Friday, January 8, 2021 Game Recap and Discussion (SPOILERS)

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talkingaway
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Re: Friday, January 8, 2021 Game Recap and Discussion (SPOILERS)

Post by talkingaway »

mas3cf wrote: Fri Jan 08, 2021 9:26 pm
TriviaBug wrote: Fri Jan 08, 2021 8:55 pm I bet many tears were shed in front of tv sets through the country. I have a lump in my throat. You are forever with us, Alex.

This is an FJ which is easy to overthink as the name of the lady and even the Greek roots are a distraction...I reworded it in my head as "what is the term for different forms of the same element?"
"Different forms of the same element" would be allotropes. That's why the clue threw me off for a second. I wouldn't call an isomer a "different form" - it's just a different mass.
I had to peek on the archive to see what today's FJ! was, so I'm not 100% sure that I got it in 30 seconds...but I got it. I was running through Greek roots and couldn't find one. Then I thought of "substance", and my chemistry background got me to the correct response. And, in a sense, both "isotope" and "allotrope" are both different forms of the same substance. Take carbon. You can have two different isotopes - C-12 and C-13 - that differ by a neutron. Or two allotropes - graphite and diamond - that differ primarily in the spacial relation among all the carbon atoms (but can have some different isotopes within them too.) So, both would be reasonable answers...until you get to the Greek root, which pins it.

I'm curious about this - does ANY Australian state appear more often than New South Wales? Or am I just primed to notice it whenever I hear it, like Sue Grafton?

A nice tribute to Alex at the end. I wonder what, if any, tricks they used to get it in there without messing up the game. Anyone stopwatch the episode to see if it's of the normal length? Maybe some of the ads that J! themselves place in there got bumped for one episode, but I noticed GEICO was still there.

It's going to be weird Monday. But J! will hopefully live on - Alex has pretty much said that that's what he wanted. And while it won't be the same, there will still be answers and questions. We'll still moan about wagers. And, hopefully, we'll all get a little bit smarter for all of it.
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Re: Friday, January 8, 2021 Game Recap and Discussion (SPOILERS)

Post by The Talking Mime »

What a run it's been; hosting over 8,000 episodes, inspiring and entertaining millions of viewers and becoming a cultural icon in the process. His life ended earlier than we would've liked, but what a life it was. Thank you for everything, Alex. The impact you've left will remain for a long time.

It was a little thing, but I loved how the camera remained focused on him for the credits (and of course, the post-show tribute was excellent, as well). It'll feel weird with someone else hosting on Monday, but no matter who's hosting, I'll still be parked in front of the TV every evening. Jeopardy won't die because Alex did; if it does die, it will be from low ratings or low interest, like other game shows past and present. Hopefully the rest of the world's J! fandom is like ours and that there'll still be a steady audience every night, especially in this transitional time.

I don't know if it's been mentioned here yet, but a Reddit comment suggested naming the Jeopardy studio after Alex. I really hope they do something like this.
"There is much pleasure to be gained from useless knowledge."
-Bertrand Russell
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Re: Friday, January 8, 2021 Game Recap and Discussion (SPOILERS)

Post by Roadgeek Adam »

Bob Harris has also suggested renaming Studio 10 as the Alex Trebek Studio.
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Re: Friday, January 8, 2021 Game Recap and Discussion (SPOILERS)

Post by rockyboy34 »

Roadgeek Adam wrote: Fri Jan 08, 2021 10:25 pm Bob Harris has also suggested renaming Studio 10 as the Alex Trebek Studio.
Brilliant idea right there.

Man, that episode hit hard, especially the ending. :cry:

It really is an end of an era...

Rating for episode: 8/10 (B+)

PS: My dad did a steak night to honor this last episode in memory of Alex Trebek.
It's the end of the journey that counts.
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Re: Friday, January 8, 2021 Game Recap and Discussion (SPOILERS)

Post by opusthepenguin »

talkingaway wrote: Fri Jan 08, 2021 9:58 pm A nice tribute to Alex at the end. I wonder what, if any, tricks they used to get it in there without messing up the game. Anyone stopwatch the episode to see if it's of the normal length?
The episode was of normal length. They usually run between 19 1/2 and 20 minutes and this one was 19'37". The tribute added another 1'29". In my market they made the time for it by shaving half a minute off each of the breaks.
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Re: Friday, January 8, 2021 Game Recap and Discussion (SPOILERS)

