ribboninthesky

Sure did.

TA's screen test partner was Donnell Turner (Curtis), so I'm assuming that the oft-implied paternity plot has something to do that finally coming to light. This is my top worry moving forward. Tabyana certainly strikes me as competent, but nothing about her screams scene stealer in the way Sydney's take did even if she also got saddled with obligatory "propping Joss" duties. Trina as a persona is structurally bound to always play second fiddle to Port Charles's preconceived golden girl, but SM had a way in finding loopholes to make Trina stand out even when the script said otherwise. Ali's already powder soft voice and demure presence give me pause. I can easily buy into TPTB using this situational recast as an off-ramp to reel back Trina as a character with breakout potential to be firmly slotted into wallpaper.

But considering they were all supposedly at the Supreme Court for said hearing, wouldn't electronic devices be confiscated in sensitive areas of a federal building? I get that there's a lot to ding the writers' room on with stretching legal credulity, but this doesn't appear to be one example here.

I've been hoping, wishing, sending silent mind melds towards HTGAWM's casting dept. about Vincent D'Onofrio possibly being available in a future guest starring appearance. The scenery chewing between him and Viola in this L&O: CI throwback was glorious. No matter how many times it's aired in syndication, I'll always rewatch it again like it's the first time. Lauren Vélez (President Soraya Hargrove) often gets referred to as "LaGuerta" for her prior work on Dexter, but she'll always be Det. Nina Moreno from New York Undercover to me. Aja Naomi King (Michaela) co-starred as Cassandra Kopelson in CW's short-lived Emily Owens, M.D.

THIS. So much THIS. Michaela's also my K5 fave and the Miconnor "friendship" (air quotes being deliberate) irks me to no end because it's nothing more than her providing emotional labor in whatever crisis befalls Walsh and fans delighting in that support system while Pratt gets nothing back but snark and disrespect in return. IMO, she's merely tolerated as a plus one by being his supposed BFF rather than appreciated as a stand alone character on her own merits. I often wish that Pete Nowalk had not been swayed by Aja/Jack's chemistry and left them in frenemy-ville because at least that was honest.

Whenever the weekly cases tie into interpersonal themes between Annalise & Co. plus the Keating Five, it just seems to make for a more interesting episode. Last night's exploration of motherhood in all its iterations really worked because of the parallels Simon picked up on immediately. And in spite of our not-so-Fab 5 getting pilloried as ungrateful spoiled brats during the Keating roast, I LOVED watching them form like Voltron the minute it seemed as if Simon was crossing the line with a little too much venom towards Annalise. Hallmarks of a real familial bond no matter the dysfunction. "I may be furious with you and will do battle. But if an outsider tries it, better square up!" Also really refreshing seeing Annalise be forced to contend with another formidable woman who's not only an equal, but ostensibly pulls rank re: university hierarchy. Lauren Vélez has been kinda hit or miss from the beginning, trying to pin down President Hargrove's motives, but her AA confessional was heartfelt and real. I'm into seeing where their relationship as work colleagues or more (I can't be the only picking up on some other subtext here) goes from here. Kinda wish I didn't go on record already wanting Wes to be spared, because Lord knows it was a struggle to stay on the side of angels watching his self-inflicted missteps and potential betrayal of the one person who's gone above and beyond for him. And everything Waurel annoys me now. Given the fact that their mild flirtation at the start had to be retconned as being each other's OTP just felt 50 shades of cray. His ill-fated obsession with Rebecca is on the record and no amount of AU tweaks is changing that. Because of Laurel's pregnancy reveal, sleeping with Wes was a given but their physical interactions still seem like friends with benefits rather than actual passion. The funniest commentary probably came from Tumblr where someone posited it was easier to believe that Laurel/Wes were sneaking off to kill Frank than to deduce it was actually for a little afternoon delight. It's really time to start drumming up Emmy buzz for Liza Weil's consistent S3 excellence. She was heartbreaking after being ditched in Coalport last week and every bit as ferocious unleashing a torrent of hellfire on Frank on home turf. Bonnie's probably the only one who could reduce a hitman for hire into a wounded puppy off sheer emotional force. Delfino did her way dirty with his disappearing act, but yet due to his desperation - still felt my heartstrings getting pulled in spite of how in the wrong he was. Fantastic work from her and Charlie. "Okay, you sexualizing me without my permission is creating a hostile work environment." "She's right." "Thank you, Michaela." "Shut up, we're still not friends," might be the zinger of the season, really. No one does unfriendly Black hottie quite like Ms. Pratt serves it. So, not only is Connor squatting on Michaela's sofa post-breakup, he hooks up with Oliver in her bed. Don't know why I keep waiting in vain for there to be any boundaries with his disrespect. A well-delivered punchline about an upside down duvet or not, that is some trifling ass shit. On the highest of keys. My instant playback was right before that: when they staggered over to her apartment's front door, eager to get down to business and Asher began licking Michaela's neck in anticipation. ME-OW. These two are clicking on all cylinders. How I plan on making it through two more weeks till midseason's finale with my edges and sanity still in tact is a code still uncracked. Next week has a viewer discretion notice warning too? Pete Nowalk's gonna be responsible for picking up the tab if this keeps up.

