Biggie B

Kevin was certainly vile as a teenager, but not anything we haven't seen and/or experienced before, with our own siblings or our children. It was heartbreaking to hear some of the things Kevin said to Randall, all the while understanding where his anger is coming from. I'm not excusing him or justifying his behavior, but it rang so true. Kudos to the two young actors, they were excellent and completely and utterly believable to me. As has already been said, the casting and acting was stellar. I actually thought for a moment that the teenaged Kate might be related to the adult actress! As for adult Kate...yes, I agree, she and her storyline are now totally disconnected from her brothers. It's like we're watching two different shows in one. Where is the thread that binds her to Kevin and Randall? She really, really needs to fly east to be with them, for some reason - even if she herself doesn't relocate to the east coast, there's got to be some face-to-face interaction soon. As for the whole Toby situation...I am NOT a Toby fan but I will grudgingly admit that he can do whatever he wants vis a vis his food consumption and dieting. He doesn't have to answer to Kate; it's up to her to decide if she can deal with being around him while he eats foods that are inappropriate for her. No one is forcing her to stay with him. I was really disappointed in Kate for saying she'd just have to deal with it. No, no she doesn't. If she needs to be selfish in order to make this weight loss thing happen, then she should do so - she needs to put herself first, and if that means extricating herself from a relationship in which she feels challenged every moment, then so be it. And again, it's not up to Toby to change his behavior, he can do as he wishes (I really don't like defending him, but it's only fair!). It's really a no-win scenario if Kate stays with Toby; even when they're not together, she'll know that he's at home or elsewhere, possibly eating stuff she can't have, and then resenting him - and herself - for it. And I actually did believe Toby when he said he'd support her...but it was not easy watching him eat that gross dessert in front of her. Even though she said, sure, sure, go ahead, I can't imagine she really meant that. I was also very dismayed at the gas station scene. Another person above pointed out that there are myriad reasons why weight gain happens, and this scene played into the stereotypical notion that we heavier people can't control ourselves and eat junk food at any given opportunity. Seeing Kate in her new job in the last episode was a high point for this character...tonight was not, which I get - we all have our big ups and big downs. Beth and William - what can be said that hasn't already been said? Amazing scenes and holy crap, the cat (William's cat, Clooney?) is out of the bag now...yikes! I found my attention wandering during the Jack and Rebecca flashbacks. I kinda don't care about Rebecca's singing (is that just to accommodate Mandy Moore?) and I totally missed what happened at Jack's workplace with the flirting secretary? I'll have to read a recap of the show for that. Still haven't shed one tear yet over this show and may never - not my style - but I am engrossed. It is solid storytelling, which I appreciate as a viewer. There is a richness to many of the scenes that is engaging and challenging. I am definitely becoming invested in most of the characters and truly want to see their stories unfold. I'm willing to go along for the ride.

I feel pretty much the same. It's been a wrenching week and I pretty much watched this episode in a daze, as merely brain candy and little more. That said, I still didn't feel this was a terribly emotional episode, even if that's what it was supposed to be - the revelation of Richard's mother's untimely death; Owen's inner turmoil; Stephanie's rough childhood; Meredith's tragic loss of the great love of her life and its impact on her and her children - I saw what they were going for, yet felt relatively unmoved by any of it (except the Derek sighting!). Each of these vignettes were, I guess, supposed to make the surgeons feel a deeper connection to the person whose body lay gaping on the table, and sure, it worked, but I didn't feel any differently about Richard, Owen, Stephanie, or Meredith than I did before seeing into their psyches.

That is indeed a scary thought...bad enough you're having emergency, life-saving surgery, but to think it's being done by people who are physically and mentally compromised makes it even worse. As with likely many people here, I've had several major surgeries, but all were scheduled in advance, so in theory anyway, my surgeons arrived fresh and ready to roll. Only one of my surgeries was done in the late afternoon (5 p.m.), and yes, I did worry about the surgeon being tired by then. When Meredith said at the end that she just pushed through it, I believed her, but still...

