Ravenya003

I think he was involved, yeah. He was at the hotel when the large Russian dude hit the prostitute into unconsciousness. There was also some tension with his father over Alice's death, with the son accusing his dad of being in love with his daughter-in-law, but how all this accumulated in a murder attempt remains to be seen.

I wasn't sure about the break-in either. A number of things could be going on here: a) Paul is testing how much power he has over her, b) he's trying to confuse the cops/discredit Katie as a potential witness, or c) some other plan we're not aware of yet. But yeah, if they're meeting up and talking on-line it seems only a matter of hours that the police could track him down. Yet there's still three episodes to go. But what Paul HAS managed to do is turn Katie against Stella. If Stella ever gets the opportunity to sit down and interview Katie, she's going to get completely stonewalled by a teenager who wants to impress an older man and has internalized his opinion of Stella as a cold bitch. Even if Stella says that Paul is a potential suspect, he's already spun her a story about finding Sarah's license and sending it to the police. Kind of looking forward to Stella knocking some sense into this girl. From what I gather, the pedo-priest was the manager of a foster home that Paul Spector lived in when he was a child. Jim looked up some of the other priest's victims and found a record of suicides, broken marriages, etc, and speculated that Paul turned out in a similar manner (most abused children go on to be abusers themselves). The other part about Adam Monroe was even more confusing. He was talking about the ex-husband of the Alice Monroe victim, whose father told him to flee the country when he found out he was a suspect. Apparently he's back and has tried to kill his father in the hospital...? Yeah, that needed to be a lot clearer.

I don't know whether to be amused or frustrated that both Paul and Stella are being given the complete run-around by a bratty teenage girl. Paul seems to have asserted power over her for the time being, but she's very much a wild card. Had to laugh when Stella's smile at thinking Reed had returned turned into an eye-roll when she realizes it's Jim instead. And if Paul overheard that conversation (I'm assuming he snuck out when they were in the bathroom?) his own inferiority complex is probably going to be quadrupled by the stuff Jim had to say about himself. Kind of disappointed that they're going to explain Spector's psyche by pinning it on a Catholic priest paedophile. It's a bit of a cliché. I really hope this ends with Spector getting arrested by Stella and not taking the easy way out by committing suicide. I HATE it when that happens. I want to see him brought to justice.

I can bring myself to believe that three overachieving young twenty-somethings (some of whom are minorities) would find themselves in a situation that escalates into a murder that makes them completely loose their heads. People have done stranger things when they're panic-stricken. That said, the whole situation could have been easier to swallow if only the preceding episodes had concentrated on: 1. Making Rebecca a genuinely sympathetic character that the Scoobies actually WANTED to protect; someone that they all looked upon (to one extent or another) as a little sister - or at least an innocent victim. After so many cases in which they were helping defend a bunch of creeps, Rebecca should have represented a genuinely honourable case that the Scoobies clung to as a sort of redemptive act. Their consciences have been sorely tried throughout this show, and it would have been easy enough to present Rebecca as someone that they needed to help in order to keep on believing themselves decent human beings. As it is, she's been obnoxious and mostly ungrateful throughout this whole endeavour. I wouldn't stick my neck out for her, so I've no idea why the otherwise self-absorbed Scoobies would want to. 2. The power imbalances between the Scoobies. One of the things I liked about the lead-up to the murder was the fact that Michaela and Conner seemed the most amoral of the four, whereas the flash-forwards showed the more upstanding Wes and Laurel quite smoothly establishing their alibis and keeping the other two calm. There needed to be SOMETHING more in the dynamics up until that point that would have suggested Michaela and Conner being susceptible to the control of Laurel and Wes. Human psychology is a fascinating thing; you only need to watch a group of children playing to see which ones are in charge and which ones are followers. They should have spent the episodes leading up to this night establishing Wes's almost super-human control/manipulation over the other three. At a stretch I can buy Michaela's hysteria rendering her incapable of coherent thought and allowing Wes to control her actions. But Conner and Laurel? Especially when their hands were pretty much clean? No way.

I spent most of this episode thinking that Katie was too stupid to be believed, only for the morning paper to tell me that a 26 year old woman is marrying Charles Manson. So apparently some girls/women really ARE just that ludicrous. The net is closing pretty quickly on Paul considering they've more or less identified him, so I'm interested in seeing how they're going to stretch out the case for another three episodes (and beyond?) Like most crime dramas, it runs the risk of jumping the shark if Paul starts outwitting the police at every turn. I've seen a LOT of shows go south because the writers fell in love with their villain and refused to either kill them off or bring them to justice. As it is I thought it was fairly far-fetched to believe that Annie Brawley's mother hadn't a) seen the sketch of the would-be killer in the paper, and b) have some sort of reaction after speaking to its exact likeness.