Post by davey »

floridagator wrote: Fri Jan 08, 2021 9:55 pm
zakharov wrote: Fri Jan 08, 2021 8:04 pm
floridagator wrote: Fri Jan 08, 2021 7:59 pm I think the middle contestant said Gays instead of Gaye.
Even though he did not say that....this offended you?
Not at all. I just know what a stickler they are for added or missed plurals.
In J!, plural or singular rarely matters...And if Gays was his last name, it wouldn't be a plural, would it?
But as zakharov notes, he said it right, anyway.
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Re: Friday, January 8, 2021 Game Recap and Discussion (SPOILERS)

Post by Bamaman »

I hope nobody was offended they didn’t have a full credit roll.

I second Bob’s motion. “From the Alex Trebek Studio, this...is...Jeopardy!.
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Re: Friday, January 8, 2021 Game Recap and Discussion (SPOILERS)

Post by talkingaway »

opusthepenguin wrote: Fri Jan 08, 2021 10:44 pm
talkingaway wrote: Fri Jan 08, 2021 9:58 pm A nice tribute to Alex at the end. I wonder what, if any, tricks they used to get it in there without messing up the game. Anyone stopwatch the episode to see if it's of the normal length?
The episode was of normal length. They usually run between 19 1/2 and 20 minutes and this one was 19'37". The tribute added another 1'29". In my market they made the time for it by shaving half a minute off each of the breaks.
I don't remember the exact vocabulary, but I know there are generally two kinds of ads for syndicated shows - ads that are placed by your local station, and ads that are placed by the syndicator. For sitcoms, I think they add in the latter type of commercials, which causes some shows to eliminate a joke or two, or to cut the opening/closing credits.

I would imagine it's the latter that were reduced for this episode, as giving up the former would require all stations to either agree to eliminate 3 commercial slots, or to expand the program block by 90 seconds.
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Re: Friday, January 8, 2021 Game Recap and Discussion (SPOILERS)

Post by opusthepenguin »

Surprised by the TS on what fells great oaks. Mrs P had the same confusion as Jim and guessed little acorns.

No Beatles fans among the contestants. Cliff made a decent guess with "I Am the Walrus". Presumably "joo joo eyeballs" reminded him of "goo goo g'joob" and he pulled the trigger.

Good get by Yoshie on New South Wales. A nice present to Alex on his last day to have a contestant who knows Canadian geography. :D

Sad for Yoshie that she would have won if she just hadn't rung in on Weimaraner. But as davey mentions, it did give Alex a chance to whip out one of his trademark phrases. Ooooh, sohrry. He really seemed to relish it too. He drew it out a bit and gave us the dance version. A nice parting gift for him and for us.

https://youtu.be/licJ_nPQq_A

University and seminary Greek paid off tonight as I bumbled into the correct response via the roots. I turned equal into "iso" and place into "tropos". (I make that mistake all the time.) That got me isotrope which I recognized as not quite right and removed the extraneous letter. The clue didn't have me thinking about elements at all, so I doubt I'd have gotten there by a different route.
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Re: Friday, January 8, 2021 Game Recap and Discussion (SPOILERS)

Post by twelvefootboy »

talkingaway wrote: Fri Jan 08, 2021 9:58 pm
mas3cf wrote: Fri Jan 08, 2021 9:26 pm
TriviaBug wrote: Fri Jan 08, 2021 8:55 pm ....
This is an FJ which is easy to overthink as the name of the lady and even the Greek roots are a distraction...I reworded it in my head as "what is the term for different forms of the same element?"
"Different forms of the same element" would be allotropes. That's why the clue threw me off for a second. I wouldn't call an isomer a "different form" - it's just a different mass.
I had to peek on the archive to see what today's FJ! was, so I'm not 100% sure that I got it in 30 seconds...but I got it. I was running through Greek roots and couldn't find one. Then I thought of "substance", and my chemistry background got me to the correct response. And, in a sense, both "isotope" and "allotrope" are both different forms of the same substance. Take carbon. You can have two different isotopes - C-12 and C-13 - that differ by a neutron. Or two allotropes - graphite and diamond - that differ primarily in the spacial relation among all the carbon atoms (but can have some different isotopes within them too.) So, both would be reasonable answers...until you get to the Greek root, which pins it.
Appending previous discussions on this clue:
Dr. Margaret Todd gave science this word for different forms of one basic substance; it’s from the Greek for "equal" & "place"

