mrsdalgliesh

I agree with you there, but I loved it. Each one was like a valentine. There's so little of that done anymore. And I'm curious, too, about Bedelia making sure she was seen by the security camera. It's obviously going to get them caught, but who's idea was it? Hannibal's need to bring others to the dark side -- or make them aware they are already there (as he sees it) --- is what makes him so much more evil. He's a suave, impeccably dressed cult leader.

The light and shadow in this show. Breathtaking. Gillian and Mads. Perfection. Pity that Hannibal is preparing Bedelia for a late supper. What was Bedelia buying along with the wine?

Some of these acts are waved through but I guarantee we'll never see them again (or only in brief flashes). Each judge got to say "yes" for a feel good moment, but none of them are RCMH-worthy and NBC will not want us to see them get voted down. Tonight's examples: 87 year old showgirl and 14 year old dancer. I have a feeling that "danger" act was actually a magic act (and maybe most are). The guy seemed to be breathing in a specific way when the "firecracker" was in his mouth. My guess is that they are all rigged to explode but that he can dislodge or disengage something with his mouth/breath. Still, it's an entertaining summer show and a throw-back to the variety shows of the past. I'm a weird one: I'll watch this pablum and then turn around and watch Hannibal.

Anyone else thrown off at the beginning of the episode by flashbacks to "The Ballad of Jayne"? Just me? Ok, then. I want to thank the writers for putting Reid in a coma for an episode so that I could enjoy more Jackson. Reid can wake up now -- he is integral to the show, after all -- but I sure loved a mostly AR-focused episode. Abberline was actually helpful, too --- you could finally see that he had a real copper in him. So funny seeing him stand up to Jackson with the beer-filled lung in his face. I haven't actually looked to see how many episodes we're getting -- and I had begun to assume that it was a super-short "season" and it would all be about Obsidian and the train robbery. So, despite the fact that it was jarring to have just a case-of-the-week, I was thrilled to know that there's a bit more to the season than I thought. A bit more, yes, but the casting still bugs me.

Tara, I thought you were going to follow up your first two "exploitation" items with one on the dad who sang the song he wrote for his child who died of cancer ("Most upsetting exploitation...maybe"). I didn't know what to think about that. The song was genuine (if simplistic), he was an ok singer and genuinely sad...but do you really want to advance in talent competition because the judges cried over your tragedy? It felt odd.

The best part about the hypnotist's act was the reaction from the other judges. When they realized what he was going to do to Howie, one of them said something like "going for broke" -- as in, this either works or it's really really bad for him. Then their glee when they discovered they could shake Howie's hand. OTOH, if it was for real, I have to think Howie's going to be incredibly pissed off. I do wish that they'd followed up with the redhead in the audience: her reactions, too, were really funny.

Loved seeing Jackson working behind the scenes; everything with his character was like personal fan service. I'd been waiting for him to confront the clinic doctor, I got it. Waiting for the spark with Susan and oh Lordy, there it was, with each speaking the other's given name, no less. There was even that great scene with Fred Best. Agree completely with SB regarding the Father/daughter subplot...especially what a relief it was to see Angried find a bit of sanity again. Whitechapel tailors were running out of collars with Reid running around grabbing everyone by them.

The characterizations make sense to me considering the passage of time. Based on what happened to them in S2, I can see Reid becoming more and more rigid in his thinking and Susan becoming as hard as she now is. Drake's development into a more independent leader fits well also, considering why he left and that he was gone long enough. Jackson is probably the character who has changed the least, but since I'm a goner for him, I'm not minding. :-) But wow, this episode was DARK. I was internally (and, ok, maybe out loud, too) yelling at Reid and Susan and especially the gullible doctor. GAH. My experience with the show says we'll get a bittersweet resolution to Reid and his daughter but we'll have to be well and truly tortured first.

