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This was definitely my favorite episode of the season, and not just because Ralph was missing. I also didn't miss the DeVoe stuff, even if my interest in Marlize has grown lately. The stakes felt high, even if it was already known they'd save the day - Grant Gustin really did a good job selling the intensity and fear of the situation and Gregory Smith's directing was great, too. Loved all the warm yellow tones. Trying to guess how they'd stop it was fun. Which brings me to the Iris debate happening. I really don't get the big deal, because like others have said, it's not like Iris was suddenly smarter than everyone else. Caitlin was Killer Frost, so she's not a scientist right now, Cisco's unfrozen moment was understandably used on trying to vibe it away, the second most obvious solution (after running it far away), and Harry was half preoccupied with worrying about Jesse to to fully come up with a plan. Jay's solution of freezing it didn't work, but Jesse (who is supposed to be super smart) came up with the idea to throw the lightning bolts at it - Iris just came up with a solution for Barry to still use that plan once Jesse and Jay were tapped out. Barry, Jesse and Jay didn't know the details of how they got Barry out of the speed force, and neither did Killer Frost. The only other person that would have known that was Cisco, and he was used before the lightning bolt idea was formed. So Iris thinking of it, especially after Barry prompted the idea with his line about her being his lightning rod, makes sense. And because it can't be said enough, nobody is suffering for screentime or focus this season because of Iris - it's because of Ralph.

Beth doesn't hate Kevin. She just doesn't have a high tolerance for him or his bullshit (likely due to the fact that he's the Pearson she knows the least, given the fact that he and Randall weren't close until recently). She thinks he's cute and charming, but seems to only be able to take him in small doses, which is pretty common when dealing with in-laws. She wasn't happy to have him crashing on their couch for who knows how long when she wasn't asked/told and she's not happy that he was driving drunk with her daughter in the car. Sure, he didn't know she was in the car, but anger is not always rational and he was still a selfish asshole for driving drunk in the first place and endangering everyone else on the road - something she pointed out in the episode. She didn't want to fly out and go to Kevin's meeting because she was mad at him, which is completely within her right. But Randall pretty much forced her to go, so yeah, she was snarky and annoyed while there, like most people are when they're somewhere they don't want to be. Sue her. I also don't think she dislikes the rest of Randall's family at all? She seems perfectly fine with Kate and she only had an issue with Rebecca after finding out the truth about the William situation. Other than that, I don't recall her ever showing "disdain" for the Pearsons. As for Kevin, I understand where he's coming from, because he was definitely an afterthought to Jack and Rebecca from what we've seen, but he was also an asshole little kid. The audacity of him being pouty that Rebecca assumed he took Randall's glasses and didn't believe him when he said he didn't, after the way he threw the ball at Randall's face earlier. I was really hoping Randall would call Kevin out on the way he treated him during the therapy session - that would've been a much better retaliation than his gross line about Kevin not really being an addict and only doing this for attention. After all, if his whole deal with bullying Randall was due to being jealous of the attention he got, it's telling he didn't ever take it out on Kate. As much as Kevin felt left out when it came to their parents, I'm sure Randall felt the same when it came to his siblings. I continue to love what they're doing with Rebecca this season, exploring and confronting the parenting dynamic between her and Jack and her relationships with all three kids. None of it perfect, a lot of it is messy, but all very interesting to me. Mandy Moore is doing such a great job and I hope she gets the recognition she deserves this season. I knew as soon as Kevin laid on the floor that it would end with Rebecca getting out to sleep there with him, but it was still sweet to see.

My interpretation of the point of Kate seeing Jack/Rebecca hugging in the parking lot was to parallel with her comforting Toby in the present. I'm not sure what the significance would be for teenage Kate in that moment, why she looked at it so meaningfully (though if I had to guess, I'd assume it was her seeing Rebecca with her 'open arms' comforting Jack, like she just talked about while they were waiting), but I think the purpose of showing it in this episode was to lead into her hugging Toby to her after Rebecca left for coffee after their fight.

