Carrie Ann

It's possible that KC accepted/timed those side projects those weeks because Laurel wasn't in those episodes, and not the other way around, right? Just throwing it out there. Honestly, I'm not her biggest fan, but I'm still waiting for video/audio or further confirmation on her quotes from the convention, because they seem so ridiculous that I want to give her the benefit of the doubt.

Oh, I agree. She has an army of people around her who have a vested interest in keeping Nick silent, and preferably permanently. Basically any one of them would have handled the murder better, probably. I know it went down this way because she's leaving the show, but it's also not that far out of character for a dim bulb like Gabi. I just wish that along the way, she'd been able to just let loose on the Hortons and all the other judgey a-holes. I wish she didn't have to leave the show devastated and convinced that she should have given him another chance to change.

You know, I've been watching soaps since birth (no judgment on my mother, please, she didn't notice I was watching until I started asking questions about characters on Days and Dallas), and I know how terribly they all handle rape. I swear, no genre is so deeply suffused with rape culture as soaps are. But the way Days continues to deal with it is honestly appalling, and it's a big part of the reason I stopped watching again. Since the night it happened, Gabi was never allowed to deal with her feelings about almost being raped by a person she'd almost married once upon a time. No, instead, she had to cry about the fact that she had killed him. She had to feel remorse and panic about that every day. And that wasn't good enough, so the writers had her do it AGAIN. Only this time, she got caught and now she has to lose everything. Other ways this has been handled horribly: they lump it in with Nick's other attempts to control her, as though it's no different than just trying to be a family with her and Ari. They almost always avoid saying "rape" when they talk about what happened that night. "He would never have stopped." "He tried to hurt me." "He wanted to control me." Right--he tried to rape you. That was the second-to-last thing he would have done to control you. The last thing is to kill you. But instead, they have her crying over the fact that she knows there was good in him. She shouldn't have to sit there while a parade of ignorant, idiot, self-righteous Salemites berate her. I don't give a shit if there was good in him, and I don't care that she made a mistake in shooting him. It was only a mistake because now she loses everything. He was never going to jail--his awful family would have seen to that--so I don't find it surprising that she saw it as the only way to protect herself and her loved ones.

I thought I'd missed something about cougars too.

Our rankings are pretty much the same, though my top 3 living Starks switch places regularly. But the bottom slot never changes for me. Oh, precious Robb fell in love and wants to get married. How nice. Everyone else in your family is forced to do all sorts of awful things they don't want to do, but God forbid you make the same sacrifices for the greater good. His treatment of his mother--the person who orchestrated the deal that got them the advantage of the Twins in the first place--makes me rage. Why Robb doesn't get the same level of hate Sansa does is beyond me. He's the weakest Stark by a fair measure, in my opinion.

I don't imagine it's easy to play a character who is so inconsistent. Maybe KC had to just settle on her own interpretation and try to play it that way, no matter what the lines or storyline that episode. And maybe that's why some of what she says and still believes about Laurel or Laurel/Oliver doesn't seem right to us. Because they're not, based on what we've seen. The scene where Dig calls Oliver out on playing him was one of the first that really clicked with me. That relationship, as I said, feels real and solid. I was invested in Dig calling Oliver on his shit, and Oliver learning to trust and appreciate someone. Plus, it's just a relief to see him be himself with at least one person on the show.

