rubyred

So I've seen people mention that the sinkhole is in DTLA -- it is not, it's at the intersection of Fairfax and Wilshire, where the glorious architectural renovation of the Peterson Automotive Museum is prominently featured. As an LA resident who has been avoiding that stretch of Wilshire for YEARS due to the ongoing construction on that building (and others), I ugly-laughed seeing the red and metal structure CGI-twisted in slow mo. This intersection is part of "Museum Row." So what has also been, presumably, hithered, is the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Craft Contemporary Museum, and, since they deliberately showed it, the La Brea Tar Pits. Side note, the official office of SAG-AFTRA is a neighbor to the Tar Pits, although to my (admittedly untrained) eye, they did not avail themselves of a large quantity of union members for the cast. Thanks to whomever noted that the Dad is played by Eoin Macken. For the longest time I studied his familiar/not familiar face, and then realized he was an off-brand Juan Diego Botto (Good Behavior). Why not just hire the actor you want him to look like? But yes! There should be food, not from McDonald's but from the long string of artisanal food trucks that line Museum Row during weekdays!

I’m trying but I’m baffled by the directorial choices. I can’t blame the actors because they don’t have much to work with, but would an emotional beat here or there hurt? All of the kids’ parents are now dead, which is stated flatly in exposition, but no one seems upset? And yeah, did Mother blow up Tempest’s spot? I couldn’t tell if they were shocked, didn’t know, or just never talked about it. Maybe I’m looking away from the screen at the wrong moments but how do you go from “you never talk to me” to “I can’t be a parent/why not / you know why” to duck-duck-goose in ten seconds flat? Also not loving credulous Campion and his artfully mussed hair. I like Paul better.

One little factoid that surprised me is that Sarah apparently had the brand “for months” according to Lauren, and Nippy hadn’t seen it?! One other thing with Mark, he liked having such a high position in ESP but even more he was Keith’s only male friend. So he was, like, cool by association because he hung out with The Fonz. Bonnie deserves better , particularly to never be called “my boo” again.

What an insidious POS Raniere is.

Yes, that struck me as well, mamadrama. They deliberately chose people whose innate characteristics (self-congratulatory delusional narcissism, I said what I said) totally clouded any ability to think critically. Of course it's easy to sit on my sofa and watch Keith ooze around dropping pearls of wisdom and recognize them as: word salad negging gaslighting but enough about me, what about YOU but in the context of seeing his initial meeting with Allison Mack (cringe), you can see she was lapping it up, even as it made absolutely no sense. All he does is mirror back to these people what they want to hear about themselves and their role in the world. And not for nothing, what good exactly did NXVIUM (sp, sorry) DO? Even Barbara Bouchey, who I liked, claimed that they had, but they never show any of that. What WAS all this ass-kicking world-changing stuff? I want the receipts. These are the kind of people who consider themselves "allies", but prefer to do their world-changing from boardrooms and private compounds, and don't actually have any experience with the world they're trying to save everyone from. Noblesse oblige, indeed.

Guys I need your guidance. I’m an unexceptional heiress with $150M to burn, but I want to change the world. Should I: 1) get my MSW 2) support women’s shelters 3) lobby for universal healthcare 4) fund a cult

Yeah no, Show. Aside from the cheating, gaslighting, abandonment, sexual relationships with patients and general tom -fuckery, Sam knowingly blackmailed his OWN SON into killing his pregnant sidepiece. But it’s all understandable because: damage. No.

I knew Birkhead was going to go nuclear when Annalise called her “basic.” Laura Innes’ eyes got so flat and cold... Agree that there’s probably something more to the Hannah reveal than (just?!) incest , mostly because of what Vivian said. She got away from the family, not just Sam.

