Stacie watches Bones

I have not been as excited about Bones in a long time, mostly due to the fact that I have had other shows on my radar and that they killed off Sweets at the beginning of the season, but the most recent episode "The Puzzler in the Pit" made me feel a sort of TV nostalgia.  Keeping that in mind, here is what I thought about last weeks episode...

1) The fact that I was so into the "Daisy" aspect of the episode (I am usually annoyed by her character) says a lot.  I was not even focused on the murder investigation, which is usually my favorite aspect of crime dramas (I love a good mystery).
2) I love that Daisy has a doula, and the fact that she is Natalie from "The Facts of Life" makes it even better
3) Daisy seems unusually calm and happy, which made me incredibly sad knowing that she is just covering up how she truly feels.
4) The fact that Daisy has her Jeffersonian friends around her because they are her family is so awesome to me because they are her only support, and they also knew Sweets so well.  When Daisy wants Booth to stay, it made me cry.
5)  Daisy going into labor and realizing that she can't be calm and rational while delivering the baby made me sad, but with the help of her friends, she ends up with a beautiful baby boy who is named Seely Lance which made my heart melt because that is what Sweets wanted.

Brigette Watches Parenthood, S6/Ep9: "Lean In"

I'm still traumatized by Thursday's Parenthood, and I'm especially traumatized that we won't know what happens next until January. But maybe that's for the best, so that I am not crying over Christmas.

What we learned:

1) Dylan's awful parents are actually more reasonable than Kristina and Adam.
2) Drew's family just craps all over him, don't they?
3) Okay, I'm in love with Jason Ritter as much as the next lady, but this storyline again? Seriously? Not even worth commenting on.
4) Nothing turns people on more than divorce papers.
5) Crap. Zeek's gonna die, isn't he?

Let's start with #4. Okay, as soon as I saw Julia's face when Joel opened his apartment door, I knew they were going to hook up. And I was correct. I've been watching TV long enough to know that even though Julia was shakily holding those divorce papers, the exact opposite of what she wanted to have happen would be happening. How do we feel? I honestly don't know. One minute I want them back together, and the next minute I'm so mad at Joel for choosing now to fight for his family. I know the show has romantic lighting and emotional music, but if this were real life and I were Julia, I would be thinking, "Okay, so when are you going to completely destroy me next time?" How could you fix that broken trust? I almost feel like if they divorced and it were ten years later, a reconciliation may feel less off, but the wounds here are too fresh. I'm glad I'm not actually Julia and I'm glad I'm not the writers either, because even though putting them back together would give us happy smiles, it might be spreading kind of a weird message.


Latest Parenthood conspiracy theory, concocted with my friend Beth:

Moving on to #1. Even though Dylan's parents were annoying, and I didn't like that they were threatening to take her out of Chamber's Academy, thank god that they finally brought a sane perspective to all of this. Was Max ever punished for his outburst/stalking/flyers-calling-for-expulsion, they asked? No. Why weren't Dylan's feelings taken more into consideration? Why was everything about protecting Max? As uncomfortable as that screaming scene in the hall was, I didn't feel bad for Adam and Kristina at all, because they so had that coming.

I did appreciate them in the scene in Max's room later that night though. Saying that the whole drama was partially their fault for not explaining that the scale of affection is sometimes fixed was great. But honestly, do outsiders have to scream at yell for them to be more honest with Max? Being more direct with him is helpful, not harmful. In any event, I'm glad with how all of that ended, but now I'm curious as to what the writers are going to do with Dylan.

Okay. Time for Zeek stuff. Sad face.

I was mad at Zeek for getting mad at Drew for telling Camile about the secret trip. It did not help to see the tears in Drew's eyes when Zeek told him how disappointed he was. SERIOUSLY, Zeek? Drew told Camile not because he cares about her more, but because he doesn't want to contribute to something that might KILL HIS GRANDFATHER. Ahhh isn't anyone just there for Drew? Gross Julie doesn't count.

