agathapenny

Oh, I know. I wasn't trying to litigate Will's objective level of guilt. It really doesn't matter, because it's about how guilty Will feels — he feels like The Worst Person in the World. And I'm not sure he needed to be delivered that level of trauma on top of all his other past traumas.

Couldn't agree more heartily with this. They are both far more functional as friends and colleagues. I'm hoping that Will acknowledging his feelings helps him move on. I haven't read the books, but I understand there's a permanent love interest that everyone seems to love, and I wish they'd introduce her. I always thing the longer they put that off on a show like this the harder it's going to be to get the audience to accept her. Just look at the reaction by some to Marion. Yup. Helped by Jeremy owning his mistakes. I was really glad to see her and Will team up to help him. I feel like, of all the characters on the show, they are the most alike in that they're the most by the book, so Faith can appreciate Will's solution here. The dance sequence was everything. Loved Ormwood getting through to the suspect. Still not sure how I feel about Will shooting and killing the kid. I feel like he didn't need another trauma, and I'm not sure what it added to the show or the character.

If they really kill off Bobby that just might be my exit. Especially if it means more Gerrard. Haven't we played that one out already? And losing Bobby would really gut the heart out of the show.

Absolutely, and I loved it. See, this is the kind of plot I really appreciate from this show: everyone forgets Hen's birthday. They take an ordinary, believable occurrence and create a great plotline. No nefarious politicians creating stupid melodrama. I felt bad for the unluckiest guy in the world (who was surrounded by awful people), even though he was an idiot at the end. I still found myself liking him. Once again, just an ordinary guy (not some serial killer with multiple personalities). Even Eddie's plot wasn't quite so infuriating this week, though his parents are still horrible and deserve to be put in their place more forcefully, IMO). I liked how he gently laid down the law with Christopher, finally. His mom is awful (pretending he hadn't told them he was cooking and sabotaging his supper), then trying to exclude him from Christopher's chess tournament, then bullying him over his groceries. And his dad apparently let people think he was Chris's dad, even if he didn't tell them he was directly. Ugh. At least it looks like that is over. This felt way more like an old-school episode, with multiple rescues, and I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed that.

He's not only a decorated war veteran, but also got that medal for the cruise ship disaster. They also made a point to tell us in this episode that Bobby's recommendation was glowing. He should have plenty of options other than joining the gig economy.

I couldn't help but think this too. It was one more moronic thing in this whole moronic storyline that just won't die. Eddie's got tons of skills that you'd think would be in high demand.

I had to restrain myself from commenting on Eddie's parents, since I've ranted at length in other threads. Suffice to say, I don't think I misjudged them. It continues to be baffling how little they even seem to like Eddie (their actual son) let alone care about him, while doting on his son. Such an unhealthy dynamic. This times a million. Eddie's storylines are just the absolute worst for the last two seasons, and that's saying something. To a large degree because they just won't die. All starting from the doppelgänger story that was the worst and most unbelievable plot this show has ever, ever come up with. Also, I know there are people who hate the character, and I'm not one of them, and as someone who likes Eddie, I have to say, the whole move to Texas with no practical planning is out of character.

I would agree, except then I'm worried we won't see any rescues at all (or they just completely half-ass them like the pet shelter fire from a couple episodes ago). Also, probably the only episodes I have any desire to rewatch from this season are the plane almost crash (I don't care how ridiculous it was, it felt like how this show used to feel on the regular). I'm just also not convinced it's about expense. If you look at Lone Star, they never did as many rescues on that show, it was always more soapy, right from the start (though it was exponentially better in the early seasons than it was in this last season, which was a caricature). And the less said about Doctor Odyssey the better. Which is to say that the show's creator seems to have moved squarely into nighttime soap, rather than the unique mix that this show used to be.

I didn't completely hate Maddie's plot? And I enjoyed both Eddie taking Uber driver advice from the 20-something and the idiot driving half off the parking garage. But this show just isn't that much fun anymore, most of the time. You know, I had someone tell me once that they expected me to move to town and stay there for a while before they would even consider hiring me. I treated it like the complete BS it was, since apparently I was just supposed to hang around jobless in the meantime until they had arbitrarily decided I'd passed some kind of residence test. Who can afford that? Only people who don't actually need jobs. No, I was planning to move to wherever I could find gainful employment, which is what I did. Anyway, apparently Eddie's move was even more stupid than I initially thought — he hadn't even lined up a job! And who is writing this nonsense? Are we really supposed to believe that Eddie can afford his mortgage, fixing up his house, and paying the rest of his bills while giving some for Christopher on an Uber paycheque? It was more believable when he was working three jobs to make ends meet before he moved to LA! God this whole plot is dumb. At least we got to see Buck and Eddie talking (I'll take any silver lining at this point), and Chris wasn't a complete sullen brat. In terms of Maddie's plot, at least they didn't just pretend that nothing happened to her and it had no effect on her at all. It was also less weepy than I expected, so there was that. And I don't at all mind that it was wrapped up in the hour. I don't need ongoing soap opera. Whoever filmed this week seemed to hate the actors marginally less. But there are just so few 911 calls and rescues now. Why can't they see that the lack of them is killing the show? Why am I still watching, since at this point I don't think they're going to correct course (or even recognize that they need to)?

