[S38.E10: Blood of a Blindside]

I was pleasantly surprised by this episode. I figured we were getting two easily forgettable boots, like Aurora, and... I wasn't sure about the second. I thought maybe Wardog or Gavin. But nope, it was the two remaining returning players. I didn't think Wardog had it in him. As much as he irks me with his aggressive salesmanship, I think he usually has a good read on people and the game and is making good moves. Now, I still don't think he's going to win, but who the hell knows at this point? I would have screamed if Lesu 3 made it further. Not because I have a real problem with them, but only because it would have been stupid to let a tight threesome deeper in the game, when it would have become near impossible to dislodge them. I was surprised that Kelly didn't play her idol. She looked like she was going to pull it out, but I guess she felt confident enough in Wardog and her new alliance. 

It will be interesting to see how everything shakes up from here. I'm curious how Lauren will play without her protector, Kelly. Yes, she is pretty good in challenges, but she seems to consistently take her guidance from Kelly at tribal. The editors have played up the fact that she has looked over to Kelly for clues on if she should play her idol (or the editors really want to paint that picture for the viewers). Since Wardog took out her closest ally, I imagine she is a free agent and maybe even looking for some payback. I wish Julie would stop playing so emotionally, but I think it's too late for that one. At this point in the game, it would be almost stupid to vote out Aurora, because she is not likely to get any votes in the end. I can see why the goats would want to vote her out, because it frees up a slot for them, but Julie is ostensibly in an alliance with Ron (though who knows after this vote), and yet she just wants to vote out Aurora for some weird reason. Even if Aurora was the one who started the chaos at the previous tribal, Julie is still responsible for her own emotional meltdown. 

Sooooo...of the people left in the game, I wouldn't mind seeing Rick or Victoria win (though Victoria has gone quiet in recent weeks, even though she has been voting in the majority). As for the rest of them left in the game (not counting EoE)...nah. 

[S38.E09: Y'all Making Me Crazy]

I enjoyed this episode. Unless a player I am truly rooting for gets screwed over by these live tribal situations, I'm good with whoever gets the boot. It was fun for me to watch the plans devolve into chaos and not knowing which way the vote was going. I have to wonder what would have happened if this had been a more normal tribal. Julia and Gavin seemed to be playing both sides, so I have no clue if they genuinely would have voted Kelly or David (or was there another name floating about that just didn't air)? If the vote had come down to Kelly and David and both got spooked and played their idols, it would have been interesting to see who would have ended up on the wrong side of that vote. 

It rarely fails that a tribe that merges up in the numbers and "strong" self destructs once the players get a chance to actually play. That's why, even though I think it is a poor decision to stick to [insert tribe name here] "strong" play until you have to turn on each other, it usually backfires if you turn too soon before whittling the opposing tribe's numbers down to a more manageable level. Survivor seasons are riddled with minority tribes sticking together enough through the merge to take out the dominant tribe (with the dominant tribe's help of course). 

I was pleased to see Rick and David get back together with seemingly no hard feelings (unlike Julie who just emotionally self destructed over being left out of a vote). I enjoy Rick and David as a pair, so I'm glad they aren't gunning for each other. I also find it delightful to see David and Kelly's unlikely partnership at times. I mean, it's not like they are best buddies or anything, but there really doesn't seem to be any hard feelings between the two, even though they have targeted each other. I think that comes from being returning players and not taking vote targets and flips so personally. 

It will be interesting to see what happens next week. At this point, I bet on seeing more Kama destruction, and I'm here for that. Out of the remaining Kama, Victoria is the only one I really care about. 

[S38: Spoilers & Speculation]

All of those tweets and likes and such really does point to an early boot coming back and winning the season. I think it is safe to assume Kelly gets to the end and loses to SOMEONE. And I don't think there would be THAT much controversy losing to a player who has been there all along, but I can see a controversy in an early boot winning the game. Either way, I can see the Kama getting picked off soon enough, because that seems to be the same story for every tribe that merges with a strong lead. 

