot less fun without her, going forward. And anyway, I still thought her showstopper looked and sounded amazing, regardless of the raspberry extract. Paired with pistachio praline, chocolate ganache, and crème diplomat: yes, please. Speaking of baking show tropes: what a shame that she went out right after playing the formidable Dead Grandparent Card!

I am curious, though, and maybe someone can enlighten me: what was up with Tom’s rivalry with Toby going into the technical? Why was Tom like “I just want to beat Toby”? Looking back over the previous episodes, Toby won the technical in weeks one and two, whereas Tom was last in the technical in episode one and sixth in two. In episodes three and four, Toby was a few places ahead of Tom. Last week, though, Tom was in spot number four and Toby in number five, so it’s not like Tom’s never beat Toby before. Do they have some sort of frenemy thing going on behind the scenes, lol? In any case, this week Tom was sixth and Toby ahead of him in fourth, so I guess the battle rages on, if there is one.

Tom did do great in the showstopper, though. “Tom’s back in the tent,” Paul proclaimed, upon tasting that beautiful “risalamande”-flavored, Connect Four (ahem, “Four in a Row”) game-shaped tart. That was super impressive, and sounded delicious – you know I love cherry-almond flavors. If only he hadn’t used kirsch, this probably would have been my favorite bake this week.

Other stand-out bakes in the showstopper (because honestly none of the signature bakes nor gala pies stood out to me, blegh): Lesley’s gorgeous honey-glazed pecan pie covered in those precious little painted bumblebees. It’s so good to see her come out of the woodwork lately and start to really shine! And of course, we can’t not mention Iaian’s “Giant’s Causeway” tart. He’s such an artist. I’ve had the privilege of visiting the actual Giant’s Causeway, so this was really fun for me personally. What a bummer that he drenched it in so much whiskey, though. Too much booze even for Prue!

And in other news, guess who won again (yawn). I’m seriously getting bored of seeing Jasmine do everything perfectly every single challenge, lol. Can she just crash and burn once? Just kidding, of course. Huge congratulations to her, she is an absolute force of nature! It’s giving Sophie Faldo. Y’all remember how Sophie also just sailed through every challenge with a poker face, and never seemed even slightly shook? I’d like to see her and Jasmine in a bake-off, honestly.

Other than Tom and Jasmine in the final, I really have no idea what could happen in the coming weeks. I was pretty sure it’d be Toby or Lesley going home today; shows how much I know! It’s nice that this show can still surprise me.

And so far this season, the judging has seemed really fair; not once yet have I exclaimed “what tha hail?!” when the judgment’s been called, like I did when they eliminated Juergen in series 12 for example (seriously, though, I still wonder what the hail that was about). I appreciate that they’re looking at each contestant’s performance in each challenge throughout the show; they’ve been perfectly logical with their decisions, rewarding consistency. I have no complaints yet. What are your thoughts? Leave me a comment!

“Claggy” count: 0 (running total: 5)

“Concertina” count: 0 (running total: 1)

High point: “Oh, wow! Finn MacCool!” – Iain, with elfish delight, setting up his little decorated “giant” pastry figurines on his Giant’s Causeway-themed tart; immediate cut to a rather harried and grumpy Toby, glaring, muttering “no matter how stressful it is, you can always hear Iain having a nice time.”

Low point: Paul’s little temper tantrum at Toby while judging his signature. Not even a single word of congratulations for making the full puff pastry work, after being explicity told “it’s not possible”? Paul even dropped the word “bloody” in there (which, if I understand correctly, is a pretty vicious word to use, over in the UK). Is it just me, or did it seem like Paul was kind of mad that Toby proved him wrong? His thing wasn’t even that bad! To me, this kind of set a sour tone for the whole rest of the episode.

The bake that I would most have liked to eat: Toby’s burnt honey and mascarpone tart with blackberry reduction. Such a bummer that he didn’t have time to finish the little goat decorations (he thought had 4.5 hours but it was actually only four; I felt so bad for him, because that’s the exact same kind of dumb mistake that I make in my own life on the daily), but, the judges still loved the flavors. It sounded awesome! Toby was apparently my hero this week.

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GBBO series 16 episode 5: Mith Reacts

October 4th, 2025

Contains spoilers for this episode of GBBO!

