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(1) I think it was strongly implied that Leona cheated on their father (the crack about Reese looking like their father's brother). That may have been the basis for the divorce, in which bitter Dad took her for half of the company. If that's the case, I could totally see the twins growing up to despise Leona, especially if Dad's feelings disrupted his relationship with their mother. There were also the repeated jabs about the twins never seeing Reese and Leona, which may indicate a sense of inferiority, a desire for an emotional connection, and/or all sorts of other issues. (2) It was a combination of Boston-related exhaustion and that "must-tweet-to-remain-relevant" social media thing. So, she threw out a comment that she might personally make in conversation or tweet under her own name. Just a case of impaired judgment. Then, when her brain got a little sleep, her system revived enough to realize that she'd just made a huge mistake and needed to try and fix it. As someone who is under constant pressure to (a) choose my words carefully and (b) engage in near-continuous streams of electronic communications, I can definitely relate. I really liked this storyline since, again, there were no easy answers, no good guy/bad guy, just a good person who made a bad call.

Man, this episode was awesome! I, too, wondered where this show was last season. I think that part of it was the issues and conflicts themselves, which were more complex than just "This is what we must do because it is right!" While there were still massive amounts of speechifying, it didn't feel as pedantic as before because multiple characters were allowed to have valid viewpoints. The dialogues were real dialogues, not monologues vs. sputtering. There was also humor which did not depend on a woman being an idiot. Yay! I'm looking forward to the rest of the season and pretty bummed that it's so short and at its end. Part of me imagines Sorkin concocting a new evil genius plan to give me the finger: make a great show and then end it prematurely.

(1) I kept thinking that half her problems would be solved if she would get a new outfit. Lay off the corsets, Katrina! Somebody should have her read the scene in Eight Cousins where Rose's uncle cuts the strings off her corset to show her what it's like when she's able to breathe. (2) You make a good point about how Hawley doesn't disrupt the Witness dynamic. Actually, if the show didn't screw things up by (a) giving Jenny and Hawley a hook-up past and (b) avoiding having the two in the same scene unless they were discussing said past, I think that he and Jenny would work well with Abbie and Ichabod. I'd also like to see Irving interact with him. I think the Captain's opinion would fall somewhere near Abbie's in terms of balancing disapproval of his profit motive with appreciation of his usefulness. (3) Aww, I still liked it. (4) My read of the speech is that Ichabod's desire is not what's hidden, it's the "souring" of his love that he strives to keep from Katrina. So, it's his perfect image of Katrina (without the lies and secrets), the one that he's held onto and cherished for so long, that is his secret desire. I wonder to what extent we are supposed to see this speech as influencing his decision to accept the reality of Katrina (in combination with Abbie's observations about war causing people and relationships to evolve).

So, first thoughts: On the episode in general If this had been last week's episode and "Deliverance" didn't exist, I'd be in a much better place with the show. The succubus thing is just as shopworn as the mystical pregnancy, but somehow this one was somewhat more palatable (or at least less gross). Maybe because the emphasis was on tapping into hidden desires rather than being particularly physical? Hmmmm. . . I'll have to ponder that one. On the Horsemen Making Abraham into such a lovesick puppy isn't just making him not-scary, it's ignoring a gold mine of storytelling potential. Imagine how much more interesting it would be if Headless (1) were actually still headless, (2) had equal status with Henry (who seems like the former co-worker who got promoted to middle manager), and (3) were following his own agenda! I could totally get down with Moloch having them work separately on different plans, but this current Abraham deal is just really unsatisfying. I absolutely hate the slang term "whipped," but damn it's hard not to use it here. On the Witnesses Abbie continues to be just awesome. I knew her hand was going in the jar of not-maggots, and I'm glad that they didn't even try to fake like it wasn't. I'm not a fan of this Crane-separates-two-arguing-women deal. I didn't care for it last season, and I found it really gross tonight. Perhaps if you weren't straddling the fence there, Ichabod, you wouldn't have so much conflict on Team Witness. Their argument was one that needed to be had and still needs to finish. And, for the record, I still think that Katrina shouldn't have gotten a Witness vote last week. It was interesting seeing them exchange relationship advice and to see how each respects the other enough to take such advice to heart. Ichabod definitely listened to Abbie (or is trying to) in his views of Katrina, and I think that Abbie listened to his comments about having an open heart (which was a pleasant role reversal). I'd love to explore how much of her "Witnesses don't have time for other stuff" comes from protecting her heart and how much comes from seeing how Ichabod's ties to Katrina and Jenry are compromising him. On Hawley Okay, ill-advised Jenny backstory aside, I like this guy. It's not the most original concept, but I can see him being impressed by Abbie and working around to joining the cause for more than occasional profit. The actor really sells not only his attraction to Abbie ('cause, duh!), but also his admiration of her. I did like the choice to have Crane pick up on said attraction and not be completely against it. If they play it right (pleasepleasepleaseplease, silly writers!), it could lead into an interesting situation where he wants the same whole-person things for Abbie that many viewers do. Plus, Crane has chemistry with Hawley, too (*side eye to Katrina*) On Katrina Apparently succubus hunting patterns aren't the only ones that are circular. Just as I was starting to feel that Katrina could actually be an asset to Team Witness, they have her go right back to where she was before. Although, I've been calling for her to take off that stupid necklace since she ran off from Abrahead and Henry's Henchmen. I couldn't believe she still had it (and that stupid outfit) on in this episode. I wonder to what extent it is influencing her choices. We've known from jump that it's enchanted; I can totally see Henry hexing it with all sorts of goodies while letting Abe think that it was just to let her see his head. On a minor note, I wanted to kick her when she made that crack about Abraham giving her quince tea. Seriously?! Also, did I detect a little sneaky shade with her "I'll tell him that Ichabod has forged a new life . . . with you . . . and stuff"? She clearly dislikes that Witness bond; I wonder if she would be so possessive if there were no potential romantic element to it.

