hks

Your whole imagined production meeting was perfect/hilarious, but that one line was so spot on. As soon as I learned Cee Lo was going to be on it, I was one, surprised, then two, super disgusted. I know he plead no contest, they dropped charges, all that. But his tweets in response to the charges were so gross - I really do not want to see him on the show. I honestly didn't think NBC would bring him back, and I am super disappointed that they did. On another note, I am glad Nervous Deanna is gone. And I wish Corey was gone and Rob was still here. But I can deal.

These forums are fascinating. There are so many differing opinions on who's the best and worst. I am curious if there's anyone who agrees with all of my rankings: Favorites: Kimberly: My favorite at the moment. I know she's super theatrical, but she consistently entertains AND she's an excellent singer. India: She's got a gorgeous voice, but really, she suckered me in with the Battle Round "Stay" and I'll root for her until the end. (And I agree with tmelange, I think her mic got stuck, which limited some movement when she performed last night). Also really great, but I could deal with a loss of one or two of them: Megan: She's amazing, but I want her to move away from country soon. Koryn: She was great, but I still forget about her until she sings (and then slowly afterward). Rob: Another big talent, I have no feels for him. Meh to BLECH: Joshua: good singer, boring. Corey: Who? Don't care. Deanna: OK ADAM, WE GET IT. SHE'S NERVOUS. Who cares? Sawyer: On occasion, I think he sings well. But he both scares me with his vacant smile/stare, and bores me because he's boring. (And my friend heard him for the first time this week and said "He sounds like a goat!") Hannah: Okay, so everyone seems to love her, and love her weirdness. But every week, I just find her super awkward to watch. I don't enjoy it at all. She's a great singer, but I just do not care for her.

You did. When I saw her in the flashbacks, and then in a clip someone posted from the season finale last year, I realized I miss her terribly. She does something to the show - makes it un-ridiculous? - that is now gone. But I'll keep watching, I'm not sure why. Maybe it's because - even if the show is super dumb, I don't get bored. I am still entertained when I watch it. (I'm also sometimes incredulous and disgusted, but still entertained). They could just do me the favor of getting rid of Owen and Amelia, and I'll be super pleased.

I totally agree. I am so sick and tired of people thinking that violent genital mutilation should be played for comic relief. I know male victims of domestic violence are far fewer than female victims, but in this case, this man really was a victim. Cheating does NOT open the door to domestic violence, and I hate that message being portrayed here. So, I had NO idea Paul McCrane was directing! But that was the first thing I thought when I saw the helicopter on the roof! Now I know why he went in that direction. :) I really hope that they don't do a Maggie/Alex romance. I love him, and I find her kind of annoying. I think he and Jo are good together, and hope they get more to do in the coming episodes. I don't really care where Derek is. I don't much care about him and Meredith, although I could possibly like Meredith on her own. I definitely have no cares about Owen and Amelia. They are beyond irritating. I think I would actually be happy with the whole show without them.

I don't always have an issue watching her, but I did this time. I think she was pretty great in her battle, and good in the blinds. But this performance, she was just SO awkward, I had serious contact embarrassment for her. And as much as Adam was saying she was good, I know they were laughing AT her during the performance. I'm glad she's still in the competition, and I hope that since she's back with Blake, she won't be as much of an awkward mess when she performs. (Maybe it's like this: she's a big weirdo, but when with Blake, who is kind of country boy normal, it balances out. But since Pharrell is also a weirdo, his coaching enhances her weirdoness? Who knows). As for the rest, I am so not into country, so it was tough for me to pay close attention. They both sounded really good, but nothing stood out to me. I guess I think Corey has a better shot bc of his boy-band, Jesse McCartney-looks. The only real mistake I saw was losing Blaze. I really did love him. I loved that he kept singing alterna-pop ballads. He was so good with them, and SO much better than Deanna, whom I think kind of sucked last night.