This is a terrible description for an isotope. I settled on isotope because of the etymology (without connecting "tope" to "topology" which would have been helpful). I would not consider the nuclear structure to ever be descriptive of the "form", which is dictated by electromagnetic forces between electrons that are as far away from it as 2 miles is to a basketball. I actually started with enantiomers based on the "forms", and quickly rejected it as too technical and then went to the wordplay. Allotropes and Isomers are understandable negbaits.

In spite of a poorly worded clue, the writers taught me something. I will have to check out Dr. Todd. I was unaware of this origin story, and I have always been fascinated with the "Thirty years that shook physics" of the early 20th century. (reference to book by George Gamow).
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Re: Friday, January 8, 2021 Game Recap and Discussion (SPOILERS)

Post by trainman »

talkingaway wrote: Fri Jan 08, 2021 10:56 pm I don't remember the exact vocabulary, but I know there are generally two kinds of ads for syndicated shows - ads that are placed by your local station, and ads that are placed by the syndicator. For sitcoms, I think they add in the latter type of commercials, which causes some shows to eliminate a joke or two, or to cut the opening/closing credits.
"Jeopardy!" contains both commercials that are added by your local station and commercials that are added by the syndicator (the latter are called "barter") -- the syndicated commercials come between the end of the DJ! round and the bumper in the middle of that break. I didn't time out the breaks while I was watching, so I'm not sure exactly what got shortened in this episode.
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Re: Friday, January 8, 2021 Game Recap and Discussion (SPOILERS)

Post by talkingaway »

twelvefootboy wrote: Fri Jan 08, 2021 11:12 pm
talkingaway wrote: Fri Jan 08, 2021 9:58 pm
mas3cf wrote: Fri Jan 08, 2021 9:26 pm
TriviaBug wrote: Fri Jan 08, 2021 8:55 pm ....
This is an FJ which is easy to overthink as the name of the lady and even the Greek roots are a distraction...I reworded it in my head as "what is the term for different forms of the same element?"
"Different forms of the same element" would be allotropes. That's why the clue threw me off for a second. I wouldn't call an isomer a "different form" - it's just a different mass.
I had to peek on the archive to see what today's FJ! was, so I'm not 100% sure that I got it in 30 seconds...but I got it. I was running through Greek roots and couldn't find one. Then I thought of "substance", and my chemistry background got me to the correct response. And, in a sense, both "isotope" and "allotrope" are both different forms of the same substance. Take carbon. You can have two different isotopes - C-12 and C-13 - that differ by a neutron. Or two allotropes - graphite and diamond - that differ primarily in the spacial relation among all the carbon atoms (but can have some different isotopes within them too.) So, both would be reasonable answers...until you get to the Greek root, which pins it.
Appending previous discussions on this clue:
Dr. Margaret Todd gave science this word for different forms of one basic substance; it’s from the Greek for "equal" & "place"

This is a terrible description for an isotope. I settled on isotope because of the etymology (without connecting "tope" to "topology" which would have been helpful). I would not consider the nuclear structure to ever be descriptive of the "form", which is dictated by electromagnetic forces between electrons that are as far away from it as 2 miles is to a basketball. I actually started with enantiomers based on the "forms", and quickly rejected it as too technical and then went to the wordplay. Allotropes and Isomers are understandable negbaits.

In spite of a poorly worded clue, the writers taught me something. I will have to check out Dr. Todd. I was unaware of this origin story, and I have always been fascinated with the "Thirty years that shook physics" of the early 20th century. (reference to book by George Gamow).
I agree with you that it's not a good description of "isotope", and it's quite clear that they were trying to hide some information while giving a little bit of a clue. I guess they thought going "equal + place + chemistry" was too obvious, so they just went with science and the nebulous "substance".

I agree that "allotrope" and "isomer" are reasonable negbaits, but allotrope has never been the salient part of a clue, nor has it ever been a response. It might be slightly "inside baseball" unless you're combining it with some wordplay ("AL" ABOUT CHEMISTRY). Sometimes, too much knowledge is a burden. It's not completely unreasonable trivia, but J! is notably a little wonky on science.