Re: the DNA test, I read an interview with Ava after the cliffhanger reveal, where she claimed this twist had been planned all along when they cast RA, Darla and Blue, because the idea that two people with skin tones like RA and Darla could produce someone that looks like Blue and nobody would question it was interesting to her. Something about how love blinds people to what's right in front of them. So, the fact that there's no DNA test has me wondering if the characters are thinking along the same lines. Now that the possibility has finally been voiced, they can all see it now. Ridiculous, if you ask me.

I didn't take it at her being mad he wasn't there at all, just expressing sadness, since they probably had it all planned out, how they'd tell Randall/the kids, and not only did she maybe not get to do it how she wanted, but Jack wasn't there, which he probably would've wanted to be. I just took it as a general disappointment at the situation, that he couldn't be there for the big moment. I was curious about his status with Sophie here, too, for the exact reason. I was going to ask if there was any direct reference to his relationship status here, since all I remembered was that he moved to LA and they did long distance and he cheated (I think?), so I thought maybe this was before that. But I did a bit of Googling, and it was said they broke up 12 years ago, which would indeed be before this episode took place, so. Definitely a continuity error until otherwise explained. It would obviously make sense that she knew who Miguel was, since she was dating him for ages, but there'd have to be something more given her teasing, I think.

Now maybe I'm biased because I don't like Calvin and Remy is still on my shit list for his attitude in 2A, I don't see anything wrong with what Charley or Nova did this episode. Charley can't help the way her mind/body reacted to Remy's talk of forever, and besides, it was him that ultimately stopped it in the moment. As for Nova, she was totally right in everything she said and why I've always been against that relationship. Calvin has admittedly made some strides since the first time they called it off and why, but at the end of the day, they just can't work without Nova compromising a huge part of herself and what she stands for. Poor Vi, that's gonna be tough. Her reaction broke my heart, as did that phone conversation with Darla. But it reinforced how much their relationship has grown and how much I enjoy it. I came here to say exactly the same thing. Ralph Angel has consistently been pretty shitty with her on and off this season (and to Charley), but now they just had to make Darla the bad guy and do something even worse so he has an excuse to be The Worst now. It's such a classic TV move when writers would rather just even the scales of Wrongness instead of actually dealing with the wrong doings of one party. I also felt like this reveal was really unearned and one of the only 'soapy' twists I can remember from this show. I don't recall any kind of hints at this being a possibility, other than just the general knowledge of Darla being a former drug addict that worked as a prostitute at one point. Something about that scene/reveal just felt really off brand for this show and its usual tone, and I'm not looking forward to the fall out.

I wasn't sure I'd be into the Deja storyline, but so far I am. I've liked everything they've addressed with her so far (especially the hair issue last week) and how they've done it. And her crush on Kevin was really cute, too. I'm really surprised Toby didn't throw a fit when he found out Kate was pregnant and didn't tell him. But maybe he didn't realize she's known for a while? I can't remember if she shared that part. I hope we don't see too many flashbacks of Jack and his brother. They looked cute, but the acting was bad, especially compared to how well the other kids on the show (in all timelines) are.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I feel like Nova and Chantel broke up for a similar reason last season, didn't they? They were both activists and bonded over that, but wanted to go about it in different ways. I think both Chantel and Robert had bigger pictures in mind, bigger change, while Nova just doesn't want that; she'd rather help the people closest to her. What Nova needs to do is try to separate her work and activism from her romantic relationships. I really liked her "I think you're a very good man, but you're no good for me. I don't need you to dream for me, I like what I got" line during their breakup scene. I'm happy for Darla, but also worried. Her parents are no doubt going to bring some drama and I hope she can handle it. Charley's mother was kind of built up to a lot worse than she ended up being, though, so maybe Darla's parents will surprise me, too. But I'm not counting on it. I am just irked by every second of screentime they spend on Davis that doesn't involve Micah or Charley. Do they think I care about anything that's going on in his life? Suffer. RA annoyed me as usual, but slightly less so. I'm sure he'll make up for it in coming episodes, though.

