Thog

I really liked this episode, but then I'm pretty easy when it comes to B99. I love how well they blend the preposterous with the heartwarming, and they don't create overwrought misunderstandings for cheap laughs. And as others have pointed out above, the characters are so well fleshed-out that the smallest moments are both meaningful and funny. The toy Jake gave Boyle for Nikolaj was disarmingly sweet, as was Scully deciding to go spread joy on his own. Holt never fails to make me laugh when he breaks his formal and proper persona, but I hope they don't start to overuse that. It pains me to say this, but I do think the "speaks only enough of a foreign language to get a toddler to bed and/or on the potty, and uses those phrases to take down thugs" plot was done better this week on Modern Family. It's not that Sofia Vergara's performance was better than Joe Lo Truglio's, but the writers did a better job of integrating phrases like "it's nighty-night time" in a way that made them sound bizarrely sinister.

So Robbie gets to stand out in the cold for a gag, wrap everyone else's presents to maintain anonymity, and come through with the biggest and best gift in the end, but he doesn't get to be part of the secret Santa? I get that most people don't like him, but he does understand Jess in a way most people don't and I was truly indignant on his behalf for how badly he got used.

I know this show is about Rob and Sharon, but for me Chris steals the show with his bitterly dry humor. One of his early lines about not being able to forgive his wife after the baby rode into this world on a wave of her [poop] had me in absolute stitches, and the exasperated/resigned looks he gives his wife are just so scathing.

One thing I love about this show is that they never use the trope of silly misunderstandings/lack of communication. At first I thought Sharon might have kicked Rob out because she thought something actually happened with the French woman, or that Rob really did harass her. But later it was clear that Sharon understood exactly what had happened, and she was angry at how he had handled it. The show trusts its audience enough to present flawed characters who can honestly disagree without one of them misunderstanding the other's motives/actions. I find them both to be very likable but understandably flawed at times. It's true that Sharon doesn't seem to fully appreciate how Rob upended his entire life for her, but she also laughs off a lot of immaturity on his part. There have been so many scenes that I thought would end up in a huge fight because he said something really tone-deaf, but instead she just burst into laughter and sat on his lap. It's a shame these two never really had a chance to know each other as grownups before they were thrown into parenthood, because I think they could have worked out a lot of the kinks had they just known each other better from the start. But then we wouldn't have a show. As an animal lover, I just closed my eyes and pretended all the dog stuff wasn't happening in the first episode. It seemed like a terrible misstep by otherwise smart and respectful writers. But maybe that's just the hard edge of British humor.

I laughed out loud at the women tearing the cherries off the wall. For hit-you-over-the-head symbolism on a show about virginity, it was pretty funny

I thought this was pretty abysmal... appreciated Captain Holt et al., but the main storylines were cringeworthy. I kind of get what they were going for when they turned what Schmidt thought would be a "Gotcha!" revenge moment into more humiliation, but it wasn't fun to watch and just kept getting more and more uncomfortable. Same with the subway busking. After the scene in the deli with Jess getting ignored, pushed around, and glared at, I turned to Mr. Thog and said "That's pretty much how I experience life; no wonder I'm an introvert."

Brilliant show. If you stick with it you'll find that the awkward sex scenes were not gratuitous - they very much spoke to the character and how she sees herself as worth nothing and having nothing to offer but her body. There is a reason we were shown only her uncomfortable facial expressions throughout many of them; they were not meant to titillate, and I'm thinking we were supposed to be bothered. The episodes get both darker and surprisingly deeper as they go along, and the balance between humor and tragedy shifts but both are still fully represented. There are some strong themes here about loneliness, grief, betrayal, the depths of female friendships, family dynamics, and how men vs. women are treated in society and relationships, but there are also laugh-out-loud moments and all of the characters are treated with respect (by the writers, if not by each other). Even minor characters that I thought existed for comic relief turned out to have some depth. I found the last episode to be devastating, and the whole series will stick with me for quite some time.

I really enjoyed this series, though I'm skeptical about a second season. I loved the diversity of the cast, and the fact that the multiracial couple, the gay couple, and all the various people of different genders, races, and ethnicities were just characters, not plot points. I loved that it asked a lot of questions, answered some big ones along the way, and left some open at the end but resolved most of the major issues (though I would like to know what happened to Hassan's brother). I loved the great acting, the actors who looked like real people, and the intersecting plot points. My biggest complaint is that I couldn't always tell all the characters apart - for a while I thought that Tim was May's father, and I didn't realize there was more than one bald character until one was in the morgue. The next time I watch a series with such a large cast, I want every character to wear a different colored hat.

I'm no fan of Aleida, but I did like seeing an inmate struggle with getting out and then (apparently) start to do okay. They already did the "can't make it on the outside" storyline with Taystee, and they did a good job of making it clear that so many people end up going back because there is no infrastructure and so little support for the transition. I'm sure we'll continue to follow Aleida because of Daya's situation, and I hope she continues to make it. I am so torn on the Pennsatuckey storyline. I hated seeing her forgive her rapist, and it looked for a while like we were supposed to sympathize with him which just turned my stomach. But she is not in a position to kick him out of her life, and carrying around that much pain and anger toward one of the few people she ever saw as an ally (and still has to see every day) must have been eating her up inside. In the end I thought it was handled well, largely because I still can't decide how I feel about it. Still love Morello, and I'm especially interested to see if she continues to recognize her own delusions and how they derail her life. I'm glad she was not a major player this season, but they kept her story going. She did not deserve the fairy tale ending it looked like she was getting last season. I hope Poussey's dad does play a role next season, as many are predicting. I would love to know what he said to Caputo. Linda can stay in that stall for the next three seasons for all I care. She was such a cartoon villain. I wonder if we're done with Healey? The actor did such a great job of almost being sympathetic, but then showing his controlling misogynist side just when I started to care about him. I don't know what more they can do with him, really, but I have to reluctantly admit that I've enjoyed him.