“I’m a chronically disorganized person; worried about all of it, really!” – Toby, when asked what he’s worried about going into the showstopper

“Doin’ hand jelly again!” – Iain, frantically carrying handfuls of cherry jelly across his station as time runs out in the signature

Of note this episode: Tom and Noel made a deal that if Tom gets to the final, there will be banana coladas served. (Banana coladas? Sounds gross, imo, but as we know Paul is a big fan of banana flavor.) It’s almost certain that Tom will be in the final, so I’m eager to see if they follow through on this! Do you think they will?

In the little intro interview Nadia coolly observed that she felt confident, going into Chocolate Week, and knew what she was doing. The second she said that, my husband remarked: “She’s doomed.” We’ve learned to pay attention to these little subtle, foreshadowy hints that the editors drop. Poor Nadia! Meanwhile Aaron, in the same segment, said that he loves chocolate, and seemed excited and happy. My brain is tempted to try and squeeze some sort of spiritual lesson out of this, that it’s better to work from a place of love rather than from any sort of confidence in ourselves, or something, hahaha. But I think it was just thoughtful editing.

It’s too bad about Nadia. But I was thrilled for Aaron! Especially after all Alison’s jokes about the “rivalry” between Aaron and Tom, who both did tiramisu flavors in the signature; Tom, thus far, had had two star bakers, as Alison pointed out, while Aaron had none yet. The win was a pleasant surprise! It’s funny: I don’t typically love the flavors that Aaron chooses – they’re always so highbrow and adventurous! Thyme-infused white chocolate tart? Five-spice and sesame florentine? Not for me. But, he’s just so likeable and nice, and just seems like a really lovely individual, and his style is so elegant and stylish. I guess I choose my favorites based on personality rather than products. Is that weird? My husband thinks Aaron will be a finalist. Maybe the Curse of Mith’s Favorite is finally broken!

Readers, what do we think of the switched-up format for the Technical this week? Artistic license! The “gingham pantry!” This was something they’ve literally never done before. In the technical, everyone always has to make the exact same dessert, that’s the rules; but this week, they got to top their white chocolate tarts however they wanted and choose their own flavor combinations. I personally loved it, as a one-time surprise, maybe something to do very seldom – but wouldn’t want to see it become a regular thing. Because the whole point of the technical is comparing different iterations of a single recipe.

Who had your favorite flavor combo in the technical? I loved Nadia’s blackberry-raspberry, but then she came in last. Jasmine’s looked great, too, with the raspberry and hazelnut and dark chocolate ganache; but the judges said the dark chocolate overpowered and took away from the white, when it was supposed to be “about” the white chocolate. Which is fair, but, still sounds delicious. Poor Iain this challenge! Watching him drop that tart was physically painful. At least he stayed in good spirits about it.

Speaking of Iain, Paul commented that his showstopper looked like something out of Lord of the Rings, which was perfectly accurate, and the most Iain thing ever, because as you know I believe that he is secretly an elf. I was glad to see little Iain do well this episode. Although the technical was a disaster for him, he did well in both signature and showstopper. His fondue display was a recreation of some green Irish hillside that looked straight out of JRR Tolkien’s imagination. And but so he’s planning to propose to his very tall and very beautiful pole-dancing girlfriend at this very same elf kingdom locale in the near future!? How dear! Iain and Dervla: they do look and sound like two fantasy characters come to life, don’t they? I guess he has to do it now, and stat, because if he chickens out and then the season airs, everyone’s going to want to know what happened. Godspeed, little elf! I’m looking forward to the little updates that they always air during the end credits after the finale, now.

Can’t not talk about how there were not one, but two Hollywood Handshakes given out this episode. In the beginning of the season, I said that there were no clear front-runners, but by this point, halfway through, Tom and Jasmine have definitely emerged as very clear front-runners. It’s hard to say which one is “better,” out of the two of them; they’re neck and neck. Tom seems more artsy and daring while Jasmine seems more classic and traditional. I’ll be positively floored if either one of them is eliminated before the final.