I would think Vi would know, but I could see the others not. They didn't seem to know the full history of their family and the Landry's, so I could see them not knowing of that connection. I hope they don't go there, though. I think there's more than enough material to explore with Charley's mother without resorting to that kind of soapy twist.

Wow, it really didn't take long for me to hate Ralph Angel again. But I'm so glad they're already fighting, because after the way he was acting the first half of the season, only for it to end in an accepted proposal, I was a bit worried they wouldn't address what an asshole he is to her. I'm glad to know it seems like their issues and his attitude and treatment of her will be a arc. Too bad I know I can't expect Remy's attitude with Charley to get the same focus. Does Charley not know there's a deal? I watched both episodes back to back tonight, so I really should remember this better. I know she told Remy that Vi and her mother are basically mortal enemies in the first episode, but for some reason, when Vi mentioned the deal it in their scene in the second, it didn't feel like new information to me. So I thought maybe Charley had mentioned that to Remy in the same convo. I think it makes more sense Charley doesn't know, though.

I was surprised Charley's mother was white, because I just assumed she was light skinned, but I do actually remember wondering about it back in the first few episodes of the show. I don't remember what it was specifically that made me wonder back then, but after discussing it with a friend, we both just thought she was light skinned, since I don't think the actress is biracial? But either way, I'm sure it was a deliberate choice, because I trust this show not to just make an assumption like that. That conversation between them at the end, with Charley opening up about how she felt both in the south and back home, was a glimpse of that. I don't know if they'll expand on that more going forward, but I think it can make for some good scenes. Like they said there, there are certain things her mother just cannot understand, and maybe, if she's sticking around, it might come into play if they pursue something with Micah and the cop. That being said, I was most surprised by the reveal that her mother and Ernest were married. I definitely had the impression that she was an affair he had at some point.

Not sure if it's necessarily connected to how Jack dies, but there was some new developments with all the kids in that scene: Randall with the girlfriend, Kate with the dog, and Kevin with the leg. I'm sure it's just setting up for what flashbacks we can expect leading up to the reveal of just how Jack died. I've always found Beth really funny and delightful. This was the first time she ever seemed overly upset about anything.

Who would have, though? Cosima was off traveling the world with Delphine for who knows how long, Alison has already taken in Helena and her twins babies (plus her own two children), and Sarah was already feeling insecure about being a mother to Kira, don't think she was in a place to take Charlotte, too. Rachel was the only real option, to me, and they bonded in S4, and her wanting to be a mother was a big thing for her throughout the show. But with Charlotte ending up in Clone Club's care, I can't see them handing her off to Rachel like that, so. I think Art makes sense; he's always looked out for the sestras and taken care of them. It's fitting for him to have taken in the littlest one. At least for now. Maybe she'll end up living with Cosima and Delphine once they get back.

I'm really not all that worried about Enger. She was just a believer doing their bidding like Duko, though she obviously took a bit more joy in it. But we already saw the police chief was pretty much firmly Not A Neolutionist, and he trusted Art wasn't either, since he told him to keep digging on the DL. I don't think it would be hard to tie Enger to the Neolutionists, and have her charged for a laundry list of things I'm sure she did while abusing her power as a police officer. And I'm not worried about the bodies, either. Neolutionists are out in the open and PT/Coady kidnapped them and were killed in self defense. Not to mention PT is already supposed to be dead. And if anything, what's left of Topside will probably try to clean up as much of the mess as they can and cut their loses so they can remain as unscathed from the DYAD/Neolution blow up as possible. Either way, it's been 3 months by the time of Helena's baby shower, and however much longer in the last bit, so I'm assuming however it was dealt with, it was already dealt with and there wasn't fall out on them. I just think that if you're looking for a definitive end of the grand large conspiracy, it was never going to happen. There are just too many people involved, at different levels, for them to ever truly bring it down completely and end it. It just would not realistically be possible. But they dealt with their own immediate threats, and they're free now. And that was what we could hope for, really.

