mandigirl

I was just kind of ... meh with the finals. Something about the format this season, without the structure of the division match ups, just didn't do it for me. I truly hated the 'studio' setting for the initial rounds. I didn't think the contenders in the rounds were well-paired or fairly paired. There were definitely some more exciting dance groups that should have made it further. Also thought Jake and Chau should have made it through to the finals instead of the Latin ballroom pair. Nothing against them-- they were likeable. Just thought Jake and Chau had a super strong semi-final routine. I was OK with MD3 winning. They are strong dancers. They've been dancing together for a long time and it shows. I would have preferred Oxygen. I thought Oxygen's semifinal routine was RIDICULOUS. So so good. They may have been one of the cleanest groups ever on the series, period. The small print is that the $1M prize is an annuity, not a lump sum. So cheap NBC. Most people take less now so they can get a lump sum instead of the annuity. So MD3 probably won't get $1M, but still likely a very decent pay day. Agreed. I really liked Luca and Allesandra. Their qualifier routine was one of my favorites.

It was so obvious that they had already chosen who they wanted to go through. In past seasons it was not so in your face, but this year they basically grouped the teams out ahead of time so that they would know who was going to the finals. How exactly were the teams grouped? They didn't even bother to fake an explanation on that! I really did not like that the teams did not go up against groups in their own divisions. What's the point of the divisions? This season was so strange. I hope they return to the original format next year. I like that salsa couple, but I thought their routine was super shaky. I didn't think they were going through, and they ended up with the highest score?? The scores had nothing to do with their performance, once again it seemed that it was pre-determined. I keep comparing them to Karen y Ricardo who were flawless and didn't make it past semifinals if I remember correctly. I thought The Young Crew and Geometrie should have advanced. Super bummed about GRVMNT, J Lo was right-- they danced as well as they could with the lackluster choreography in their routine. That group proved that they can handle whatever choreography is tossed at them, hope they come back with updated routines next year.

No surprise, Bailey and Kida easily won their duel. I thought it was a good routine, they are both clearly very talented. I was relieved The Young Cast went forward but super bummed that Chibi Unity did not. They had one of the strongest routines of the duel round. I didn't expect it, but Reagan's routine was my favorite of the night. Great song choice and her emotion was genuine. The new 'scoring' method continues to grate. Depending on how the votes go, it makes one of the judge's decisions moot. Even if the scoring is more or less rigged, if the decisions of each of the judges doesn't matter, then why the heck are they on there!

ITA- I thought both of those groups should have made it. So far, with the exception of 305, I thought the other two 'cut' teams should have gone through but because of who they were paired with, they lost. Absolutely nothing against Savannah who is freaking adorable, but I would have preferred The Young Cast or the Japanese team to go forward. Now one of them will get cut. Very pleased about GRVMNT. That routine was awesome. Love that little kid they put up front, what a charismatic dancer. That duel was super close and once again, I thought both groups should have gone to the semifinals.

Nope. I first saw Bryan when he was doing his own renovation show and thought he was competent and delightful. Then they did a show on renovating their house and we meet Sarah. She was the exact same way, constantly changing her mind, it had to be her way, costs and practicality be damned. I see she hasn't changed. Bryan is Definitely more practical than Sarah, lol-- but he's also more unlikable to me. I find his tone with her to be off-putting. And his temper tantrum last episode was not a good look. I've seen other resorts with the whole modern 'all white' look, and many hotels have all white linens. If they use commercial grade furniture and fabrics they should be ok hopefully. I'm liking the design generally. ITA that they should have done wood-look tile. I think they are going to figure that out as well... Is Sarah a professional designer, does this for a living, has her own clients etc.? Or is she one of those (usually rich) people who feels they have an eye for interior design? No disrespect if she is the latter-- I've seen many people pull out great design. She's prob a bit 'spoiled' because Bryan is free labor. If she got charged for each change order? She'd figure it out real quick.

