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I have to give it to Caroline and Jen. They raced well this leg without help from anyone. I was rooting so hard against Dave and Connor. At this point, nothing they do can make me like them. It was painful to see Brenchel have to do the task again. Read the clue! They were doing so well with the football and the poetry and then they had to go and make a stupid mistake. That little old lady was awesome. I've been missing the fun judges this season. I wouldn't be surprised if she used to be a teacher. Yeah, it's getting especially annoying considering how Dave basically demands that Connor do these challenges. Really, calligraphy and memorizing poetry are too strenuous for you? Leo and Jamal seemed pretty good at shooting the clay pigeons. I never thought I'd say this at the beginning of the season, but I wish they'd made it into the final three, not over Brenchel but over either Dave and Connor and Caroline and Jen... because I would not have been able to stand it if the "Accidental Alliance" all made it into the final 3.

I feel like that's a bit misleading. I wonder if Nashville scripts are outlined ahead of time or they are just making things up as they go along. They definitely laid the groundwork for "Scarlett is an addict". She's been using the pills in a compulsive manner and there are some parts of her use of pills that definitely suggests addict. It's been a while since I've seen the episodes so I can't recall them all specifically. When she placed an order with Zoe at the Bluebird I think we also got the suggestion that she's drinking a bit excessively. It was definitely there. One of my problems with this show is that it keeps rewriting characters and situations and expecting me to go along with them as if I hadn't been watching the entire time. It's disrespectful to the audience.

This school has an abnormal amount of events and theme parties. I did think it was funny that Clare and Ali didn't have to put on any more makeup to play "saloon girls". Clare could calm down on that blush and Ali could calm down on the eyeshadow. I think she's wearing fake lashes but I can't say for sure as some people have super long eyelashes. Also, didn't we just have a conversation about the dress code? Oh, so many terrible jokes in the prop room this episode. By the way, why does this school have a gigantic prop room? Was there an infusion of money that I forgot about? Putting aside the fact that this is in the middle of the school year and probably interferes with homework and assignments, how can they afford all of this? Yeah, so Miles and Zig both view Maya in very problematic ways. She really shouldn't be with either one of them. Also, I'm surprised Miles was even able to land a punch. He's really miscast for the character they've written. Zoe's no Patsy but at least she was better than Maya. I loved Tristan getting in between Maya and Miles. It's one of the only good things he's done in ages.

I like some of the Zig/Maya dialogue. Degrassi loves relationship plots and the writing on them is usually the best writing on the show. Yeah, he's ridiculous and not at all edgy. But like emo Gunnar on Nashville, I think the writers don't expect us to take it completely seriously. At least, I hope they don't. I mean, they let him sing "Oh Susannah." I used to be in favor of Zig/Maya and even with all the craziness, I still think it would be a healthier relationship than Maya/Miles because his clingyness and jealousy is pinging my warning radar. It's weird that they're suddenly spinning it into Maya feeling guilty about Zig when I do think there is attraction there and when she seemed to be legitimately into him not that long ago. I'm not sure why they decided to bring back the director who helped Eli get into NYU... or something like that. This was apparently the "Tristan gives terrible advice" episode. I was looking forward to seeing Zoe put her photographic memory into action and interact with some different characters... even if it was a little Mean Girls. Eye roll at Clare and the rat. Really? You can't deal with a rat. Maybe it's because I live in a NY apartment but come on. Does it feel like Drew's hair is changing all the time? The style, the cut. Not that much time is passing in between episodes. Clare has a ways to go to be as awful as Valentina on Devious Maids though I still think she's blowing things a little out of proportion. She's in a long distance relationship and Eli is in college. He's not going to be there for her all the time. Maya's performance this week was worse than the worst performance on Nashville. Yes, worse than Connie Britton.