Other highlights of this episode: Lesley “Techy Les” winning the technical! You all know I’m a fan of Lesley – she’s probably my other favorite alongside Aaron – and it was nice to see her in the spotlight. Nataliia’s “Last Day in Pompeii” showstopper was so cool; she always goes all-out with her ideas, and this time is really paid off; that black cocoa cake with raspberry-white chocolate sauce, mango-passionfruit curd and choux buns filled with passionfruit crème: dang! She’s out there doing the most. She has such a big, bright, and colorful personality, and seems to really pour that into her desserts. Also, Prue’s fruit-themed sweater: 10/10. On the downside, though, I was so disappointed that Toby’s showstopper didn’t get good marks. The campsite theme with the marshmallow and graham cracker cookies for dipping was such a clever idea, and seemed very “Toby.” Toby’s probably my other other favorite, alongside Lesley and Aaron. I kind of wish they could all win. Halfway through! Alas, it’s going by so quickly! We’ll find out soon enough.

“Claggy” count: 0 (running total: 5)

“Concertina” count: 0 (running total: 1)

High point: Obviously Aaron winning star baker! His happiness is so infectious. Consistency is key, and Paul said that his piano was one of the best thing he’d seen in chocolate in a while. His little coffee cups in the signature were immaculate, too!

Low point: Nadia’s signature challenge not working out. I was so excited to see white chocolate pistachio strawberry mousse cups – that sounded delightful, and was the dessert I was most excited about this challenge! They reminded me of little Easter eggs – but, tragically, the mousse didn’t set and the judges weren’t pleased.

The dessert that I would most have liked to eat: I was bummed that almost all of the chocolate mousse cups in this challenge included booze. Pretty sure Jasmine’s chocolate-hazelnut one was one of the only ones that didn’t mention some kind of liqueur, so I’ll have to go with hers; can’t go wrong with those flavors. Although, Iain’s little medieval chalices looked so cool, and I love chocolate-cherry; if only he hadn’t flavored them with beer!

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Watching “Adolescence” as a Catholic Mom

September 18th, 2025

Needless to say, this post contains spoilers for the show Adolescence.

A month or so ago, my husband and I watched Adolescence, which as you probably know is a highly critically-acclaimed British limited series, released earlier this year, available on Netflix. Which, btw, I just saw that that young actor just became the youngest boy ever to win an Emmy; well deserved, he acted the heck out of that role, damn. And I guess it was nominated for a ton of other Emmys as well, so I needn’t waste any time talking about what a good show it is. Personally I love the limited series format, and I wish that more shows would limit themselves to just one season; all too often, the creators keep on dragging things along long after the story’s died and rotted, just because there’s money to be had, and it’s disgusting.

But so anyway, as you know if you read this blog, I am a really stupid person and not any kind of critic or anything, so I can’t contribute anything of value to the existing discussions of this show. I don’t pay any attention to the whole “redpill” thing or to whoever Andrew Tate is, so I can’t comment on any of that, although it did seem painfully obvious to me that whoever wrote this show has like intense personal beef with this Andrew Tate. I haven’t been inside of a high school in seventeen years (thanks be to God), so I can’t comment much on the state of public education, either, although from what I’ve heard this show depicted it very accurately, which, yikes.

No, as is the case on this entire blog, I have no expertise, so the only thing I can really put out there is my personal reaction, in case anyone out there, like me, just wants to talk about it. And for me, the big takeaway, the thing that I was left thinking about for days and weeks afterwards, was: do we have any control, then, over who we are, and how our kids turn out?

As a mom of little kids, I worry about this a lot. Maybe it’s a “millennial mom” thing, but it gives me a lot of anxiety, trying not to mess up my kids. I always overthink about every single thing I say to them, and worry that I’m psychologically damaging them no matter what I do. At the end of the day: “I was too mean and strict, they’re going to be traumatized and go no-contact with me as soon as they’re grown up, and rightfully so!” Or: “I was too lenient, I’m spoiling them, what would my priest say?!, they’re not going to have any sense of respect or discipline, I am one of ‘those’ modern parents, I am part of what’s wrong with society!” It seems that no matter what I say, I always look back on it at the end of the day and think that I should have said the opposite. No matter what I do, I am damaging them somehow, and setting them up for a future full of misery and expensive psychotherapy. But, how much control do I actually have over my kids’ outcome?

