Biggie B

Agree, but this show is a soap opera, nothing more and nothing less, so there has to be drama and shock and all of that crap that most of us, if we are lucky, barely experience in our day to day lives. I just finished watching via DVR and fast forwarded through about 95% of it. I knew Derek was going to die. I wasn't specifically spoiled but inadvertently saw a blurb on Facebook that said "a major character is going to die," and thus naturally assumed it would be Derek, as per the "I'll be back before you know it...wait for me" lines spoken by Derek at the end of the prior episode (those, plus the flashing police lights showing up at the house). So when I fired up the DVR, I was ready for Derek to meet his end, and just wanted to see how it happened. And go figure, I accidentally fast forwarded too fast and missed the actual moment when he got hit by the truck. I only know that from reading the posts here! But it didn't matter - he's dead and that's that. I myself will miss him because I find Patrick Dempsey extremely attractive, and also because as douchey as his character could be, that was what I expected from that particular character. That was his personality - love or leave it. I truly had no issues with his arrogance or whatever you may call it - hubris, superiority complex, take your pick. That's how he was and it just didn't phase me. So, oh well. This show's got one foot in the grave and another on a banana peel; it won't likely last much longer. I've watched it from Day One and am fine with it ending. It had a good run with some stellar moments but all good things come to an end. I won't really miss it, whereas I still pine for ER and The West Wing and The X Files and various other shows that truly resonated deeply with me. This one did not. It was a frothy nighttime soap that kept me entertained, for the most part, but was basically forgettable on many levels. I wish Patrick Dempsey well and do hope to see him in other endeavors.

This show is hard to watch now. I feel embarrassed each time I watch it (yet I still do!). They've got to know that it's almost a joke now and that so many people hate-watch the show. It is virtually impossible to take any part of it seriously. Anyway, those general sentiments aside...I had a hard time watching Clark sing 'Yesterday." First, on the shallow side, I thought his jacket was bizarrely small. I don't know if that's a current style or fashion, but it looked several sizes too tiny and I thought it would rip if Clark moved. Second, his facial expression was severely robotic. There was perhaps one moment, maybe two, where I thought I glimpsed some actual animation/emotion coming to the surface, but for the most part, he seemed to be lifeless. The song is full of regret and pain and longing. I saw none of that. It was weird to watch. I would never in a million years pay money to see him perform in person. What would be the point? He is so non-dynamic. Nothing about him is compelling or captivating. When they showed him with Scott B. at the big theatre, there was a brief moment right at the end where Clark swept his arm out in front of him in the direction of the vacant seats. That's the most lively I've ever seen him and it was all of about 1/10 of a second.

So Rob, Joshua, and DeAnna got to pick the songs they sang for the Twitter save, right? I wonder if, for those "save" songs, the contestants get any coaching or advice? Because I noticed (I think) that Rob didn't use his falsetto while singing that last song. It jumped out at me because that was such a major part of just about all of his performances. Perhaps that made no difference at all, but it's just an observation.

Is Kimberly the one whose great-grandmother was there? I'm sick of hearing that song as well - I listen to The Pulse on satellite radio and they played it to death.

I think that quick scene with young Jacob/Tom was set in 1992 or thereabouts, as per a title at the bottom of the screen.

Yes, an episode or two ago, they showed the Major meeting up with Tom/Jacob for the first time, when Tom had just stolen someone's purse, was running down the street, and the Major hustled him (Tom) into his car - had a whole file on him, and called him by his real name.

There is; some of it's on 'The Voice.'

And I am on the other end of the spectrum - I absolutely have been rooting against Blaze 100% because of his "story." Not that I don't doubt that he and his family had their share of struggles - but that's not unique, it has nothing to do with his singing (as far as I can tell), and I completely resent that the show chooses to play up this "poor pitiful me" background. It's a cheap way to manipulate viewers, or attempt to manipulate them - in my case, it did the exact opposite. Every single damn time Blaze was on the screen, he was talking about his hard life. And as a result, I shut him out - NOT interested in his tale of woe at all -not his, his father's, or anyone else's, for that matter. There isn't a human on the planet that hasn't struggled, or who isn't currently struggling. Some of those struggles are epic, some are more mundane, but bottom line - I basically don't give a crap. I understand that his story might be compelling to someone else, and that's fine - but it drives me completely insane. I am glad he's gone - he didn't sing well as his competitor, and THAT'S why he's gone. He shouldn't stay just because BOO HOO. This just touches a raw nerve for me!

I'm sure when he was hospitalized (or wherever he was), he took his meds faithfully and received therapy. So I'm thinking that he's still taking his meds even now that he's back at home. Still bi-polar, but managing it day to day.

The judge offered it to her but she had no reaction. Dembe is my favorite character, bar none. What he puts up with is incredible. He's the best.

