blackwing

I wasn't surprised that they didn't show the verdict. This is a touchy subject, I know that a lot of people are upset with the state of the health care industry and insurance today. Nonetheless, murdering a health insurance executive isn't going to change that. Why didn't the victim's wife testify? Nolan should have anticipated that the defence was going to use an argument of justifiable homicide, so he could have put the wife on the stand to say that he wasn't personally making any of the denial decisions. I barely recognised Jesse Metcalfe. I get that he has aged since he was at his prime in "Desperate Housewives" and "Dallas". Maybe it was the big coat, but he looks to me like he has put on a ton of weight.

Why would Rob return to Survivor as a player? The last time he was on, it was painfully obvious how much he has aged. He was terrible in the competitions, he struggled physically. Carolyn Wiger can be as furious as she wants, but I'm not going to miss her and her special brand of craziness one bit.

Because he doesn't throw it in everyone's faces like Beatrice does. He is competent without the need to tell everyone about it. She is overly pleased with herself, giggles too much, and kisses up too much to Gordon. She is a showboat, he is not. Many people get turned off by showboats on reality shows. But given the amount of attention the show has given her, it seems like the producers are fixated on her. She probably makes it to the finals and possibly wins.

Ugh. I heard way too many "LET'S GOOOOOOO"s in this episode. Has this phrase uttered by Jordan and everyone else last season too many times become the signature catchphrase of this show? Make it stop. I liked the concept of the team menu but this was inherently unfair to Gordon's team since one team member had to cook two dishes in the same amount of time. I guess NLC isn't about being equitable, just like how the people in the basement have a huge disadvantage. But with all the time pressure already of making a single dish, I can't imagine having someone make two. I get that they were functioning as a team, but if Ryan could cook two dishes in the same time, why did Natalia make Becca make her the empanada dough? Why couldn't Natalia do it herself? And why Becca as opposed to someone else? Becca spent a lot of time making that dough and she should have spent more time making sure her fish was cooked. Megan is among my least favorite contestants. She is way too arrogant considering her performance last week.

Ah thanks for the correction. But the spirit of the question remains the same... why did Star feel like she had to gift the idol to Eva? People have had help obtaining an idol in past seasons and no one ever feels like they had to hand it over. In fact, some have talked about how it is a shared idol but it really belongs to the person who has it in their pocket.

Maybe I just haven't been paying attention, but am I the only one who didn't even realise there was a Bianca? She was the one who talked about how with Thomas gone, she is way less of a thread, right? She was a threat??? In whose mind other than her own? I don't feel sorry for her at all. She engineered her own exit by opening her mouth. Chrissy realised it instantly and told Sai that Bianca was lying to them all. I know people get upset when they get voted out. We have seen people sobbing on the way from TC along the exit path (like the Indian girl from last year). But this is one of the few times where I think the ousted contestant pretty much instantly sobs as soon as the announcement is made and throughout the torch snuffing. Bianca was a legend in her own mind. I don't understand why Sai gave Eva the idol. I don't understand why Sai told the ENTIRE tribe she had a clue she couldn't figure out. How about picking the person you trust the most and work on it with them? She acted like it was a tribe idol. Then she gave it to Eva because Eva solved it. Other people have solved idol clues for others (even in this very season), it doesn't mean they need to automatically give up the idol. I think part of it is that Eva solved it and part of it is because of the autistic episode. If people are smart, they will target Joe or Eva next. If Eva makes it to the end, she will win without a doubt. I feel like Jeffy was trolling us, he must be reading these boards or TWoP, because some of us have been talking for years and years about how much Jeffy loves balls. The bigger the better, especially if on a hunky (usually white) alpha male. So when he said this, I actually rewound and listened twice hahaha. Jeffy loves the individual immunity portion of the competition, because then he can lovingly talk about the alpha males' balls. I think this year his targets are clearly David and Joe.

