okay, first up this needs to be said; NONE OF THIS WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF SIR LYLE WAS THERE. For want of the fabulous nail…

19th Century MRAs.

I would have love to see the strands of story playing out over more than one episode, I'm sure if the show played to the pace it's established in earlier seasons it would've been better, but it's not a luxury we're going to get.
What I am hoping is these last 2 episodes have got the important plot stops out of the way…

It kind of worked. Because Shaw was so detached and the violent shoot-em-up nature of the battle when she pulled out the machine gun it was exactly like a video game simulation. Root chose that moment to underline it both for her and the audience. It showed the writers were aware of how the scene played and gave Shaw…

This episode was a bit messy, all the content would probably be spaced out over 2 episodes in a normal length season. But it was still great seeing Shaw finally reunited with the team. The final shot of this episode makes it all worthwhile.

Makes you wish for a John vs. Mads Mikkelsen's Hannibal crossover.

also to the only real way you can discuss Samaritan.

ANOTHER week without Sir Lyle. That's another week to many!

The sins are his fault. He didn't say no and not shoot the Apaches (and we're talking women and children here) and when he later joined them Kaetenay tells Sir Malcolm he took to killing again pretty readily, only this time it was the Army and probably any civillians that crossed their path.
He may not have meant for…

Even though she didn't have a choice in joining I think in however many years since she was 5 she has commited numerous acts she believes are unforgivable. She has no hope for God and hates her servitude to Lucifer so this is why she is hoping joining with Ethan gives her a new path independent of both of them.

I don't think we've seen Lucifer at his most powerful.

Yeah, we did need to see both of his fathers perspectives as in their way both betrayed Ethan and it was a clever way of getting us to understand why he hates them both without just having Ethan tell us.
Plus it was Brian Cox and Wes Studi so can't complain about that.

Wan't it just that she did kill the scientist but the operation was in Germany and she'd never been to South Africa? That mistake proved to her that she wasn't in virtual reality any more.

More a child has less of it's own inflections than an adult and Samaritan is using one to get it's own voice across clearer.

It's interesting seeing the reactions to A More Perfect Union calling the number-of-the-week plot thin. I thought it was deliberately that tone not just to give some lighter moments to the team, but it strengthens Samaritan's arguement that the team are on the wrong path.
Here is Samaritan taking out some untouchable…

Saving him. That's what they do, that's their point.

It made me reassess Snafu and the way Harold so readily aquiesced to leaving the Machine open. That could lead to him making some terrible choices.

I think she just wanted to have some fun with the team for once.

That's what I thought. And later when the Machine went independent it was Root who took care of anything related to relevant numbers while the rest of the team dealt with everyone else.

The character motivations, Zoom's plot, the team's counter-plot, time remnants, the inevitible stumbling block to the Iris-Barry romance; 90% of this episode was not only nonsense but, even worse, unbelievable and uninspiring nonsense. And damn them for only teasing at Wally & Jessie.