I have to think Daya is thinking of Bennett as she looks at Humphrey with a gun in her hand. She's never had any opportunity for closure on his abandonment, and it's clearly shaped how she thinks of all the guards. I can see this opportunity making her snap. I have to hope she doesn't, though, because she's not a bad person at heart and she'd never recover from that. I also have to wonder whether Poussey's military father didn't say something that made Caputo do what he did. He pulled rank and stood by his employees, clearly thinking it was the right thing to do at the time. The timing of the phone call just seems like it has to be relevant. So much happened this season that it's going to take me a while to process all the storylines. But first I need to come to terms with the blinding loss of Poussey. All I want from next season is a Frieda flashback. It could be that she's best in small doses, but she makes me smile every damn time she opens her mouth.

It's funny - I had been sure that the bodybuilder Luisa was dating had to be Rose with a new face, but it never occurred to me that was the case with Susanna. If the point of the body builder was to throw us off track, then well done, show.

OK, I have to ask. Why are characters on TV always going to get ice as part of their trysts? Am I doing sex wrong?

I was just coming here to say that! I don't remember when they last had sex, but it would resolve a lot of problems if it turns out she's actually farther along than she thought (or if Esteban is actually infertile, but they did say he used a condom). The only one who wouldn't be happy is Xiomara. Mateo could have play dates with his uncle! I just can't believe a mature, sexually active woman who is sure she wants no more kids is not on birth control.

You're right! I'd forgotten about that. Yay, show.

The subtle blink-and-you'll-miss-it dig at the current state of politics me laugh so hard. When Rogelio insisted that the leader of a country shouldn't discuss the size of his codpiece, there was a quick "#registertovote" on the screen. It's not like this show to be political, but I guess they couldn't help themselves. Rogelio/Michael 2016!

Personally, I would love to get acres on Mars. What a cool gift! If she's not the kind of person who appreciates a quirky gift like that (and doesn't know him well enough to understand why he would give it), maybe they're not as compatible as they thought. This episode seemed like an excuse to cram as many former players in as possible, some more successfully than others. I was happy to see some familiar faces, but by the end I couldn't point to any plot line that had moved forward in an interesting or surprising way. We learned that Peter is either guilty or being played, Jason doesn't like commitment but does like Alicia, and adolescent boys make bad decisions when girls are involved. The funeral flowers were funny, though.

For a minute there I thought Tascioni might bring in Robyn.

Wow, this show managed to find something I still really care about, and it's not Alicia. Or Peter's arrest. Or the case of the week. Or the NSA. I shouted at my TV when I thought Diane might be headed for divorce, and I laughed out loud when she told the blonde gun lady to "Go F--". Nice that they still care about some of the old relationships, and so good to see Gary Cole again.

I have to wonder if Google hits for Andre Agassi went up after this episode.

Great episode. I loved that they threw in a line about nobody believing Amy's "fake" pregnancy belly. Nice little nod.

I'm so glad somebody else saw it that way, too. I'm sure Rob didn't mean for it to be turdish, but that's all I could see. If they wanted that last model to look more human and less demonic, perhaps she shouldn't have folded herself in half backwards. It was creepy and awesome and made me think I need to do more yoga. I didn't think I had a preference for a winner until it started to look like Walter was in the lead. He's a nice guy and seems talented, but Melissa and Rob have both killed it this season. I'll be sad if either loses because of a picky director.

Yes, Rob's looked like a cow, but it didn't look (to me) like a human dressed as a cow. I was genuinely impressed with the artistry despite the problems he'd had. It didn't deserve to win for sure, but I did think it was very well done. I thought Mackenzie (or whoever dresses her) was going for a Marilyn vibe during the judging. My main thought (other than "wow, she's pretty") is that she doesn't need to try that hard, because, well...wow, she's pretty.

You know, Lucca did give them the option of just going home and getting a room rather than staying to help her celebrate. That display was not only juvenile and risky, it was also disrespectful to her. I did notice that Jason told Alicia the blonde was an old friend and it didn't mean anything, but he did not say that nothing happened.

Oh, sure. I just thought he might be mentioned because Diane had a gun rights-related case, and he would certainly have an opinion. I used to really enjoy their discussions, and seeing how they could disagree yet respect each other's perspectives. It was refreshing.

Well, that was the most depressing first 10 minutes of a show since _Up_. Could they not get Gary Cole? I was very surprised to see Diane argue a case all about guns without any mention of her pro-gun rights ballistics expert husband. WTH was Alicia wearing on her arms in the kitchen? Were those leg warmers, or were they somehow attached to her sheer sweater? At least she's well aware of the dangerous game she's playing by being so public with her affections for a man who is not her public figure of a husband. I would never want to go to a college that my mom had to fight to get me into. Did Grace not apply anywhere else? Maybe this is a world in which there is just one college in Chicago, in addition to a single law firm? I actually did enjoy the case and its resolution. but so much else about this episode was distracting.