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I watched them both. And as someone who didn't follow the case closely, I could see myself saying "yeah, maybe it was an intruder..." if I had only seen the A&E special. But now I have four huge problems I have with the A&E special, which focused primarily on Det Smit: CRIME SCENE EVIDENCE: Smit pointed to the crime scene as proof of an intruder. Yet he never seems to take into account that crime scenes can be easily staged. BEHAVIOR: The A&E focuses on physical evidence, while completely ignoring everyone's behavior. For me, forensic evidence can often tell several stories, especially if there's so little of it left. You can stage a crime scene. But behavior doesn't lie. Of course, we've all heard of those crimes were someone's acting fishy as hell, yet turns out to be innocent. But we're talking about the behavior of an entire family. They circled the wagons, shutting out police. Why? Because they're likely protecting someone. Who? One of them. As someone mentioned earlier, if it had been either Patsy or John, I think in time one of them would turn on the other. But their behavior's consistent with wanting to protect their last remaining child - Burke. METHOD OF MURDER: What SSAHotchner said: MOTIVE: There are so many stories, it's important to question the person's relationship to the story. Smit - the main interview in the A&E special - was a family friend. The only people who stood by the intruder theory were people who knew the Ramseys. But the vast majority of folks who've never met the Ramseys before this case - including the grand jury! - believed they were covering up what really happened.

I found this show fascinating. I didn't really follow the Ramsey case at the time, but I do remember seeing a tabloid headline screaming "Burke did it!!" and thinking wow, they're really reaching. But I must admit, this show's got me convinced Burke's the culprit. If Burke did do this - and this show has me now believing he did - his parents did him no favors by "protecting" him. By isolating him, they ultimately denied him the proper psychiatric/medical treatment that it seems he so desperately needed. This show reminded me of two other notorious UK child-on-child crimes - nine year-old Mary Bell, who strangled younger kids in her neighborhood, and the two ten year-old boys who abducted and killed James Bulger. All three of these killer kids had no real motive for their murders, yet they all defaced their victims in very creepy ways. (Mary carved her initials on the body of one of her victims, and Jon Venables and Robert Thompson shoved batteries up James Bulger's bum.) For me, it's not so far-fetched for Burke to violate his sister with the paintbrush. Especially if he's angry. If Jonbenet had only been strangled with just the garotte, I might have been more open to the intruder theory. I can see some sicko bringing her close to death, then reviving her. But bashing her skull in reveals sheer anger. For me, this gives Burke away. He's the only person that would have that level of hatred in his heart to hurt her like that. Especially during Christmas, when emotions are running hot. Sleep deprived and perhaps envious of Jonbenet's "better" gifts, to me it's no coincidence that this happened on Xmas night. One more thing that bothers me with intruder theory - if the motive was sexual molestation, wouldn't there be more biological evidence? Wouldn't the sexual assault be a bit more extreme? Even if there was no production of semen, I'd still expect more forensic evidence than just touch dna. I'd love to see the six hour version of this show. I'm wondering if the show would've addressed the dna under Jonbenet's fingernails. If she left those marks on her own neck, she'd have her own dna under her nails, right? Did they ever check Burke's nails? And wouldn't her hands have to have been untied to grab at her own neck? For me, this means she was tied up after she was dead. Another giveaway that this was staged. I'm really enjoying this discussion - thanks everyone!! And seriously - I hope CBS releases the missing two hours of content!

Seriously! And those cheesy photographs nestled on desktops, piles of leaves, and other bizarre places. Looks like they hired a Forensic Files producer who hasn't worked since 2005.

It's weird - they showed the tattooed nipples one moment, then pixelated them the next, and I think we got one last flash sans pixelation. I remember similar confusion on that Chaz Bono special - they pixelated the nipples prior to surgery, but once the breast tissue was removed they sometimes pixelated, sometimes didn't. I agree, the nipples seemed too high and central - but I suppose they had to avoid the scarring. In any case, I'm really happy for her. She's a beautiful woman inside and out.

Does anyone know the circumstances behind Becky getting hit by a train? What was she even doing on (or near) train tracks? And how did she survive? I've heard that people risk their lives trying to take selfies in front of a moving train, and just wondering if she was stupid enough to try that.

This was a sad episode. Carly's heart attack came out of nowhere, a huge dose of real life dropped into an otherwise scripted show. At one point Carly even apologized, saying something along the lines of "sorry for derailing everything." I'm glad she felt a sense of peace when she thought she was going to die - that serenity seemed to stay with her. I wonder if this tragic event will change her attitude toward others ... probably not. Ben's girlfriend is gorgeous, reminds me of Scarlett Johannson. She seems a little out of Ben's league - I wonder if the fact that he's being filmed for a television show made him a bit more attractive in her eyes lol Thank you for saying this! I completely agree ... when she walked into Suzy's house and covered her face, it came off as really forced. I feel like she's using this entire series as an audition. Suzy's reaction to her daughter's emotional breakdown seemed a bit unphased - she's probably used to her dramatics. My heart goes out to Kevin's father and his family. Leukemia took my mother's life - it sucks. Yeah, what the hell with Lathan and Chris moving in together without us knowing whether Lathan shared his secret? Yes, it's personal, but they milked the hell out of that storyline, so I think we have a right to know. I'm pretty sure Chris will understand, but still ...

I agree, irl I would never be nosy about something like this. But because he's choosing to appear on a television show that focuses on transgender identity issues, I feel that I at least have the right to be curious.