I started to suspect during the previous episode (psycho child) and had it confirmed this episode: all the good dialogue and acting opportunities are being given to the patients. It's not that the leads aren't charismatic or can't act - they are just so poorly written, the plot lines so transparently...transparent -- they just don't have anything worthwhile to work with. Frankly other than Max I don't think the writers really care about them. They still haven't found a way to make Bloom's curmudgeon the least bit engaging. I don't think they even realize how little they've explored Helen. They show everyone else's lives, but they're content to just tell us about hers. Usually in the form of exposition that she has to deliver herself. And Iggy is the WORST, on so many levels. I wish that bloodstain had looked a little duller. It looked fresh, and huge!

Mona has got to go.

I agree with those who aren't feeling that Galvin is working as a romantic interest; he starting crossing over that manipulative/gaslighting line again when he basically pressured Macy into accepting his help, characterizing it into a situation where she's closing him out "again". And unfortunately she caved to that. Made me uncomfortable. Their relationship is so poorly drawn that his "sacrifice" on her behalf has no true emotional stakes. Which makes her then having sex with him seem even less romantic or sexy and more like a reward. Which, ugh. In short, I hope he dies.

Can someone explain why people keep acting like the revelation that Annaliese once tried to adopt Wes is such a big "dun dun dun?" So the fuck what? The woman had just been in a tragic car accident that resulted in the death of her newborn baby; all of that can be easily proved so what's so evil about someone, acting out of grief, trying to adopt a child? I don't get how that would open up any questions about Wes' death; why would that make her a suspect? I'm confused about why this is so scandalous. It doesn't look good in terms of optics, I guess, but it's so easily swatted away by basic common sense and human compassion that I don't get why Annaliese is so worried about it becoming common knowledge. Can someone explain the nuance to me? I hope if there's another season it opens with the K...4 I guess? discussing how they suspect Laurel disappeared herself and Christopher. Just let.them.go.

Kudos to Freddie Highmore, that meltdown scene was hard to watch. I wish the show would fish or cut bait on Reznick's character. They started out with her as a clear antagonist/bitch, tried to walk that back with a few "humanizing" episodes (didn't work, IMO), returned to the jealous bitch trope (sucking up to Han, pissed at Claire's success), THEN pulled out the "but WWJD?" oppositional side. Ordinarily I like complex characters who have conflicting beliefs, thoughts, and actions, but all along this character has come across as a list of bullet-point characteristics dictated by plot and actor contract minimums. I don't entirely fault the actress (although...erm) -- the writing doesn't help has done her no favors. But hey - at least we didn't have to watch another Leah Dancing montage!

Oh god all my shows are taking a turn for the worse. The special effects!!! of Tartarus were a joke. Charity and Harry was a disappointing swerve. Macy and Galvin -- ugh, will they never learn about this character? It's not funny that he's okay with Macy being a witch but not if she's a virgin - aka not DTF at all times. That is not the definition of a "joke" or a "funny beat." Parker still doesn't modulate either his voice or his expression. Hunter was more interesting, and played by a better actor. Parker's dialogue is even worse. Maggie the empath deliberately dampening her feelings was so freaking dumb. Almost as dumb as loving Parker after two weeks of dating. Hanging by a thread...

This show is not turning out to be the show I thought it was. Aside from the lack of focus on Shaun (you know, the Good Doctor), they refuse to cut bait on Lea and Resnick. I don't mind Lim and Melendez - it seems more appropriate- but for a very handsome man Nicholas Gonzalez makes smiling seem so...hard. Park I like; I don't see chemistry with his ex-wife, but she's completely underwritten so who knows. Andrews needs to have his wife in there to bounce things off of, Hill Harper had a do a lot of face acting that didn't seem organic to the character. Tamlyn, where ya been?! I found it strange that Resnick kept calling Claire "St. Claire" when we've seen Claire do sketchy things over and over. For the "right reasons," maybe, but still sketchy. I wish they'd stop trying to make Resnick happen. I still think they waited too long to humanize her and I simply do.not.care. Lea....gah I can't even get into it.