It was sort of nice to have an episode that didn't have 875 different characters in it (although it did introduce a new one, Hunt's sister). The child who played young Stephanie was excellent, and truly looked like adult Stephanie. Good casting that highlighted and supported that thread of the story. Yes, seeing Zola and her brother as older than they were when Derek died was quite a goof that ruined the moment for me. I understood its purpose and that its emotional impact would not have been as intense had the kids been truly too young for Meredith to actually talk to them in the way she did, but the inconsistency in their ages was a distraction that took me away from the scene's content. Another glimpse of Derek, perfectly done, completely right for that moment - rang totally true for me, just as it did when Meredith and Riggs had a discussion of seeing/hearing their deceased loved ones. I found Richard's flashback too tedious. Unlike Owen's and Meredith's, in which we knew instantly to what and to whom they were flashing back, I didn't really appreciate or get into the "game" of Richard's flashback. Some people figured it out within a moment that she was his mom, but I did not. Thus, I didn't connect with Gail and she had less of an impact on me. I liked Owen's sister - she was giving him shit (or, as a hallucination, I suppose he was giving himself shit), saying stuff he didn't want to hear. I look forward to her arrival, I just hope she won't have amnesia or something - I want her as I saw her here. Overall, an OK episode - a breather leading up to next week's winter finale, in which all hell appears to break loose.

For her maternity leave, I am thinking that Amelia could need some "time away" to re-assess her marriage and other pressing issues, such as whether or not to have a child. Hopefully they won't make her relapse into drugs or drinking and then have to go away to rehab - that would really be awful. As for Jo...perhaps her mysterious abusive husband will somehow play into her maternity absence? Maybe he'll show up in Seattle and she'll bolt to get away from him (without telling anyone why, of course...putting DeLuca in the hot seat, because doesn't he know that she's actually married? But might not know the guy abused Jo).

I'm a cancer survivor and I do personally know a small handful of people with Stage 4. You would not know it by their appearances, unless, perhaps, you'd known them before they were diagnosed. One woman is really thin but not to the point of looking skeletal. Since she stopped chemo, her hair grew back, thinner but still there and doesn't look that different from any other woman with a pixie cut. She wears makeup and dresses quite stylishly. Yes, she's dying - probably has a year left, give or take - but for the most part, she is able to go about her day. As for her attitude...she's a bit stoic but very realistic. There are days when she is absolutely down and depressed, without a doubt - but there are plenty of days when she's quite upbeat and simply living the best she can. Ironically, I just realized she is a massive Pittsburgh Steelers fan! My uncle died peacefully at home from Stage 4 liver cancer. Aside from being yellow (jaundice), he looked pretty darn good - not skinny, had all his hair, always was laughing and singing. Also, of course, William is a TV character, so...they're gonna take a little leeway. We viewers may not ever see him in his final days, depends how they decide to deal with his death.

Yes, I do, unfortunately. I'm all for Arizona having a new relationship, but based on what I saw of this new person - ugh, no thanks. Guess she's going to be around for a while, though, so I'm hoping the character improves. And yes, the actress was not exactly fabulous. Agree - very, very sloppy on the writers' part. Seriously. Enough is enough already. Look your husband straight in the eyes and tell him exactly what you told Alex about your past pregnancy and what happened. Knowing Owen, his heart would break for her, and he'd comfort and support her. I understand that miscommunication and/or complete lack of communication are at the heart of most soap opera story lines, but it is tiresome and almost insulting to the viewers at home who are sitting there screaming at the TV for Character A and Character B to just TALK TO EACH OTHER, in full and complete sentences. At least we didn't have any Meredith/Riggs/Maggie triangle nonsense in this episode, thank you very much! With two of the actresses pregnant, I do wonder how the writers will accommodate their absence from filming.

Indeed. Gemma was horrible to both her mother and to Kate.

