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Goodness, Iris. I can understand getting upset about losing an expensive ring or one that held some sentiment or meaning to her marriage, but just go buy another $100 plain band at Target.

I was wondering where Karen was going to hang it so that the globes were suspended properly, but no. Smack against a wall. Poor fishies! I generally like green kitchen cabinets but that shade was a little intense. At least the staging was less cluttered and pink this time. Someone on this show must have a considerable bank account (or investor) to be able to buy so many properties at once and then put $150k+ of work into each of them. Even if the houses have mortgages and construction loans, the carrying costs are nothing to sneeze at.

Sometimes it wins! I wish the face-off judging had been done blind as well. Tito had two mediocre tattoos and I wouldn't have been sorry to see him go. Pony was better than him overall. Ash believed she was showing off her artistry by tracing a lion's face off a template. I don't claim any deep knowledge of neotraditional tattoos, but I'm pretty sure an actual expert wouldn't know what style the final four were supposed to be, either. Small point but I appreciated the editors throwing up a 4-shot of the final tattoos for comparison. Pony's was the prettiest lady, which the judges said beforehand should decide the winner.

What a great episode, finally! Just fun from start to finish, and I loved how very confused the judges were about who did which tattoo. Hah! I did not respond well to Ash's pig-faced lady, especially to show artistry. I liked Alexis' dog ice cream cone but was cringing at her final tattoo -- was the woman supposed to be a demon?

It's awesome to look back on how much Trevor has expanded the show to encompass so many unheard voices -- the stories, guests, correspondents, and BTS staff. I appreciate him very much.

She went to Morse when she was down and out, but I never saw her as taking advantage of him. They've both been stubborn and hurtful towards each other and have refused to even acknowledge their feelings. Joan refused his proposal even when it would have benefitted her financially and socially to accept. Their testy, strangled relationship is not my favorite plot point, but I can't entirely blame Joan for it. I was thinking about Thursday's loan check to his brother being used against him as it can be twisted to have funded Charlie's illegal activities, and now I'm concerned about that for next season. I need Win and Fred to have some peace and quiet. "Shall we say 2pm, then?"

Descent into madness, a continuing saga: Today I got a new injectable medicine pen out of the fridge, put on a needle, and threw the old one away. Later I noticed I had thrown the new one away by mistake. Fished it out of the trash, inserted a new needle and tossed the used one. Later saw that I had AGAIN thrown away the full one. Was working on a puzzle game and apparently there's a hole in my brain where the first name of President Jefferson used to be. I had to look it up! Turning up "forgot why I came into this room" to 11, I went to the bathroom to pee, got distracted by the gummy bottom of the soap dispenser and cleaned that, then left without peeing.

Is "ha ha" too mean? Alison and Donovan are both conniving, incompetent cheats. I hope HGTV thinks about their brand for a second, cancels the show, and stops using Alison to host and promote other programming.

That was my speculation as well. Either Russell Lewis wasn't sure he wanted to continue or ITV hadn't renewed yet, so he was thoughtful enough to give us a proper ending that could serve either way. This season has been pushing Morse more and more away from youthful idealism and towards the isolation and cynicism of his middle-age. I'm interested as always to see what next year has in store -- Morse's throwaway comment to Thursday that "I'm going to need a car" made me smile in anticipation. Given Russell Lewis' naming idiosyncrasies, I wondered if the Councilor's assistant being Miss Lansbury had any significance? Perhaps an Easter egg reference to the body counts of both Oxford and Crabapple Cove?

I'm with you but he's already shown himself to be a good liar when he pretended he didn't already know about Iris' intact hymen. She had no idea and even though I did, his face did not crack.

Such a great season! Stomped my heart for three episodes, then put it gently back into my chest. Bright having to refuse the hope of a cure for his wife was killer.

I'd highly recommend starting with the Endeavour movie/pilot; it's available on Amazon. It occurs before the start of season 1 and sets up how Morse first came to Oxford, his disillusionment with police work, and how his relationship with Thursday developed.

I lost interest in Fringe right when many people thought it got good, with all the parallel universes and time travel. Bah. A two-fer UO and perhaps too soon: I never liked Anthony Bourdain's smug travel shows. There's a way to be the host but not make it all about you.

That sucks and I hope you feel better soon, but also? Slip and fall lawsuit!! Plenty of TV ad lawyers would take that for you. :-)

Speaking of lying during the interview process, what happened to Matt saying he was aging out of basketball and wanting to settle back in the States? His plans for an auto detailing franchise? I'd be crying too, if I were Amber. My new game going forward will be trying to spot the lies during the casting episode.

