stormy weather

I respectfully disagree. I think what happened was that Amelia (and I know I'm in the minority here, but I didn't like her character very much) decided to write a book about a case her boyfriend/fiancé/husband was working on, regardless of how wrong that was, and he gave up his career to save hers, basically. This whole book thing was so messed up. I know they threw those couple of lines about it being a "conflict of interest" a couple episodes ago, but I still don't understand why Amelia wrote it other than for money, because if she really wanted to shed some light on the case, she would've shared more information with Wayne about what she had found. Instead it felt very one-sided, as in he was feeding her all sorts of information and whenever she found something he hadn't (talked to the girl at the convent, knew that Mike was particularly distraught when Julie disappeared etc.) she kept it for herself. It also didn't make any sense, like someone already pointed out, how Wayne never read Amelia's book. Why? Was it just out of spite? This really bothered me. It was so exceptionally stupid of them to not only fall for the age-old trick Harris used to get rid of the handcuffs, but also to then kill him (why?!) and bury him in the woods on top of that! Why didn't they come clean immediately? After all, he was a suspect and he attacked them. If they had, maybe then they could've searched the Hoyt house and found the pink room when it would have made sense for them to find it, not 25 years later. I agree 1000%. The time they spent describing and analysing Wayne and Amelia's relationship was waaaay too much for me. Sometimes it felt like I was watching a rom-com instead of a crime show. And even at the end of this super long couple therapy session, I still feel like I know next to nothing about them personally and their everyday life, and especially their relationship with their children, which were largely ignored throughout the entire season. This is what I've been telling people who asked me how the new season of True Detective was since episode 3. By choosing the three timelines narrative, the authors really wrote themselves into a corner. There can't be much advancement in the 1980s storyline because we already know that by 1990 Julie hadn't yet been found and we still didn't know what happened to Will, and there couldn't be much advancement in the 1990 storyline because we already know that by 2015 the "mystery" still hadn't been solved and Julie was known to be alive but was still M.I.A., the whole of which became kind of boring after a while. Two final thoughts: 1. I honestly cannot believe that's how Will died and 2. why did Julie name her daughter Lucy? Did she have any memory of her mom left? I thought she had lost all memories of Tom and Lucy after having been drugged for years.

Was Trinity high when said at the beginning of the episode that "our track record brought us to this point"? Whose track record, exactly? What brought you to this point is the plotting and scheming instigated by the insanely unfair elimination system of this show. After restating once more for the record that Manila was the clear winner of this All Star season and the greatest victim of the above-mentioned system in all Drag Race herstory, I have the following considerations: - although I will never forgive Naomi for what she did to Manila, her choreography and that catsuit with the blue hair were actually really good and for a minute there I feared she could actually win. - Monique's story was very touching and at this point I really wished she would be crowned Queen because of the beautiful and empowering message it would send out there. Also I loved her dry humor. - if we look at this episode alone, I thought Monet and Trinity's performances were overall worse than the other two, so I was very surprised when Ru announced that Naomi and Monique were not the two finalists. - I also think the double win was a cop out. I'm sorry but that's what you get when you don't have the best queen in the final four and you have to do what you can to salvage the situation. Ultimately, after this season I am even more convinced that winning a regular season of Drag Race is a much higher accomplishment than winning All Stars. Does anyone know if Ru had anything to say about Manila's elimination or this system in general? I'd love to hear why she keeps using it even though most fans seem to hate it.

Well it's still evidence, and seeing how conflicted she was about the whole thing and how she was overreacting about Christopher being traumatized and all, she might have kept it just in case she changed her mind and wanted to come clear to the FBI (which in fact she did. Maybe.) I think what prompted her to call the police was mostly the Christmas surprise visit by Telesco who seized the wedding pictures and Oliver's laptop. Of course no one would've thought of searching the house for a blood-stained blanket, but I would freak out too, if I were her. I sincerely hope Bonnie wasn't lying when she said she's not pregnant. I couldn't handle another unwanted pregnancy between two consenting adults who should know how contraceptives work, in which the father died before knowing about the pregnancy and the mom has to raise the child all by herself (with a little help from her friends). I mean, it literally JUST happened. I still haven't quite understood why everyone is so mad at Gabriel and so rough on him. How they (especially power couple Laurel and Michaela) spoke to him at the Christmas dinner was quite harsh. Is it only because he lied about being Sam's son and was secretly researching his death? I'm sure I missed something here but they honestly treat him like he had killed their house pet, it seems a bit too exaggerate. Please enlighten me, anyone!

