EyesGlazed

I'm already bored with Reacon. Marry them off or separate them for good already. Thank goodness Zoey told Gunnar where to shove his dumbass son and his expectations that she'll drop everything to be a nanny, cook and chauffeur for him. I have fashion notes: Why has Zoey dyed her hair that dismal orangey-brassy color? I hate it. Her natural brown hair was lovely. Now she looks like a wanna-be someone she’s not. Layla looked beautiful with her hair up during the CMA scenes. The style accentuated the beauty of her face. Natasha-the-hooker doesn’t look hookerish enough for me. I know she’s supposed to be high class and all, but she was dressed like a librarian at the CMAs. However, I do like Teddy with her. He gets his game on with her instead of being passive and dull. Scarlett, or Stylist of Scarlett: Ugh, ugh, ugh. Can the show never put her in a casual outfit that’s attractive and doesn’t make her look homeless? And those ratty hair weaves have never ceased to irk me since Season 1.

Agree, agree. If this reverend had at least tried to save some of his congregation and failed, I'd have more sympathy for his distress. Now I just want him to be eaten quickly and efficiently, before he causes more people to be killed. Yes! This is the kind of thing the show should have been doing instead of spending eons down on the farm or devoting hours of airtime to the Rick-Lori-Shane love triangle or treating us to all the sweaty male confabs about being a man (I'm looking at you, Season One). I'm liking the teenage Carl a lot, but can't he lose the hat already? Is there some magic symbolism to it in the comics? I think I actually get Dawn. She's trying to hold a semblance of order together through a combination of toughness, playing factions off against each other, looking the other way on the bad acts her cops commit, and rewards for loyalty. It's an interesting portrait of one form of "leadership" in the ZA. My speculation is that she's able to maintain her position because the cops have factions and wouldn't be able to agree on who should be in charge if they deposed Dawn. To make the hospital story work in my own mind, I'm going to assume that maintaining the hospital, growing and finding food, and security all take a lot of work and people-hours, so that's why Dawn is determined to recover Beth and then Noah and to save salvageable people, because they're good slave labor. Those floors ain't gonna mop themselves.

Max: Don't get all sensitive and tell Helen about your affair just to make yourself feel better. Noah same day to Helen: I had an affair! I can't keep it from you! So is Noah (A) being a selfish jerk and unloading his guilt on Helen? (B) coming clean in the hope of making amends and repairing the marriage? © subconsciously preparing Helen and himself for the fact that he won't be able to stay away from Alison and their marriage will end? I really can't decide. I noticed this too. For those posting about The End's being a hotel as well as a club: I believe The End is modeled on a place in Montauk called The Surf Club. It started out as a boutique low-key beach hotel, but then the bar-and-patio scene became so popular that it is now known more for that. The Surf Club was the first yuppie-hedgie hangout in Montauk and was seen as the invasion of Hamptons glitz and money into Montauk. As you can imagine, people have mixed feelings about it. It's still so popular that cars are parked along the highway for half a mile on either side of it on weekends.

Thank you for the info! Ha! Next challenge: Make a funeral-appropriate dress reflecting the people in contestants' lives who have died, who are dying, and who are expected to die in the near future. Explain each to Zanna in the workroom.

The Affair's collected stellar reviews. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the-affair/s01/ That plus growing viewership makes me not surprised at the quick renewal for a second season. I'm glad!

Well, I'll chip in to say I adored Sanjia's dress. The lace, the colors, the unexpected contrast of the shift shape with the tight underdress (or under-top-and-skirt). I also liked it because a lot of different kinds of women could wear it and feel great in it. I want it so bad. Sanjia is now my favorite designer. Could someone tell me what prior season she was on and how she did? My second choice would have been Fabio's. It wasn't really a party dress, but the design, the fabric, the cut, the meticulous tailoring all were excellent. Dimitri's was cool, but I agree with Isaac that the rump view was not flattering. Helen's dress was rather interesting and it was well done, but not my favorite. I did like her cheeky little "bye, Nina!" as she left the runway. It was Kate's time to go, that's clear, though her dress was somewhat less horrid than Gunnar's awful mess. Strangely, I get where Kate was going on her color choice. She wasn't referencing the "now" Florida of South Beach, bright colors and revealing style. In my view she was referencing the mid-century Florida where ladies wore floaty pastels and expensive jewelry to black tie parties at the country club. I remember as a little girl how my mother would dress up to go out at night when we were vacationing in Florida. I know Kate said something about the way the sea air smells but to me that was panicked runway babble. I also know that "midcentury Florida" is probably not what the runway judges are looking for. But just sayin', I kind of felt Kate's dress. Not the execution though. I wish they'd shown us what it looked like before she hacked it up. Did it really happen that Zales saw the runway show and said "Give those crazy talented kids another $1000!"? I mean, it would be nice if that were true, it just seems unlikely.