In the last episode of Adolescence, it seemed like the show was simultaneously blaming Jamie’s parents, and excusing them from culpability for his actions. Yes, it was their fault, because Dad had unresolved anger issues and was at work all the time, and Mom didn’t pay attention to the warning signs, like the way that Jamie was just in his room on the computer all the time. But, also, Dad couldn’t really help it, could he, because his own dad was violent with him, and Jamie’s dad was just doing the best he could, trying to contain his rage and not take it out on his kids (but instead on things like sheds and vans). And I guess the idea was that Mom wasn’t really at fault because she lives in a world where teenagers sitting on their computers all day is normalized. Both parents were, in their ways, just products of their own upbringing and environment.

Aren’t we all? How much control do I even have over myself and my own choices? I’m not going to talk about whether or not free will exists. That question is too mind-bendy for me. As a Catholic, I know that it is somehow both true that free will exists and that God has the ultimate power as well as foreknowledge of how everything will end up – that I simultaneously have control over my actions and have no control whatsoever, which is confusing, but it makes sense as long as you don’t think about it too hard, because it certainly appears true that we have free will, and it feels weird to think otherwise. As you can tell I’m far from equipped to talk about such lofty subjects as free will.

So I guess the question here is, can anyone ever not be just a product of their own upbringing and environment? Can anyone ever not doom their children to be just products of their upbringing and environment? Is it really all just one big hopeless vicious cycle of disorder and trauma?

I admittedly stress about this a lot, and that stress definitely swelled up again, for a while, after watching Adolescence. But fortunately for me, I am, as I already mentioned, Catholic, and in the Catholic Church, we are shown the way to freedom – to breaking that hopeless cycle.

Sure, as long as you’re just being yourself, living according to your own human limitations, seeking no more than as much human satisfaction as you can get, you’re going to be stuck in the cycle. You’re probably doomed to misery. I do not know this firsthand, as I am definitely not a saint, but I know from reading the lives of the saints, that the only way to escape that cycle – to breach the surface of these whirling murky waters of human pain and struggle, and finally take a breath of air – is to become a saint. I’m pretty sure that’s the only way to be actually free. A saint is the only kind of person who’s entirely free from the world and all its emotional/psychic/material anguish. A saint lives entirely in the truth.

Hm, so, does that mean that, if I’m not a literal saint, I’m doomed to be a shitty parent, and my kids are doomed to generational trauma?

Well, first of all, I think there’s a common misconception about saints that they never do a single thing wrong. That’s not what a saint is. The saints are not the same as Christ or the Blessed Mother. On earth, they weren’t perfect. They sometimes get things wrong. But the thing that made them saints was that they loved God very much and were entirely devoted to doing His will, not their own. They are already living in eternity; they have their priorities straight. But they’re still people, i.e. imperfect. So, I don’t think it’s necessarily true that one must never ever make a single mistake in order to be a good parent, to raise mentally-healthy kids.

What, then, is the secret? – No, really, can somebody tell me? Lol. I try to do my best, but my oldest is still only five, so despite having four kids, I’m still quite new at this.

I figure probably one of the most important things one can do, when it comes to raising kids who are free from the vicious cycle that is the human condition – i.e., kids who have the best chance at true happiness – is to pass on the Faith to them. That is the most important thing that we can give them. But of course, we should also practice what we preach. It’s not going to help our kids much if we teach certain habits and virtues but behave completely differently in our own everyday lives. That will just lead to confusion and fallen-away souls. The responsibility of being a Catholic parent is incredibly daunting. Which is why stories like Adolescence make me so anxious. Am I doing enough to save my kids? Am I doing enough, am I doing enough, am I doing enough?? If you’re a mom, even a secular mom, you get it!

I’m never doing enough, it seems – but, at least my children will know their Blessed Mother, who is perfect, and who will never fail them like I inevitably will to some degree.

It’s always interesting to me when secular stories like this accidentally profess the truth of God and His infinite love. Yes, every person is indeed doomed to a cycle of hopelessness and ruin, evil and pain, if they try to live without God. I guess all good art tells us something about God, really, and that’s why it is good.
GBBO series 16 episode 2: Mith Reacts

September 13th, 2025

Contains Spoilers for this episode!!