Gotta agree with LitteIggy, Marco getting the new grounds equipment may have been my favorite moment of the show so far. I was surprised and pleased that Bryan and Sarah expressed what looked to be genuine warmth and gratitude towards the people on the island, including those working for them. I really wish they showed more of Sarah's design process for decorating the hotel. That would have been cool. Also would like to see more of the property managers. Their whole process would be interesting as well. If they get another season (they may!), or HGTV does another show with a similar idea, I would like to see a whole lot less bickering, and a whole lot more of the inner workings of getting a resort up and running. ITA. Some things may sound good, but I think that swaying rattan hat that they turned into a light would get super annoying after awhile. I would be interested to know if it is still there.

I think some are staged, but a lot of the arguing feels organic to me. When Bryan was grilling Sarah about her plans for the design of the back of the bar (Seriously, their lack of communication is crazy. HOW does he not have at least some idea of the plans already??), there was a tremor in Sarah's voice. She really was nervous. When she 'angers' Bryan, he can be quite vicious in his tone with her. I have absolutely no previous exposure to Bryan, but I find him thoroughly unlikeable. He's so condescending, dismissive and rude to his wife. She's not perfect either for sure, but he's the worse offender IMO. He's a dictator. He makes changes all the time, but when Sarah makes changes, he either ignores them, or vocally bitches about it. I hate how Sarah will be talking about a design decision, and then he asks one of the workers what they think. Not because the workers don't or shouldn't have an opinion, but the way he does it so undermining. I hope he watches the show and realizes how poorly he acts.

I'm really not loving how subjective this season is with no real scoring, just the judges pointing to the person they prefer. There is psychological pressure for the judges to 'go with the majority' in a way that wasn't there when each judge privately put in scores based on specific criteria. Not a fan at all. UPeepz routine was gold so they should have won, but I still loved the Rise and was so bummed that they didn't go forward. I liked that bleached blond kid, a fantastic dancer and charismatic. I hope we see him again. His story last season about dancing on the show to get his absentee dad's attention just shredded my heart. Emma and Styles should have gone forward. Period. For me, they should have won their duel. The judges should have never paired Geometrie and Oxygen in a duel-- they both are some of the strongest teams and both should have gone forward against other acts in the duel round. I do think the Alesandra tango pair should have gone forward too, they were fantastic. So far, the judges have allowed some subpar acts into the semifinal. They do this every year for dramatic effect, and it just sucks because the dancers they send home deserve better.

About halfway through this episode, it actually started holding my attention. So much of this season has felt like treading water. At least some of the plot points are starting to come together. Nice to see Boston and there were a couple of truly lol lines of dialog in the episode. If Patterson really is gone, I can say goodbye to this show without a second thought because that truly would crap all over the show I've loved and watched since the pilot. If she's not, we have some Patterson-y goodness to look forward to! She's going to save the team. This is the most ridiculous thing I've heard! A secret twin-- this show can get soap opera-ish, but that's taking it too far! I can't remember-- weren't Remy and Roman biological siblings? Or was it that Shepard just adopted them both? One person we KNOW is still out there that I'm thinking we will see eventually is Jane's daughter. Never liked that character, so not looking forward to it, but I'm expecting that she's part of the resistance too.

I've always liked MEM. But this almost exact scene was done on another show (not with ZIP, some other dangerous substance)-- 24 maybe? Whatever show it was, the scene in this episode lost impact because of that. The 'Put him somewhere nice.' had so much emotion to it though. I wondered this as well. Madeline said Greg was 'her oldest', implying she has other kids. And Greg was on his way to another job when he stopped in NYC. So people are going to notice him missing. Also, Jane flooded her body with Zip which is why she lost her memories for so long. With a smaller dose, like the one Madeline gave Greg, Roman regained his memories in a couple months, maybe even weeks. They still need her to link Madeline to the terrorist organization. Very underwhelmed to see Keaton. Never liked him although they tried redo his character to make him more likeable. Don't give up hope-- Keaton was speaking to someone else on the phone. So Allie, Keaton and atleast one other person have been working together. I'm hopeful for a couple of reasons-- Roman was a far more likely person to appear in Kurt's dream than Oscar, so maybe they are waiting for the big reveal? Also, Madeline killed Blake so makes sense Roman would want revenge. Or... maybe the actor just isn't available, lol.

