gesundheit

I thought this was a decent season, a vast improvement over the god-awful third season (I can't be the only one who was thinking "don't say Jamie don't say Jamie don't say Jamie" when Harry was having that conversation with Percy on the cliff about her guilt and he was relating). So I'm glad they got to do this one to end on a higher note than I thought they were ending on before. I'm especially happy to have gotten to better know the work of Cindy Cheung, Ronin Wong, and Davin Huynh (the main 3 Lams), who all seemed vaguely familiar but probably as one-offs here and there. They were excellent and I hope to see more of them elsewhere now!

I don't think the women are closeted - the woman from this episode said she'd been out since high school. I agree about the other comedy writer. I think she got over it a little too fast. I could see her agreeing on a ceasefire since Bela didn't know, but most people take a little while to warm up after something like that!

I thought the same thing. Oh well!

I was so startled by the second episode being a half-hour show after the first one was an hour! I'm a dope and I hadn't even looked that far into information about the show. I'm glad we got more info on why Leighton is closeted (she makes sense as someone who isn't ostensibly homophobic and has probably had token gay friends who are good for her image, but being tokenized herself is bad for her image) (at least that's how I interpreted the way she sees it!), and I guess she chooses cougars because they're more degrees of separation from her primary world? Hooking up with them will get her some good unsolicited life advice, but on the other hand they are hooking up with a teenager. Not cute. Is Whitney going to go back to that awful man? Nooo!

I think this is largely true. And in fairness, though I do enjoy him. If I were in a scenario where he was my opponent? That smug/zen face thing he does during endurance/stamina challenges? I would hate that face.

Well, I guess that confirms that for Rockmond Dunbar's exit. I'm surprised it was sorted out enough in advance and with so few hard feelings that he got such a warm goodbye!

I'm bummed, I don't want Michael to leave. Also, kind of terrible parenting to leave the country for months on end a few weeks after your 13-year-old child (or whatever age he is, I'm bad at kids' ages) just endured a horrific abduction! "Harry approved it" wasn't really sufficient -- children usually aren't the most reliable sources on what they need after a trauma. And not even a moment of "huh, little weird, remember last time Michael proposed to someone?" It's okay to be legitimately happy for him but also bat an eye. A little nuance would be nice, but why am I asking for that from this show?? I miss Chim from the rescues.

Apologies if this has been brought up in another episode thread, but one thing that's bugging me is that this seems to have a similar vibe to Season 2 in some ways, with the group of new age something-or-others getting into some unusual kind of spiritual practice. Speaking of past seasons: I also really never, ever needed to hear the name "Jamie" ever uttered again. (Despite cringing at that mention, though, I couldn't for the life of me remember the other past situations and people cited in that scene) I really, really like this cast.

This was really one of the dumbest reveals I've ever seen, and good god that embedded-in-credits explanation of how it worked was supremely idiotic and did not, in fact, explain much of anything at all. Anybody could've been the culprit and they could've shown up in the credits and said pretty much anything -- the whole point of a big reveal is the "wait, now it all makes sense" moment where you either see or imagine how and why it all played out, but that explanation did none of the above. Incredibly unsatisfying. Did they mention anything about fingerprints, by the way? Twins have different fingerprints but they might've tossed in some line to handwave that ("we couldn't get good prints because they had eroded on her perfectly intact corpse?"). The upside is that with nobody worth rooting for, I didn't really care about the "outcome." Alison's voiceover pretending there was something deep about it was good comedy, though! Anyway, it was nice to see a show shot in Hawaii?

Agreed. So not into Rollins/Carisi, he can and should do better. (Remember when she thought it was fine for sex workers to get murdered because her boyfriend used escorts? She can remove herself from that high horse any moment now.) The actress playing Tori was good, at least. I wish they could've split the difference a little better, like got her sent to juvie (was she 17? I can't even remember) or a shorter sentence or something, but instead she just goes straight to a good college, free therapy, and Benson as her probation officer.

Just finished. Strong ending! I'm sad it's over, though. It's so funny, I swore I was done with it when Joan came back from the dead but decided to stick around for everything else, and I have to say this final season (or this final half-season) was Joan's best. I'm surprised they managed to turn that around and do something so interesting with her. Pamela Rabe and Kate Atkinson are just gold opposite each other. I feel so torn being really happy for Boomer and sad for her kid's inevitably horrible life!