I am overwhelmed at how terrible some of tonight's performances were. Look, I totally get that they are high on adrenaline and are slightly in shock, and have what seems to be mere moments to go from hearing their name called to singing - but holy smokes, I actually had to mute a few of them. I was embarrassed to listen - it felt so utterly wrong. Really, what is going on here? I can't fathom paying even .99 cents to download anything by these singers - forget about paying for a concert ticket! At this point, if the competition was ending tomorrow, I'd pray hard that the winner is confined to the studio, where the engineers can work some auto tune magic to create a product that does not make my teeth ache. Am I hate-watching at this point? I don't want to - I really want to hear some good music, I want to sit up and take notice, I want to feel compelled by someone's music. But right now, I feel really, really repelled.

Meghan reminds me of Cyndi Lauper - not vocally, just her looks. Lionel Richie gave a lot of constructive advice, especially about not looking down, using the stage, and creating that tension between the two singers. I don't know what it is, but I just can't get behind Blaze. I hated that bow tie he wore - he's too big a fellow to cut his neck off like that. And please, stop with the "My family has suffered so much" shtick. Just stop it. I'm sorry for whatever hardships or setbacks his dad or whoever might have endured, but honestly, I DON'T CARE. It has nothing to do with you, the contestant, singing right here and now at this moment. I'm not going to give a pity vote, so just sing your song and leave your personal tales of woe off to the side. We all have our troubles. It's not a contest to see who's suffered the most, and none of those troubles make any contestant more worthy of winning than the other.

Jack Bauer killed a guy with his thighs years ago - nothing new there.

Still too soon for me - I can't recall most of these contestants' names, especially since I only started watching when they hit Hollywood. However, I sure can remember Adam's name because I loathe him! He needs to be eliminated immediately - as someone astutely noted, it's as if he's merely playing a character. He's wildly unappealing to me on every level - I don't want to see or hear him one moment more. Otherwise, no one else really elicited a big reaction from me. I want a couple of them to move forward so that I can see if they conquer their nerves and if some better singing can emerge. Riley falls into this category. I am interested to see if he can do better because there seems to be some talent under there. Daniel needs to go immediately as well. I have NO interest in watching a child, a very young child, perform. Yuck and yuck. Trevor annoyed me immensely. I find him way too gimmicky, what with the outsized glasses and other affected mannerisms. I could be wrong, and I've already erased it off my DVR so I can't double check, but I thought that when he finished singing, he pointed his mike towards each judge as he/she offered the one sentence reaction allotted. That really bothered me, for some reason. Like, you are NOT the host of the show, you don't "give" the judges the signal to speak. I appreciate that they are jamming 12 performances into 48 or 43 minutes, or whatever it is with the commercials. Although it felt a bit frantic and rushed, I prefer that to the endless intros highlighting the tales of financial and medical and emotional woe that seems to be the requisite for qualifying for the contest. I don't give a shit about your troubles; we've all got 'em, they suck and are challenging, but really, I don't care. I liked the color of Jenn's lipstick, and I enjoyed seeing Keith sing along with many of the songs.

I thought Blaze was really not good. After that whole big build up about his sad, sad, difficult childhood, I thought, "Well, he must be an AMAZING singer to have garnered such an intro." But alas - I thought he bombed. I actually then felt embarrassed that they gave him such a build up only to have no one turn around. I was shocked that he made it.

I'm quite late to this party, so I don't really have any original comments - I very much echo most of what's already been said. For me, the standout of the episode was Catherine. She looked so very weary, just as one would when one's children are suffering. Her scene with April and Jackson was excellent. Now THAT'S how you parent your kids, whether they are two or thirty two years old. I can't imagine for one moment that April's mother would have been capable of pulling off that scene. She may be waiting for April and Jackson at home - no way of knowing, but I'll imagine that. I'm glad Catherine and Richard seem to be making their way back to each other (or at least, I hope they are). They're both flawed people, yet that doesn't mean they can't make each other happy. I'm rooting for them. I heard Norbert as the baby's middle name. Didn't really pay strict attention to the scene in which April and Jackson had to sign the all the paperwork. As for the document that April initially refused to sign before bolting, I thought it was a request for a death certificate, not the actual certificate itself. My mother died two years ago, and boy oh boy, did we need a ton of certified copies of the death certificate to wrap up everything that follows someone's death. So that's how I envisioned it...that Geena Davis was having April and Jackson sign the request form for the death certificate so that they wouldn't have to do so afterwards. Because unfortunately, they will indeed need little Samuel's death certificate. But it's beside the point - it was just a device to allow April to have that moment of complete denial and refusal. And that resolved itself when April had to comfort the woman whose fiance had just died.

