Brigette Watches Homeland, S4/Ep12: "Long Time Coming"

Well, um, I guess that’s it for Homeland? Happy season 4, everybody!

I must say, I thought the reveal that Dar Adal was Haqqani’s bro was going to be a really big deal. And I thought that Quinn’s assassination plan thwarted was going to be a really big deal. And I expected the finale to take place in Pakistan. Buuuut…. the whole episode took place back in the American suburbs.

The most anti-climatic storyline of the finale belonged to Dar Adal. He just outright confessed to Saul over pancakes that he was making deals with Haqqani. So…no secret double agent stuff after all, I guess? And now Saul has possession of the embarrassing footage of being Haqqani’s prisoner as part of one of these said deals, so he’s like, “Okay, I guess.” And Carrie hates him for that. I get it. I mean, it’s not admirable of Saul, but it makes sense for him; the prisoner exchange was way worse than actually being a prisoner, and owning footage of being a hostage helps to ease some of that shame. Okay, whatever. I don’t really care about that.

I care more about what the heck this season was about anyway. If you put a lot of stake in the finale, you would think it was all about family: Carrie reconnecting with Franny (was I the only one who was freaked out every time there was a scene where the two of them were alone? I have NOT forgotten the near-drowning in the bathtub thing); reconnecting (if it can be called that) with her long-lost mother, who ditched her family to have another family, and the possibility of having a normal family life with Quinn. Yes, they finally kissed. I mean, I get it, but it’s sort of out of nowhere at the same time, as I’ve always thought. Oh, and of course it was also about Carrie mourning the death of her father. FAMILY!

I think this episode signified the beginning of the end. I’m guessing one more season, two tops, since the whole thing revolved around the ideas of being grounded, having a normal life, getting out of the crazy C.I.A. game. After Quinn proposed this very idea, Carrie seemed to be kind of into it, which was unexpected, but I guess the emotionally depleting terrorist raid and the death of her father shifted things for her a bit.

But we know that Carrie’s not going to get out of it just yet, because Quinn did a 180 and isn’t out of it just yet himself. Most likely, Carrie will chase Quinn to the depths. This may be good TV, but it’s a STUPID move as a human. I thought it was completely reasonable, as Carrie was tracking down her mother, when she told Quinn she couldn’t think about a relationship that second, that she had a lot going on, that she needed a few days. But this was not reasonable to Quinn; within a matter of HOURS, he went from wanting to fly out to meet Carrie and have a committed relationship to completely ditching her for a top-secret mission. A MATTER OF HOURS. I’m sorry Quinn, are you a psycho, emo, teenage girl? Carrie should NOT be chasing that. NO ONE should be chasing that. But Carrie is not one to make smart decisions about men, is she? So she probably will.

Well guys, this whole season was weird, from start to finish. It was emotionally disconnected, the plot went from being boring and one-dimensional to super exciting and back to dull, and there was just a lot of dead space: Carrie putting in her retainer, Carrie walking down a dark hall. I’m surprised they never showed Carrie taking a dump and then plucking her eyebrows. There were so many scenes like that which I thought would be significant, and then they just weren’t.  Shrug.

Choose your own adventure:

A) Do you think the show should have ended after three seasons with Brody’s death? B) Do you think it should have continued, but we still should have followed his family to give the show some cohesiveness (and so it felt like the same show)? C) Did you dig this season?  D) Are you excited for what will happen next season?

I think I'm the only person in the world who thought Dana was interesting.

Here are my answers:

A) Maybe B) Yes C) No D) No

Yours?

Regardless, I must confess, I’m kind of relieved this season is over.

Stacie watches "Scorpion"

I'm not going to lie, I love TV. I don't just love it for the stories, I love it for the behind the scenes, the acting, and the pure thrill I get when watching a new episode of something I love.  I love it because the many times I have been sick and in the hospital, I have a distraction.

All of this being said, tonight's episode of "Scorpion" perfectly named "Dominoes" left me feeling all sorts of feelings.  This is one of my absolute favorite new shows, and this episode proved it.

A 10 year old boy gets caught when a landslide while looking for shells on the beach.  Thankfully for the boy (Owen), Walter is there to help.  He calls his team of genius Homeland squad to help.  Here are my thoughts....
-the acting could not get any better on this show
-the dramatic tension is palpable as Owen is trapped under rocks, only has one lung working and struggling to survive.
-Paige does such a good job keeping him calm
-Walter saves the day!
-Happy meets her dad
-the Christmas party at the end was,awesome!

Can't wait until it comes back!

Stacie watches Castle and The Fosters

1. Castle "Bad Santa"

I am currently watching Castle and I must say that I only slightly like this episode.  I don't like the fact that they did the whole mob thing again...I feel it was already done with Ryan when he went back under cover and with Castle, the whole Vinny thing in the Hampton's and the 70's episode.  That being said, here is what I liked...
-I of course love that they do the Christmas poem thing.  I like that Kate hasn't started hers yet and Martha started to do hers in July.
-I am a fan of the holiday episodes (i.e. The Good the Bad and the Baby which is still probably my favorite episode to date) so I appreciated that this episode was about the Holiday season.
-I loved that Lanie faked being engaged for her parents, but even more so that Ryan made up their fake engagement story.
-"Well..Hello Bad Santa"-Kate
-I knew it was that stupid cop guy from the very beginning, which means I haven't lost my touch
Ok, now that I have watched the whole thing, I am so mad that they took Castle off the squad for working with the mob guys!!!  That is the end of my Castle piece for today...I know you all wanted more, but I am too angry....the kind of angry I was when it took 4 years for Castle and Beckett to finally get together.


