Jordan Baker

The problem (if you can call it that) with this season is that the acting has been so good that I could see the entire cast being nominated for awards, and they all deserve to win. Given that several will be nominated in the same category, that can't happen. As others have said, I thought this was Matthew Macfayden's year to win something. His Tom has been amazing, and, in spite of all the lousy things he's done, I can't help rooting for him. (It probably doesn't hurt that "Pride and Prejudice" was on one of the other HBO channels just before this episode of "Succession." P&P is one of those movies I'll always stop and watch, and MM was just great in it.) But he'd likely be nominated against Kieran Culkin, who is also having a terrific year. In this episode, I was in awe of Brian Cox. His scene with Jeremy Strong was so good that I think I was holding my breath. And once again, kudos to the makeup department. Logan looked hale and hearty, and Kendall looked diminished and gray. These two superior actors will no doubt be nominated in the same category. Who will win? OK, speaking of holding your breath, I didn't make the connection between Kendall's last scene and Logan's question about how long the waiter went before inhaling water. I hope the posters who speculated about this are correct, because the alternative is not a happy one.

When Kristina was describing how she could incorporate the western boots into her trip to Mars, all I could think of was Steve Miller's "Space Cowboy." And, no, I wasn't ready for that. It was Katie's time to go. Actually, it was past time.

Crystelle is always shocked when she does well, and it doesn't always read as genuine to me. I haven't watched this episode, but I was spoiled by something I saw on Twitter. Yes, I was rooting for Jurgen. If I watch the finale, I guess I'll root for Guiseppe.

Brian Cox did a great job of playing a diminished Logan, even before the UTI caused his mental and physical collapse. In the earliest scenes, he looks pale, drawn, and, weak. Credit also goes to the makeup department, because they did a masterful job of creating that look.

I can't believe he's the same guy who was Mr. Darcy. I do root for Tom, but I can't forget that restaurant scene in Season 1 with the Napkin of Shame or the scene in which Tom throws water bottles at Greg. For those who haven't seen MM's Mr. Darcy, here's an interview that includes a couple of iconic scenes: Matthew Macfadyen discusses P&P

Another good one, as Tom was leaving Greg's new office (said in the tone you would speak to your dog): "Stay!"

"I've always been self-conscious about my wrists." Greg kills me.

This show. Just when you think, wow, the acting is superb, the writing bowls you over. And just when you think it can't get any better, that theme song kicks in. Fantastic episode.

I was surprised that only Guiseppe and Crystelle were mentioned as potential Star Bakers. What about Jurgen? He won the technical, and I think he did well in the first challenge. His showstopper was a bit off, but I think the only real problem was with the tenderness (or lack thereof) of the beef. I'm not saying that he should have won, but I find it curious that he wasn't even considered.

Isn't Shiv the youngest of the Roy children? I'd also thought it was Roman, but I just checked (and, you know, info on the internet is never wrong!), and Roman is listed as Logan's second-youngest child, with Shiv being the baby. Speaking of Shiv, I can never tell whether Logan is being genuinely affectionate or completely manipulative when he calls Shiv "Pinkie."

I would *love* to hear Greg try to explain the poster to someone. My guess is he's never heard of The Threepenny Opera, Raul Julia, or (maybe) even Lincoln Center. That's not to knock Greg. What would this show be without him and Tom, who manage to inject the humor that is sometimes sorely needed amidst all the gloom?

I might have laughed out loud when James Cromwell said "That'll do."

I agree that something seems to be missing this season, but, for me, it's not Heidi. I was over her many seasons ago. I did give Making the Cut a try. The first season might as well have been called The Wacky Adventures of Heidi and Tim. I gave up on the second season before the finale. I do hope Project Runway has had its fill of DRAMA for the season. If I wanted to watch unpleasant people being unpleasant to each other, I'd watch Real Housewives.