I loved the scene when Zeek told Camile the whole truth; her reaction was adorable, and the whole idea of the trip was beautiful. It was too adorable and beautiful to last, apparently, because the last image we were left with was Zeek whispering in bed for Camile to call an ambulance. That just destroyed me. Isn't that a reoccurring nightmare that most people have? You're screaming and no one can hear you? That was basically happening to Zeek right then, and in the comfort of his own bed, of all places. So scary and sad. I bawled my eyes out.

Okay y'all, what did you think about Thursday's Parenthood? What do you expect will happen when the show resumes in January, and what do you want to happen? Any Parenthood conspiracy theories to share?

Brigette Watches Homeland, S4/Ep8: "Halfway to a Donut"

What we learned on Sunday's Homeland:

1) Quinn's face looked totally normal, so I'm assuming Carrie didn't ACTUALLY break his nose & balls last week.
2) Apparently, Kahn wasn't behind the tampering of Carrie's meds after all. Okay.
3) Saul hates Carrie for not letting him blow his brains out.
4) Terrorists DO notice when drone are following them! Because they have EYES.
5) Drones remind me of video games which reminds me of Ender's Game which makes me uncomfortable.
6) One Saul is the equivalent to a handful of terrorists, but how would this convert using Shrute Bucks to Stanley Nickels?

Alright. I just have to say something. I've been confused pretty much all season about character motivation, and I feel like this is not something that's happened before while watching Homeland. Complicated, contradictory feelings are nothing new to the characters on this show, but I feel like the contradictions were always conveyed in a way that felt organic. I'm not experiencing that this season. I'm just feeling like I don't know why anyone is doing what they're doing.

I don't get Kahn's deal, which is maybe okay, because maybe we're not supposed to yet. Maybe he really is clueless to his government's aligning itself with the terrorists. That was pretty much confirmed when we saw him watching Mr. Camera Phone, aka, Boyd, being slipped notes without Carrie present. Are we comfortable proclaiming Kahn a "good guy" now? I don't know. And why did he make such a production about telling Carrie what he saw? Why did they keep returning to the awkwardness of when she thought he was Brody? I feel like Kahn wants Carrie to "like" him.  How many out of nowhere romances can they tease this season? We'll see!

I also thought I originally understood Carrie's position on Saul's imprisonment; she knew he would rather die than give into the terrorists or be a problem. She was willing to blow him up without even thinking about it. But for some reason, once it was confirmed through a telephone conversation that Carrie was exactly right about Saul's wishes, she did a 180. Suddenly, she couldn't bear to watch Saul shoot himself in the head. She cried. It was too upsetting. She forced him to keep going, to keep running, even as millions of little terrorist guys were closing in and she knew help would not be arriving.

This is where I got confused. Did Carrie know that it was hopeless, or did she think Saul actually stood a chance? Did she knowingly direct him right to the terrorists just to avoid watching him kill himself? What is the difference really between watching a drone blow up your father figure and watching your father figure shoot himself? I guess with an explosion, there's no body to see.

Themes:
We saw Carrie get ready for bed again: retainer, earplugs, eye mask, lay down. Still waiting for this "going to sleep" theme to pay off. We may have gotten a glimpse of the significance when Carrie tells Quinn that she finally realizes there are no good solutions and no good endings to anything that they're doing, but the moment didn't feel climatic enough to be the "waking up" that I keep waiting for.

Even with the confusion, this episode was the most exciting of the season so far, no? Saul's escape was pretty intense (it involved murder-- with his bare hands!) and I honestly had no idea what was going to happen at the end. I can't believe it, but I actually wanted Saul to kill himself, just to win this one, and I was disappointed when he didn't. Obviously, so was he. 

What do we think about this episode? Am I the only one who is greatly confused by character motivation this season? Will Saul now hate Carrie forever? Is there any way this can end well for Carrie and Co.?