Crisis averted! If you read my reaction to last week’s episode, you know that, when I choose a contestant as my favorite, it typically dooms that contestant to an early failure. My husband says I’m like a sniper in the trees outside of the tent, choosing my favorites. I was really afraid, in the first two challenges, that my curse was going to work its cruel magic again. It was not looking good for Pui Man! What the heck even happened to her caramel in the technical?! (Paul taking one look at her poor disintegrating hobnobs and just going “whot??!”, lmao.) But wow, did she ever pull it back in the Showstopper. That recreation of the floating restaurant in Hong Kong was incredible, flawless, and the judges raved about the “beautifully spiced” gingerbread and the way that it snapped. (Personally, I don’t care for cookies that “snap,” but, whatever.) I was so pleased to see her finally earn such stellar feedback.

Speaking of the showstopper, what kind of a crazy challenge was that? A 3D, functioning time “capshoole” box containing five mementos to represent a time in their life: who comes up with this stuff?!

This was the kind of challenge that makes me think about what I would make if I were on the show (if I had any sort of baking talent whatsoever). Do you ever do that? For a “time capsule” challenge, I’d probably try to build a gingerbread model of my house, which is a super cute brick split-level with a gambrel roof, and then for the mementos I’d make one each to represent my husband and kids: a teapot for my tea-loving husband, a copy of Charlotte’s Web for my five-year-old, a toy hedgehog for my four-year-old, a MagnaTile for my two-year-old, and maybe like a onesie for my youngest, who is two months old and doesn’t have any particular hobbies or interests yet. What would you guys make??

It was a tough challenge, but everyone did really well, I mean even the ones who got poor feedback (Toby, Aaron) did pretty well. Aaron’s cherry blossom decorations looked beautiful, with that sakura cherry buttercream, how clever. Although, I lol’d when Paul opened it and pulled out the “memento” cookies, which were, hm, not so beautifully decorated, and Paul goes “whot the hell is that?!” “that ain’t no scroll!” Ahh, I’m so sorry Aaron, but that was hilarious.

Toby didn’t do great this challenge either, but they did say that his chocolate-orange treasure chest looked amazing. It was a lot of ups and downs for Toby this episode. Toby, who’s my husband’s favorite because he has what my husband describes as a likeably “redneck” or “trailer park” vibe (husband’s words, not mine; don’t @ me), is one of my favorites as well, because I like his flavor ideas thus far. As you know, his cake in last week’s episode was my choice of “Dessert I’d most like to eat,” and this week I very nearly awarded him that honor again for his banana peanut slice & bake cookies with honey and cinnamon – unfortunately, both judges commented that the flavors didn’t really work out.

And speaking of the signature challenge: slice and bake! This was a good choice of challenge, and fun to watch, although I wished Pui Man’s had worked out. When Noel was chatting with her and asked her if she had ever managed to finish it in time while practicing at home, and she was just like “no” – lol. The way Noel completely didn’t know what to say to that, for once, and just decided to stop the joke there and walk away.

Aaron’s was the cutest this challenge, with the little baby face! He nailed it. And I was lol’ing again at Alison and Paul’s little back-and-forth about Aaron’s cookies here: her observation about the chocolate mishap on the bottom, and the absolute disgusted “wtf” look that Paul gave her. Bewildered Paul was like a theme this episode, and I’m here for it. The whole joke about the one-eyed “Noel” cookie had me dying, too, especially the way they just kept showing it again and again. And Leighton’s orange slices with chocolate ganache dip looked and sounded amazing, and got great reviews from the judges!

Which, I was completely confused when they sent Leighton home!?! Why?? He didn’t do so badly in the showstopper; it seemed like the judges gave him, like, I’d say approximately a B- for his gingerbread piano, which was underbaked but they said was delicious. Yeah, he was tenth in the technical (“did you pipe through a hose??”), but his signature was one of the best. So I really don’t see why he got sent home rather than Aaron, who was eighth in technical and did badly in the showstopper, or Toby, who although he won the technical, did mediocre in the signature and received probably the worst feedback in the showstopper. I don’t know, something’s not adding up for me, here. I really like Aaron and Toby – Aaron’s probably one of my favorites after Pui Man, and Toby did make “the perfect hobnob” in the technical, which, maybe that carried him through – but it seemed like Leighton deserved to stay.