[S38: Spoilers & Speculation]

That would definitely be an interesting end to the season, and not a bad one for me, since I like Victoria. I guess the only thing that gives me pause is the rumor that the ending for this season was controversial and/or the producers didn't like it. Now, granted there is still plenty of game left, but at this present juncture, I don't see how a Victoria win would be controversial with anybody. I can see how the producers and especially Jeff would root for Kelley to win, but Victoria isn't a bad winner by any stretch. Kelley is not being set up like a "robbed goddess" (ala Aubrey in Kaoh Rong) in her edit and is getting closer to a Guatemala Stephanie edit, and Victoria has some pretty good content and shown some good strategic chops. A Victoria win doesn't seem like it would tarnish the EOE concept, since she doesn't get voted out and an EOE returnee doesn't win. But like I said, plenty of game still to be played, so who knows how the rest of it will unfold. Now granted, if Kelley does just fall short, I can see how that would piss Dale off, but Kelley losing doesn't seem like it would be because of EOE (unless Chris gets more votes than Kelley, which I can see). But Kelley likely wouldn't have won with this jury,  since it is so Kama strong. 

[Season 20 Spoilers & Speculation]

Considering the episode's description and the return of Shiri Appleby, it's like the writers took some of the weirder elements of Unreal, put it in a blender and came up with this. 

[Law & Order: SVU in the Media]

Considering that SVU will now break the series record, I have to think that this will be its last season. I get that it does decently enough in the ratings, but I would honestly be surprised if it is renewed beyond season 21. There is no reason to keep it around after NBC gets the bragging rights. 

Along those same lines, I also am in the camp that it wasn't Phillip's choice to leave. Why leave when you can be part of a record breaking season run? Even if he wanted off the show, sucking it up for one more season (again, a season that is likely to be its last) wouldn't be that hard. 

[S15.E19: Silent All These Years]

Since Jo has been on the show for years, maybe this already came up and I just forgot, but the question came up for me again while watching this episode? Was there an explanation for why Jo grew up in foster homes and wasn't adopted out? I mean, healthy infants are typically a premium for adoption. So it seems odd that she never was. 

[Spoilers and Spoiler Speculation: Benchmarking]

I can get into the idea of Amelia and Linc as a couple. Which makes me wish the writers hadn't wasted most of the season on reuniting Amelia and Owen over the Betty story.

[S15.E18: Add It Up]

This episode just dragged and dragged for me. I kept checking the clock, and was dismayed when I saw how little time had passed. I can't pinpoint any one specific thing, but the writing has just felt so off, unfocused, and kind of ridiculous. 

[S20.E17: Missing or We've Got something]

Overall I liked this episode, though I think it would have been better if there was 75% less Olivia. Everywhere we looked, there was another dramatic Olivia speech trying to force people to do the things she wanted them to do. It got tedious after a while. 

I also wish the writers wouldn't continually go to the well of parents refusing to let their children testify. It happens way too often on these episodes. 

Good Fin and Carisi, and there should be more of them. 

We didn't really get any handle of HOW Rowan managed to brainwash little Kevin into becoming her son, or why nobody around her ever questioned this. I mean, they might have looked similar, but you would think anyone who actually knew Emerson would see that it wasn't him. 

[S38: Spoilers & Speculation]

At this point, I have to wonder if the reason we are getting so much EOE coverage is that the winner really does come from there. If so, it forced the producers to cover more than they might have otherwise. It certainly seemed like Chris was getting set up for his overcoming the odds and his personal demons to win the game (or at least come back in and be a force to be reckoned with), but at this point, it is hard to tell. 

[S38.E04: I Need a Dance Partner]

Yeah...it was interesting to see just how bitter Keith and Reem were when Chris showed up. It's a freaking game! I get that people have genuine emotions out there, and no one is happy about getting voted off, but you have to vote someone. Especially since Keith apparently voted Reem out, so it's not like he can really talk. I can't imagine Keith was genuinely shocked about being voted out, just because he was such a weak link physically. 