Stacie watches "Chicago Fire/Law and Order:SVU/Chicago PD crossover week"

One of my ultimate favorite shows has been Law and Order: SVU, which was the first procedural crime drama I started watching at it's inception.  I love it so much that I wrote to them and Mariska Hargitay (Olivia Benson) sent me an autograph picture.  I have watched every episode of the show and have always loved the cast of characters and the show as a whole.  Last year, I started watching both Chicago Fire and Chicago PD.  Chicago PD is a spin-off of Fire, and has one of my favorite actresses Sophia Bush as a lead role.  Since I have enjoyed these shows, it is no surprise that I was super excited about the crossover event this past week.  I wish that all my shows could do an ultimate crossover, but I was satisfied by it happening with these three shows.

It all begins at the tail-end of Chicago Fire when they rush into a burning house to save the man who lived there.  Little did they know that they would uncover a human trafficking ring involving adolescent children after Severide finds many pictures of kids coming from horrible situations.  When it is discovered that one of the victims is Det. Lindsay's brother who she has not heard from in years, they decide to go to New York and they come in contact with a few tragedies along the way.  Without going into the full synopsis (I figure if you are continuing to read, you have probably watched the shows), I want to give my perspective on the crossover event of the year.

Here are my thoughts on the crossover event...-I was sad Chicago Fire only had a very small role in this, mainly because I wanted Severide to go with them.

-Sophia Bush is the best I have ever seen in terms of crying....she cried quite a bit in these episodes and it always seems so raw and authentic.

-I loved that Voight goes to NY and tries to handle the suspects harshly, because Benson wouldn't put up with it seeing as how she went through it with Stabler.

-Although at the beginning Olivia was clearly aggravated by Voight, they develop a friendship and she even goes to Chicago to help his team.

-The kids in these episodes were great, and it was nice to see Lindsay's character bond with the little girl, even having her over to stay the night so she wouldn't be put in the system.

-The police officer guarding the suspect who gets shot left me in tears, especially at the end when all of the officers are standing outside for his wife and little girl.

-I loved how Rollins was supportive of Lindsay, even saying she could lean on her.  We all know that Rollins has a bad past in regards to family just like Lindsay and it was good to see their support.

All in all, these episodes lived up to my expectations and I was happy to see my shows collide.  I hope they will do a few more of these in the future.  Do you have any ideas of cool mashups?

Stacie watches Castle S6 E6 "The Time of our Lives"

Castle and Beckett finally tie the knot!  After a few false attempts at a wedding, it finally pans out at the end of this episode.  Before we talk too much about that however, I want to talk about my thoughts on the show this week...

-It started out with one of my favorite quotes of the season "Maybe my subconscious has a pressing need to catch up on my Facebook likes" which Castle says after struggling with insomnia for the past 4 nights and not getting much sleep.

-Throughout the ridiculous (yet Castle-esque) story , Castle is thrust into a dimension where he and Beckett never met.  Although I thought most of this story to be comical, I just wanted them to get married!  

-I really liked how Martha was the one who was incredibly famous....it was a good switch for me for a second to realize that I liked her to have her time to shine.

-Beckett being the youngest captain ever was pretty cool, but she wasn't happy, which brings me to the fact that she never found the person responsible for killing her mom.  I thought that it was cool that they included that, because that case is a big part of why Castle and Beckett end up together.

-I loved when Castle was trying to "wake-up" from what he thought was a dream by dunking his face in water multiple times.

-I was kind of sad that Alexis and Castle were no longer close, but I loved this quote by Castle...

"Sweetie everything you do matters...every moment, ever decision you make effects the people around you and changes the world in a million imperceptible ways"

All in all, I found the episode quite enjoyable and am so happy that they finally got married...here are my thoughts on the wedding...

-I liked that it was intimate and only their family

-It seemed a little cheesy (even for me) with the sky that looked quite fake.

-I loved their vows

My very last thing on the subject...

WHY WAS KATE WEARING PANTS?! This baffled me, and still does.  I realize she has gone through her fair share of wedding dresses, but come on...pants.  Don't get me wrong on this one, I thought the outfit was cute, but I was expecting her to be all decked out and was kinda sad when she wasn't.