Nataliia was impressive again this episode. Her cake slice cookie box with a functioning drawer was awfully ambitious; it’s unfortunate that the roof caved in. But I’d still eat it. And she came in third in technical, too! I really think she is one to watch.

I still think Tom’s going to be the winner this season, though. He got a handshake for his showstopper – and right after Paul said that his handshake was on holiday. That little cottage did look incredible, with the flickering light inside and everything.

This is starting to get long, so before I go I’ll just mention that I’m starting to really like Lesley and Nadia, as well. Nadia’s tomato macarons in the showstopper sounded so cool! Paired with limoncello cookies: what a bright and unexpected way to represent her Italian culture. And she came in second in the technical. It was too bad she went with matcha in the signature, otherwise I bet that avocado cookie would have been delicious. And Lesley – I don’t know, she just seems like a lovely person, it makes me happy when she’s on the screen. Who are y’all’s favorites so far?

“Claggy” count: 0 (running total: 2)

“Concertina” count: 0 (running total: 1) (I guess it’s kind of hard for a cookie to be claggy or to concertina.)

High point: Pui Man’s comeback!

Low point: Poor Aaron’s showstopper not working out. I feel like Paul was too hard on him for that bridge breaking. It didn’t completely ruin the effect.

The dessert that I would most have liked to eat: Honestly, give me some of those bad hobnobs. Any of them; like, Leighton’s looked good to me. I know they were a technical “failure,” but personally think an extra soft and chewy oat cookie loaded with way too much caramel and chocolate on top sounds a heck of a lot tastier than something thin, dry, and crunchy.

Leave me a comment!

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GBBO series 16 episode 1: Mith Reacts

September 6th, 2025

Caution: SPOILERS ahead for this episode, also for series 12 and 15 of the same show!

The Bake-Off is back! Finally. It feels like it’s been a long wait, doesn’t it? I’ve been craving this show for months, and this premiere hit the spot. I’ve been watching this show since 2017, and it is truly the OG baking competition show, the one that got me started watching all the rest of them.

The sixteenth season: I really feel like this show has aged well. It’s become self-aware without losing any of its authenticity; the 2025isms (“Prue is low-key savage”, all the jokes about Paul’s blue eyes, etc.) don’t feel out of place; the aesthetic hasn’t changed, but also hasn’t become dated; unlike so many shows that do not age well, it has managed to not become a parody of itself.

At the same time, it’s sad to me to see how old the show has gotten. Paul and Noel are both looking older. When Paul eventually retires, the Bake-Off simply won’t continue. How could it? Like him or not (and I do like him; I think the attitude is just a part of his job), he really is GBBO.

But it’s not time to worry about that yet. Another season begins, and I think this is going to be a good one. The editing in this episode was on point; my husband and I were laughing a lot; and, at this stage, there’s no obvious winner right out the gate (looking at you, Giuseppe in series 12), which raises the suspense level.

However, this episode was also tragic for me:

Over the years, my husband and I, while watching this show together, have observed a trend: the contestants that I pick early on as my personal favorites tend to be the ones who end up going home in the first few episodes. It’s become a running joke: my blessing is like a death sentence; my selection of “favorite” is a curse. And I’m afraid that, this episode, my cursing power was stronger than ever.

During the Swiss roll Signature challenge, when they were introducing Hassan and his creation, my stupid little ears perked up. Chocolate, coffee, and caramel: definitely the best flavor choices this challenge. And additionally, for his decorative inlay design, he chose blue roses. “Blue roses,” he said, “are a symbol of achieving the impossible.” If you know me, you know I was cheering for him from this moment, because I have a thing about blue flowers and their symbolism. Plus, Hassan seemed like a really likeable guy. But! I dared not speak aloud that I had chosen him as my favorite, lest I curse him. I kept my mouth shut.

And then!! Holy cow! The disaster that ensued! My husband and I were cry-laughing as poor Hassan tried to like knead the leaking gloppy chocolatey mess into some semblance of a Swiss roll shape. It still tasted amazing, apparently, but it was basically just a pile of broken cake and filling, heartbreakingly topped with some chocolate curls. (“He decorated the corpse,” my husband remarked.) Hassan then came in 10^th in the Technical, and in the Showstopper, Paul said his bamboo scene looked “like a bad dream,” which had me once again cry-laughing, because apparently Paul’s worst nightmares are about landscapes of stumpy, awkward bamboo stalks.

