I get your point, but I tried to imply their survival without writing R. Kelly a pass. I think to emphasize that they were suicide attempts mitigates the underlying offenses.That the attempts were unsuccessful doesn't make the behavior that led to them any less horrifying. The point is that they were driven to kill…

It's pretty much the grossest thing to ever happen. Even worse was when, after the allegations came to light, he started referring to himself as "The Pied Piper of R&B." That is a real thing.

I think what makes the show work so well is how it allows for a positive or negative read on the character and doesn't guilt the audience for feeling either way. I couldn't find a way to work it into the review, but I once interviewed Michael Schur when he was working on the first season of Parks and Rec and when I…

From the episodes I saw, I got the impression this ends fairly well for Valerie, but it's a good while before the sliver of hope appears.

I don't think Shonda has necessarily drawn from the lackluster parts of Alias, but I do think she has struggled to figure out how to fit the spy genre elements into a show that's mostly about a woman's love life. It's a tricky balance, and one Alias had to figure out early on too. But you should watch Alias too! At…

Aw man, you really oughta check out Alias, all of it is streamable on Netflix. Do so not in the interest of gleaning why I can't help compare the two shows—though you'll definitely understand—but just because it's awesome. If bad-ass women of color are your thing, you'll get a real kick out of Anna Espinosa.

I'm not arguing that something's wrong with the show being about the world of Olivia Pope, in fact I think that's what the writers are working towards. But right now it really isn't about Olivia's world, it's about Olivia, and while that's not inherently bad, it's really difficult to tell stories about the much…

I've imagined the direction the same way."I'm sorry Joe, but which syllable of 'BIGGER' was unclear to you?" But Morton doesn't draw so much attention to himself because he's being more over-the-top than anything else on the show, he's just doing a better job of it.

Another line highlighting the pitfalls of making the show so intently about Olivia. Fitz is being completely reasonable when he says there's no path forward for their relationship, but it only takes Olivia declaring otherwise to make it so.

Yes, all of this. There are a host of reasons why "Olivia is talking about her vagina" is a valid interpretation of this line, but I sincerely hope that isn't what Olivia intended. My take was that Olivia was talking about empathy, which she doesn't have nearly as much of as she wants to believe.

This is part of what made the joke so hilarious to me. Cam is all like "I provided equal opportunities for a diverse group of women to deflect suspicions about my sexuality."

Thanks! Fixed.

Well-played. I'd eat this violently.

I have! I actually went to a hell house a few years back, thinking I'd find it funny, but it ruined my Halloween. Lesson learned. RE: the review, Phil doesn't have any sort of agenda, he's just not that into Halloween, so I can't imagine going to so much effort to make a bad haunted house when Claire is more than…

I vote concept album, for what it's worth.

Thank you for reminding me of the most infuriating part, where Quinn says Jake is one of her "people" after he's locked her in a room with an extremely dangerous man with whom she has a sexual history and has no interest in seeing. She was given zero explanation, before, during or after, of her purpose for being…

I didn't catch that line! The perils of taking notes as you watch. That's pretty good.

Best Lily scene ever. Mitch: "Oh, she just means when she gets older." Lily: "She knows what I mean."

That's interesting, I oughta track that down. I hedged to be on the safe side!

I think that's precisely why I found it funny. If the idea is that Andy is a younger Phil, this was a glimpse of his inner Clive Bixby.