What exactly IS "Casino Week"? They made it sound like it was extra special, like there were going to be tournaments and prizes and that this was an Event that high rollers would put on their calendars. All I saw was a regular old cruise ship casino. Does this ship normally not have a casino? I don't think we have seen it before, have we? I think it kind of looked like they set up tables in the lobby. I get that this is a "special" kind of cruise ship, but it's ridiculous that Max and Avery and Tristan were sitting down next to passengers and playing. But this is the same ship that allows crew members to use the pools and sit at the bars and drink next to passengers, so ok. I really don't care about the Avery baby drama. I don't care if Max is "all in". So is Tristan. Ooooooh the dramaz! Whatever. This is a TV show, and assuming the show gets renewed and Soo is still on it, is pregnant and supposed to be going to medical school next semester, there's no way she can have the baby and attend school on land AND still be on the show, unless one of the following happens: 1) she terminates the pregnancy 2) she has the baby and gives it up for adoption 3) something like: she has the baby, is given credit for experiential learning as a nurse practitioner on a cruise ship for years, finishes med school in three months, and is back on board with medical degree, baby, and grandma or nanny to watch the baby. Or she puts the baby in the kids club. 4) 4 year time jump! Same. I thought she looked and sounded like Betty White. The Golden Girls hair and the big eyes resembled Betty. This didn't make any sense at all. It doesn't seem very prudent that somebody can get locked into a cleaning closet.

For me, I find arrogance unattractive, regardless of whether it's a man or a woman. And irritating behaviour is unattractive, regardless of whether it's a man or a woman. One of the people I hated the most last season was Jordan because of his extremely irritating and pervasive "LET'S GOOOOO"

Ah, thank you, I missed that part. So there were actually three votes for Thomas? Did all three Girls/Gurlz/ no idea how Thomas was spelling it vote for Kyle? So Jeffy revealed the three "Kyle - does not count" votes first. Then a Thomas. Then another Thomas in the event that Kamilla and Kyle didn't vote together? So there was still one Thomas vote in the urn? Well played by K&K.

So happy to see that Thomas lying about the journey is what ended up costing him. Kyle and Kamilla might not have targeted him otherwise. I thought it was risky that Kamilla didn't play her steal a vote. If the California Gurlz had put 2 on Kamilla and 1 on Kyle, and K/K put two on Thomas, then at revote, Kamilla would have been gone. Kyle did talk about this as a danger, but they seem to have decided not to use her Steal after the Gurlz rooted through Kyle's bag and decided that he didn't have an idol. Sai is bitter against Cedrek. Good. Cedrek is awful and should go home ASAP. Horrible player. Justin would have been a good ally for him at the merge no matter what tribe they were on, assuming both survived.

I agree. If Maryam got criticised for not making it fusion enough, why not Iman? What was so fusion about her dish? It was wagyu beef in a taco. I didn't see any particular Japanese elements, except for the fact that it was wagyu beef. I think Maryam said she was from Kashmir, which is a disputed region between Pakistan and India. So I thought when she talked about representing her culture, she meant Kashmir. But I think in an earlier episode she definitely referred to herself as being Pakistani. I agree with you, most people know Pakistan. Now if it was Azerbaijan or Moldova or Uzbekistan, I would agree those countries are places that more Americans are less familiar with.

It's more than just noodles in broth. It's about the combination of flavours in the broth with the flavours and textures of the proteins and vegetables. For this challenge, there was an array of proteins and many things to add to make a great combination. I personally would have sent in [woman with her own cast iron cookbook, I still don't know her name] to the elimination instead of Mariam. Mariam seemed to make a proper ramen, she just had too many noodles in relation to her broth. The other woman basically boiled noodles, added some garnishes and an entire piece of salmon. She didn't understand ramen at all, that salmon didn't add any flavor to the dish, it was just a piece of cooked salmon that happened to be in a bowl of noodles. She was arrogant even before she had two wins. From the moment she appeared in the first episode, she had that "I'm 18 and I'm better than you all" attitude that is a real turnoff to me. This. I like that she is confident of her ability and cooks well, I would probably like her if she didn't brag so much in the confessionals and if she stopped giggling.

I really can’t stand Beatrice, so cocky and not as cute as she thinks she is. Not sure if the way she speaks and giggles is supposed to play up the “I’m 18” angle and if she does it on purpose, or if she is naturally that irritating. Ugh. She can leave yesterday. This isn’t new, they’ve done it in past seasons at least once. It specifically had to be Japanese fusion. Not Asian in general. Japanese, Gordon said they were staying in Japan. She needed to make it more French. Some kind of sauce, maybe a cognac sauce. Because they are at the bottom. It pauses slightly to mimic the time the platform would be scrolling on by the middle and top levels. And they only get one shot when it moves as opposed to two for the other floors.

