sweetandsour

Coming in late here, but a couple of things: The term I've seen is "fractional series regular," which means the series regular actor is contracted to be in a set number, but not all, of the episodes over the season. I'm almost positive that's what I saw discussed for shows like The Vampire Diaries and characters like Bonnie in later seasons. I don't know that I've seen it reported, but I am pretty sure that's what's going on with all of the Chicago shows on NBC. There is often someone missing from the series regulars in every episode. It's either not mentioned at all (well, they might just have the day off from the hospital on Med, or no one talks about how a firefighter on the same shift as everyone else isn't there that day) or "Torres is on furlough," "Torres is helping his mom out," and so on. Those examples are all later seasons of established shows that get more expensive the longer they go on, so they cut back in other ways. Ghosts is a newer show, but it started out as not including everyone except Sam and Jay in every episode. The ghost actors' initial and currently in-effect contracts may perhaps stipulate they are fractional series regulars, and their presence in more episodes beyond that in seasons 2 and 3 may be in addition to the terms of the contract. Anyway, I also wanted to share these fun clips of Rose's many talents from her iZombie days. In this episode, she and her Medical Examiner boss went undercover at an amateur dance contest/reality show. She can move and she looks like the most radiant dancer doll here. Bonus points for Rahul Kohli and Malcolm Goodwin dancing, too. (Rahul in both clips, Malcolm in the second one.)

Carlos' father was murdered before the wedding. TK and Carlos were going to postpone and cancel the existing arrangements, but Carlos' mother never questioned that the wedding would proceed and it ultimately did. I like Benito Martinez as much as the next person, but the only way it would make sense to spend this much time finding their murderer in the last season is if it were Owen. And they definitely knew this could be their last season when they were making it. I was so second-hand embarrassed that dozens of grown adults executed this storyline of gaining greater insurance coverage so quickly. Everything about it was wrong wrong wrong. They paid Henry Ian Cusick to be in two episodes and he was barely even in this one. Nor did it matter that he played this peripheral character no one was interested in - could have just hired an unknown day player. Yet they didn't want to pay Sierra McClain. Make it make sense.

I also think season 2 has made changes for the better. Not sure if there is a particular source for this, but I have noticed new names in the credits this season - specifically Elwood Reid and Ryan O'Nan, who were producers/writers of "Big Sky." (Ryan O'Nan also played Donno.) Now, whether you liked "Big Sky" is a different story, but if they are driving any of these changes on "Tracker," good job. Something similar happened on season 2 of "Alert: Missing Persons Unit." The incumbent producers or new producers wisely dropped some really annoying element of season 1. (Nikki stopped promising to "bring your baby back," which is completely inappropriate to promise and she would always say that even if the missing person was 50 years old and she was not talking to their actual parent.) The scenery is beautiful but it never looks that different, even when they are allegedly in a new town and state. Except for the wine country episode. CBS seems to have given "Tracker" a bigger budget this year, as I'm consistently recognizing guest actors now. I wish the same were true for "Ghosts," but they seem to be operating on a tighter budget.

IIRC, back in season 1 after the Cuchillo shooting, Honda got some ribbing from other officers because he was on the front page of the newspaper. LOL I think the press got some aerial shot of him in the helicopter or something. Ostensibly, one such as Cuchillo's cousin could have found out who killed Cuchillo from the paper. I highly doubt Cuchillo's cousin reads the newspaper, but it's relevant info to be passed onto him by someone else as intel. I did think the alleged prisoner who ODed on the infirmary floor looked way too put together and groomed (mostly haircut) to be a prisoner. Him being the doctor made more sense. But I guess even well-groomed guys have early days in prison before they are not so well-groomed. I watched the end credits hoping against hope that the octopus jerk-off guy would be credited as something worthy, like "Octopus Pervert." But no, he was just down as some pedestrian "Porn Prisoner." Boo. I still miss Street and Luca a lot.

I like Patience in small-to-moderate doses, but I don't want her to be featured in every episode and every storyline. She can show up as often as Crash does. (I like Mary Holland, the actress, a lot, so that is probably making me biased.) Maybe the apparent majority of viewers will get two birds killed with one stone if Patience and Carol (where's she been, e.g. who has she been screwing?) inexplicably become best friends and they wander off to live on a corner of the property together. I think there is plenty that wasn't said that may paint Sam's mom and/or dad in a more sympathetic light. But they just did broad strokes in the episodes featuring them, and maybe we'll peel back some layers as we go along. Diane was insane to taste the red substance. No matter what it is. Even if it's tasty food like raspberry coulis. It was on the wall of an old house. Applied with some unknown tool.