I have made my peace about people who get barely any confessionals. I figure they are either not doing much of anything interesting, don't know how to give confessionals, or if they are doing stuff, it doesn't really affect the main narrative thrust of the season's story. Now, I do wish CBS would put up some bonus material online (at least 30 minutes, and not just a couple scenes), just so those that are interested in learning more about the players could watch it if they want. I mean, the entire cast seemed fairly interesting in the pre show press, but I get that there is only so much time the producers have to fit into each weekly show. 

I was a bigger fan of Rick, so I was hoping they would keep him (and vote out Wardog since he annoys me), but I wasn't shocked at the vote. Wardog had to vote for either Rick or Lauren, and he is clearly tighter with Lauren and Kelley at the moment. 

[S05.E15: Please Say No One Else Is Dead]

I wonder if I am some sort of outlier in the HTGAWM fandom and the writers know that Laurel is like the fan favorite character, because otherwise, why have they centered yet another story around Laurel and her screwed up family drama? And it's such stupid family drama. I honestly don't care what happens to Laurel. I agree with those saying she probably did a runner, because her words to Annaliese sounded like good bye words, and Annaliese did say that she has her father's mind and instincts. And based on Xavier's reaction, I don't think he had anything to do with that scalp showing up on her doorstep. Hell, at this point, Laurel probably had that sent to herself to set all of this in motion (and if she did, who knows if that is really her mother or someone else)? Now granted, criminal mastermind Laurel COULD be interesting, certainly more interesting than damsel in distress from a shitty family Laurel. If the show goes with that route, it might keep my interest. But if this means the team will have to somehow rescue Laurel from her family, I'm not here for that. Of course, I don't have confidence the writers have thought all of this out, so who knows what will happen next season?

 I wanted to know more about Michaela's father and how Annaliese knows him. Have we seen a "Dwight" before on this show? We must have, because otherwise how would they know he is somehow connected to Annaliese. Is that Annaliese's father or something (which if so is kind of ooky)? I can't remember her father's name. But otherwise, unless that person is obviously related to Annaliese, how would the kids know the connection? 

I hope Tegan didn't have anything to do with poisoning Emmett. I like her too much for her to become a villain, but if she did it, it was likely to save her own ass from the Castillo family. But still...

I don't really care what Telesco will say to Gabriel's mother. 

I GET why Frank framed Miller for Nate Sr's death to protect Bonnie, but it's still a crappy thing to do. Granted, this more on Nate Jr than anything.  I am glad Miller turned out to be a good guy in the end, only because I didn't want Nate and Bonnie to have the self satisfaction. But of course, now they think they were in the right, or at least don't have to acknowledge how brutal they both can be. 

Even though the writers typically make up stuff as they go along, I do hope they have some sort of endgame of how this murder house of cards will come crashing down around everyone. Of course, this show is in the same family as Scandal (even if they have different writers and producers), and I saw how those writers screwed up that ending, so I don't have too much hope here. 

[S15.E15: We Didn't Start the Fire]

Hmmm...they was rather an underwhelming episode for breaking the record as the longest running medical show on TV.

So I guess now Owen gets to keep Leo? Though you would think they would need to back through the social service agency, but this storyline has not been the bastion of realism, so why start now? I guess they will start some sort of adoption procedures now? Whatevs. I am not hear for Owen's story, and I hope Amelia FINALLY walks away from him. I never saw them as a couple, and I think putting them back together again was a mistake. 

I liked Meredith and Deluca this episode, just because they seemed more fun and flirty together. Though I don't give a rat's ass about his family drama, so the ending just let me feeling "meh."

The writers continue to insist on writing Maggie as a whiny child, which is not a good look for an accomplished surgeon. Hopefully Richard talked some sense into her, but I doubt that. 