When Suzy discussed Ben's school costs with Carly, her attitude of "Nope, sorry, your on your own" seemed unnecessarily adversarial. For me, ignoring Ben when he called her dad is another example of good point, bad presentation. Carly sounds way too much like the Church Lady to me, I expect her to crack a "Well isn't that speeeecial" at any moment lol. Carly's apartment's decor looked Church Lady Chic - I think I remember seeing dowdy doilies, needlepoint, birds and maybe even hummel dolls. It's as if she moved into her grandma's home and didn't change a thing. I imagine Carly's doing the Superior Dance in her head whenever she's talking to Suzy. My heart goes out to Dan. He (didn't he still identify as male? apologies if that's changed) strikes me as compassionate, loving, and truly sensitive of others' feelings. It breaks my heart that he can't find love. I want to launch a Kickstarter campaign "Find Dan a Man" - a nationwide search for the perfect guy who will cherish Dan as the beautiful soul that he is. Who's in? : ) On a shallow note, I find Lathan hot. And I think Chris will forgive him - Chris seems very accepting, and he must understand the inner turmoil of revealing this personal truth to others. I hope this doesn't come off as insensitive ... but I don't understand why Chris identifies as male, yet appears so feminine. Even though Lathan has some traditionally feminine markings (blousey shirts, earring, makeup, etc) I was genuinely surprised when he revealed he was born a biological female. Lathan's voice is deep, and he carries himself as a male. But for me, Chris doesn't look interested in the social construct of maleness. (I've been told that being transgender is - in part - a desire to be perceived by the world as male/femaie.) I'm not giving Chris the side-eye - he seems like a compassionate and kind person. I just don't understand why he's a gay male when being a straight female also leads to male sexual partners.

I agree. Derrick may not be making the moves on Victoria, but he's emotionally and verbally petting her, well aware that she's becoming dependent on him. I think it's not too much to say she's in love with him. Of course he pumps the brakes on her affections because he's married - but just enough to make him unattainable. And knowing Victoria, that makes her crush even harder. Derrick knows damn well what he's doing and he should be called out on the show for fanning the flame of virginal Victoria's affections.

To me it seems that Derrick is the Varys (Game of Thrones character) of this season, the morally ambivalent eunuch whispering in the ears of others and slyly getting his way. Varys' power in part comes from the fact that he's not a threat - he'd never attempt to seize the Iron Throne for himself. To last as long as he has, Derrick has in some ways "neutered" himself in the game (although ironically his HOH was responsible for taking out one of the most hyper-masculine players, Devin - but it was never a he-man showdown, Derrick shrouded himself behind the House's Will.) I really hope Derrick makes it to the Final 2 just to hear his speech (which I agree he's been practicing from Day 1.) Can he really convince the jury that he's not a ghost, a goat, a hanger-on - that it's all been an expert masquerade? Revealing his true identity as an undercover cop will definitely shock and awe the jury, but it definitely backfire (as so many have pointed out.) I also wonder how some of these people would have done in last year's cast. I think Caleb is very malleable - would he have gone along with all of the racist/homophobes from last season, or stood up to them? I'm always fascinated by each season's house culture. It's not typically set by the winner of the game, but by the biggest bullies. Last year Aaryn and Amanda determined the environment, opening the floodgates and saturating the house with racist/disturbingly sexist comments and behavior. How would Frankie, this season's biggest bully, have fared?

This buyback was a total waste of time and only delays the inevitable eviction of Donny and Nicole. If they had brought back two players - and they could have easily justified it under the Dual HOH/BOTB twist - there might have been some momentum. But as it is, just ugh. It's also putting off my only hope for any entertainment this year - seeing Christine evicted.

Maybe that's why she's always gazing at the mirror/windows, she's watching for covert directives from Production, waiting for the right moment to turn the house upside down, guns blazing (not literally - sorry Cody). I feel like we've been in limbo for so long, as if it's the calm before the storm ... but without the storm. Victoria's teeth are causing more drama than the entire cast, thanks to Derrick promptly defusing any drama/suspense/combat. Bomb Squad indeed. I agree with everyone who's lamented this season as the dullest in BB history. I'm absolutely not wishing any pain or suffering on Victoria - I truly hope she's adequately treated. But I'm secretly hoping she drops out, and they bring back another jury member via a pedicab competition. Or perhaps PB forces Derrick into isolation for 48 hours. That might be enough time for the others to wake up. Or probably not with this brain-dead gang.

Is it still true that Donny can't shave his beard, even at this point in the game? I remember Adam (the Tori Spelling-obsessed metalhead from season 13) shaved his beard late into the game, and ended up looking like a total doofus. But I believe Donny sans beard would have the opposite effect. Shaving that ragged gray mess would make Donny look less othered. Hell, he might even look like a new house guest. Christine's Bitter Wall of Hate has already calcified against Donny ... but if Cody or Caleb saw the Duck Dynasty cloak fall from Donny's face, they might miraculously see him as a new ally. I seriously believe in the redeeming/damning power of hair. In my mind rogue hair's the hidden villain this season. It's held back Donny's game, and it's physically torturing Victoria - perhaps her brain would wake up from its coma without the 12 pounds or so she's hanging from her bloody tortured scalp. So here's to wishing that next time Donny enters the DR, he finds a shiny new razor with his name on it. More powerful than the Diamond Power of Veto, the Cooty taw. Come on, Production! The Magic Power of the Golden Blade! ETA: Just wanted to add I'm not against facial hair! Only in this instance, when it's taking house guests hostage. And don't get me started on Frankie's pink rooster top.

Are Christine's glasses even real? There doesn't seem to be any distortion behind the lenses. But at least her glasses actually have lenses in them, which is more than I can say for Derrick's annoying hipstergirl plastic frames that he probably bought at Urban Outfitters.