I am disappointed because I, too, have rewatched his "battle" (more like moving performance piece) with India so many times, and it made me a huge fan of his. But I think he messed up in his Knockouts. I think country was wrong choice for him. He didn't get to highlight his skills, and lost the emotionality of his last performance. I was really disappointed to see him go, but based on that performance, I don't think it was the wrong choice.

I think it's different when it's a friend. I mean, I am sure it's still super annoying, but when a stranger tells you to smile on the street, it's incredibly insulting. I mean, who is this asshole who thinks he can tell you 1) that there's something wrong with your face, and 2) he has the right to tell you to do something about it? There's also that whole idea that women should always be pleasant and nice, and should do that for the benefit of other people. Gaaah, I am getting angry just thinking about it. I need to see the GIF again.

That "smile!" response was the best thing I've seen in a long time. I need to share it with all the people.

Oh me too! This is actually what I came here to post. I LOVE when the winner gets super excited for their battle partner. I am sure they work together quite a bit to sound good - and they get to know each other well. In the best battles, you can tell, and then you see the winner so excited. I love them more every time I see that. The only other thing I came to post about is BOY did Megan fall in love with Hunter. She wasn't even hiding it. As soon as she got him to open his eyes when he sang - and then he did that look directly AT her - she was gone. (I don't blame her, he's a cutie and that look would have done me in). I kind of had hopes for them. [ETA: Is the dude's name Hunter or Corey? And if it is Corey, where the hell did I get Hunter??] Otherwise, an incredibly boring episode. I was not into any battle. At all.

True to my word, I have now watched India and Clinton's battle maybe 9 times now, and I really, truly love it. But a funny thing happened: I started to favor Clinton to India after re-listening so many times. Clinton did some interesting things with his performance, where he'd cut off the line instead of going into a run, which I really liked. I still really like India, but now I'm also hoping Clinton goes far as well. I'm just curious to see him perform on his own, without the setting of a gorgeous duet. Since he was montaged (?), we never got to see just him on his own. I'm looking forward to it. I don't know. He seems to be the coach/advisor with the best advice right now, which is a pleasant surprise. I mean, he and his brothers were pros at a very early age, so i guess I shouldn't be surprised that he has a lot of technical knowledge. But still. I was. I guess I didn't expect much from a guy who rhymes "jealous" with "hellish." Shame on me.

Wow. Every season during the Battle Rounds, I'll see a great duet, which will then prompt me to re-watch the Season 3 battle between Trevin and Amanda on "Vision of Love." That has always been the best battle I've seen on this show, hands down, and I've seen it a countless amount of times. I re-watch it because I love it, but also because I like to compare great current battles to see how they hold up. While Amanda and Trevin's performance might STILL be my favorite, tonight's battle between India and Clinton on "Stay" was super close. It wasn't even a battle, like Blake said, it was just a beautiful duet that I got lost in. It was moving. I think Christina was correct to pick India - since she seems to be the most versatile contestant. But man, was that an amazing performance. Which I'm sure to be watching on repeat.

Oh my god, that is totally who she looks like - but even more - I think she has a strange affectation when she's speaking, and sometimes while she's singing - she reminds me of Summer when she was in The Sarah Conner Chronicles. You know, a robot. (Sorry, cybernetic organism). She has that kind of stilted affection, right? I must respectfully disagree. Not with the sucker punch part - I think it was a bit mean. But Adam has been mean himself, and he could have come back better than he did. But I TOTALLY think people vote for the coaches. Not everyone, but I definitely think there's a large group of people who have a favorite coach and vote for his/her contestants no matter what. (Which is why I think Blake's guy won last year. We had the normal amount of people voting just based on the contestants, but then we had the group who votes based on the coaches - and Blake fans just had one guy to like, Adam fans had three). Oh totally. And I bet she could do a mean Cyndi Lauper if she tried.