This. During his season and for his final collection, he did come up with some well-tailored, classier pieces, as I recall. But so far all we've seen is clothing for Ekaterina the Ice-Dancer Who Moonlights As A Disco Bottle-Service Hostess. Sonjia's dress was AMAZING. Where did she come from?? I don't remember her on prior seasons. Poor Chris. His dress was an epic fail. Just horrid and cheap looking. Poor Alyssa. Her styling was again an epic fail. There needs to be some turnover on her staff ASAP.

I agree. I think the reason is that the show is trying to establish that Noah isn't cheating because his wife doesn't like sex, or doesn't like sex with him. So the show has Helen talking about "f--king" instead of making love and joking about being a good lay, because that's supposed to show that she's earthy, sexy, uninhibited, etc. It's kind of a juvenile way to make the point, imo. The ability to use four-letter words isn't shorthand for "great sexual and emotional relationship." But it's very typical for cable TV. I did not see the breakup coming! I thought it was going to happen much later. I'm quite interested to see how the therapy with the sociopath kids goes and what gets revealed. So far I'm more pro-Noah than not. Yes, he's cheating on his wife. But it seems that he's a decent guy, and a teacher no less, surrounded by entitled, condescending, materialistic, disrespectful family members. Having an affair is probably not the answer, but changing his life probably is.

I'm all for Sexytimes during a ZA, but what are these people doing for birth control? Becoming pregnant = huge probability of dying, so presumably people would care about prevention. There ain't nobody prescribing pills now. So on their foraging runs, are people grabbing packs of condoms along with the cans of beans and Spam?? I'd actually love to see this. But I guess we'll never know, because male writers + fantasy series + derived from a comic book means no one's going to address this. Just sign me Socially Responsible Buzz-Kill.

Totally agree. I'd like to see her have her own backstory and arc (if that's the right word).

I want to stick up for a couple of characters. First, Zooey. She gets dumped by her best friend for dating a guy that said friend is no longer dating. She tries to help said friend when the latter is having a meltdown on tour, and is rejected. Zooey's boyfriend always has something more important to do than be with her or support her. Then, she finally gets the job of her dreams and is fired for, essentially, being a hero when Juliette can't perform.* Now her boyfriend expects her to be the housekeeper, nanny and chauffeur for his newly-discovered son while he pursues his career. Ugh! She deserves better. *Note on backup singers saving the day: People aren't calling out Juliette hard enough for firing Zooey. I recently saw Stevie Wonder on tour, and during one of his old songs he was so overcome with emotion that he literally started crying at the piano and couldn't keep singing. So a young male backup singer (who had a beautiful voice and sounded eerily like Stevie) stepped up and sang the lyrics until Stevie could get it together again. After it was over, everyone applauded the backup singer including Stevie. THAT IS HOW TO BE A CLASS ACT, JULIETTE. TRY IT SOMETIME. Another character I want to defend is Layla. I suspect the show is going to make her cautionary tragedy-meat (the perils of fame-seeking! and reality TV! and hasty marriage! and being young and immature!) But I loved new Layla and the scene where she and Will were getting along, I loved her song, and against all odds I hope that something good happens for her. She was, after all, very young and inexperienced and immature when she fell in with Will, and he lied to her. Can't defend Rayna this episode. I do applaud the show for showing us the heroine's feet of clay and making her more complex. But it would have been better if the show had emphasized a bit more before Rayna agreed to the RS interview that she now owns a record label where her artists largely depend on her for their futures, so it wasn't just her own tour that she was promoting. She does have some responsibility for the people she signed as well. So Deacon has Ebola or something?

I don't think it's so much posters yelling at Fara, it's posters yelling at the writers for unrealistically making this trained spy so clueless. That was at least my point in ranting about why she didn't figure out someone had been in the safe house.