I hope you enjoyed this episode and the fact that they finally got hitched! Is she going to be referred to as Kate Castle? Kate Beckett-Castle?  I guess only time will tell on what everyone will call her.

Brigette Watches Parenthood, S6/Ep8: "Aaron Brownsein Must Be Stopped"

What we learned this week on Parenthood:

* Ruby is a terrible daughter
* Hank is a terrible father
* Max is a terrible son
* Kristina is a terrible mother
* Crosby is a terrible husband

Okay, I'm being a bit dramatic here, but everyone annoyed me in this episode, mainly because characters were being too nice to the characters who were being awful. One thing that repeatedly bothers me on this show is how nice the parents are to the kids, no matter how bratty they're being. We've seen this happen a million times with Sidney. She can scream at Joel and Julia, bully a kid at school, and it's all "Hey Syd" "Hey honey" "Let's talk about this." Oh my god.

So, let's begin with the Ruby situation. Ruby convinces Hank that she can stay home alone by herself, even calls him to say she's great and adds an "I love you," then Hank does a casual drive by and sees that she's having a party. This isn't just a gathering of a few friends. It looks like the whole high school is there, complete with drinks & drugs. And Hank doesn't want to break up the party because he and Ruby are finally in a good place. ??????

I tried to understand this. I did. Hank has had a horrible relationship with Ruby for most of her childhood, and the work that it took to get along will take a huge set back. I also understand having a hard time calling out family members who you love dearly, even as you are being disrespected. Been there. But I've never been there to THIS degree. I was proud of Hank when he said, "You manipulated me!" But I wish he had kept going. Yell more, Hank. Don't look so sad when Ruby says she hates you.  You deserve to be really really, really mad. Ruby sucks.

But the Ruby situation is not even half as annoying as the Max situation.  Max sees Dylan kissing another boy and is furious. Not only does he pass out flyers calling for the kid's expulsion, but he also starts physically fighting the kid, which results in him PUSHING Kristina--not just his mom--the principal. Kristina's response? She takes him in her office and it's all "Hey buddy" this and "hey buddy" that. When Max asks if he's going to get in trouble, Kristina says no. What???

But it doesn't end there. Max makes Dylan a poster expressing his love for her, and then he presents it to her at lunch. When Dylan tells him to stop repeatedly, Max won't back down. Eventually, he freaks out and runs out of the school, across traffic, Kristina in hot pursuit.

Kristina's response? "I'm so proud of you buddy" "That took so much courage, buddy" "I know it hurts, buddy." I tried to understand this too. Kristina is amazed that her son actually expressed affectionate feelings. Kristina is hurt that he is hurt. But listen. Your kid has a disorder which makes his social skills weak. If you tell him that his aggressive behavior is brave and that there's something wrong with the girl who isn't responding, guess what he will do the next time he likes a girl? Present her a poster. Fight a kid in the halls. Scream "why don't you like me" (or something to that degree) in public. Help him understand why all of that didn't work. I've never raised a child with Aspergers, so maybe I shouldn't even be allowed to have an opinion here. But regardless, the fact remains that Kristina is not just Max's mom, but his principal, and letting him get away with so much at school is irresponsible and ridiculous.

Crosby was annoying in this episode too. He's furious that Jasmine's mother knows they're having financial problems because it makes him feel emasculated. He decides to yell at Jasmine about this, who again, is being too nice back. "We're in this together. Why don't you understand that?" You're right, Jasmine. You're allowed to be a little more angry that he doesn't understand that. Then, when Crosby and Amber go to a club to find a new band to potentially sign, the bouncer stops Crosby for trying to bring in weed. Crosby's response? Throw a fit. Last I checked, weed is still illegal in CA, so, maybe just say "okay," go put it in your car, and get back in the long ass line? Ugh. So annoying. Everyone is just so annoying. At least Amber's Braxton's Hicks put an end to all of that.

What did you think of Thursday's episode and all the "brattiness" and all the "niceness"? Am I being too harsh? Not harsh enough? Anything else about this episode that struck you?

