For me, I thought the free dance in Sochi could have gone either way, depending on how each skated on the day and I have no issues with Meryl and Charlie winning that with how they skated.
As for the short, what’s quoted above is pretty much how I remember feeling. I thought that Tessa and Scott should have won that portion and while I’d never hold myself up as an ice dance expert (I can barely recognise an edge!) there were several experts - the Eurosport commentators, IIRC, definitely Robin Cousins, Petri Kokko who invented the Finnstep!) all went on record as saying that Tessa and Scott should have been in first. The ubers then took that to mean that the fix was in and ran with that idea. Me, I disagree with the SD placement but not their final standings.