Bingo, ahpny. This is exactly what's bothering me too. The kidnapping of Saul took place long before Douchebag Dennis tipped off the bad guys that the CIA was tracking Aayan. So either Saul was kidnapped for some other reason, or the bad guys knew that the CIA was tracking Aayan before Douchebag found the photos, in which case how did they know? I like Fara (and I will be totally pissed if the show makes her a traitor, as some have suggested, because we need patriotic Americans of Arab descent to help with national defense!! ok, off soapbox now) but that safehouse cleanup fail was cringe-worthy. My recollection is that the alarm wasn't ringing, she was simply resetting the alarm, thus showing that it had been turned off (and so Dennis could enter undetected). But the photos on the floor by the bag where she had stuffed them, and the fact that the cardboard barrier had clearly been messed with, should have alerted her to trouble. Even beginner spooks are taught basic tradecraft, I assume. To those who are lamenting how stupid Aayan was (too truthful/naive and/or bad liar), I say you are right and that was the point. He was an innocent, young, unsophisticated person who was forced and manipulated into circumstances that were fatal for him. It would have been contrary to the story and to reality to have him be some savvy, worldly prevaricator. Yes please on more Quinn doling out the ass-kickings.

Great point. I'm enjoying this show, and apparently I like the 2 protagonists better than Tara and most posters here. The show gives me enough detail so that I can sympathize with both Noah and Alison instead of just judging them for being cheaters. One of the lessons of growing up is that people are a mixed bag, and even otherwise "good" people make mistakes and do unfortunate things. I especially liked the characters' discussion of whether they were "good" people. So typical that the man would want to be assured that the woman is "worth" the hit that his self-esteem would take by cheating with her. Alison shot that shit down pretty fast. The writing and acting on this show are great. Also, I don't think that Helen is some saint either. Or maybe I just dislike her horrid parents so much that it rubs off on her. Or maybe I just dislike their horrid kids so much that it rubs off on her. Finally, question to TV casting directors: why oh why do you insist on casting young women (actress who plays Whitney) who are so thin that even on camera their arms and legs look like sticks?!? It's such an unhealthy example for normal girls.

The judges had a tough decision between Sean and Amanda. I was kind of hoping that both would win. Emmy Rossum (clearly a real watcher of the show) described the choice very well, I thought: the distinct new voice versus the big brand potential. But I also think that age, as usual, was a factor here. If Sean were 44 instead of 24, I bet Amanda would have won. Having said that, I thought Sean's theme and delivery of his collection were fantastic. I may be alone in this but I thought the idea of "Caesar's betrayal" was brilliant, mainly because Sean portrayed the rise and murder of Caesar through the clothing in such an interesting and creative way. The colors, the fabrics, the combinations of colors and fringe, the fact that sometimes the fringe looked like orange blood on the white toga-like drapery . . . amazing. Sean can also do architectural design that doesn't rely on fringe -- like the top in the opening look, or the top he designed and Kini executed in one of the challenges, or the all-white outfit that he won for in another challenge -- so I don't think he is a one-trick pony. And having said that, I still loved Amanda's collection and I want to wear her dresses, jewelry and tunics (did not like the odd vests she used). But I think that Amanda got great exposure through this show and hope that she'll expand her design business without the P.R. prize package. Kini was the season's MVP, but his collection disappointed, even after the revamp. Too one-note. But he has P.R.'s all-time best aunt. That chant she sang in the waiting room after Kini was auf'd was beautiful and fitting and sent shivers down my spine. They should bring her back to sing to the losing contestants at the end of every season. Heck, they should have her sing the chant after every presidential election. As for Char . . . sigh. She should have gone home before the finale and everyone knows it. Her collection was several tiers lower than the other 3 contestants. Emily should have been selected over Char. I really love Char's personality, and I love it that a Detroit gal made it so far, and I hope that she gets a lot of business from this show, but still it was a waste of a Fashion Week runway. ETA: This is awesome, stafford. Thanks for sharing.

Well said, delicatecutter. Much as I like Char, she should have been gone by now for multiple reasons. Including that if she hadn't had Sean's help in sewing the one-hour challenge dress, it probably would have looked as bad as the red sack-and-shorts monstrosity with the ripped zipper that she made last episode. And I call shenanigans on having Korina be Char's helper next week. Come on, that is just TPTB pouring gasoline on the fire. And because I do like Char, I don't care to see her get further abused or hurt by Korina for "entertainment" purposes. p.s. Confession: I too loved the Korina Mood Sweater and would wear it in a New York minute. Shut up, Nina.

I totally agree, Sofie. The Master may even pretty her up again and have her give Zach a call . . . I also agree with all those who said the actress playing Kelly knocked it out of the park this episode. I was intrigued and saddened and horrified by her storyline and the way she acted it. The rest of you are probably not old enough to remember the song "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover", but that's what this post reminded me of and it cracked me up. "50 Ways to Kill a Palmer".

