SlovakPrincess
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Posts posted by SlovakPrincess
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Maybe I've just gone insane from binge watching the entire series in a matter of days, but both psycho Javi and the PI from Chicago are kinda cute and I at least appreciate the eye candy.
Javi speaks for all of us when he asks why is Darlene still around? I guess just to collect all the disenchanted young people in town who conveniently overlook the fact that she's a nutcase because they're angry at their parental figures - Wyatt, Ruth, now apparently Jonah is going to be helping her operation. Good grief.
Agent Evans finally got in trouble for his unethical behavior. Agent Miller is ... still the exact same amount pregnant, even though it seems like months of show time have passed since she was first introduced.
Ruth being an asshole to her ex-boss at the motel - and then gleefully firing her - is yet another example of Ruth refusing to own her own shit. Ruth used to steal from guests, she 100% deserved to get fired. And yet she somehow thinks she deserves revenge.
And how convenient that Wyatt has totally forgiven Ruth for killing his dad and Ruth has totally forgotten she once wanted Wyatt away from a life of crime and in college. He's just pointless as a character now.
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So I liked Season 1, kinda hate-watched much of Season 2, and then found Season 3 a big improvement over Season 2 and enjoyed it. I liked most of the Ben arc, loved Tom Pelphrey in the role, and my main quibble was how over the top they went with Ben (and how stupid they made him) right before he got killed off.
However. For all the fast-thinking, fast-talking crime and negotiation ... how are these people so unimaginative when it comes to lying around the normal people in their life? There were so many different ways to handle Ben that did not involve telling him the truth about the cartel and eventually killing him because he knew too much. Like, when Ben saw Marty kidnapped, Ruth, Wendy and Helen could have at least tried to come up with a consistent cover story around him (claim the local mob had been threatening Marty for some reason, like they didn't like the competition of the casino or something? pretend Helen is the family lawyer and that she's been calling law enforcement already, so Ben doesn't ask about calling the cops? I dunno, try something).
I also didn't get the whole thing with Maya being "compromised" if she followed up on a lead to an unrelated case given by Marty. In fact, she got in trouble with her superior when she didn't do that. Since the FBI apparently didn't see that as an ethics violation ... why would Marty be able to supposedly control her that way? I mean, Roy Petty was doing blatantly illegal shit, you could see how he could be compromised. Evans does grossly unethical shit, like lying to suspects in ways that makes them violently attack others, and ok-ing a CI trying to seduce a teenager. But I didn't understand what they could possibly have to hang over Maya's head.
It was weird that Charlotte and Wyatt went from besties to never interacting. However, Charlotte improved immensely as a character in Season 3, leading me to believe that smoking pot with Wyatt all the time is what made her so stupid in Season 2.
The huge weak spot in Season 3 was Darlene and Wyatt. Everything about her strains credulity at this point. Wyatt is simply dull.
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Well then! So much for Helen! And she didn't even get a chance to show Navarro the fake confession in order to get Marty killed.
Navarro is so fucking annoying. Nightmare boss -- rude ungrateful asshole most of the time, and also he'll most likely kill you someday. And you can't even quit.
How long was Wendy living in that parking lot drinking vodka?
Aw, Marty and Wendy are getting along so well now -- and all it took was being complicit in killing Wendy's brother. How sweet?
Poor Jonah.
I should feel worse for Ruth, but she just annoys me when she gets up on her high horse. As horrible (and primarily to blame) as Wendy is, Wendy did have a point about Ruth getting Ben out of the hospital and not listening to anyone. And never taking responsibility for her own shit. Also,"bitch wolf"? Is that a saying the kids are using these days?
Uggghhhh. Darlene getting away with crazy shit again. In what universe would Frank Sr. just go into business with this lady after she did that to his son? And there's no way whatever is left of the Snell organization after Jacob and Ash's deaths is any match for the Kansas City mob. That makes no sense to me.
