Hamatron

Yep. Cis straight men date trans women and cis straight women date trans men. Gay men date gay trans men and lesbians date lesbian trans women. There are also cis straight women who read more masculine and straight men who read more feminine. Throw in some bisexuals while you are at it, too. All these people are out there dating right now as I type. The world has all kinds of variety. ETA: It's also not uncommon for sexual preferences to shift during or after transitioning. So there's a chance the Cait is still figuring things out. Oh, and is sounds like Zackary and Rhys were always a heterosexual couple, since one identifies as male and the other identifies as female. (Interestingly enough, their situation isn't unheard of either. I've read similar stories about couples discovering this about each other and then transitioning together. Which is kinda awesome in that you would have this built-in support system.)

Sometimes it's more fun when you know how it plays out. Sometimes it just doesn't work because the writers fail to build around what audiences already know. I was just being silly here. I wanted this series to be good, but I just cared less with each passing episode.

Huh. So they didn't kill Lincoln. What a nail biter.

Yep. Then Aurelia apologized to Belinda for earlier and basically restated her stance that she should be getting paid. So Belinda went home and asked for $1.50 a week or something like that from Mr. Green.

I get why she might want to do that and run off, but she's still the legal guardian of Ian (is he still 17?), Debbie (15), Carl (14?), and Liam (... 4?). Bare minimum, cutting the cord on Liam would be pretty cold. Plus, legal obligations aside, leaving would mean the kids would either end up in homes or on the street. Or Lip possibly leaving college to hold things together.

In earlier seasons, it seemed more like they were being held back by the system, not themselves. There was a hustle just to stay afloat. In later seasons, there's been more of a shift to they hold themselves back, not the system, and now they are hustling to repeat the same mistakes. I think that's part of the change in characterizations we're talking about. I think it would be more rewarding to see them rise above fucking themselves over, but still face hardship. You could still have Shameless and keep the tone and world while still never making it past poverty (Or maybe Lip does but no one else).

Sometimes. Other times they are real and the publication will reveal things a few months later when they're sure they won't get sued. The Charlie Sheen HIV thing was a blind item long ago.

Generally, blind items are an opportunity for the media to be extra bitchy while indirectly calling people out or being able to play dumb if needed. The other side is that they can be used to talk about things when sources won't go on the record. But yeah, I don't know why they would need to BI that bit. Unless the studio is on the fence about renewing and is trying to gauge interest.

She got to be light and whimsical this year too, though! Like when she went shopping with Frankenstein and in that scene where the devil shows her how awesome her life could be if she went to the dark side. That seance scene in the first season where she has that epic monologue though? That was when I really realized what a bad-ass actress she was.

I guess that's cool. WHM is a great actor, and I would rather they get something over nothing, but I feel like these noms are out of touch and made by people who don't watch the show. His storylines are kinda ridiculous and repetitive, and he generally doesn't have strong ties to other stories or characters. Frank is mostly in his own little story bubble. And those stories are usually the least realistic/satisfying of the bunch. He's even done this story arc before, only this time the woman was super pretty and he didn't actively kill her this time. I don't get why Emmy has never been nommed. She's basically the star of the show. She's central to the show, story-wise (okay, maybe not as much this season), and she's done a ton of meaty scenes and story arcs. Seriously, what gives? That said, I am not on the same wavelength as the Emmys anyway. It always seems like some bland show gets on a nomination/win jag for 5-10 years while really great stuff gets overlooked.

Right, but every season of American Horror Story is basically a reboot. There are a few characters who pop up in different seasons, but for the most part it's a clean re-do each year. Penny Dreadful is working with a linear narrative building on each season.

I always think of the Monarch when I see that, too! That Ragnar logo has been around forever though. I have no idea which one was first, hah.

Uh. They're going to bring back Patty LuPone as an entirely different character? That's... odd.

Yeah. This show is goofy, so I don't hold it against them if they don't go there completely or comply with reality, but what Michael did is a crime. It would fall under obstruction of justice or aiding and abetting. Or perhaps some other thing I am forgetting. Cops lose their jobs all the time for letting minor offenses go, so at least the part of him losing his job for a major oversight (or is he just on probation?) is realistic.

Yeah. Britney wasn't good. I will point out that she was mainly paired with the campiest character, Rogelio, so that might be why it was going into garish territory... but let's be real. Britney can't act, and her scenes were awkward. Also, violence around infants makes me super nervous, and it kind of makes me hate both of those guys now. Whatever, love triangle.