When we saw Felix acting shady and he told Collin he was waiting for someone, I was really convinced he had called Cal and he was gonna be a surprise for Sarah and an attempt to get her out of her funk. I was actually dreading that, and was so glad when it turned out to be Rachel. They do, but during my rewatch, I noticed that Oscar kind of disappeared after S2. I'm guessing the actor wasn't available or maybe aged too noticeably? Though actually, I think I remember seeing him in the background of a scene when Helena was living with the Hendrixes in S4, but because it was the background, it could've been a different child actor.

She arrives at Alison's party with Art and his daughter, so I think that's what we're supposed to assume :)

I enjoyed the finale. And I'm personally VERY glad they wrapped up the action-y stuff with Coady and PT by the half way mark. The strength of the show has always been the characters, and it was only right to spend the last half hour of the show on that. I always like to get a glimpse of the aftermath of a big battle like this. I feel like too many shows waste too much of their series finales on wrapping up plotty stuff, and not enough on the emotional payoff a lot of people are looking for. Yeah, there are still some die hard Neolutionists out there, but they are exposed and without any of their leaders. Also, without a lot of their money and connections, as the entire board was killed. They're no doubt going to be tied up for a long time in investigations and all that fun stuff. If they eventually do rise up again, it will not likely be in the sestras lifetime. Nor have anything to do with them. Their victory is being free from the looming threat of DYAD and Neolution, not being monitored or tested, and having a cure for what was killing them. And they achieved all that. I was glad there weren't more deaths, they didn't need any more. Siobhan's sacrifice was more than enough, the only other reason to kill of any of the other characters in this episode would have been to just add to the body count. Another thing I was personally glad to see: no Jesse or Cal. I'm sure there were people hoping for appearances or references, but I was never really into any of the romances on the show, and while Donnie/Alison and Cosima/Delphine are obviously huge parts of the show, Jesse/Helena and Cal/Sarah were much smaller parts, and I preferred seeing their happy endings not be about getting with their long forgotten guys. I thought Rachel's ending was especially nice. I went into the episode having a pretty good idea of what a "happy ending" would be for all the other clones, but I couldn't imagine where Rachel was going to end up, but I thought it was nice. She got to continue her redemption tour, but ultimately, she'll never be part of Clone Club, and that's okay, because that's not what she wants anyways. It was so nice to see Siobhan again, especially the emphasis on her relationship with Sarah. But my single complaint with the finale was wishing I could've seen Sarah mourn her more. I feel like the past two episodes really built up Sarah being strong in the face of this loss, and not fully coming to terms with it, and then after avoiding Delphine's attempts to talk to her about Siobhan and her blow up with Alison, I thought finally! We're gonna get to see her cry over the loss of her mum, and really talk about it and what that loss means. But then ultimately, it just led to her crying about feeling like she's a shit mum herself. And I know that the absence of Siobhan is obviously a huge part in why she's feeling that way, but I don't know. It just felt like they were building up to a moment that never came, and it was a moment I really wanted to see, so I was disappointed. So glad she kept S's house, though. A very fitting final shot, too. Was also surprised by the complete lack of Beth mention or shout out. I think the only reference was Helena's saying the story started with Sarah stepping off the train and meeting herself. Art taking in Charlotte was very sweet to see. I figured she'd end up in the care of someone in Clone Club, and while some people speculated Cosima, due to their bonding this season, I think Art makes a lot of sense. And knowing Charlotte, Kira, Maya and Jemma are all friends finally is very nice.