Uh...that's about all I got. For a record breaking episode, you would think the writers would come up with something more exciting or intelligent. 

[S05.E14: Make Me the Enemy]

This episode felt weirdly disjointed to me, probably because you had the Emmett thread and Laurel's family coming to tie it all together, and there was lots of yelling and screaming and what not. I am not exactly happy that Laurel's family is rearing its ugly head again, because I wanted that to be over with last season. Who the hell knows why someone had Nate Sr. killed at this point? 

At this point, I have no clue how they will end this season, and the writers probably didn't until they sat down to write this episode out, so anything could happen. I want Teagan to both survive the finale and not be the bad guy, but other than that, the only thing I really want is for Laurel's over the top family drama (it all just seems so stupid) to never make an appearance again. 

[S20.E16: Facing Demons]

The episode started well enough, since Olivia was barely a factor, but of course it had to swing back to her, because it's probably required in her contract. However, she really needs to have all the seats and stop her "woe is me" act about how Brian didn't confide in her. I distinctly remember that one of his chief complaints that lead to their breakup is that she never opened up to him. He tried to get her to talk about William Lewis and be supportive, but she wasn't having it with him. She pretty much shut him down most of the time. 

Anyway, it was a different sort of episode, sort of. I do agree that it was rather eyerolling to watch Brian flat out refuse to testify at first, but practically guilt other victims into doing so. Step up and lead the way dude! It's not easy for anyone. But I did like to see Peter and Brian interacting, just because it was a different sort of thing we don't see often on this show anymore. 

I also agree that poor Micah was slandered so easily by Olivia, but she kept hesitating to believe that he could have been a victim. I mean, his mother sure it was him in the photos, while the other parents knew that it wasn't their kid in the pictures, but you know, Olivia just wanted them to be sure (shades of that iffy photo ID from last episode). 

[Criminal Minds In The Media: Media Liaison]

I am curious and open minded how all of this will unfold, though I hope this character's quirkiness is not as irksome and eye rolling as Penelope's. I want a character that feel "real" and not like some Manic Pixie Dream Girl (which I find gag inducing when it comes to quirkiness).

Now that the show has FINALLY revisited Spencer's love life after seven years, I wonder what was the entire purpose of the JJ love confession boondoggle? I know Erica said it will all be addressed, and I hope the answer is a satisfactory one to justify some potential character retcon.

[S20.E15: Brothel]

There was that British sounding forensic dude (can't remember his name, but Fin's "rope guy") who tampered with evidence, because he was being blackmailed by that ridiculous hacker killer. 

[S20.E15: Brothel]

Riddle me this. Dominic KNEW in advance that the gun found near Tori was traced to a dead heroin dealer and that weapon was supposed to be in NYPD's possession. I mean, he just announced that after the bust went bad. But if he knew that beforehand, why the hell didn't he say something BEFORE the bust? I mean, they already knew that a cop must have been involved at that point. So aside from the visuals of a cop bust, what was the point of that? I mean, they could have told the same story about a dirty cop, and it would have been more realistic (if not as "cinematic"). 

It was fun to get some more Fin backstory, though this story is a good example of why IAB needs to be involved in investigations. Of course what were the writers doing destroying a long time recurring character judge? And of course the judge just had to break down and mindlessly confess like some raving lunatic. Come the fuck on! Any judge would have played it much cooler and made the cops work for their investigation. And any defense lawyer would have intervened to shut him down much sooner. But of course the show wanted to go for the more out of control emotion, rather than calculated investigation. I think it would have been more interesting to see the full investigation, because taking down a judge is a big deal. Instead the show had some key moments off screen, and instead we had some time suck diversions that weren't really necessary. Plus of course the obligatory rousing Olivia pep talk that will turn a victim's life around. It must be written into her contract. 

