Blakeston

I'm pretty sure Martha said something last season about Gene being the inventor of the mail robot.

So Philip framed the inventor of the mail robot, even though he'd recently hidden the bug in the mail robot? That seems dumb of Philip to think the FBI wouldn't check the mail robot - and the FBI seems even dumber for not checking it.

Being as we're asking about the bug on the FBI office...didn't the FBI find the bug in the mail robot, which made Gene the obvious person to frame? Did Elizabeth and Philip plant a new bug in it after that? Is the FBI stupid enough to not re-check it?

I guess the idea is that Pastor Tim is so convinced of his abilities as a Super Pastor that he thinks he can resolve any issue with his incredible counseling skills. "You're a wreck because your parents are Soviet spies? Bring them to my office! We'll get this all sorted out with a gab session." The whole "I'm not sure if I should turn you in or not - I suspect that you hurt people" thing doesn't seem to fit with that naivete, though. He's an illegal. There was a reference to it in the season premiere.

I don't know why I'm repeatedly defending the vile Pastor Tim in this thread - but I don't see a problem with what he said about Jews in Russia. He criticized the USSR for not treating religious people equally, and then pointed out how Jews were prevented from practicing Judaism. That all sounds accurate to me. As badly as people of Jewish descent were treated in the USSR, the ones who lived secular lives weren't treated as badly as the ones who tried to practice their religion. He didn't say, "Your country is fine with Jews, unless they're religious." That's what I would have told them - "We met at a group home run by the state for children without parents." I don't know what Philip and Elizabeth claimed, but Elizabeth claimed to have that "great aunt."

But if he doesn't believe her, why tell Elizabeth and Philip that he hasn't made up his mind about whether to keep his mouth shut?

Philip and Elizabeth told him that they're just enthusiastic activists, but I don't think he's convinced. His position seems to be that he'll keep Paige's secret only if it turns out her parents are what they say they are - and he's not sure yet if that's the case. He's still an idiot, of course.

The thing is, I don't think Betty's comments were even a rebuke to Trixie's makeup. Trixie isn't going for glamour, she's going for an over-the-top sight gag. Betty calling her out on her makeup being unattractive would be like someone calling out Alexis Mateo on her Alicia Keys impression being inaccurate.

I still like Bob, Thorgy and Chi Chi, but I feel like I got to see their negative traits this time around. More than anything, Thorgy annoyed me with her bitterness over not winning the Empire challenge. You were good, but you weren't the best. Deal with it.

So they aren't told which song from the list they'll be lip syncing to until after the challenge - when the producers basically know who will be in the bottom?

Courts have rejected the "But I didn't cash the check" defense. (Here's one example.) A signed check is considered something of value, and accepting a check from someone is accepting something of value from them. That depends on how you interpret Gus. But they haven't given us a significant character who's been confirmed as gay.

This was the dialogue Gabriel and Elizabeth had about her mother dying: Gabriel: Elizabeth, your mother died. We had someone with her - she wasn't alone. She spoke of you and Paige. She wanted to send a message that she loved you. Elizabeth: Did she? Gabriel: What do you mean? Elizabeth: (pauses) Did she really say that? Gabriel: Of course she did. I think the writers must have worded it that way to give Elizabeth's "Did she?" some ambiguity. On some level, she was questioning whether her mother, who sent her off permanently to be a spy, truly loved her. But she was also questioning whether her stoic mother would actually insist on sending a love message. I don't think Elizabeth was questioning whether the woman she saw in Germany was her real mother - because that woman wouldn't have sent a message of love, either. The woman in Germany had the personality she remembered, but the message didn't match that personality, which makes her think the message is fake. They said this about the Pastor Tim situation: Elizabeth: I just keep picturing her walking in there and spitting the whole thing out. Philip: I thought everything was good in Germany. Elizabeth: It was, but she's....complicated. She's just...so... Philip: What? Elizabeth: Different. So Elizabeth was saying that Paige is different, not her mother. You mean like when the little girl is choking, and no one notices because the nun is playing the guitar? Yeah, that sounds about right!

Chi Chi was funny in Untucked, but she also got on my nerves, to be honest. Going off about Robbie's wig was totally unnecessary. It was 70's realness, and it was perfect for a roller girl challenge. And having the response of "ew" when Kim Chi described the guy who made her dress, just because the guy is short? No one with Chi Chi's hair or teeth should be that judgmental about other people's appearances.

If I ran a company, and someone I'd hired a month ago made an ad for the company and ran it without telling anyone, I'd fire him on the spot. I doubt I'd congratulate him on the idea, even if it was a good one. if I ran a completely different ad later, would that make me a hypocrite? Would it make me someone who just wanted my ring kissed? I don't think anyone is arguing that Schweikart made the offer impulsively, just because he liked what he saw in court that day. He'd obviously done some research on her, and put a considerable amount of thought into it. That doesn't necessarily mean someone else is behind the offer, though. With a huge case like this, I would expect him to be fully aware of everything the opposition has done and said in court. He could have decided she would be a great asset based on that. And he might have come to the conclusion that he'd rather have her on his team than on the opposing one. The name also came up on Breaking Bad. Skyler was issued a check from Ice Station Zebra Associates. It's the name of the holding company that Saul used.

