catray

I'm glad Jake's not dead. I liked Bishop doing what she needed to do, and the help and support she got from the team, especially the emotional support from McGee. I like their relationship a lot. The Dream Team was pretty cute too. It was good to see Delilah again; always like having her around! Did anyone translate the binary code? I must not have been paying attention, because I didn't catch on to the perp until after they eliminated the guy who gave Tony poison oak. (Also: it was super obvious that Tony was the one with it; way to be subtle show.) I did fall for the commander's "I'm on your side" act, at least for a bit. That was a great bit-- I was pretty sure he wasn't actually supporting him, but wasn't quite sure. Nicely played. On a different note: The Bishop breakfast burrito sounds pretty good!

What?! NOOOOOOOOO!! This is terrible news. I rely on USN for all my Olympic sports coverage (primarily figure skating and swimming) so this sucks big time!! Boo hiss.

They said he had a hip flexor injury, which made it hard for him to jump (I believe they said he'd only just starting adding jumps back into his practice this past week) but skating as a whole was still pretty painful due to the injury. I'm a little bit peeved because I set my DVR to record the skating on NBCSN and not only did it start late due to some F1 racing, my DVR cut off before Max Aaron's gold medal skate!! ARGH. I did enjoy Shoma Uno and Han Yan's programs though. Jason's was beautiful but he really is going to need to figure out his 3-axel and the quad.

While I sometimes get tired of the current Abby iteration (as opposed to the early seasons) I did like seeing Abby taking the situation into her own hands and saving the day using her own set of skills, not becoming so crazy super ninja. I kind of wanted to smack her when she was muttering to herself in the closet with the bad guys in the next room (!!) but at least she acknowledged that telepathically contacting Gibbs wasn't going to work and she needed to do something-- and then did so. I guessed from the start (or fairly early after meeting her) that the other scientist was somehow connected to the robbery. Something just seemed hinky about her. I did like that she was actually trying to get information to expose the company and the rest got out of hand, not because she wanted to hurt people. I too enjoyed Gibbs frantically clicking the panic button when he was accosted by all the ladies wanting their Botox. Not to mention that she took a private phone call at work-- at a crime scene! It was urgent because Jake was being sent out somewhere, but seriously, unless you have an personal office with a door, walk a little bit farther away if you don't want your coworkers to overhear your conversation. Don't have it in the van where people might need to go for supplies!! McGee shouldn't have said anything but Bishop shouldn't have been having that conversation in the rig. Not looking forward to Bishop drama next week-- and I'll be pissed if something happens to Jake. Not only because I love Jamie Bamber, but I seriously don't need weepy angsty Bishop.

I enjoyed Gibbs and Vance teaming up (still hate that tooth pick, though) but there were a lot of holes in this episode. The biggest of which being-- Vance is being accused by an dirty, ex-NCIS agent with an obvious motive to frame Vance; any good PR person (not to mention lawyer) could spin that to make Vance look fine, not to mention lack of actual lack of evidence against him. Whatever. I knew there would be a second tracker on the money-- just didn't realize it would be Gibbs' phone. Other than that, I like how Tony was the one getting the team to buckle down and work while Gibbs and Vance were on the prowl; continuing to quietly lead there. Everyone else was pretty quiet this week.

This episode felt a little paint-by-numbers for me. Not that NCIS is notorious for breaking new ground and not that it was a bad episode, just felt a little rote to me. Despite that, it was a decent stand-alone episode. I liked the change up of McGee and Bishop going undercover and for a good reason... until it got blown. Bishop was dumb to take a risk like breaking into the suspect's house, and I agree, she should have been dressed down for it, as they had evidence the wife was not who she said she was. The body in the moving box was suitably horrifying, though. McGee probably shouldn't have answered the phone, but I'm pretty sure that's happened before within the show-- didn't Tony answer Ziva's phone once? Not saying it's right (if they each have their own private lines/extensions, no one else should be answering it). And he does know Jake, so it's not unprecedented. And I do sympathize-- wouldn't you preface something like that by saying it's a surprise? It's not like Jake talks to the team every day, but everyone is friendly with each other and Bishop knows this, so I think both McGee and Bishop failed here. I was unhappy with Tony acting like a dunce again this episode. It's not uncommon to do DNA testing these days, and I think it's cool to take an interest in your background and heritage, but ugggggh, he was acting like such an idiot. And surely a quick Google search of the "17th Earl of Trent" would have revealed everything he learned from his cousin? Not a fan of buffoon Tony.

