Ujio

One of the most disturbing episodes (of all-time) for me is Home from The X-Files. I still shudder when I think of the scene where Mrs. Peacock was revealed for the first time! Aaaughghghghghgh!!!

I tend NOT to give up on shows, even if I spend the entire hour yelling and screaming at the screen. Case in point -- I stuck to the bitter end of each of the following TV shows: House (okay, that was painful), Without a Trace (again, pretty painful), and Nip/Tuck (most painful of them all -- at one point, I just HAD to make sure that the show REALLY died so that it'd never come back). There were shows that started to suck but redeemed themselves towards the end. In those cases, I was glad I'd stuck with them. The West Wing and NYPD Blue would be two examples. However, no matter how hard I tried, I could no longer allow myself to waste an hour each week watching the cr@pfest that is Glee. So what does that say about the show???

And Ben!! (Because I'm shallow) And Andre! (Because I'm shallow, too...)

I'd say Rubicon was a good example of a show that debuted and died before its time. Great cast, superb writing, and wonderful production value -- it almost seemed as if it were too intelligent for its own good. Yes, it moved at a glacial pace, but I considered it a part of the show's charm. And the pace did pick up towards the end when it really counted. Were it on air today, I think more people would get into the puzzle-solving and generate a lot more buzz through social networks. more people would get into the puzzle-solving and generate a lot more buzz through social networks.

Finally had a chance to watch the finale. While the finale felt awfully anticlimactic, I loved the series as a whole. It started and ended on a perfect note. And a nice nod to the movie, that final scene. The actors were excellent all around. I hope they all get rewarded come Emmy time. Whether or not there is a second season (and whether or not it features Molly), discovering Allison Tolman (who just won a Critic's Choice Award) was extremely satisfying. Thank you, show! So the supermarket guy's money is buried again, right? Could that be the one common tie throughout the series -- should there be another season?

What an intense episode! And what insightful posts by all y'all! I agree with most of the sentiments expressed here. To me, Allison Tolman is the biggest (and sweetest) surprise of the show. I knew BBT, Freeman, Hanks, and Carradine could act before. But I'd never even heard Tolman's name, let alone see her act. I love how Molly's character is written and acted. Sooooo authentic! Just like it was mentioned upthread, there's not a single false note about her. Reading Tolman's Tweets after a troll fat-shamed her has made me like her even more. Bob Odenkirk's bemused look after the FBI agents complimented Molly's work was also priceless... I just hope this doesn't mean the show is setting her up to meet her violent end... You know a show is unpredictable when you get a great character actor like Stephen Root and kill him off, like, 10 minutes later! Seriously, nothing about this show is ordinary.

It doesn't have to be an UO, right? Here are mine... Pete Campbell from Mad Men. I cringe watching the series, period, but I cringe even harder when this guy's on screen. Annie from Copper. Nothing against the fine young actress that played her, but, man, that was one creepy, annoying character. Kate from Lost. Never understood how such an unpleasant character could be one of the major characters (major enough to be submitted in the "best actress" category for awards). Thirteen from House. One of my biggest regrets was not to see her die from her illness on the show. Now, the actress is a media darling, and she's everywhere... Yikes... Mr. Bates from Downton Abbey. I wouldn't be unhappy if he got swallowed by a huge sink hole next season. Anna so deserves better. He should take Thomas with him when he goes down.

Finally got around to watching the season (series?) finale. Some random thoughts... Must say Mary's about-face at the end was unexpected. But Abe is still all over the place. His wishy-washiness has gotten people killed, including one of the most beloved characters on this show! Did not particularly enjoy watching Simcoe go bonkers like that. He was much more interesting when he was dishing out snide one-liners. If this show is going to be renewed, I hope TPTB read these boards and get Ben, Caleb, and Andre front and center next season. And more Sackett and Washington -- and as a result, more spying, definitely. Throw in some Rogers and Hewlett, and I'll be happy. Enough of the romantic triangle and enough of the father-son angst (yaaaaawn). This show kinda/sorta reminds me of how Copper (BBC America) was: great premise, good actors, interesting time period -- but eventually, it got mired in too much melodrama, and it met its premature end (that one did get renewed for a second season). On a purely superficial note, I hadn't noticed until this episode how handsome Selah was. Strictly for that reason, I wouldn't mind seeing him as a major character again. I just was getting ready to utter the very words that Ensign Baker uttered when he appeared at the entrance. I had to LOL at that. He definitely had the worst timing. Ever. Last but not least, I know I've said this before, but that Woodhull kid is totally adorable. If the show doesn't get renewed, well, it was nice reading everyone's very insightful/intelligent posts. I enjoyed them all!