I didn't particularly care for this episode, but it was better than expected from what I had seen in the previews. It felt very much like the filler episode it was. Lol'd when Ice cream called Rich 'the Ice Cream of the Americas'! Also, Paul Rudd would be excellent casting for Ice Cream in the soon-to-be movie. ITA. Right in the middle of a mission, Jane says 'You know Kurt how I said you were a good man like a day ago? Maybe I was wrong and you're actually just killer.' Like that wasn't something that Kurt nearly had a melt down over? What kind of person, let alone what kind of wife would say that in the middle of a dangerous mission? Jane and Weller continue to have zero romantic chemistry. I think it is more glaring this season because they are supposed to be each other's 'rock' until they get back home. Despite their perfunctory kisses and hugs, their chemistry feels like nothing more than team members to me.

Again, this endangerment argument would be much much stronger if the Triplet were actually laying low and not, you know, doing random crap to get themselves exposed on. the. regular. just for farts and giggles. There's Rosa, Flint (at an alien conspiracy festival no less! To quote one of my favorite comedies 'It's almost like you want to die!') and Isobel chugging nail polish remover from the bottle in a middle of a crowded bar. Those are just off the top of my head! They do reckless, highly visible stuff to draw attention to themselves that has zero beneficial value. So life-saving research being the hill Max suddenly decides to dig his heels in on is distasteful. Do they have to agree? No. But if their reason is a risk of exposure, Liz's back alley experiments don't hold a candle to the s%& they've done, lol. But I guess mileage will vary on this one. Max's sanctimonious bs is underscored by how he made sure to save the vials of that orange serum he's so fond of ( 1. Liz created that through her research btw and 2. the serum is probably one of the most dangerous things to the Triplet in that entire lab, so what was his drivel about shutting down the lab to 'protect his family'?) but then torched all the other research and materials that could have helped, you know, any one else. How the eff is that oK?? Jokes on him, because the gross majority of Liz's research so far helped and protected the aliens, most recently when she was able to whip up an alien bio-agent for the bomb at the fair so that Max et co wouldn't be branded as terrorists. But no biggie. Next time he needs something like that, hope they can whip that up with whatever's at the local CVS. IRL, makes sense. In the world of the show, Liz cured a rare disease with little more than some basic lab equipment and a couple of late nights. So in the show construct, curing world disease given decent resources and time, was much more than a 'limited possibility'.

So many points well taken, and not to be contrary, but technically speaking, Steph 'abandoned' that sample Liz used to do her research. IRL, that sample would have been useless, but not in Roswell! Also, we have no idea what Liz did or did not tell Steph about the alien treatment because that scene was off-screen inexplicably. I don't disagree with this or any of the other excellent posts about Liz's bioethics. Non-consensual medical testing is wrong. I'm pissed because Liz is a Latina STEM genius- what message are the writers trying to make exactly? Also, this is what doesn't sit well with me-- -- People here have raised lack of consent and violation of trust, but that is not the objection that Max raised. His stated objection was Liz 'putting them in danger' with her research. He even destroyed Noah's samples which had nothing to do with him. Liz doesn't get carte blanche, but Max's actions do make his objections based on 'endangerment' hypocritical at best if not straight up laughable. -- If we're going to go into ethics, why the heck doesn't Max consent for goodness sake? If someone said that your fingernail clippings could cure heart disease, saving millions, potentially billions, is it ethical for you to just say 'Nah.' No blow back to you, nothing invasive. You don't even let them try? I have a problem with Max and the rest of the Triplet using Liz and her research to cover and save their asses, but the second she wants to use that same research to save other lives, 'it's too dangerous', burn your lab to the ground. There's something off about that to me.

This is what has struck me about this show as well. Bryan is harsh and his wife comes off as controlled and naive. I suspect that its just for the cameras, but this "drama" is not a selling point, it makes me not want to watch the show. They seem to be designing and constructing on the fly which makes no sense, so I hope that it's just for the cameras too. I would have thought that most if not all of the basic design decisions would have been worked out before they left Canada. Bryan micromanaging his wife is distasteful, but his wife trying to make major layout changes without any construction input is just bizarre and a waste of time. It may be difficult for some people to appreciate the racial dynamics created in a post-colonized region, but the imbalances and legacies that creates are entrenched and very very real.

