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I just finished watching for the first time. There is no question that our current political climate, and my anger over same, affected my perception, but at the end I was sick of all of them, with particular loathing for Josh. I never really warmed to Leo or Depressive Toby because of the way they continually subverted their own beliefs in order to mollify and cater to the voters and/or Democratic operatives. Every single public moment and gesture came down to appearance and superficiality. Promising something, walking it back, brokering deals, threatening retaliation, obscuring the truth. Gah. That's the way politics works but I was in absolutely no mood to receive it. Bartlet's health lies made me want to throw something at the TV, but I trudged on. All the nitty gritty of politics was probably exhilarating and fresh in 2000 but came off as quaint and distressingly naive to me now. The campaigns were my least favorite part of an already mediocre experience, so season 7 was the worst. I was never a Bartlet fan (his ego and hubris put me off), but what interest I had was in his presidency and staff, not various splinter groups. The good? I now understand why everyone loves Allison Janney. I might have watched an entire 156 episodes of CJ giving press briefings, and she got even better as Chief of Staff. Charlie was always welcome, as were Will, Ainsley, Kate, Annabeth, McNally, Fitzwallace, Danny, and all the WW assistants and secretaries except Donna. I liked Sam but wasn't devastated or anything when he left. John Goodman was fantastic in his brief arc. For as much media as the show got, I was surprisingly unspoiled, including Sam leaving and John Spencer dying. I wasn't aware of any of the major storylines, really, so I can't blame my distaste on prior knowledge. All in all, I just don't think the series has aged well.

I just remembered another puzzling member -- Greta van Susteren. Goodness woman, use that brain of yours! The Internet tells me that her husband is also a clam and was an advisor to Sarah Palin. Her sister is a high profile psychiatrist. Greta must have to give even more money than usual to have the church overlook that.

Goodness. That's a sad and distressing story, but Steve still said at the end that yeah, Hubbard maybe wasn't such a great guy, but Scientology still has some good points if only Miscavige hadn't ruined it, and maybe reform could come, etc. This seems to happen a lot with former members who simply cannot allow themselves to accept that they were completely hoodwinked and used for years. It's interesting that Steve had what can only be described as a negative experience from his very first interaction with the church as they hounded him for money, yet he persisted for four years because they promised him personal gain/success as an actor.

It's interesting, as I browse around ex-Scientology sites, to see how many people leave that organization and then replace it with another belief system or religion. I'm not dissing that at all, but wonder if perhaps the people who are drawn to Scientology in the first place have a deeper need for structure and hierarchy. Here's the pitch: Help save the planet, live a fulfilled and ethical life, experience peace, joy, and success beyond your wildest dreams. Just follow these rules; no need to think. Personally, I hate being told what to do (many times to my detriment) and would never give up my free will or sarcastic, side-eye view of life. I can understand the appeal, however, even as I mentally tsk at adherents for what I see as their intellectual laziness.

It may be that what puts some people off about Rinder is his lack of visible emotion and overall low affect. He rarely smiles or even moves his face much, even while recounting wrenching stories. His eyes are dead. Maybe he's naturally stoic or has said the same things so many times they've become rote, but it can make him seem jaded and uncaring. Compare that to Leah, who despite her botox, still manages to convey a genuine sense of concern and alarm.

She was adorable! I enjoyed how open and friendly she was, notwithstanding trying to recruit Billy. Heh. If she lived in New York, I'd be all for her replacing Elena as Billy's occasional sidekick.

If former Scientologists are to be believed, every "secret" they have also includes things they made up or falsely confessed to just to get the sec checks to stop. It's madness!

Is it possible Katsuji is being nice now just for show? I don't trust the guy. I was sewing during the episode, looked up at the TV to see Nilou, and thought she was Gail. I for real looked up Gail Simmons + weight loss to see what she'd done to herself. We saw Brooke definitely being The Decider with her team dish, so I rolled my eyes a little when she didn't have the guts to say so during judging (that we saw). Waffle, waffle, wishy waffle.

Maybe we should all just go with "Bob."

How lovely, @forumfish! Driving around looking at Christmas lights was for real one of the highlights of the holidays when I was a child. My grandfather took us. I was in awe of the lights and twinkling decorations and loved sharing the happiness with my grandfather and sister.

Honestly? All four collections looked to me like they were from the same line. Loose, boxy/triangular, separates in shiny fabrics aimed at 20-year olds. Might as well have cut some arm holes in the Liberty Bell and sent that down.

Ya know, if it weren't for the Sea Org, I probably wouldn't give much of a fig what these cultists do, or believe. It's the Sea Org members who are recruited as children, physically and sexually abused, imprisoned, threatened, monitored and cut off from family, made to work 16+ hours a day, paid pennies, and put in the Rehabilitation Project Force or Hole for years. As they age into their 70s and even 80s, they are denied medical care and still forced to do manual labor for long hours. All this as they fail, for decades, to make any progress on their own Bridge to Freedom. Estimates I've seen put SO* membership between 3-4K total -- please, please wake up, people! * Look at me, all using abbreviations like a pro. (Which btw, just that part of Hubbard's theology would have put me off. The man enforced confusing abbreviations for everything. I saw a letter he'd written to a friend called Forrest > Hubbard called him Forry > which he wrote as 4E.)

Bob Lee tracks down his former instructor Rathford O'Brien to help him find the shooter. Nadine interrogates Payne and a reporter approaches Julie with a deal.

