Danielg342

I'll admit, now that I know this show is coming back for S8- which I never imagined would be possible- it's hard to really grade these episodes, which were constructed under one context (with the show ending after this season) but must now operate under the new context. I mean, it's possible that S8 may be a "soft" reboot of the series with Hondo, Tan and a whole new cast. Which I'm not sure I'm looking forward to considering how terrible the show has been at developing other characters outside of the initial lineup, but that's the potential reality that I am facing. So let me tell you I'm not looking forward to, at all, Deacon's tentative retirement. If this was the final season, I could get behind Deacon wanting to retire, because the show was ending anyway. Now, with S8 on the horizon, I selfishly want Deacon back next season. Losing both Luca and Street was quite the blow, but losing Deacon too would be even worse. The show is already a pretty bad mess with a bland, boring group of characters. It need not get worse. As for the case itself, Adam Baldwin was fun to watch and I did like that the team had to have a bit of a strategy involved in conducting a proper breach, and the twists and turns felt somewhat natural. Otherwise, it was a large groaner. I'll never get Hollywood's obsession with making characters like the doomsday people into anything other than completely unsympathetic, cartoon-like criminals, because they keep going to that well and, frankly, it's overdone and boring at this point. The Branch Davidians were around 30 years ago, Hollywood...time to come up with a new plot. Oh, and I guess I should say something about Powell seeing her son for the first time. ... OK, that's it. This felt like a nice storyline when I knew the show was ending. Now that the show is continuing and I actually need a reason to care about Powell and anyone else sticking around...well, this son storyline isn't going to cut it. The show needs to do better, far better, if they want me to care in S8.

Well, that was actually fun. It was led by Morena Baccharin and Diane Farr, who were electric together and managed to humanize each other's characters. Yeah, some of the dialogue felt contrived and forced, but they still bickered like they were sisters and the two of them seemed to actually "grow" into each other and form a natural bond, which was great to watch. The only problem is, on a prospective Sheriff Country show, Farr won't (likely) join Baccharin in the cast, just how Baccharin is likely not coming to Fire Country. So their insane chemistry is melancholic, because I don't know how often we'll see it. The story itself was serviceable, even though this felt like more of a police procedural than a "fire" episode. I had thought the deputy would be joining Baccharin on a prospective SC show so I hadn't pegged him to be the ultimate criminal in the end. Still, the story choice felt natural and was the right call. The escaped inmate was far too sympathetic for the show to turn him into an even worse criminal than he actually is. Though...Manny was right. The inmate could have applied for compassionate release and he likely would have gotten it, since, by making it to Three Rock, he was already seen as a "good" prisoner. Of course, if he did that we wouldn't have had an episode. Which is really the only real down point about the whole plot, since this big and glaring plot hole was never adequately addressed. Oh, and for once Bode did things and actually felt heroic without looking dumb. I have to give the writers credit for that. Lastly, I did like the subplot of Genevieve and her science fair experiment. Yeah, there wasn't much to it, but seeing the "family" bond over the exploding volcano was heartwarming. Going forward, I don't know what this means for Baccharin's prospective show or Farr's current show but if the writers wrote more stories like this- where the characters drive the narrative instead of forcing them into their spots- they can really make something special.

Colour me shocked...maybe I shouldn't be. It was still a ratings winner and a proven brand in a TV landscape devoid of both, and arguably the show is cheaper to make now so CBS realized the economics work for another season, and maybe beyond. ...but... Is this right move? Creatively I'm not sure the show has much left. We said goodbye to Street and Luca thinking this was the final season. Potentially, we're saying goodbye to Deacon too, meaning that S8 could have only two original regular cast members- Shemar Moore and David Lim- from the pilot, and three originals if we're counting Patrick St. Esprit (who was recurring in S1 and is practically a recurring character now). So what does it mean for S8? Are we really going to be stuck with a team of Hondo, Tan, Alfaro, Powell and The Reject-of-the-Week from 50-Squad? Or is CBS going to hire a new cast member in an attempt to "freshen" the series? Obviously, I'd rather have Street and Luca back- and even more ideally, Cortez and Christina as well- but I feel like that's a remote possibility. So that leaves me with having to accept the current cast for S8 (who are a really underwhelming group) or accepting whom CBS will hire to round out the cast for S8. A new character could be a great idea but I cringe at what they'll come up with. Are we going to get a sad attempt at "wokeness" where the new character ticks all the "diversity" boxes in a misguided attempt to make the show look "inclusive" and "progressive"? Are we going to get a character who's a Mary Sue that can do no wrong and makes everyone, even Hondo, look like a chump? Are we going to get both? I shudder to think about it. Yeah, I shouldn't throw S8 under the bus before it begins, but usually Hollywood series by this point are not creative goldmines. Shows by this point are all about staying profitable and maintaining the brand, so writers take fewer risks and experiment very little. So I doubt that whatever we'll get for S8 will be much of an improvement, if it will be an improvement at all. I might still watch because I've been here from the beginning and I'll stick it out to the end, but I feel the show's already far past it's peak and they've made a grave mistake extending this further.

