NorthstarATL

I missed the FJ because I guessed the Yeaster Rebellion.

Much as I enjoyed looking at Javi, he was dead to me after last episode, but I did NOT see him going out the way he did. In fact, even though I still blame Smurf for putting J and Nikki in jeopardy last ep (she managed to think of them this time around!), she was actually fairly competent here. I was thinking that her specifics about which house to dig in would wind up being wrong with her memory problems from the first episode coming back to bite her, but, surprisingly everything went OK. In that case, Smurf is going to look out for Smurf. There's "family", and then there's "me". No contest.

Marko is looking more and more like Harry Shum Jr. They have the same facial expressions. And Comfort looked like Rutina Wesley! I watch way too much TV! As usual with the culling of the herd, I rarely recall any of the cut dancers enough to feel for them when they are sent packing. I can't decide whether she really IS that cold (they supposedly danced together since they were 11?) or if she pissed off someone in editing so that she was made to appear that way, but, yes, my first reaction was the same! "Sucks to be you; I got THROUGH!"

If Javi had been in the running, he'd have been number one for me. Craig and Deran tie without Javi. J is creepily young. Pope has no chin. Baz has no soul.

Her mother told her in one of the sessions. I still am unsure as to whether Jean/Diane knew Sydney worked at the Rabbit Hole or whether THAT was coincidence, as her arrival at the coffee place is in the first scene in the series, but having seen her behavior throughout, it's likely Sam told her and she went there to check out who Sydney was and to ascertain why Sam was so smitten.

To each his (or her) own, I guess. Furry JJ is the best JJ for me! The actor did some underwear/swimwear modeling when he started, and THEY require no fur (actually they also often crop heads and cover tats with makeup as well!), and he was hired to play someone's kid, so I am pretty sure they went with the smooth look for that period, and then allowed the regrowth for the hookup with an older woman, perhaps to make it more "appropriate"? It makes zero sense now, unless the actor is doing side work elsewhere. Sadly we were not on the island long enough to see whether they'd permit its return naturally. So Steve is closing in on Tripp? Good. The sooner that ends the better. I liked that they put him in a scene with JJ and Lani. Much more comfortable/age appropriate than with Jade IMO. It would be interesting to see Tripp using some detective work to find out who really killed his mother (and why she deserved it) now that Jade's off stage. A parallel of father/son detectiving would be an interesting way to get them to the same place, and the eventual family drama.

This is the problem with not letting people finish talking! They MIGHT be fessing up about ruining you! I always assume people are going to open up to me about some crime or other, and so I allow them to ramble on in real life. (I have shady friends.) But, yeah, Kayla let her Jade hate get the better of her, and Tripp managed to re-commit to avenging St. Ava. The only good thing the writers did with Tripp WAS to make him seem eager to shadow his father and Kayla and have it seem genuine. Hopefully Kayla will now realize, having caught a glimpse of the Ava part of Tripp that all of this is a little too convenient, timing-wise.

They had a clue about Lake Itasca, where I grew up! I was so excited! Totally forgot that I HAVE Creed and have been planning to watch it...

LOL! To each his own! That's THE reason I want him back! Though I really think I "get" him and his gameplay. It made sense, and he was absolutely right about the reasoning behind not telling his alliance about his plan! Also, Ms. Chen, you are assuming that Cody is with Jessica because they have similar strategies. I'm guessing there are at least two non-strategic reasons for THEIR alliance. That said, I loved the interview with Julie! A lot of truth-telling right there, and he didn't need his "game face", and she showed what I thought was a bit of admiration. I hope he returns.

Thanks. I assume the next HOH comp will involve everyone having to compete on one leg, however. Xmas: "I GOT this! But will they think I am too much of a threat if I won?"

So when will the show officially just rename itself "Your Boy Paul" and be done with the pretense of being a game? Cody may be robotic, but he at least was honestly attempting to play a legit game and aim for a real target. Jessica is no prize, but she's not any worse than the other two showmancers who have opted to be accessories to guys in the game. That said, I am rooting for Alex, who has also been playing an actual game since day 1, and, even though a woman, has opted to play for herself instead of latching onto an available meathead. Correct me if I am wrong, but broken-foot XMAS magically, by "America's vote" gets to have someone replace her in a comp? Just like when Paul "randomly" chose a housemate for a "curse", and managed to miss ANY of the hamsters involved in a showmance? And, Josh, we at home are not BUYING your victim act. Cody and Jess may be wrong about a lot, but they have YOU pegged. I hope your female relatives are taking notes.

Smurf KNEW that Javi and his gang had tortured her ex, that they knew where she lived, that she no longer had the money, and that she had two kids living there (three if Baz had bailed and dropped Lena off, which is not unlike him at this point), and she did not bother giving at least J a head's up! I know she was suffering some memory issues in the first episode, but I am not seeing where she has ever had the smarts to lead her misfit brood into such a semi-successful lifestyle. I'm actually looking forward to that. This show needs a little fun. I know, but GEEZ, you don't make a stand against two armed men! You shoot them in the back and apologize later for breaking the rules. She made the worst use of her freedom of movement that she could have.

The reason I am praying that there never IS such a thing as "smell-o-vision", or, if there is, that it can be disabled except for the food channels.