I enjoyed the treasure hunt, it was a lot of fun, although I echo the disbelief that the Masonic Temple was unstaffed both times and that there aren't security cameras or anyone noticing them just destroying the pillars. This. I was cringing in second hand embarrassment when she said at the end in the bar that Dante's son is having a hard time accepting that his father is in a romantic relationship with a woman who is not his mother. She felt awkward saying it. Are these two in fact in a romantic relationship? We have seen them kiss maybe twice? Nothing beyond that, no other signs that they are a couple other than the two kisses and them saying so. They don't act like a couple at all and they have zero chemistry. In this episode, Robyn said something about how Viola and Delilah have known Dante for "years". Years? I guess, if they count three years as "YEARS". Usually I think when somebody says they have known someone for YEARS it typically means decades.

I loved the fact that Violet Yee finally got away from the computer. She appears to be a Detective yet her only role on this show until this episode has been to review CCTV footage. Maroun feeling bad for the reporter and telling Nolan they should offer a plea is just absolutely ridiculous. How does this kind of thing not come up in an annual review? "Heart bleeds too much for defendants, especially those who are female. Suggest that she might be happier as a public defender. Her flinty voice makes my ears bleed." Agree with every single comment. I got the impression that Nick and Kate are already living together, which seems awfully quick. I wish the judge would have said something about recommending sanctions against Kate. Or that someone else said it. She definitely deserves them, and she doesn't even feel bad about it. I hope from the way she walked away from Nick that this is the last we see of her. If we see her again, I hope there is a mention of her getting sanctions. I wasn't. She was the initial suspect. This show is very formulaic, the initial suspect that they first talk to is always the red herring. I thought it was weird too. We knew that there was trouble based on her not showing up at his party, but I thought a line about the separation/divorce earlier this season would have been appreciated. How many months in L&O time have elapsed since the election? Seems awfully quick for Nick to be moving on with someone new, especially if the divorce hasn't even happened or been finalised. I think the biggest issue is that she didn't mention anything at all about it when they first talked to her. It was only afterwards that she told this story, and based on Kate's behaviour, I wouldn't be surprised if Kate put the suggestion into her head. Yes! The swept up dark hair and the glasses.

I enjoyed the scenes of the three friends partying with the Russians and the scenes of the partying on the yacht. So much hype about the "controversial" scenes and then really nothing. Unless there is more to come next episode. Why was Laurie with Valentin the whole night, and Jaclyn with the other dark haired one... but then Jaclyn called Valentin over for a booty call? She was the one that has been encouraging Laurie to hook up with Valentin. Is this yet another way for her to demonstrate that she is superior to Laurie, or am I reading too much into it? Laurie clearly didn't want to go there with Valentin or she would have. Gaitok is such a timid mouse. Why did he just sit there staring at Tim? And then the mousy "I think you have something of mine". Huh? Just march over there, "excuse me sir, please come with me. You were seen on camera stealing a gun from the security station." He couldn't even do that. Why is the show wasting so much time on him? Belinda invited Pornchai into her bed and said she consents... ok. Why is she listening to Fabian? She doesn't work for him, and if he wants to end her exchange program then so be it, but she would be alive. She is very much afraid that Greg is going to kill her. I was completely confused. He was there to give Rick a gun. Then he talks about wanting to be an Asian girl, dressing up as one, and offering himself up to white men. I don't get the point of why he was telling Rick all this, and apparently, neither did Rick.

I agree with Gordon that at some point, Richard's strategy is going to bite him. I don't like it, it's particularly unfair to the contestants on his team. Until it gets to the individual phase of the competition, why bother trying in the platform cooks? Even if your dish is the worst, Richard isn't going to send you into the elimination cook. I liked Cathy, but I liked Brandon more. Both of them turned out excellent dishes. There's too much randomness at that point, we could easily have lost Brandon due to chance. I'm wondering if Blais will keep sending Brandon and Austin in. Completely unfair to them.