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On 6/4/2020 at 4:31 PM, TVbitch said:
Instead of arranging a hit on her brother, Wendy could have arranged to poison him or kill him in his sleep or something, and then let the hitman dude disappear the body. But Wendy don't like to get her hands dirty, so she ditches him in the diner and lets his last few moments of life be abandonment, confusion, terror and pain as the hitman takes him out. But hey, she cried afterwards, so I feel super bad for her.
Although this is also a good point ...
Also, was Marty in on this plan, too?? He seemed to be. They're both diabolical for setting Ben up to get killed like this. And honestly, it is their fault they let him know so much about what was happening in the first place.
As to whether Ben added much to the show -- I vote for yes. Season 2 became a drag because almost every character was corrupt and just accepted all the rampant crime. (Wilkes - Wilkes! a character who would be dull and/or smug and annoying on any other show! - was a breath of fresh air sometimes, just because he was slightly more normal). Ben was at least an outsider POV character through most of the season, questioning why his sister was involved in this mess and how far she'd gone. I just think they took it way too far with him causing trouble for the Byrdes by the end of his story arc.
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The first scene with Ben in the cab was so so so good (although the cab driver must have been thinking "how long is this ride?!"). Sadly, it was all downhill from there.
Admittedly, I do not know that much about bipolar as a condition. However, by the end of this episode, Ben was practically Lennie from Of Mice and Men, a man with the mind of a toddler. It just made no sense to me that he kept running off and doing insanely stupid and childish things. He wasn't an idiot the rest of the season.
Still. The actor is a treasure. I did feel some compassion for Wendy (before, y'know, the deciding to let her brother get murdered part). The scenes where the siblings bonded (like when her Southern drawl started to come out) were touching.
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As frustrating as Ben is as a character, the actor is absolutely killing it and I just love him. However -- does being off his meds also make Ben irretrievably stupid?? He's not just lashing out violently and having outbursts at his sister in inconvenient places now, he is going out of his way to anger someone he knows is a drug cartel operative who orders hits on people. The Ben-confronting-Helen-and-yelling-at-her-daughter scene was a huge eye roll for me ... and how does he even know where she lives??
And of course Darlene The Walking Plot Point swoops in and makes this implausible scenario possible. 🙄
I actually felt bad for Wendy when she was sobbing to hear her brother screaming and crying. Although it occurs to me this is like a weird, ultra violent version of Laura Linney's plot line in Love Actually.
Charlotte was a sweetheart to remind Jonah to be happy about his first kiss, instead of focusing on how the night ended for Ben.
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Oh STFU, Darlene. I love how every crazy freak in this town decides that Marty is at fault for other people murdering on their own initiative. Mason, Darlene, and now apparently stupid Wyatt have decided that only Marty has free will. 🙄
Sue, you tremendous idiot. I'll miss you, though! I can't believe she actually put the $100K hush money on a billing statement. Hitman was probably thinking "well, now I've seen everything."
Ugh, Wendy. I guess Maya now knows Marty is married to a cold-hearted asshole, with Wendy's pointed remark and smug smile -- the casino license means more to her than Marty ever being happy, by a long shot.
Unpopular opinion, but I'm far less of a Ruth fan that most viewers. Did she really expect Marty to start a war with the KC mob by having Frank Jr. killed for beating her up? Marty's already risking a lot by telling Frank Sr. their arrangement is over, which she refuses to acknowledge. And I never need to hear about her psycho daddy again. She's such a giant hypocrite on this subject, especially after she killed Russ and Boyd and expected Wyatt to forgive her, and especially since the person who convinced Cade to go after the Byrdes in the first place was ... Ruth. She's bright enough to know Cade didn't die for attacking the Byrde's daughter once, he died because he was a giant liability to everybody.
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I really like Ben, and I kinda wish they weren't going the go-off-his-meds-and-get-out-of-control route with him. Is there no other story TV writers can tell for a bipolar character? (Kinda makes me appreciate that long-ago episode of Sex and the City, where a guy Charlotte was dating cheerfully told her he'd rather have erectile dysfunction than give up the benefits of his depression medication).
