Eolivet

If you looked up "privilege" in the dictionary, it would be a picture of those last two inventors. Wow.

If Charlie hadn't been trapped in a cell, scratching "I <3 Quinn" into the concrete, I'd say he was the prime suspect. That kind of death has Cyrus/Cyrus equivalent (Portia del Rossi) written all over it. I thought the point of Mellie's ineffectual investigating was just that: to show how desperate she was to have a distraction from her son's death. A month postpartum, one of my friends called her husband at work to tell him Don Craig had fallen off the roof on "Days of our Lives." I saw this as something similar. If she wasn't the First Lady, she'd have been glued to Reddit, debunking conspiracy theories, googling the trajectory of a fall, looking up the average physical fitness of a young woman herself. But because she's the First Lady with tons of resources at her disposal, she got the Secretary of the Interior to give her soil samples and the Surgeon General to work up a profile. At least if she was just at her computer screen, she would've been spared some dignity when her distraction melted away before her eyes. As it was, she had to watch a room full of men feel sorry for her. I like how the show is addressing grief in a very realistic way, and Mellie is a good vehicle for it.

Nice to see ABC's Home For LOST Wanderers is still in effect. Elizabeth Mitchell on "Once Upon a Time" and now Sonya Walger here. Was it meant to imply the crooked judge killed himself or that the NRA had him killed? (with the gun) I love Charlie/Quinn. I can't help it. They're like Rob and Laura Petrie compared to Quinn/Huck.

The case of the week reminded me of one of the great Law & Order episodes, "White Rabbit" -- a '60s radical involved in a murder going undercover to live as a '90s housewife. Different twist, though. And the Michaela story was this week's Love Letters column: http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/relationships/blog/2014/10/love_letters_my_husband_has_been_sleeping_with_men.html I didn't think I would like this show, but the serial plots have kept me engaged. The acting is pretty terrible except for Viola Davis, but the story is so interesting, I don't even mind.

This was the first episode where I thought they used Lawrence Fishburne really well. The back and forth between him, Andre and Rainbow was excellent -- I hope we see more of it. They have great comic timing amongst the three of them -- they play well off each other. Andre Sr. at the bus stop was hilarious, but after the bus stop was even funnier. Using the "he sounds like a child molester" was funny and standard sitcom fare, but the show elevated it when Andre actually complained (in a comedic way) how child molesters have ruined picking up kids to bring to your house. Not the exact quote, but it was just an awesome sequence. Biting and funny!

Baaaaaad timing for the "virus of unknown origin" episode. I cringed at the use of "Patient Zero." This show doesn't really do ongoing arcs -- couldn't this episode have been moved to later in the season?

I don't know how Julie should've handled the revelation that her boyfriend had said some awful things in the past, but it wasn't that way. By leaving the tribe to cry and complain, it made it seem like she was upset John was being called out -- when she should've expected it once people found out who he was. She should've stayed, and attempted to control the narrative herself. By leaving, she gave her tribe carte blanche to commiserate about what an awful person John is (and perhaps her by extension). But running off makes it seem like calling her boyfriend a bigot hurts her feelings. Which...no.

Which she is getting (in my opinion)...but away from him. They have fewer and fewer scenes together, compared to this time last year. The show sold itself as "Eccentric criminal mastermind teams up with ingenue gumshoe. Together, they fight crime!" But this year it's been "Ingenue gumshoe fights crime, while eccentric criminal mastermind does his own thing. Occasionally, they interact." I just wonder if the change is intentional.

Touche. But Goren seemed to sympathize with him, and I also thought Harris did a better job with the role. I noticed the killer in "Yesterday" and Harris looked similar. Agreed. Which is why it was odd they ended on that guy sobbing -- as if we were supposed to feel sympathy for him. "I drugged and violated my friend's high school aged-sister, drugged, raped, tortured and killed a high school girl and buried her in my friend's basement, raped, tortured and killed another woman and pushed my friend off a building, my life is soooooo hard. Waaaaah, feel sorry for meeeeeee." See? Tone deaf, IMO. On a "happier" note, I saw "Semi-Professional." What an interesting case! Gotta love when it comes down to a plagiarizing judge and another judge who was basically a murderous Richard Castle!

I remember an article last year that talked about rumors that James Spader couldn't stand working with Megan Boone (or it was blind gossip implying as much). I thought of those with this episode, as they seem to be trumping up a non-Lizzy related storyline for Red in every episode this year. Last season, they were working together more and this season, they seem to go off, do their thing separately and then reconvene at the end. Lots more phone calls, less in-person visits. It's like the show is now two separate shows: "Red Does Shady Stuff" and the Lizzy (and Ressler?)-based crime procedural. I understood it when Spader's filming schedule meant he had to have his own scenes, but it's a weaker show by isolating Spader in his own Spader-plot (as it generally means 35% Spader and 65% FBI plot of the week). Hoping these last few are just an anomaly. I think the show is much more interesting when Red is more involved in the week's cases.

