MaryHedwig

Yes, but it didn't have to be. I was waiting for some pay off where one of them committed to doing something of meaning with their lives (i.e. Howard commiting to having children which would have also been a great pay off for Bernadette's painful work storyline, I mean if Bernadette had come to the same consclusion on her own.) The professor storyline would have been a lot more meaningful and powerful if they had substituted the death of Mrs. Wolowitz for the death of this unknown professor.

I am disappointed that Bernadette did not have the breakthrough she seemed to be on the verge of. I am certainly thankful she is not my colleague, she seems more high maintainance than Sheldon. Didn't really like the three separate stories with almost no tie-in. I was hoping the tie-in would be the death of Mrs. Wolowitz. Loved the Fun with Flags excerpt from the Coney Island 1920's beach (that's what it looked like to me.) We don't see enough of Jim Parsons in drag, do we? Mayim nailed it in all her scenes.

All the broad misunderstandings were hilarious the first-run through. However, many do not stand up to scrunity (Jay is fine with his children taking over his house while he is gone with not so much as a text of explanation?) It makes me appreciate once again all the capers on the I Love Lucy show. They are timeless and hold up to logic (as defined by the show) even 60 years later. I love how this show breaks the fourth wall (the characters sit on the couch and speak right into the camera.) This episode, I loved how they broke it even further by Haley essentially informing the audience there would be no Christmas episode.

Agreed, but I sometimes doubt Britt's maturity and judgment. Who but the "Cutie" (the first one to get killed in the slasher film) leads their prey down an narrow isolated alley and has her gun rolling around in her makeup case? I thought the same thing. However, that is all they seem to do around the firehouse until the call comes in. Maybe they all walk around in an adrenaline-crush stupor for days (Severide said, two days off, one day on) between shifts. There is something more to this girl. The dead sister, knowing the burger joint in Chicago, the psycho-freakout at the crash site, the tattoo that keeps on growing, Severide's rush to put her name of his pension benefits... I hope Casey is going to provide Serveide with more assistance than an orange; Casey should have learned from his sister's husband that all that not everyone that moves into the Chicago Fire world can be trusted. I just hope Severide's heart, and wallet and face, do not get broken too badly before she moves on to the next target (check the craps table, the next dupe is waiting for you there.)

I so agree, We have more show up for a dead deer in the road. And where were the police for at least crowd control? And Dawson had to be the one to notice a bloody handprint, shouldn't there have been other first responders there to canvas the area for troublespots? I guess I get not wanting to hire a lot of extras but this strained credibility. The explosion was on television even before they were called to it -- I think that's a big enough deal to merit a few cops. I agree that Casey should have been a vault. His integrity went down a peg after that scene. Also, his judgment, he should know that Dawson cannot keep a secret and, even if he thinks she can, he crossed professional boundaries by telling her, proof again that Dawson has no business being trained there. Speaking of knocking Casey (or maybe Jesse Spencer) down a peg, the man can't dance. Neither can Mouch but that fits his character and I am assuming that was the directive Christian Stolte received, But why would Jess Spencer be told to (not really) dance that way? The rest were great at Zumba including Hermann. When Casey threw the orange at Severide, he said that half of Milwaukee could hear Severide's lovemaking. Does that mean all of Chicago and Illinois awakened first? Seems like that line should have been Chicago instead of a Wisconsin city.

Yeah, I think the director could have made that clearer by not having Joan sit in the circle right next to Kitty. I remember when Joan was supporting Sherlock she would sometimes even be sitting right outside. Joan was kidnapped and seconds away from her death at gunpoint so she does have a harrowing story to add to that share circle. I also remember her kidnapper saying that she was "too pretty to be a cop" which put the threat of sexual violation on the table. I am not saying that sexual violation happened but how could Joan not have been worried about that? The women in the survivor support group did not look like they came from central casting. I can't imagine, but is there a possibility that that was a real group and those are real survivors?