After Donner states his intent to go for the death penalty, Oliver leans into Moira: "Mom, we are going to fight this. Don't worry, no one is going to take you from us. We won't let it happen." Ugh, gut-punch. This isn't one of the strongest episodes this season, but I don't think it's terrible either. I don't even mind Laurel getting kidnapped, because on shows like this, all the characters are going to be the DiD sometimes, and it makes more sense for her to be targeted in this case than most--and I do like that it's because of Lance, not Oliver. This episode does feature more see-sawing with her though--she's in denial about her own guilt re: Tommy and blaming the Hood, and then experiences some self-awareness at the end. Great, but none of her realizations ever seem to stick for long. It's like they want her to go through her whole season arc in every episode, so it just resets as convenient for the writers. One stupid little nitpick is that Felicity claims that Ethylparaben and Sodium Laureth Sulfate are the patented formula of Mermaiden, when those are just basic building blocks of soap/cosmetic products. I know nothing about chemistry or cosmetics but I've read enough backs of shampoo bottles to know that much. It's like saying a cookie company patented Flour and Baking soda as their proprietary formula. But on a shippy note, that dumb formula leads to one of my favorite tiny moments, when Felicity quickly identifies it as Mermaiden, and Lance says, "How the hell does she do that?" And Oliver just gets this secret smile on his face. Their mutual pride and admiration for each other is my favorite thing.

This is barely a recipe and I feel kinda silly even posting it, but I've been messing around with making really simple pizzas using pre-made Naan as the crust, and I think I finally perfected the method tonight. This one was a Pesto & Tomato variety. 1 Piece of Naan (I get mine at Costco, and keep them frozen) 2 Tb fresh pesto (again, mine is from Costco, but if you can make fresh, all the better) 1/2 cup/2 oz. shredded fresh mozzarella, or whatever blend you like for pizza 2 sliced Compari tomatoes, seeded (or one medium tomato, or a handful of cherry/grape tomatoes, halved) Salt and red pepper flakes, to taste (optional) Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place on the middle or lower-middle rack of your oven. Put another rack in upper or upper-middle position. Preheat to 425. Spread the pesto in a thin layer across the naan, leaving about 3/4 to 1 inch around the edge of the crust. Sprinkle cheese over the pesto (use additional if you like), then place tomato slices evenly over cheese. Sprinkle salt lightly over tomatoes, and red pepper flakes (if using) over whole pizza. Move to the baking sheet. Bake on the lower rack for 12-14 minutes, then move to the higher rack for an additional two minutes, or until desired doneness. Allow to sit for 3-5 minutes before slicing. The thing I've been trying to achieve is a crisper crust without everything slipping off onto the bottom of my oven and filling my house with smoke. The preheated pan and a slightly hotter oven seems to solve that problem. This whole process takes about 30 minutes, from pre-heating through cooking, which is pretty awesome.

Man, it would be cool if they would write for Elena as an actual character again too, but she doesn't exist, so that's a tall order I suppose. And this season more than any would have been a great time to dive deep into the Defan story. It would have made sense from a story perspective because of Stefan's amnesia and PTSD--Damon could have sympathized and prioritized Stefan over Elena/himself for once. Ian and Nina broke up and would probably have appreciated a little less emphasis on Delena. But even in terms of their relationship, it could have made that side of the story stronger, because at one point, Elena gave a shit about Stefan, and maybe seeing Damon love his brother would have actually strengthened her love for him. And maybe also made her recommit to her own familial and friend relationships. Like a person in a healthy relationship would! Even with a refocus on Defan over Delena, I still think they could have hit some of the same plot points, but many of them would have been more powerful if I still believed these brothers had a relationship. Like, who gives a shit that Enzo killed himself? No one. The point was supposed to be that Stefan felt responsible and didn't want Damon to know because he didn't want him to go off the rails again. But wouldn't it have been more powerful if they'd just spent a season re-bonding, and Stefan was worried Damon would turn on him and he didn't want to lose his brother again? Maybe the writers wanted me to believe that, but I don't anymore.

I fall somewhere in between on this. For the most part, I think Felicity is refreshingly confident for a character of her archetype--for example, she was quite confident when it came to Barry. She openly flirted with him and asked him out, and was really rather un-flustered around him, especially for her. Others have pointed out a lot of great examples of her holding her own with powerful people like Walter, Oliver, various bad guys, etc. On the other hand, I don't think she's completely self-aware and because of that, she doesn't totally own her power yet. Like, I don't think she really felt like a contender for Oliver's affections until the finale. She doesn't think she's on the same level as a Laurel or Sara, and the only reason for that is a lack of self-awareness. I think it rings true for someone who was probably a little geeky and socially awkward in her K-12 days, but who came into her own in college and after. I've seen a few people who don't think she ever dated or had a boyfriend, or who think she's a virgin, and I fully disagree. My headcanon has her in high demand at MIT, and I think she'd take full advantage. Anyway, back to owning her power: the Bitch with Wifi scene was awesome, and that's what I think we're working toward. She's getting there. Realizing what she can really do and how valuable that is to the greater good.