Ugh. Clare. I seriously cannot remember the last time I liked Clare when she wasn't with Eli. Every time she's not involved in an epic romance E-Clare plot, she's just unbearable. I should be able to relate to Clare but instead she's all the worst stereotypes about smart girls rolled up in a big ball of judgmental and controlling behavior. I just don't find Clew believable. Putting aside that Drew is kind of shallow (even though Ali and Bianca are smart, they're also stereotypically attractive) Clare also doesn't have a great personality. I wish we could have stuck with Eden. Even though it's really weird that you'd need online dating to connect with someone at your own school. "Annabella's not your type." "Says who? I like who I like." Um, says the writers until they decided to change your character. Not that a character rewrite is unusual for Degrassi but don't pretend we haven't been around this whole time. Are there no guidance counselors at Degrassi? Not that I was ever motivated to talk to a guidance counselor about my problems but still, it seems like that's what Tristan is looking for. Lol at the Heloise and Abelard thing. I thought they were just going to make it a throwaway line. I didn't think they'd actually reveal that the "unhappy ending" was castration. Though it's weird that Tristan still finds it romantic. They are not being shy about telegraphing this student/teacher plot. Is this the fastest they've ever gone with one of these? Also, WTF, how does Zoe know how to pronounce "Heloise"? Generally this Dallas plot, particularly with the inclusion of Mr. Bhandari, is one of the better plotlines that we don't get very often on Degrassi. Even with Dallas lifting the trophy, this is one of the better Degrassi relationships. Is that depressing?

I don't think Avery is that bad but it's weird that he's apparently so tuned into what Scarlett needs to hear (read: how she needs to be coddled) while he can't seem to see the ways Juliette is fragile even though they've talked about it a lot. Also, the thing with Jeff was gross. I don't know why the writers always do this to her character. It never feels genuine. I mean, by now it's consistent but whether it was Charlie or the Tebow-knockoff it never made sense. It always seemed like, well, Juliette's been going through a lot of character development and she's become a lot more likable and interesting than Rayna so now she has to make a bad decision (usually sleeping with some guy).\ Yeah, that seemed like a weird decision. Anything could happen with this show. He could blackmail Jeff. He could experience angst over whether to tell Avery. But it would have made more sense for it to be another character. There were more interesting things that could have happened if it had been Rayna, Deacon, Scarlett, really most of the main cast members who are not Gunnar or Zoe.

So close! I almost got to enjoy someone with a valid point calling Rayna on her bullshit. Stop teasing me, Nashville! Why did we have to cut away so quickly in the opening scene? Instead, we have Rayna immediately turning it around on Juliette, blaming her for Scarlett's breakdown and cutting her out of things. And once again it's a character we can't take seriously, Scarlett's mom, who gets the responsibility of calling Rayna on her BS. Why, Nashville? Why? And let's just gloss over the fact that Rayna set Scarlett up with Liam who gave her the pills. All valid arguments against Rayna must always be ignored. I can't. And we've almost got wonderful season 1 Deacon back. Why must Rayna be the one to give all the pep talks that work? Grr, Nashville. And then at the end, Deacon comes back to absolve her of any blame because of course we can't even let the suggestion that Rayna did something wrong hang in the air for more than one episode. I CAN'T. I know we were supposed to find it sweet when Rayna talked about how Deacon behaved when Scarlett was born but all I could think was, and you kept Maddie from him for all these years. I CAN'T. They released new tracks on Spotify which made me look back at all the old tracks. Aside from the occasional song from Layla or the very rare listenable track from Rayna, all my favorite songs are Gunnar/Scarlett duets and Juliette songs. So this, so much. Clare is either a horrible actress or she's getting horrible direction because she is playing Scarlett like she's seriously unstable. Like Sybil unstable. Like worse than Merle Oberon Wuthering Heights crazy eyes unstable. Like, this is how you play a character who has been lost in the wilderness for years and hasn't had any human contact... and maybe who has also contracted rabies. I get that Scarlett would be irrational and might blame Juliette at first as a way of lashing out. What I don't like is that the show/writers seem to be siding with Scarlett. God forbid Juliette try to make Scarlett do her job and oh yeah, do the exact same thing Rayna did a couple of episodes ago when Scarlett was on Luke Wheeler's tour. This Deacon/Charlene/Scarlett drama is so much more interesting than any of the family drama that has been going on with Rayna for two seasons. Charlene is great. She's awful but it a real way, not in a let's do something awful with Juliette's character because she's getting too likable kind of way. She makes some good points but she's also broken in a real way so at some point she's just lashing out with all her pent up resentments. I don't have a problem with Gunnar walking away from the deal with Jeff because he called Scarlett crazy. I think he was never going to sign with him anyway (especially since he still wants to be a performer, he's right that Jeff and Edgehill are struggling, and he's never shown any dissatisfaction with his current publishing deal) and the moment he might have been a little tempted, Jeff's comment was just a reminder of what kind of a guy he is. It is really too late to be doing this stuff with Zoe and Scarlett. Nashville, if you really cared about female friendships, you would not be writing the show this way. Give me a break. Why is Will even considering a reality show? When has that been a good move for anyone whose career isn't in need of a comeback... and even then.