I saw the news about Jeanne returning and I'm not sure how I feel about it. I was not a big fan of her and was thrilled when she left, so I'm not really thrilled with her returning. Why would she come back anyway?! I guess it depends on how they handle it. I just can't really fathom why we need to see her again.

Ok, I'm glad I'm not the only one feeling like this is Gibbs' farewell tour. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if Harmon steps back or retires at the end of this season. Personally, I would still watch if Tony took charge and Gibbs was reduced to a more supporting role, but I also feel like maybe the show should end at that point. I guess we'll see what happens. The beginning of this episode really threw me, because I thought maybe Tony and McGee knew Mitch but no, it was Gibbs and yet more backstory. I wasn't particularly interested-- I was more interested in Tony/Gibbs and continuing to love the background interactions between the characters. I especially loved Tim catching on to Tony knowing something. I had to laugh when Tony called a campfire because so many people seem to hate it. Looking forward to next with McGee and Bishop going undercover together. I feel like it's usually Tony, so I hope next week is fun.

I really like Brody's new haircut-- very cute and sassy! It's kind of making me want to cut my own hair. Anyway, so she apparently has a stalker now? Or someone who was fixated on her dead sister and has transferred that fixation to Brody? Not really sure how I feel about this plot but we'll see. Love the addition of Sonja to the NCIS team. I thought the "hazing" was pretty gentle and silly-- they didn't totally treat her like a probie (I mean, she was an ATF undercover agent, ffs), but definitely still got some teasing as the newbie to NCIS. She has a nice rapport with the team, especially La Salle, so I whole-heartedly approve her addition. Not loving the domestic terrorist storyline, though I guess it's slightly better than doing yet another international terror plot (looking at you, NCIS). We'll see where it goes, though *yawn* now Pride is a target (again).

I thought this was a pretty good premiere-- the only thing that I really annoyed me was the "North Korean" hacking of Dornegut's laptop. Is that even possible? I'm no computer expert, but if a computer is offline on a shelf, how do you hack it? I wasn't sure how I would feel about Cryer's character prior to this episode, but I find that I like him and am looking forward to seeing him interact with Gibbs and how their relationship develop. They are alike to me-- experts in their fields, with enough confidence in their abilities that it toes the line of arrogance, but masking deep wounds that drive them. I do agree that the chit chat would probably drive me insane, but I did like how methodical and in control he was despite that. The operation scene had a very cool, steady sort of flow to it as opposed to being chaotic. I guess some of it could also be just the fact that Gibbs wasn't going to die, but I'd also like to think it gives us some insight into Taft. While Gibbs is a functional mute and uses it to great effect, Taft uses continuous banter to stay focused and in control. Thought the scenes with Gibbs and Kelly were well done without being over the top. It felt poignent but not sappy, to me anyway. Tony was great this episode (not surprisingly). I liked how he worked with Joanna (another character I wouldn't mind seeing again). I am curious about the look he had on his face after he shot Daniel-- did it seem to anyone else like he regretted that action? He was justified because Daniel was reaching for a gun but he didn't seem satisfied. My personal about Gibbs and Tony: Tony is stepping up to fill Gibbs' shoes while Gibbs is having to face the limitations of his body (and eventually the end of his career as he ages) and not surprisingly given their alpha male personalities, there is bound to be a clash. Gibbs isn't retiring, but someone had to lead and I think, perhaps because of how close Tony and Gibbs are, it will be hard on both of them. That makes sense to me anyway; we'll see what the showrunners have to say next week.

Don't care so much about Hank and Nikki's former relationship, but maybe now Hank came meet someone and we don't have to suffer through his love life Glad competant Evan was back this week, though I was definitely crying at the end of their plot. Not surprised Elán decided to keep the baby, but I loved how supportive Paige and Evan were, all the way to the end. I thought it was well done. If next season is the last one, it makes sense to move that storyline foward then. I like the symmetry of Divya and Raj reengaged and planning their wedding heading into what is probably the final season of this show. I guess that means Divya and Jeremiah are not the end game, which is fine by me. Where was Jeremiah? Missed him.

I didn't pay much attention to this episode, because it wasn't that interesting. Could have lived out with the Evan vs. bird plot. Why did we need that? And yes, as mentioned, a couple phone calls would have solved the problem easily. So stupid. The most interesting part this week was actually Raj telling Divya that he is going to try marriage counseling with his wife. I think that makes sense and I liked that Divya (on screen at least) wasn't pouty and mad at him. I'm sure she was disappointed, but she did the right thing and let him go. Not at all surprised that she turned down the prince-- I mean, did the show really expect us to think Divya would give up her career and move to another country to become a princess/queen? Yeah no. I am fairly convinced that Divya/Jeremiah is still end game here, though with Raj trying to reconcile with his wife maybe they'll play that card and have Divya and Rafa try to work things out. I was expecting to roll my eyes a lot during the Hank/Lama/Boris plotline, but it was actually fairly well done and there were some nice moments. I did get a chuckle out of the boy blessing Hank's iPad and then all the dings from the dating site. I did like that the boy loved the stuffed animal Evan brought to him, even as Hank was trying to pooh-pooh it. (That actually seemed out of character for Hank, who I think would realize that a child would want something comforting in a strange place.) Missed Paige and Jeremiah this week-- hopefully they are back for the finale (already?!) next week.