Not a fan of what Liz did, but counter-argument, what she did was 100% legal. The aliens have ZERO rights. None. She technically didn't need their consent. Only Max had a problem with what she was doing-- from what I remember Michael and Iz didn't seem to care. Also, most of the samples came from Noah, not the Triplet. Not that it's a standard to aspire to, but Liz acted 1000% more humanely than the military with the alien refugees which was, once again, technically totally legal. She got her samples without hurting anyone and was able to test them without hurting either aliens or humans. She was trying to help people and was successful. I thought Max burning all her research was messed up personally. Liz and Kyle bent every rule in the book to save Max. They stole medical equipment that could save human patients. The least Max could have done is to give Liz a little time and latitude to work, and prove to him that she could share her research safely. Also, Liz' life-saving research was putting the Triplet in far less danger than Max's own reckless actions, including ROSA! And melting Flint's chest in the middle of a freaking fair. Max is hypocritical.

A bloated episode, but I was actually relieved that it wasn't super cliff-hangery. Seriously. I was pleasantly surprised that Maria broke up with Michael. I don't care that Michael and Alex are endgame. As long as they give Maria a love interest. What is so hard about this? It's so glaring at this point. Every one has one (or more!), but Maria gets like half a love interest. They clearly don't have the balls to do a polyamourous relationship, so I could have done without that sidetrack too. I'm hoping that Maria having her own powers will get her more screen time and interesting story lines S3. Being a pre-cog is by far one of the better and more useful alien abilities we've seen so far. Ha! I loved Tyler's song-- best part of the episode. I despise the love triangle, but the two actors for Alex and Michael have fantastic chemistry. I do agree with Lady Calypso about an acoustic version (esp. since Tyler looked very awkward playing or pretend playing? the keyboard). The lyrics were on the nose, but so ridiculous sweet. Michael is a strong man, because if a guy sang that song to me, he wouldn't make it off the stage, lol.

I'm confused by her as well. I don't particularly like Kyle and her together, but I'm wondering what her angle is. When she was first introduced, I'm pretty sure she had an empty bottle of nail polish remover. So alien? I don't think she's faking needing treatment-- maybe she and Liz are going to band together. Same goes for Alex's side piece. He's been introduced and hasn't done much since. I'm thinking it may the man who had his hand on Nora's shoulder in the newspaper pic.

In the Como La Flor episode (I had to look it up) where Michale/Maria/Kyle figure out that Rosa's grandmother signed up for an experimental government trials specializing in weaponizing alien abilities....except they didn't tell the test subjects what they were doing. Kind of like the horrible Tuskeegee syphilis trials done on black men. That's exactly right KittenPokerCheater. Maria's grandmother was illegally experimented on, alluding to the legacy of the U.S. military and Big Pharma medically experimenting on black people, which continues to this day in African countries. Maria references Tuskegee, which is widely considered one of the lowest points in US race relations and one of the greatest failures of modern bioethics, period. Then Maria saves Kyle with her powers she makes some comment like 'Well something good came out of it.' And NO. Just fucking NO. The writers, through their black mouthpiece, Maria, do not get to find the silver lining in governments illegally doing medical testing on black people. Nu-uh. That is literally the logic used when they stripped away the personhood and consent of these black patients: 'It's for the greater good, something good can come of out of this.' The magnitude of how tone-deaf that was continues to upset me. This isn't about Maria's faux empowerment in the moment, it's about respect. Don't mention Tuskegee which is REAL and where people lost their lives and then focus on a fictional 'success' of illegal medical testing on black people. I mean seriously?? If the show writers can't handle these delicate race issues well (and so far, they have not IMO), then they shouldn't handle them at all.

Kinda how no one questions why they took Alex to get Michael to comply and not anyone else. I'm not a fan of love triangles in general, but this one has always been particularly offensive to me. Two minorities have to fight over (I don't care that it's a cold war) and then pretty much share one guy? Do the writers truly not see how offensive that is?? Alex and Maria deserve to have their own love interests and fully realized relationships. At least Alex has a side love interest. Maria has no one but Michael-- who's not 100% in to her. ITA. I give the show props for even trying to tackle some of these race issues, I really do. But the execution just isn't there for me. I appreciated what Liz was saying this episode, and she is the first character I've heard on a network show articulate the 'model minority' burden in quite that way. So I don't like them attaching it to her megalomania or whatever is going on with her. This show needs to be very careful. If they're going to reference race issues, they need to take that responsibility seriously. A few weeks ago, they mentioned Tuskegee in a very questionable way IMO. Now they are linking Liz's dangerous medical ambition to some warped model minority fantasy. Sometimes, the message they are trying to make is just so unclear.