I think it made a little more sense with Gossip Girl since in most cases the characters "inherited" their positions. Like if instead of being a dentist, Mercedes' dad worked in the music industry and got her a contract that would be a Gossip Girl kind of scenario. I really just think that the world of Glee is inconsistent. I do think they wanted to sell the idea of Lima losers but as they continued to flesh out the character backstories and push them towards personal successes they kind of forgot the original premise.

I don't expect them all to be middle class just because they're from Ohio. Yeah, Rachel's family seems pretty well off and Blaine's parents could obviously afford Dalton and NYADA. I don't know how successful Burt's business is or how well it paid to momentarily be a Congressman but sure, I can buy that with a lot of saving, he was able to spend his money doting on Kurt. I forget what Artie's situation is like. I can't remember if he couldn't afford film school or if his mom was scared to let him go or if he was lying that his mom was scared to let him go. I feel like that was the most we ever heard about his home life. That and not being able to afford the robot legs. Mike's family seems OK. I vaguely remember his dad seeming professional but knowing that there were expectations for him because of that. Tina apparently doesn't need a scholarship to go to Brown. Finn seemed relatively middle class. To my knowledge, Mercedes' parents have never appeared. I don't think they gave her the money to go to L.A. and I think we're supposed to believe her comfortable apartment and all the clothes and shoes that McConaughey tore up are all due to the magical record deal. Santana's mother did have to save up a long time to get the money to send her to school on a cheerleading scholarship, which she's been promptly wasting but she does have to work and she has the cushion of staying in Rachel and Kurt's apartment. The Puckerman's (Jake and Noah) don't seem that well off. I think what has happened is that we're focusing on the most privileged characters without Finn, Puck, Will, or Quinn (once her parents kicked her out) to offset them.

I liked the close-ups but there was one character they lingered on where it didn't work. The timing is important with these things and it felt awkward. Maybe it was Tim Conway. The pacing just felt off panning in and then panning back compared to the others. It reminded me of the awkward video editing projects we did in middle school.

Chris should write episodes more often. Granted, I know television shows have input from a staff of writers even when one person claims credit, but given the shift in quality of this episode, I'm going to have to assume a large part of it was due to Chris. Also, I will admit that I spent a large part of the episode cooing over McConaughey's adorable wittle face. I'm a sucker for dogs. There were some great one-liners as there are in the best episodes of Glee. But there was also some attention for Kurt who has been neglected recently. An attempt was made to take Rachel and her issues more seriously while not simply rewriting the character and ignoring the flaws that she's developed. Oh, and someone remembered something about Sam's backstory. Praise Jesus. Memory was a lovely moment, though not as good as As If We Never Said Goodbye and other numbers Chris has had in the past. But in general, I enjoyed the music this episode. There was nothing revolutionary aside from Memory but it was pleasant. I also think he managed to capture not only Kurt's voice but the voices of the other characters fairly well. It was there in the larger plot points and in little moments like when Kurt told Rachel to use her inside voice. I agree that was a step too far. It felt like it walked right out of a Lifetime/Hallmark movie. And because it was such a minor part of the episode it stretched believability to think that one talk with a stranger would change her mind that quickly. Maybe it's just me but Rachel didn't seem that bad this episode. We had that moment at the beginning where she genuinely seemed to care about that dog in the purse and throughout the episode she seemed to be self-involved in a more absent-minded way than a malicious way. Her crowning moment of awful (not wanting to let the three-legged dog get adopted until after the photo op) didn't seem that awful and was very quickly redeemed. For me, she came as close to being likable as possible given the apparent mandate that Rachel must do awful things every episode when she has a big plotline.