This! Which had me thinking "come on, are you guys for real? He's an important witness, what are you doing?!" I can't believe they let him go hoping that they'd ever see him again. Also strange, if I may add, is the fact that no one has ever checked whether Tom is Julie's actual father. It's not that hard, he's alive and I'm pretty sure they could extract Julie's DNA from her toothbrush, clothes, hair on the pillow of her bed, cups, cutlery and so on. For sure. That comment Harris James made about Wayne's body was an even too obvious clue. Also, okay, we've established communication is not Amelia and Wayne's forte, but maaaaybe, maaaaybe she should have told him about the girl she talked to at that nuns' house? She seemed to know a whole lot about what's going on with the whole rich people/young girls sex ring or whatever that is, I'm sure Wayne and Roland might like to have a word with her as well. Also, how did Amelia get to her before they did? She's a pretty decent detective herself, it seems.

My thought exactly. Good job, Naomi, way to earn a crown! Also, we all know she's probably not going to win regardless, so she really could've spared herself the shame of doing something so mean and shady, and to her "role model - I've loved you since forever - My eyes tear up even just being in the same room as you - I cannot believe we're sitting at the same table" queen on top of that! I don't understand what people think they're gaining from a victory with no dignity. Did Naomi think it's a choice fans of the show are going to appreciate? I agree 1000% with everything you said in your post, but especially this. It felt so weird and it was so quick that most of the time I couldn't even tell whose bit they were showing. I think they did it on purpose (they could for sure have edited it in a way that they would show us 10-15 seconds straight of each couple just once instead of one second of each couple 15 times) to cover up either how unimpressive Latrice and her Judy were or how good Manila and her husband (whom I love and adore and I want to move in with them because they are just all-over perfection) were. I think since Latrice came back the producers are going out of their way to sort of mask through editing how consistently bad she really is, in the vain hope that we don't notice. Same thing they're doing with Manila, but the other way around. Sometimes I feel the judges give her critiques that make absolutely no sense (like this episode's "I can't see the resemblance" when they looked identical or last episode's "you were interrupting Latrice and overshadowing her" in the club challenge when she was actually trying to resuscitate her from yet another super dull performance) hoping they manage to make her look like she's competition just like everyone else even though she's clearly a cut above the rest. And I don't know whether the panel faked that reaction or not, but they looked genuinely shocked when Naomi pulled out Manila's lipstick. Hope that's what finally drives it home for Ru that this elimination system is not doing the show any favors. Eliminating the best means keeping the worst, and I'm not sure that's what viewers want to watch.

I sincerely apologize because I had no idea that was traditional Filipino attire for a groom. I looked it up and it appears the traditional shirts are usually more ornate and made of what seems to be organza, while Oliver's seemed a bit more plain, but nonetheless, my mistake. Sorry and thank you for pointing it out.

I'm sorry but... did I miss something? I have so many questions about this episode. - So Gabriel is Sam's son. Why is Annalise so devastated? She said herself she was "the other woman", so she could've at least imagined that Sam might have had secret children who would pop up some day? And why is Gabriel acting so creepy? What is he after? Why would he be mad at/want to hurt Annelise? Because she broke up his parents, maybe? Like what, 20 years ago? Grow up, Gabriel, nobody cares. - Nate beats Miller (almost) to death. Based on what? A picture of him making a phone call? Sooo out of character for Nate, who has always been a kind meh character throughout the show. I never thought he would be capable of such brutal violence. - Bonnie finishes the job. Why? To protect Nate? Like they're so BFF she's willing to murder her own boyfriend for him? And the stupid yet perfectly timed fight they had before the wedding? I don't buy it. - Christopher's previously immaculate white blanket has blood stains all over it. No one notices. Okay. - Last but not least, I get the "I didn't need a tuxedo, I needed you" wedding vows but Oliver, for the love of God, you looked like you just got out of bed at your own wedding. The build-up was so much better than the reveals.