In previous seasons, each episode would have a scene where Sherlock demonstrated what a compassionate, caring person he really was underneath all the damage and quirkiness. Those scenes are happily seared in my mind: Sherlock hugging the Russian bride who was kept as a slave in the basement; Sherlock asking Joan to accompany him to distribute blankets to the homeless in the park, one of which might have been Joan's father; Sherlock talking to Alistair's ghost at the grave site; Sherlock eye-hugging Joan the first time he sees her after the kidnapping; I have not been touched by any scene like that this season. Of course, with Kitty being so damaged there is the potential for a few. I am hoping they follow canon and kill off Andrew off stage as well. I am assuming that is where we are heading because the audience has not been given a chance to bond and fall in love with him on our own, great hair can only take you so far. I bet Sherlock would agree with me, Joan maybe getting "adequately sexed" but doesn't seem to be getting much else out of this relationship. Andrew seems as generic as her apartment, maybe he was part of the HOA package.

Sadly, yes. But I have forgiven him.

I could see it. I do believe the pension urgency was a Chekhov's gun (something placed in the story to be used later.) I was wondering if she or her kid is dying of cancer and Severide wants to make sure his insurance will pay for the medical expensives, at least that is what Severide believes is going on. There is no way that union is going staying together for the long haul. I wonder how many of Papa Severide's wives were found by a Vegas crap table.

I could so see this. I am wondering; however, if Sherlock will break in because he discovers something about Andrew. Either he will be in trouble or the trouble himself. I am betting on the latter because the former why Sherlock broke into Mycroft's apt. If they follow canon, this will be after Andrew/Mary has passed away.

We previously saw Rich Sommer/Harlan help in a math case (Season 2: Episode 2: Solve for X.) We even saw his bare chest reflected on a math wall of crazy. Shelock had told Joan in that episode that he had used Harlan on previous cases. The scene we did not see was one where Harlan went tried to go from irregular to Sherlock's friend. I think that was reference was creative license of the current writers, I don't think there were any hints of that in Solve for X. So true; so profound. "If only I had worn less polyester and more natural fibers in college...maybe would have kept those shirts on and studied more..."

It was not you, can't imagine anyone thinking the blouse was going to hold it all in for an entire day. So Sherlock saved Bell's life (moving him out of the line of the door at the motel/apartment.) Does that mean that Bell has forgiven Sherlock a little for the tremor in his hand? I loved the awkward man-touching in that scene. It reminded me of the "two pillows" in Trains, Planes, and Automobiles.

Or, Joan could have been there to support Kitty in the same way Joan would go to AA meetings with Sherlock to support him. But if it was a closed meeting, Joan could have qualified due to her own kidnap experience. In my opinion, her bedding Mycroft so soon afterwards was a stress reaction to the kidnapping so I am glad that Joan might some help for that even if she is just there just to support Kitty. Speaking of Kitty being a survivor of abuse, I had expected her to not take well to Harlan taking off his shirt in front of her, especially since he gave no initial explanation. Also, how is she going to handle all of Sherlock's sexual excapades, especially those with dominance/submission undertones? Is Sherlock planning to be sitting in her room starring at her while she wakes up as he did with Joan? If so, expect some acid on your face, Sherlock.

I got no good vibes from her either. Of course, when I first met her at the craps table I thought she was a prostitute. Didn't she bump into Serverdie "accidentially" intentionally? I even wonder if her story will end with a Chicago PD crossover. The more I think about it, Casey or someone from his squad really should have accompanied Serveride to Vegas. Boden should have even "ordered" someone. Serveride was in no position to make wise decisions there. I was more concerned that he was going to blow whatever nest egg he had built up or murder someone in a bar fight but it should have been clear to his "brotherhood" that no good was going to come from the trip without a buddy there. Shouldn't Boden have had his kid by now?

Loved that too! Hard to understand why Cruz is still a lonelyheart with all that female attention there. Wouldn't one of those Zuma girls be up for a night on the town with him? So how much does a Chicago Firefighter get paid? Casey is moonlighting in construction. Dawson, Hermann, Otis are moonlighting at Molly's. Cruz is moonlighting at Molly's 2 (to be) and teaching. Mouch is part of Molly's 2 too. Newhouse has a bounty hunter business and is roping Mills in. Capp works at garage sales (kidding here, I know he was helping his mother.) I think Mouch needs to negotiate a better salary package. Doesn't Newhouse work for squad? If so, shouldn't Mills have gone to Severide and not Casey with his idea of raising money for Newhouse's daughter? Giving the money to Newhouse at Molly's was my favorite part of the episode. I live for the weekly scene where they all unite as a brotherhood (often done in an ER waiting room.) I loved Dawson and Casey's expression when they were at home hearing the newlyweds giggle in the other room. D and C looked like a couple comfortable with one another -- something we don't see often enough. I am glad the Chicago Fire did its part to kick off the crossover but do not obligate the CF-only fans to keep watching the other two shows. I get enough information about child predators from the newspaper, thank you.