Their relationship isn't really a secret because they aren't really even in a relationship? They've kissed once or twice, but he told her to take time to grieve and deal with her divorce after realizing he was being too pushy. And now he's criticizing how she's handled it. Honestly, he's been pushing and pulling Charley more than she has him. What does he want from her? Last week he was looking down on her for daring to use her divorce in relation to the mill, and now this week he's pissy that she didn't mention the divorce in the article? I don't recall any mention of her using Davis or their Power Couple status in the article, just that the divorce was not mentioned. Surely if there was mention of Davis or any indication of them being together, Micah's question at breakfast about if they were working things out would've been about that, and not simply the lack of divorce mention. Also, genuine question because I'm blanking, when did Charley "pull rank and embarrass Remy in front of colleagues"? For me, it'd be different if these were isolated incidents, or mistakes, but they're not. With RA and Remy, they're pattern behaviors. Patterns that do not lend well to healthy, long lasting relationships if they're not dealt with. And so far, we have not seen either man do anything to fix their attitudes. Charley apologized to Remy and begged him to be with her, so I see no reason to believe that Remy won't get all condescending and judgey with her the next time he doesn't like or agree with a choice she makes with her business or personal life. Darla at least stood her ground with RA, but we didn't see him acknowledge how irrational and unfair he was with her last episode, or apologize for it. So again, I see no sign telling me that he's gonna try to be better or more fair with Darla going forward. Had we seen either man own up to their shitty behavior, I'd be more hopeful and open to these relationships going forward.

Yikes @ that Charley/Remy development. You know, after the end of last week's episode, I was worried they were going to make Remy be in the right for his little speech, but I wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt. But wow, the way it played out this episode was even more disappointing and frustrating than I could have ever imagined. Not only did Remy not apologize for the way he spoke to her and the things he said to her, they had Charley apologize to him and BEG him to be with her. I am... disgusted. I went from being indifferent to their relationship last season, to tired of them earlier this season, to annoyed with this last episode, and I'm out right rooting against them now. I really, really, really, hope that their kiss/talk was just part of the theme of all three siblings making up with their love interests in the midseason finale, and the rest of the season will be spent tearing that down as Charley realizes how much of an self important asshole Remy is. He does not like her for who she is, they cannot possibly last long. As for the Darla/RA reconciliation... It was slightly less enraging, but Darla still deserves better. Didn't even get a RA apology for his awful behavior last episode? He just proposes and suddenly all is okay? Whatever. Micah's confession was horrifying to watch, but the actor did so well with it. I've been wondering if there was more to the story or not, and I've been imagining all kinds of different terrifying scenarios, but that wasn't one of them. I'm glad he got that off his chest, and I hope Davis finally does something right in his life, and takes the steps to make sure Micah gets the help he needs to deal with that.

Siobhan's death was telegraphed, but I don't always find that a bad thing. I don't think the show was trying to go for a shocking death - despite how BBC America chose to advertise the episode - and I appreciate that. I'd much rather have an episode that is kind of a tribute to a character, give them a great last episode with meaningful and satisfying moments and development, that is obviously leading to their death, than to just kill a random character at the end of an episode for shock value. Not only is it better after the fact, that the character got to go out on a high note, but it also makes everything in that episode more effective to me. Like Felix's speech was already really great, but knowing Siobhan was totally gonna die that night made it even more touching to me. But it was after this episode that I really realized how few major characters this show has killed off. Other than Mrs. S, the only other regular character they've killed off was Paul, and I don't think a majority of people really cared all that much about him, and the characters really didn't by then. Anyone else that has died has just been recurring side characters.