Obtaining a check via fraud is illegal. The authorities don't have to wait for you to cash it.

I didn't take Schweikart's job offer to Kim as having a secret, sinister motivation. The character is a jerk, for sure - we saw that last season, in how he treated Jimmy and Chuck. But I took the point of the job offer scene to be that Kim was being offered a golden opportunity to get out of HHM, by a firm that will put her on partner track and even pay off money she owes from law school - but she isn't excited by it. It seems like another firm run by jerks, where the same stupid crap happens. What's really appealing to her is conning people with Jimmy. I don't think it was hypocritical for them to run an ad. They never said they were against ads altogether. They called out Jimmy on running an ad using the company name without permission, which is unacceptable even if the ad is great. And they ended up using a very different ad anyway, which (while less effective) was in the style they've chosen for representing the firm.

I'm not happy that Naysha was brought back. She absolutely deserved to go in the first episode - she didn't just screw up the challenge, she was dumb enough to mention that she never sewed a dress before, she danced badly in the lip sync, she got the tone of the song wrong, and she managed to forget the words. Now she comes back, and she's lackluster in the challenge, she has one of the worst outfits (she didn't have the excuse of having to make it herself, either), and she falls flat on her ass on the runway. I don't care what crown she won; I wish she wasn't there. If they were going to bring back an accomplished queen who unexpectedly sashayed first, why couldn't it have been Kelly Mantle?

Oh my god, that's hilarious! What I wouldn't have given to hang out with them, just listening to them tell jokes.

Red Death was an amazing character I'd love to see more of. Billy's mother, on the other hand...I hope we never have to hear her voice again. If I were drunk around Action Man, I'd be a lot more hostile than Colonel Gentleman was. On a show filled with supervillains, he's easily one of the most evil characters we've seen.

She's never been told who "Clark" works for, or what his cause is. On some level, she has to know that it's most likely that he works for the Soviets - but she'd rather not know. Philip killing Martha always seemed like the most logical endgame for her character. The Center is willing to kill off an asset when they become a liability, and once the recorder was found, it became very dangerous to leave her alive. Once she realized that he wasn't with the U.S. government, and that she'd been doing illegal things on his behalf, there was a strong chance she'd give him up to the authorities - especially if she got caught. Things may have changed now, though. She knows her husband manipulated her into committing treason, and that he's a murderer, and she's still loyal to him. That gives the Soviets far more reason to let her live.

No matter how genius a lawyer Chuck is, he wouldn't be able to pull off an ADA complaint. Electrosensitivity Disorder isn't a recognized condition, and working away from electricity isn't a reasonable accommodation.

We know that since the flashback with Rebecca took place, she left Chuck's life one way or another, and his mental health has gone way downhill. People are just speculating about what could have happened to her that would lead him to where he is now. I don't think Chuck is pulling the strings regarding Howard's treatment of Kim. When Chuck and Howard were alone together, Howard informed Chuck that Kim brought in a huge client, and Chuck said something like, "I guess she's out of the doghouse now," and Chuck made it clear that he wasn't so sure about that. She saw it shortly before it aired, not afterward. And it appears that Howard is assuming that Kim knew about Jimmy's plan to air it without permission, and chose to say nothing. When Chuck found out that Kim had been led to believe that Jimmy had permission, he expressed surprise. And then Chuck pointed out that Kim could have explained that to Howard, but chose not to.

They may reveal that Howard has a secret reason for wanting to keep Kim down, but I don't think it has anything to do with her turning him down romantically or sexually. Kim seems mystified by his behavior. And if he'd started acting this way after making unsuccessful advances toward her (or even being flirty with her) she's savvy enough to understand exactly what was going on. And I'm not ruling out the possibility that he's acting this way for the reason that was suggested on the show - Jimmy is making Howard look bad, and Howard is utterly humiliated because he feels like he was taken in by a con man, and Kim's presence is a constant reminder of that. And it's easier to pretend that it's all her fault than to blame himself. What Hector doesn't know is that Mike will be over a barrel even if he helps Tuco get out of prison, because Nacho will be furious.

I think Ru chose it specifically because it was iconic. it's not an easy song to lip sync in a memorable way, and setting it up beforehand as the ultimate lip sync song made it easier to justify eliminating them both. There's considerable evidence that the new queen will be

If Chuck is to be believed, Howard is really mad at himself for recommending Jimmy, but has chosen to take it out on Kim. I won't be at all surprised if there's something more going on. But in the world of law firms, there are plenty of people who are obsessed with their reputations. And I could easily see Howard being that way, considering that it's a firm his father founded, and he wants to prove that he's good enough.