OK, so there were a couple of S1 episodes I missed. Just watched "Yesterday"...today. What a tone deaf ending. So, we're supposed to feel badly for this guy because aww, poor nerdy kid couldn't control his sadistic, misogynistic, torturing ways around women? 'Cause he was just a member of the chess club and couldn't talk to the big scary girls unless they were drugged (violated, beaten and murdered)? Wow. When he broke down in tears, I couldn't have cared less. It seems like this was a warm up episode to "Want" (with Neil Patrick Harris) -- socially awkward murderer tortures and kills women because he's socially awkward. Though I thought the episode did a much better job at showing why we might want to offer that killer some sympathy. He seemed much more "on the spectrum" than successful Westchester guy who couldn't keep his closet sadism under control, to the tune of two dead women. And this guy pushed his old friend off a roof to cover his tracks? As Eames said about another woman-hating killer earlier in the season: "Slime."

I seriously feel like Gillingham is more likely to burst into tears and beg Mary not to break up with him than he is to have any kind of nefarious motives towards her. I honestly think his comments to Isobel were supposed to be a veiled reference to Matthew (i.e., "You're not supposed to be nice to the man who's going to take your son's place") rather than anything untoward. And I think he showed up at Downton because Mary saying they'd get engaged at some point maybe is the equivalent of asking him if he wants to go outside, and this is him yipping at her heels. "When are we gonna get married? Huh? Huh? Huh? Squirrel!"

Gillingham has ulterior motives in regard to Mary like the stereotypical freshman nerd has ulterior motives for the gorgeous, popular senior cheerleader. He's desperate and clingy, but nothing more. He's as jumpy as a debutante at her (his) first ball. There is no malice in this man -- he's head over heels for Mary, and she's just not that into him. There is no chance, in my opinion, that he's remotely evil after this episode. Seriously, Isis called and said "Dude. Have some respect for yourself." It's clear the triangle has shifted to Mary, Blake and Mabel Lane Fox -- and either Mary will use him to make herself look better when she sees Blake and Mabel have paired off, or she'll be swatting his nose with the rolled up newspaper to stop him from humping her leg for the rest of the season.

Yeah, I like the storyline, too, Cindy. The idea of a baby, not a woman, as the third party in a "love triangle" is fascinating to me. Especially since it turns on its head the idea of a man not being faithful because he's not getting everything he needs from a woman. In this case, it's a baby. All sorts of mixed up gender politics. Added to that, the idea that Mary is more likely to invade a country rather than cry into her pillow about this development, and that the fallout could be really interesting.

I'm glad they didn't get credit for that, nor the "nominate a physical threat" and somehow have that mean "Amber." Funny how women were totally useless until $5K was on the line, and then one was a "physical threat." That was the task to which I was referring, and I thought they also said they got credit for that one. I'll always wonder who the second highest vote-getter behind Derrick was for Team America, since he was the last one in after Joey was voted out. If Derrick and Frankie were never artificially "aligned," Derrick might've at least been nominated -- and then he might've actually had to think on his feet.

I zoned out of this for a little bit, but the ethical dilemma was really interesting. I could be way off, but I almost saw the "decision to end life" being made by women and the Doctor bowing out because it wasn't his decision to make as some kind of oblique abortion allegory. All the discussion of "It's a baby" didn't help matters. One thing that bugged, though, was Clara seeming shocked that the Doctor couldn't see every last thing in time and space. It's not like this is her first rodeo -- wouldn't she have known that from traveling with Eleven?

Some of S4 was heavy, but I think the episodes were well-done. It was later when they started getting overly dark for seemingly no reason that it started to feel over the line, to me. Contrast "Magnificat" with something like "Family Values" -- where it's not only senseless, but gratuitous (so the guy had to have an incestuous crush on his daughter, too? Really?) I feel like it's the difference between wanting to cry your eyes out and wanting to be sick. I appreciate the former -- not so much the latter.

Sigh, even worse than a miscarriage, WendyCR72. I googled "stone baby" because I didn't think it sounded real. I can't even begin to imagine how that would screw with your head. At least with a miscarriage, the body is expelled and the loss becomes tangible. I wouldn't wish what happened to Rose on my worst enemy. Just before this, I watched "Legacy" from S6 (?), so it was "Dupe someone into thinking a fake person is real" day. Only with a much sadder twist. Even "Faith" from S1 is less depressing than this (the lengths people will go through for people who don't exist...)

