I think it's a pretty realistic reaction from a naive, privileged optimist who has never had to actually deal with this shit before. (And I'll tell you firsthand, it takes one to know one.)

All of these things are true and excellent. Walt is all grown up!

I actually really like Frieda's down in the dumps attitude. Yeah, I'd like to see her really let it out, too, but I like the clear shift from her too-sunny disposition earlier in the show.

That little throw-away line about the tapered jeans killed me. It's those tiny details that make this show so damn good.

I'm here, a bit late this time. Just wanted to add my voice to the people pushing for continued coverage. This show is such a treat, and I'm enjoying the reviews, too.

This was the funniest moment of the episode. Richard really is the best.

IRB scares me, too. Just reading this comment sent shivers down my humanities-oriented spine. Anyway, thanks for the excellent write-ups, Myles!

I don't remember most of the details of those fun early reunions, but I do remember how much my love for Mariah grew after her stand-out reunion performance. Who knew Mariah and Farrah would have that in common?

I agree that the horror framing is tonally jarring in terms of how serious they want us to believe the danger really is. That said, I really liked the flashback. I'm a sucker for stories that take place in the USSR, but I also liked the origin story of how Red ended up with her gerbil (or perhaps hamster) of a husband.

Totally worth it for the cleverness of that line, but my years of college Russian compel me to assert that Russian is actually FULL of proverbs, anecdotes, idioms, etc. Your language and culture are rich and multifaceted, Red, and don't you ever forget it.

Oh interesting, I'd heard that theory about Pearl but I hadn't thought about the need for the show to make it seem like it wasn't just a blatant tool to manipulate one specific contestant.

I thought Trinity looked amazing in that final runway (and I see from the comments that I'm not alone in this). It was silent screen vixen eleganza!

Aaron had me tearing up right along with him on Untucked. And if I didn't already love him, his huge elliott smith Figure 8 tattoo would certainly seal the deal. He feels the feels and doesn't care who knows it — he literally wears it on his sleeve!

This is the first AV Club pun in a while that has made me laugh out loud. Now I'm wistfully staring into the middle distance thinking about how much I do, in fact, love Aemon.

Agreed. It's not even that these silly versions of Liv aren't fun — but I miss the real Liv. We don't see nearly enough of her these days.

I share this dream. As a side note, I can't say the name of the show Dollhouse without saying it 3 times in his totally decent Russian accent.

I had that thought, too. For all the disappointment in the overall editing this season, I've been impressed by the treatment of the workroom make-up-time discussions. They've struck a good balance between personal stories and larger issues, without it feeling too much like an after school special.

The direct address to Philip and Elizabeth and their responses may have been in Russian (or "Russian" in Keri Russell's case), but I'm pretty sure most of the actual ceremony was in Old Church Slavonic. If you'll excuse me, I'm now going to adjust my glasses and fiddle with my pocket protector.

The Bernadette Peters look was a nice touch.

I've really liked the scenes with her so far, especially in this episode. There's something oddly charming about her — and you're right, it's very underplayed.