I've stapled wrapping paper to a box before. My most disappointing wrapping failures were when I'd run my scissors the wrong way over curling ribbon and it went flat instead of curling. I don't think I'm OCD but I have to restock pantry items as soon as one is opened; absolutely no waiting until ketchup or toilet paper or cereal is partially used. TV peeve for the day is stories told in flashback. I can deal with glimpses of a character as a child or going back in time to see how a couple met, etc. What nettles me are shows/movies that start their story, then go to a black screen with ... "THREE DAYS EARLIER." Just start the show three damned days earlier!

Several anti-Scientology sites have been enthusiastic about the show possibly spelling the end of Scientology. While I'm sure A&E is very pleased, the overall numbers aren't that high. Weekly ratings: Episode One: 2.1M Episode Two: 1.6M Episode Three: 1.58M Critics: Metacritic has a score of 65 (7 reviews) IMDB viewers give it 9.3 (400+ votes) Rotten Tomatoes is 71% (7 votes) A review in Salon questioned the extent of its appeal: "It is hard to fathom anyone other than the most hard-core obsessives sticking around to watch all eight installments of this limited series." Ha! Call me an obsessive, then. :)

Will there be more interest when the series drops on U.S. Netflix? Who knows, but the All Episodes thread is spoiler city.

Everyone, including the shop clerk, private investigator, and bratty nieces. Too bad the previews show them hitting the road back to her damned kid. Her home town is my least, least favorite plot but it's apparently going to loom large. Honestly. Javier is very bad at his job. He casually gives a "client" his cell number. Doesn't consider that mall parking lots have security cameras. Gets into the husband's car where a recording device could easily have been placed in advance. Pats him down to briefly check for a wire but not a gun. Doesn't notice that someone has been tailing him for days between multiple states. (Although that's hard for me to swallow since there were many country roads being driven with no cars following.) And now he has to trust that family members who wish him ill won't rat him out to the police. Can't say I was sorry to see Daphne's sniveling husband die, and not because he was a threat to Javier.

Right? Almost everyone's in crisis! I really like this darn show. (Although I could have done without Father Doug and Chelsea making out. That won't end well for him.) Wyatt the actor really looks like the actors playing his parents.

The segment with Tom DeVocht make me cry for real. Poor man. Poor all of them.

This show is sure stretching out the interesting parts.

I saw a Vanity Fair article about Juliette Lewis where she mentions Scientology. This is the relevant excerpt, which seems to indicate that she's either just parroting the party line or she hasn't gotten very far up the Bridge. I’m not sure how to segue into this, so I’ll just come out and ask. You’re a Scientologist, right? I am, yeah. Do you celebrate Christmas? I’ve never been sure about that. Does Christmas count as a Scientology holiday? Oh yeah. We absolutely celebrate Christmas. So you have a tree with ornaments and eggnog and presents and Christmas carols that aren’t about Xenu? I’m a Christian! I think there’s so much confusion because people don’t understand a religion where you can be another religion but you can still practice Scientology. That’s why it’s completely progressive. It’s just tools for living. It’s about understanding one’s self and others and compassion and how to communicate better and how to live in this troubled society. It’s really basic, common sense stuff. It has nothing to do with all this funny folklore that surrounds it. You could be a Jewish Scientologist or a Buddhist Scientologist or a Christian Scientologist or anything else. Do you believe your ancestors were reincarnated aliens? That’s not been a part of my experience, no. (Laughs.) So... you don’t believe you came from aliens? I was thinking about where that idea came from, and I was like, “Oh, maybe it’s because [L. Ron] Hubbard was a successful science fiction writer, so they’re confusing his science fiction with his other studies that have nothing to do with science fiction.” It’s like you thinking I might punch somebody in the face because I played somebody who punched somebody in the face in a movie. That’s actually a pretty good analogy. I wasn’t expecting that. I’m used to misconceptions. And honestly, I don’t care to explain Scientology to people. You can investigate it on your own. It’s not that difficult. There are Web sites and all sorts of resources. The one thing that troubles me is when rumor becomes hatred and prejudice towards a group of people. That’s when it becomes scary, when you have people trying to take away other people’s right to practice a religion of your own choosing. You’re taking all the fun out of mocking Scientology. My experience is, there’s nothing alarming or inhibitive about Scientology. I don’t find it judgmental. I can’t speak for somebody else’s experience. It’s just my own.

You made me curious! I don't like giving them clicks, but their official site claims it varies: "Observances of the holidays are as diverse as Scientologists are. Because the Scientology religion is practiced in 165 countries and territories, Scientologists come from a wide variety of faiths and cultural traditions. But no matter what their background, they, like most people, gather with loved ones to enjoy the warmth of friends and family and celebrate the joy of the season." "Scientologists celebrate several major holidays annually. These include the birthday of L. Ron Hubbard (March 13); the date marking the initial publication of Dianetics (May 9); the anniversary of the maiden voyage of the Freewinds and what that vessel represents in the development of advanced spiritual levels of enlightenment in Scientology (June 6); Auditor’s Day, in honor of all auditors (second Sunday in September); the anniversary of the founding of the International Association of Scientologists, which unites, supports and protects the Scientology religion and Scientologists throughout the world (October 7); and New Year’s Eve (December 31)."

Nice shots, @Moose135! What city is that? How did you get a shot touching down one way and taking off from the same runway in the other direction?

Goodness, Sam made Glenn Beck funny. Now that's Emmy worthy.

I watched the special tonight with Michelle and Oprah. Michelle was gracious, intelligent, and poised as usual. Oprah asked something about how Michelle has handled all the negative attention. Part of Michelle's answer was, "Well, I'm an adult." Zing!