Brigette Watches Homeland, S4/Ep7: "Redux"

Things we learned:

1) Saul is currently a human shield for Uncle Terrorist aka Haqqani (aren't you proud of me for looking up his name?) and is chillin' with his whole brood. Until they move him.
2) Negotiations are being made to get Saul home, and Carrie thinks they should have just let him die.
3) Boyd STILL hasn't turned off the sound on his camera phone!!!! (Aren't you proud of me for looking up his name?)
4) It IS possible for Carrie to have a freak out without hearing jazz music.

One thing I like about Homeland, even as it seems to be decaying, is that every character is a real person. No one is just pure evil, not even the terrorists, even though they do evil things. As we saw largely though Brody's storyline, who the "good guy" is and who the "bad guy" is depends entirely on perspective. There are points in this show where people are just people. That seemed to be apparent when Saul and Haqqani were in the car and Haqqani talked about how happy he was to see his family, as well as when all those little children ran to hug him, and when Haqqani scolded his son for throwing his shoe at Saul. But this guy is no angel, and Saul can't  play nice. Who could blame him? After being as involved with catching these guys as Saul was, how could anyone keep their mouth shut and not call Haqqani out?

Saul: "You just executed your nephew, and before that you killed his family in an airstrike. How is that necessary?"
Haqqani: "You point your finger at Islam, but if Christianity is to be judged by the misery it has caused mankind, who would ever be a Christian?"
Saul: "I'm a Jew."

ZING!

All Haqqani can say back is, "Yeah. Well," and Saul pays for that by having to listen to Haqqani and his wife have sex after three years apart. He is Haqqani's human shield after all. I feel like if Saul hadn't won that dinner table convo, Haqqani would have at least given Saul some cotton to stuff in his ears, but no. If Saul wished for death at any time during all of this, you know it was then. Yikes!

Speaking of which, I think I agree with Carrie that Saul would have wanted the mission completed, even if he got killed. You can see that in Saul's repeated insistence to Haqqani that he's really not that special, and in the disappointment at the end when he's informed that a hostage negotiation is in fact taking place. Saul is in a very special kind of nightmare right now in which living undoes a large amount of his life's work. But at the same time, we know he doesn't really want to die. And let's hope Carrie doesn't want him to either, because really Carrie?

But Carrie can't really help Saul right now, much less herself. Why aren't these pills working???? she wonders, as she takes five more, not knowing that Boyd switched them. Are they just sugar pills and her bipolar is taking its effects, or are they pills that are actually making her worse? Was this all explained and I missed it? Probably.

Regardless, as painful as it was to watch Carrie's rapid meltdown, it also gave us some of the best moments of the night. I swore at my T.V. when Carrie "shot" the guys in the car, then swore again when we see that she didn't actually have a gun and it was just her hand. Oh, and how could I forget the moment before that when she broke Quinn's nose and balls, assuming he was actually there?

Did that ending make anyone else EXTREMELY confused? Carrie was taken to Assar Kahn's house, right? (I am just on FIRE looking up names!) The one who claimed they had no footage of Saul in the area he was kidnapped? The one who is working with Boyd to mess with Carrie (right)? Why on god's green earth is she at this guy's house? I think we're not supposed to know that yet, actually.

Of course, I gotta mention the Brody hallucination. I'm a fan of ghost stuff, so I was hoping that it was really him. I was like, "Wow, this show is getting spiritual? What are they doing here?" But nah. Carrie was probably so far gone that part of her brain went to Brody, the safe place, to calm herself down. Even though Kahn knew what was happening to Carrie as he cradled her because HE had been behind it (creepy), he still must have been like "WTF."

Will Carrie figure out what happened with her meds? Will Saul die? Will Quinn need nose and ball surgery? Let me know what you think! Until then, in honor of Carrie's freak out, watch that Homeland skit on SNL with Anne Hathaway because it's still one of my most favorite things ever, and I know it's one of yours too.