What I meant was they got a light-skinned black, tall, curly-haired, slim and handsome guy to play Gabriel. I think if they didn't want to hint at a vague resemblance with Wes they could've cast literally anyone else. I mean, I don't think it was casual.

OR, Gabriel could be related to Wes somehow? There must be a reason why they casted an actor who looks so much like Wes (in my opinion, at least) other than to mess with Lauren's head. Maybe they were brothers and Annalise had something to do with how they were separated and one of them was given up for adoption without the mother knowing?

Well, like I said, it's still not Grey's Anatomy level (nor will it ever be, I hope), but this show has had its fair share of implausible moments, so even a hazy timeline regarding the car accident/miscarriage wouldn't surprise me at this point. But thanks for reminding me, I had completely forgotten they said the accident happened 10 years ago. Viola Davis is 53 so I guessed AK would be around the same age, and she looked in her early-mid 30s when she miscarried, so I figured it could be hers.

Could it actually be that Gabriel is Annelise's son, the one who supposedly died in the car accident when she was pregnant? I mean, seeing how everything is planned so much in advance on this show, they could've easily swapped the baby at the hospital and make her believe he was dead. I mean, I know that's kind of far fetched, but after all we've seen, I wouldn't put anything past this show.

... And that's how we find out Michonne is pregnant! Congratulations! Well, at least they spared us the 3 seasons of pregnancy and grieving and yearning for revenge we had to suffer through with Maggie. I loved how the walking pace of the zombies seemed to change according to Rick's visions, peaks of pain and blackouts. They always seem to be 10 feet away and then he passes out for an indefinite amount of time and when he wakes up they're still 10 feet away!! That's very respectful of them to let Rick have his "moments". Or maybe they're here to introduce the show's new philosophical edge with the question: "do other things exist when I don't see them?" (further illustrated with the already mentioned appearance of the magical silent/see-through helicopter). When Maggie let Negan out of his cell I thought he was going to try and head for the hills, and I am so, SO glad they didn't go for that. I really don't understand Negan's purpose in the show at this point. I mean, I get why Maggie didn't kill him, maybe she thought his suffering was a harsher punishment than death, but now what? And what was the big reveal with him being kept in the darkness all this time and her asking him to step into the light and then... nothing? Did I miss something? Because apart from looking a bit beaten up and unkempt, he seemed fine. And please NO. MORE. NEW. CHARACTERS. Especially a bunch of stereotypical hipsters! This show is going to turn into The Real World: Alexandria. But then how does that explain Gabriel? Jadis thought he was a B and then when he said "okay well, I guess I'll have to love you and leave you" she changed her mind and said he was an A. Did she realize he had been bitten by seeing him up close? She should've already realized then, no? That's why I think it has something to do more with character than with physical appearance/health. I might be wrong, though, 'cause other than that, your explanation makes sense.

Thank you!!! This is the issue that pops up in the back of my head every time I watch this show. It's been FIVE YEARS, maybe less (I'm counting by Judith's apparent age, which is definitely more reliable than Maggie's 3+years pregnancy), since the ZA and judging by the state of decay of most roads, bridges, buildings and everything else as we see on the show, one would think it happened at least 30-40 years ago. People in the real world still use roads, bridges, water works and so on that were built 2000 years ago, yet in Georgia every day is a struggle to build something from scratch that should already be there/fix something that should be still perfectly functioning. Also makes sense what you said about living arrangements and number of zombies still alive. They should really mostly be gone by now. About the episode, I understand it's for dramatic effect but seriously, when Darryl was trying to get out of the hole while the zombies were clutching at his legs and Rick was already out, why didn't he just shoot the zombies to make Darryl's climb easier and less frantic? There were only 8 of them! (I counted!). It's just crazy, these interactions with the zombies. Sometimes one person can take on an army of 150 zombies by him/herself, sometimes they risk losing their life (or actually lose it) when confronted with just one zombie. I guess congruence is not one of the requirements the writing of this show has to fulfill. Not only this, but also... I mean, they could've run that way? . Anyway, I would be okay with Rick dying, if not for the fact that I'm afraid if he (literally) went the way of all flesh we'd be stuck with another single parent pregnancy (Michonne), and it'd be The Widow 2 all over again for another 3 seasons.