C'mon Helen, just have Darlene killed already. What are you waiting for? And I guess Wyatt is just giving up on college now, so he can live with a murderous heroin dealer old enough to be his grandma? He is such a lazy moron ... book-smart, but a lazy moron.
Erin is a complete moron. So is Helen, since it seemed like this was the first time she was trying to give her 16-year-old daughter the sex talk. Bit late, Helen!!
The highlight of the episode was, of course, the therapy session. "Shut the fuck up, Sue!" LOL. As much as Wendy aggravates the hell out of me, I really enjoy Laura Linney's acting. Marty finally venting all his anger was great to watch, as well. As was Sue wanting "a shitload" of money to keep her mouth shut - and Marty's resigned "of course you do" reaction to that. Hee!
Wendy really still doesn't get it. She and Marty can't split up now, and she can't just casually mention to the cartel lawyer that their marriage is in trouble. Idiot.
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Um ....
Why? ....
And also no.
I'm not even sure it's the 40-year age difference that bothers me as much as the fact that neither of these characters works in the framework of the show anymore or is interesting, and putting them together as a sexual pairing really doesn't help matters. It's already random that Wyatt is living with Darlene. It's already stupid the cartel didn't kill her off.
Oh, and that custody hearing was ridiculous. Where was a representative from social services in that hearing?? It's been 6 months, Darlene can't yet adopt the baby, she's still fostering, while everyone pretends Mason might show up again some day ... an arrangement I guess we're supposed to believe social services just accepted for some insane reason after Marty dropped the kid off with the crazy lady who was already told she wasn't eligible to foster a baby? None of this is believable.
Anywaaaayyyy .... so Wendy is also an idiot. Did she seriously think Navarro, the gross and violent man who just kidnapped and tortured her husband, somehow respects her as a business partner? And that calling him up to yell at him was a good move?
On 3/29/2020 at 3:23 PM, UnknownK said:You have two broken people looking for something to dull the pain a little while with somebody who understands great loss.
Well, Darlene's only broken because she murders people a lot, including the husband she now "mourns". And gets away with it. And gets a free baby out of the deal.
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Navarro is so f'n annoying. Much like Marty, I hope he gets his head chopped off at some point.
Marty has officially lost his mind down in the dungeon if he actually thinks he can compromise Maya. Why? Why would she even entertain that idea? Maybe Marty has some other, longer play in mind here, but what a strange, risky thing to tell Navarro.
Ben and Ruth -- ok, I can get behind that!
Why on earth is Wendy letting Ben stay in the room when Ruth is telling Wendy and Helen about the red flag? Now not only does Helen know Charlotte knows too much, she knows Ben knows too much (even beyond seeing Marty get kidnapped).
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This season definitely benefited from some new, fresh characters that weren't all doom and gloom.
Ben is fun! I really like this actor.
I love Agent Maya, and love how Marty instantly knew, despite her charm and attempts at joking with him about music, that she was a shrewd agent and he couldn't risk laundering around her. I like the dynamic of her and Agent Evans both going at Marty from different angles.
And I really felt for Marty ... of course he would want to take Maya up on her offer of a short prison stint and then consulting. Maybe he's deluding himself that the cartel wouldn't still track him down and kill him after that, but consulting for the FBI is exactly the kind of thing Marty should be doing with his skills and intelligence, and you can tell how desperately he wants that life instead. Marty is certainly to blame for his problems, but he knows this and walks around like a guy who regrets trapping himself and his family in hell ...
... Unlike Wendy, who is treating this like her big self-actualization moment. Good grief, even when she does something good (like plotting to get Zeke away from Darlene) she has to be annoying and smug about it.
I LOL'd at 2 points:
- When the "therapist" asked Marty what it would feel like to let Wendy have her way on her "project" and he said "like death!"
- When Marty was trying to talk to the REO Speedwagon guy in veiled terms, and the guy makes his phone call, loudly: "so, this guy wants us to help him launder money..."
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Well, that was a legitimately excellent episode! (Except for the Darlene scenes. Ugh, why is she still here?)