I think what they're doing with Eve's story is that the writers are going for a storyline of "Eve needs to learn to loosen up and be more of a people person than a stickler for the rules". It's not necessarily a bad storyline, but it's terribly one-sided. I don't like the idea of Manny losing his job as Captain of Three Rock, but they did have a sound reason to do it- namely that things had become so uneven and so undisciplined at Three Rock that a change in leadership was necessary (the "drug ring", in this context, is more of an "icing on the cake" situation than a standalone reason for action). In such a case, there's was an opportunity for the prisoners- especially Bode- to experience some character growth of their own. They could have learned, through Eve, the importance of teamwork and thus trusting each other on the job, since too many of them- especially Bode- "wild West"-ed things too much last season. At the end, you'd have a storyline where Eve learns that getting worked up about Bode bringing a coffee into camp isn't worth it, but Bode also learns that when Eve tells you "stay on your line and don't run into the burning house", there's a good reason why she's making that order so Bode doesn't do it. There might be those who'd argue that it would be "the end" of Bode's "heroism" but it need not be that way. It would just add another layer to it. Bode would still have his maverick tendencies, and Eve could recognize Bode's instincts are usually good. There could still be drama as he and Eve fight over when Bode's maverick instincts are appropriate, and neither would be shown to be "right" all the time. Bode, too, would also have his own internal conflict over whether he should pursue the immediate or if he should pull back and think of his future ("one more time, Bode, and it's back to jail!"). Yeah, maybe this kind of storytelling requires a level of writing this show hasn't been capable of reaching, but I think they're truly missing an opportunity to give more characters depth by not pursuing this angle.

That was an episode where...things happened. Was there ever a real attempt at piecing together a coherent, navigable storyline? Oh, and nothing else says "this show is bereft of ideas" than by metaphorically shoving Cara into a giant refrigerator. Nice, touching ending, but it's the wrong choice. Not that I would have liked any choice, but I think the show would have been far better off killing Diego and ending the nonsense about him and Gabriella because we all know that Gabby isn't ending up with him so why we now must waste further time with him and Gabby is beyond me. At least Sharon and Vince had a nice moment under the fire truck and Eve is learning on the job. I'm not sure Freddy 2.0 is any more interesting now that I know why he's in jail but at least the show's rounding him out a bit. Still, all in all, this was a fire tornado- a dumpster fire tornado, that is.

They didn't kill him physically, but they practically killed him. I'm not sure which is worse. I'll give the show this much credit in that Kenny Johnson, Shemar Moore et all sold all they could out of that storyline. The beach was a great moment, and so was the retirement ceremony. Everything else...meh. So Alfaro was raised by strippers and, after Powell sounded like she was judging him, decided to make an awkward pass on him because of it. OK then. I also guess Deacon's not retiring- not yet anyway. SWAT needs to maintain their "old guy" quotient, I suppose. As for the case itself, it was a meandering experience with the usual fast pace to feign urgency, flat and predictable twists and turns and clues pulled out of the team's derriere's. At least the story partially made up for the last point by having a heavy involvement from the detective, something the show should have done from the beginning of the entire series. In short, though, this episode was all about Luca. I wished he had a different ending. I wish that his final act as a SWAT member was not him meekly bowing out effectively in a hail of bullets. I wish he, at least, had taken down a few of the gang members before they proved too much for him, so that Luca at least still looks competent on the job even at the end. Of course, I don't like "the hail of bullets" ending anyway because Hollywood uses it too much, especially with older characters. Having Luca decide to quit SWAT some other way- perhaps by realizing he has worth in being Kelly's surrogate father- would have been far more satisfying. Oh well. Time to say farewell, and thanks for the service, Luca. You will be missed.

