sinkwriter

Thanks, kitcloudkicker! I liked it. :) I'll have to check out all the music she's got listed on her website. Certainly makes me wish I'd practiced more, back when I used to play the violin. That's exactly the kind of awesome jamming I wanted to be able to do.

Lindsey played the violin for that piece that she and Mark danced to, right? It sounded amazing. Does anyone know what the piece is called?

I can't speak for anyone else, but I was mainly just responding to the question someone had about how they weren't sure why but they thought sometimes Jordan came off as faux humble. It's not a slam against theatre people - I LOVE theatre people. I AM theatre people. (LOL) What I'm saying is he IS a good guy, but sometimes he sounds super-rehearsed. Just like athletes often have their general stuff they seem to say after every damn game. So after a while you just want them to ditch the rehearsed statement and say something more spontaneous / in the moment. It has nothing to do with having good grammar or not, or speaking 'well' or not. It's about speaking without sounding like you're reading a script. I like Jordan and root for him. I hope he makes it all the way to the finals (and I'd like to see either him or Lindsey win the whole thing). I just want him to loosen up a little when he answers questions and stop worrying about sounding perfect. The "Randall from This is Us" comparison's probably a good one. Not because I think Jordan is Randall (Randall is wayyyy more wound uptight), but because when Randall's trying too hard or being too super-formal, it's excruciating but when Randall loosens up and lets go of expectations, he's marvelous and funny and genuine and so sweet and I adore him so, so much. I think the same could be said for Jordan - if he could let go a little more in interviews, he probably wouldn't sound so rehearsed and we'd get to see more of who he probably is around his friends and theatre buddies.

I agree, possibilities. In fact, I'm reminded of that liver transplant episode when Claire was out in the field with Shaun and she was frustrated because he wasn't answering her whenever she asked a question, so she called up Dr. Glassman. She was trying so hard to understand how best to communicate with Shaun, and all Glassman said was that she'd have to figure it out, or something like that. Which seemed ridiculous to me. I thought of all people he must know what seems to work (or not work) when trying to get through to Shaun, since they've known each other since Shaun was a kid, so Glassman should have been able to tell her at least a helpful tip or two. Instead it felt like he was throwing her to the wolves and expecting her to find a solution herself. Shouldn't he want to give them something helpful to communicate with Shaun so that Shaun can keep his job?

Jordan probably IS a really nice guy. But I think this is something that happens with people who have grown up in the public eye, or were child stars, or athletes... it's like they've been taught what to say to sound professional and polite, so it starts to sound really rehearsed, probably because they've said the same things over and over again and they can't help but sound 'too smooth' now. "We're just happy to be here, doing the best we can... We're working hard to make it to the playoffs... We just want to thank the fans..." I hate that, because while I appreciate people behaving professionally, I also want them to BE REAL. So it's annoying when athletes like the football players on this show or guys like Jordan fall back on the standard line instead of speaking from the heart. I think it's only when they let their guard down - like on Most Memorable Year week - that they show more of who they really are. I think the way he was with his parents and in talking about his life and adoption... that's the real Jordan. The rest is just polished behavior for stage and how he thinks he's supposed to talk. That's how it seems to me. But yes, I wish he'd stop talking like that and be real.

Yes! That was one of my first thoughts, HurricaneVal. I'm glad they didn't go there because that would be really cliché. But I liked this ex. I'd rather see her than ever see Diana again.

This is pretty much what I wanted to say, but you said it so much better. Thanks, Bruinsfan! I don't like the lieutenant pounding down so hard on Dan, but then I remember how much I despised Dan throughout the first season, and how he put his own wife into so much trouble AND lorded it over her every damn week. I wanted to punch him in the face, every time he gave Chloe a lecture or told her "I'm soooo disappointed in you." He was such a dick. And a criminal. So while I like him so much better now and I'm glad to see the showrunners are evolving him and putting him to good use instead of keeping him in dick mode, I do think it's understandable that a new boss coming in might look at Dan's file and not think very highly of him at all and think that he needs to re-prove himself. I think he's essentially giving Dan all the scut work and seeing how much the guy is willing to take without bitching or whining. Because - like Bruinsfan pointed out - he's lucky he's not in prison and completely estranged from his family after all he did. Count me in on the "what the hell are you doing to the Ella character??" I thought she was mildly amusing last season and had potential to be interesting, given her faith and how it contrasts with Lucifer's feelings about faith and God. And I loved her connecting on a deeper level with Amenadiel in a recent episode. However... please please STOP with the childish behavior! Any rational person would see the lieutenant treating Chloe like crap and think, "Yeah, he's pretty rough on her"; definitely NOT "Girl, he totally has the hots for you!" Her repeated insistence that he "likes" Chloe reminds me of how the showrunners of Bones used to have characters always commenting on how Booth and Brennan should totally be together, whether or not it actually fit the scene or needed to be said. It got to be an almost weekly commentary either from Sweets the FBI psychologist, their colleagues, or even the criminals in the cases they were investigating. That drove me NUTS. It was like being beaten over the head with a bat that read "These two characters are in looooove, can you see it??" We viewers didn't need that when watching that show, and we sure don't need it here either. Keep to the more unspoken stuff like seeing Lucifer angry with himself (and then not wanting to deal with those emotions) after not being there when someone took a shot a Chloe. Don't dumb down this show. It's so unnecessary.

