bravelittletoaster

lol at the title of this thread: perfection.

I know that bothered a lot of people, but my read on that was never that the show was saying Santana was lazy. The show showed us the real reason she wasn't doing it, in private [and oh my God, Glee actually did show us something instead of telling us. Someone get it a cookie]. The fact is Santana just didn't feel like she owed Rachel the real explanation: "This isn't actually my dream, I was doing it in part to spite you and prove to myself that I could do this had I wanted to, and I'm going to go island hopping with Brittany for the next six months. If you cup your hand to your ear you can hear the sound of a thousand fan fic keyboards springing to life right now." Or something like that.

Seems sort of Aspergers-y, but mildly so.

I didn't think too much about it, tbh. The writers have several times in the past resorted to making Santana OTT mean to use it as a plot device [ex: escalating the argument with Finn to the point where he was quasi-justified in outing her]. I make no bones about how little I think of the Glee writers. Most people I know with a high school degree whose first language is English and who have seen tv before could undoubtedly do better than RIB. So I seldom get worked up over bad characterization anymore, and just feel like patting them on the head when they get something remotely right. In that vein I counted Brittany's return to season 2 levels of quirky but genuinely insightful emotional intelligence as a blessing. Long story short, I didn't think Santana seemed dumb, per se, and I recognized her OTT viciousness from times when they've used that as a plot shortcut in the past. I think this show's terrible, but unfortunately and confoundingly have had a hell of a time trying to quit it.

I do often think we're lucky it's not smell-o-vision. Mostly in reference to the walkers, but I can't imagine the living smell much better really.

Oh yeah, I actually don't think she's that over the top. The book character was from rural PA, hence the name. But the show character has stated she's from Waynesboro, which is in Virginia [about 20 minutes from me], and I'm here to tell ya, I've encountered similar gems on the co-rec softball field. I find her grating, but it's not because I find her to be unrealistic. I also can't overstate the kick I get that she's from there. Someone did their homework. There's a lot of meth and hillbilly heroin in those parts of Appalachia.

I'm a big fan of Rick's reduced role this season [1/2 season? Whatever. Since the destruction of the prison]. I don't think my problem is with Andrew Lincoln per se, though maybe a different actor could have brought Rick's mansplaining off with a bit more aplomb or charm. I find that when we do focus on him this season I am liking him a lot better in his small doses. So I don't know if Lincoln had another project to work on, or they just felt like long stretches sans Rick were called for by the narrative, but whatever the impetus, I'm digging it.

I don't know, but I'm pretty excited that someone wants to do something besides hunker down in a really boring setting and argue with everyone all the time. I don't know the comic books at all, but when Eugene's group appeared I just felt hope for the first time in years that there was going to be a plot that might interest me [former hate-watcher slowly evolving into a legit watcher on the strength of changes this season].

LOL, every time I see a freshly mowed lawn I roll my eyes, but it has never ever occurred to me to wonder where everyone's pooping. And now that strikes me as hilarious. Thank you?

I think of the "in my opinion" judge every time I post at forums that are particularly uptight about stating that.

I was really lucky to be unspoiled for that episode. I had run across several comments online alluding to something major happening, and actually thought to myself, "eh, how big could it be? They've broken up the firm...is it some crazy hook up?" Someone dying didn't even occur to me for some reason, and if it had, it certainly would not have been one of the main characters. That having been said, I did go into it knowing "something" was going to happen, so when the shots were fired and Kalinda started running to the court room, I was terrified for her. In that moment I construed that closure-heavy conversation between her and Will to be for her benefit and I was like "oh crap no, not Kalinda." So no offense to Will, but I was kind of relieved when they cut to the hospital and Kalinda was walking in of her volition. I still fell for the mislead in the hospital when they thought he was in surgery. I still didn't believe he was going to die. But when she started walking towards the exam room with the "vics" from the courthouse only then did it really hit me that the show had had the balls to go there. I'm continually impressed with this team. They've had their missteps [iMO Kalinda's ex], but they've course-corrected well when they have, and they've got some real chutzpah. To carry off this plot line without it being spoiled in this day and age? That's a pretty impressive feat. And the Kings' explanation made perfect sense to me. Charles wanted to leave, and they knew there was no distance that would really keep Will and Alicia apart. Except this one. I'm really looking forward to where this takes us.

I was pretty much sold the moment I saw her doing those flying pull-ups Amell does. Holy shit.

Amen to the chemistry. I actually like Piper, and she gets so much hate online it feels like I have to admit that apologetically or something, but whatever. I went to liberal arts college, listen to NPR and shop at Whole Foods too. I rather enjoy the skewering of her yuppie affectations, but I can't pretend I don't recognize a lot of her crap in myself. The character is so much more than that, too. I had thought from the initial trailers for the show and the comedic straight-man role she seemed to be playing that I knew exactly what this character would be. I never expected the later revelations about her past or the way she gets more and more feral as the season progresses. I thought it was pretty fascinating, too. And what can I say, I think Taylor Schilling's really cute, so I'm inclined to like her for that reason as well. At least I own my shallowness? So much of the conversation around the show seemed to touch on whether or not people liked Piper, and treated that as a potential deal-breaker, which has always struck me as a bit of a gendered double-standard. I never thought Walter White was particularly likable, but it also never occurred to me that that was the point of the show. I think viewers are not yet full accustomed to the idea of a female anti-hero who might be problematic at best as a rooting interest.

Interestingly enough, the Pennsatucky character in the book ends up being one of Piper's closer friends in prison. But the book character is very different--she's similarly a redneck but I don't remember religion being a part of her character at all, so the main source of contention on the show between the two characters wasn't a factor in real life. But the fact that they get along in the book makes me wonder if they'll reach some sort of rapprochement on the show post beat down.

I think Crazy Eyes / Suzanne is the most perfect example of how the show introduces various conceits and stereotypes in the early episodes that it will eventually explode later on. Aside from the rather ham-fisted Pennsatucky, by the end of the season I felt that almost every character was someone different from who I assumed she was in the beginning. And I mean that as a credit to the show. I think it mirrors Piper's on devolution/revelation as not the "nice white lady" she was trying so hard to be in the pilot, but for me it happened with nearly every character. But perhaps none so saliently as Suzanne, who started off for me a strictly comedic character and then was breaking my heart by the 10th episode. Clearly that was all carefully planned and plotted, but I didn't see that coming and I really admire it in hindsight.

I feel like I see a lot of critiques of her acting, but I really like her in the role. I also kind of lapsed into a shameless Vauseman shipper which I swore up and down wasn't going to happen, but I think those two have mad chemistry, and like Piper, it leads me to terrible decision making. But I think Prepon's pretty bad ass in the role, and I liked how the show took our initial presumptions about her as the bad seed that led Piper astray and turned them upside down by the end of the season. Which is not to say we learned at all that she was an innocent victim, but she did get as good as she gave, IMO. Anyhow, I love their toxic dynamic. Not the kind of thing I'd encourage in real life, but wildly entertaining on my tv.

Obsessed with this show and happy to have a new refuge in the wake of TWoP's demise. I'll try not to dominate the thread here the way I did there, it's just hard to find people who need to discuss this show as much as I do. :)

I took that as a shout out, because I never bothered to learn their names either.

Seeing the veterans return in these last two episodes just reminds me I would have continued watching this crappy show forever if they were still on it. I'm sure it's de rigueur for showrunners to have enormous egos, but even given that, how do you ever lose sight of the fact that your cast is what your viewers are in love with? Anyhow, I was really just happy to see everyone again, especially my precious Heather. I can put up with a raft of crap if it involves sweet Brittana scenes. So weak.