I can't hear that phrase without thinking of former US Senator Larry Craig. I felt a bit sad for Jurgen but it was clear that Guiseppe deserved to be Star Baker. These two are destined to be in the finals. Chigs and Chriselle are the other likely candidates. But what I like about this season is that some of the contestants surprise us. I thought, after week 1, that Lizzie was a goner, and I thought Freya might actually make it all the way. Amanda has stayed longer than I thought she would, as has George. Makes the season more interesting.

I just finished Season 4. I was unprepared for how touched I was by the last episode--first, with Ted, and then with the last scene of Alan and Celia at the hotel. Yes, Celia can be horrible, but she came around in the end. And Alan . . . well, Derek Jacobi just melts my heart. I loved seeing Caroline and Gillian at the bar, and I laughed when Gillian kept pointing out the women she knew. My unpopular opinion about the show is that I love John. I mean, I know he's basically a jerk, but I just can't dislike him. Maybe it's the actor. I do agree with those who think the show was at its best in the first two seasons, and I haven't been thrilled with the most recent season, but I loved the final episode.

I found it interesting and somewhat sad that the song that Teddy was listening to when he forced the headphones on Theo was "Soliloquy" (also known as "My Boy Bill") from Carousel. In the song, the character has just found out he's going to be a father and imagines what his son (or, later, his daughter) will be like.

My favorite moment of this episode was when Oliver, at the dinner table, appeared to wind up one of his long stories with "and that man turned out to be Stephen. Joshua. SONDHEIM." It was so in character for Oliver to be relating Broadway gossip, and I'm always happy for a shout out to Stephen Sondheim. I have been a fan of Steve Martin and Martin Short forever, it seems. I'm not so sure about Selena Gomez. She's not ruining the show for me, but I'm not sure how much she adds, either.

I started binging this series last year. At the time, I had only BritBox and so I skipped the seasons that BritBox didn't provide. I liked the series so much, however, that I ended up getting Acorn, too, just so that I could finish the binge. I was really happy to find out that Season 11 was available. I know Brenda Blethyn from the 2005 film version of Pride and Prejudice. She was SO good as the rather annoying, semi-hysterical Mrs. Bennet. In a wonderful cast, she really stood out.

I wonder whether the song "All of Me" was used (in part, anyway) as a tribute to the Lily Tomlin movie of the same name.

I can't help compare this series to another Ryan Murphy production--"Hollywood." I almost gave up "Halston" after the first episode because it reminded me of some of the things I loathed about "Hollywood." But I forged on and found that I liked each episode more than the last. It's not great, but I thought it did improve. "Hollywood," on the other hand, started pretty well and then went down hill fast. I hated the final episode and thought that, while the ideas were interesting, the execution was awful. I would give the overall series low marks. I'd give "Halston" mixed reviews. I'm old enough to remember the Halston phenomenon, but I really didn't remember much about his life or career. The one thing I remembered is that he sold a line at JC Penney. Now, at least, I know there was more to him that that.

I did. I remember Venus from the late '60s, near the end of my high-school years. Yes, I'm old. Classical Gas really is one of those songs that takes you back. I was a bit amused that "I'm Not Your Steppin' Stone" was played in the same episode. And I'm not knocking The Monkees. I was a total fan back in the day. This was such a good series. Yes, the ending was a tad predictable, but happy endings (especially these days) are not always such a bad thing.

YES!!! I know that Joe knows everything about Florida and so probably mentioned it on the show, but just in case--as one of the Floridians in this group, I feel the need to point out that the very conservative Panhandle is in the Central Time Zone. The polls close an hour later than the rest of FL. I have been fooled, more than once, I'm afraid, by thinking things would go one way only to be hit with the reality of that time difference. Be well, friends.

This is my favorite comment of the day. Maybe the week. I used to read that column back in the day, and I am chuckling, just thinking about how a J&M version would be written.

Yes. If the heat doesn't kill you, the humidity will. And I'm a few hours north of Joe.

Isn't "day trader" one of Joe's favorite put-downs? Is Mika copying off Joe now?