Did anyone watch GMA to see if Maks and Vanessa appeared? They usually do a 'morning after' interview with the couple(s) who get eliminated, right? I imagine that would have to be a really uncomfortable interview (or a really fake cheery one), with those two.

I knew they'd have a double elimination soon, but I didn't think it would be this week, especially (as others have mentioned) since they didn't announce it at the top of the show or seem to indicate it in any way. Kind of crappy to spring it on Vanessa and Nikki in that way. I'm sure one of them thought, "I still have a 50/50 chance of staying!" Honestly, I was surprised. If they were going to do a double elim, I was expecting Drew and Terrell to get sent home. Especially because they complimented Drew so effusively (after weeks of beating on him), and that usually means they know the person is going home. Then, when it was down to Terrell, Vanessa and Nikki, I thought maybe Terrell or Nikki, but I never thought Vanessa would go home yet. Even with the underlying drama between her and her partner. So I was surprised by tonight's elimination. I don't really mind it because I'm mainly rooting for Lindsey, Frankie and/or Jordan, but I do feel bad for Vanessa who seemed to be trying so hard, and I feel especially bad for Artem.

I thought Frankie and Witney had contemporary, not jazz? I didn't think theirs was the best dance of the night, but I thought that they both were very smooth and fluid in movement together, throughout the entire dance. And the concept as presented scared the crap out of me. Fricking creepy! I seriously got chills up my spine, watching that dance, and it wasn't necessarily a good thing because it was a little too predatory real. (Nice acting, Frankie!) If Frankie had come near me afterward, I probably would have told him to step back. LOL. I think my favorite dance was Jordan's. Great paso, terrific concept, well danced, all around awesome! (In contrast with Maks and Vanessa who did an interesting dance, but it seemed partially to copy what Jordan and Lindsay did, which is not a problem because Maks and Vanessa were also good, but they didn't have enough paso content. After watching Jordan's first, it was definitely noticeable that Maks' routine didn't have enough paso.) Also favorite was Mark and Lindsey. She was a real trooper, and I thought she did wonderfully well despite the pain she was in. I think they would have deserved 10's if she'd been able to go just that little bit more "full out" that she'd have done if she hadn't been in such pain. Personally, I thought Nikki and Terrell got screwed tonight because of the music choices and/or dance choices they were given. Nikki has to do a quickstep for Halloween night? Come on! She should have gotten some sort of Elvira Mistress of the Dark song to do, and something much more dramatic. You can't really be scary or Halloweeny with a cheery bouncy quickstep. I really felt bad for her and for Artem. And the music choice for Terrell's dance kind of sucked too, from what I recall. Super Freak, wasn't it? I like the song, but it seemed really difficult to do a tango to it with any sort of gravitas. It just didn't seem to work. He did try his best to put something into it, though. The team dances were a bit of a letdown. I liked the Monster Mash, but agree that all the swirling and corn field stuff made it a bit convoluted. On the other hand, they did seem to each display 20 seconds of couples partner work, whereas the Phantom team didn't seem to spotlight any of their couples for more than a couple seconds?? I like the concept of the Phantom (that song is wonderfully dramatic), and I liked their general team synchronicity, but they weren't always exactly "one" with one another and it felt kind of lackluster. Overall, I liked Monster Mash's energy, but Phantom had more cohesiveness. But neither really 'brought it' the way other teams have in past seasons. They were both kind of lacking, sad to say.

Magpye29, I think the kid in next week's episode is a different actor than the one who plays Young Shaun.

I noticed the bra this time too! It was distracting, and I kept waiting for Blake to quietly whisper to her that she might want to put her blazer back on (showing that she's been working so hard, she didn't notice that she put the wrong color bra on under a white blouse). Sadly, no one said anything to her. LOL. This really bothered me. The fact that he apologized to Henry when it should be the other way around, and then realized that Henry was only visiting him because he needed something... what a knife to the gut. So sad. I fear they're setting us up for an eventual ultra-upsetting melodramatic Dimitri death, and that will really piss me off because he's made it through SO much. I wanted him to get out of the spy biz and have a quiet, safe life with his sister somewhere, the end.

