Ellaria

I noticed the bookmark with the same flower. What’s the connection? Did Kane plot the murder of his son? Kane may not be what he appears to be. We have no idea of the significance of that flower. The fact that it appeared on the jacket of someone present around the time of Cal’s murder has importance. Wearing THAT jacket at THAT moment was purposeful. Is there a “secret society” trying to impact the course of events? Was Cal’s death a planned act or an impulsive one? One person with a motive is Sinatra because she knew that Cal would no longer keep her secrets. IMO, Sinatra is too obvious. She has lost control of her town. X taking 30 minutes to review and secure the scene after finding Cal’s body is not benign and likely not part of protocol. X was concerned about something. Presley and Jeremy are in possession of many of the puzzle pieces.

I agree with those that think there is more than one secure bunker. Situations in the bunkers may be drastically different but others have survived. Teri is one of the survivors and is in the Atlanta bunker. If so, is there communication between all of the bunkers across the country and possibly the world? My guess is that Sinatra wants to keep her bunker separate and secure from others. She wants to preserve her family - and her chosen few - to live in an idyllic world. She has no interest in “saving humanity.” As far as the tablet, whoever thru it off Cal’s balcony isn’t aware of its value. It was discarded like garbage. Presley saw an individual wearing a jacket with the flower. Is he or she Cal’s killer? What is the significance of that flower? Also, we are told that X took 30 minutes before he alerted anyone - other than Billy - that Cal was dead. What happened in that time?

Sure - there were a few obvious “I saw it coming moments:” Presley disobeying and falling into enemy hands, the still-alive wife, the inevitable showdown between X and Sinatra. However, what bothered me most about the “take-over” plan is the next steps. Having all of the guns and the weapons may not make up for not having the knowledge to deal with the truth of their situation. Regardless, I enjoyed this episode and love this show. The acting is terrific.

Kane was interesting and I want to re-watch to pick up on all of his comments. He has definitely seen Presley before. She *may* have been there with Billy or Jeremy. Regardless, she was there the night that Cal was murdered. Cal gave her the tablet knowing/believing that it would end up in Xavier’s hands. Did Cal know that he would be killed? I don’t trust Gabriela and I hope that Xavier figures her out quickly. What is her motivation? Alternatively, Robinson redeemed herself a bit. In a world where no one can be trusted, Xavier may need Robinson. i worry about the neighbor’s cute little dog.

My biggest issue with the ending was the “happy family at Thanksgiving” scene. I can accept keeping the family together after Jaden’s confession. I can’t accept the Norman Rockwell portrayal of it. Distrust, dishonesty and narcissism don’t make for happy situations while carving a turkey.

What a lovely semi-final! This is the reason that I watch this show. Gill departed in the best way ever: kind, complementary, funny. I’m glad that she took the lilac bowl. i truly don’t care who wins. Love them all!

Lots of thoughts about this finale. The use of the unreliable narrator was central to the story itself as well as how we viewed this show. Nancy’s book was what she chose to believe about the last days of her son’s life. We know that she was in deep denial. Her book was a coping mechanism - a dangerous one - but Stephen seemingly accepts most of it as truth despite knowing that Nancy never truly processed her grief. Robert accepts the book as truth along with the word of a stranger (Stephen).He chooses not to accept what Catherine is trying to explain. Clearly, the scene at the end where both men ask each other “why didn’t you question it” is the central point of this show. One man doesn’t question his wife’s story and then tries to destroy another family. Another man questions everything about his wife and destroys his own family.

A few other things on my mind before the finale: Why did Nancy lie when telling Catherine that her husband was dead? She reached out to her presumably because she was dying but why not sooner? Stephen assumes that Nancy found Jonathan’s camera but - as far as I can tell - we don’t see it. We know that Nancy grabbed 3 (?) rolls of film. Did she develop all of them? Have we seen all of them? I assume that Nancy didn’t intend for her novel to be published. It was hidden in a locked drawer. Perhaps it was intended to be a release from grief for her. Stephen says that she changed some things when writing the novel. It’s all fiction; she wasn’t there. Rather, I think that Stephen changed things I hope that there is enough time in the finale to address all of the questions.

Just wanted to add something that I noticed… The postcard that we see Jonathan writing says “Dear Mum.” The one that Stephen reads at their home says “Dear Mum and Dad.” The content of the rest of the postcard is different as well. The postcard that comes to their home doesn’t mention Sasha. Based on what we saw and heard between Nancy and Emma, we know that Sasha didn’t leave Jonathan because of her aunt’s death. The truth is more troubling and something (else) that Nancy changed. It is telling that Jonathan made no mention of her in his actual postcard.

If I am watching an episode and wondering if anything that I’m seeing is real, then the use of unreliable narrator(s) has gone too far. The hospital scene with Stephen and the events that followed are ridiculous. None of the hospital staff question Stephen’s presence in ICU when the patient’s mother says he shouldn’t be there. Robert is a complete moron that accepts this weird stranger into his life without any second thoughts. Catherine shows up at his house in the middle of the night with a large knife - obviously aware that Stephen is some sort of threat - but decides to accept tea from him. And through all of this madness, Catherine still has not explained “her side of the story” to anyone. At this point, I am questioning everything and I’m not sure that I should be.

My thoughts exactly! There is rarely a moment when Charles isn’t making it all about himself. Ack! I’m sad to see this show come to an end. However, the last two seasons often felt like a different show with a different purpose. I really didn’t enjoy the focus on Charles, Diana and William. Regardless, Imelda Staunton and Jonathan Pryce were wonderful despite being pushed aside in the narrative. Their last scene together was perfect.

Yes. I’m not enjoying the focus on William and Kate. It feels as if they are trying to make the story more interesting than it actually was. This approach plays into the heavy-handed writing for Carole Middleton. I suppose that I’m just more intrigued by the Queen and Philip. The last two seasons have bored me. Imelda Staunton was great in this episode.

Agree. What a mess of an episode! I’m just not interested in the many different ways that William and Kate crossed paths in college. It feels like Peter Morgan and the other creatives are trying too hard to make it relatable. And William has turned into a bore. Also, I’m not wild about the portrayal of Carole Middleton. It’s a little heavy-handed. We get it…she wants her daughters to marry well.

Jonathan Pryce saved this episode for me. Such a brilliantly nuanced performance. I’ve actually loved the 3 actors who have played Philip throughout this series. This sounds mean but Charles’ emotional journey is exhausting. Frankly, I just don’t care. Why do I like everyone else - including Camilla - better than him? Maybe Dominic West has something to do with it. He is a good actor but I find him completely charmless.

Not surprising. They have been a strong team throughout. And so enjoyable to watch. Congratulations!