I have a lot of sympathy for Buck. He's faced a lot of big changes in the last few years and romantic or not, Eddie and Christopher have been his family. He literally died after being struck by lightning. He had a biological child which he literally delivered into the world and then walked away from. He discovered he's bisexual, which went really well for him at first, but is still a big change to come to terms with. Then Tommy dumped him, when he was envisioning a future together, after Tommy's revelation about Abby, the woman who changed Buck's life, making him re-evaluate that old relationship, Bobby, Buck's father figure, left as captain and they were stuck with a monster who made their lives miserable. Christopher left for Texas. Now his best friend, who he regularly turns to when he's in crisis, and who has included him in his family with his son for more than half a decade, also moves away (with seemingly little thought of who he's leaving behind). And Buck moved from his loft to Eddie's house (yes, moving is a big change for people in real life). Right now he's floundering to try to find his normal again. He's behaving badly at times and trying too hard. I actually find it pretty relatable. The fact that he's not dealing with it like the perfect, put together guy makes the character more interesting and, in the end, more like a real person with flaws and insecurities.

I agree. Not every personal story needs to be a deep, emotional life-changing revelation. Sometimes it can just be sorta slice-of-life fun. We used to get that. I had the opposite reaction. Not only was I not thrilled to see Tommy again (good riddance, in my opinion. He treated Buck like crap), I think we're supposed to take what the characters on the show are saying in their dialogue at face value ie: Eddie is straight, as he told the priest, and Buck is not in love with Eddie, as he told Maddie in this episode. And I'm someone who would like to see them get together. I'll be pleasantly surprised if I'm wrong (or maybe not, with these writers lately) but the show has gone out of its way to tell us they are just close friends/family. Because that poor woman should have left her abusive husband a long time ago, and Bobby should not have been holding a grudge because his mom left her abusive husband, even if it was his dad. Tommy has been to Eddie's house. Buck and Tommy were there for the aborted zoom birthday party for Chris.

That was me, lol, and I agree with you. The age difference was more apparent in the episode than the previews. So they did get that right, at least.

Against my better judgment I keep giving this one more chance every week. Sigh. At least there were some rescues this week? Bobby continually calling for Buck and Eddie to do something and Ravi correcting him made me laugh. And as a viewer who actually misses Eddie (at least, Eddie from seasons 1-6) I appreciated that Buck was having a hard time filling the hole in his life. OK, this is my personal opinion, but I could not suspend my deep loathing for con artist faith healers long enough to enjoy Bobby's story. Honestly, that should be why he couldn't stand him mom, not because she saved herself from her abusive alcoholic ex. They kinda gave it a quick nod, then promptly forgot about it. Faith healers are not amusing. They are a dangerous, greedy, blight on society. They con money from desperate people who can't afford it so they can live a life of privilege and luxury, while their dupes lose everything. They are dangerous because they convince people not to pursue real medical treatment for their ailments, brainwashed into believing if they just given enough money, they can buy a miracle. They are loathsome scum. Not for nothing did Bobby's brother look like Kenneth Copeland light (those eyebrows couldn't have been by accident). So, all I could think of while Bobby's mother was telling him she had stage 4 cancer was all the people she'd probably convinced over the years to ignore their own cancer until it was too late. Bobby's mom is a terrible person who makes a mockery of faith. That's my rant. I can only hope we're not going to be afflicted with more Tommy now, too. Ugh.

@Irlandesa said: I don't think he was worried they'd go there. Based on things the cast have said, the show runner listens to the actors. Besides, I very much doubt ABC would approve it. I agree with Irlandesa. Anything I've seen suggesting that has been from people who already didn't like Ryan Guzman for some reason and seemed to be reaching for more reasons to dislike him. I think in interviews I've seen him say that Eddie is straight, and also tease the Buck/Eddie shippers — like most actors who know their character has a big shipper fanbase. And the actors on the show have been candid about the show runner asking them about future storylines for their characters. Oliver Stark said as much about his bisexual storyline. Guzman said as much about the stupid doppelgänger Shannon storyline. I highly doubt Guzman would leave a successful show because he was worried the show runner was going to force him to play a bisexual character when there is no evidence (and in fact there is evidence to the contrary) that the show runner (for all the issues that I have with him and the direction of the show over the last couple of seasons) would ever do anything of the kind.

Yes. And I hate SVU. No kidding. And it was treated kind of perfunctorily. But then, the current writers don't seem to know how to make any of the moments land, let alone for an extra. Where the hell was Buck's reunion with Maddie? I guess I should be thankful that they remembered Hen and Chim are friends. This is definitely something of a rewrite, though I guess they never did specify anything previously about Bobby's mom. And in other news, in true Hollywood fashion, Bobby and his mother look the same age. I don't have a PVR, but I seriously considered not watching this episode, and don't know how much longer I'm going to stick around. They spent way too much time with Maddie and the killer (who was not very interesting) in the basement, and not enough time with the regular crew. I would definitely have liked it more if they could have taken some of that time in the basement and instead had Maddie and Buck reunite after she was saved. I appreciated the Buck/Eddie stuff. But I still just find this whole season, and last, so off in general. The character interactions are just so poorly written compared to what they used to be. It's like the writers and director aren't even sure what they're trying to convey a lot of the time. When Maddie was kidnapped by her abusive ex it was completely organic and made sense. The show was building to it from the moment Maddie joined the cast. What sense did this plot make? What's going to come of it? This show is just so aimless now.