Ben Daniels? I'm in. (Law & Order UK)

Ack. A whole post (which I can now pretend was brilliant) eaten by the intertubes. Oh well. All I really wanted to say was that this season felt like two things: (1) an AMC-manufactured "season" which is really just the first half of one; and (2) a repeated illustration of the futility of most spy games. Nina isn't spying like she was supposed to, Stan isn't getting NIna back, the prized defector is actually a spy, the mailbot bug yielded nothing, the trip with Paige actually pushed her further away from her parents... I can now see Stan's creepy interest in Henry being a prelude to his being asked to spy on Henry's parents; after all, he's apparently now the go-to guy for being friendly with the rezidents. Now Henry can be a pawn and have a plotline of his own. Or maybe it won't get that far. est (which in my experience had only caused my violin teacher to miss my senior HS recital) looks to improbably be a step in Philip's road to defecting. Meanwhile, Paige is off to Kenya* and maybe Pastor Tim will wait for that trip (and her "safety" away from her parents) to spill the beans, and it will be a race to see if arrest or defection wins. Of course, nothing in this story is going to win. It's a bloodbath, metaphorically and/or literally, no matter what. Tragedy is a comin'. Anyway, the whole season felt like place setting for next season. The third movement of Sibelius' 2nd. Expertly done while being completely meaningless without what follows. *what were the politics of Kenya in the 80's? Can Paige be snatched from there by the Motherland?

I'm a weepy mess. That was just about perfect. Well done, Graham and Co. We got the song, we got a bloodbath, we got a showdown, we got Raylan and Boyd smiling and exchanging barbs, and we got a little Crowder surprise. Winn lives, Loretta takes care of business. " Never understood what she sees in you. " " Be kinda weird if you did. " I'm satisfied.

Ms. Blue Jay, I think you mean Ron Rivkin, not Bob Balaban. Probably not the first time people have confused them. So happy Alicia's not going to be the S.A. I've never been as unhappy with the entire show as many here seem to be (the actors keep me in no matter what happens), but I'm so relieved the Kings didn't go through with that. Though there could have been storylines there, it was going to take the focus off the firm and it's that interplay and those characters I find most interesting. More David Lee! And can Michael Boatman stay? I do applaud the Kings for the number of ways this end game with Kalinda and Lemond Bishop could play out. There was a time when we all would just assume that Kalinda was going to kill him, but they've set up the father/son dynamic, her relationship with his son, and Bishop's statement that he wants to get out for the benefit of his son -- all reasons she might not. So now what? At least I'm wondering and tuning in.

That was a stunning episode, with subtle but powerful acting all around. In particular, in the scene in the garage after Elizabeth had sex with the hotel manager, KR blew me away. At first I thought it was about Elizabeth still recovering from her own assault, but it became evident that it was just as much, if not more, about seeing herself and her actions through her daughter's eyes. MR had plenty of moments himself, though none quite equaled that tiny little head nod he gave last week just before P and E told Paige the truth. Meanwhile, I think " Clark" made a tactical error in teaching his wifey the tip- of-the-nose trick. I think it gave her away. Martha is not long for this world.

So now we have to rely on our YouTube benefactors to put up full episodes. Curses.

Kassey, same problem here. The on-demand eps stop three or four weeks back and I havent seen the show on the schedule.

Again, I am never, ever going to be Catholic, but this show continues to make me smile. There have to be people watching who are comparing the whining/bitchiness/drama of the girls to the chill of the nuns and siding with the sisters. And that is something new and awesome in reality tv. Plus, there are all sorts of positive messages about service -- not just "you should do this," but "if you do this, it will feel great." The Darnell business: I was amazed that no one but Francesca seemed to clearly articulate to Eseni that no man should be so clingy that he can't allow her 6 weeks of exploration and independence. (Maybe Sister Beth Ann, too, but not clearly enough for me.) I'm getting old and crotchety because I desperately wanted Eseni to kick him to the curb for being such a dick and could not empathize with her unawareness of his dickishness. I liked Stacey more in this episode, seeing her joy in the service. No idea if her decision will stick, and heaven help her when she finds out Jesus didn't really look like a white surfer dude, but her heart was in the right place.

"I'm surprised there hasn't been a murder." Loved that.

