I have a lingering suspicion that The Machine is going to figure out how to work its way into Shaw's simulated Hell in a future episode, and that she's going to pass information to her via SimulatedRoot.

I don't think she did any hacking; Harold was the one who decrypted the thumb drive (in an unrealistically quick manner; POI usually has that sort of decryption take a while).

This. Fucking. Show.

Presumably the first thousand or so simulations didn't last long. Also, some of them may have been subjective hours, not real ones.

If she has any memory of the previous 6,740 times, I can see why she's be a bit snappish.

Great, outstanding episode that I'm going to need to watch several times to fully appreciate. A lot of side details seemed odd, hinting at the simulation well before the reveal. Alternate title: "If-Then-OhShitShitShitShit"

They're in different environments, but a (mostly) constant underlying genetic code would allow them to much more easily compare the effects of different genotypes. Assuming that the birth mothers were screened to avoid any major in-utero maternal effects, this is probably the best they could do without keeping a bunch…

That would have been great: her striding out of the fire without burning, then falling over due to smoke in her lungs.
Daairo would have felt so fucking stupid.

I've been saying for years that the most sensible reason for making the clone line is to test genetic modifications while controlling for external factors. Glad to see it made official.

I don't think they installed the Samaritan virus into the Machine; they put it in an isolated system nearby so they could study it.

Can't express how relieved I was to see this review finally pop up.

I thought that came out a few weeks ago?

Or at least The People's Top Pick (Now and Forever).

What about The People's Pick (Now and Forever)?

As a whiskey aficionado, it hurt to see them take Pappy SHOTS. That's a sipping bourbon, you fucking ingrates.

Theon confessed.

So why is POI not under Regular Coverage? Did A.V. Club forget how rabid it's fanbase is?

If you look hard enough, you can see him out there, waiting for a transmission on his nipple antennas.

Odds on Mel seem off; I could easily see her biting it in the next few episodes in exchange for bringing Jon back.

There's a rather complicated flow chart for the whole mission, where different party members contribute different values towards holding the line.
http://i.imgur.com/CGFXf0G.jpg