Ottis

Why? I suspect Stewart will have fun with that. A parody debate, perhaps, featuring the entire gang of corresondents past and present. I'll record one and watch the other live.

So why does this one chick want to get with a retired football player so badly? I thought the show made it clear earlier that once you are out of the game, the ladies don't want you anymore. Yet Charles seems to be catnip. Hmmm. Laughed out loud at a few lines, including the one where Ricky says to 'Zo that Ricky is familiar "with where you came from." Yikes. Genious plan on the cop set up, though at first I thought Zo was parked outside a police station and couldn't figure out why even he was that stupid. Spence is actually showing some agent chops, and I like it. It sure felt like it, especially when Spence lingered on the one shot that looked like Reggie was in the background. Figured calling Reggie out would be how Spence cements his rep with Vernon. I didn't watch the previews, so still wondering if that's the plan. Cruz is pretty good on TV.

Watched the last 10 minutes. OK, Pope is inexplicably unhinged. I get that he is upset over losing Sarah. But his (apparently) strong attachment to her seems sudden, and his swing into Gollum-like evil to the point where he would murder Hal and his dad seems to come out of nowhere. Pope started off as a bad guy, but even then he hated skitters more than anything. Then he became part of a team, and while he had rough edges, he belonged. Now he suddenly has swung so far back in the other direction that his stares past the camera while he ignores Tom and plots his demise are kind of comical. Perfect description. This perhaps the biggest crime of the show, after making Mason such a twit: They demoted Weaver. Weaver should be doing all the things Tom is doing. His back story would make more sense (he lost a daughter), and his character fits better with the "inner warrior" vibe even if at times he seems kind of like a grumpy Ernest T. Bass. Tom will always be better suited to be the idea guy, the nerdy history-lesson-come-to-life advisor. That's how the show started them both, and then it flipped it and the show has been worse ever since. I suppose Cochise will now lead the Volm, or make an ally of the mysterious new aliens after he is kicked out of the Volm for his dad's death, and Cichise' unique relationship with Tom will lead to victory.

I am binge watching Season One, and this has been the worst, most awkward episode IMO. Like it came from a different series.

And who the hell is Chad? Colin Ferrell's kid? I ... never realized that. And yet I can recall Marty from season one. The comment about three operations in her 20s is the only one that feels like she means abortions. It's easy to answer every other queston around that word choice vs. fertility operations.

I predicted in the episode one thread that the brothers would team up against Tariq and a military coup. Battling the show version of ISIS is almost as good. I can't figure out what Barry thinks he is doing. By almost any measure, getting a message out and being rescued and then talking to media would do more good for everyone involved then losing himself with the bedouins. You knew that The Gay with his son was coming back, eventually.

I have crapped all over this show since the first season, for the most part. But this was the first episode since then when most of what happened made show-realistic sense. Maybe it was because it felt like Pope was speaking for the viewers in almost every scene. A leader can't do that, though. Mason leaving to chase his kid is worse than Pope (or any plain soldier) doing so. If you are the leader, you have additional responsibilities. This show really needs a plot where Mason *doesn't* leave to rescue his kid, and the kid somehow makes it back, pissed. While the Cochise B plot was indeed kind of random (I was like everyone on the show when Cochise told them he was leaving to die ... 'Wait, what?"), it did lead to a nice moment with Cochise and Anne saying goodbye to their lost loved ones through that Volm ceremony. Though Cochise only had to do so because, you know, he manipulated his dad into the operation and it went wrong. But never mind. This was one part that made no sense. Ann wouldn't say that Mason doesn't care about any of them. That's flat out not true, even if Mason is a douchebag, and she more than anyone not named Mason should know that. I didn't see the last 10 minutes, but I see that Mason proved Pope right by running off to try to rescue Hal. Pope for president. P.S. Pope does not have a head shape that looks right when it is shaved.

Last season's plot was way more interesting though, with much more urgency. Awesome, thank you. So all the language and social mores police can stand down. I thought it was interesting that Ray's wife would meet with him one-on-one, given where they are in the acrimonious divorce and all. I suppose that shows there is still a connection there.

I found it refreshing that we were spared the aftermath of the shoot out. Yes, there was an investigation, and the people behind the scenes manipulated it so that the investigation tied the Mexicans in the shoot out and Caspere's murder together, so that, as far as the public is concerned, it's all a neatly wrapped bow and done. Those same shadowy manipulators used the shoot out to pressure Colin Ferrell to quit, and they are punishing the female lead (why can't I remember any of their character names?) with some time in lowly evidence locker duty. Interestingly, the ex-military cop seems to be a little bit of a hero, given he shot the most bad guys. Of course, our three leads all know that was for show, and the real bad guys are still out there. So they are continuing their investigation, because they can't let it go. This is the only thing in this entire season that links what we are seeing to the concept of True Detective. Because all the personal angst is just ugh.