Isomer has been a relatively recent addition to the canon. But, when it doubt, go with the Greek roots.
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Re: Friday, January 8, 2021 Game Recap and Discussion (SPOILERS)

Post by jeffwolfe »

trainman wrote: Fri Jan 08, 2021 11:17 pm
talkingaway wrote: Fri Jan 08, 2021 10:56 pm I don't remember the exact vocabulary, but I know there are generally two kinds of ads for syndicated shows - ads that are placed by your local station, and ads that are placed by the syndicator. For sitcoms, I think they add in the latter type of commercials, which causes some shows to eliminate a joke or two, or to cut the opening/closing credits.
"Jeopardy!" contains both commercials that are added by your local station and commercials that are added by the syndicator (the latter are called "barter") -- the syndicated commercials come between the end of the DJ! round and the bumper in the middle of that break. I didn't time out the breaks while I was watching, so I'm not sure exactly what got shortened in this episode.
The interviews seemed rather abrupt to me, and it wasn't until the tribute ran that I realized why. I bet they got a lot of time there. I imagine they shaved seconds everywhere they could.
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Re: Friday, January 8, 2021 Game Recap and Discussion (SPOILERS)

Post by econgator »

opusthepenguin wrote: Fri Jan 08, 2021 11:10 pm Good get by Yoshie on New South Wales. A nice present to Alex on his last day to have a contestant who knows Canadian geography. :D
Ummmm, what?
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Re: Friday, January 8, 2021 Game Recap and Discussion (SPOILERS)

Post by Woof »

An interesting end to the Trebek era. I agree that the wording of FJ left much to be desired. I started with isomer but knew the -mer didn’t mean place so thought if other iso- terms. I got to isotope before Think music had ended but would I have had time to finish writing it?

The tribute to Alex at the end was well done but I was tearing up by the end. Fare thee well, Alex, and thanks for all that you gave us.
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Re: Friday, January 8, 2021 Game Recap and Discussion (SPOILERS)

Post by seaborgium »

I'm not so sure the Weimaraner error cost Yoshie the game; given she was all in yesterday but bet $0 today from close second-place positions, and on Wednesday she made a non-cover wager from a close lead, I think it's possible she would have underwagered herself out of a third victory if she'd had the lead today.

Not a monumental game in the regular sense, but there was a dramatic TDD attempt, and a solid, good-sized win. It's a fine send-off for Alex.
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Re: Friday, January 8, 2021 Game Recap and Discussion (SPOILERS)

Post by Johnblue »

I’m in Southern California right now which is a bit of a disaster zone with CV. Can’t even watch the news these days. Too depressing. We did delay picking up dinner in order to watch this final episode of Jeopardy. I didn’t realize they’d have a tribute tonight but we’re going home on Sunday & luckily it’ll be on my DVR.

Not a great game but it’s better than anything else these days.
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Re: Friday, January 8, 2021 Game Recap and Discussion (SPOIL

Post by yclept »

I loved the closing tribute.

I was hoping he would have witnessed a good match on his final day, and he did. It was complete with a huge missed DD and a solid score for the new champion.

I think Jeopardy will endure, and part of that is because of Alex. Even though he was the star of the show, he made sure to make the game itself the real star. As long as the next permanent host keeps that ideal, it will be fine. Different games require different hosting styles. Jeopardy isn’t made for a larger than life host, though you need to know when to mix in the humor and when to be straight laced.
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Re: Friday, January 8, 2021 Game Recap and Discussion (SPOILERS)

Post by LucarioSnooperVixey »

Evidently, Discontinuity was a stumper and not Solzhenitsyn. Seems like Mark made a boo boo, but I checked the Archive again and it is fixed now.
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Re: Friday, January 8, 2021 Game Recap and Discussion (SPOILERS)

Post by opusthepenguin »

seaborgium wrote: Sat Jan 09, 2021 1:33 am I'm not so sure the Weimaraner error cost Yoshie the game; given she was all in yesterday but bet $0 today from close second-place positions, and on Wednesday she made a non-cover wager from a close lead, I think it's possible she would have underwagered herself out of a third victory if she'd had the lead today.
Fair enough. We'll say it cost her the chance to cost herself the game. :lol:
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