Claire is insufferable, isn't she? Hopefully there's a redemption arc. This is a show about faith, after all. I don't watch reality tv *at all,* yet here I am watching a second episode of this. I'm hoping beyond hope that there's some real truth in this. I'm not Catholic, but I'd hope the nuns wouldn't put up with a lot of producer BS. I mean, considering how reality shows get filmed, are the nuns really putting up with, "ok, Sister, that was good, but could you do it again and turn your head a little bit more towards the camera?" After this episode, I'm voting Stacey as Most Likely To Move On In Her Nun Journey. She had a lovely way of trying to talk Claire out of being an arrogant idiot. Of course, she hasn't cracked at all yet, so haven't seen much.

So....I was wrecked by that last scene and wrecked by Kalinda seeing her big risk go to shit, and mainly wrecked by MattC hitting it out of the park. Not angry about the political stuff, because the Kings are going there and I can't do anything about it. No idea what the various courtroom shenanigans were about (dismissed juror who they show overhearing Cary and Kalinda -- why? DA distracted by love affair -- why?). Just wrecked by what's happened to Cary. Bishop. Must. Die.

Where are you all seeing S3?? My Amazon Prime listing doesn't have it posted. I want to see it, too!

Now that's what I'm talking about. Tight, well-paced, good Whedonesque lines that work because they're not the only thing happening. They tied in / prepped the Agent Carter series, everyone had something to do or foreshadow (except Ming-Na who, I assume, was off getting makeup for whatever is happening in two weeks), and holy hell, a great coda. I tend to watch without trying to predict -- I go with the flow. So I did not see the coda coming and it was so much better that way. Hi Mom!

maherjunkie, maybe it's because the last time they talked, she was pretty ugly to him. "You lied to me, so here's what you should say to the press if you're asked, have a nice life, bye." Although considering how they've been writing things, they probably won't keep that continuity.

I saw in this episode the writers attempting to fix a bit of what they've screwed up, while setting up Kalinda's departure. They basically reset Alicia and Owen (there's no way that brief apology should have been enough), they called Alicia out on being "entitled" (which has been our critique of her approach to the race), and they gave her a COTW so we could remember what we liked about her. Eli's scolding helped on that score, as well. Plus, Matt C killed as Cary. The close up on him, just after Alicia left, with his eyes brimming? Fantastic. Things aren't fixed, not by a long shot, but there are hints that they may be improving. I will miss what Kalinda might have been, but not how AP has been wasted, and it looks like we'll get a dramatic exit of some sort, and one that ties into the dread that Lamont Bishop has brought to this season. (I am struggling not to type "Lemon" Bishop after Linda Lavin's hilarious mispronunciation,) As for Alicia, I wonder if we might get a debate between her and Not-Niles in which she says, "you know what? You're perfect for this job and you should have it. I quit." Because I agree that, without Castro, her motivation isn't as clear --- and I didn't read Not-Niles as being duplicitous. An act like that would certainly put Alicia back in my good graces. On the other hand, the Kings may still be wanted to write Breaking Bad: The Alicia Florrick Story. If that happens, I don't know that I'll be watching.

Wow. Things are a mess. Agreed. So Connie Nielson's character is just an anvil for Alicia's evolution? Gadzooks. I had a first tonight: I saw the previews and thought, "No, I don't want to watch any more of either of those stories." (Cary being railroaded and Alicia being a terrible candidate.) I may have to take a break, DVR and FF later, when I see how things shake out.

As most of us have agreed, we're in a weak period with our show here. Elsbeth had a victory at the end but only after another courtroom snafu which -- STOP IT, show. STOP IT. So I'll just mention some things I did like: things that demonstrate the talent. 1. The shot of that baby. They managed to get a shot in which the baby slooowly reacted to weird Josh. Hilarious. 2. Casting, as in Linda Lavin. So interesting as the court officer and -- because she's great -- different than anything else I've seen her do. Plus: "Lemon Bishop." :::snort::: 3. Diane and Alicia going to their "new" offices, and Alicia entering Will's. :::sob::: 4. The more subtle, yet significant compromise Alicia made on the topic of faith. That's how I expect this show to depict Alicia's slide into grey land, *not* by taking Bishop's money and never pausing for even a second. 5. I'm okay with the long game on Cary. Alicia's "we're in this together" speech was a bit silly considering Cary's losing every.single.vote. C'mon show. You have the right stuff. Don't screw around.