I don't know why anyone should assume she is gone, any more than anyone should assume Datak is dead. The episode ended before either actually happened.

For me, this is one reason I keep watching. The show hasn't been afraid to make some major changes. Of course, at this point I don't know who Cullen is. I guess he is a war-weary vet who lost his first family and is striving to create and hold onto another one, as he works on the railroad on the side. Less interesrting than a dangerous former soldier bent on revenge, but maybe that is the redemption arc.

Yes, but ... the fsociety people are who have brought some of those issues to a head, and made Elliott choose. That's the source of conflict. I agree that the fsociety story should have played out much slower, and longer, in the background, as we learned more about Elliott's perspective on life. At the same time, I so hate that he is an addict. Can't we have someone who has his issues, and struggles with modern society, who doesn't need the crutch of drugs to get through the day?

I'll take it further: Who is there to care about anywhere in this season? I feel worse for the poor folks living around that old hotel than I do any of the characters we have now spent what, 5-6 episodes with? I so miss last season and both the heinousness of the crime and the obsession of the two detectives to solve it. These three bumble around between personal issues.

Skitters are notoriously punctual. You tell them there will be an attack in one hour, and damn it, they will attack in one hour. They are why overlords don't wear watches. I ran across some episodes of The Librarians with Noah W. playing a kind of nerdy but knowledgeable professor type, and he was way better in that role than he is in Falling Skies. The nerd-with-all-the-answers role fit him well. Not so much action hero.

The whole 8-balls living with humans thing felt very Walking Dead and Alexandria, right down to leader being into a new stranger and bearded asshole who ends up, well, being an asshole. What exactly is Michael doing? And the show touched just for a second on 8-balls being worth saving and then moved to other matters. Curious if this will come up again. She is so different this season that I actually looked up whether they changed actresses. She seems both younger and more conniving, which ... I don't think is a good character change. She no longer walks the high road.

And it is why I can't watch FF in any form now. Some answers are NOT "good answers." They are sometimes baffling, sometimes unclear and, most often, dumb (and so are many of the answers shown from the "audience survey"). Someone in the family should say so when the answers are especially ridiculous. But no, the mindless "good answer" and clapping happens, while viewers say, "What?" That drives me nuts.

I wish the show would include that kind of info ... "At a sales price of $300,000, with X percent down the monthly payment is X." I mean, we just saw an ep with a 30sish firefighter and his spouse was a marketing person or something, with at least two young kids, and they had a budget of $800,000. $800,000!!! Even if you had spotless credit and put 20 percent down, that's a payment of what, almost $4,000 a month with taxes and insurance? For a firefighter and marketing person?

Ok, I'm trying to follow this. They initially found the valley of skitters, and gassed them. Then when they went back to the valley, there were even more skitters (hence the need to go find where they were coming from). So did someone gas the second horde, too? Meanwhile, the entire time Tom and crew were making their way to the skitter birthing vats, more skitters were being born and were massing. The process of finding the birthing area took at least two hours. So the entire time that Tom and crew were looking for the skitter vats, reconning them and setting the explosives, the rest of the team was continously gassing all the skitters who kept showing up, at night? This timing matters, because remember, the attack was going to be in an hour. So if the already born skitters weren't dealt with right away, they should attack. So, when the vats were blown up, the timing was such that all the existing skitters had been gassed, more or less continuously in the dark with no resistence, and there were ony a handful left between the vats and the gassing area to attack? That ... seems unlikely. That was definitely what it was. The question is, would Anthony or any human know that? I can't remember if anyone aside from Lexi knew about those. If no one does, then the most obvious description from Anthony would be "red and glowing." Which he didn't say. I know the point was that Anthony was so angry over just losing Deni to the skitters (who inexplicably tore her apart, something we've not seen before) that he actually didn't care what the overlord was doing, he just wanted an excuse to shoot him. But that was sloppily presented.

Yeah, me. too. That couple was older, but so many of these aren't. And they walk in wanting hardwood floors, open concept, stainless steel appliances, big closets, big en suite, etc. And then they buy a house above their budget. How do they do it?

I loved any episode where Hovis played Hitler. Shultz was always priceless in those. I also hated all the Crittendon episodes. I won't watch them even today.