Brigette Watches Parenthood, S6/Ep7: "These Are the Times We Live In"

What we learned on Thursday's Parenthood:

1) Kristina and Adam abandoned their children and granted Amber  guardianship.
2) Hank's solution to social awkwardness is to tell everyone he has Aspergers.
3) Zeek wants to be BFFs with Drew, and Drew is annoyed.
4) I am NEVER getting a divorce. I actually said that out loud after watching the Joel and Julia elevator scene, which DESTROYED ME. Then I said, "Well Brigette, you have to be married first, and you're not even close to that! Hahah!" Cry face?

So let's start with Joel and Julia, shall we? And more importantly, let's start with Sam Jaeger. There are not enough expletives to positively convey how intensely he is bringing his performance. I am feelin' him in every scene. I am feelin' him so much so that I have to remind myself of Joel's behavior last season. Yes, both Joel and Julia were equally frustrating, and yes, Julia lied about kissing Roy (Ed) (David Denman), but Joel was basically the one who ended it. He was the one who left, got a new apartment, all of that. And now that the divorce papers are signed, he's like, "I'm gonna drive to Julia's house and tell her I'm fighting for her." I don't know. Is this Better Late Than Never, or is it Are You Freaking Kidding Me?!

I feel like a Joel and Juila reconciliation is on the horizon. Not just because we all want it at this point (I think), but because of the treatment that Julia's boyfriend is getting. See, I don't even know his name; that's how unimportant he is to me. We know he's nice and he's hot, which is a great combo, don't get me wrong, but otherwise, we have no attachments to him. He's just a hot complication that will force Julia to really make a conscious choice with consequences either way… which might be just what she needs.


Moving on…despite my snarky wording for #2, I actually thought that scene where Hank apologized and explained himself to his ex-wife was really nice. It wasn't just a nice thing of him to do for her, but nice for Ruby, and in a way, for himself. It really seemed to be a moment of healing. But just because Hank can apologize for his social and emotional defuncts does not mean that he can prevent them from causing problems in the future. How awful and awkward was it when he DIDN'T invite Sarah to come along with Ruby & Ex-Wife to get frozen yogurt?! Ah! Sarah explained what the "movie fight" was actually about so that Hank could fix it, and then that's the thanks she gets. Nice guys finish last, eh? Are we worried about Ex-Wife weaseling her way back in, or do we think this is all just a learning curve in having a healthy "broken" family? Do we think this episode foreshadows Sarah and Hank breaking up? I'm doubting it myself-- we've only got a few more months to go afterall! But you never know.

So there's this rumor going around that someone on Parenthood is going to die and everyone thinks it's Zeek. The Drew storyline didn't really calm my fears on this one, since Julie was basically prophesying that Drew should enjoy quality time with a grandfather who almost died. (Don't think this means I like Julie now.) If someone has to die though, I mean, wouldn't you want it to be one of the older cast? Otherwise, it would be way too cruel. But for the record, I don't want ANYONE TO DIE. I'm hoping it's just Max's dog Otis. Or Ashes of Rome guy. Basically, anyone who I don't know.

What did y'all think of the episode? What were Jasmine and Crosby doing this week? Which scenes destroyed you or confused you? (I didn't mention the Joel/Zeek scene, but TEARS!) Do you feel like all of this is leading to something predictable, or not so much? Do you never want to watch a couple get divorced on TV again? I sure don't.

Stacie Watches Castle

I decided I would do something a little bit different for my first blog post on this awesome site.  I am going to talk about one of my favorite shows on TV Castle, but rather than talk about a specific episode, I am going to talk about the top 10 reasons I love this show.

Things I love about Castle...