Ryan-James Hatanaka, who plays Tyler Green, is becoming a series regular next season too: https://deadline.com/2024/02/criminal-minds-evolution-ryan-james-hatanaka-series-regular-tyler-green-1235816897/

I'm not saying I need a woman dressed to the nines with heavy makeup, high heels and a low-cut tight mini-dress. ...but, I'd love to have a lead female character who's named Maggie, is sweet and adorable, likes to doll herself up to the extent that it's practical, is unmistakably warm and approachable and she's considered beautiful and loveable. ...but, she doesn't take any guff, isn't afraid to tackle any situation, isn't overtly whiny or needy, she can kick ass, she's physically strong and she's an effective handywoman. ...and, when she displays her strength, her technical knowhow or stands up for herself, no one bats an eye and/or talks about how it's "unwomanly" of her to be like that. We can quibble on the details, but I essentially want to see more characters who are archetypal "feminine" women who are still practical and fit in with the men and no one thinks it's strange or weird. I can't remember where I read it, but I do recall Geena Davis once saying we could solve a lot of problems with gender portrayals if we take a script that calls for a male detective and do nothing except change the detective's name to that of a woman. That way, the other characters are all looking at this female detective and they're reacting like it's normal. As it should be. I don't think it's too much of an ask. There are plenty of strong women out there who "fit in" with the men and no one bats an eye about it, but they hardly get represented in Hollywood. If you do get "feminine" women, they're almost always damsel-y in some way, and that really needs to change.

*sigh* Obviously I have to see how the character plays out, but learning that her name is Mickey Fox already has me hesitant. Hollywood does this all the time with female characters, particularly ones who occupy roles that are seen mostly as male, like a sheriff. They give the character a name or a nickname that could pass for a male name, and then they craft the character in a brazen attempt to get her "accepted" by the men in the audience. She'll be tough on the outside, have a "take no prisoners" approach...but she also has a warm, soft underside that a few will be lucky enough to see. She'll also dress generally like a guy, but they'll also make sure her attire is somewhat form-fitting anyway...or at least doesn't hide her "female features". After all, Hollywood thinks that, even though she's accepted as "one of the guys" we still shouldn't actually confuse her for a guy. Don't get me wrong- in principle, I have nothing against gender-bending characters, and I accept people like Mickey Fox exist in real life. However, Hollywood doesn't craft characters like Fox in a genuine attempt to explore a gender-bending character- they craft a character like Fox out of the belief that if she's not "man enough" she won't be accepted by the men in the audience. Which is total bunk. ...and, frankly, coming out of this show, I'd expect the writers to do better. Say what you will about how good the characters actually are, but Fire Country at least gives us real, actual firefighters who are definitely women and are named Sharon, Gabby and Eve. Sure, Eve's a lesbian and definitely has a lot of masculine traits...but FC doesn't do anything to hide her femininity at all. She's been shown to be vulnerable and she's had many "girly" moments. Heck, she's more of a true gender-bending character than the likes of Fox have ever been. That said, we still haven't seen Fox in action, and Morena Baccharin is a fantastic actress. She's already played this kind of character before- on Gotham where she was Leslie "Lee" Thompkins who became more badass as the series progressed- and made it work really well so I'll give her a chance to do so here too. However, it's still not a good first impression. Side note- with Baccharin joining the Fire Country fold, does this mean we're due for an appearance by her husband, Ben McKenzie?

I'll defer to @Dowel Jones because Dowel has experience here and I don't, but I know they showed Bode getting his hands handcuffed as if he was getting arrested. Plus Freddy 2.0 made a reference to getting some kind of reprimand for putting his hands on a civilian. Now, I don't know how the procedure is supposed to work, but I assume Bode and Freddy 2.0 get handcuffed and then get led off to the Captain where they have a meeting and they discuss what happened. If not just simply get sent back to prison. However, because the Captain is Eve and Bode and Eve are friends, they likely just went through the motions and Eve cleared Bode and his other friend right away, with, I guess, the intention of doing the paperwork later. Of course, it's difficult to tell what is really supposed to happen because the scene merely existed so that Cara could get a visual of Bode getting handcuffed so she'd have the excuse to second guess bringing her daughter to see Bode for the first time. It's obvious that the writer didn't think any of this through because- as happens so often on this show- the writer really wanted that visual and contrived the scene so that the visual could be presented.

I love the prediction of the tornado and the hurricane...and how Cory McCloskey immediately knew something was up. Oh, and let us take a moment to pay tribute to the poor people of McKinney, TX...