Perhaps Gemma assumed or expected that her mother would have provided Kate with the address. Gemma doesn't seem to talk to anyone but her friends, and even then, only via text, so I wasn't surprised that she (Gemma) didn't tell Kate where to take her. But yes, before even leaving the house, Kate should have nailed down where she was going. I'm the one who originally asked 'who would cry about their dad to a total stranger?' and I'm saddened that so many of you all have experienced such loss and grief. I don't have either of my parents around anymore, my dad having died 11 months ago, but have never cried about either of them to strangers. I do, though understand how grief can overwhelm you at any give moment, with no warning, and how powerful that can be. That said, I just did not buy Kevin's interaction with the widow in her kitchen. I truly, truly, truly thought he was acting - not the part when he talked about the model-building - that was indeed right from his heart - but the crying hug part, I thought he was doing that purely for the sake of the widow. I stand corrected.

Agreed - by having Randall go to a private school, that sets up Jack to sacrifice his dream of having his own business, and having to stay in a job he seems to hate. It's a breeding ground for smoldering resentment, possible tension between Jack and Miguel (if Miguel ends up being Jack's supervisor/boss/superior), and also possible financial difficulties for the whole family (e.g., all disposable income goes towards Randall's tuition) - all of which makes for "better" story lines.

I really, really enjoyed seeing Kate without Toby. As a matter of fact, I completely forgot about him as a character on this show until I saw the previews for next week. As others have mentioned, it was good to get a little more background on Kate - that she had a job prior to being Kevin's PA, that she isn't really in touch with her mother any more...good stuff. I would assume that regarding her mother, we'll eventually get to see how and why their relationship fell apart. I don't like Olivia very much either. I get what she was trying to do but what a messed up way to do so! Jeez! And yes, as another poster pointed out, what if someone there had recognized Kevin from his TV show?? When Kevin had the scene in the kitchen with the widow, I completely did not buy it...well, not all of it. I definitely felt Kevin's genuine sadness when he talked about throwing away the models and crying, but the rest of it fell totally flat for me, especially when he and the woman embraced. Kevin's crying didn't seem honest to me - I felt as if he was thinking, "I'd better lay it on a bit for this poor lady, so that she doesn't feel alone in her sadness." Not that Kevin didn't truly feel sad/wistful talking about Jack - he did. But this lady was a total and complete stranger (as was her husband!) - would you cry about your deceased dad to someone you completely didn't know? I was on board up until that moment - when they hugged - it just seemed weird to me, but again, I get the whole point of that entire part of the story. Circling back to Kate for a minute, I do very much like that she has this job and it seems to be going really well. She's clearly smart and good at what she does, and likes doing it! Which ties in to her brother Randall. I loved that he said, at the end, that he likes his job. Good! As for Kate, the only bummer is that if her new job continues to go so well, she won't soon (or ever) be moving east to reunite with her brothers. I really , really want to see her with Randall, I feel as if that's a missing piece of the puzzle. I don't want the show to be three mini-shows under the umbrella of their parents. Although Kevin's acting situation has nothing to do with Randall, he is for now living with him and even if/when he gets his own place in NYC, he'll be close enough to see Randall whenever they want to get together. Kate's so isolated from both of them now; I don't want the thread that ties them together to unravel completely. I did feel bad for Jack, giving up his dream of having his own business, but of course he did it for Randall (and yes, add me to the chorus of people singing that child's praises! He was simply wonderful as young Randall, wow!). It will be interesting to see how the relationship between Jack and Miguel goes. I hope Jack doesn't end up simmering in resentment; that would be depressing. I very much like William, but he's sort of becoming this magical unicorn - he was a civil rights activist, a poet, a musician who played with some of the most famous musicians in the world, he's amazing with his granddaughters...yes, yes, he was a drug addict, but he sure has been redeemed every which way to Sunday! I don't wish him ill will - he's already got terminal cancer, that's about as bad as it gets - but sheesh, his halo is sort of blinding. I say that lovingly, though; he's a great character and the actor portrays him beautifully. I do wonder where his cat is, though...

I think we all use the pause function - but the key is just what you said: "But that is why I watch alone. Because I like having control." Kate was not the one who paused the football game, Toby did it. I don't care that it's his home and his remote - he invited Kate as his guest to supposedly watch the game (which he wasn't even doing), and a good host should make his guest feel comfortable. Stopping the game at a critical moment was rude and was done solely so Toby could try to tell an anecdote that had nothing to do with anything but his and Shooter's own amusement. So yes, the pause function of the DVR is a life saver at times, absolutely - but when someone takes the remote and stops a show you're watching, that's a wee bit rude. It was almost as if Kate wasn't even there. I don't see any of Toby's behavior as mistakes or one-offs - it's intrinsically who he is, all the time. He's absolutely a polarizing character and unfortunately for me, I have yet to find any redeeming qualities in him and with each episode, have no desire to even try.