So glad to lose Mistie. She was last in her audition group. Last of the 15 to get picked. And first to go home! Austin? I like Austin, he is one of my favourites. Blais' hair is really ridiculous this year. It's like they put him in a wind tunnel, shut off the wind, then a production assistant rushes in and empties an entire can of hairspray to get those strands frozen in place. I have always found him irritating, but this season I find him even more irritating. I think part of it is the fact that he hasn't won yet, so he is desperate to win. I find it incredibly annoying that each mentor pushes hard for their own chef for best dish. I don't need to hear the bickering and I wish they would cut out that part of the disagreement. I think they should have a fourth judge who is impartial and tastes everything and is there to break the ties. Especially in the elimination cook. If there is a split vote, then the mentor who was overseeing the cooking gets to choose and knows exactly who cooked each dish. Which could lead to some bias if they want to eliminate a strong competitor from one of the other teams.

I know the Odyssey isn't the size of a megaship like the newest Royal Caribbean ships that can hold 6000 (?) passengers, but it still seems to be a fairly sizeable ship based on the full length shots we have seen. I find it hard to believe that the tender is prety much an oversized inflatable raft like the kind you would go whitewater rafting in. Most ships have tenders and lifeboats that are fully enclosed metal, in the event there is bad weather. I don't know what happened to the chef, but perhaps things have changed now that Tristan found out he might be the father of Avery's baby. I think Avery should choose Tristan. Tristan is a stand up guy and he loves Avery for her, long before any baby was involved. He will always be there for her and he is more likely than Max to love the baby as if it were his own even if it weren't. Max told Avery that he didn't want any part of the throuple because he is a "one woman guy", and then promptly flirted with Surf Doc and encouraged her. Max is less reliable than Tristan.

This is the part of the story about their relationship that I have issues with. A couple should be making decisions together. It seems like his girlfriend has already decided that they are having four kids, she wants to be a stay at home mom, and he had better figure out a way to support them otherwise she is dumping him. The decisions about their life together seem to have been made by her. That's not a marriage. That's a woman who has decided that she needs his sperm four times and his money so she can have the life she has envisioned for herself. As I have said upthread, why can't he want the same thing from her? Where is it written that in order for a man to be a "responsible father" that means he has to earn enough money to singlehandedly support the family? I know more than a few stay-at-home dads. I know more than a few couples in which both spouses work but the wife earns far more money than the husband. All of them are happy. Because that's what marriage should be... a partnership between two spouses who love and respect each other. Seems like she only respects him if he has a wallet as big as his muscles.

But the whole point of a tribe going into a merge is that they want to keep numbers strong. Cedrek just needs numbers or someone to stand with him. Obviously Green is down to three but they could still be a pair or a triple that offers themselves as numbers to a bigger alliance. They could even be swing votes if it comes down to one alliance against another. I think the issue is that Justin would have been 100% loyal to Cedrek, and if they go into a merge, they are solid allies. Sai will not be loyal to Cedrek. And I also don't think she has any intention of "working on" her relationship with Mary. Hah. He definitely preens like Gaston, taking every opportunity to take his shirt off for the camera. I was waiting for him to talk about eating five dozen eggs. I actually thought that this week's challenge was at least different from the usual blindfolded challenge with the caller and the huge blocks and the posts conveniently placed at crotch level. ("That's gonna hurt!") I only wish it had been more difficult. I would have put giant pools of water in front of each of the three rope pull things. And I would have made the slide puzzle 16x16 instead of 9x9. I do agree that at 38, anyone should want financial stability. I don't know how much stuntmen get paid, but apparently not enough to afford to live anywhere other than a trailer parked on his dad's driveway. She seems to be critical of his inability to get a high paying job. However, I found it interesting that he said "she wants to be a stay at home mom". Why is it OK for her to not want to work at all and earn zero money while giving him an ultimatum that he has to make more money? Many couples cannot afford to have someone (usually the wife) stay at home to take care of kids. They both work, and get daycare or make other arrangements. Why can't David and his girlfriend both work? Why is that not an option? Why does she get a pass for wanting to be a stay at home mom but he gets criticised for not making more money? Why can't he be a stay at home dad and she goes to work? To me, the ultimatum just sounds like "I want a rich husband so I don't have to work". I don't know anything about these two, but I think it seems a little unfair that in 2025, the man is automatically expected to provide all the income, solely because he is a man. Sounds to me that they are not right for each other. He could supplement his income by being a personal trainer. At least he would show he is trying. But the ultimatum that "you need to make a whole lot more money otherwise we are done" seems harsh.