The Foster's Christmas Special

I am a huge The Fosters fan, and I have to say I was a little let down by the episode this week.  Maybe I just have my expectations too high for my favorite shows (trust me, I know my expectations are hard to fill), but although I enjoyed bits and pieces, I did not enjoy the set-up.  They take us from a huge cliffhanger where Callie and Brandon kiss and Sophia goes into the bathroom crying to a Christmas episode set last year.  Brandon suddenly sits down after kissing Callie and recalls all of the events of that previous Christmas...it was just a little weird to me.  That being said, here is what I liked...
-I loved that they were all together for Christmas
-I liked that Jude stole the bracelet initially, but went back to give it to the cashier who gave it to him for 60% off because that is all that he could afford.
-The fact that Lena was showing true emotion and happened to say something she didn't mean when Jude was listening made me happy, because that is something we do as humans that doesn't get shown much in TV world.
-Steph getting all mad about her mom using all the money made me frustrated at first, but I started to understand where she was coming from.  I was so happy her mom actually was using the money for good and saving for the kids college funds.
-I feel bad for Daphne not getting to be with her little girl for Christmas, but her doing the right thing made me happy.
- I like that Callie got the metronome for Brandon.
As I said at the beginning, I did not like the set up and thought that they should have given more thought to the drama surrounding Callie's biological father and sister, but I am sure they will do more with that in January.  They start to hint at it when the ambulance shows up, which makes me think it was attempted suicide (which I thought from the beginning).  Although I am sad that this is most likely the route they will take, I know that teen suicides are happening a lot in our world today.  I also know that Bailee Madison (Sophia) is one of the most amazing teen actresses and she does a great job with crying scenes, so I am sure January episodes will be real tear jerkers.

Brigette Watches Homeland, S4/Ep10: "13 Hours in Islamabad"

Homeland was the source of 37 heart attacks last night.

I hadn't watched the previous episode until about an hour before this one aired, so for me, it was a double-dose of heart attacks. First, we barely get a resigned Saul back alive in exchange for prisioners, and then right when he takes his glasses back from Carrie-- symbolizing his re-acceptance of his life and  identity-- the convoy they are traveling in gets blown to shreds.

But Saul and Carrie weren't the target! It was just a distraction so the terrorists could crawl through the tunnels and STORM THE EMBASSY.

Then, pretty much the scariest thing that could have happened happened: as Lockhart and the like are scrambling to delete everything and get out of there, the terrorist march right into into drone-central and start shooting everybody! Ahhh!

Those who survived the attack make to the safe room, which of course the terrorists find, and then they begin systematically shooting Americans, insisting for Lockhart to step outside and turn over the ONLY copy of the CIA's list of assets. (Did we know about this before? Seems a little convenient.) Seeing everyone get shot on the camera feed showing the other side of the door is horrifying, but it's not until Haqqani threatens to behead Fara in front of all of them that Lockhart agrees to step outside and hand over the list. What results is just the worst: they kill Fara anyway. Quinn and another worker shoot at the terrorists, the terrorists shoot at them, and then some of the terrorists--including an injured Haqqani-- get away.

After all of this goes down, Boyd convinces his wife to give him his belt so he can hang himself. She struggles with this, agrees... but he doesn't go through with it! I'm not one for hanging yourself, but talk about adding insult to injury. How much has he put his wife through by this point?  Boyd is basically the worst person ever.

Americans are ordered to GTFO of Pakistan, and for once, Carrie seems to agree-- especially considering it's no secret that the Pakistani military didn't rush to their aid-- but Carrie can't go just yet. She has to go find Quinn who has gone rogue, hunting the streets to avenge Fara's death and find where those terrorists are, one white Motorola phone at a time. (I mean, they looked like Motorolas.)

For a season that has been weird, to say the least, and arguably emotionally disconnected, this episode payed off in a big way. I have not screamed at my TV watching Homeland in quite some time, so, mad applause for that.

Questions:

Am I the only one who felt like Boyd wasn't being monitored that closely? Not only was he slipping information to the terrorists and giving Carrie fancy LSD, but he gave information about the TUNNELS, which was HUGE. Boyd is basically responsible for all of those people dying. And he was just chillin' in that cell, talking to his wife. At one point the bars weren't even closed, and I think at another point he was walking around. Did I miss something??? Was none of this as weird as I thought it was??

Why was Lockhart so emotionally attached to Fara? Why was that where he drew the line? Did I miss something where they bonded at some point? I get that someone had to die-- this was a very big event, and the fact that Carrie and Saul survived the car bombs and then the shower of snipper rifle was kind of unrealistic, so whoever died had to be someone we would feel. But do we feel for Fara ourselves? I always liked her, don't get me wrong, but I don't think we got to know her enough to be truly destroyed that she's gone.

And now, the most important question: didn't that part in the safe room remind you of Panic Room with Jodie Foster and Kristen Stewart? Remember how when that movie first came out, you couldn't tell if Kristen Stewart was a boy or a girl, and after watching the entire movie you still had no idea? Was anyone else so distracted by remembering Kristen Stewart's once ambiguous gender that they almost forgot what was happening for a minute on Homeland? No? Just me then?

Well, anyway. There are only two episodes left, so it's down to the wire! Will Quinn die in his quest to get the bad guys on his own, further supporting the idea that anyone who is even remotely interested in Carrie will die? Did Carrie mean it when she said she wanted to go home? Was this the final straw? Will she try to live a normal life with her Brody baby? Somehow I doubt it. All I know is that no one is safe!

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.