Irlandesa

I don't think it's as simple as realizing they need to change something. This is an expensive show. I imagine filming rescues and calls is more expensive than filming on a soundstage. Fewer rescues means a cheaper production cost. I don't see them easily fixing that, especially when this show is still one of ABC's top performers, if not its top performer. I do wish they'd move away from their big three part rescues like in the premieres. Maybe fewer of those could lead to spreading the cost around. But maybe not.

I think it's fun to think of theories but not if everything else is ignored to make it work. Like it was fun to freeze frame and wonder if he was spitting something out instead of just wiping his mouth but his private, for the camera only, reaction in this episode supports the more straightforward interpretation that he took the drugs and doesn't remember what happened until the next day.

By that logic, husbands forcing their wives to have sex in the 70s "wasn't rape" because the law didn't say it was. Just because a misogynistic society doesn't want to punish men doesn't make sexual violence not sexual violence or rape. And laws varied greatly by jurisdiction. We don't know what Salem's laws said. Besides, they only define what criminal punishment someone might face. They don't define what the actual act is. I was in fandom at that time and it was openly referred to as EJ raping Sami.

In addition to the birthday party mentioned above, when Buck was trying to get Tommy's attention early on, Buck was talking about how much Tommy and Eddie were hanging out and even Chris really liked him. Since he met Chris, I assume he had been to Eddie's house. I agree with all of this. I think it's not just recent events but the fact that his parents brought him into this world to be of service and they ignored him when his brother died anyway. He didn't learn why his parents ignored him until much later in life. And I think that feeds into why his connection with Eddie is so intense. I don't see it as romantic. Rather, there's a part of Buck who wants to feel useful and purposeful and over the years, that's what Eddie and Chris provided for him. From helping Eddie figure out child care when he first arrived in LA to Eddie begging him to "fix" the situation with Chris after the Kim fiasco, he was made to feel like an important part of their lives. Now he's losing that part of his daily life without getting a choice and he has to figure out where to go next. He's not handling it well but I do think it's because he saw it as part of his identity and now it's being treated like any other friendship. I liked Maddie's suggestion to find new friends but I think he should look outside the 118. There is a reading where Buck's repressing romantic feelings for Eddie but I don't think that's what the show was trying to do here. The performance didn't seem like he had doubts about his feelings. And in terms of Buddie, there has been nothing to suggest that Eddie is anything other than straight. In fact, they've laid it on thick this season. This show is so big on bad parents who get forgiven. Some I get but others... I would have liked to see more of Leslie Anne Warren, though. She's terrific and it's a more interesting backstory than the fire that killed Bobby's family.

Exactly. I didn't exactly love Alice and her possessiveness over her best friend but I still thought Brett was a jerk in this episode. "What's in it for me?" gave me the biggest ick. I don't know if we're supposed to see him as a Mr. Nice Guy but that's how he came off. There have been indications he has romantic feelings for Alice so he can act like him being there for her as a friend was some kind of sacrifice but he clearly got something out of it as well. And I don't know that six years ago was the last time she was there for him. I doubt he hasn't shared his custody issues with her. But even if it was six years ago, has he asked her for support since then? I liked Birdie's ex-husband. I love everything to do with Birdie, although the affair is starting to get tiring. I love Catherine too but I don't think her marriage is sustainable as it is. Are we back to thinking it's Gary who died? Finally....puppies!

Same. Word to your whole post. I'd been enjoying this show, although mildly annoyed at Alice and Brett, but this episode gave me the biggest ick. Nothing we've seen Doug do would lead me to believe he would deserve to die in a manner that the other members of the garden society would feel the need to cover up. But even if Doug isn't dead, I am pretty hateful of Alice and Brett now and if there's a second season, may they be the corpses. Why shouldn't he be fine with it? It's not like he's forcing her to stay. In fact, he gave her an out in this episode. He said that maybe they should end their marriage because they want different things. They were already strained after the dog murder accusations. If going to NY to write is what Alice wants to do (cliche by the way, unless she's doing scripts, writing can be done anywhere), then that was her opportunity to be 100% independent again and leave. It isn't what she chose to do. In fact, minutes before he gave her the out, she was freaking out about losing that very specific apartment that held so many of their memories. Once she saw her husband's paintings, she made the choice to stay. Given the ongoing nature of the show, I do think it'll struggle to pick up new viewers even in a new timeslot. But the Sunday slot it has was a loser once its leadin, SuitsLA, bombed. Most 10 p.m/9 p.m. shows don't do better than their leadin unless they're already an established show.

I guess the question is whether or not Lochy is predatory. Saxon is visibly shaken now but he was the one subtlely taunting his brother in the earlier episodes. He put his ass out. He's the one who told his brother he was going to masturbate and left the door ajar as he got naked. He's the one who openly discussed Lochy and his sister's sex lives. He started pushing the boundaries and once they were on drugs, Lochy pushed them further. I think it'll look that way but at the end they'll be like "we should do this again some time" where they can get passive aggressive all over again.

No. Jake Epstein got second billing but I think it's because he's going to be prominent in all four of the movies. Or three? He played the brother. He's one of my favorite leads, actually, so I hope his movie is good. Steve Lund played the lead love interest. I don't love billionaires but I was a little more interested in the unexpected than the old high school flame. Following one's own dreams at 18 is the only smart choice.

I only watched it once and I thought she was going to start her next word with an "n." They probably filmed both versions and left it to the editors to choose.

Yes. It was similar to Robby's decision to allow Mel to donate blood meant to go directly to the patient even though it couldn't be tested for HIV and other diseases. He weighed the pros and cons and felt the pros outweighed the cons. No. Santos suspected him of taking an injectable. Robby found pills. He asked Dana to do an audit of his medicine requests which I assume she hasn't gotten to with everything else going on.

NM. Not sure Im right and it's too OT for me to be wrong.

They can't except there have been episodes where they tried due to corruption of a jury or judge by a defendant or defendant-adjacent. Jeopardy in Season 6 was one of those episodes where the wealthy mom of a killer got the judge presiding over her son's case a favorable loan.

If the verdict is "not guilty," wouldn't jeopardy attach? And if it's guilty, then the defendant will have lost with things going his way. I liked the ending only because it was so ripped from the headlines. I would have taken a hung jury too with the decision. They've done that in the past with the plan to refile but no follow-through.

I'm guessing they're trying to boost Dr. O's ratings. Originally, they planned for it to be Buck, Athena and Bobby. Then it morphed into just Athena.

I KNEW that's how they were going to end it. I thought this was a pretty good episode, though. The judge was definitely biased but I don't know if I can think of a decision made that made me think "nope." I appreciated the nunaced debate between Maroun, Price and Baxter about how to prosecute the case. This is an instance where it really made sense. They don't want to encourage vigilantism by going easy on the perp but they are fighting against a strong "eat the rich" sentiment, especially when the damage is so obvious. There was prudence in arguing for a deal. I have to admit that when I saw Jesse Metcalf in the credits and then he appeared as a cop, I expected he had something to do with it. Then I realized he was there to work with Reid.