Here's the big question: why didn't we get a final scene between Marisa and Bull? After her being surprised on the stand, using private information she told Bull in confidence, I expected at least a conversation between them about it in the end. I know she's smart enough to realize he didn't reveal it with the intent to hurt her, but I thought she'd still want to have a word with him. I think it would have been a good scene to have. Especially after the previous week's episode where she wasn't in the office when he thought she would be, and we saw Bull seeing Marisa with a different perspective, one that surprised (and possibly hurt) him. I just feel like they skipped the opportunity for character or relationship development.

I agree with everyone here - the case was ridiculous and should have been thrown out. The very idea that the celebrity's own lawyers didn't even consider covering bases or ensuring measures in case the parents caused trouble is hard to believe. Especially after the spectacle the father made in public the day he tried to take his kid from her on the red carpet. How could they not have figured he might try something? They would have to be pretty incompetent. Lawyers usually have to think of things from all angles, don't they?

Bull got pretty over-the-top with his outbursts, but I did like Brad Garrett's character taking him down a peg, telling him to stop acting like the egomaniac the opposition is going to paint him as. That was pretty marvelous. I also liked the stunned, slightly offended / hurt look on Benny's face when he first realized Bull wasn't going to have him lead the case and instead had brought in this seemingly eccentric guy to do the job. Nice touch. And that he put aside that hurt and supported Brad's suggestions showed grace.

I think it depends on who's doing the bulk of the choreography. I remember a season when everyone thought Derek's team had it in the bag, but they lost because he did boring choreography and the other team did something a little more unique. I would bet on Terrell's team, especially if Mark's choreographing, because he seems really on point this season. But you never know!

Interesting ending, with Bull counting on Marissa to be there, assuming she would be and then being surprised that she wasn't. I'm curious where they'll take this next. Is Bull leaning too hard on his team and not having a life of his own outside of that work? What will this shift (in dynamics with his fellow colleagues/employees) do to his ego? ;)

Did I miss something about who Danny visited at the end? Has this guy ever appeared on the show before and I've just forgotten?

I think the playing basketball in the rain was just a heavy-handed way of them trying to show the kid was grieving so much, he didn't care if he got wet. Same with talking with the press. If he's grieving and desperate for everyone to know how much he loved his girlfriend, he's obviously not thinking clearly about the pros and cons of talking to the press. I do think Bull should have blocked his path and made him come into the garage, away from the press, though. Bull isn't grieving and knows damn well that it's not a good idea.

Danny telling Bull that if he ever throws something at her again, he'll live to regret it? Was AWESOME.

This just in: I still hate the character Diana. And unfortunately her other show (Night Shift) was recently cancelled, so she'll probably be more free to visit on this show. Damn it.

They kept referencing "Black Don't Crack" but didn't find an opportunity for Jenifer Lewis to sing at least a few bars of her classic song? Tragic.

I really don't think it has anything to do with her trying too hard, or because of Lyme disease (though I admit I don't know much about that particular illness). I think it was more her just searching for the right words and not being as experienced at saying things quickly like Bruno, Carrie-Anne and Len know how to do. I'm a terrible public speaker; I'm much better at thinking through my thoughts and writing them out, so I would be awful on a time limit like that, trying to find the right words to express my thoughts. I imagine when Shania is interviewed, she either gets questions ahead of time so she can think about them, or they give her all the time in the world to speak and then edit for whatever program it's meant to be displayed on, whereas in this particular kind of live setting, she can't do that so her responses sounds stilted. I thought her points were no more or less valid than any other guest judge. In fact, sometimes I thought she said some smart things about people's performances. However, her paddle scores didn't always match what she said. Then again, she doesn't have to judge according to the same criteria that the other judges do - they have experience in dance while her score would be more for the overall entertainment value of the dance. At any rate, I thought the real crime was her lip syncing, not her judging. Just rewatched Mark and Lindsey, and Jordan and Lindsay's dances. They were SO good! Definite stand-out routines. And I forgot how funny Tom was when he told Lindsay, "Can I just say, you're staring at me right now [with those scary contact lenses] and it's creeping me out." LOL.

Forgot to add: Blake was kind of adorable with his crushing disappointment that none of the women wanted to play baby shower games, and with his baby gift to Daisy. "Diplo Tot." LOL.

I didn't know about Bebe's request to leave the show, so in watching this episode I was so afraid that they were going to kill off her son and grandchild in some horrible plane crash as they fly back to the States. Mainly because they were leaning so hard on this wonderful turn in her relationship with her son that I feared it was a setup for a side story for Nadine to lose her family. Imagine my surprise when it went in the opposite direction. I got choked up watching those final moments. I've really loved Nadine, and marvel at the evolution of her character and her relationship with Elizabeth from season 1 until now. I'm going to miss her!