Cedrek should have kept Justin. Yes, Justin didn’t tell him about the vote. But it’s because Cedrek is weak and would blab, like he did in the last episode. Justin would be a better long term ally for Cedrek. Sai is volatile and emotional and will easily ditch him the moment she finds a better option. Will serve him right. He is truly an awful player.

I think I like Rick. He is the only one who showed any kind of compassion when learning that Ted's father died. He thinks it was insensitive for Stuart and whatshername to cut Ted out of the merger at a time when his father was dying. Even though he doesn't seem to know what kind of relationship Ted had with his father. I thought the Brian Baumgartner storyline was incredibly stupid and pandering. It was like was said in the episode "here's a guy who has built his entire career off of one role in which he played an idiot". Felt like writers/producers thought "hey it would be so cool if we can get him on the show and help his career". So Eddie died in 2010, shortly after all of the events that we are being shown in the flashbacks. As far as Lester's case, I'm still slightly confused about it all and trying to figure out exactly what happened (HE KNEW!!!) but then decided I actually didn't care. At all. If the theme of this show is "the legal world is cutthroat, especially in L.A., where you have to do whatever it takes to win, even if it means stabbing the guy who you call your best friend"... then with me at least, they are failing. I would rather see a traditional legal show like L.A. Law with quirky cases than whatever this mess is. All the squabbling, all the fighting, all the anger... just isn't what I am here for. I watch TV for relaxation and enjoyment. Not to get irritated.

I thought this was a great episode, back to the basics of the show... Robyn helping a random normal person who needs help. No CIA or drug lord or war criminal or anything involved. And the relationship with Dante didn't feel contrived and in the way and shoved down our throats. It was just Robyn asking for help from a friend who happens to be a cop. I am a bit confused as to exactly what is Dante's role/position now. He was with the stupidly named FTF (Federal Task Force) in Los Angeles. But at the beginning of the episode in the previouslies, they repeated the line about him resigning his position. He set up shop in his old precinct where he had multiple run-ins with Hardass Captain. But he's not a New York City police detective / cop anymore. And he resigned from the FTF. So what is he? How does he have the authority to barge into places exclaiming "Federal agents!" He's no longer one and Robyn isn't either. After Robyn and Mel captured the kidnapping couple, one of them said they would call Dante. On what authority is he arresting people? Even if he is with the FTF and hasn't actually resigned yet, the kidnapping isn't a federal crime since it occurred entirely within the state of New York. At the end, we saw a scene of Robyn and Mel bringing Dylan back to his mom at a police station. I think Dante showed up too. Was that "his" police station, or a different precinct? I was half-expecting to see Hardass Captain, and was glad we did not. The Viola / Captain Curtis storyline, I am glad it got resolved. I think she was unfair to him last episode, she didn't even stop to consider what it was like for him as a cop to be doing his job. She just went off on "scared young black man" and wouldn't let it go.

I really hope Em’s mom is gone for good. It’s been a long time since I’ve grown to hate a minor character on a TV show so quickly and with such intensity. She is a truly awful person. And I hate this actress’ whiny little girl voice. I couldn’t care less about Sonny and his issues with his daughter. Does this topic have to come up in every single episode? Can the guy ever just be content? He spent most of the season sadsacking about Zion, and as soon as he finally got over it, he focuses all his energy on controlling his daughter. I do agree with him that 17 is too young to be moving out of the house and living with an older boyfriend, but the way he goes about trying to get his way is all wrong. I don’t think Laka wants to live on Kainalu’s farm. He lives with his tutu and helps take care of her (although when we met her, she was not the frail old woman he made her out to be). I think he views himself as the trainer to the younger lifeguards, so he was competing alongside them in solidarity and to test himself. Kind of like when Em did the underwater rock carry with the new recruits. As for Will and Em, I think Em talked about her mom with him before. When they had that picnic lunch, he seemed to be somewhat familiar with the issue. However, Will seems like a very closed off guy, he said he didn’t like to talk about bad memories, which is why he probably never shared about his mom before.