It's not just you. I teared up when that girl sang Christina's song with her - that must have been such a huge deal for her! And I teared up at the steals. And I full on bawled when Megan Trainor did. She was so genuinely moved by the duet/song, it moved me as well. So you're not the only sucker here. Yah, I am totally digging on her this season too. Yes, she has the best voice, and I think she's giving the right tips to people. And I really love her no-BS attitude. I like that she's often picking a winner in the battles, I don't think of it as rude at all. It's a cop out to me when the other coaches won't choose, and yes, that's totally how she won that steal of Ashley. (Also, I think she was right. Ashley seems miles ahead of Mia, and I can't wait to see what Christina does for/with her).

Your comment combined with your profile name cracks me up.

I really really hope that's the case. India is my early favorite, too. If we're going for the best voice, as indicated by the name of the show, hers is the best I've heard so far. And paired with the best voice on the panel of judges - it would be awesome to see India win with Christina. (I am not the biggest Christina fan, but I don't think anyone can deny she's got an amazing voice). I hope she gives her good songs, and really packages her in the most winning way. I have faith. I think Christina sounds the most grounded this season - I think she has a plan.

Honestly, I don't think the higher ups will care about any of that unless the ratings start dropping. Until then, they will keep the format as is and let it play it as it has: even if Adam and Blake's schtick stays the same; even if Blake wins with another country singer; even if it's been just TWO months since the last season (!!): If it's still the #1 show, nothing much will change.

It IS always that funny. In different ways. Watch it from the beginning. Keep an ear out for my favorite Broad City quote ever: "The vahaainya is nature's pocket." Although this episode's, "You're finally going to vagina swallow Jeremy" was another one I loved. Generally, Ilana is on point with the vagina quotes. I think Ilana is always super excited for Abbi's sexcapades for a couple reasons: one, she's generally happy that her friend is having sexy fun. But two, I think she thinks that the more sexually adventurous Abbi gets, the more likely Abbi will finally have sex with HER. It is one of her more overt wishes.

Me too! I mean, yah, it did stretch out a bit, but that didn't bother me too much. Other than hating Aaron, and finding the blond girl annoying, once they were both gone, I really liked everyone. I was rooting for Mei pretty much since the beginning, but I wouldn't have been super pissed if any other finalist had won. I think they also made some barely negative comment about the duck fat rendering. But I think both comments were thrown in there to make it seem close - to have some "debating" at judges table. Because after hearing the judges' comments on both meals, it was super clear to me that Mei had won. Giving it a point scoring system: Mei's first course got maybe a 7 and Greg got a 9; second was Mei 8 to Greg 6, third was Mei 7 to Greg 3, and fourth was Mei 10 to Greg 10. So Mei: 32, Greg: 28. Ok, maybe closer than I thought, but still. Mei wins. Although I think I was being harsh on Mei. (I am such a nerd). I was super happy for Mei. Her issues with her parents really had me rooting for her. I am lucky to have supportive Asian parents, but I've seen a lot of that harsh parenting with some relatives and close friends. I wanted her to win because I really hoped it would turn her parents around. And of course, I wanted her to win because she's a kick ass chef. It was the sweetest. If her parents DON'T come around, at least she's got him. Probably because her mouth has a lot of rest from all the bitch face. :)

I just caught up with all the episodes yesterday, but I had the exact same thought. I was SURE that she'd walk in and Sheriff Liz would be dead and I kept thinking about how great they did "mom death" on Buffy, and how this wouldn't compare. I'm glad I was wrong, but I am pretty sure when they do finally kill Liz, they'll never match The Body episode of Buffy. (Although Damon will probably make me cry). I also had the same thought about that hospital. There is NO WAY a guy could get out of bed and go bleeding all over the hospital floor without SOMEONE coming to his aid.