Ben is shaping up to be a very interesting character!
Helen is also far more interesting than she was in Season 2.
I'm enjoying the casino scenes -- maybe in large part because those scenes are actually well lit and without the annoying omnipresent blue filter! And Ruth gets something interesting to do!
Nice going, Wendy. You've earned yourself ... disturbing late night phone calls from a psychotic cartel kingpin. Also a "friendship" with Helen, the woman you have to walk on eggshells around because she could get you killed in an instant. Wendy acts like she's trying to network and impress the CEO of a company and get promoted to a corner office ... and just ignores Marty pointing out to her that they shouldn't be taking on more expectations from the murderous drug cartel.
On the other hand, Marty better hope they never find out he tried to sabotage the casino deal.
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I have a hard time feeling bad for Ruth every time she makes a sad face about Wyatt hating her. Every bit of this situation was caused by her own dumb decisions: convincing her family of idiot savants she was going to kill Marty, then deciding the only way to fix that was to kill her uncles, then deciding to admit to her psycho father what she’d done, then telling Wyatt the truth and expecting … what, exactly? (I still don’t understand why she thought Wyatt would believe a clearly unhinged and desperate Cade if Cade told him Ruth had killed Russ and Boyd).
I couldn’t tell if Wendy “pranked” the new owners of her old house out of nostalgia for a simpler time in her life … or if the writers are hinting that teenage Wendy always had it in her to thirst for power and the ability to scare others. Anyway, she’s nuts! But at least she’s interesting!
Marty was the voice of reason this episode - truly, their only hope for escape is Navarro getting blown off the face of the earth and his cartel collapsing. As guilty as he is of terrible crimes and terrible life decisions, he at least realizes their situation is nothing to be proud of or get cocky about.
Hey, Wyatt washed his hair!
Are we supposed to buy that the people shopping in Mexico at the beginning of the episode were relatively unbothered by the explosion, but quick to grab the money that flew every where … 🙄
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Am I just hate-watching this show now?
So much of this makes no logical sense. There's a fine line between having your characters do crazy stuff for dramatic purposes and just making everyone stupid. This show has crossed it.
Why would Roy go off alone with Cade and turn his back to Cade? Why would Cade kill a federal agent? Cade is no genius, and a hothead, but this is asinine even for him.
Why would Ruth tell Wyatt the truth ... Cade has no proof of what she did, and is already acting erratically - Ruth should just claim Cade is telling crazy lies and mad Ruth won't give him Wyatt's college money to go on the run.
Who inherits the Snell land if Darlene dies? Seriously, how have Marty and Wendy not gamed this out? Maybe it wouldn't work to kill Darlene and still get the casino off the ground, but how do you not at least consider that as an option?
Why would social services agree to give the baby to Darlene? That's asinine -- we saw her angrily flounce out of there when they told her she was too old to raise a baby. Not only would she not be on their list of homes, she certainly wouldn't be first on the list to care for a baby. Or is Marty just lying that social services is involved at all, and he's basically abandoning the baby into the care of a psychotic old woman without social services' knowledge?? Does he think the agency just won't find out about it until he's in Australia??
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This episode annoyed me on so many levels.
I'm opposed to either Snell remaining alive, and especially the fact that Darlene is the one we're stuck with. Uggghhhhh... Was I supposed to be touched by the Snells looking at each other lovingly while attempting to murder each other? 🤮
This whole Charlotte-tries-to-get-emancipated plot line ...
- Charlotte is a typical angsty TV teen and miserable right now, but before this story line she was neither stupid nor psychotic. She has to know if the full truth about her situation comes out in her court case, the cartel will kill her family. She at least still likes her brother, so what the hell is she doing?
- What exactly did she tell her lawyer? Getting emancipated is pretty difficult - one parent having an affair is not gonna do it, and even the parents agreeing and signing the paperwork doesn't always convince the judge (the judge may think the parents are simply getting out of supporting their kid, and will probe further). So the lawyer is either pursuing a very weak case, or she's been told the full truth ... and has to know she's also risking her own life pissing off a drug cartel.