The Sierra pregnancy story reminded me of this plotline from Grey's Anatomy a few (more like way more than a few) years back where Cristina Yang, an adult doctor, managed to get pregnant by another adult doctor after she had lost one ovary to an icicle (I kid you not) and regardless of the fact she had stated many times before she never wanted children. Here, Sierra and Vik (wow, another adult doctor!) sleep together ONCE and the miracle happens again! Birth control, anybody? I mean, I understand both pregnancies served the plot but come on, people. Come. On. It would be so much more interesting if for once things on shows went like they normally go in real life. I absolutely agree with this, I wondered about the same thing in the thread for last week's episode. The old trope of the veteran suffering from PTSD and turning crazy is just been done over and over and over (like the above-mentioned miracle pregnancies) and if that's really the case, I'm calling some seriously lazy writing here. The change in Ben was too sudden, he did a full 180 from calm and collected recovering addict to rude, careless, violent maniac basically overnight without us being given the slightest single hint that he also had that side to him and could also become that kind of person in the previous 2-3 episodes where we had seen him. I know Sarah Treem said Alison was murdered and she probably was, at this point, but I seriously don't want that to be what happened. This show has frequently graced us with some incredibly poignant and clever writing, and I refuse to believe it got so sloppy at the end just because they had to get rid of a character and couldn't come up with anything better. Except we don't, Sarah! To conclude, I also join the number of those who believe Helen and Noah will get back together next season. The show will close the circle and end like it had started: Helen with Noah and Cole with the realization that his only true love was and will always be Alison and with whatever is left of her (Joanie, who, by the way, looks remarkably different from either of them and this kind of bothers me but okay).

I agree, this money transfer to Joanie is probably the only thing that shouldn't be taken as a proof that Allison was planning her suicide and taking care of business before going. I'm saying this because she had just super randomly mentioned opening up a trust for Joanie to Athena, like Athena had done for her in the past, 2 or 3 episodes back, in a scene where such mention had no reason to exist (they weren't talking about money, education, funds or even Joanie at the moment) if not for being relevant to future developments. And since there was no follow-up on this intention of hers, I kinda expected that this opening a trust fund matter would later become something important for the plot, which it did because the detective brings it up as one of the main reasons that indicate Allison was planning to kill herself all along.

Absolutely, of course not. I was mostly criticizing her annoying and constant "I'm a victim of circumstances" attitude that often came across almost as if she had been forced into those toxic relationships or other life choices she made. It was not only her fault, obviously, but it was also her fault, and instead it felt like she never fully acknowledged her role in both situations and never took responsibility for any of her actions, often leaving others to wonder what they alone did wrong instead of sharing the guilt. It takes two to tango, and that goes both ways.

THIS... and THIS. I wouldn't be so quick to assume without a doubt that Ben killed Allison. More so than the bandage, the faucet, the talks, the lies, the different versions of the story about the kid he killed during the war it was, like Lemon said, the radical character change we saw in second-half Ben. His rudeness, curtness and lack of interest in Allison and what she had to say all night and especially while he was eating chips on the couch was so out of character and not coherent with the way he'd been portrayed and presented to us in the last couple of episodes that actually made me think that for sure part 2 was an exaggeration of events that only existed in Allison's head. Maybe next week we'll see other versions of Allison's last night and only at the end will we (maybe) be able to put all the pieces together, but as of now, I'm leaving all the possibilities open. Thank you! I don't understand the love for this character. Yes, of course she was a troubled woman, she had many issues of her own, she was chronically depressed, she lost a son and I'm sure recently finding out she was a child of rape didn't help either, but let's not forget she did wreck two marriages and acted like an immature and irresponsible victim of the circumstances more than once, and that she was capable of petty little actions like that time she was taking a shower at Helen and Noah's house and she voluntarily spilled the content of Helen's expensive shampoo just because, all the while coming and going as she pleased and inexplicably breaking hearts left, right and center. Ah, so strange! I love that song! I think it's one of the best opening credit songs I've ever seen on TV!

