Rounds:
Here.
Disclaimer: I watched this episode when it first aired, and although I
did not recall any of it I cannot rule out memory being a factor.
Before we get to the contestant introductions tonight, David remarks that he was "poetically ambushed" last night (as I mentioned at the end of the write-up for
episode 271). He feels it is only fitting that he gets a chance to respond, which he does:
Letters are electric: They tell stories, excite.
They have flashes and fusions that sparkle all night.
Whereas numbers... are just numbers.
Heh. I do recall that opening from him rather vividly; he set the joke up well, getting a good scansion going, only to drop it completely to emphasise the flatness that he associates with the numbers. I had not recalled Lily's poem that prompted him to respond that way, however, so seeing the episodes again has restored some useful context. That said, at the time I was perhaps a little miffed, and I composed this in response:
There's a beauty, when seen through math'matical eye,
In the simplicity of one, in the transcendence of π.
Or the dance of the primes; they've an endless supply
of curious and interesting patterns to spy.
Numbers lay the foundations on which we build high;
They guide us to truths that none may deny.
Language is fluid, tricksy, and sly;
Words may deceive, but the numbers... don't lie.
And now, back to our regular coverage.
Win or lose, this is Brydon's last night until the finals. Richard asks about his highlights from the previous games; I guess I find this slightly better than asking about technique, but not by that much. Brydon says that there were a couple of earlier games that went down to the conundrum, and he's not sure that he can handle another one of those.
Tonight's challenger is Niall Donohue, a worker in the energy industry. That involves installing things like shower heads, light globes, or other things -- anything that can reduce the electricity requirements and carbon footprint.
Niall chanced a colloquialism in the first round, and that was a costly mistake. The two contestants had equal-scoring results for the rest of the game, except for the last two numbers rounds. Niall took the points on the first of those to take the lead at last, but Brydon did well on the last one to sneak back into first place. With just four points separating the contestants going into the conundrum, we had the situation that Brydon was hoping to avoid. They both struggled with it, but with just a few seconds left Niall buzzed in and it looked like Brydon's run was at an end. However, Niall had done so out of desperation alone, and his answer was invalid. Brydon scraped by thanks to that first round result, winning 52 to 48, and successfully retired. We'll see him again in the finals.
I was in good shape until I tanked it on the last numbers round. I also had my difficulties with the conundrum, but was glad to solve it and push my score into the seventies again.
As usual, details after the jump.