Seemed like he was trying to be diplomatic and didn't quite land on the right word, but I think he was trying to say she's high maintenance and "girly" in that stereotypical sense of caring too much about her eyelashes, not wanting to get dirty, taking a long time to get ready, etc. I hope Iris deliberately chose not to go into details of which sex acts she may or not be familiar with because the cameras were there. TMI, people! Fun episode but I could have done with less focus on "sex-ual-inter-course," periods, and sandy vaginas.

Those weren't stingrays, I don't think. Manta rays. Greg said he appreciated Deonna's curvy shape, so maybe whippet Iris isn't his taste? I'm going to try not to harp on this all season, but Iris looked so pretty with her hair up in a braid while she was swimming, and in her headscarf at dinner, and wearing glasses, and even sporting a fanny pack/bikini combo! So photogenic.

Nice to see the couples enjoying their honeymoons this season! Even Beth and Jamie's spat didn't last long. (It was very stupid, though.) I really like Iris' high spirits and energy but Beth still gets on my nerves a bit. Not sure why I respond so differently because neither takes a breath while speaking. I may be holding a grudge against Beth because of her enmeshed relationship with her dumb dad.

Yeah, victim complexes are indeed exhausting, Meg.

Right? M&K kept saying it was the biggest house they'd ever done, but each side was dinky! I wouldn't think 2700 sf could be so cramped but it was all bedrooms and "loft space" upstairs that we didn't even see. Like Karen said, her side didn't even have space for a dining table, although she ended up cramming one in. Not family friendly homes at all. I didn't like Karen's staging, especially all the billowy draperies in such a small space. Custom candles my ass. The exterior looked clean and new but not charming or pretty. Painting kitchen cabinets is not "easy" Mina: prepping/sanding, taping, covering the entire kitchen in plastic. Don't forget buying or renting a paint sprayer and respirator.

Unless these folks are all graffiti or billboard artists in their spare time, the flash challenge pieces were better than they had any right to be. I continue to be surprised at how well the contestants handle coffee beans, wire, ice, legos, and any number of tiny mosaic pieces. Love Nunez's leopard print snuggie coordinated with the animal theme. I just imagine him cruising the JC Penney site for women's plus sizes. As for the tattoos, I really liked the lumberjack moose that won. Clever, eye-catching design and nicely applied. I wish the contestants would get it through their heads that they're not playing in teams and stop complaining about it. They're being judged individually except for the flash challenges, which don't matter. The show can bite me with the skull picks as well, because most of the time the artists talk unreasonable canvases out of what they said they wanted, or where.

I was thinking that about the otters, too! I read Ring of Bright Water as a child and have been besotted with them ever since. The show didn't mention breeding, which is usually a big part of the story for endangered species. There were 2 males and 2 females but it didn't sound like they ever had any pups.

Day drinking with Kelly Clarkson is my favorite since she was so giddy and up for anything. Has anybody gone to Seth's comedy shows? I'm curious what his standup is like.

Morse's interactions with women are always interesting. He seemed very comfortable picking up Thursday's niece in the street and didn't hesitate to ask out the vet's daughter the second time they spoke. He met the French photographer through Joan and was neighbors with Monica. He knew Susan at Oxford. I enjoyed watching his emotions with the prostitute suspect in Muse as she taunted him with her sexuality, and about his. He tried to make a move on the opera singer/killer from season one but she rebuffed him. The mother of the missing girl in Arcadia threw herself at him but he wasn't having it. Overall, I think the rector on Grantchester has had more sex than Morse!

Sorry to keep beating a dead Bellerophon, but if PBS needs to cut something, why not a few of the many scenes of the fox hunt: preparing to leave, drinking stirrup cups, staff lined up on the steps to see them off, gorging on food back at the manor. I'll admit it was a lovely shot of everyone riding off in the glowing light with all the doggies. Call the hounds! It was very short, but I also could have done without seeing farmer Bell's wife fantasizing (or masturbating?) in bed. It tugged at my heart when Thursday tried to offer comfort to Morse after they'd arrested the vet's daughter. Thursday not really knowing what to say and Morse as always not wanting to accept it. His stoic face: "Plenty of fish." When we know there aren't, for him. Another poignant moment was Morse happily telling Strange that he wouldn't be working late because he'd found someone and it could be something. With Morse again being thoughtlessly cruel towards Strange when he knows Strange is alone. I assumed the scene with Bright and his wife was post diagnosis, with him being solicitous about making her tea and all. Her saying she hadn't been a good enough wife I took to be the thoughts of a person with a terminal illness looking back over her life. Bright being so constrained by the social mores of the time and keeping a very stiff upper lip during his conversation with DeBryn. Hey, every character on the show! It's okay to break down and cry sometimes! Spoiler tags because I could swear this happened last season but maybe it's in the finale? Or maybe PBS cut it out.