I seem to be virtually alone on the planet about this, but I like Amanda. Yes, I said it. I think she's honest and funny. I also think that some of her self-deprecating humor doesn't translate well in the sound bites. For instance, the "laying down sweet tunes" anecdote about her childhood was, to me, Amanda poking fun at her and her brother's early musical efforts. But to others it came across as something obnoxious. In any case, I felt she did not deserve to be mean-girled by the spiteful and talentless Korina Kini was robbed because Sean didn't come clean about who did what, even if that would not have changed the outcome; at least the judges would have given Kini credit in their minds for his incredibly quick and excellent work on both the wedding dress AND the top they all loved. Char was sabotaged because even if she wasn't one of the best designers, she ended up going out on another person's fabric, design and color, not her own. Plus I liked her as a fellow Michigander and the clothes she sent down the runway prior to this ep were at least consistently respectable. Agree with all those who said Emily was wrongly harangued for making an unconventional wedding dress which is exactly what the challenge called for. And it was a cool dress. At least we are rid of Horan or Hosan or whatever his name was, who in my opinion was runner-up to Korina for free-floating malice and superiority unencumbered by skill. If I had to hear him call Sandhya "bitch" one more time (and mean it in exactly the misogynistic way it is commonly used) I would have shouted at the TV.

Valerie is the Cyrus of her season. Both auditioned as dancers in a style that's not very familiar to the general public, both did much better than expected at new choreography, and both project that indefinable something in performance that causes people to love them. In Cyrus's season I got really fed up with him being voted though week after week while better dancers were booted. I wrote rageful posts like some of those posted here about Valerie. Now I'm more zen about it and I appreciate that rare quality they both have. Or maybe the show has beaten me into submission. LOVED seeing Aaron again. A real man. They should bring him back for dances other than tap; as I remember he was great with jazz and other styles too. ITA picklesprite. I normally love JTF on this show but he needs to shut that stuff down. In prior seasons, JTF would say things like "I'd tell you how beautiful I think you are but that might be creepy for you" and it would get a nice laugh. Go back there, Jesse. Nigel is the champion perv on this show and we don't need another. I'm really torn between Ricky and Zach, they are both excellent and compelling in different ways. Ricky really is a freak (dancewise. in a good way.) Will there not be a girl winner and boy winner this season? Other posters are talking like there will be only one winner.

Some standout routines tonight: the Bridget-Emilio "monkey on my back" dance was terrific and they both danced it well especially Bridget; the Tanisha-Rudy jazz was pretty great too. The opening routine was good too except for the use of some sh**ty cover version of "Take Me to the River" - would have been much better if they'd used the Talking Heads original. Although I generally love Sonya, the half-group routine she choreographed didn't grab me, in fact it reminded me of college kids hung over after a kegger. Maybe that's just me. Goodbye, Marquette. Sad because he was so attractive and elegant. But he really did not bring the performance in his routines like the other guys are doing. Goodbye, Brooklyn. Sad because she was not the least-good dancer among the girls. Cat looked especially lovely tonight. That gray sparkly dress looked so elegant on her, and her shoes were killer. I want those shoes. Is is a sad commentary that my favorite routine of the season so far is still Marie Poppins' audition?

I think you're right about her fit with the show, but I enjoyed her personality. She struck me as someone partly (or mainly?) raised by her brother. She was not girly at all. She also seemed genuinely modest and polite. And clearly a great dancer. I hope she gets more air time in NotVegas. Re Mr. Strange: Same reaction here! I was going to call shenanigans on his ticket to NotVegas, then I read Elle's helpful posts and began to believe the judges must know he has some partnering ability. Re Mariah: I totally noticed that too! AND that she would grin or make some naughty facial expression to go with the leg-spread. Ricky was dishy also because he seemed more mature than the average 18 yo boy contestant. I'm so glad there are others out there who still view Alex Wong as one of the Best Contestants Ever. I still watch his hip-hop with tWitch on YouTube sometimes for a mood-lightener. And after viewing this episode I felt a compulsion to watch Amy and FikShun's Viennese waltz on YouTube. Wanted to be reminded of contestants who had magic together.