I thought there were some pretty interesting ideas at play here, but there was no pay-off. Even assuming a second season some of the plot threads should have been resolved by the end of ten episodes. Chekhov's gun not only did NOT go off, but was seemingly forgotten! Sydney and Sam speaking of killing in separate scenes with J/D seemed to be foreshadowing, especially since one had the gun and one had the ammo, or was that symbolic of their sexual relationship? Sydney posting the incriminating photo online and Sam not SEEING it and outing Jean made no sense. And Jean, who was already nervously "seeing" Tom following her and Sydney turns around and allows the addict who always goes back to him to stay in her "Diane" apartment? And we're supposed to believe she graduated from college? The woman should not only not be practicing, but she has enough supervision that they should be on to her by now.

That was a mess. From the second I heard "London Calling" I knew we were in for less than a treat, and it just got worse as the episode went on. It did do one thing for me, though. I actually am considering revisiting Shakespeare in Love.

Elizabeth's descent into villainy is actually interesting to watch. She is almost as contemptible at this point as her husband, especially in her treatment of Valentine (yes, she has reasons...) and now Morwenna. I was disappointed in Demelza , though I understand her trying to protect her brother. Still, it would be easier for Drake and Morwenna if at least one of the families were on their side. Hated seeing Dwight break down.

It was probably just the disappointment of Roller turning out to be the tired trope of hallucinatory guilt that soured me on the episode from the beginning, but this one just was painful to get through compared to the previous episodes. The timing seemed off, and the characters did not impress me. Maybe too much time with Polly? Or Des' brother? I don't know. Gina Torres deserved better. As did her character. At first I though that too was a dream sequence. I was under the impression that UD was either gay or bi, and found it typically Florida for him to have a boy toy on the side. The surgery thing is just another tired trope. I hope the show gets back on track. Or maybe it was just my mood.

It's a textbook illustration of how to ruin a character with potential.

Not a mod, but I think that an actor or actress departing counts as a spoiler, whereas a "death" on a soap is just a daily occurrence and does not actually count as a spoiler UNLESS the person playing the deceased is no longer employed or replaced, which gives away the storyline. I know it's only the Salem P.D., so they cannot have real world standards, but Lani "testifying" that she saw her boyfriend who woke up covered in Gabi attacking someone while they were all drugged would not hold much weight.

No closed-captioning here either, but he basically called out Valentine for not looking like George, which, while amusing, and totally something Agatha can and has said, makes little sense for a kid with no knowledge of biology or genetics. Not all kids look like their parents at any age, much less at Valentine's. I would have LOVED the kid to have been born with a scar just like Ross's though. Demelza WAS awesome as usual, and I like her brothers and their insinuation into the community. Drake and Morwenna are adorable. Too bad the Poldarks can't change the locks and hire a security force before the Warleggans return home.

I could NOT stop laughing all the way through this episode! "Tit" us just amused the heck out of me, because of COURSE she wouldn't know how to pronounce it! So Uncle Daddy is screwing them over, and MAYBE Des and Roller are doing the same to him? Or he's a dream...or a twin..or a clone...or....I don't even know...but he has a fine ass. Polly's SLA story was hysterical. I think the only things that bog the story down for me is still Des' brother.

This episode was fun! Loved Theresa getting herself out of a mess AND rescuing James and recruiting the militia guys! She really catches on quickly and she made an excellent argument. Plus, I think she is realizing that her ex is not really looking out for her, and she's learned to take care of herself and will continue to do so no matter what he decides! Didn't James ask whether she was going to call him? I liked that moment of levity with them. They need to do that more. I even wanted Theresa to thank Camila for the car. You can be hard, but you don't have to be ALL the time. She needs to start to build more rapport with Camila if they are going to work together.

But Smurf DOES, and Deran acknowledged that he is aware of it. His orientation matters in that it separates him from the other boys in that Smurf cannot manipulate him in the same way she does the others, but neither is he a female, so she doesn't treat him like them either. She does have a certain normal maternal control over him, though, as one might expect. Now I am just hoping that Javi is either gay or bi, because THAT would be an amazingly hot pairing.

I love the fact that being gay is not ALL that Deran is, but that it's an important factor, strangely, in his relationship with Smurf. He's more useful than a daughter because of physicality, but she can neither manipulate him sexually nor use him to manipulate others sexually, which she seems to have done with her female charges. Looking at the properties Smurf has at her disposal it seems at some point she made a conscious decision to keep all the boys (and now Nikki) under one roof, rather than let them spread their wings a bit, though still under control, which might have served her better than the current situation.

Oh, I agree. I just meant that the writers are doing the Tripp character no favors by having him irrationally obsessed with his dead psycho mommy, turning on a welcoming family, and believing some girl he barely knows about everything. Much of my reaction is fueled by having just met my own birth mother and her family. I had questions about my birth father, but they were not asked immediately, and he is not a factor in how I deal with them. (Granted, I don't suspect they killed him...) Tripp's willingness to toss away a REAL family for some fantasy person doesn't ring true. Also, we have no real interactions between Tripp and Jade that explain why he puts so much faith in her every word. His interactions with Steve and Kayla in observing their work and with his half-brother make him likable, but when we learn that all he's doing is cherrypicking info in order to validate Jade's story he seems just as psychotic as his mother, and maybe THAT is what they have planned for him. I cannot see him settling in at Salem at this point. Which is sad, because he might have made a decent addition to the normal cast, even if he were a bad guy by way of getting involved with his mother's family. That would be a different sort of "bad" than the current vendetta, though.