No worries, HoodlumSheep, I inhaled the series a couple of weeks ago and thoroughly enjoyed Jafar. I liked that the show gave him a complex background that clearly informed and motivated his actions, but didn't attempt to woobify him or redeem him in the end. Even though I was horrified by his father's actions and understood how they led to Jafar's present evil, I never felt that he was presented as morally gray or someone who could be reached if his father would just relent. In fact, I loved his reaction after using the love spell to make his father proud of him: "well, that was nice and now on to the other part of my vengeance agenda" -- stone cold. If they had killed him in the end, I would have been fine with it even though I liked the character; I do appreciate them sticking with the Disney canon, though. And on a purely shallow note, dear Lordy, Naveen Andrews! I thought that Old Sultan was just as much of a jerk as his younger self. He was introduced as a sympathetic ear for Cyrus, but getting Jafar's backstory definitely shed a different light on the character. Sure, he was an ally for Team Good, but that doesn't mean that he was good himself. Take Jafar out of the equation, and I think that being locked away in a cage and forced to do meaningless hard labor is too kind a punishment for someone who brutally murders a child. As for helping Cyrus and Alice, I didn't see that as particularly giving or sacrificial. Escaping with Cyrus was not exactly a promising proposition; the only reason Cyrus was able to do it was because he was crazy enough to leap into the sea (and had the plot armor to keep him from dying). In the final showdown, the Sultan's choice to distract Jafar could easily have been a matter of self-preservation since Jafar was so close to defeating the laws of magic. At best, he pitched in to help prevent more deaths caused by the monster that he created. I should probably admit that the only character that I disliked more than the sultan was Alice herself, so I may not be the typical viewer.

As to your general seasons question, I don't have anything to add to innominate's great answer. However, I do think the specific comments in this episode were about the painting task, which seemed to take place in the highest part of a building that probably wasn't air conditioned and confined the racers to a teeny tiny space. I'd guess that the opera house was air conditioned, or at least a lot more comfortable since the teams weren't cramped into close quarters. The heat was just another variable that made the painting task a lot harder on the teams than the costume one. On a related note, I enjoyed the fact that neither judge seemed to speak to the teams in English when giving feedback and verdicts. To me, it added another layer of challenge, especially for the painting teams trying to get specific instructions.

(numbering mine) 1. I'm not a fan of the title since Abbie's height is not the most interesting thing about her. [/Cosima] However, I could totally get behind some Leverage-theft and go with "Twenty Pounds of Awesome in a Five-Pound Bag." Not that I'm suggesting any more titles . . . 2. Thanks so much for posting that article; it was amazingly insightful and considerate in its treatment of a complex and often intensely-felt topic. I'll be sharing it all over the place!

For me, the lack of chemistry undercuts the storyline they are trying sell me. It is difficult for me to believe that Ichabod is torn between his head and his heart when I can't see any connection between his heart and Katrina's. It's a like a tug of war where one side (logic, duty, ABBIE) is clasping his hand and firmly pulling while the other side (love for Katrina) is tapping on his shoulder and whispering "Ick-a-bawd" like a massive creep. No contest.

Wow, thanks for the poll! Upon further reflection, I think the baseball one is kind of clunky. How about "Baseball & Yoga & Being a Boss" (or Badass)? Or alternately, "Grace Under Fire" (which is an obvious choice that I should have proposed earlier)? Perhaps a mashup: "Voice of Reason and Grace Under Fire"? Okay, I'll stop now.