BOOOO!! I was really not a fan of them killing Reade, but I figured it would be him. With them on the run, outside the FBI, he was the most expendable. But I am super sensitive to them killing off people of color on tv shows and movies. I love this show, and will be sad to see it go. It is over the top, but the characterizations and chemistry of the cast are great. Zapata kicked ass this episode which is always fun to see. Lol at the Korean description of Rich!! If they want to make up for Reade, please PLEASE let it be Roman sending the team messages... Hahah! I love how Weitz went from annoying and useless bureaucrat to a somewhat endearing and amusing ally. Very worried for Afreen. Thankfully, seems like Madeline figures why be all murder-y in-staff when you can just hire a mercenary.

Super helpful and explains the problem. The writers are very familiar with the comics and may have been trying to de-escalate the Grey/Dex UST like you suggested. But they were solving a problem from the comic. From the pilot, we had no reason not to take the Dex/Grey friendship at face value. There wasn't any 'will there or won't there' yet. The next few episodes will truly tell which way they are taking this story line.

As much as I loved seeing the Dex and Grey back story, it was mistake to devote so much narrative space, straight out the gate, to Dex's ships and triangles. (I don't believe this particular triangle is canon from the comic right?) IMO a show needs more foundation before going so deep into that territory. I personally like ships. But: 1. I think the way they are introducing Grey as a potential love interest is too soon and too fast. I would have been fine enjoying and getting used to their friend dynamic for a couple more episodes first. 2. What they are setting up is not a ship, but a love triangle. And I have NEVERRR seen a network procedural do a love triangle in a satisfying way. Maybe others have, but I haven't seen it yet. Love triangles are almost always a sloppy mess-- both in characterization and narrative. Immediately putting so much focus on a love triangle is foolhardy and is already pulling focus. They should use this time to develop the side characters and side plots (including with some of the potential baddies we saw in the pilot). I'm rooting for this show, but pushing this love triangle so early has the potential to back fire.

I know this is super, super random, but it occurred to me that our Raymond is actually Katarina. That there was no IIlya or if there was, he didn't assume Raymond's identity. Is that even physically possible?? It was the way Raymond said that Katrina was an illusion and that betraying her would be like betraying himself. Clearly the red-haired Russian 'Katrina' that kidnapped Raymond is not the real Katarina. She referred to Liz as 'Keane'. Any way, decent episode. Liked the continuity with the shout out about Scottie. Interested to see what happens with the story.

I thought his concern was fair, but he looked like a jerk because his concern is moot. The writers have done a good job of showing Jo didn't have a lot of choices, and she picked the best one. She was going to go by the book but then it became clear that shady people wanted to take Piper. As the highest law enforcement in their town, she can't just walk away and leave a vulnerable child. I think that's why her ex isn't mad, because Jo is basically doing the best she can with the resources available.

Enjoyed the episode. The case of the week reminded me of a Veronica Mars episode. I've watched the lead actors in other shows/movies: HIMYM, watched every episode of New Girl and Almost Human. It's a testament to these actors that I'm able to enjoy them on this show and not associate them with their other characters at all. I'm leaning Team Wyatt, but hope it doesn't come to that. They have actors and writers with the chops to pull off platonic Dex/Grey. I loved that the decision to be friends was mutual-- GREY wasn't in a good place either. It was poor timing for them both, not just the 'damaged' Dex. It's hilarious-- they REALLY sold me on the whole Dex/Grey friendship in the pilot, to the point where I see very little romantic chemistry between them now. I actually said ' Ewww!' during the morning after scene this episode! I loved him in Almost Human and Common Law and I'm hoping we get to see him fleshed out a little better in future episodes. Michael Ealy isn't being used to his potential at all. He can definitely act, he hasn't been given anything to do. He and Colbie do have fantastic chemistry, but not sure how the Wyatt character is supposed to fit into this story. Ealy and Camryn Manheim are not bit players, so hoping to see them given more and better material.