I'm not rooting for Wes's demise simply because I don't want a lead character (particularly one that's POC) with this tragic of a backstory to meet that grizzly of an end, despite my many misgivings surrounding his past/present plotlines. Son of an immigrant domestic worker, his conception the product of sexual assault, watched his mother commit suicide á la Madame Butterfly and then saw his rapist father blown away right in front of him? Jeez. Typing it out even feels harsh and unnecessarily punitive. However, on the Wes/Laurel front, I agree 100%. That pairing should've remained in the friend zone. Wasn't really for or against it initially, but them hooking up pushing me out of Swiss-like neutrality into a firm anti vote. Not feeling it. WHATSOEVER. It's like you pulled my thoughts out of my head and posted them yourself. I found it so jarring that a not-so-platonic subtext which had been building from the beginning fell so flat once Laurel & Wes finally did the do. And that's not something I can put on Karla, because whether anyone debates if Flaurel was too toxic to last or not, you at least believed in her and Frank's physical attraction. Honestly, Waitlist & Wallflower making heart eyes at each other in Annalise's kitchen last season alongside their first kiss packed a far chemistry greater punch. And inter-spliced with the intimacy of Asher & Michaela being effortlessly playful and sexy together in bed? It only reinforced how cold "Waurel" left me. Alfred Enoch is an extremely attractive man, but good looks alone does not sexiness make. Maybe we should've taken his first swing and a miss with Rebecca as a sign… since that one shared simultaneous S1 screen time with Lila's autopsy.

This episode was a LOT. But for now, all I can say is Michaela's safe. Asher's safe. All is well with my soul.

The age differential is a factor, but IMHO, I think it's more of a recognition that for all intents and purposes, whether anyone likes the sum total of who Annalise Keating is as an antihero protagonist, it's her show. No ifs, ands or buts about it. Not to mention that an out-sized talent like Viola Davis goes a long way towards rising above the multitude of sins Annalise has committed to still make someone feel invested in the methods to her madness. Michaela as a supporting character with aspirations of becoming Annalise, Jr. has no such cushion. Whether people choose to admit it or not, there's often a Highlander quality in allowing WOC roles a multifaceted range of complexity. There can be only one. Factor in two badass, bright Black women on the same series? Well, it doesn't seem too far-fetched that any latent discomfort with seeing someone like Michaela assert herself while refusing to settle for anything less than what she feels she deserves, rubs many people entirely the wrong way… so she inherits the residual crap storm by default. Couldn't agree more.

Bonnie walking in on Laurel just as she's finished spilling the beans yet again was probably my 2nd favorite moment of Ep. 5. For all the buzz about Wallflower being Annalise's legal heir apparent, never bought it because this girl cannot grasp the concept of keeping it cute, keeping it mute — even to possibly save her own life.

This is patently untrue. Up to now, Michaela still gets harshly criticized in online circles as being "homophobe/biphobic/ignorant" for her admittedly poor reaction to that train-wreck of a story arc involving Aiden. You know who has managed to skate by free and clear from backlash while harassing her? Only to become the "fan favorite," even after outing someone without consent for no other reason but spite? Her supposed bestie, Connor Walsh. And in case you were wondering if that was water under the bridge, he happened to dredge up that turd in the punch bowl: a mere two episodes ago. Played for nothing but cheap laughs. But tell me more.

Count me in as a side of stilton also. If anyone would've proposed these two as a pairing during S1, probably would've laughed myself into hiccups. But Asher made a salient observation in Ep. 2 of this season when he pointed out (rather accurately) that their differences aren't as far apart as Michaela may perceive them. They were both introduced as almost cartoon-like archetypes of the brash, yuppie, young Republican-in-training and her as perfectionist, status-conscious social climber. But as we've watched their carefully constructed worlds fall apart by forging alliances due to necessity, now their layers are being revealed: and they're both much more than first impressions would've had you assume. Their current "friends with benefits" situation is entertaining to watch as Aja and Matt have settled into an easy onscreen balance which works, but I hope it doesn't remain in limbo there only to garner "are y'all really sleeping together?" disbelief at his expense. While I liked him initially as Bonnie's office boy toy and in spite of fratboy sex humor, Asher comes across as a character that craves monogamy. Bosher's breakup was painful watching because of the very real feelings from both parties, but it never seemed as though Bonnie/Asher were ever meant to be taken seriously. Enter Ms. Pratt. Looking for love defined her plot from the beginning. Unfortunately, she's been searching in all the wrong places. I understand keeping Asher's romantic overtures at arms' length with that kind of track record. Truth be told, he'll always be a hairsbreadth away from river-dancing on your last nerve. And he clearly doesn't jibe with her idealized mold of whom her significant other should be. Yet underneath it all, there's a genuine sweetness at his core that makes you still root for him. When Michaela swiped Asher's defense strategy for their immigration case mid-hookup at the dorms, it occurred to me, that made an apt metaphor for possibilities of them as a couple. Yes, it was his idea, but it didn't come to fruition until she did the legwork to fill in the blanks left missing from not thinking the strategy through. They could each work as a counterbalance for each other's character weaknesses. His willingness to not take himself so seriously could help loosen that uptight neurosis, soften the rough edges borne from those type-A tendencies. Meanwhile, her competitive drive could channel his academic focus plus those needed blunt doses of real talk can keep his fumbling towards enlightenment an ongoing process. And if Michaela would allow her guard to come down a bit to acknowledge that their attraction isn't just physical or nearly as lopsided as viewers/fandom think it is, I see Masher (?) (or is it Michasher?) being embraced rather than ridiculed as a crack ship that should've never become canon.

This scene really bothered me because it took me back to the root of why Connor & Michaela being presented as BFFs never rang true IMO. The recurrence of Aiden. How his character got outed as a punchline and subsequently used intentionally to antagonize Michaela throughout season 1 felt all kinds of wrong. And to have that rather large tidbit under rug swept, then using him now as a plot device for Connor to gloat just seemed unnecessarily mean-spirited. Especially considering he's crashing at her damn apartment after getting dumped. Some #friendshipgoals.