So, with all the discussion of Abbie's rightful role as a lead and not a sidekick, I'd like to propose changing the name of the thread. Every time I come to the board, I'm a bit bothered by the fact that Abbie's title doesn't relate to anything about her; it just defines her as not being Ichabod. It's a little thing, but it bugs. Any suggestions? I've never launched a name-the-thread effort, but I humbly offer some maybe-not-so-great starter ideas: Lef-tenant Fist-bump The Voice of Reason and Avatar of Awesome Baseball, Yoga, and General Kicking of Ass (*slinks back off to quasi-lurkdom*)

First off, BOO! to you show, for serving up a heaping helping of that stale mystical pregnancy trope. Seriously, we can do better than that. To the first part, I totally agree; it did feel like things happened this episode. While I love MOTW episodes when they are done well, I think that I agree with other posters who want to see some movement on the overall arc. I also agree that this episode would have packed more of a punch if Henry hadn't been around so much in previous ones. Since he's been behind pretty much every bad thing this season, I'm definitely feeling some fatigue on that front (and I actually like the character). To the second, I was going to reply that I would love to see more Jenny, but it does make sense that she couldn't be in on the raid if Abbie was using the long arm of the law as her backup. However, this observation shows that there was plenty of space where Jenny would have fit naturally. Furthermore, Jenny easily could have been Abbie's backup the first time she tailed the Hellfire henchmen to their lair. I'm not hitting the PANIC button on the racial balance yet, but I am on high alert. Also, five seconds of appreciating OJ's butt in his psych ward gear does not make up for the criminal underuse of Irving. I will say, though, that I appreciate Henry's utter lack of repentance. I don't really see him as whiny. Sure, he has a major hate-on for his parents, but he only gets into that "You abandoned meeeeee!" crap when his parents break out the "Son, why don't you love us?" wailing. I really hope the show doesn't take him down the road of redemption because I appreciate that he (at least at the moment) has no fucks to give about Mommy and Daddy Crane's "love" for him.

I think that Pharrell's decision was motivated by (1) giving his boo Gwen a strong contender, (2) really hating Elijah's song choice, and (3) really being into the shaping/molding aspect of the show. I may cringe when Elijah starts mugging and I may have lasted about 5 seconds into his song before I started fast forwarding, but I can appreciate that Pharrell sees potential and wants to mold it. That said, I firmly on Team Ricky and wish that Pharrell had kept him. I also wish that I could get his solo version of "On Broadway" from the battle rounds, but I see that they're now selling the duets rather than each combatant's recording of the song. I was quite disappointed to see Alessandra go, especially since I'm not at all into Mia's voice. Also, future contestants take note: "Hey, Ya" is maybe not the thing to sing in a voice competition. I could see what he was trying to accomplish, but I agree with Adam(!) that this was not the best time to break out that little surprise. I think it's finding contestants who are able to strike the right balance. If someone has a great voice, but leaves the audience cold or bored (or just annoyed with their antics, Elijah), then that person is not the total package; he/she may be the backup singer who never finds the big break. When it comes down to it on this show, though, I also suspect that voters will go with the voice over the performance.

#catswatchingtaylor?? Really, show? Only saw the first half (Sleepy Hollow always trumps everything), but I enjoyed Danica and maybe Sugar. Nothing really moved me though. Will watch other performances when the recap goes up.

Whoa! I missed the show; anybody mind explaining what happened? (Not that calling Chuck Todd a schmuck ever needs explanation . . .)

I don't think the blood signature necessarily means that Irving has given up his soul, but I do think that it matters if Irving believes that is the case. It makes it harder for him to fight against doing Moloch & Henry's bidding if he thinks that he has already damned himself. At this point, we haven't seen any evidence that Irving is the new Brooks; all we have seen are parlor tricks that Henry (you know, the witch who actually does spells and stuff) could easily pull off without any soul-control over Irving. By the time Henry even brought up the contract, he had already bludgeoned Irving with a number of blows to the captain's resolve: I'm on the side of justice, ending our association will hurt your family and keep you from them, and by the way, what have those Witnesses ever done for you? He took care to till the field (flaming bible and bicep-tacular flash-forward) and sow those seeds of doubt before following up with the idea of the contract, which will probably cloud Irving's judgment regardless of what the contract even says. After reading the recap, I wonder if Henry's bone-tasting adventure is related to his sin-eater status. Perhaps he can absorb the sin or the power of the sinner. Then again, perhaps he just wants to make a bone orchestra so his suit of armor has some theme music; I wouldn't put it past this show!