What else? There are so many contestants, this early in the game, that it’s hard to talk about how cool everyone is and every noteworthy thing that happened without rambling on for like 3,000 words, so I’ll try to keep it concise.

Nataliia was certainly a highlight of this episode! I did think it was interesting that Nataliia chose to do such an incongruous combination of flavor/decor in her Swiss roll: a traditional Ukrainian design for the inlay, with tropical passion fruit and mango flavors inside?! Hassan did the same thing, a Japanese landscape with a pumpkin spice cake inside! Weird; I feel like, if this were the Food Network Baking Championship, the judges would have dinged them for something like that. But, Prue and Paul didn’t seem to care.

Then Nataliia came in third in the technical, and her chocolate-cherry-rum “map of Ukraine” cake was, according to Paul, “a special cake” and “stunning.” Good for her!

And then she won!? Honestly, I was expecting either Tom or Iain to be star baker this episode. Even though he came in last in the technical, his blueberry mascarpone Tartan-patterned Swiss roll was phenomenal, and his Icelandic waterfall landscape cake in the Showstopper looked and sounded incredible. He’s one to watch for sure. Iain also killed it in both the Signature and Showstopper. That artwork of his university on the inlay of his Swiss roll was insane! Contestants with fine arts skills always go far in this show (thinking about little Sumayah last year). And then, the beach design on that chocolate stout/blackberry cream cheese cake, dang! So, I was sure it would be one of these two dudes. I was surprised when they called out Nataliia. But then I looked back on the episode and yeah, she really was the most consistently good, and then her showstopper was next-level, so, the win was well-deserved! I really like Nataliia and would love to see her win the whole thing.

Two IDK LOL moments that were peak TV: Pui Man randomly putting rosewater in her fondant fancies in the technical, for no reason at all. When Paul asked why she did that, she was just like: “I don’t know,” lol. I can relate. Also, Nataliia telling Noel during their little chat session that she “didn’t know” what her husband was good at, hahaha. Noel Fielding is such a blessing to this show.

I like so many of the contestants this year but I’ll try and wrap this up. A couple final observations. Iain looks like Puck from The Sandman season two. He’s like a sneaky little baker elf (what kind of magic spell did he cast to get that cake to stay together after it collapsed in the showstopper?!), and I think he might win the whole thing. My husband and I both really liked how they did the technical this episode; letting the contestants see and taste the finished fondant fancy, and giving them more ingredients than they needed to use, made it really fun to watch (those ground almonds were a trap!). This episode also taught me what myxomatosis is, as my heart broke for Leighton’s poor little decorative sheep. Also, there was a whole lot of lemon in the Signature, did you notice that? Five out of twelve Swiss rolls were lemon!

And before we go, can we talk about Pui Man? She somehow managed to make matcha taste amazing in the Signature! That takes a crazy amount of skill. And this was right after she said in conversation that she “doesn’t eat sweets” – lolwut?! Ma’am? You don’t like sweets? As a contestant on GBBO? This girl is quickly becoming my favorite, hahaha – no, wait, I take that back!! I never said that. She’s not my favorite. I don’t have a favorite!

“Claggy” count: 2

“Concertina” count: 1

My high point: Everything Pui Man did.

My low point: Drag king? Eww. Poor taste. This show’s supposed to be family-friendly. Surely there’s some other element of her life that they could have chosen to showcase.

The cake that I would most have liked to eat: Toby’s PB&J Showstopper cake, with browned butter sponge, white chocolate, strawberry jam and praline. If you know me, you know I’m all about peanut butter desserts, and I always love when a contestant goes for the PB&J theme on this show, because it’s not exactly a common flavor combo in the UK.

My official prediction for winner: Tom, with runners-up Iain and Nataliia – but, as I observed earlier, it’s hard to say, at this point! Jessika, Lesley, and Aaron also seem like potential champions.

What do you think?? I don’t usually beg for comments (or even allow comments on most of my junk, lol) but leave me a comment!

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