That ending, while marginally better, still feels pretty cheap. Luca would, essentially, go out the same way that Mumford did, and that is the job was getting too difficult for him to continue. If Luca has to die or be forced into retirement because of this shooting, then at least make him thwart the robbery and save the day. That way, his sacrifice isn't for naught and I'm not left here wondering just how effective he is as a hero.

I misread it...sorry about that. Gabby did want to, and conveniently for her, she wasn't. Just so that, next time we see her, she'll be "conflicted" over who she'll be worried about more- Diego or Bode. I just don't get Gabby's story. It's obvious they've cast her as the "one who loves Bode but doesn't want to admit it", as she keeps finding excuse after excuse to "not go after the one she loves". ...but the execution of this story is so far off. We're not just seeing Gabby simply dating and burning through guys she doesn't like. We've seen Gabby twice in a serious relationship, with one ending in an abruptly contrived way and this current one I presume will end just the same way. Yeah, there are lots of people who marry others they've only talked themselves into falling in love with, but it's still no excuse for Gabby's rotten abilities in judgement. If she supposedly loves Bode so much, why does she allow herself to get so deeply involved with someone else when her heart is really not there? This ain't Medieval Europe...if Gabby doesn't want to marry someone, she doesn't have to. I think Gabby's story would have worked a lot better if she and Bode went slowly and tried to figure out ways to make things work, and Gabby does so despite others telling her it's a bad idea. Yes, this story too is a cliche...but I think it's also more interesting and more realistic. At least then the inevitable romance can feel earned, and not be the result of this inconceivable mess we've been given.

Since this got a lot of traction, I'm happy to report that, two years ago, the same station- and the same weatherman- had a sequel:

I agree with your points, but just one correction- Diego went with Cara to the hospital, not Gabby.

Thanks. This only adds to the frustration. You would think that Bode would know better and/or you'd think this would be an opportunity for Eve to "lighten up on the rules" (which seems to be her story this year) but then, we'd have no plot for the episode.

Regarding the spoiler.

This confused me too. As far as I can tell, it's something about protocol...inmates aren't supposed to touch civilians apparently...which may be true, but how many times has Bode and the other inmates gotten away with it? Not just last season, but this season too? It just feels like another example of the show forcing things on to its characters...Bode's presumptive daughter needed a reason to second guess wanting to see Bode, so there was the show, pulling out this protocol that was never enforced before.

I think we're on the same page regarding Ms. Serial Killer. Sorry if that wasn't clear. I also don't understand why Ms. Serial Killer didn't off her mother when she had the chance, especially considering how "cold blooded" she apparently was. Though I believe Ms. Serial Killer was pimped out until she was 12, because I believe she told her mother, "I haven't seen you since I was 12". I also wholeheartedly agree on Luca. I don't want him to die, but if he has to, bury him with Black Betty.

Rafael de la Fuente, who plays Diego, is only a recurring cast member, so his future is also in doubt. Though I agree that Diego is more primed to die in the finale so Gabriella doesn't have her wedding and the show can continue her awkward dance with Bode.

