Roccos Brother

I knew from the start that the boat captain was going to turn out to be a mole. His character's motivations made zero sense, why would he waste so much time and effort to help a stranger he pulled out of the ocean? Loved that the MTF character turned out to be a total badass and glad she survived. I can't wait to see more of her and the mother in season 3.

Well, that felt like a whole lot of filler nothing. I don't know if it's the acting, writing, direction, or some combination of the three but there were a lot of very amateur and cringeworthy scenes this episode. The interaction between Alicent and Rhaenyra was completely redundant and contrived. They already had this exchange and it added nothing to the plot, it was just more back and forth venting/whining about how terrible they feel. Another terribly written and acted scene was Cole's monologuing. He really phoned in with that performance and once again, the scene added nothing. Daemon's entire arc this season is giving "this could have been an email" vibes. They really dragged that storyline out only to (largely) end up back where they started.

I might be in the minority, but I'm beginning to feel for Alicent. I really thought based on the previews that she was going to pull a Virginia Woolf this episode. Usually not a big fan of these Hollywood Blockbuster show-offy spectacles, but this was very satisfying after seeing the Blacks play underdog all season.

I like the smallfolk finally playing a part in this conflict and also being able to see things from their perspective through the eyes of Hugh and his family. Olivia Cooke described it perfectly when she said the situation was very Marie Antoinette-esque. The chaotic rebellion was very satisfying to watch - perhaps because it mirrors and allows us to vicariously live out our "eat the rich" fantasies. However, that make out scene felt like more typical HBO gratuitousness and it makes me cringe a little because as much as I like the white worm playing a role and repping for the small folk, I don't see her as someone who can be fully trusted.

I can't even begin to describe the satisfaction I got from watching Cole be thrown off his horse and completely humbled and devastated in the end. Oh yes, I would watch an entire spin off series where Cole is just repeatedly placed into a state of sadness. 😈

Of course they would kill ALL the ratcatchers and both Arryk and Erryk had to die. I had hoped that the Jaehaerys assassins would get away with it tbh. I know it's the nature of this show that the lesser folk always pay the price for decisions made by the higher-ups - not unlike real life. At least we didn't have to sit through any torture porn. Interesting that the white worm spoke out in order to save Rhaenyra when she has shown us time and time again she bears no allegiance to either side. Also, I know this may sound crazy, but could it actually be possible that Otto and Alicent truly DO want peace for the realm and are not just driven by entirely self-serving interests?

Thank you writers/director for choosing to show the slaying of a child entirely off-screen. Given the show's inclination to shock I wasn't sure if they would. I was glad to see the return of the white worm. I had hoped she would have a bigger part as characters who play the underhanded machinations and stealth game tend to be the most intriguing to me.

I'm so happy for Ricky and Cesar! They are the only team I wanted to win this entire season. They seem very genuine, supportive, appreciative, wholesome, and with little exception, mostly ran their own race without any assistance or meanness towards other teams. Plus, I love that they will be able to use the money to start a family. Sure being in Spanish-speaking countries gave them an advantage but with the exception of the windsurfing, they didn't seem to struggle with any of the tasks. Yay!

It's middling, probably one of the weaker seasons, but still very much worth a watch if you're a TAR fan who wants to support the show. I don't know if I would recommend it to non-fans just looking for something new to watch.

How long are they going to just stay in Latin America?? I normally enjoy the goodwill and comradery that comes from alliances and teams helping each other - but this was too much. The meat challenge in particular was a chaotic mess; not to mention all those dirty hands touching the raw meat. Ugh! Why did Danny feel inclined to help the girls out when they would have all been essentially tied at that point? More UGH! I'm a little more sympathetic when it comes to helping out in the race car challenge, knowing I would have been vomiting and passing out after one lap. That honestly looked rough. The detective detour looked fun. Wish we could have seen at least one team participate. I enjoyed the older team and their ribbing of each other, especially the way Shelisa gave Derek a hard time once she saw what the actual puzzle challenge was. They will be missed.

There's NO way that wall puzzle was on par with the dance challenge in terms of difficulty or time required. I don't think we've ever seen a detour as unbalanced as this one. Although the firefighters did prove it was possible to botch the puzzle - it was funny to watch at first, but then became sad and pathetic. Kudos to them for getting the dance challenge on the first try, further adding to the irony. Sorry, but I'm team Vinnie on this one. I know it's easy to judge from the comfort of home and we can never know what it's really like to be there -- but I really got the impression that it was less of an issue of Amber not being able to keep up, and more that she just didn't like feeling pressured into it; like the "racing" aspect was just a choice and not the obvious practical thing to do. They're both young and healthy-looking, running through crowded city streets, and only one of them was carrying any weight on his/her back.

I actually think this is a fair assessment and not harsh at all. Anyone who has seen even a single ep of TAR - let alone a superfan, has to realize this competition is no walk in the park. It takes a certain amount of hubris to think you would be able to keep up when your abilities clearly tell a different story. I'm in much better shape than some of these contestants and I know I wouldn't last a day.

I mean, whether it's a dish vs a sampler platter seems like a pretty arbitrary distinction to me. And the reason why I say that is because I've seen it referred to as both with those terms used interchangeably. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bandeja_paisa

There's a sizable Latin community where I live and those "little bit of everything" platters intended for one are pretty common menu options whenever I go to a Colombian restaurant. Definitely a good amount of food for the price.

This was a much better episode than last week in terms of tasks (e.g. collecting balloons - what even was that?). I love challenges involving food - as long as it's not the gross-out-binge-til-you-vomit ones of earlier TAR days gone by. However, after 36 seasons, I feel this batch of contestants make up the least competitive mix in the history of TAR - and it's not even close. The twins in particular seem to be overwhelmed by the mere suggestion that they have to actually do stuff on either of the detours. I’m mad at the double dutch team for almost making me think we would have to endure the not-knowing-who-Elizabeth-Taylor-is himbos for another week. Yvonne and Melissa completely disappeared this episode. What was their shtick again? Oh right, girlfriends. Cesar and hubby are adorable and are carrying most of the show on their shoulders. Cesar in particular is the star of this season. I also like the firefighters and grandparents. Shane is sexy and the pink girls are annoying. Vinnie is carrying his team. Next week's ep preview seems to indicate more of the same underwhelming-ness in terms of competency.