Great story! I love Mark Harmon, so it's nice to hear that he's actually a genuine, nice guy. What an awesome experience for your god-daughter! I would have run away with the other twin, rather than make a blathering fool of myself. =)

If Divya suspected smallpox, why the hell weren't all those people quarantined and samples sent to the CDC asap?! And no gloves?! Harrumph indeed. Keller isn't my favorite, but he always brings some hilarity. Gah, I felt so so so bad for Jeremiah. It was pretty clear he was experiencing a regression before he said it, but it was so hard to watch. I want to punch Jimbo in the face!! I'm glad he's ok. Minor complaint: of course he had to perform mouth-to-mouth on Divya and she is almost instantly revived. Right. The Boris/Evan plot is ridiculous and what movie plot did they just steal? But I did like Evan being competant and Boris acknowledging that.

I don't care if Divya dates three different guys. That's great for her! I just don't really want it to be treated as a plot point/romantic comedy of errors that she's got three suitors and is trying to keep them from knowing about each other and she can't decide who she likes more. Be an adult and be honest, ffs! You like them all, then tell them all and let the chips fall where they may.

This was my guess-- I feel like an illegitimate child would have quietly when given away or taken to an orphanage. But if she already had a child and then engaged in some behavior that society frowned on (an affair, perhaps an abortion?) it makes more sense that she would be cut off from her family. I wish Nurse Quayle wasn't so horrible. And I agree it, it would help if we knew why she had been passed over for the promotion. I am getting the feeling that she is a person who believes strongly in tradition and "doing things the way they've always been done" and feels threatened by change, which could explain her anger at being passed over for Matron and her dislike at Nurse I felt badly for Rosalie, though I'm a little surprised that she didn't think this would be a possibility when she decided to go nurse male soldiers injured in the war. I agree with the thinking that she's probably religious, conservative, and repressed, hence her fear of male genitalia.

I am worried about Jeremiah-- I hope he's on a secret mission to find Jimbo and get the money back. Rafa's 180 turn on the custody battle makes no sense, except in the context of this show, which means it makes perfect sense. (Insert eye roll here.) Suddenly Divya's voicemail was passionate, not creepy and threatening? Mmm hmm. I'm not really interested in Divya being pursued by three guys. I mean, I don't have a problem with her dating them and figuring out if she possibly wants to marry one of them, but I don't really want to see it was a storyline. Also, I'm maybe going to be pissed if she throws over Raj again (though I have a sneaking suspicion they will end up together). The Olympia/Hank thing was weird. He seemed like he might be interested in pursuing a relationship, but she didn't. Which is too bad because I liked the idea of them of as a couple, and honestly, she felt more appropriate than many of his other love interests. (Not necessarily the age thing but just in terms of temperament, place/stage in life.) But two episodes and then she's gone! What was the point? Paige has suddenly become a pushover, ugh. Get it together, Paige! And Evan was being stupid this episode-- mainly because he hasn't learned anything about Boris and his secrets. UGH. I feel like Evan backslide a lot this week.

My husband and I watched this out mainly out of curiosity-- he speaks a little bit of German and I speak none, so we're pretty much dependent on the subtitles. But we both like spy stories, so we're in. I agree that some of the subtitles were hard to read, which is highly annoying. I'm not sure why Martin's aunt thinks he will be such a great spy-- while he accomplished one task, calling your girlfriend behind enemy lines FROM YOUR BOSS'S HOUSE seems really really really stupid. Martin, you're not going to last very long if you keep doing stupid shit like that. Glad they didn't actually kill the colonel's sister-in-law; wouldn't that have been awfully suspicious?

I'm watching, especially since it's only six episodes. There are familiar faces and it's a wartime drama (timely with all the WWI centenary events happening now) so I feel like I don't have a lot to lose. Bummer it only got one series. Watching the callousness towards those with PTSD was hard, but felt spot on given the time period-- I've certainly read accounts saying that those with "nerves" were basically treated as cowards because they were able bodied enough to keep fighting didn't want to. I can only assume that's why Sister Quayle didn't give the one soldier the tag to head back on the convoy-- so sad. I am interested to learn all their back stories and motivations, though, so I'm looking forward to the next episode.