What an ending. OK, so I don't know for sure that Luca is dead. We are likely going to get that resolved in two weeks, in the classic "mini-cliffhanger" move shows usually do when they go on hiatus. Because many shows are just bereft of ideas. Like this one. Perhaps the idea of killing off Luca isn't the worst idea the show could do. We are in the final season, after all. ...but, this show has already explored the death of a SWAT member, albeit very terribly, and right now they risk doing it again. See, as much as I hated how Erika died, she at least died in the line of duty. Luca was attacked randomly by a group of robbers because...reasons. Yeah, something like that is real. Crime can happen at any moment and a police officer can be felled while dealing with said crime. ...but, just because it's real doesn't make it the right choice. This was a very, very, very cheap way of putting Luca in peril. A beloved character, someone who I believe is the secret MVP of this series. Someone who has given his all to the series and done all that was asked of him. Someone like that deserves a far better ending than this. I know Kenny Johnson sued the studio for that failed stunt in the S2 premiere, and there's the possibility this was written in retaliation...which only makes this story choice even worse. I criticize this show for being a bit too "sunny" on the sunny side of police and criminal drama, criticisms this very episode put on display (which I'll get to later). However, if there was one area where the show got the sunny/cynical balance wrong, it's with how cheaply they treat their characters. It's not just with Erika's death and this drama with Luca. It's the fact that this show, for three seasons, built up the characters of 20-Squad so well that I came to love them and appreciate them and enjoy their storylines. Sure, many plots were still robotic in those first few seasons, but they at least were robotic plots with characters I actually cared about, so the stories still had meaning. Such could have been the basis for a show that could have lasted far longer than it did, but the show decided to take all the goodwill it had with its characters and decide it was worthless. Which is how the last four seasons have gone, with series regulars' time getting cut and the show just awkwardly cycling in other poorly-developed SWAT members out of the mistaken belief that "any character will do" when it comes to crafting their plots. I mean, this episode seems to have set a record with three series regulars absent- Patrick St. Esprit, Rochelle Aytes and Anna Enger Ritch. Hicks has had quite a bit to do, so maybe St. Esprit's absence doesn't hit as hard. ...but, no Powell and no Nichelle? Both of those characters are glorified extras, and if the show thinks they're disposable, why put them in the main cast? So when I'm faced with the prospect of Luca dying, it feels like the show is reinforcing this disposable element to its characters, one that does not sit very well with me. Why did I spend all that time caring and feeling for these characters if the show feels like it can kick them to the curb whenever it feels like? Sure, Luca may still survive...but that still doesn't make this storyline choice any easier to take. Because, in that case, why the cliffhanger? As well as it serving as a reminder of how this show really feels about its characters. As for other parts of this episode...which was generally very poor all around, except for the brilliant acting jobs of Kenny Johnson and his daughter. Remember when I said this show is a bit too sunny? Well, you had three female fugitives...all portrayed as evil psychopaths but there was Hollywood, ramping up the sympathetic traits for them because, apparently, women can't be evil or something. I could just ramp that up to Hollywood being unable to write an effective, believable female criminal, because they can't. Here we had a fugitive who had a son, and, despite her better judgement, had to go see him and said son also conveniently lived in LA, so SWAT could easily capture her again. Then there was another fugitive who acted tough but was really stupid. As far as I could tell, Ms. Fine Tastes had no roots to LA so why she didn't just high tail it to Mexico I'll never understand. As well as the fact that she understood she had the power in the interrogation room and she traded that power for...nail polish? Really, show? Lastly was Ms. Serial Killer with a Convenient Agenda, someone whom we were beaten over the head over with how much she was abused by her now-reformed mother. Someone she just had to settle the score with. Someone who had no reason to spare her life. Someone, whom we were told, was ruthless and cold-blooded and wouldn't hesitate to pull that metaphorical (or the literal) trigger. ...and, when she had the chance to do so... ... ...she didn't do it. 'Cause I guess in S7, this show can't risk not having happy endings, even when there's no next season to worry about. Speaking of which, how convenient is it that, being in our last season, that Deacon can contemplate retirement and so easily solve his issue with Annie? In another season, this conflict with Annie could actually lead somewhere and could be a fruitful story. It would actually require the writers to do some actual work crafting a story where Deacon and Annie have to work to salvage their marriage, because this arrangement would (and should) not be easy to navigate. On a darker show, this storyline could have led to Deacon's premature exit or lead to the breakup of their marriage. Which, while both are still cliches, those storylines could still felt like "earned" storylines if they played their cards correctly. Yet, here we are, in the seventh and final season, where the writers don't have to worry about any of that. They can just have Deacon retire and put a happy little bow on the ending because it doesn't matter if Deacon retires since there won't be a S8. *sigh* I'll just end with this. I just hope the show doesn't end with the "heroic" deaths of either Hondo or Deacon (or both) because neither storyline would be all that great. It would cheapen their characters, and this show needs not to cheapen their characters any more than they already have. Plus, in Hondo's case, it would be another example of Hollywood following another cliched trope, just like they did with Erika. So I'll just leave this here, and revisit this once the finale airs. Because, while I hope I am wrong, don't say I didn't warn you.

Well, I was prepared to give this score before that final scene...that just sealed it. That's now two straight cheap mini-cliffhangers on CBS dramas tonight to tide us over for their show's hiatuses, counting the mini-cliffhanger that was on S.W.A.T. an hour earlier. Which was more of a trainwreck than this one but I'm going to stick to the topic at hand. So...we've got a felled ambulance. One with Bode inside...and Cara (Jake's partner) and Diego (Gabriella's fiance). We know one of those who will make it out alive...'cause without him we presumably don't have a show. The other two? Who knows...and maybe who cares, too. OK, I might actually miss Cara...and I want Diego to live because then maybe the faint prospect of Gabriella ending up with someone other than Bode might actually happen. ...but, all in all, this mini-cliffhanger is, like the S.W.A.T. one, just another cheap, lame, poor excuse for tension that is the product of a show that is bereft of ideas. Because...really...what are we left with? If Cara dies, Jake has had his heart broken twice now in this series in ridiculous circumstances. If Diego dies, then the writers are telegraphing their intentions to continue keeping Gabriella in that awkward orbit with Bode that continues to make less and less sense the longer it goes on. If both live, then what was the point of this stupid cliffhanger? At least I know one character that won't be back...Freddy 2.0, who I might actually miss but who was also so stupid that he sealed his face getting up in Eve's grill. I mean, really, does this show get a discount on Idiot Balls or something? See you all back in two weeks is all I can say now.