Oh, I'd just assumed that True Detective was going to be submitted in the Best Drama category because all the experts at Gold Derby had listed it there. Either way, all I can say is -- what a great year it has been for wonderful male actors on TV! By the way, someone above mentioned that it's Stephen Root that was speaking with Malvo. Is there a show that he is NOT in??? Or is he stalking MY shows??? (Boardwalk Empire, Justified, Turn...) He's good in everything he does, too, so I can't wait to see him interact with Martin Freeman and BBT next week!

I realized I needed to vent with more UOs... I think Judd Hirsch on Numb3rs was one of the most underappreciated characters of all time. How his name did not even get a mention in the Emmy noms discussion is beyond me. In fact, I thought Numb3rs' (which obviously isn't on many people's minds because it hasn't even gotten its own thread on this site) series finale was one of the most satisfying series finales ever. Every loose end was tied up beautifully, yet there was the sense that life simply goes on. Brilliant -- and beautiful. And last but not least, yes, Rubicon was quite esoteric (and started out slow), but it had a lot of potential to bloom into a masterpiece. I think AMC jumped the gun on that one. Maybe this one is not an UO, though?

Boston Gal, I believe the dynamic duo from True Detective will be in the category of Best Actor in a Drama Series, whereas BBT and Martin Freeman will be in the category of Best Actor in a Movie/Miniseries. It would be such an embarrassment of riches if all four ran in the same category!!!

Absolutely, positively brilliant! And, yes, bravo to Martin Freeman. He PHYSICALLY looked like a different person after the flash-forward! Come Emmy season, he'll definitely be splitting votes with BBT. I cannot wait to see how all this goes down in the end. I honestly haven't a clue. This series ended up being something completely different from what I had expected, too, and that's also a good thing. I sure hope we get to see Mr. Wrench again. I really, really want him to wreak havoc. And, oh, please, please, please let Molly live.

I agree with many of you that have said that this episode was so much more interesting because it had very little of the melodrama surrounding Abe (daddy issues, brother issues, fidelity issues -- you name it). But I'm going to take it one step further and say that I enjoyed this episode because there was so much less Abe, period. I think Jamie Bell is a good actor, but I find the character of Abe Woodhull plain dull. He doesn't seem to have any self-assurance, nor does he seem to have any conviction -- in anything, and he seems to be all over the place. At this point, I'd much rather watch Andre, Rogers, Simcoe, Ben, or Sackett. Hopefully the show can maintain this pace. Maybe AMC will market it better so that it can improve the ratings (they're pretty bad, so that shouldn't be hard to do). I'd love to watch all the way to the conclusion of this narrative.

Finally had a chance to watch the season (well, okay, series) finale. And I thought it was fantastic! The girls were putting their skills to good use. It felt like code-breaking was truly front and center. That was what differentiated this drama from other procedurals in the first place, so I'm really glad that TPTB got to maximize it in this episode. What a pity that it now seems that it was too little, too late. The scene where Millie applies lipstick on Jean was very sexy. Some lesbian vibes there, too? Perhaps it was also because of how the scene was lit, but I found it to be a very intimate scene. I've already signed the petition to keep TBC on the air. I hope we get pleasantly surprised!

Surprisingly, I didn't miss Susan much. While I admired Susan's brilliance, I found her personality grating. I also liked the fact that with Susan gone, Millie got to do a whole lot more. Gosh, Rachael Stirling is absolutely gorgeous! That said, it seems that the ladies are using their skills less and less. I mean, Lucy is using her beauty and charms -- and not really her photographic memory. The only thing in this episode that had anything to do with "patterns" was Alice discovering that the Maltese are using hotels. That's more Charlie's Angels than The Bletchley Circle. I guess in that sense I did miss Susan...