I'd definitely accept death by Lady S or Arya, but I want Sansa involved somehow. I don't relish the idea of her becoming a killer, but Petyr has icky intentions when it comes to her, and if any of those come to fruition, I want her to get some of her power back.

Still nada for me. I see it on the iTunes store on the web, but it's not there on the mobile version.

I keep checking, but this episode isn't showing up in my subscription feed (iTunes/iPhone, using the Podcast app). Is anyone else having that problem?

Thanks for the responses, guys! This was close to what I'd guessed--I'm glad she was good on OLTL, and also glad that I'm not crazy in thinking she isn't good here. I do wish we weren't saddled with her because of the EPs, but oh well. I'm barely watching anymore, so maybe she'll be gone by the next time I'm a regular viewer again. I know a lot of people don't like Michael, but I really like Chad Duell and I like Morgan again too, so I wish they had better/more love interests in their age group to play off of. Hopefully some of those spoilers will actually turn out to be true, and some younger women will show up to populate PC.

You're right--I checked again, and Tony specifically calls Sammy his "buddy" twice. Also explains why he was making moves on Felix so soon after Sammy's death. BTW, those scenes are still super awkward.

This is probably more of a question for any OLTL viewers: do people actually like Kristen Alderson? Like, do you feel that sense of loyalty/fondness that many GH viewers feel for Kimberly McCullough? Because otherwise, I can't understand why, of everyone in that cast, she was one of the people chosen to join GH. Like, I understand RoHo and ME, because they are popular actors and their original OLTL characters were popular too. But none of that applies to KA, in my opinion. I felt completely indifferent to Starr, and I actively hate Kiki, and Kristen Alderson is not a good actress or particularly stunning to behold, so I'm just a little baffled at why GH bothered to bring her over. Any insight?

I think Matthew's father and Lord Grantham were cousins, something like a second or third cousin relationship. So Mary and Matthew were distantly related, yeah.

Tony said something like what was in his pants made no difference to Sammy, but he said it in a way that indicated that they were together, so I do think their relationship was romantic/sexual. A point of clarification regarding a possible Sammy/Paul connection: Paul was not technically in the military when he was in Afghanistan. He was working for a defense contractor. This was my least favorite episode of the season, because there were more things that didn't work for me than things that did. I don't think Tony worked, and I agree that it was the wardrobe/makeup that let it down there. Toward the end, he started to feel more like a real character and less like Sarah with a goatee taped to her chin, but it still wasn't entirely successful. Assuming we see him again someday, I hope they'll take another run at the hair/makeup. I felt like there was a lot of time wasted in the Cosima story. The gaming scene and the getting high scene were both just sort of pleasant but not necessary. With the seasons being so short, I just want every minute to count. I did love the moment where she told Scott that she was the subject--that is the type of thing this show does so well. Surprising and effective little moments that make you realize how invested you are in all of this. I just love when any of the clones makes any new connection and ally.

I don't mind that sentiment, because I agree with it to a certain extent. I would never want Team Arrow in conflict with each other for an extended period, for example, but sometimes that's important for the story and to ultimately strengthen their bonds. And then there are always fans who want things NOW NOW NOW and that's not always the best storytelling. And I also appreciate that the writers aren't so indifferent to their own story and characters that they would be easily swayed by fan response. But at the same time, yeah, in a long-term sense, there's a point where maybe you just have to accept that what you're trying to do is not working. Sticking to that isn't giving the audience what they need. It's being self-indulgent and stubborn at the expense of your own story. When there are contract issues at play, there's only so much they can do to work around the problem. But in the case of Laurel, if that continues to be an issue past this season, then my only hope is that they will radically change their plans for her, and make her a villain, because it's the only course for her that I can imagine being tolerable.