"I never thought the screwup I had to fire would be the hardest one I would say goodbye to." Me too, Hondo. This episode showed what I believe S.W.A.T. had been missing the past few years- heart. Seeing Street with 30 Company, seeing how much he's bonded with them and how much his bond with them showed how far he's come as a character was a joy to watch. This was not just another soulless, mindless, robotic romp through the many winding roads of Los Angeles where the heroes and villains play a very large and dangerous game of "cops and robbers". No, this was a mission with meaning. A mission with a purpose. A mission with heart. Yeah, it's a cliche that police procedurals have criminals who target the police and thus "make things personal", but this time it worked. Because the episode's subtext, where a case threatened to tear apart Long Beach's SWAT team, gave it that much more meaning, and it showed what kind of a character Street really could be. Hondo was right. Behind all the screwups and the idiocy Street showed- and, let me tell you, it was downright cringeworthy at its worst- deep down inside, there was a man who was simply trying to do the right thing. He was just a man who simply had no idea what he was doing, and he needed someone to help him get there...and that guy was Hondo. Just like Carnegie. We may not see the development of Carnegie because that's a show that will likely not air (though, hey, I think Alex Russel could use a starring vehicle), but Carnegie too is a good heart that needed a good direction...and that direction is Street. Street might be one of the few times- if maybe the only time- where the writers of this show played the long game with a character and crafted a long term development that we finally got to see pay off. Mind you, that pay off came in S3's brilliant "Bad Cop"/"Good Cop" doubleheader, a pay off that, once it was done, left Street with very little to actually do, but it's hard to argue that, taken within the totality of the episodes from the beginning of S1 to that point, Street's slow but careful ride from Leeroy Jenkins to a top notch police officer was a joy to behold. It's rare that Hollywood writers have the discipline- let alone the planning and the foresight- to write a long form story of a character's development and actually stick the landing, so kudos to the S.W.A.T. writers for sticking to it and making it work. ...and it all worked out wonderfully. Lastly- a bold prediction: this won't be the last of Street. No, the final episode will close with a wedding. A wedding that I thought would have been Hondo's and Nichelle's but, I think, will turn out to be the wedding of Christina Alonso and Jim Street. I admit, I always wasn't on the "Stris" bandwagon...but their wedding would be the appropriate sendoff for this show. As for the Nichelle subplot...good for Nichelle to stand up for herself and show her narcissist of an ex-co-worker who's boss. I'm not sure I wouldn't have still sent his sorry behind to jail because that guy is definitely not a good character guy worthy of a second chance, but I'm not the writer, and Nichelle still made her point.

Not much I can say about this episode other than there were some nice character moments, especially between the Tans and the Hondos. Pretty rote case. No Powell, so good to see the producers have kept up the trend of "being a regular cast member is completely optional". I also don't recall anything about Hicks getting a job offer, so the press release was wrong too. That's all for me.

I hope she can find a way back for S7...it would stink not seeing her again, given how long she was with the show. As for why she'd leave without having anything lined up...well, I don't know her personally but my guess is that, like all of us from time to time, she needed a break and didn't want to commit herself to going back until she felt like she wanted to. Maybe she felt after S5 that she felt that she would make enough in residuals that she wouldn't need to get back to work right away. Plus, I imagine having "made it" in Hollywood, Lina Esco thinks that she's got enough clout that she could easily get another project. Kind of like how someone who's a former WWE star almost always never has trouble finding a new gig simply because of having the prestige of having "made it" to the top level. Sure, Lina may, unfortunately, have trouble getting a big role in another big Hollywood project, because that tends to happen with just about everyone after their first big series...but it doesn't mean she can't find work. The whole "pursuing other projects" is likely just a standard answer so that the actor doesn't have to say "I just want a break", because that might make them sound lazy. My guess is that Lina, after five years of her character getting nowhere, just got tired and needed a break from the series. Hopefully she'll turn up again somewhere.