No, I did not like the show's choice of who got to wipe Malvo from the face of the earth. Nor do I believe that Pepper and Budge would have been killed anyway had Gus phoned in as soon as he saw the red BMW. Malvo was still in his red BMW when he left the house. He would have been intercepted or at least followed on the road before he got to the car dealership and changed cars. That would have changed everything that followed after. I also don't buy that Malvo, after the bear trap encounter (loved that!), would have been able to walk out of the house and drive his car away, but didn't attempt to finish off Lester before he left. Here's my revised season finale: Outside Malvo's cabin, Gus calls in the red BMW and then begs Molly not to leave the station. Molly kindly reminds him that she can't desert her job responsibilities when things get ugly. Cops converge on the road that Malvo took. Budge and Pepper leave their post at Lester's to join the chase, because they still aren't very smart. Malvo manages to escape after a fabulous car chase/gun battle that leaves all the cop cars out of commission. Malvo goes to Lester's and the same things happen except Malvo removes the bear trap and then blasts into the room where Lester is hiding. They're both out of bullets. A death struggle ensues. Malvo crushes Lester's skull with the bear trap and takes the bear trap with him. In the meantime at the police station, Molly learns that all the cop and FBI cars are disabled, and she sets out to Lester's. She encounters Malvo leaving the house. She blocks his car in the driveway with her car. She and Malvo stand in the driveway and assess each other and talk. Molly tells Malvo he is under arrest and he smirks. He tells her Lester is dead. Malvo realizes that this is the one person who always suspected what he was and what he did and won't give up until he's put away. As Malvo is out of bullets and soon out of conversation, he suddenly throws the bear trap at Molly, who is injured but not badly and falls to the ground. She manages to pull her gun and wing Malvo in the side as she falls, so he decides that between his leg and the side injuries, he's not in good shape to kill her and better just steal her car. But Gus has also driven over to Lester's because he heard about Malvo's escape. He learns after stopping by the station and finally getting whatsherface to unlock the door that Molly has gone to Lester's. He arrives at the house just after Malvo has left. He finds Molly laying in the driveway, a bit injured but more shocked from the encounter with evil-incarnate Malvo, and still determined to get him. Gus insists on taking her to the hospital and and he calls in the Malvo encounter. While they're at the hospital, where Molly is examined and it's declared that she and the baby will both be fine, Malvo finds a doctor's house. Malvo takes the doctor's family hostage (because he doesn't need guns to scare and hurt people) and forces the doctor to fix him up. Since the doctor does an excellent job bandaging him, Malvo decides to spare their lives as a tip for services well rendered. But he has the usual creepy conversation with the doctor first. Now Malvo's going to get revenge on Molly and her family. He finds out through his usual deviousness where she lives. Malvo parks the car down the street, and goes limping slowly toward the house. Lou sees him coming, and he and Greta immediately start blasting away at Malvo before he can reach the house. Malvo is surprised to encounter this resistance from the rubes, and retreats to his car to form a new strategy. Then Gus and Molly come burning rubber in their car directly from the hospital, as they suspect that Malvo wouldn't leave town before refocusing his malevolence on Molly. Both Gus and Molly fire their guns at Malvo, who gets into his car and drives off. A chase ensues. Gus is injured and Molly takes over the driving. It ends when Malvo's car gets stuck near a frozen-over lake. He runs out over the lake. Molly chases him, but she knows the local conditions and knows where to stop. Malvo turns to face her and they have one last encounter. At the sound of ice cracking, the smirk fades from Malvo's face. They both know what's going to happen. Malvo is swallowed up by the ice. Molly and Gus phone it in and go home. The last scene in front of the TV is the same, except that it's Molly who's received the citation for bravery, as well as being Sheriff. The bear trap is saved, cleaned up and hung in the police station as a reminder of the cops' duty to protect. The End. (yes I have way too much free time)

Me too! I watched the whole episode with a huge grin on my face and frequent guffawing. I don't generally watch sitcoms or shows without strong female leads, I know nothing about Silicon Valley and I fear and loathe algorithms . . . but this show has me completely hooked and in love. What inspired writing and what a great cast. Can't wait for S2.

And the sob stories are handled by the show in such a way that I start actively disliking the subjects! During the interminable Caleb profile, I kept picturing the director and camera folks saying, "okay, now look sadly off into the distance while we film you. Think about your dad. Yeah, mom you get in there too. No, don't look at each other, look somewhere over there. Can you get some tears in your eyes? Cool." I was grossed out by the manipulation. You got that right! Cat is a major reason I watch this show. (And WHY doesn't she have an Emmy yet??) During the profiles of the auditioners I kept peering into the background looking for her. My favorite dancer was Marcuette (pretty sure I'm spelling it wrong). What a hottie. I'm curious about what the ballroom experts out there think of his dancing. Do you think he's top-20 worthy?

Chiming in late to say I couldn't agree more. This whole episode was violent and dark. The endless slo-mo massacre of Don was not only gratuitous but sadistic. It was wallowing. It's tipped me over from being a fan of the show to questioning whether I should even watch it any more.