I would not think of watching this show without the close captioning on.

Sheldon: Scissors cuts paper, paper covers rock, rock crushes lizard, lizard poisons Spock, Spock smashes scissors, scissors decapitates lizard, lizard eats paper, paper disproves Spock, Spock vaporizes rock, and as it always was, rock crushes scissors.

You are correct. Sadly, we saw the visual before Sheldon said that line so my mind jumped ahead of the plot.

Right there with you. Made me a little uncomfortable too...I like my Sheldon without any nether region. Then again, if I were Amy I would have split after the second date to find a man less clueless. I like to think it was healing for Leonard too. Leonard gets to outlive the "needy baby, greedy baby" label his mother put on him.

Interesting point. I wonder if it that steely resolve was Sherlock's anchor for the past two years. Can't wait to know what happened in England. Did Sherlock attend AA there? Where is that packet of herion now anyway, I don't trust it around Kitty (remember her comment about taking a few pipz and a nap?)

I sure wondered the same kinds of things. I think that Arthur Conan Doyle's works are out of copyright, but it would make sense that Glady's Knight name is protected intellectual property. Never heard of SEO but it sure makes sense. I had wondered if the "z" was some British way of pluralizing things left over from the Elizabethian ear. Also thought that maybe "Pipz" was the toy manufacture in the episode's copyrighted name (like Riteaid or something.) Did we ever figure out what those pipz are for? How are they used as a toy? The only thing that makes sense to me if that they are a noise maker in a rattle or something.

So in real life, a woman that has been "taken by a man" probably should not be kept by one as controlling and oblivious to his companion's feelings as Sherlock. Such a victim needs to make her own choices and have those around her aplaud and encourage them such as admiring their art instead of chiding them for their creative initiative. However, such a victim co-habiting with Sherlock would make a lot more sense, and perhaps be clinically indicated, if Sherlock has a personal bond with her, i.e. knew her before the trauma happened and is clearly commited to her for the long haul, which is why I love the idea of Kitty being somebody in the Holmes' world's love child. Just saying...I love this show even when it disappoints me and can't wait to see how they enfold the Kitty story. But, forgive me, I just had a need to put a real life spin on this in case some victim out there thinks that finding and bunking with their own Sherlock is going to make them feel better.

Perhaps they will dip back into the Kitty story in canon: the man who "took her" will reappear and Kitty will want revenge. Sherlock will first want to talk her out of it and then finally look the other way when she does so. Kitty has to go into hiding to avoid justice (probably in the form of Gregson) so Sherlock arranges for Mycroft to meet her at an undisclosed airport and arranges for her disappearance from there. Sherlock is a bundle of nerves and ambivalence which allows Joan to go back to being his emotional anchor. Sherlock waits for Gregson to figure this out all and punch him in the stomach. Oh, Bell gets his heart broken somewhere along the line, and, hopefully, avoids getting acid thrown on his face.

Well, it appeared that she could manage the job just fine, but she had been working on the case for months and had not noticed the 2-ton elephant-magnet in the room. It took Sherlock sitting in the bathroom to figure that out. Above poster, I agree with you, in real life, I try to rid myself of people who suck out my energy and always leave me unsure of where I stand' however, I am thinking that the powers here want us to believe that Watson and Gregson are better off with such a toxic, damaged character in their lives.

So two women can have a stick fight in the middle of New York City without a crowd circling around them? and without a 911 call and the police arriving? isn't every New York street now surrounded by survilleance cameras? If not, what a country! This. But I would add that there is a reason that Sherlock adopted this particular junkie. Guilt because he botched something, maybe during his using days. and left her widowed or orphaned? My guess (and I already mentioned this upthread) is that she is somebody's love child. Watson would probably get most hooked in if it was Mycroft's, so I am routing for that. Sherlock misses Watson and her presence in the Brownstone. That was clearest to me in the scene where Sherlock threw Kitty's filed papers on the floor and said, "do it again." That's what Watson said to Sherlock when she threw his rack of padlocks on the floor (which, by the way, he was fiddling with this episode.) I loved that Watson had a wall of crazy in her living room. Sherlock noticed it, right?