truecrystal

I think I'd be more interested in that show with them and the kids as children than what's actually airing. The 70s would have been an interesting time too given Wounded Knee and the American Indian movement. As it is, Kayce on the res is the most compelling storyline so far, and that's a pretty low bar. Beth is a terrible character, and I don't mean just unlikable. She is horribly written and burdened with every bitchy woman cliché ever: bad childhood, acting out sexually, smokes, drinks too much, daddy's little girl...the list goes on. I'm sure the flashback was supposed to provide some context for her adult behavior, but there needs to be a hell of a lot more going on to explain what's going on with her. And the fact that she's supposed to be this ball busting business savant as self-destructive as she is... I just can't. I also can't help but wonder if having some women writers on staff (I didn't see any listed on IMdb) could help flesh her out in a believable way.

I'm just watching this episode and I have SERIOUS PROBLEMS: NOBODY thought to talk to Darla about this situation? RA comes out, mumbles "Blue ain't mine" and THAT'S IT? Nosy ass Aunt Vi and self-righteous ass Nola don't want to get more information from Darla? Not only is it not believable for these characters, it's not realistic for a family to just throw their hands up over a child that's been part of their lives for 7 years. Aunt Vi's sentiment that Blue made up for all of RA's problems. Um, no. RA is a good father, but he's full of problems that he needs to face and accept consequences for. This idea that taking care of his son is deserving of a cookie or some kind of karmic reset is bullshit. Kofi has always been the weakest actor on the show, but he's shown some growth over the past season. That said, I can't with his portrayal in this storyline. It is truly one-dimensional and is pulling me out of his scenes. All I can say about this nonsense with Micah is that they are really struggling to find something for that character to do. No way that went down without his parents being present. It's private school; they are PAYING for him to attend which means notification would have involved them. I like a lot of things about this show and lord knows it's gorgeous to watch, but there are SO MANY storylines that have come so close to being interesting and complex and true and instead end up going left and being simple, boring or completely strain my sense of realism.

I have to say, I really enjoy Wags when he's a smart and devious dick as opposed to a pathetic dick. He and Wendy are the only ones truly capable of challenging Axe. Those character beats are important because it shows that Axe is a really smart, thoughtful guy and balances out all those scenes of him running around all hot-headed and throwing money at people. The fact that his usual techniques aren't working are getting to him but it's interesting to see how his mind works. Chuck is interesting too in that he's also a really smart guy who is desperate for power and acceptance but he knows it and totally leans into it. Sometimes it works - like the play with his potential competition for governor - and sometimes it doesn't, like with Wendy and seeing other people. Speaking of Wendy, funny that she lied about sleeping with James Wolk. I originally thought she lied to keep from hurting Chuck after he opened up and maybe even keeping the door open to a possible reconciliation, but after her call with Taylor, I'm wondering if it had more to do with keeping her options open and how it's just easier to lie in order to do so. She kicked James Wolk to the curb easily enough but I didn't get the sense it was because she was missing her husband so much.

I tend to think Axe prides himself on being perceived as a regular guy who happens to be filthy rich, so I don't think he'd be one to trade-up to the newest hot babe - particularly because of his kids. If anything, I think Axe is more likely to stay married to someone like Lara forever unless she betrays him professionally, not personally ("Affair? Pfft. Just keep it on the DL and make sure you take care of the kids"). And even more interesting is that I don't think he would even cheat (as shown by the groupie last season) except under very specific circumstances probably driven more by intellectual needs than physical. Then again, I am stuck on Wendy/Axe and am looking for any thread to pull to make that happen. I just cannot accept that the hotness of Maggie Siff and Damien Lewis share a screen without sexy times. I CAN.NOT.

That was really satisfying. Lara likes to throw her weight around as "the wife" but doesn't appreciate that all being in that role gets her is access. Business - and investment banking especially - isn't the local principal's office and she's got to know her shit if she doesn't want the pat on the head she got in that meeting. I'd hope this was the beginning of the end for that marriage because I can't stand Malin Ackerman in that role just that much, but I'm pretty sure that's not a long-term strategy. It was sad, but I knew Steff wasn't long for this world when she told Axe to "accept losing". Read the room, Steff. Axe isn't ever going to accept losing. I didn't care one way or the other about Wags, but I do like watching Wendy work and it's nice to see all these dick-swinging men are really delicate flowers when their fee fees get hurt.

For me it's definitely the acting. It's weird because I think she gets the quieter moments right: the hesitancy to speak up; the tendency to zone out. But she and AS have this weird chemistry. It's not so much angsty, sexy, hate-fuck-y, but more like they just met in a workshop and are in rehearsal. Their scenes together just fall completely flat and Nicole gets the worst of it because I think her behavior is supposed to be more conflicted. This episode was much better overall and my favorite scene was the Ed/Nick scene. The dialogue was awesome and told us so much about both of them and their relationship with Madeline. Talk about subtext becoming text.