1) It is such a mix of a procedural/drama/comedy with a mix of crime and mystery.
2) Rather than keep then main characters apart despite their obvious interest and chemistry, they end up together and engaged.
3)  Stana Katic and Nathan Fillion do a great job at portraying Kate Beckett and Richard Castle and their performances are full of wit, charm, and emotion.
4) I can always laugh at Esposito and Ryan and their close brotherly relationship that many times end in bickering and competing  (Ex: Fighting for the role as Castle's best man)
5) Castle's daughter Alexis has always acted more like an adult than her father.
6) The character of Martha (Castle's mom) has a flare for the dramatic, which is probably where Castle gets his overly dramatic personality.
7) Castle always has an exaggerated explanation for the motives and methods of crimes.
8) The series plays homage to Nathan Fillion's prior role in the extremely popular yet short lived sci fi series Firefly.
9) The season finals (and many of the episodes themselves) leave the viewer in nail biting anticipation to the dramatic conclusion.
10) One of the best parts of this show to me is that they have a strong female lead who happens to be a very prominent detective and her "partner" is a mystery author.  I love that she is at the helm of everything and is seen as an authority figure of sorts.

Brigette Watches Homeland, S4/Ep6: "From A to B and Back Again"

Woaaaahhh Homeland. Woah.

Things we learned:

1) Aayan fell in love with Carrie (or thought he did).
2) Carrie staged her own kidnapping, which resulted in a bloody nose (which by now I feel she deserves).

3) The one guy who's name I still don't know who took pictures of Carrie's stuff with the sound of his phone on is still spying on Carrie.
4) Aayan's uncle is holding Saul hostage. SAUUULL!

Okay, I feel like the moment at the end of the episode overshadows anything else that happened, so let's focus on that. Carrie's plan for Aayan to lead her right to his uncle worked-- not without roadblocks, but still. The drone followed Aayan on his journey, leading directly to Mr. Terrorist. (What's his name?)

But Mister Terrorist KNEW who Carrie was and knew what she was up to. (How? Is it because of Loud Camera guy?) Mister Terrorist also knew that a drone was following them, which leads me to question #1: okay, I've never been followed by a drone, nor have I even seen one, but wouldn't you notice something following you? Even if it were in the sky above you, wouldn't you catch it out of the corner of your eye? I mean, it's a flying object. It's not invisible. Duh, Aayan, there's a drone on your back.

Poor Aayan. I guess he really was just as innocent as he seemed after all. His uncle, who Ayan thought was actually a good guy despite what Carrie said, put a bullet in the poor kid's head. I guess family isn't the most important thing when your safety has been compromised. It was painful, wasn't it, just watching Aayan's face as he tried to put it all together? Carrie was who? She did what? Saul was who? Was his uncle mad? The kiss on the cheek was a nice thing to do. I take solace in knowing that it honestly didn't seem to register that he was going to die until he was already dead. But it was still upsetting.

What was up with Carrie's reaction? I kind of thought that before she saw Saul that she was perfectly comfortable having the drone kill Uncle and take out whoever was near him-- including Aayan. Can a drone kill just one person in a crowd of people? Or was she just planning on blowing up his car once they drove away? I don't know, but her reaction to Aayan's death was so strong that I got the impression that maybe she thought he was going to live through all of this. Was this explained and I missed it? Probably.

Regardless, her plan was screwed up, and nothing upsets Carrie more than the injustice of her plans being screwed up. All that work, all that screwing, for nothing! She was going to get Mr. Terrorist, and he beat her at her own game. He knew she was watching, showed her Saul, and said, "Whatchoo gonna do 'bout it?"

If Carrie was unlikeable a few episodes ago, she was surely unlikable in this moment. Even if she was upset for Aayan, that emotion wasn't enough to forgive her for demanding to take Mr. Terrorist out, immediately, killing Saul with him! Saul is basically Carrie's father. Maybe she knows it's a hopeless situation and she knows Saul knows that, but it still doesn't excuse her for demanding that Saul be blown up immediately.

Themes: Did anyone notice that part in the drone room when Carrie was told to "lie down and get some rest"? Again, there was a scene of Carrie sleeping and being woken up. I'm telling you, this is on purpose! There's gonna be some grand awakening on the horizon.

If Carrie sleeps with a terrorist sympathizer, he will die. Is this Carrie's lesson? Is this the terrorist's lesson? Is this just the audience's lesson? We know now that if Carrie makes eyes at another terrorist affiliate, he's got no chance.