[S15.E13: I Walk the Line]

I generally enjoyed this episode, though it had its eye rolling moments for me. Part of me thought Maggie was ill served by her story, only because it served to remind viewers how much of a child she can act like at times, and that is one of the central complaints about Maggie. But I did like her working with Meredith on figuring out a solution to the problem, and even her conversation about Deluca afterwards. I have to think that the writers aren't REALLY going for some sort of long term love story between Meredith and Deluca, and are just trolling us. Because if they are serious, I have to wonder why they think this writing is a good idea. I mean, I GUESS they are trying to go for that flirty pursuit between Derek and Meredith, but many people have reevaluated aspects of that relationship in light of #MeToo, so I can't see why the writers would think that sort of pushy/stalking/flirty vibe is what long time fans are hoping for. I mean, I was open to the possibility of Meredith and Deluca, but it's the writers' writing that has turned me off this couple in recent episodes. So if the writers are serious about this pairing, I think they are making some wrong choices that undermine the romance they want to build. Hence why I think they are setting Meredith and Deluca up for some sort of crash and burn by the season's end. Watch me be wrong. 

I have very little time for Owen ever, and this turn with Leo's grandparents didn't help. Yes, Owen is absolutely right that the grandparents can't just take Leo from him, but he handled it so poorly, so emotionally, and in such an Owen way, that he shot himself in the foot, like he typically does when he can't control his emotions. 

I agree that there was too much bagpipe music. I like bagpipe music, but it was very much out of place here and the doctors shouldn't have allowed it go on for as long as they did (though it certainly didn't warrant the dumbfounded stares from the doctors, because bagpipes aren't that esoteric). A hospital is supposed to be a place of rest and healing, and you can't do much of either if there is a continuous stream of loud noises.

I don't remember the "throuple's" names, but it is not surprising the doctors assumed that was what was going on. I mean, the woman had a closer rapport with her friend rather than her husband. Of course people are going to assume they are schtupping, simply because I don't think most friends would take the primary role over the partner, even long time friends like they were. Now granted I am speaking from my own experience, only because I would never expect my friend to have a more important role in my life than my partner, and I wouldn't want that (nor would I expect that in reverse). Hell, it would have been fun to have all three of them be in a polyamorous relationship, but I guess the main point of that storyline was to get Teddy to realize that she and Owen will never be more than friends and allow her to make a move on Koracik. I'm good with that couple, only because they seem like they would be more fun and less angst ridden than some of the current pairings on the show. 

[S20.E14: Part 33]

I think this episode could have worked better from the angle the writers seemingly wanted to go at it (meaning the SVU team debating the ethics of abuse victims killing their abusers) if this was more focused on the investigation and Annabeth hadn't just straight up confessed and said she wasn't remorseful. They could have uncovered a history of abuse during the course of their investigation. Once the writers chose to go in the direction they did, if they wanted to maintain any semblance of realism, they needed to focus more on the trial aspect, and not the SVU's reaction. Meaning, there would have needed to be more defense witnesses and Peter hashing it out with the defense team about a plea or trial. There really wasn't any ethical dilemma the way the writers framed it, because all the cops had to do was testify to what Annabeth confessed to them, and let the lawyers make the legal argument, and the jury evaluate the evidence to determine guilt or acquittal. It's not on the SVU here, and it's certainly not their job to lie/shade the truth on the stand. That's just straight up gross, unprofessional, and borderline illegal. I mean, it's not like they had conflicting evidence and they had to make a judgment call about indicting her or something. Annabeth straight up confessed to everything, and the SVU should have recorded her interrogation for posterity, so there wouldn't have been any ability to shade the truth on the stand. There was a way to get at the ethical dilemmas this episode seemed to think it was exploring, but the writers chose to throw realism out the window and throw in some character assassination along the way. 