Eureka simply means "I've found it", it's the past form of ancient greek verb "eurisko", so it doesn't really have an Archimedes origin even, I guess that's just what everyone said at the time. Plus, light bulbs don't necessarily have a connection with Edison but more with the concept of your brain neurons "lighting up" when you find a solution to a long standing problem, that's why we use the light bulb icon to signify an "idea" in general. So you're right, Eureka for sure wasn't wrong here. Okay, now that my etymological rant is over (sorry about that!) I'd like to say that I hope either Kameron or Aquaria wins this. Aquaria definitely has more talent and creativity but Kameron should be praised not only for her good work but also because throughout the competition her attitude has always been super cool. She never bitched about anybody, she never complained, she was always kind and helpful to everybody. And after watching every season of this show (some twice) I guess I can say that's rare. Also, why was Asia wearing a Rio de Janeiro carnival-inspired dress with the colors of the brazilian flag in the one episode dedicated to America? I have nothing against it, it was a beautiful costume but maybe use it some other time? I appreciated more the theme-related looks of Aquaria with her 40's post-war hairdo and the red dress or the cheerleader-like attire of Eureka.

I agree with everyone else in saying that this was one of the best first episodes of all the seasons of Drag Race. So entertaining! I loved it! And for the first time in Drag Race herstory, I feel like there were no clear favorites and I didn't want anyone to go, I liked all of them! After watching the entire episode I have to say the queen who left the best impression on me is Miz Cracker, like many people have pointed out already. Her perfect comebacks on a whim are already t-shirt design material. I'm not a fan of the polka dot face (which were actually paw prints or am I mistaken?), but Dusty is also up there for me. And I'd add Vixen to that. I know her fashion on a dime look was not incredibly elaborate, but still there was something in there, and I can't wait to see what she has in store. Also, her first little runway among the queens was ultra cool, and I really hoped she would have been the one to win the mini challenge. When Ru made the announcement that she had brought back another queen to compete, I was actually half hoping it would be Shangela again. It would've been fun to have her come out there even if just for kicks and I also don't think I saw her among the other queens at the beginning, so I was really crossing my fingers. And instead we got X-tina. Oh well, there's always next time.

I feel that, with this show, the critiques are based on the editing and on the talking heads instead of the other way around. The judges say things (both during the challenges and during the panel) that are not necessarily true, but that just help showing the girls in the consistent good or bad light they chose to show them in. In this episode, for example, when they were filming the "Last Supper" scene for the video, I don't think any of the girls were particularly bad, yet Rio and Jeana were told they were boring and not putting themselves out there enough while the other girls received praise for doing basically the same things Rio and Jeana were being criticized for. And in the individual segments, Kyla was given by far the best outfit and props, and she was absolutely stunning, while the other girls had to work with less and didn't shine as much. Yet Khrystyana won, even though her outfit made her look like a runaway child from Adventure Time's Candy Kingdom and she only shot for like 30 seconds before her shoe broke. I love Khrystyana and I think she's adorable but it seems she can do no wrong in the eye of the judges and it's getting a bit old. I wonder which way they would've twisted it if the shoe malfunction had happened to someone else.

And when she covered the baby's eyes during the cop's dirty dancing routine! Hilarious!! I might be wrong, but I felt like Shangela wanted to win the LSFYL not so much for the 10K, but more to make sure Kennedy wasn't going home. Maaaaaaaybe Trixie wouldn't have eliminated her anyway but... better safe than sorry, I guess. As for Morgan's elimination, I agree with you that it probably made sense that she was eliminated, but at the same time I couldn't help but thinking "what a waste". Also Morgan's reaction, plus the fact she had already commented on how it's kind of customary that the revived queen gets eliminated immediately, kind of gave it away that she had always known there was no way she would win this. Which makes me even more mad at my beloved BenDeLa for probably knowing Morgan would be eliminated the first chance they got, and still choosing her over Aja, who instead would've had a real shot at winning the title. Anyway, now I'm "Natalie Imbruglia torn" between Trixie and Shangela while left dreaming of a final episode starring BenDeLa and Aja instead of Kennedy and BeBe (who IMO should've been long gone by now), which would've at least given some sense to this otherwise uber dull All Stars season. Fingers crossed for season 10.