Are you glad Aayan's gone, or do you feel like "why did we spend so much time with this kid if he was gonna die"? Is Saul gonna die? Is Carrie going to redeem herself? Can this season redeem itself?

Brigette Watches Parenthood, S6/Ep06: "Too Big to Fail"

A bit late than never, but here's what we learned on Thursday's Parenthood:

1) Three months have passed since the last episode, even though it's not summer. That's okay-- I get it. The baby needs to be born in the finale.
2) Jabar wants to go to Hogwarts at Universal (get in line, buddy!!!!)
3) Crosby has been lying to Jasmine about "working late." But he's not been cheating, you guys-- he's been playing candy crush.
4) Dylan is basically an honorary Braverman now.
5) Amber took care of her drunk almost-step sister, so clearly, she will be a good mom. (No sarcasm, seriously.)
6) Drew wants to take all the right classes.
7) Where was Julia?

Okay, I finally understand the purpose of this Ashes of Rome breakdown that's been happening for the last couple of episodes; the Luncheonette is dying. Adam "plan B" Braverman has no plan B. Amber can't get the raise she needs/deserves. I'm not sure where this storyline is going. Either they're going to save the Luncheonette in a miraculous pulling-themselves-up-by-the-boot-straps-musical-montage Mighty Ducks sort of a thing or the business will go under and the family will be pulled in different directions-- literally. Like, people will move for work. The show is ending, so is this gonna be a "things fall apart" or "things come together" scenario? I don't know. What would you rather see?

Can I just say that the most emotional moment of the episode for me belongs to Jasmine and Crosby? Usually, I find Jasmine kind of annoying and domineering, but her reaction to Crosby's lying was kind of remarkable. She said she didn't care about money or the house; she cared about being close to Crosby and having him be a part of the family. He was their "guy." She didn't have to be so nice or understanding, but she was. Jasmine really brought out the "none of it matters as long as we're together" business. This scene made me believe in true love and loyalty, and basically, I wanted to marry it.

Someone else who's usually annoying but was kind of not on Thursday is Julie, Drew's girlfriend. Can I just say for a minute that I can't stand Julie? She thinks she's so cool and for that very reason, she's gross. If you don't get what I mean by that, I'm sorry, but that's the best rationale I can give. But when Julie told Drew that nothing he was doing in college mattered because no one looks at transcripts and no one's hiring anyway, I got this sinking feeling like… yep. Considering I teach college, I shouldn't (and don't) think that's it useless, but we do live in a pretty crap economy right now, huh? Still, I feel like if Drew wants to be the one person in his immediate family who isn't a screw up, he can totally do it.

How are we feeling about Ruby? I thought the family game night scene was great. Not because it was great, but because it highlighted what Ruby didn't have. For all her hatred of family togetherness, it was clear in that scene that not being close to her parents is actually a real source of pain for her. I loved the convo Ruby had with Amber after the night of drunkenness. The "I was worse than you" and "being close to my mom took work" and "cut your dad some slack" was exactly what Ruby needed to hear from exactly the right kind of person. I was a little bummed that Amber didn't get any credit for Ruby's sudden good behavior, cus the girl could use a win.

Remember how her parents forgot
her birthday & went to Monte Carlo?

How are we feeling about Dylan? I've decided that I like her. I couldn't tell if she was telling the truth though when she told Christina that her parents were always wanting to do things with her and getting all up in her grill. Was it supposed to be obvious that they were never around? Is Dylan starting to remind anyone else of Chica from Troop Beverly Hills? No? You know who else was in Troop Beverly Hills? Craig T. Nelson.

I feel like even though Dylan told Max that he has nice eyes and she is being sweet to him, the likelihood that she will ever like him above a 2.5 is dwindling. I'm kind of thinking along Christina's lines: Dylan just likes the Bravermans. She likes Max too, but not in a romantic way. I'm very curious to see where this one goes, even though I think it's gonna be painful and will probably result in some type of Max explosion.

What did you think of Thursday's episode? What will all of this lead to, people?