I really enjoy this show, though I'm not surprised it's at the bottom of the CW ratings heap. Any show that markets itself like the second coming of The Vampire Diaries (which guy will she choose? OMG!), and then boots its love triangle to the curb halfway through the first season probably isn't the CW's cup of tea. But I like it a lot, and I enjoyed this episode. I like how Mary seems to be torn between being "meaner" than Francis, but "nicer" than Catherine. Her plot to incapacitate Catherine was brilliant, and even if her motives weren't the best, I enjoyed seeing her take down Lord Narcisse. Yeah, it was like a temper tantrum, but she's decisive and stubborn and holds true to what she believes in -- even if it's not always right. Since women are generally (on many teen dramas especially) the "nice" girl or the "bitch," I like Mary isn't easily categorized. Contrast that with Francis, Lola and his child. I get that it's a complicated issue, but man, could he be more wishy-washy? And I actually like the guy (more than Bash, anyway). But I do love that this show isn't afraid to show how he has the emotional, feminine perspective in his relationship with Mary -- and pretty much everyone. He just does things out of love. It's a good thing France has Mary and Catherine to make the tough choices, or he'd be so screwed. I don't hate this Francis and Lola baby storyline either -- I think it's interesting, since Francis and Lola have an almost familial relationship. They're more like distant cousins, or even an arranged marriage, than former lovers. Very stiff and formal with each other. I know they're setting up this relationship to contrast with Diane/Henry/Catherine, but I think the differences will be striking. I don't think Lola wants Francis for herself (now or ever), but I do think their familiarity will breed resentment in Mary. She'll be jealous, but of what their relationship produced -- not of the relationship itself. Anna Popplewell is good, and in spite of myself, I like Lola. I think she made bad decisions and is in a tough situation. She has no power over herself -- she likely can never remarry or have a family, because she's tied to court. She's gone from a Lady with numerous prospects to the unwed mother of the King's bastard, all because of one bad choice one night. If Mary and Catherine are examples of women asserting their power, Lola is an example of how quickly a woman can lose it, and how much it is tied to her body. Finally, I have to wonder if the show isn't a victim of incredibly horrible timing, storyline-wise. Given the growing debate over Ebola, it was really weird to turn on the TV and see the Plague being referred to in the same manner: isolate them, don't let them leave, they'll infect us all, we may already be infected. I think a vast majority of the low ratings were tied to overall lack of viewer interest in the show, and it being up against the highly rated "Scandal," but I wonder if a small portion tuned in and quickly tuned out because it was a little too much reality for a historically inaccurate teen soap.

I like Arizona's new storyline -- I sort of look at it as her "mid-career crisis." How many shows have I seen where a man is threatened by the new guy and has to either learn to adapt and change or realizes he's darn good at what he does. I like that the women on this show are ambitious: transferring departments, starting new specialties, evolving as professionals. I think it's the sign they are more developed characters than most of the men -- who've basically picked a specialty and stuck to it (with the possible exception of Alex, way back when). I find Maggie to be a dull character, but I'm willing to be convinced otherwise. This episode didn't convince me yet, however.

Actually, I feel like the show's winners almost run counter-intuitive to team performance. Last season (heh, two months ago), the women's team was always the standout and the men were a mess -- yet the finalists were two men. Seeing the men's team do so well makes me think it's a woman's season to win. Santos and Aaron are from Massachusetts? (as am I) Ah, the entitled arrogance makes so much sense now.

When I saw the SoapSox, I said "$10!" I couldn't believe they were $20. I also couldn't believe they turned down two offers. They really must be banking on this to support their families (either that or they're not struggling that much) because that was...something. Damon was smart to make a deal with the pet sling person, no matter how ridiculous that product sounded. From what I've seen, the pet accessory market is huge. The final couple was so interesting. He seemed to be shooting daggers at her as they left (and rightfully so).

I actually thought it was a bizarre choice, as the lyrics "All that sweet green icing melting down" evoke some pretty odd images for a sex/attempted sex montage. The scene with Cyrus and Mellie about grief and loss was good. Those two generally elevate the material they're given, and this was no exception.

Bringing this over from the finale thread, because I think it's more appropriate here: I don't think Chilltown is the greatest alliance ever, but they are the greatest duo in the history of the game (not the greatest alliance). The Renegades were good, but they were secret (as were I guess "The Hitmen"). But Chilltown was a duo masquerading as an alliance, which is how it was allowed to exist. Everyone wanted to be a part of it (at least in All Stars). To me, that's more impressive than any duo that came since -- the fact they put their duo out there, openly advertised their alliance and were allowed to exist until final 4 (in All Stars anyway). It's brilliant when you think about it -- so simple, and yet it fooled so many people.

Come on CBS, now your previouslies are set up beautifully: "In the immunity challenge, Rocker threw the heat, but his team lost their second straight. He was then served up a curveball when his secret alliance mate Val, became the target. In the end, he blew the save of Val, who he'd promised to protect." A tad uncomfortable the first two contestants voted out are minority women. Really, Survivor?