I think that no matter what your viewing habits are, or what sort of program you're watching it's really rude for someone else to pause your show without asking or giving you a heads up. Toby could've said to Kate, "Hey, can I pause this a sec?" and she would've had the chance to say, "Not right now, just let me see this play," or something to that effect. I hate Toby, so I'm going to find fault with his mere existence, but still - it was super obvious that Kate honestly was trying to watch the game as it was happening. It wasn't just background noise or something she was casually glancing at while talking to the other guy, Shooter. But again, I detest Toby, so I can't impartially assess anything he says or does! I am evil!! I'm glad we got a tiny glimpse into Beth beyond just being the perfect mom and wife. She's poised to reenter the work force. I wonder what she did before having kids. I'm very glad she's not pregnant and was also glad that Randall was equally relieved. They are a true team. Even though Randall has this plan to retire in whatever city it was he mentioned, and this was news to Beth, they are still on the same wavelength so much of the time and are so tuned in to each other, it's a joy to watch. For me, they're the best part of the show. I like Kate a lot, flaws and all; Kevin, eh, he's ok but I'm not terribly invested in him; but Beth and Randall - they are wonderful. Those two actors are the shining stars of this series so far. Picking a noisy bar in the middle of the Super Bowl with your best friends sitting right there was NOT the time or place to discuss having or not having children. That was beyond stupid. My eyes rolled pretty hard at that point. As with many others, I am quite ready to know how and why Rebecca and Miguel ended up together, what happened to Miguel's wife, and how Jack died. I'm assuming none of these questions will be answered quickly, but hopefully, we'll see some good, meaty stuff along the way as they build up to the resolution of each. Still haven't shed a single tear, but that's just me - I can appreciate the emotions put forth by the characters (Randall crying as he packed up William's stuff was excellent), I just don't cry at stuff like that.

Don't think so, since Kate told Toby she was conceived in the bathroom on the day of the Super Bowl, and we then saw Rebecca and Jack going at it in the bathroom at Froggy's (ew!!). Certainly the odds of conceiving triplets "naturally" are probably pretty slim, but it makes for a good moment for a TV drama.

So far in your entire life, have you ever become sick from using an "exposed" toothbrush? Don't worry about it...you've made it this far! :-) I didn't buy Sheldon's explanation for triple knocking for a minute. I consider him to be autistic and also someone who must partake in ritualistic behavior to get through the day. My young adult son is on the autism spectrum and does a number of things similar to Sheldon's triple knock (e.g., when he opens a door, he jiggles the doorknob a specific number of times in one direction, counterclockwise, to ensure that it's unlocked). It's quasi-OCD-ish in nature. I don't discount that Sheldon would have been traumatized to an extent by seeing his father having sex with another woman - absolutely. But for me, that isn't the driver behind his triple knock. Just my take on it...And I do wonder if that incident will ever be brought up again, for any reason. That's a very significant event, and while this show isn't a drama and is out for the laughs, it was sort of a big bombshell to drop on the viewers.

I composed a previous post and although I clicked 'submit reply,' it never appeared, so trying again... I wouldn't have cared if both Lee and Valerie died, at this point. Why Lee came back to Gotham - a city that holds horrible memories for her - is beyond belief (other than to have Jim pine for her?). And right now, Valerie is so one-dimensional, simply an opportunistic journalist with little concern for Jim other than as a sex buddy. Which is fine, recreational sex between two willing adults is no big deal, but it only highlights how little emotional connection they have. They barely seem to like each other, yet Hatter considered Valerie half of Jim's heart? Really? The entire story line is too drawn out and boring and I've lost patience with the Mad Hatter. He was interesting for a short period, but now, enough is enough. He's escaped anyway, so perhaps he'll pop up at some point down the road. As for what happens after Valerie recovers, I'm not terribly interested. Jim will try to explain his choice to Lee - awkward! - and let's see if Valerie falls head over heels for Jim, since he chose her. I missed Bruce and Alfred and Selena. Don't know what to say about Oswald and Ed. Another love triangle that will go terribly wrong. I actually feel a little sorry for Penguin, he's going to be crushed to smithereens when he finds out that Ed has a new love interest (who may or may not be evil, we'll see).

