Yes! Shelby, if you read this, this is the kind of insight that would have made your recap a review.

She didn't even (proof)read her own recap, so I doubt she cares enough to read our comments.

What was Eric's Dad offering him? Dad seemed to be badgering him instead of asking him what he could do to help or how Eric felt. He also seemed to refer to some past thing they did together….which was safe in contrast to "phone sex?"

But the timing was totally off & the people they picked deserved to be listened to for their own very specific takes, not to underline a point the writers/actors/director couldn't work into the fictional show. Were we supposed to feel more sympathy for the singlemindedly seeking justice when her son begged her to let…

The interviews were jarring & confusing re the fictional plot & characters, in part because Coach was presented as insincere & myopic before, and certainly unsympathetic to possible rape/blindly supportive of his jocks & unable to communicate with Eric before or after his suicide attempt & now Coach is introduced as…

Your absolutely right that she deprived J & D of pursuing the skills/hobbies they wanted etc. because had no doubt about how to interpret Black Jesus's commandments, but hasn't she been just as adamant about wanting the food, fashion and attention she feels she deserves from Dre because of their "special…

Depends on the kid, tho—-how they see themselves and what other words & deeds they experience. Also how important that person or institution is in your life. Think back to someone you really cared about as a kid—wouldn't them talking about how disgusting or weak or ugly some quality you identified as having was hurt…

Of course they understand! They honestly think in the stereotypes they are saying! They're not just using a word, they are endorsing the idea that athletic skill, drive, toughness, and winning are for straight boys, and only straight boys can have those qualities. Many people who accept gay men in "feminine" sports &…

How could he not have taken it as a comment on himself? As an insecure tween I internalized any negative comment an adult made about girls/women as well as assuming they were referring to me! Won't run down the stereotypes, but I so did not want to be any of them & assumed they thought i was.

Stereotyping, authorities managing the symptoms instead of addressing the problems that kids face daily before they are pushed into their face with dramatic action/crimes/disruptions that can not be ignored.
A teenage girl was being accosted in the hall by two boys really —-her defender was as intrusive & creepy as…

Everything in the writing & RG's performance until this episode was consistent with the message Kevin(and everyone else in her life, from employees to cops & lawyers) took: this woman is serious about what she says , completely un-conflicted & never nuanced or open to caring about what you think, just getting what she…

He's certainly not been brave enough to stand up to his parents or his teammates for his girlfriend, himself, or his co-captain, but he has been tortured every time, from taking back the jewelry/dissing his gf because she wasn't upscale enough for his mother to actively setting up the assault. He looked so conflicted,…

Clishayed. It rhymes with sashayed.

Yes, it was so sad that the only time I've heard this music or seen Muslim prayer at home depicted was as a prelude to suicide bombing!

Yes, his natural personality ability to communicate fast complex dialogue, twinkle in the eye & flirting skills, sex appeal, etc. Seen in just about every role from Aquarius to Californication to some B movie where he played a science professor. The bland is just what he does when he's trying to act.

Did you see high DD doing pretty much the same shtick on Aquarius?

In this one, the messages of tolerance & anti-stereotyping were told, not shown, and id seem hectoring and perfunctory. The opening scenes, linking everyday Muslim worship & friendship with suicide bombing & killing innocent people were haunting, evocative and persuasive.

Yes, with the shroom trip a combination of outtakes from the one DD did for Aquarius & various skin-baring scenes from Californication.

But didn't Holmes train her long ago to observe gait ? And if she's not at good at it as her teacher, at least she's aware of why he might be observing a potential partner in crime, since finding one is their focus right then. It just made her seem unaware of Homes' process as well as unfocused on cracking the…

LL's expressiveness does evoke all you claim, but the lines they give Watson this year are inconsistent from episode to episode.
They had her first reaction to the heist playhouse be to label it & by extension Holmes as "girlie" and her chastise Holmes for looking at the killers ass like a jealous or prudish women…