I finished off Ziegfeld Girl today. My thoughts are basically the same. For the most part Hedy Lamarr acted like a beautiful doll. She wasn't very expressive and only had brief glimmers of acting ability. Lana was punished in the way the "bad girl" in these ensemble movies tends to be punished. Judy could have not been in the movie for all they used her outside of the musical numbers. The costumes for the second big set piece (the under the sea/beach/flower theme) were ridiculous. The Latin dance number dragged. However, most of the other musical numbers were enjoyable and it's still a thrill to see big set pieces like that. Lana and Jimmy were without question the best actors in the cast even if their plotline was too heavy and offset the lighter tone of the rest of the movie. Also, two Camille moments. Ridiculous. I think movies are the reason I'm terrified of staircases.

Oliver is ADORABLE. I enjoyed hearing Karma sing even though I don't remember her at all from American Idol and I watched that season. Those were my takeaways from this episode. Otherwise, it was a bit lackluster.

I think we were told that she is currently writing a book about her experience working as a maid to exonerate her son. I don't remember if she quit her job or just took a sabbatical when she started working as a maid last season. She does seem to be kind of useless as we see her neither teaching nor writing but mainly just standing or sitting around talking to other characters. I think part of the reason she seems so boring is because Ana's acting is so flat.

I think at that point of the argument she was bringing up John Grisham and Stephen King as particularly prolific writers. Of course, it was so long ago that I find it difficult to remember the specifics which is why we should really not be having this argument anymore. Can't these women think of anything more interesting to do?

I watched half of Ziegfeld Girl (1941) today to relax after an eye exam (pupils dilated and all). I'm saving the other half for tomorrow. I still found Hedy Lamarr to be cold though her acting was better than it was in Comrade X. It was a little Vivien Leigh crossed with Garbo but not as good as either. Lana Turner seemed to be the star of the show. I think I've seen her in something before but I can't be sure. I usually get Hedy Lamarr and Lana Turner (just the names) mixed up when I'm looking at the TCM schedule. Judy Garland was lovely. It just doesn't really hold together as an ensemble movie. It's barely about the Ziegfeld Follies and all three stories are very underdeveloped. And continuing with the "they didn't know what to do with Jimmy Stewart" theme we have him playing a tough truck driver turned gangster. I mean... what? Still, the costumes are to die for and it's enjoyable enough as one of those movies that you don't have to pay that much attention to. I'll let you know what I think of the second half.

I hate hate hate Dave and Connor. The Caroline and Jennifer are annoying because they're useless, say that they're useless, and then turn around and talk about how great they are for getting this far. I can't. I've come around on the Afghanimals this season only to start disliking them again because of that stupid alliance. Even though I didn't want to lose the Cowboys, I respected the decision to U-turn the stronger team. Brenchel is fine. Throughout the race, after everyone else I liked left, they've generally been the least hate-able team for me. I'm not going to get mad at Rachel for whining during the running of the bulls when Jamal did legitimately get injured and when Caroline and/or Jennifer makes a comment about how they can't do something because they're women or that men are better at X almost every week. I didn't think I'd be saying this week one but I'm sad to see the Cowboys go. They were good racers and while they weren't outlandish, they were capable of throwing out jokes here and there. I liked their flamenco. They somehow turned it into country linedancing. I can't feel too bad for them because they made so many mistakes this leg. And I agree that riding off on the horse was a great moment.

I disliked most of the racers this season so I checked the spoiler thread to see if I'd be able to bear the season. I've disliked Dave and Connor since their original season. That dislike has turned to hate. I wish the Twinnies had been more competent and I miss the fun energy of Joey and Meghan.

Oh dear Lord. I'm sorry your ex-boyfriend is not available to hear about your parents taking a break when you call him at 2 o'clock in the morning after he's worked a 20 hour shift helping underprivileged people in Africa. Oh my God, my eyes cannot handling all of this rolling. Why is Valentina so awful? Why? Can someone please answer this??? I enjoyed the bit of comedy in the opening at the Powell's. I feel like "neighborhood watch" is at least a little bit brave so I was surprised that Evelyn immediately wrote it off as paranoia instead of at least an attempt at being proactive. I hate that they actually killed Alejandro. I have no idea where this plotline with Evelyn and the bodyguard is going but their encounters are fun. I still find him suspicious. I still like Rosie and it's nice that she has something to do that doesn't relate to Spence. Her plotline right now is just the right kind of levity to offset everything else. I'm glad they found a way to tie the Powell's to Marisol's storyline. Now all they have to do is find natural ways for the rest of the cast to come together and we might have a cohesive show again. As much as I hate Valentina, that was a nice moment she had with Adrian. Though it's weird for me that he's completely lost all of his skeevyness. I liked the idea of Carmen performing at the funeral but I wish they wouldn't have pushed it so far. Why does she need sequins and a sexy, dance number? I vaguely remember her performing love ballads in season 1. Surely she would be able to perform a slow song that could pay tribute to Alejandro while still getting her seen by all the right people in the music industry. Genevieve has been kind of useless lately so it was nice for her to have that moment with Zoila near the end of the episode.

