mecmimi05

Stan has seemed surprisingly up front about his occupation -- telling the Jennings on first meeting that he is an FBI agent. I knew people in the FBI in DC in the time period of this show, and while friends and family would know they worked for the FBI, if asked by neighbors or random people, preferred to say they have an office job in the government, or worked for the Department of the Treasury (which is true). That is true for a new agent I know now, although harder to put a veil on the occupation outside of DC My father was an FBI agent for 30 years and we were supposed to say he worked for the Justice Dept not Treasury. I wonder if that has really changed. My father never worked undercover and actually was a forensic scientist in the lab. He traveled a lot to testify in court about evidence and when he flew he had to take his gun on the flight..... in case of a hijacking....he was always relieved he did not have to use it. I think it was the DB Copper hijacking that made the Bureau have agents take their guns on flights. I enjoy FBI plot line, my father was an agent from 1942-72...J. Edgar Hoover ran the place like a tyrant. Every agent was fit and had to pass stringent physicals every year. I am sure he had every piece of paper accounted for.

I agree with many of the posters about being marked down for NOT having a table on the porch....ridiculous. The bones of the homes should be what adds value. I liked Martha and Alex's style and the things they did to the home, especially making both bedrooms have a private bath. I also thought Nick & his wife did a good job. The two women had some great ideas, I loved their kitchen, but they were so obnoxious and not changing the dumb whale was a BIG turn off. I enjoyed this show and hope since they have cancelled Design Star that this will be a permanent summer show.

I really didn't like the horrible sloppy tile work the long distance couple did. Also the signs propped everywhere were a distraction and not original at all. Loved the unsealed wall in Martha & Alex's bathroom. Like the way they made two on suite bathrooms.....too bad they didn't finish and I do wish they would listen to advice.The winning bathrooms were finished and looked nice, nothing spectacular. I was surprised the women did not seem to understand that herringbone tile work would be harder and more costly to install...aren't they the "experts". Nick and his wife's master bath looked good to me until they showed the floor, it really was awful. Seems like everyone did a better job in the smaller bathroom, maybe they over thought the master bath.

I really miss the lush scenes of the first season, I realize they are saving money,but sometimes the sets seem really 2nd class. Love everything Leila wears, she is beautiful and she is dressed like a queen. Nusrat is also a lovely woman. Hate Molly, can we please get rid of this vapid, silly woman? I don't understand why this character is written so poorly, and that we are supposed to believe she could be a doctor. It is almost like there are two sets of writers. Unfortunately the "Americans" got the weaker ones. I hope Barry gets a backbone and can start showing some emotion and action. I do enjoy this soap opera and appreciate the fact they try to make the story relevant to what is happening in the middle east right now.

My post for last week's episode never seemed to disappear....it was up for a minute.....I'm not sure if I was censored or what. I'll try not to be overly critical, but I do not know how Team Long Distance made it to this show. They are so out of their element and I am tired of the judges telling them how great they are.....then why don't they win a challenge?? The floating bed was scary and unsafe, David should have talked them out of it. I agree with posters about twin beds being a better choice for rental property.I really liked the bedroom that won and felt it was that couples best room. I like Martha and Alex's style sense and also think the women have great skills and really know what they are doing. I hate the short time period the couples are given to complete the rooms and feel it is just done that way to make failure certain.

Add me to the mural haters. So cheesy and such an tired "been used too much"saying. Also agree that there was way too much white going on in most of the kitchens. I think the obnoxious women should have won again. I think the idea that the island was too big was just an excuse to not let them win two times in a row. They are the far better team, I just wish they were easier to like and root for. I don't understand how they pick the teams for this show. If these people are the best 4 couples, I'd hate to see what the rejects would do. I also don't like Martha's orange tan or her barely visible eyebrows, but I think that she and her partner are doing a good job. I liked their bedroom best. I wish the judges didn't act so silly or so wowed by what the contestants were doing. All that said, I do enjoy the show.

I like the way they are deciding the winner this season. I did not think last season's auction was fair. Going first was a liability. Did not like the painted burlap wall at all, I knew it was going to be a disaster before they started. That couple does not seem to be very experienced and I hope they can do a better job. The " we are better than anyone else" girlfriend couple are good , but obnoxious, they need to tone down their self esteem. I agree with MsTree about looking beachy with fish and seashells......but I do think the colors should be light and calming. The ocean is the centerpiece!

The younger daughter seemed painfully thin to me in the scene where they were shopping for Christmas decorations. I still think she looks like Reese Witherspoon. The older daughter does look a lot older than she is supposed to be and the backyard friend is just creepy. I am tired of how dumb Ben is...really...???.... wipe off the flashlight and that's all you do. Everyone with any sense would know there are so many ways to detect blood and DNA now, that wiping it off does very little. I again ask....did anybody in the set design team actually do any research on Charlotte? The summertime look in Dec is driving me crazy. I want to like this show and I'll probably keep watching it now that Downton Abbey is over.

First of all..I hate it when someone in California decides that they know how to portray a southern city and they have no clue how to do it. Charlotte is COLD in the winter!! There would be no deciduous tress with leaves on them. We do have seasons in all of NC. I thought Ben's daughter looked a lot like his ex-wife Reese Witherspoon. Wondered why Melissa Gilbert had such a small part as the mother of autistic (?) son and then saw her new husband playing the part of high dollar lawyer. I can't remember his name, but I know they got married recently. Maybe they have a hand in the production of this show???? Thanks GaiusB for explaining where I had seen the actress that plays Jess before (Under the Dome). I think this show has promise, I'll have to see how Juliette Lewis evolves...right now she is playing this part poorly (IMHO)

Thank you Username1; This is what I was trying to say. This is a multifaceted issue and I don't think it should be exploited on a show like Scandal.....I found this episode very moving and Vance was terrific, but the ending was too easy.

Biden is actually a qualified leader with tons of experience. I think you mean Dan Quayle and Sarah Palin. Yes, come to think of it most VP's are pretty lame.

I like this show much better when Olivia is in gladiator mode, but I am not sure this was a good scenario to use. Too many open wounds still festering from this real life drama. Soap operas need to stick to lighter fare. Putting a sadly incompetent person in the Vice President position is also a ridiculous plot line....oh wait a minute.....Joe Biden.

I love that Viola takes off her wig and makeup.....most actors would never do that. The guy that plays Nate is goodlooking, Annaliese needs to get him out of jail. Tired of the "gang" talking about everything all the time where ever they are.I am ready for the mystery to be solved.....wonder how this will work with a second season???

I really wanted to like this show.....but I realize that it is not going to get better. So many things are so poorly done. The law is twisted and turned in so many ways that would never happen in real life. I think this reflects poor research and writing. The characters are not likeable. Connor could be very interesting, but his constant finding out info by having hot, gay sex is ridiculous. A well thought out script would be able to solve problems in a smart, "use your head" way...not have sex and miraculously get secret information.....Also, I HATE the wardrobe they have for Viola. Everything is too tight and does not look professional.

It does seem like this show has a lot of good actors doing nothing and bad actors acting badly. I am going to give it one more week and if it does not improve I may scratch it off my "to watch" list.