I love the meaningful, well-placed "looks." Spacey is a master.

Doug Stamper fascinates, mainly due to the seething intensity of Michael Kelly, who manages to be creepy, capable, duplicitous, utterly loyal, and possessed by an inner agenda not even he can fathom.

…and better writing/direction on HoC. The actors on Scandal have to be bilingual: English and Shondaspeak. Every line with an ounce of emotional content must be repeated three ways with emphasis; then the other person in the conversation must repeat it at least once. That's the rule. If an actor introduces nuance,…

Smarm—great word. All of the antiheroes described here are written to have occasional moments of weakness, loss, and some of the less cutthroat impulses, such as flashes of kindness or protectiveness. Tony was a monster, but oh, so human. Frank is horrible—I am convinced he would eat his young—but he's droll, he's…

I have not seen the original, but had a "No! Don't do it!" moment when she ventured into the shadows with Frank. As you say, the tense music was also a cue.

Yes, I find both troubling: Rudy's disregard for Dorian's privacy, i.e., his "personal" boundaries; and the fact that there are no laws to protect him.

How could Grant NOT be snide? I refuse to entertain the thought. What if he's a nice guy? Oh no. Oh, please no.

Yes it means something and every hearer should beware of what she says she isn't.

I'm with you. Claire is the scarier of the two. And the more inscrutable. She doesn't confide to the camera.

I'd rather talk about you and your girlfriend.

Yeah, but it's a heck of a way to kickstart the season. I knew she was going to die on the tracks as soon as she walked into the shadows. But I still jumped out of my chair.

Well said.

I don't even care if they use her more—just use her better.

Yes, their misuse of Kelly is an insult. Better writing, better direction, better development, please. Plus, Stahl is far too ordinary for sci-fi in dress and demeanor. Give her an edge!

Yes to PoI. Season 1 chips away, but it picks up energy in Season 2, having built characters and relationships by then + adding strong new characters. Season 3 rocks.

I like your made-up explanation. Let's write an after hours scene where she confides this to Dorian, (because Dorian seems to have chemistry with Stahl and is not likely to gossip, unlike Kennex.)

What sexual tension?

Droid Rights Now! Droid Rights Now!

This.

Minka Kelly's been wasted on this show, all agree. Instead of making her a genmod, they should have made her a hot cyber warrior in psychedelic tights with a gun arm and awesome fighting skills. The placid eyes would just be creepy, in that case.