So glad there's a forum for this! I stumbled on it and ended up watching all of the episodes in 1 day. Really surprised by the ending and intrigued by the idea that paradise is child free. Anyone know when S2 will be available?

Yes and yes. It's not uncommon for school districts to prohibit non-medical staff to administer drugs. I'm not as outraged by that as I am the fact that 1)school nurses are now the exception rather than the rule in schools; and 2)many school districts don't/can't even make epi-pens available. On to the show, I'm only watching for Wendy and Axe and both Siff and Lewis returned to their previous fantastic forms. Giamatti also does a great job portraying Rhodes, but the character really just falls flat to me. I think I'm supposed to feel like he's complicated and edgy when really he's every smart entitled prick I've ever encountered. What makes PG's portrayal so good is that he totally leans into Rhodes' barely contained urge to literally whip it out to show he's got the biggest dick in the room. I also still think that Malin Ackerman was woefully miscast, unfortunately.

I'm glad that all the cards are on the table at PS about Mike, and I'm especially glad that Louis called Jessica out on her hypocrisy. But I'm equally as glad that Jessica didn't apologize because that would not have been realistic for her and, frankly, I don't think she has anything to apologize for. Everybody else at PS runs around making irrational decisions based on high emotions. Jessica may make emotional decisions but she's rarely if ever irrational. She's pretty much the only one who doesn't make decisions based on whether or not she "feels bad" or "feels good". It may not make her likable (though I love her) but it's how she got her name on the door. My favorite part was Louis lighting in to Donna. I'm glad Louis called her out on her version of friendship which essentially is that she's your friend as long as it's beneficial for Harvey or her but you will get kicked to the curb quick for Harvey's sake. Really, when will people stop taking romantic advice from her? I'm actually not keen on Katrina coming back because I'm really not sure what purpose she serves other than to fluff Louis. Even as a tertiary character, she's painfully underdeveloped. She's literally in exactly the same position she was in when we first met her: trying to turn a disastrous career choice into a better position. Except now she's not even in a position of power while doing so. I'd like to see her trying to pursue her own success instead of only boosting Louis' ego and hitching her wagon to him. Overall, I liked a lot of this season. The legal plot played out in a way that showcased all the characters unlike the Hessington mess which was so unbelievably ridiculous. I still vote to bring back Eric Roberts and Wendell Pierce because they make great antagonists. And for the first time since the first season, I'm really looking forward to what the new season has in store.

I can't take it anymore--I can't stand Donna. She's the worst kind of Mary Sue character in that her smug, know-it-all behavior is supposed to make her seem mysterious and cool on top of her other perfections. Instead I find her grating and a terrible friend who Rachel would be better served to never seek romantic advice from again. Which leads me to what I think is another unpopular opinion: I like Rachel and I like her and Mike together. I found her actions really understandable if not smart, at least initially, but I liked the way she finally ended up dealing with Mike. I cringed a lot during their first two encounters, but I got it--she was desperate to get him to forgive her. But her last ultimatum was on point and I'm glad Mike chose her or more specifically that they didn't have her keep up those painful attempts to get him back. Overall I enjoyed this episode. I was able to follow the legal shenanigans and I enjoy Neal McDonough and his interactions with Harvey (though his hard-on for Harvey seems awfully personal but whatever. Everyone who they pit against Harvey seems to *really* hate him). I actually like this dilemma that they've created with Louis, too. I really like Louis but I was starting to lose patience with the constant lovable sad sack schtick. Because this is about The Law which has always been the one non-sad sack thing about Louis' character, I'm hoping that he'll re-commit and stop compromising his dignity and morals just so Harvey will like him. But I'm not sure if the writers want that so he'll probably just be an even bigger sad sack because he'll "owe" Harvey and Jessica for forgiving him for this. Sigh. Can we keep Eric Roberts? I love him. And Donna's blue blouse/white skirt combo.

This. I'm having a hard time understanding what could have been the initial attraction since right now she's neither his ride-or-die partner nor his beacon of sweetness and light. Or any interesting combination of the two for that matter. She certainly could have changed into ...whoever she is now, but I'd be interested in what ways she's changed.

Same here, though I'm not sure how much my dislike of Abby is the character or the acting. I've loved Paula Malcolmson in everything I've seen her in but something about her performance here grates. I am definitely sure that I can't stand those damn kids. Much like last season, I found this episode wildly uneven and was only engaged when Abby and the kids weren't around. I'm hopeful that Lena, Avi and Ray have more interaction since they are a welcome relief from Mickey's unrelenting douchebaggery.

I also disagree with his assessment of Summer Glau. She was serviceable in the role but I didn't find her anything special. Honestly, I never have understood the fascination with her.