I can't be the only person who saw the Detour and immediately ran to watch Dandrew in Russia. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzNpJsJdpP4 Can you imagine if they had this judge? Amazing! Random Other Thoughts: - Last week's bottom two teams were lucky to benefit from the travel bunch. - I'm glad that people were falling into the water before #TeamPissyPants hit the scene. I know the reality that the water was probably none too clean, but knowing and seeing are very different things. - I'm really liking Adam and Bethany, especially since they beat #TeamGleam out of the Express Pass. They are competent without being obnoxious, which is always appreciated.

Hollywood should just give up on this; nothing will rival the game-board-to-screen perfection that is Clue!

I think many of them are so dazzled in the moment that they either forget or feel confused, especially if their first-choice judge didn't turn or if another judge makes a particularly strong argument. That's what happened with Taylor (male), who originally thought that Adam would be the best fit, but wound up going with Pharrell (as he should have). I'm sure the nerves and adrenaline and the audience and the famous people begging you to join their team because you're the best evah can be very overwhelming. Also, nothing but truth, here. And I'm going to enjoy every minute of it.

That was intentional, though; Idol cast those two to try and create conflict (and therefore ratings). If a "diva" is a high-maintenance, attention-seeking personality (as opposed to a general term that assumes all female judges are naturally that way), then Christina and Adam are the biggest divas on the show and have already had their clash in Season 2. There's no real reason that there must be one female judge on the show at a time; just as we could have two black judges without them getting into a fistfight or turning it into a "hip-hop season" or something. Since The Voice is up against MNF and Sleepy Hollow, I'm pretty much relying on the recap+videos to keep up with the Monday shows. As much as I enjoyed Pharrell smacking Adam down on a regular basis, I think I'm okay with missing a big chunk of judge interactions. I do like the changes that Gwen, Pharrell, and the Gwen-Pharrell friendship create in the judge dynamic. I also didn't anticipate how much time I would lose going to youtube to watch old No Doubt videos during commercial breaks when I do watch live!

"I know it's a barn. Raise it!" That's my second-favorite line from a commercial right now. "What is that, chamomile tea?! You want to take a nap?!" is still tops, though.

Delurking to give a heads up: I'm watching "All In" and Chris just said that Rachel will be joining him to give her reaction to the McDonnell verdict. You don't even have to wait until 9 for the shenanigans to begin!

Oh, Ichabod, how often I wanted to smack you upside the head during this episode. Normally, the high-handedness and posturing are offset by charm and general adorableness, but they started to cross the line in this one. Listen to Abbie, dude! Also, if the undead minion of Moloch tells you that he is the tool of the devil and warns you against taking him into the prison cell of the evil henchman, listen to him, too. I still love you, though. PS. That has got to win the award for absolute worst time to admit to your "best friend" that his fiancée dumped him because she's in love with you. High-priority mission, man! At least Abraham had the excuse of being kinda broken-hearted (but mostly just embarrassed and possessive).

I'm definitely down with the new credits, but those dancer-cutout transitions need to go! They're so odd and abrupt.

I like the element of ambiguity that this episode brought to the "good vs. evil" fight. Obviously, Ro'kenhronteys (thanks, Sleepy Hollow wiki!) was Abbie's enemy. He came very close to killing her and winning a victory for Team Moloch. On the other hand, this crisis facilitated the reconciliation of Abbie and Jenny, which led to Team Witness gaining an ally and access to resources at the lake house; one could even argue that it was foretold by Ghost!Corbin ("Don't be afraid of #49"). So, for me at least, it's up in the air whether the "Sandman" was a demon sent by Moloch, a test/opportunity sent by God, or a wildcard with his own agenda. I'm not sure if the ambiguity was intentional (the show may have been going for straight-up baddie of the week), but I'll take it and appreciate it all the same.

Ha, leighdear! She kept giving me Helen Slater in "The Legend of Billie Jean" (post-makeover, of course). Perhaps a blend of the two? I guess I really enjoyed tonight's show since I scampered over to iTunes and purchased several songs: - "Edge of Glory": This is the closest I've come to owning a Lady Gaga song, but I dug what Dani did with it. - "Open Arms" and "Gold Dust Woman": Not only did I pick up Kat's song from tonight, I was reminded how much I liked her blind audition and grabbed that, too. - "I Won't Give Up": Well, Grimmie finally showed up! I'm happy to support her for her music as well as for her being on Team Pants. My "Voices" playlist is up to 87 songs (including favorite songs from coaches and mentors). It's an interesting time capsule of the show and its wide-ranging diversity really shows why I keep watching. I'm looking forward to seeing what Team Usher will bring to the party tomorrow night.