Agreed. I wonder if she'd known the whole time. In the flashbacks this episode it sure looked like Lennon got hit by the car on purpose, so I'm wondering if it was some long-term plan. Which is a shame, Margot's fun. This show is terrible at that teen-horror balance where horrific things are happening but relationships and coming of age are still progressing at the same time. It's not an easy needle to thread, but they weren't even trying. I was laughing so hard at Alison revealing her true identity to Dylan as if he were going to be like, "Oh that's great news!" Totally psychotic. He sucks, but who the hell could just roll with that news?? "What's the big deal? We were in a tough spot, so my dad and I decided I would live as my dead sister (who I killed) for the rest of my life, anyone would've done the same!"

Whatever happened to flushing out idols? I feel like it's been a while since that was common practice and now it's mostly, "Oh, so-and-so's got an idol so they're not an option to vote out." Feels like a lot of folks have made it to the end or almost-the-end just because everyone knew they had an idol from early on so their name was just never written down. I guess because you have to have a big enough alliance to do that while splitting the vote? Or maybe because there are so many competing advantages? I don't mind the game twists all that much, but I loathe the regrouping at TC. They shouldn't be allowed to do all the whispering and re-strategizing. Surprises at TC should be a bigger deal than surprises they learn earlier in the day and after which they can come up with a new plan. It should be higher stakes.

Doesn't she have lupus? I feel like that's what it was.

Vi admitted she was wrong about Blue's school! Impressive. Jesus, did Charley and Davis really have an apartment full of sterile-looking Duke signs like that in college? Hilarious.

There do seem to be some occasions when she's very much accounted for, but of course with the "two separate killers" theory, that doesn't necessarily exclude her. I really hope it's not her. I would say we could find some clues in behavior and that she's been particularly unemotional about life-and-death situations several times during the series, but so has literally every character in this bizarre-ass show! Completely insane. Being left at least allows room either for hope or to direct some healthy anger at the missing parent, but a parent's suicide? A lifelong trauma. "I thought the easiest thing for you to hear is that your mother killed herself" is one of the more absurd attempts at logic I've ever heard of. I was glad Courtney went to search for Riley after the earlier scenes of her being wildly overwritten as a garbage mom, but instead of making her a more dimensional character it really just seemed like it came out of nowhere. Completely ridiculous that everyone was just shrugging it off with "eh, she's probably fine" when they've just buried half the town.

I know, that's what I meant by saying she probably still could've won that Senate seat even if she'd left Bill

Agreed. It made her look weak or, to some people. like a cynical monster who can't be trusted who places craven ambition above all else. She probably still could've won that Senate seat if she'd left Bill, and would've shed some of that Clinton baggage by the time she ran even higher. That she is part of "The Clintons™" was big ammunition against her to the electorate (though obviously not to the political machine). I've rarely seen sympathy directed at her. She doesn't have the nicknames she does because people feel for her. Obviously I don't know their marriage but I've always had the impression that, for whatever reason, they're just actually that into each other. Are status and power part of why? Almost certainly. Is he sleazy regardless? Of course.

Totally agree, the prosthetic is so distracting. I said early on they should've skipped it, the audience is only interested if he captures the essence and not his exact appearance, but I think I was probably wrong considering the general feedback about other characters not looking similar enough! Oh well, mileage varies, etc., etc.

I think it was the opposite, that they were showing us he was still doing his job in the midst of all this drama. (And maybe a little commentary on the indignity of this whole thing -- both on his part and those out to get him -- in the midst of something like national security being in his hands). I still think Edie's doing an amazing job. I don't want an impersonation, I want a compelling character and I want to be sold on her feelings and her place in the story, which I am. I also am for Monica and Linda (despite my fat suit annoyance). Just not Bill. In fact, Owen's attempt at direct impersonation might be exactly the problem with his portrayal (other that the writing in general not capturing any of his charm).

He's the only one allowed to, since he's so emasculated by women with opinions and value.

RA's family definitely finally told him all the necessary things. I can't believe he was trying to throw it back on them. They made him feel like he wasn't a man, "pride" was the only thing he had left? Well, how'd that work out for him? I guess I hadn't caught last episode that Charley might run in CA, that seems to defeat some of the purpose, doesn't it?

Oh I know, I was just kidding because they cast him with such a babyfaced actor!

I have such mixed feelings watching this because Bill was so impossibly sleazy but since Starr and company are no better, I'm just perpetually back and forth on who I'm happy to see get the minor "wins."

I have no love for him but it's too cutesy. Also, was he 16 at the time?? It wasn't hard to believe he'd stray, he'd confessed to straying before when faced with it. This time he lied in a way that led to her own public humiliation. Not for being cheated on, but for standing by him on his lie. That was the distinction -- as well as, of course, the presidency. A thing that most of us would assume could make a dude keep it in his pants temporarily.