I haven't seen the 70's version or read the books, but I did watch the first episode yesterday and enjoyed it. I find it very interesting to read the comments comparing this show with the previous version and the book. The comments about Elizabeth are particularly interesting; even though I have no exposure to the other versions, I would agree that she definitely seems softer here than perhaps she is supposed to be. I got more of sense that she is sorry about what happened to Ross but she's not going to go back on her word to Francis. The only thing (to me) that indicated that maybe she didn't really care for Ross was the lack of communication between the two of them once he returned-- she couldn't have sent a letter? (Though the same goes for Ross, good grief.) Aiden Turner is easy on the eyes and the scenery porn will probably sustain me through seven episodes, even if I don't end up loving it.

I can buy Jeremiah's distress being less about the money (though certainly you don't want to go frittering your donations away) and more about the fact that he gave his trust to someone (Jimbo) and was totally scammed. And it was a truly douche move by Jimbo-- I feel like even though the money is gone right now, if they could find Jimbo, they would have some sort of legal recourse. But that doesn't really take away Jeremiah's embarrassment about being scammed. I think it's telling he called Divya rather than Evan-- to me that says it's less about the money and more about the personal/emotional toll it took. A new sequencing machine released last year lowered the cost of whole genome sequencing to $1000/patient (down from ~5K) but the machines involved cost ~10 million. So it's totally feasible that Jeremiah lost well over a million dollars. Yikes. However, given that they would probably only buying ONE machine, I would venture to guess that it's only several hundreds of thousands of dollars (still a lot). I'm pretty sure Vanessa Williams' character is going to have some sort of mystery aliment that Hank will need to save her from (in addition to being a love interest). The need for sleeping pills, whatever she claims, seem like a red flag to me. But I like her and she seems different from a lot of the other love interests Hank has had so I'm down if they go that route.

Calling it now: Evan and Paige will adopt the baby and then find out they are pregnant by the end of the season. Or for some reason the adoption will be called off and then they will discover Paige is pregnant. I totally get Evan's hesitation over Paige's eagerness to adopt, but I liked in the end he acknowledged that either way, it's ok with him. Of course the prince is attracted to Divya-- who didn't see that coming after he presented her with the earrings a couple of episodes ago? I am actually liking Divya and Raj reconnecting and potentially moving their relationship forward and I'm almost 100% certain that Divya is not going to leave Royal Pains to become a queen somewhere. Loved Evan and Sacani(!!) manipulating Hank to be auctioned off. That was pretty great. I was really hoping Sacani's college roommate wasn't working him to get some money out of him and the center, but... damnit. Poor Sacani.Yes, he should have checked on things, but Sacani is always willing to believe the best in people and it was heart breaking to see him used like that. The phone call to Divya has me really worried for him.

I correctly guessed that the crew were the Razza, so it wouldn't surprise me in the least if it turned out they actually weren't murderers/pirates/etc and it was all some sort of set up. Not a huge fan of Zoie Palmer but I like her more as an android than I ever liked her character on Lost Girl. Overall, it has potential, though it's not perfect. Right now the characters aren't fleshed out very well and I'm already tired of people saying "I just know!" in response to being able to do something. I am intrigued at why the Five is not on the crew manifest and what's behind the mystery door, though.

I found this episode to be kind of boring-- well, not much to rant about at least. It was ok as a general episode, but seemed to just be filler as nothing really happened to move any of the plots along. I was rolling over my eyes Evan accidentally posting his sperm results on his blog, because I don't think it's possible. But he handled it pretty well, at least with Paige's help. I expected the actor shadowing Hank to be really annoying, but he was actually ok. He was a bit over the top, but seemed genuine. Divya going all "not without my daughter" on Rafa probably isn't going to help her case, as Paige pointed out. She was doing well until that point. And no Jeremiah this week to save her from herself.

Well, thank god Jeremiah came back this week because the cops in the Hamptons are too stupid to actually follow up on Divya's statement, like checking on the 911 call or the parking meter charge. SERIOUSLY?! And I love that Jeremiah is still seeing "therapist" Bob and it's helping him. Good for him! This is what continues to make this plot so stupid. Divya (via HankMed) should be known throughout the Hamptons, even if they don't know them all personally. There are enough people to vouch for her and eventually the skateboarder will be found. Of course Evan donated sperm. Because... of course he did. I'm glad Hank checked on Paige-- but man, I think it would be so awkward to have your brother-in-law doing that.