I think a minor problem (if you want to call it that) in this episode is that Kuvira is making way too much sense. I don't condone her taking over a city that clearly wants independence, but Suyin broke the truce and Kuvira won against Korra in a fair fight. Both those actions deprived Zaofu's citizens of fighting on their own terms against Kuvira's army. We're also meant to think she's dodgy because she's building a super-weapon and has "re-education camps", but most of this has remained off-screen. It was very disturbing when Kurvira looked up and Korra saw herself. I had assumed the show was done with Dark Korra, yet in hindsight there's the fact that the little spirit could SEE Dark Korra, suggesting that it's not just in Korra's head. And what to make of the fact that she saw herself in Kuvira? I don't think it's a coincidence that both characters start with a K, suggesting that there's a "two sides of the same coin" deal going on here. A part of me hopes this will actually end with the two of them coming to terms, though this show does love its action sequences. Varrick has certainly come a long way when you consider what he was like in series two. Remember when he made a veiled but serious threat toward Mako concerning Asami's safety? It's almost like he's a different character now. Really missing Asami right now. But so far I'm loving this season. I've no idea where things are headed.

I enjoyed this episode, it actually made me feel something for the first time in ages. Maggie Smith's scene in which Violet confesses her affection for Isobel was beautiful. Calling it now; Isobel is going to want to back out of the marriage and Violet is going to convince her that she deserves every happiness. Strange to think a man as nice as Lord Merton could have two such awful sons. Regarding the Mary/Edith situation - let's face it, they've always been at each other's throats. But I thought that Violet telling Mary that: "a lack of compassion is as vulgar as an excess of tears." Mary is obviously Fellowes's favourite, but I'd never accuse him of making her a Creator's Pet. He knows she has flaws, and he's not afraid to have other characters call her out on them. I'm glad Edith has Marigold inside the house, but two problems immediately emerge - 1) that Mrs Drewe might still stir up trouble/gossip out of site, and 2) that Marigold is never really going to be treated in the same way as George and Sybbie are. They're the heirs, she's the foundling. That might well create bitterness in later years. I suspect that perhaps a massive time-jump is about to happen. If Tom has decided to go to America with Sybbie, they may well decide to fast forward about five years in-between seasons, at which point he'll return. That would be a convenient way to age-up the kids into more interesting characters.

I'm guessing Moloch is second-guessing his choice of lieutenants. Emotionally constipated young men are easy enough to enlist in the armies of darkness, but preventing them from getting side-tracked by their daddy issues and unattainable love interests is a whole different kettle of fish. That said, I don't think the writers are unaware of this. Last week the final shot of Henry was telling (sitting on the floor with his legs out, crying that demon-daddy is mad at him), and John Noble certainly seems to be playing the character as an overgrown man-child. It'll be interesting to see how Headless responds to Katrina's pregnancy - I suspect he'll turn on Henry in response.

I enjoyed it, though things are clearly still being built up. You can tell this is the final season as I'm certain that the writers are deliberately giving all their secondary characters a "day in the limelight" episode before focusing on the mains (the premiere was Opal/Kai, last week was the air-bender kids, this week was Varrick/Zhu Li). I'm looking forward to the Korra/Tenzin, Korra/Lin and Korra/Asami/Bolin/Mako dynamics taking centre stage again. Likewise, Asami visiting her father in prison was clearly a last-chance attempt to wrap up that particular loose end. I'm nervous about their portrayal of Kuvira - on the one hand they're very good at giving her just cause in what she's done, on the other it's clear that her desire for Zaofu is entirely personal. I'd love it if Korra does in fact manage to find a way to negotiate peacefully with her, though this is at heart an action show. There's bound to be a showdown at some stage.