There's something really gross about the way the alliance talked about the Brenchels. Especially the whole "not like us" theme. Like, way to ally yourself with some not so savory groups, guys. The only reason I don't hate the Afghanimals as much as Caroline and Jen and Dave and Connor is because of that early interview which made it clear that they don't see those two teams as that much of a threat. If this is all strategy to knock out the stronger teams, then sure, be in this stupid alliance. The hotel room cleaning challenge was kind of silly but I liked the fact that there were specific things they had to get right. It was like a really complicated game of spot the difference. The only team that was fun to watch was the Cowboys but I spent most the episode rooting for Brenchel to not get eliminated.

I read the spoilers for the season back on TWoP ages before the season started and I just had to come on here to blow off some steam. It's killing me to be on the regular episode boards knowing that so many people are going to be disappointed with the winners this season.

YUP. I say that as someone who watched The Playboy Club (Laura Benanti), Go On (Laura Benanti), Smash (Megan Hilty/Jeremy Jordan), Pushing Daisies (Kristin Chenoweth), The New Normal (Andrew Rannells) and a ton of other shows I probably shouldn't have watched initially to support the Broadway talent involved. But I couldn't get into Bunheads (Sutton Foster) after the first episode . The lure of TV and film is very strong for those reasons. It's debatable whether the shooting schedule of a TV show/movie is less strenuous than starring in a Broadway show. And while you're gambling on the success of a TV show, a lot of actors talk about the job security it affords. I'm not so sure about the second statement. I mean, yeah, Michelle Williams in Cabaret but I don't think Sutton got Violet or Audra got Lady Day from being on Bunheads and Private Practice.

Ugh. Yes, on Grayson only dating thin, conventionally attractive women and bed-hopping quite a bit in spite of his heartbreak. And yes, on Tony being the best guy for Jane. I'm always happy to meet another Tony fan. I was championing him on the TWoP boards. I have to be honest, guys. My DVR didn't record the Rick Springfield episode and since then I stopped watching since Lifetime doesn't seem to want to air a marathon. Honestly, I don't miss it that much. I didn't realize how much Diva had lost me until I gave it up. It's not a Gossip Girl or Glee which always pull me back in.

You know now that I finally sat down to watch the whole episode, it wasn't so bad. There are horrible episodes and spectacular episodes and this just fell somewhere in the middle. Yes, Rachel running off to L.A. and lying was frustrating. But I enjoyed her two songs this week and Piece of My Heart was fun if not terribly well sung. The end of the episode had a lightness that I feel like episodes have been missing lately. It was kind of cheap for Rachel to get a development deal but it left me feeling happy (partially because it means Jim Rash might come back). Mercedes was kind of ridiculous this week. You can't in one breath talk about how difficult it is to be a successful recording artist and then keep making demands. Like, all the time. Like, worse than Rachel. I'm glad there was no drama with Santana taking over as Fanny for one night. That speech from Sydney was great. As frustrating as it was for Rachel to go L.A., I think it was worth it to have some real conflict for once. I liked that it was resolved with him saying that he tried to fire her and he hadn't just forgiven her. Also, I did laugh at the audition in L.A. I'm guessing next week has something to do with Broadway Barks?

OK, thank you, guys. I thought I was going insane. Rachel has been talking about being a Broadway star for forever. In the five seasons of this show, I do not remember her mentioning TV or movies until this moment. Are we making this into season 3 of Smash? Because I can't. I CAN'T. That said, I do like the brief dose of "reality" injected into this episode with Rachel having a face for radio and Mercedes not having a single for her album. They're trying. Kind of.