Sadly, it ruined the house they bought. The sea foam kitchen island was hideous. She needs to learn how to use accessories in her color so she doesn't screw up the larger, well-decorated space. I have no idea how so many of the people on this show, the younger ones especially, can afford these expensive houses. We live in a fairly expensive area, and have a nice house, but we saved for years and managed our money closely in order to do it. I could not imagine being 25 or 30 and owning a house even over $200,000. My first house, when I was 31, was $69k! I lived in a cheap place in the Midwest then.

Morally, the mechanics are irrelevant. Now that the possibility is there to reverse 8-balls (assuming that is what happened, which I am not convinced is true), it completely changes the dynamics of gleefully killing possessed humans. If you *can* save them, you now have to decide whether to try, to avoid killing them, or to simply keep killing them. In terms of mechanics, though, who is to say that this new power doesn't become one where Alex holds up his hands and maud'dibs everyone clean? We don't know what might happen.

That missing girl, and the poor, overweight redhead kid of Colin Ferrell's, are the only two people I care about at all on this show so far. Maybe Stan is driving one of the cars on the highways we keep seeing in the transition shots. His choice of freeway is the key to everything.

Agreed. It looks like the show is setting Spencer up to be a success in the long run by sticking to his principles. When Vernon fails, and admits Spencer knew the right call and Vernon should have listened, that will be a turning point for Spence's career I think. This show is not a comedy, no matter how much the show runners say it is. There are funny moments, but they are the exception. I wonder if all the pre-show interview stuff about it just being a half-hour comedy was for the sake of calming the NFL, which basically ordered ESPN to stop a similar show a few years back (Playmakers)?

Unfortunately, those changes happened all of a sudden, this season. It wasn't an arc. It was a huge plot wank. And before Tom "changed" (if you can call a shift from one type of sanctimonious douche to another type a change), he was still fighting and winning the war. His personality change was made just now, this season, with I am sure some end plot goal in mind. It rings hollow. As for Pope, he had adjusted nicely to being part of the team. Mason trusted him, Pope wasn't dark. NOW he is, again, for some plot wank. Same for Anthony. All of these changes *just happened.* That isn't good writing. That is a show in its final season that wrote an ending and then had to wank backward to get its characters to change in ways that would end up where they want. Awful. As for this episode, a few thoughts: Sarah tells Pope, when he says he had kids, to "hold the farm"? Did I hear that right? You can hold the phone, and bet the farm, but hold the farm? That was a chuckle. Also, nice job you two, skulking in very bare cover a few feet from the road and the horde of skitters *while you move.* Good grief. I guess skitters have no senses at all. The scene where Sarah gets stuck is painful in its dialogue. All of a sudden, they are calling each other "honey" and "baby" and she is trying to put on a brave face while he is overacting. Even my teen son groaned through that scene. Another guffaw moment: All the dialogue with Cochise about the small, mysterious area over Fayetteville, while there is a massive, honking area to the top of the screen over DC. Glad someone finally noticed it, though the group's reaction was a general shrug. Anothony "freezes up" during the attack on the barn off screen, where viewers can't see it. A passing comment is made that he "froze up," with no explanation (viewers at our house: "What did he just say? Something about freezing?"). Then that becomes a key point later in his execution of the captured overlord. Nice, show. BTW, Anthony, way to completely give up describing what you saw in the overlord's hand. It was red and it was glowing - both traits that lend themselves to potentially being a weapon. You might have mentioned the two basic characteristics of what you saw. The giant, intimidating overlords can be brought down with a knife from behind - through their cute leather suits. Not quite as tough as I remember them being. Oh, wait - it was a knife held by a MASON. That's unstoppable. If I have to watch Mason shoot his auto rife while holding it sideways one more time - OMG, that's the definition of douche - I am going to throw something at the screen. As an alleged leader, the first thing Mason should have done upon returning from that mission was organize a funeral ceremony for Sarah. That would show Pope that Mason did care, and help him start on his way to healing ... you know, the roles funerals play for humanity. Of course, you can also sulk alone, lamenting whether you "made the right call." Yeah, let's do that. Because you're such a good leader. Finally, and I may have missed dialogue while laughing so if someone can answer this please jump in, why was it so important for Mason and team to attack the breeding area within an hour? I know he said there would be an attack within an hour - but, all they did was destoy the breeding area. Aren't there hundreds or thousands of skitters already marching and ready to attack? Wouldn't they still attack even after the breeding area was destroyed? If so, then the whole "we have an hour" thing made no sense, and neither did losing Sarah. I've watch FS for all four seasons, and saw a decent premise in season one go down the toilet. Now it's just fun watching the ridiculousness of it all!