I've just finished reading this thread from start to finish, and wow it's depressing. One of the things I initially loved about Once Upon a Time was how woman-centric it was. The three leads were Emma, Snow White and Regina, no question. With the absence of a white male bromance at the show's core, it seemed too good to be true that a fandom could avoid all the frothing hostility that usually ensues whenever an attractive female character is deemed a threat to the major slash pairing. Fandom's adoration of Ruby, whose clothing and attitude would have no doubt seen her dismissed as an attention-seeking slut on any other show, seemed proof of this. Alas, it seems that fandom can never enjoy anything unless it's shitting on a woman. That the abuse is targeted at Emma, whose biggest crime is saving the life of an innocent woman, and Jen, who commits the heinous act of not kotowing to the demands of shippers, is genuinely frightening to me. (What do they even want from her anyway? I'll never understand why fans are so desperate for validation from the actors when it comes to shipping). I was on board for Regina's redemption, but even before that I initially enjoyed the fact that Regina was given the "Draco in Leather Pants" treatment, something that's only ever been afforded to the likes of broody white men (Snape, Loki, Spike, Sylar, Moriarty, Guy of Gisborne, the Phantom of the Opera, etc). But as with most subjects of Draco in Leather Pants, some people just can't help turning them into the eternal victims who are never held responsible for any of the suffering they inflict on themselves or others. What's that great quote from Brooklyn Nine-Nine? "Great motive, still murder." Oddly enough, they did the redemption arc MUCH better with the Red Queen over on "Once Upon a Time in Wonderland". Anastasia was vain and greedy and broke a good man's heart, but she never once partook in mass murder (I think the worst thing she did was hold a family hostage). She was hated at first, but by the end of the show she was one of the most popular characters - largely thanks to a) her genuine remorse, b) her repeated attempts at atonement, c) the good guys not taking any of her shit.

Yikes, I usually like Mary (sure she's a nasty piece of work sometimes, but that's why I like her) but even I thought she crossed a line this episode. That said, the entire family was pretty damn insensitive to Edith this episode, not just post-haircut, but in the scene around the dinner table when they were happily planning a picnic while Edith sat there mourning the loss of the man she loved. This reminds me of Hugh Bonneville jokingly complain on the Graham Norton show that his name is placed over the dog's butt in the opening credits. In fact, everything with Edith and Isis reminded me of a recent spoof of the show that had this exchange take place over the fire: Robert: "Somebody save the dog!" Cora: "But what about Edith?" Robert: "We can't save everyone!" I honestly wouldn't be surprised if those lines were uttered at some stage. But what I think has been missing for some time is the self-contained stories that used to be introduced and wrapped up within a single episode. Just off the top of my head, we had for example the little tale about Violet always winning the flower show and her deciding to concede victory to the man who deserved it more, or Isabel insisting to Doctor Clarkson that he perform a particular operation on a dying man in a bid to save his life. Where have those sweet little stories gone? Everything's serialized now, and as a result everything feels painfully drawn out. The mini-stories gave one a sense of completion among the larger arcs, so that every episode had at least one beginning, middle and end.

I feel the same way! It's a bit like Laurel on Arrow - I can understand why she's disliked, but the sheer amount of vitriol with which both female characters are treated is baffling.

I get the feeling that as this is the last season, Bryke are designating "spot-light episodes" to all the characters, just to give everyone a swan song. Kai and Opal got plenty of screen-time in the first episode. This episode was the air-bender kids' turn. Soon enough we'll head back to the core unit of Asami/Bolin/Mako/Korra. And I'm glad, because I've always found Meelo totally off-putting, and this episode didn't change that. Mostly this was more set-up, but if Kuvira is seriously getting together her army to march on Zaofu, then it would appear things will be pretty action-packed next week.

Always nice to see Rosamund again, though I have to confess I had completely forgotten that Violet knew about Edith's baby. This continues to be the most ridiculous plot of the whole show, despite having the potential to be the best. So what, Edith is going to kidnap a child now? One who is old enough to have formed an attachment to her adoptive parents? Why they can't simply TELL Mrs Drewe the damn truth is still a mystery (perhaps if she had been written as a gossip would have helped, but she seems a fairly sensible woman). But at this point Edith's plight seems so awful that simply coming out and admitting she had a child out of wedlock seems the better choice than shipping the kid off to France. And I continue to find it ironic that Edith is grappling with so much grief over her daughter whilst Mary seems to have completely forgotten she even has a son. I never hated Sarah Bunting as much as others did, so I'm at least glad she left with a modicum of grace. Having read a couple of spoilers I was under the impression that she left town in a huff; as it happened she was given a better job offer and Tom's rejection was what gave her the incentive to take it. Still, I'm left wondering what on earth the point of her was. Wouldn't the character have worked better if she had been a genuinely sweet leftie who made a few clumsy comments around the Crawleys and who subsequently felt mortified/intimidated by them? In other words, actually giving Tom's choice a sense of real poignancy at letting go of a good woman who just didn't feel comfortable around his extended family? Instead it felt like Fellowes needed to push her into being more and more awful until it was a blessed relief that she finally left. So Robert's going to throw a tantrum despite Cora CLEARLY AND FIRMLY telling Bricker to leave her room. Of course. I'm sure all his memories of the WWII housemaid he nearly had sex with while Cora was dying upstairs has completely fled his memory. This was certainly a good episode for men acting like children; on the left we have Carson getting haughty that Mrs Patmore had decided not to take his advice; on the right we have the Russian aristocrat getting pissy that Rose had the audacity to bring a Jewish man into his vicinity. But I actually appreciate Fellowes for this POV; a personal experience I had the other day really brought home the realization that men (in general) honestly have no idea how much work women have to put into coddling their egos. Mabel Lane-Fox can come back at any time. She was a hoot!