Okay, they need to stop trying to make BeBe happen. I get it that she's this sophisticated African queen, but can she do anything else? I don't think I've ever seen her acting silly, being funny, dancing or even moving, really, or wearing any color that's not black or leopard print. That's her character and she does it well, but having a character and sticking to the safety of it is not what this competition is about, or at least that's what I thought. Plus, at the group therapy meeting where everybody was so clueless as to why they were sent home (I'll give you a hint, it's a show based on gradual elimination: you can't all stay forever) and she was confronted with the "who sewed it better" situation by Aja, I thought it was truly awful when BeBe told her it didn't matter who made that dress because they complimented her and her style and all she needed to say was "thank you". Excuse me?! As for Ben, I was shocked and heartbroken like everyone else and I don't think I have any reason left to keep watching the show except hoping for a Shangela win and waiting for Morgan and BeBe to be eliminated, but I get why she did it. It was unfair competition and it was ruining her. I don't think anyone is trying real hard to win the LSFYL this season. Nobody desperately needs the 10K and the stress associated with a victory is not worth it. That said, I was crossing my fingers DeLa would choose Aja to come back, and when instead she chose Morgan my first reaction was "oh wow, she feels so guilty for eliminating her that she brought her back". But then I thought actually she might've picked Morgan because she knows Morgan's gonna be eliminated pretty soon, so this could be a way to show her she wouldn't have lasted long in the competition anyway, regardless of DeLa sending her home? Maybe. In any case, everyone knows DeLa is the real winner of AS3.

So weird, I noticed the exact same thing this week. I had already said it in the makeover episode's discussion, but I feel Tyra really ruined Brendi with that haircut, way more so than the other girls with theirs. Also, if, from what we've seen from next week's preview, this "trailer park girl" label bothers her so much, and she stated several times already that she doesn't feel feminine enough, maybe a buzzcut wasn't exactly the best thing for her self-esteem? Yeah, I actually liked it when Tyra at the end was honest about telling her she might get other kinds of modeling gigs but maybe not editorials, because that's true. Sandra has a perfect face but sometimes I felt there was no story behind it and this made it very hard for her to convey any feelings.

Not only would it be unfair and suck, it would be absolutely preposterous since Ben is obviously one cut above the rest, to the point that sometimes I feel she even tries to hold back a little to give others a chance to win the challenges. BeBe in the top two?? For real?! I don't find her funny, I think she's a bit one-dimensional and I really didn't like it when she was asked if she had made her outfit by herself and she said "yes" when actually Aja helped her out. Shangela's face when she looked at Aja in that moment was everything. BeBe's making it all about herself, not even letting Aja get a word in when they talked before the elimination, and that's not cool. Last week I thought she was gonna be the next one to go home, and instead we had to say goodbye to poor Aja who, in my eyes, really redeemed herself in this All Star season. That said, I'm at least glad that, between the two, Shangela got to stay. I liked them both, but Shangela has performed better in all the challenges so far and she is definitely a more capable entertainer. I don't see the point of bringing back 3 queens now that there's only 5 left. Are we to understand they're going to start eliminating two queens per episode?

This exactly. I might sound cynical but I'm having a hard time believing that 8 out of 8 girls here (plus all the ones who already went home) were abused, bullied, came from broken families, unhappy childhoods or anyway suffered some sort of huge trauma in their life. It's possible, I'm not denying it, but I feel that here as well (as it is with other major issues of our times), by calling things by the wrong name (a boy calls you Freckles once in third grade and suddenly you've been bullied all your life), we take away attention from people who have REALLY been through these terrible things and need real support. Other than that, like I've already said, I feel Tyra(nt) really does what she pleases on this show, regardless of the models' talent or the way the pictures came out. When she told Erin her photo was bad because of that inexplicable cloud of hair she had on her face I couldn't believe it. Who chose that picture out of the probably 50 she took? Also, I don't like Christina's attitude in general, but it was kind of rude of Tyra to tell her her age showed in the picture. She just wanted to taunt her and that's not nice. I'm glad Erin got to stay though, I really like her, although I'm sure she'll go home soon.