During the Krystal episode, when Tatiana's real life boyfriend ended up being the guy she invited over, I remember my first thought being "Oh, her boyfriend is on the show but he doesn't have a scene with her" before I realized, duh. I think I've always just defaulted Tatiana as being Sarah, since she's the main clone. Any other time, I'd assume that wouldn't be enough, but with two episodes left, I'm thinking it probably worked. Especially since Mrs. S died for that. I don't think they'd want her death to be for nothing and have it not even work. But that was only half the battle after all, they still have to deal with getting Helena back and actually physically dealing with Coady and PT still. And I hope they deal with all that in a timely manner, because I want to see some nice clone scenes after it's all said and done. I'm not sure Ferdinand loved Rachel, as much as he was obsessed with her. In his twisted mind, love and obsession are probably very much the same thing, though. I agree that Rachel's "feelings" for him were much more about him being the only one that really showed her any attention or affection. He was all she had, really. Promos that hype stuff up like that always set people up for a disappointment. But I honestly can't think of any other death on this show that has impacted me at all, let alone more than Siobhan's. Other than MK's, just due to how violent it was, nobody else I cared about at all has died. Paul? Could've gone sooner. All the Castor clones? Never wanted them anyways. Susan? I feel like she "died" about three times before she finally did. Ainsley? Meh. Kendall? Barely knew her, mostly just cared about the others pain. Even Beth, I didn't really care about until her flashback episode. For me, Mrs. S is the one that held everyone together, she was this mother figure to all of them, on a show that puts so much emphasis on mother/daughter relationships. I think her dying was more of a punch to the gut for me than any of the remaining characters would have been. But I know everyone's mileage will vary.

I've had a feeling that was coming all season, and this past week I knew, but boy, it didn't make it any easier to watch. Of course she knew it was going to happen, and was prepared. I'm assuming that note we saw her write in between the flower arranging and gun loading was a goodbye of sorts, just in case. I hope we get to hear what it said. I'm glad she got a good final moment with her kids at Felix's party, that was so very lovely. But heartbreaking, knowing the writing was on the wall there. Happy to see Rachel's redemption continue, and that Siobhan was able to get through to one last lost girl before she died. And thank fuck she took Ferdinand out with her. Right through the throat, just as she promised. Even got the satisfaction of watching him die first.

You know he won't, his pride won't let him ask for Charley's help if they continue on this path. He's too much of a manchild. Yeah, Davis's reaction just seemed like a way to pile onto Charley, since every other man in her life except Micah was judging all of her decisions. They had planned to release news of the divorce after it was final, though I can't remember if they ever stated a reason for that. I guess he was just salty that she changed that and made that decision without talking to him about it? But whatever, he sucks, he can get over it.

I feel like it all comes down to the fact that RA was still living at home while Nova dared to move away and Charley didn't make time to come running home when Ernest finally asked her for help. The worst part is that we all know damn well RA didn't stay home out of love or devotion to his father or the farm, but because he needed his father to provide for him. Which I guess is why he thinks RA needed it the most, but like Charley pointed out, Ernest most likely realized he wasn't ready.

Man, for a split second after Vi read the will and Nova and Charley still argued it, I felt bad for RA. For a split second. But then he started on his pity party and I was quickly over it. But putting aside my annoyance at the family dispute, the way he reacted to Darla was so awful. In the heat of the moment, I can get being upset she'd go and how it would feel like her picking Charley's side. But ordering her she couldn't go? Shut up. I was so glad Darla pointed out that the only reason she had to take that job was because she left her old job the last time he was unreasonable and selfish and "needed" her. The fact that he was still salty about it later was unsurprising, but still ridiculous. Glad Darla stood her ground there, too. Fuck RA. And fuck Remy! I've never been a huge fan of his for some reason, I think I disliked a character the actor has played in the past probably, but he's really been testing me this season. I get that he and Charley have lived different lives and have different values, but the way he looks down on her for them is beyond frustrating, especially when she's never done it to him. He always acts so holier than thou, that his way is the Right way and anything Charley does or what she values is Wrong and/or superficial. I was really worried at the end there that they were gonna make it out that he was right, but I hope that's not where they're going. Like, damn. Charley is a business woman, a successful one. She knows how to get the job done, and it's not like she's out here hurting anyone or stepping over the little people to get that job done, so who is he to judge how she conducts her business?