Higgs

I have not read any posts on the most recent episodes, so I apologize if I am repeating others' observations. While I was utterly enthralled by the finale, the sticking point for me was Stan telling Oleg that he "didn't give a shit" about what happened in Russia. I found it utterly inconceivable that any FBI agent, let alone someone as astute as Stan, would have failed to recognize the existential threat posed by a coup of intransigently militaristic KGB officers against a Soviet leader with whom Reagan was eager to negotiate a cooling down of the Cold War and the consequent potential undermining of an "Evil Empire.". Oleg's confession would have gone immediately to the White House and then to the Kremlin. Stan's head could not have been that "thick" on that subject. What turned Stan in the garage scene was hearing Elizabeth repeat Oleg's claim. That's when one plus one became two and he finally saw the dark light. Stan now had two sources of shame to live down: failing to understand the transcendance of Oleg's information, and the betrayal by the Jennings. He let them go, in part, to save himself. But now he has the enigma of Renee. Wars, whether hot or cold, destroy relationships.

The difference between the two Soviet factions has to do with trust in American promises. SDI threatened an ability for an American first strike. "Dead Hand" would preclude it, but only if the US is told about it after it's in place. (See Strangelove, Doctor)

Oleg took out a "loan." His wife and child are collateral.

Yes, to adequately portray a sexually repressive society, you must have adults in the roles of enforcers. In my version, Simon's parents would ultimately be persuaded to play them all, with their priest's encouragement.

Yes, its unrelieved seriousness may seem arty, but is not realistic. The whole thing is painted in the sullen gray of the opening montage. The kids are unrelentingly earnest, humorless and charm-challenged. It reminds me of "Spring Awakening." The show could use some glee (lowercase only), "Lady Bird" and "Freaks and Geeks."

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spring_Awakening_(play) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spring_Awakening_(musical)

In the original Broadway production, "Word Of Your Body" is sung by the two boys (and the rest of the kids) as a reprise in the second act. It might have been useful on multiple levels to juxtapose rehearsal snippets of the song by the two pairs of romantic partners. Originally and traditionally, two actors play ALL the adult roles. Robbie is too short and slight to ever play QB in a major college program, and would have zero chance for the pros. Gwen is too mature, tall, and attractive relative to any potential Melchior to provide the sense of submissiveness and vulnerability necessary for Wendla. That's the rationale she should have been given, and it would have also served to educate the audience about the meaning of "Spring Awakening" and its relevance to modern life, an aspect that has been conspicuously missing from "Rise."

Fun fact: remember Glee.S6 and the suppoosed gay version of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" starring Klaine? Albee (who was gay) had a legal prohibition against any such production.

A gritty Glee, not a Smash. Talented kids, not proven pros. Covers, not creations. But..., it should have been Groff, not Radnor. It's helpful when the majority of the audience roots for the protagonist. (See Berry, Rachel or Taylor, Eric)

I believe TK's characterization was merely symptomatic of a general failure to understand the mood of the (mainly liberal) target audience with respect to politics. They wanted resistance, not respite; red meat, not pablum. Comedy is fine and appropriate, but lack of underlying seriousness is not. Compare it to Black-ish (which I watched just recently for the first time ever), whose lead-in audience was being counted on to stay tuned in large number. That's also a sitcom, but there's no infallible Magical Negro, the two kids(!!) are smarter and funnier than TK and Jermaine were in the pilot, and important issues are discussed at greater length and depth than The Mayor has ever done. Ratings for the pilot were disappointing and the falloff was almost complete after just two episodes. One doesn't get a second chance to make a first impression, and the fate of the show was almost completely set in stone with the first preview. Yes, most reviews were great, but terms such as "warm" and "heart" were common and the failure (to date) was because of, not despite, those descriptions turning out to be too all-encompassing.

"Moisturizer" and "skittish" are metrosexual and quite funny in defying expectations. OTOH, ignorant abject fear is white writers invoking an ancient racist stereotype (e.g., Stepin Fetchit), and may be why too many Black-ish viewers (~80% are non-black) change channels at the half hour.

So, T.K. can use "facetious" in a sentence and is aware of the progression of diffculty of NYTimes crosswords from Monday to Saturday. If he'd been like that from the very beginning, instead of his idiocy in the "FIRE!!!" scene, I believe the show would have had a much greater chance for success. Val may possibly be having her own (inside) storyline hiding in plain sight at the ends of the final scenes between just her and Courtney in each of the last two episodes.

There are a good number of really excellent public high schools in LA County, some with higher academic performance than ANY private school in California. In the link, below, look for high schools with API > 820. Among that group, Beverly Hills is merely average. Most of what is presented in the media or scripted TV shows about public versus private schools is ignorant snobbish nonsense. New York City alone has two public high schools with more Nobel Prize winning alumni than probably all the private schools in the country combined. http://api.cde.ca.gov/Acnt2013/2013GrthAPICo.aspx?cYear=2011-12&cSelect=19,LOS,ANGELES I would also note that even in schools with lesser academic scores, AP/IB/Honors classes almost always exist which essentially constitute a first-rate school-within-a-school for academically ambitious students.

I felt the episode was both, and the reason Bow's treatment of Megan bothered so many people is that it was a deeply serious splash of cold water in the midst of the Monopoly farce. It is unfair to consider Bow's actions as racism, and the same might be true with all colors reversed. Her concerns may just as well be taken as desire for preserving cultural identity within the larger community and/or fear (however out-dated it may now be) that Junior's life would be more difficult in an interracial marriage. In terms of story arc, it's possible it will turn out to be more about Junior than Bow, with him ultimately gaining the confidence to tell his mother to butt out.

What might well be humorous and quire acceptable within the family can become much less so when an outsider is involved. Have there been incidences in the past where an adult in the family behaved strangely/inappropriately/rudely toward someone outsde their circle?