I don't think I'm doing a rewatch for several years, but I'm sure my feelings about her in those early seasons will be colored by the way I feel about her now. I did love Elena, but I could always see why others didn't. I just believed her when she professed her love for her friends and family, and I saw her try to sacrifice herself, try to fight when she had no supernatural ability to do so, try to scheme and plot and deal--not to save herself, but to protect other people. She wasn't perfect--that Matt and Caroline double date is a real sore spot for me, because she's so oblivious to everyone else's feelings. But it doesn't seem malicious, just sort of clueless and myopic. I forgave her for that stuff back then, because I think she was still in transition from her old life to her new life, and reminiscing with Matt was sort of part of that holding on to the Elena whose parents hadn't died. I still felt sad for her then, so she had my sympathy even when she made mistakes. They never seemed to come from a selfish place, to me. But yeah, that's all over. I think one possible reading of her character is that her natural selfishness was ~heightened~ by becoming a vampire, and before that, she only seemed self-sacrificing because she was actually sort of ambivalent about living.

That's not entirely true. When the Other Side was introduced in Season 3, there was some talk about who was there and who wasn't. Jenna is the only one I remember having moved on, but it was also implied that Anna and Pearl moved on once they found each other. It was pretty nonspecific, but I didn't mind that. Alaric and Lexi sort of talked to each other about it in S4 too, each wondering why the other was still there, and they figured that it was because of these idiots in Mystic Falls still needing them.

Did I miss her saying she got a Masters? I only remembered the "Felicity Smoak, MIT, Class of 2009" line to Nyssa and other MIT mentions. To me, that says a BS degree, because I don't think most people cite a class year for graduate degrees. According to this, she was 25 at the beginning of the season.

No, I think she only has a BS from MIT, which she got in 2009. That fits with her age being around 26/27.

So far the withholding of information works for me because things happen so quickly, and most of these people barely know each other, and I can usually see their motivations for playing things close to the vest. But in the long run, that's going to get old. I hope they start mixing that up by having people be surprisingly honest and direct more often.

I think this season was a lot of wheel-spinning, and most of it feels like it's because they don't really know how to write the romantic storylines that are the primary focus of the show. I mean, I thought there was some emotion to be mined from Zoe reconnecting with the Wilkes side of her family, but the emotion of that was dealt with in like two episodes. I actually think Rachel Bilson can handle the dramatic side of things--she's one of those people who cries really believably, and I almost can't watch it. If Summer/Zoe cries, I cry. So I believed her wanting that connection, and feeling awful when she'd blown it. But after she reconciled with Vivian, it seemed like the Wilkes stuff had only been brought up so that Vivian could meet Wade. And that was clearly just a stall to keep Wade and Zoe apart, as was Joel. The Fug Girls pointed it out early in the season, and it's true--as much as we might like Joel, and I did, we all know it's going to end, so you're just sort of waiting for it to happen. That waiting leads to impatience and boredom, because it's hard to see characters just jogging in place. But I did feel like they pulled things back together in the last third of the season, after Joel left and Lemon was back full-time. And I really like where Zoe and Wade ended, because it's refreshing to see Zoe have to fight for something, and for Wade to feel like he's worth fighting for. As irritating as some of the stalling was, at least you can see how those characters changed between the finales of S2 and S3, and how that could affect their relationship in the future. Which is why the Lavon side of the Lemon/George/Lavon triangle has me so cranky. Characters need to change in order for a second-go-round at their relationship to be interesting. Lemon and George have changed so much since their relationship, I think it would be interesting to see it again. But Lavon and Lemon's problem was that she was, y'know, in another relationship at the time. The hook of their relationship was that she was only able to be honest and herself with Lavon. So now that she's 100% Real Lemon all the time, their relationship wouldn't look much different than it did last time, only now it would be out in the open. OK, but not interesting, from a television stance.