magdalene

Did you notice how Agnew was looking at Eva Jefferson like she was something to be scraped from under his finger nails? Another disgusting American politician revealed as slime. Nixon. Kissinger. All slime. Luckily Nixon was arrogant enough to record all his crimes on tapes. Oh, what's a little burglary when you are the American President and believe you can get away with anything. I am also disgusted that Calley only got 3 years of house arrest for his war crimes.

I had never heard of these Kent State killings I feel very ignorant now. . I can't fathom American soldiers shooting unarmed American kids in America. I guess I am naive. And am I understanding this right - they killed this one kid who wasn't even part of the protest and his poor parents got hate mail afterwards from fellow Americans telling these parents that they were glad their "commie" son was dead. It makes you despair for humanity really.

I always knew Nixon was crooked and corrupt but I hadn't realized he was truly evil until this series and this episode.

Tricky Dick in action tonight, committing treason to win the presidency...it just makes you want to cry.

You know who came across as almost worse than Diem to me? His awful sister. She must have been absent when basic decency and empathy were doled out. It struck me that there was a moment when - before this whole debacle began - Ho Chi Minh was asking for American help (he had quite admired American democracy). If only somebody had had the foresight to get him on our side. Instead America got into bed with all these unspeakable South Vietnamese dictators.

Another riveting episode - I am glued to the screen, this is like watching a train wreck in slow motion. And Burns of course excels in making you invest emotionally in addition to the brutal history lessons. I started to cry when they showed Mogy's elderly mother tearing up remembering getting the terrible news. I started talking to the TV tonight - when they showed those volunteer teenage girls immediately at repairing Ho's trail after the Americans bombed it - I said, this is why the Americans are never going win here. And they are only at 1967, this cursed war went on til 1975.

It mystifies me why the Americans thought they were going to fare better than the French who came before them. Same location. Similar circumstances. Same opponent using same tactics. To expect a different outcome is what - arrogance? stupidity? Combination of both? I feel bad for the generation of young men sacrificed to this debacle.

I am totally hooked on Ken Burns The Vietnam War. I would say I am enjoying it if one can enjoy something chronicling so much loss of life and destruction. The first night of the series was showing the history of the region and that history should have taught the American powers that they could not win there. How to back the wrong horse and totally misread history.... But the fear of Communist expansion was so great....oh well, I was shaking my head a lot while watching. The French soldiers returning home from Vietnam to the derision of their country men provided a sadly ironic mirror to what would later happen to some American soldiers returning home.

I am really liking this. Much less predictable than Tyrion or Jaime killing her. I like the irony of it. Reading the books I was always completely certain that Cersei would die. But on the show I can't say I am certain at all. I think she will die - but I wouldn't want to bet on it.

My guess would be that the TV series will have a similar death count than the movie. Eventually. I don't see anybody but J and Smurf surviving the final season.

His person was shot to death right in front of him. I would call that traumatic.

Once I knew the killer was the shepherd/gamekeeper I wasn't all that eager for him to be brought to justice. Even abstractly I couldn't muster much sympathy for the victim. I felt bad for the dog. And there was so much of the old ways about the village and this darkly Gothic Mellors that he and the village seemed somehow set apart from any "modern" justice. So it was rather fitting that the old witch saved him from rotting in a cell. This show always does so well in setting the mood and the atmosphere of the world we enter into through the investigations of Morse and Thursday. The village seemed closer to Pagan times in important ways and having that power station near it was just WRONG. I know Morse is destined to never have happiness with a woman but his thing with Joan is making me mutter at the screen and go good grief.

Once again Cameron is way ahead of the curve with her tiny house love. Just looking at her and Joe in one of those mini tin cans gives me an acute feeling of claustrophobia.

I hope some people will discover this show once it can be binged on netflix, etc.. I am very grateful to AMC for sticking with it and it deserves a wider audience.

This is the first time I have ever liked Franco in anything. It was very compelling. I am in.

Am I supposed to like the FBI agent? Because I sure don't. Besides finding his tactics despicable how are his investigation "techniques" ever going to lead to a case holding up in court? Those Snells are way too powerful to be believable. Now, if the actors had any charisma maybe I would enjoy watching them, but since they don't they are the worst part of the show to me.

I assumed it was the mob killing those two gangsters for having failed to kill that guy who was going to testify against that mob/gang. But since the real focus of the episode was the No 10 bed hospital shenanigans they didn't go further into that.

I finally recognized that's the same actor playing both characters this season of GOT. He is very good and very different in both roles.

Whatever sympathy I had for Joan is fast going bye bye. Her mother is suffering torments while Joan punishes herself doing what - working as a call girl? What is so difficult about calling and reassuring your parents? They made the head nurse so unsympathetic and suspicious looking that I figured she wasn't the murderer all along. I was really worried for Bright. I thought his actor might need to leave the show to spend more quality time with Cersei Lannister.

Too young. He didn't even make it to that terrible 69 that seems to claim quite a few of the musical greats. Steely Dan have such a timeless quality. I love their sound and those clever and ironic lyrics. Damn.

You know, in a show about a family of ruthless criminals it's the obnoxiously stupid girlfriend of J I want gone like yesterday. She annoys the crap out of me. I think it was J who shot Baz.

I feel bad for Jon. I just can't imagine him being thrilled at learning that he has been having sex with his aunt. He grew up as a Stark, in the North. While Dany comes from a totally different culture I am not convinced she will be okay with this either.

I think we are supposed to see the Jon/Dany coupling as a cautionary tale ala Rhaegar/Lyanna - look how well that turned out.

Littlefinger finally fell off that ladder... And Jaime at last woke up to Cersei - hallelujah!

Oh Gordon. Why not let your teenage daughter make 20 k for something terrific she came up with? Just put the money into an account for her future like to help with college or something. But don't low ball your own child for crying out loud. That being said that whole scene was very funny. This cast works so well together, you can tell they are enjoying each other. Well, I am hoping Cameron and Joe are in a place where they can make it work somehow. Since this is the last season I don't want to see misery and relationship implosions. I want to remember all these characters on a positive note.