Misty79

Liam's "secret" was so utterly ridiculous to me that I just couldn't take it seriously. Liam's sister is actually his mother? While I can maybe see why the family may present this as a reality to the outside world, I don't see why Liam would also be kept in the dark. It's just not believable to me. But it's a brilliant trope to attract tweens - what's more attractive than a hard-done by handsome rich boy? I didn't find Amy's actions at all in line with season one Amy, they were way too extreme. But season two Amy seems to be a very different character. Preening, vacuous, deceptive, and apparently highly strung. This episode definitely felt like it's paving the way for a Liam and Karma reunion in the next episode or two. Our heart strings have been plucked and we are ready for a reconciliation between our two star-crossed lovers.

I'm sorry but I thought this episode was terrible. Excepting Laverne Cox, who was her usual brilliant self. Amy behaved like a psycho and the actor who plays Liam continues to look constipated in just about every scene. All of their scenes felt kind of forced and unnatural. And no I don't feel sorry for Liam, show. Karma's insecurities do not excuse her crazy behavior either, IMO. I was just bored, for the most part.

I really hope you're wrong but tend to agree. I think they're going for "confused" generally but I don't get the feeling there is any proper understanding of how it really feels to be a sexually confused young woman (or young man, for that matter). Amy's interactions with Oliver made sense for a lesbian, but her body wanting Liam and the Brazilian guy clearly doesn't. If Amy comes to terms with her sexuality later in this series and starts labeling herself as a lesbian that's going to upset a lot of people, because it's pretty nonsensical based on her reactions to men. As you say only a "TV lesbian" would feel consistent (or any) man lust. Otherwise we have a bisexual. I think the writers are just plain muddled. At least i hope that's why they're getting it so wrong, rather than deliberately writing a lesbian that wants to **** men.

Yep, based on that interview you posted in the media thread Carter makes it very clear that in this episode Amy's body wants men. That's why she slept with Liam, apparently. So she is definitely not a lesbian, she's bisexual (perhaps a homo-romantic bisexual, as someone suggested up-thread). Which I'm fine with, as long as they are consistent with that.

Exactly. Maybe it's Carter struggling to put himself into a girl's perspective in this situation, I don't know. Tone deaf is a great description of it. It just felt so off to me, that line. The Brazilian guy Shane was crushing on looked so old with that receding hairline, it totally took me out of the moment!

Really? For me Amy's reactions were strange. Up until this point it felt like the writers had been building her up as someone who is all about PBA (person based attraction)...she gets to know someone and that is how she falls for them, irrespective of gender. But in this episode she immediately feels lust for both a girl and a guy on basis of his physical appearance, which would imply she is a classic bisexual. Yet when quizzed about her lust for the guy she tells Karma that "sometimes my body reacts to guys even though my head doesn't want it to, it's like I'm a sexual Hulk". That's not the sort of thing you say as a bisexual, you own that you are attracted to both, even if it's initially confusing. So she's a lesbian, right? Except to me it doesn't seem right that a lesbian would feel the outright lust depicted by Amy. It's normal to be confused, but usually it's an absence of lust for the opposite sex that clues you in, no? So her line should be "sometimes my head reacts to a cute guy because I'm conditioned to, even though my body doesn't want it". It's possible to acknowledge a guy is attractive, but the outright lust of Amy's reaction was OTT for most lesbians IMO. So her statement sounded more like a confused bisexual trying to convince herself she is a lesbian... I can accept that everyone's path is unique, however. I just find it baffling. It's not your classic girl struggles with attraction to both sexes or girl realizes she's into girls story. I don't trust that they aren't just getting it wrong. I don't think the writers understand gay women at all TBH. And their racial stereotyping in this episode (the Brazilians) was borderline offensive. As for Liam, the martyrdom continues. The only way to save that story-line is to have Liam's motivations for exposing the Amy sex to Karma to be jealous desire to end their friendship rather than out of some misguided sense of honor.

So far I'm not feeling this season and that's purely because I haven't found any of the contestants particularly likable. Is it just me or is this season a little short on brains and really heavy on brawn? The shallow side of me could also do with a little more beauty. Hoping things get better. I think they're wasting too much time on the loved ones junk and running three challenges per episode, and they're sacrificing the "little moments" of interaction I'm used to that help us to get to know the survivors. I know it's always a bit short on this at the start though.

I'm only watching this show for Jess at this point, and by God there was not enough of her in this episode. I like the Lafayette character but his insta romance with James is dull as dishwater. James hasn't even been in a scene with Jess this season as far as I can tell, yet we get to hear him talking about how distant she is every night (hasn't she been spending every night in her vigil over Andy's fairy spawn?). Apart from Jess the only other scenes I seem to like are Willa's. There's something about the actress that draws you in. The writers are doing their absolute best to make us hate Sookie for some reason. Is she going to throw herself off a bridge or be burnt at the stake by the townspeople in the finale? And they're setting us up to cheer that? Cos otherwise...

I adore Piper. Yeah she's flawed. She's selfish, abrasive, hypocritical, needy and self-righteous. At times, yes, she's even been a monster. But Jenji (and Taylor) have tempered that with a certain sweetness and empathy to create what is arguably the most complex and real female character on television right now. I find her very relatable. That tension between wanting to be perceived as a nice person, of holding back because we want to do the "right" thing and please others, and the baser instincts and emotions that lie underneath that - the hunger to survive, to fight, to take risks and win, to take an enormous bite out of the world - I find that very authentic. Having said all of that I'd still watch this show without Piper, but I think I would need Jenji to develop another character (maybe someone like Poussey) to the same degree of emotional complexity to keep watching. The ensemble is great, but I think it needs to be complemented by a deeper character study that runs through the season as well.

I like Piper but I agree that Taylor's acting in the plane scene was a little sketchy. I think the actress does much, much better with comedic scenes. She has a tendency to overplay hysterical stuff. The plane scene reminded me of the hysterics of her break down in the SHU in season 1, which I didn't like either. I thought that was overdone, yet her catharsis scene with Healy (her "girls like us go for tall, dark girls" like Alex) was utterly brilliant. She does angry well, and funny well, but hysterical not so much.

Well I'm joining this thread pretty late but I just wanted to say, as painful as the misstep in the last episode was, I am ever so thankful for the character of Amy. Not just because she's probably queer, but because she's one of the most interesting, nuanced characters I've come across in a teen show in a very long time. I presume Rita Volk has a lot to do with this based on a few interviews I've seen, where she came across as a very bright person. But the writers deserve their due too. Whatever her sexuality turns out to be I'd happily watch any old show with Amy in it.