Ha. Fun insight Jerkycat, re: the dog. Jeff/writers, if you're reading, can you confirm? Also, I agree completely about Bomer getting more nuanced and the green screen stuff. And consider me humbled and grateful you appreciate the reviews. Still 6 more eps of Californication to cover this season!

TDT: The Rockettes have a better chance of making the World Series this year than the Metropolitans. It makes me grateful that the Knicks look playoff-bound. Oy. (PS per TDT's lead, y'all should also follow me on Twitter @kennyherzog. I get bored easily and Tweet way too much.)

Yep. We know she was his partner, but we don't know much else about how she came to be his guardian, if she was in fact his guardian, what happened to his mom etc. Should be interesting.

Interesting point re: the era discrepancy. Although worth noting all the pitchers you named re: size were starters. Closers are almost always big and lanky or stocky and burly. Virtually without exception.

Medrawt, sounds like we're not really disagreeing over anything re: the director stuff, but re: the height issue, he just should have been a catcher, as he apparently was in real life. But that wouldn't seem quite as romantic or impressive in the script, so something had to give.

I agree that he may wind up staying on the anklet, but the show also loves cliffhangers, so who knows what will go on next week? Actually, I should, because I have access to the episode, but am trying to naturally build my anticipation up.

In the word of MJ, you are not alone.

Yeah, it was specifically the fact that he was a closer that I had trouble buying.

Agreed about pace picking up, but too bad they couldn't get Bridges to be in more eps.

I think we all had a moment of connection with that scene.

Hey Lindsey. As for Karen, I'm merely expanding on the character's own self-assessment (which, as I noted, was a bit sarcastic… it's not really her, but it's what she's let these men make her), but of course people are going to vary in their sympathies with different folks on the show. I just thought Karen kind of hit…

The common thread in both is they just have a little fun with the fantasy of it all. Nothing inherently wrong with that. It's the inner-Porky's teenage boy inside all of us.

They seek not our forgiveness.

Like I said, she once was…. to  me at least.

I've definitely considered that too, although I'm not sure that's where they're headed.

This ep, if you think about it, was kind of like the mid-season premiere, just without the break in between, so I have a feeling next week will bounce back. It was probably just setting the stage for more Karen/Hank, Charlie/Lizzie material to come in the second half.

Duly noted re: living with the teen daughter. Doesn't make it any less maddening and nonsensical to watch.

It is true that it it only exists in TV. Which is fine with me. I just like the characters to be self-aware and consistent.

Couldn't that apply to pretty much any paragraph about a specific episode of a specific TV show? Not really sure it's worth getting too philosophical about the utility of weekly series recaps.

I have to admit that in this one case, with Lizzie, I was bummed they basically reduced her to just a slutty character. Just left me feeling icky and sad for her.