The redhead's mom (aka True Owner of the Stolen Peaches) was played by Paige Davis, the longtime host of Trading Spaces!! It's nice to see her disturbed by something other than, say, Hildi's designs. I was grinding my teeth the whole time about these horrible teenagers. More so about the boys than the girls, but it was gross and sobering. The deep fake video of Remy looked so fake to the human eye. Even if you didn't know what he looks like now, it looked so fake. I might be more inclined to believe it if someone played it off an old, low-quality VHS recording but this was allegedly a press conference that day. Looking forward to the season-ending revelation that Remy has TMJ, gasp!!!

Bode to Weasely Uncle Leone - "Everyone thinks you're a bad guy! Prove them wrong! By using your power for nepotism! Get me to skip the line in front of hundreds (or more) aspiring firefighters! It's for the good of the world! The entire world!!!! Everyone will think you're a great guy if you would just push a nepo-baby! Do it for Firefighter Jesus!!!!" I think we are all used to seeing drawn-out "will they or won't they?" but Gabriella and Bode are so dumb together. They are incredibly immature people apart and no better together. Gabriella, you're not the victim here. I really wish the show would get her to realize this and actually take steps to be a better person. Who paid for the "congrats" banner to fly during the indoor wedding ceremony? Where the only people who would want to see it can't see it? Or was the pilot paid to fly around with the banner for an hour? What a waste. I can never get over the constant breaks during firefighting to indulge everyone's personal issues. How is any sense of urgency real when any two people, at any given time, are stopping to bemoan their ridiculous drama?

Yeah, the show is definitely losing a lot of steam vs. what TPTB expected from it. I honestly don't mind this show. It's an easy watch. But that's sort of an inadvertent back-handed compliment. I watch it soon after it airs because it requires so little of me. I don't have to be in the right mood, I don't have to think, I just look at it. Beautiful scenery, characters that are annoying in ways that don't make an impression on me after the 40 minute are up. But boy, did I say "yes!" out loud when Ian Anthony Dale (hot fireman) showed up. I forgot he has a recurring role so I was legit surprised. Very pleasantly surprised. Now you're talking, show. I mildly appreciate that the character we have the least handle on is the white man. At this point, all we keep seeing is he's Em's ex, it's kinda awkward, he wants to be a fireman (or his lady really wants him to be one), and he's so chill that he tells everyone else to chill all the time and he took the bad job switch news very inwardly. But that's not a full character, those are bullet points on an index card. I want to see more to him. Doesn't hurt that Adam Demos is nice to look at and great to listen to.

Rob Lowe's favorite part of the episode - a verbal proclamation for all to hear, "You're too tall!" It annoyed me that, amidst Owen's flailing and total indecision about promoting Marjan or Paul, he was so steadfast and firm and immediate in turning down Judd. Like, OK fine, decide that I guess, but it seemed like an extra turn in the blade to be so decisive about that when Owen was going to punt the LT decision to test results. That tied to the hundredth of a percentage. Sure. Suuuuuuuure. I'm not sure if the reporter is just a victim to save in the next episode, but when I first saw her, I assumed she was going to end up a new girlfriend for Owen. "Oh great, he gets his own Taylor." (Buck's reporter ex from 9-1-1.) I enjoyed Mateo's contribution this episode. It also made me that more annoyed about how poorly they use him in general. That awful 80s sitcom tv show episode in a previous season, or whatever the hell that was! I don't need any reason to eat a ton of donuts. No one has to ask me, "what's going on with you?" because I did. All that's going on is, I like donuts. IIRC, the 126 station was already destroyed once in a season finale and then rebuilt the next season. But I wouldn't put it past this show to somehow destroy it again at the end of the series, or redraw jurisdictions for stations, so that the 126 is eliminated entirely. But of course, the 126 is such a lauded and special house of firefighters that they are all purposely scattered across the country to bring their skills and leadership to firehouses in other large cities. Like a reverse of how they all came together in the pilot. Then they all get to be lieutenants somewhere. Including Mateo. Provided he gets accommodations so he can pass the exam. We all know what happened with his initial exam to bump up from probie. Still miss Grace. A lot. They need to at least show us Judd's end of phone conversations with her. They don't need to provide audio of her voice. Just let us know they are still talking regularly and are in a good place as a couple. None of this unconnected call business.

Bee-o-swarm!!!!! ("How Did This Get Made?" listeners may recognize that.) The hijinks this episode were very welcome after they were tapered down last season. I am not sure why the second driver had soooooooooo many bees down his throat while the assistant breathing through the hose in the pool only seemed to get a couple. The second driver's bees were probably the grossest thing in the episode for me. I'm glad Mara has adjusted so well. She and Jee-Yun are so cute together. Brian Thompson (Gerrard) will always be "The Master" from season 1 of Buffy to me. He is no less personable as Gerrard, heh.