Me too. Perhaps not "hated" her - but was really, really turned off by what seemed to me to be an extremely fake cheeriness. I found it completely unreal and weird. And the constant applauding by the family really annoyed me. One's illness is not a game show.

Agree!!! Since this show began, Aram's been shown to be woefully inept socially. Heck, he can barely get his words out to his male co-workers. He's like one step above Raj on 'The Big Bang Theory' when Raj couldn't speak to women unless he was drunk. And then, after all this time, we see this gal in Aram's apartment stripping down and ready for action. I actually thought that perhaps some scenes had been edited out, because who is she? How did they meet? Does she have a name? Even if she is a hooker and Aram's decided to "save" her, hello, it would be nice to let us in on this! Really ridiculous! All I can say is, she better not be scamming Aram. I don't want him to come home one evening and find everything gone and his bank account empty. I hate Liz so much that I'm practically hoping she never sees Agnes again. I don't want anything to happen to the baby, of course - but I don't want Liz to "win." She's just an idiot. I have lost any semblance of patience with her. How many times must we hear her yelling at Red about lying to her? How he hasn't slapped her by now is beyond me. I would like Kirk to surrender up Agnes but only on the condition that Tom be her parent and Liz never see her again. I'd be fine with that. So what's up with Mr. Kaplan? I'm hoping that her absence from this episode indicates that the show's writers have thought better of imitating 'Misery' and have revised her captivity story line. I don't mind that the guy who found her is a nutjob, that sort of goes without saying. But 'Misery' can't be touched - it's like someone other than Nat King Cole trying to sing "Chestnuts roasting on an open fire..." (can't think of the actual name of that song). It's too iconic.

I feel the same way. I simply don't like Toby and would not want to spend time around him. His personality is simply off-putting to me. Sure, perhaps if I were his co-worker and I had to spend time with him, I might come to find something about him that was palatable. But right now, from what I've seen of him, I don't like him. It has nothing to do with Kate. I was impressed that a bunch of 8 year old girls knew how to spell "embarrassing" or whatever form of the word they used in their terrible napkin note. I often have to rely on spell check to get that one right. I don't really like Rebecca, I have to say. I know her intentions are good but...I don't know, I can't warm up to her. The actress is doing splendidly, though! As is the fellow who plays Jack, I've never seen or heard of him before. So I suppose that Kevin and the British actress are bound to end up together. *yawn* Not interested in that aspect of the story. Still, if her character serves to give Kevin a reality check, I'm all for it. I can only imagine how hard it must have stung her to find out that Kevin was hired only for his name recognition and to get butts in the seats. Can't add anything more to the well-deserved praise for the Randall/William/Beth storyline and actors. They're simply sublime and for me, the absolute heart of this show. So far, they have not put a foot out place. But I do look forward to seeing Randall, Kevin, and Kate together face to face as the current day adults that they are.

She did. If I recall, she did get pregnant with the boyfriend who OD'd. She had the baby but he was either born without much of a brain or had some other severely horrible condition that didn't permit him to live long - or he might have even been stillborn, I don't quite recall.

Re: Kirkland/Kirkman: At one point - perhaps when he went to visit the rubble FKA the Capitol Building - someone referred to him as Kirkland - perhaps to make the point that he (the new president) was a virtual unknown, so unknown that people didn't even realize they had his name wrong. I think it was in the pilot, but can't quite recall.