- What is Charlotte's plan here? Follow Wyatt of the Unwashed Hair to college and live in his dorm room?
In what universe does Marty think Ruth is prepared to take over the entire money laundering operation? And why would Ruth agree, having been tortured by the cartel once already? They both have to know this likely would not go well for Ruth.
Also now I have "I am a lineman for the countyyyyyy 🎵 " stuck in my head now ...
🙄🙄🙄
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On 5/14/2022 at 4:16 PM, SunnyBeBe said:
I did find that birthday dish Candy prepared for her husband rather appealing. I wasn’t familiar with it. I found the details here. It’s not very popular in my state.
Out of sheer curiosity, I may try making this. 😄 I had no idea this was even a thing. Perhaps it was just 70s / early 80s cuisine, like encasing everything in gelatin for some reason?
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This episode was kinda one big eye roll for me. I think the actor playing Mason is quite talented ... but Mason going crazy, and taking Wendy hostage to get his baby back, and then going even crazier until Marty killed him to save Wendy was just a stupid storyline.
First of all: does Mason not have any family to help him? Didn't Grace have family? Is there literally nobody who actually cares about what's left of this little family who could've helped Mason look after little baby Zeke (and also tell Mason he seriously needs therapy)? Not everyone in that church was a drug dealer, and you'd think some of the honest parishioners would try to help. It seemed like they isolated Mason to make him a villain in the end and set up a scenario where Marty would kill someone and then feel bad about it.
And Jason Bateman really did nail that scene. Especially where Marty lists all the ways he tried to save Mason from the Snells and from Mason's own bad decisions, and when Marty has a panic attack after shooting.
But still. The whole thing was annoying and manipulative.
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Buddy's last scene in the car with Wendy -- great acting all around.
I actually kinda liked Wilkes - and his lawyer - in this episode.
Maybe I'm a terrible person, but I rolled my eyes a little at Ruth being so fragile the entire episode, with the weeping in the shower and the big sad eyes every time she looked down at the bruises on her arms. I mean, yes, of course, I get it -- she was water boarded and threatened by the cartel ... but this is also the same person who was plotting to murder Marty in cold blood and deliberately electrocuted her two uncles to death.
Of course the whole thing with Ruth getting sympathy from Rachel was so Rachel would get super pissed at Petty and eventually tell Marty she was an informant. I think? Honestly, I have no idea why Rachel does anything. The kiss with Marty was kinda hot, though.
The thing with the bones was so weird -- as everyone else has noted in this thread, how did the FBI not have the bones already secured as evidence? How were Marty and the Snells able to switch out the bones? Makes no sense.
And, as always, shut the hell up Jacob and Darlene Snell.
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The early 80s just seemed to be an era of ridiculous junk science defenses that let people get away with murder or get ridiculously short sentences (this case, the "twinkie defense" case ...)
Poor Betty - I don't think justice was served in this case, to put it mildly! And her poor kids ... I don't have a good feeling about Elaine as their step-mommy. Felt kinda bad for the prosecutors in this case, too, losing to such a crazy defense theory and ridiculous lawyer.
I did kind of enjoy the goofy re-enactment the cops tried to do at the beginning of the episode.
Still not sure what the point of this series was. Since they fictionalized stuff anyway, maybe more time spent getting into Candy's psyche would have been helpful. Like maybe if we'd seen flashes of her ready to lash out as she pretended to be the happy wife, mom, and homemaker, before she killed Betty. I didn't get any real sense of who Candy was (which I don't think was the fault of Jessica Biel) -- the show didn't seem to want to pick a side as to whether she was telling the truth or making up her "dissociative state" defense. And then it ended kind of abruptly.
ETA: actually the "twinkie defense" used by the guy who murdered Harvey Milk and Mayor Moscone was in the late seventies
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Well, it's nice to see someone enjoy themselves on this show for once ... even if it's just Buddy gleefully burning down a poppy field. 🤣
Hey, I kinda liked Ruth's father in tis episode!