I understand how people may bristle at Dr. Lenox, but I love Sarah Ramos so I'm here for it. I also loved how, when she walked up to Goodwin and introduced herself, she was facing Maggie like she was only talking to Maggie. It would be more objectively professional to turn to Dean when talking as well, but I am sure almost all women can name moments in their careers when other employees only seemed to address the man/men in the room. I don't know why Dr. Charles' ex-girlfriend thinks it had to be Ripley who beat up her brother. Even though she ignores how awful of a person her brother is, he must have a lot of people who hate him. It's well-established he has a gambling problem, too. Not that his sister will hear of it. She only gave up her own fucking house to pay off his earlier debt, so NBD ... Abrams for the win as always. I don't want Abrams Med, but I never want him to stop popping up. Goodbye Crockett. Are we to assume he went to Boston in particular because that's where Pamela (transplant surgeon mentor and ex) went? He doesn't think she would take him back, does he?? Oh well, either way. Heal your old family wounds in Boston, Marcel. It was nice knowing you. Maybe no one else will ever use 2.0 again, except for the mystery people who were maintaining it after it imploded live and Jack Dayton stopped putting any money into it.

Ally Walker on my screen! I will always take her in whatever form I can get, good guy (gal) or villain. Also great to see the Asian guy from "Jury Duty" as the Head of HR! Hahaha, don't bet money on board games with him. Remy - "I want to let you fly to Rio, just to see how confident you are in your hydraulic fluid. But Agent Chase and I have to get to a wedding. Where my date will be a woman I have gone all the way with, thank you very much." Gaskins - "OK, I confess! Just stop talking! We should all know less about each other." You don't pay Michael Raymond-James just to be a temporary love interest. Will he be Air Marshal turned fugitive next season? Is he even really an Air Marshal??? Really fun ending scene!

The Argentine people are still telling the legend of a mysterious, fancy, and unbearable redhead running through the hills for all time... Of course she got away. Ughhhhhh, I hate this. Just end the storyline, never revisit Elijah, and get us a better villain. Although with the obsession with redheads, who is next? Cameron Monaghan? Tony Curran? OK we all know Nolan is no longer a Rookie, but is he really good enough to get one over on the obviously military or agency-trained blond guy helping them in Argentina (I will grant that Nolan surprised him) and the mercenary worthy of being hired to protect a Swiss billionaire? Next season he'll beat Bradford hand-to-hand and that, I will not concede. Nolan thought he was on FBI: International and had any iota of jurisdiction. Sure, let's create some international incidents, who cares? That is sillier than Lopez and Harper charging the LAPD for plane tickets to the Honeymoon Island from Hell. Why do shows think we want to see the return of horrible abusive partners played by the real-life SOs of the actresses? I didn't want it on 911, I don't want it here. I don't know when Jenna Dewan is giving birth, but now they can write her out for maternity leave (sincerely, I hope she takes as much time as she wants, motherhood is hard) by saying she's in hiding from the murderous ex. I wonder if Blair's prison sentence for her known crimes will be longer than what she would have gotten for the buried DUI manslaughter. Was it worth it, Blair????

I just love Colin Donnell and will watch him in almost anything. I wasn't sure if he was brought on board as a bridge just for these two episodes, as though the producers didn't have enough time (or didn't use the time despite previous indications of departure, as has been alleged by at least one actor in the Dick Wolf Universe) to solidify a post-Scott plan. Colin has young children and an actress wife who works on screen and on Broadway, so I don't know if he would uproot them all to become an FBI: International regular or move overseas by himself. The latter is very doubtful to me, even if he asked for a one-year contract only. Brian Geraghty (on Chicago PD) was very clear with producers when he joined that show - he only wanted to do a couple years of a tv show, max, and that's all he did. Anyway, they sure seemed to plant seeds of a backstory for his character that almost certainly will not be fully addressed in the finale, so I assume he will appear in some capacity next season. As for Scott, I hope they don't kill him off. Luke isn't appearing in the finale, so however they wrap things up for Scott with him off-screen, I would prefer that he get some final closure with his mother that probably includes him doing something that means his career in the FBI is over, hence not rejoining the team. Brian (Colin) already mentioned his MIA rogue status as threatening his FBI standing, so just follow through on that and don't go straight to the character death well.

Thank you - oh yes, compliment her shoes. I didn't think Lily lives in Edgewater anymore, but it's fine for a throwaway explanation that she watches Gen whenever the firefighters' schedules necessitate it. I would rather that Gen stay around as a recurring character than, "welp, done with that Bode and Jake storyline, ship her off to some other relative now and free up their obligations." The previews for the wedding episode are awful. Typical stuff for a show, but I have no interest in Bode trying to get Gabriela back on her wedding day. But this is "Bode Country" so what else do I expect?