Small correction to the recap: The tumor Meredith finds and fixes in the mom was in her liver or pancreas or something in her mid-section. It wasn't a brain tumor...THIS TIME. It makes sense because Meredith is a General Surgeon, so she gets all the middle area tumors, I think. The brain tumors go to the Shepards. My favorites in the episode: Jackson, April, Alex, and Bailey. Everyone else was from meh to bleh. Finally, one awesome thing I saw was that Debbie Allen (i.e, Jackson's mom, i.e., Phylicia Rashad's sister, i.e., dancer extraordinare) directed this episode. I think she's directed a lot of stuff before, including other episodes of Grey's, but I think that's pretty cool. What's even cooler to me is that next week Chandra Wilson is directing - which I think she's done several times before also. Kevin McKidd (Owen) has directed a bunch too. I really like that about Shonda Rhimes. She gives her actors chances to shine in other ways.

I absolutely loved this episode. And when I was watching it, I was IMing my friend the exact conversation you GIFfed above. Just because I kept saying, "OMG SO EMBARRASSING!" over and over again, and had to explain what I was freaking out about. I love that you did this, so I could just send this link to my friend. (I'm not sure I did it justice).

I am hoping for a Doug/Mei finale, just because they seem to be the most talented chefs. And between those two, I'm rooting for Mei all the way. She is so determined, and I also really want her to show her parents that her decision to become a chef is all worth it. And I don't care about her bitchiness. I think it's a front so she can make it through the competition with her emotions intact. We've seen her drop the front a few times, and I definitely think she was sad to see Melissa go. As for tonight's competition, I think they made the right choices. I love Mei, but her work was not bright enough to match her kooky artist. Someone mentioned upthread that they were worried Mei would come across rude to her artist. I didn't think she'd purposely BE rude, I just thought she wouldn't be able to contain her bewilderment at this kooky lady. I was pleasantly surprised how well Mei intereacted with her - which just goes to show to me that she is NOT the bitch on which her face rests. She's a nice person who loves to cook and has a LOT to prove. Her statements in the beginning: this is not about the money, this is about the title. She wants to show she's the best - which to her means, not taking her eyes of the prize, etc. (Clearly, I'm a huge fan of Mei's. I won't be upset if Doug wins, or even Gregory - altho I don't think he's as good - one-trick pony for sure - but I think Mei's the best and deserves it the most).

Re Jake arrested Sophia's boss: I think she was so pissed because Jake wasn't supposed to be there in the first place. Yes, if he sees someone doing something illegal it is likely he'd have to arrest him (although I know a few cops who really don't care when off duty). But if he hadn't crashed the party in the first place, there would be no arrest. I could see why she was so bothered. (Plus, I could see a PD getting annoyed for any arrest for a nonviolent crime. I'm not a PD, and I find it frustrating). But as stated above, her reason for the breakup is likely that she's just not THAT into Jake (or as into him as he is into her), and all the work issues made it easier to just end it. I mean, she basically ended it at the park when she asked for the break - he just didn't accept it. Re all the other storylines: I love every character in the show, including Gina, so everything worked for me.

Noreaster, I very much agree - I honestly don't think the Instant Save performance order has any affect on the voting, and isn't purposely being set with preference for one team/artist. The appeal of some contestants to the younger, twittering audience, of course, does affect the voting. But that's more a commentary on the process of using Twitter at all for voting - which, whatever. The producers are after the youth vote, they will get it that way. I do think that there is some advantage over performing last in the regular live shows. Only because, ending the show implies that the producers decided that would be the best performance. All singing shows tend to do that - save the best for last. And if its being done here, which I think it might be, I don't think it's to show favortism to one team/artist. I think it's because the producers BELIEVE the performance to be the best. Like they are anticipating the reaction from voters, not trying to influence it.

I know the results have already aired, but I just finished watching this episode. All I can say is that every single episode, Damien has consistently moved me, or entertained me, or impressed me. This last performance did all three. He is my pick to win, even though I don't think he will. I just hope he makes it to the finals. Of everyone else: I really enjoyed Matt's, mostly because I LOVE that song and he did a good job with it. Kind of the same as last week. T3N was cool, but I am obsessed with seeing him without his hairline covered. Danica did fine, Luke was boring. CWB entertained me, but I think it was the band I enjoyed more than him. Ryan...can finally go home. Ha! I forgot Chris. Clearly, he can go home too. Although, I know he won't.