The Snells are in their sixties ... why have they waited this long to look into adopting a baby? They just make no sense whatsoever.
Did they really have to make Agent Petty this egregiously obnoxious and annoying and unethical as a character? Just completely over the top. 🙄
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1 hour ago, Armchair Critic said:So did Candy's husband do the chopping with an ax to prove to himself that Candy would not be strong enough to do it?
Yes, that was my understanding — he was trying to prove to himself she couldn’t have swung a heavy ax that many times.
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Maybe I've just watched too many crime shows in my time, but it was very frustrating at first when the cops weren't asking questions to figure out the timeline and time of death. But they did eventually zero in on Candy.
Elaine the "nice" neighbor lady, already giving poor little Christina a complex about food. GRRRR. Obviously not the worst thing that happened to that kid in this episode, but still. I got verklempt when the other little girl cried with Christina and walked down the aisle of the church with her -- all these sweet kids are gonna be messed up for life.
I may just be going insane at this point, but I kinda liked Candy's outfit in the police station.
I felt so bad for Allan this episode.
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I laughed out loud when, at the last minute and just before they went in to see the Kansas City mob boss, Buddy goes "oh, by the way, he's always thought I fucked his wife." LOL. (But it's a little too convenient that Buddy just happens to have the exact connection the Byrdes need at that particular moment).
I also chuckled a little when Wendy told the senator she was extorting "you have my word" -- and the woman is like "I'm supposed to trust you? You're disgusting." Good point, Senator!
Rachel, you colossal moron. She seriously stole all that money and decided to waste her new life by buying drugs and getting caught on a DUI? Did we even know she had a drug problem?
I still really don't like Petty, though I was happy to see Evans again. Another funny moment for me -- when Petty's supervisor told him "do better than you've been doing." At least someone acknowledges he's a fuck-up.
Are we stuck with the Snells for the rest of the show? They annoy me so much. I'm not really enjoying Ruth's daddy as a character, either.
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Not to be mean, but Allan is just not the kind of guy I'd get axe-murdery over. (I'm sure the actor is a lot cuter without that mustache and hairdo).
That's sad that apparently Marriage Encounter was working for Allan and Betty, but then after the baby came, their relationship suffered again. I guess we'll find out why in the next episode.
I died laughing at Candy's "Whys / Why Nots" list when she was talking Allan into the affair: "adventure :)" "could learn something" "could be good for the spouses?" She's nuts.
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S04.E02: Let the Great World Spin
in Ozark
I'm way late on watching the first part of Season 4 (so I could be totally, laughably wrong), but I like the idea of the PI simply being what he says he is -- would be nice to have more characters who don't have an ulterior motive and are just doing their jobs in a way that happens to cause trouble for the Byrdes. I like his dogged, Columbo vibe so far.
And if Helen's ex has money in his own right and is willing to keep paying the PI, Mel would definitely put in the work for a signature. Helen's ex hates her, wants the divorce now, and probably hopes that when that's final and he has the new wife, he'll be in a better position to get full custody of the kids. And if he thinks Helen is playing games to delay the divorce for some reason, the ex will definitely dig in harder and keep the PI in pursuit.
Yeah, I can't with this Jonah storyline, and I'm annoyed he's being used to keep the ridiculous Darlene stuff going. One of the Franks would've 100% taken her out for ... dismembering Frank Jr., and it's insane that the show pretends otherwise. She didn't just have Frank Jr. beaten and hospitalized (arguably proportionate to what he did to Ruth) -- she permanently disfigured and disabled him in one of the worst ways you could do that to a macho mob guy's son. And all the characters look stupid when they decide that because they're mad at the Byrdes, Crazy Darlene is suddenly their ally.
Maya leaving her newborn with complete strangers she knows to be criminals, while on maternity leave from the FBI and with no backup (and I assume without their knowledge), and going off to meet a homicidal drug lord by herself .... INSANE decision making. Maya, what are you doing??