So glad Aram told off Samar. She's really turned into a bitter shrew at this point, and for what? Because Aram's no longer mooning over her like a puppy? Because precious Liz betrayed her trust? Get over it - or at the very least, compartmentalize it and do your job without being so nasty. Ressler, don't move heaven and earth to get her to stay - you deserve better in a partner! It's a shame, because I've always liked her character but if this is how she's going to be - her transfer can't come through fast enough. Loved all the bowling alley scenes. The actor who plays Glen is hilarious and Dembe's bowling tips were awesome. WTH with Mr. Kaplan's situation? Why? What is the point? I'm glad she's alive, she's an excellent character, but this is downright dumb. There's only one Misery - this can't possibly hold a candle to that movie, it was brilliantly done and can't be duplicated. I don't even know what to say about the Gaia storyline. This is getting really stale at this point. They need to get Agnes back and move ON already. We can assume, I think, that Agnes won't die, so let's just get her back to her parents and then Liz can focus on dealing with Kirk and the mystery of her parentage without these asinine detours every week.

I waver back and forth between liking Riggs and not caring about him. Someone above raised the point that by now, he should be moving on from Meredith. He keeps pursuing her and she keeps rebuffing him. Whether she's denying her true feelings or not is another story - I do think she'd like to be involved with him, but it's too much effort, too frightening, too sad, or something. But perhaps he should back off and just concentrate on his work. Enough's enough already with this nonsense. Either get into the relationship or don't. But again, there are moments when I really do want Riggs and Meredith to take the plunge and begin dating and such. Why not? He's good looking (subjective, I know, and certainly NOT the most important thing, but...), he's seemingly a skilled doctor, he seems intelligent and able to function in and around the hospital and his colleagues. He's not put off by the fact that Meredith is the widow of an extremely high profile person or that she has 3 children and is a complicated, high-maintenance individual who may or may not be completely ready to share her mind and body with anyone. True, he's not yet been shown to be the most complex or nuanced individual. But he's had a few moments where he briefly revealed a bit of his inner self. One (for me) was in this episode, the scene in which he, Meredith, and Owen had just discovered that their patient was now paralyzed. I thought Riggs really sold that scene - he did truly seem very angry and insulted and disgusted that Meredith might have "sided" with his recommendation for personal reasons, rather than because he was actually correct. The other bit of personality he showed me was last week, when he and Meredith had that brief exchange about still imagining/dreaming about their deceased partners. It was a quick, small, intimate moment but I found it really revealing. But either way, this storyline needs to resolve ASAP. It's like nails on a chalkboard at this point and I have no patience. Either have Riggs and Meredith move forward with a relationship or not. I, as a viewer, do not appreciate watching adults hiding their feelings and bumbling and stumbling around like middle schoolers.

One thing that irked me about Toby was when he showed up with the car, red carpet, the camera flashing, and chauffeur outfit, he said this would the day in which it was all about Kate, in which she'd be the star. Well, not so much. He made it all about himself by dressing up and calling attention to himself. He organized an activity in which Kate had no say whatsoever, and which she did not want to do (even though it thankfully worked out). It was really all about Toby. If he'd showed up and asked Kate, "What would be your idea of a perfect day?" and then made that day happen, I'd be much more impressed. His idea of a great day for Kate was one in which his needs were met - hearing her sing, showing her off to his aunt and the other senior citizens, and looking like a hero. Was that her idea of a great day?

I don't recall any dialogue in which Randall said that Jack had passed away. I do remember William looking at the picture and a brief exchange thereafter. Then again, I'm not the sharpest tool in the box and don't always watch TV shows with complete attention. After the episode in which Rebecca and Miguel showed up together at Randall's home, it wasn't completely clear to me that they were married, although, as has been pointed out, Randall's daughters called them Grandma and Grandpa, so he must have been in their lives long enough and in a significant enough manner for them to call him Grandpa. I posted that since it wasn't completely clear if Miguel and Rebecca were married [HAVING NOT CONSIDERED THE IMPACT OF THE KIDS CALLING HIM GRANDPA, I will admit!], I wondered if perhaps Jack were still alive but not well...perhaps mentally incapacitated in some way. It was not in any way alluded to or mentioned in the show at all - this was just something I wondered out loud, based only on the possibility that Miguel and Rebecca might not married. Complete speculation. It's definitely an excellent hook to keep viewers engaged - what happened to Jack, how did Miguel and Rebecca come together?