Ah, I'll stick with that then!

Anyone else get confused when these boards reference the Snow Queen? I keep thinking it's another ship name and there's always a brief automatic pause as my mind flashes through the possibilities of who it refers to.

Great episode, though I was annoyed at the absence of Asami and the lack of any dialogue for the Fire Lady character who has to be Zuko's daughter (sitting next to him on the stage). But there was a nice balance between Republic City and the Swamp, with Toph going all Yoda on Korra and everyone else dealing with Kuvira's politics. She's shaping up to be the best villain since Azula, and I really hope they don't have her go too overboard into flat-out villain territory. As plenty of people pointed out in this episode, she has done a LOT of good; it's just a matter of making sure that she doesn't go too overboard (which with mention of prison camps, it would appear she already has). But Zelda Williams has a fantastic voice. I can understand why so many characters would be entranced by her. From what I gather Suyin doesn't seem to be a very popular character, but I can appreciate her as a three-dimensional woman. It seems obvious that she was a spoiled little brat as a child (who never quite lost that sense of self-centredness) but is generally a decent free-spirited person who just wants to be left in peace and independence in her own city. I loved her reaction to Kuvira crediting HER with her disdain for the monarchy, and the later veiled threat that she was coming for Zhao Fu. Does anyone else think that Prince Wu totally has a crush on Mako? I wouldn't be surprised if Bryke are slipping in a deliberate subtext, even if they'd never get away with actually making it explicit. And pretty much all the original Gaang are accounted for now except for Suki. And yeah, I know some may not count her as a true member of the gang, but she was their Sixth Ranger, and since Suki/Sokka was the only ship I really cared for in the original series, I'd love to know what happened to her (the mention of Kyoshi's medal reminded me of her).

Oh, one other thing I found amusing was the hilarious proficiency of the police. They're following up every miniscule lead! They're questioning people over a death that happened years ago! They've got a plainclothes policeman at Gillingham's house! Maybe I'm just used to the police being completely useless in movies/television, but these guys are practically an elite task force.

Brief thoughts, though I haven't read the entire thread so apologies if these have already been mentioned a million times before: Will Scarett's cameo made no sense. According to Alice at the end of the spin-off, he was living it up with Anastasia in Wonderland. Now he's wandering around stealing random stuff? So Robin is apparently in love with the woman who tried to brutally murder his wife. Wow, writers. Just wow. You're really going with that? And I thought the BBC version (in which Robin allies himself with the man who DID brutally murder his wife) couldn't be topped. Apparently Disney is refusing to let these writers play around with Elsa's iconic look, as there's no other way to explain her going on a journey with Kristoff in that dress, or wandering around Storybrooke in it while she's trying to stay incognito. I'm perversely looking forward to Belle realizing that her pet project has no intention whatsoever of reforming himself. Is Snow White's baby actually Gennifer and Josh's baby? I was watching it closely during the stroller scene, and it was definitely a real baby she was holding. Makes sense that they'd let her hang on to the one she's just given birth to, and I expect that's the reason why she's constantly carrying it. So Robin and Marian just .... live in a tent in the woods? I knew they'd throw in a "let it go" eventually, but I was hoping it would be directed at Regina in regards to all her life choices.