[Show Analysis: Dr Huang Will See You Now]

During the "Psycho/Therapist" episode where William Lewis is on trial for Olivia's assault, Olivia did say to Rafael that "he didn't have the balls to rape her", and there was no evidence in the rape kit. It's why she was so opposed to him pleading guilty to raping her. So based on show canon, Lewis didn't rape Olivia and there are hospital records to back it up (unless the writers want to go back and say that she lied then to cover it up, but that doesn't really make a whole lot of sense). 

[Show Analysis: Dr Huang Will See You Now]

The show has flirted with this idea for a while. To me, I'll assume that NO he did not, but the writers certainly want to be able to pull that card when it suits them for storytelling purposes. Now granted, she experienced a terrifying and horrifying assault, but if the writers were so adamant in the immediate aftermath that he didn't rape her (probably because they wanted to have their cake and eat it too- come RIGHT up to the line of rape, but pull back at the last second, because they didn't really want to go there in their storytelling), they don't get to backtrack now and hint that he did. 

[S20.E14: Part 33]

This was like this season's version of "Something Happened." I am rather kind of over these episodes that are supposed to be super emotional and intense, and always seems to come down to SVU wondering if they should do their actual job or lie on the stand. Carisi has become quite the advocate for perjury/perjury adjacent behavior, and that is not a good look for a wannabe lawyer. 

I agree that the defense should have hired a psychologist to be an expert witness to testify to Annabeth's emotional state and abuse history. This is not on SVU to be her advocate in court. Of course that would have provided less fodder for the main cast to yell at each other. I also agree that any real procedure would have required SVU to record Annabeth's confession, to prevent these sorts of ethical dilemmas. I mean, if SVU can lie/shade the truth to protect someone they believe was justified, what's to stop them from doing that again, only this time, someone who was really and truly innocent? It's not like we have never seen Olivia on a righteous rampage of justice when she is convinced someone is guilty (even when they aren't).

I do like the strong courtroom scenes (something this show too often shortchanges on), and I was delighted to see Peter rip into Olivia. I couldn't quite figure out why Annabeth looked so shocked that Olivia told the truth on the stand. Did she expect Olivia to lie for her? Again, this is why the defense would, you know, actually mount a defense, and bring witnesses to support their case. How could they actually expect the cops to shade the truth on the stand for them? Again, that is a serious flaw in the writing of this episode, because no decent defense attorney would have done that. But of course who needs realism, when we can have emotion, drama and fodder for Mariska's Emmy reel?

[S15.E12: Girlfriend in a Coma]

As a Washington resident, sometimes this show just makes me roll my eyes when it comes to certain things they portray about our state. I went on and on about the ridiculous way the show killed off Derek, because the setup would never have happened in WA (at least the way it was written). On that same note, I just rolled my eyes at Ben building a treehouse for Bailey in February. Setting aside that we are battling snow right now (which is a bit uncharacteristic for us, so I wouldn't expect the show to portray something like that), our winters are rainy and cold. It's not nice enough for long enough periods of time during February to do something like that outside. But whatevs...

I don't get the whole point of this baby drama story with Owen. Yes, I get that he now (and probably just for now) has a long awaited baby to raise and love. But why this whole lying Betty/Brittany story? I don't know where they are going with this (aside from giving Owen man pain by taking his baby away from- which again- why go down this route at all?), and honestly, I don't care. I like Teddy and wish her well, and I like Amelia, particularly now that she has her crap together. I haven't cared about Owen in years, so his part of this mess just makes my eyes glaze over. 

Before this episode, I was on board with Meredith and Deluca, but the way the writers wrote him this episode put me off this pairing. He was rather presumptuous in his pursuit of Meredith, and they really haven't dealt with the whole "she's a mother with three kids" situation. It just felt off, and makes me think that while they have hooked up NOW, this will crash and burn before the end of the season. Hopefully Linc has learned his lesson and will run far away from Meredith. 

Even though the way the patient storyline played out was predictable from a mile away, I still had some feelings when she died in the end. Probably because that is one of my big fears (that I'll find some sort of lasting love, only for me or my partner to die an untimely death).