I only began watching last week, having intentionally skipped the cattle call episodes, as I've done now for several years. Thus, I am seeing these contestants for the first time and don't know any names, so apologies in advance. I was actually glad to see that the 15 or 16 year old girl with purple highlights, who told the camera last week that her entire family was depending on her to win AI in order to lift them out of their current situation and subsequently needed medical attention, went home last night. Additionally, the contestant who mentioned he's homeless - he mentioned before his group went on stage that when he found out he was going to Hollywood, he called his mother and told her their lives were about to change. Really? How? Did he mistakenly think he'd be paid a salary of some nature for making it to Hollywood? And let's say he advanced - would a paycheck be forthcoming? What do these contestants truly think regarding the money involved? Do they think that upon winning, they are bestowed with a mult-million dollar check the following morning? Why and how do they think that winning the competition guarantees immediate financial salvation? I get so very angry when I hear and see contestants say, "I'm here [to audition/compete] because my family is flat broke." Not that I don't have HUGE sympathy and empathy for those in dire financial situations - been there, done that - but where is this perception of instant monetary gain coming from? And enough to "save" various family members? I would be interested in an actual financial break down of what each winner receives and when. Lump sum? Payments made over time? A percentage of profits? What? I understand that those who go on the tour earn a salary - I would HOPE - but is that enough to house, clothe, and feed several people in perpetuity? It's almost delusional. Anyway, that said, only a small handful of voices jumped out at me last night. Still way too early to get any sort of sense of who these people are and what they might be capable of.

I know she said her tumor's inoperable but maybe somehow, Derek and/or Amelia will save her.

I missed the season premiere last week (thought it was on at 9 p.m., tuned in, didn't see it on, thought it hadn't yet aired), so this was my first exposure to Maggie. And it was WAY too much! I really resented that she was the entire episode and seemed to be handling every patient in the hospital single-handedly. I also completely forgot that she is taking over Dr. Yang's position - and that does not work at all for me. She looks way too young and childish to be in that role. Not that Sandra Oh looked "old" by any stretch of the imagination, but she carried herself and spoke in such a way that I believed in her character's brilliance and superiority without begrudging it. There was simply no denying it. It definitely was a weird episode. I felt it was very unbalanced. Just way too much of Maggie all at once, but perhaps because I missed the prior episode, it felt even worse. I did not know, until reading this thread, that Maggie does not know that Richard is her father. WTH??? So I guess we viewers are going to see that dragged out for weeks on end - Maggie saying all sorts of things to Richard that make him squirm and wince. Oy vey. It wouldn't surprise me if Maggie ends up being the last person in the entire hospital to finally learn that she is both Ellis' and Richard's child. I don't know or care what's going on with Callie and Arizona. Jeez, just figure it out already. You think you're the first couple ever to struggle with a huge work/life balance issue? This does not interest me in the least. Split up, stay together, have another baby, don't have another baby - just make some sort of decision and go with it. April's pregnant, right? I guess at some point there will be some horrible medical issue with that, right? Heaven forbid anyone ever just make it through the 9 months without life-threatening scenarios every step of the way. *Yawn* Well, I have watched this show since Day One, and I suppose I'll stick with it. Hopefully it won't dissolve into hate-watching!

I was very sorry to see Emilio go. I knew he would not/could not win, but I really enjoy his dancing, his personality, and his looks! /shallow/ I'm glad he is on the tour, however - good for him! I really enjoyed the opening group number - and once again, I missed whose music it was - could someone kindly advise the name of the song and the artist? And I enjoyed the Bollywood Disco number as well. It was frantic and yes, prone to causing seizures, but I still got a kick out of it. It entertained me and kept me engaged. Same for Emilio's number - I was completely invested in it. And isn't that what it's all about? For those few minutes, I wasn't thinking about anything else but the dancing and how much it pleased me. I have ZERO dance knowledge, which in a way, is nice...ignorance is bliss, right? Good on you, Zack/Zach! Ya done good!

Thank you, Alison! I truly am struggling to distinguish one dancer from the other, especially the girls - and I've been watching this from Day One!

Two quick questions: (1) Who danced the very first routine, in the devilish costumes? (2) What was the name of the song they danced to, and the artist? Thanks!

I'm thinking that the President brought everyone up to speed about Mark in the 12 hours that we did not see. Also, Mark might have confessed, especially once he found out Audrey was dead. As for the President's Alzheimer symptoms: it can take years for the disease to really incapacitate a person. My stepfather-in-law was diagnosed with Pick's disease (which falls under the Alzheimer umbrella - very similar) and it took well over five years before his memory was really and truly affected. My dad has dementia, and it's taken almost three years for the loss of memory to really set in. I don't think we viewers were told how far along into his diagnosis the President was. He could still have quite a bit of high functioning years left in him. Overall, I really enjoyed the whole shortened series. I don't nit-pick it very much, that takes the fun out of it for me. I just let the craziness wash over me and hang on for the ride! Highlights for me this season were Margot being flung out the window, Cheng's beheading, and quite a bit of Jack's dialogue (yelling at Mark - telling Kate to "wake the bitch up" re: Simone - and several others I can't recall right now).If they decide to resurrect it, there are all sorts of directions it could go. But for now - it was good while it lasted!

I watched every episode of the last season and I, too, have no recollection of Jenna. I'm sure if I saw some of the pieces in which she danced, I'd remember but right now, I'm drawing a blank. I've never watched DWTS, so that doesn't help.

Just two simple words (from what language, I don't know) that sum up Season XIII in a nutshell.