I know! When Violet brought the subject up with Shrimpy, it was so quickly on the heels of her conversation with Edith that I thought Violet was asking Shrimpy to hunt down Michael. This show is so much better when it's dealing with interpersonal relationships that have nothing to do with romance. The Tom/Mary stuff is great, so is Violet/Isabel becoming unlikely friends. Rose and her father had a great scene, which is astonishing considering this is only the second time Shrimpy has made an appearance, and I liked that Baxter is tentatively reaching out to Thomas even after all the shit he put her through. But every time a love story rears its ugly head, I just lose all interest. In a strange way, I'm quietly rooting for Sarah Bunting - I just have this weird compulsion to defend the female characters that fandom hates. She's so hilariously obnoxious and she's all wrong for Branson, but I think if Fellowes just stopped trying to make the audience hate her guts and explore what she's like as a teacher (we haven't actually seen any of her sessions that Daisy speaks so highly of) she'd be an interesting character. If she had a bit more interaction with Isabel or Rose or even Edith I think she'd improve, but she was introduced as Tom's new love interest, which was never going to go down well in the wake of Sybil's popularity.

I loved it. I initially had some trepidation over the fact that they called this was "Korra Alone" - isn't it just asking for trouble that you name an episode of your slightly-less-popular-than-its-predecessor show after one of the most popular episodes of the original series? Yet this choice paid off, as having "Zuko Alone" fresh in my mind brought all the little parallels and connects between the two shows to my attention. It felt like a classic episode, with frightening and funny stuff, emphasis on character, plenty of mysterious spirits/apparitions, and beautiful animation. That image of Korra bending on the cliff tops with the stars behind her - stunning. If I ever complied a top ten list of "best episodes ever", including all of Korra and the original series, this would definitely be on it.

I enjoyed it, though the time jump was a bit jarring. Korra really hasn't seen Tenzin, the kids, the brothers and Asami in three years? I would have thought that Asami and Tenzin at least would have been more constant figures in that period. And naturally, Korra's mother is nowhere to be seen. It was an intriguing choice to get things running by focusing more on the political situation than the characters, though there's an interesting scenario going on, what with Kuvira withholding supplies until the cities bow to her takeover. There's no way that bandit who nabbed Opal/Kai's food wasn't working on her orders. The voice acting is so hit and miss on this show. Zelda Williams was fantastic, but Tonraq's delivery of the line in which he realizes his daughter has been missing for six months made me anticipate the "whomp, whomp, WHOOOMP" sound directly afterwards.

My curiosity got the better of me and I tuned in. Ten points on the casting for Elsa and Anna. They embodied those characters to perfect (sans the bad cosplaying outfits). Honestly though, all of their scenes felt like they belonged on a totally different show. If the writers wanted to play with these particular characters, another spin-off probably would have worked better. And it was BAD idea to try and recreate that rock troll. They looked goofy enough in the actual movie; next to real humans it was like a cartoon character forcing its way through alternative dimensions. They should have just redesigned that whole thing. I'm afraid I'm totally sick and tired of Regina at this point. Her constant bellyaching about her personal happiness in the wake of thousands of ruined lives is beyond a joke. I'd like to think that Emma's hesitation about Hook is down to the fact that he once shot an unarmed woman in the back, but they'll probably just say it's commitment issues. I don't think I'll ever forgive this show for turning my favourite Disney princess into such an insipid twit. And what's up with Emilie de Ravin? I liked her just fine as Clare on LOST, but now she can't even manage a simple sentence without contorting her face into all sorts of bizarre expressions.

I had no idea they'd confirmed this. How bizarre. Why'd they even introduce him in the first place?

The most amusing thing about the season so far is that no one (either in show or in the fandom) knows or cares what happened to Luke Morales. Seriously, is that guy still alive, or did the possession-demon kill him? And if it did kill him, then what on earth was the point of him? This was an okay episode, though I fear the show has lost a bit of its magic. The writers seem to have a checklist of the things that need to be in every episode and it comes across as though they're trying too hard to write Sleepy Hollow instead of just writing Sleepy Hollow. That may have made more sense in my head. TBH, I'm not particularly fussed either way about Katrina. Spying on Abraham/Henry at least gives her some degree of usefulness, though I wish she and Ichabod had thought of some way for her to share whatever information she picks up before he rushed away again. I laughed at Abraham telling Katrina that Ichabod left her in Purgatory for at least a year whilst he busted out Abbie in a matter of days. They certainly channelled the fan base on that one! Will reserve judgment on the new Sheriff for now. Here she just seemed a needless roadblock, though knowledge of Abbie and Jenny's mother will probably prove important later.