This one, where Rawls talks to Jimmy at the hospital after Greggs gets shot, still gives me shivers. It's one of my favorite scenes in the entire series, too: "You, McNulty, are a gaping asshole. I know it, and I'll be fucked if everybody in CID didn't know it. But I'll be also fucked if I let you sit here and think you did a single fucking thing to get a fucking police shot. Believe it or not, not everything is about you. Get it into your head McNulty. It's not your fault. And the motherfucker telling you this, he fucking hates your guts. So you know that if it was your fault, I'd be the first son of a bitch to tell you."

Well, he was, indeed! I agree that it's easier to refer to the characters not by name but by physical appearance/profession. But which "side" they're on gets tricky, right? Every character's allegiance seems to be faltering. I wouldn't be surprised if a major character was revealed to be a double- or triple-agent in the end!

I loved how The Wire never pursued Rawls' sexuality (after he was seen in the background at a gay bar in one episode -- looking quite relaxed and happy). NYPD Blue also took a similar approach to Lt. Bale's sexuality. No big deal was made, and life went on. The Wire did a great job with Greggs' sexuality, too. She wasn't "the lesbian cop" but a "competent cop" -- who happens to be gay. And she talked about her domestic woes just like any person -- gay or straight -- in a relationship. An ideal portrayal of an LGBT character, IMO.

You mean Mary, right? I guess it happened quite frequently back then. I'd love more back story on Thomas' death. I think this episode was much better. It was actually -- interesting. I missed Rogers, but Ben's storyline made up for the lack of Rogers. My only gripe is the oh-so-60's green screen! When Caleb was rowing away from shore, I thought for a moment that I was watching It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World... Yikes.

Great thread! Here are my random UOs. I loved Mulder and Scully. But I actually liked Doggett even more and wanted Scully to end up with Doggett. I prefer the later seasons of M*A*S*H mainly because I find Colonel Potter and Major Winchester to be more interesting characters than Colonel Blake and Major Burns, respectively. I honestly wish BBC's Sherlock didn't overplay the homoeroticism/bromance angle. And this: Having watched Breaking Bad, The Wire, The Sopranos, and other dramas whose names always appear in the "GOAT" discussion, I felt obligated to watch Mad Men. But every time I watch an episode, it makes me cringe. I feel stupid that I'm struggling through episode after episode just so that I can make a fair argument in the "GOAT" discussion. Sigh.

Oh, wow. That was fantastic. From the theme music and the thomp-thomp-thomp of the dryer that played the tune of impending doom perfectly to the spot-on casting of every character -- all the way down to the most minor ones -- this little universe that is Fargo sucked me right in. After a while, I'd even forgotten that it was in a similar universe (not exactly the same, right?) as the movie version. It felt and looked completely original. And authentic. Billy Bob Thornton's character has been likened to Anton Chigurh. I totally prefer Malvo to Chigurh. I would totally have a beer (or two) (or three) with Malvo! Can't wait to see where else this show is going to take me in the next 9 episodes... This one totally deserves a re-watch!

"A Stop at Willoughby" remains my favorite episode of all time. I thought it was beautifully acted, filmed, and the ending felt just right -- the twist was not too much, if you know what I mean. "Five Characters in Search of an Exit" and "The Eye of the Beholder" were equally surprising and have left quite an impression, too. I totally agree that "Time Enough at Last," "Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up," "The Midnight Sun," "The Invaders," and "To Serve Man" are true classics. If I had to introduce five episodes to a TZ newbie, I will recommend these five! When is the next big TZ marathon on SyFy???

I still find the storyline interesting and the actors, Angus Macfadyen in particular, fascinating. But the mumbling sure doesn't help deliver the message, and those dark, dark scenes make it almost impossible to understand a single word of what they're saying! That's quite frustrating. I'll give it several more weeks, though. Cast's too good to give up on too quickly!

One that moved me greatly was the very end of The West Wing's season 1 Christmas episode (In Excelsis Deo), where the choir sings Little Drummer Boy while the scene cuts back to the memorial for the homeless veteran. It gets me every single time, and after so many years, I get a lump in my throat whenever I hear the song. Beautiful stuff.

Other than the obvious (a satisfying end to the Harlan saga), here are mine: Cameo appearances by Quarles and Limehouse More than a cameo appearance by Dickie, Dewey, and Constable Bob More Roscoe and Jay Art back in the saddle Juicy storylines for Rachel and Tim Raylan, DEA agent Miller, and Kendall all appearing together -- as present, future, and past of Raylan Givens Katherine as the big baddie What are yours???