One thing I saw on twitter, especially from people sympathetic to Rafael, is that Michael is playing Jane and isn't trustworthy. I don't buy that but more importantly, what reason would Michael have to play Jane? Or is it simply just another reason to hate on him cause he's not Rafael (which, I think is a good thing…

Yes. That's my take on it too. I get why he felt resentful/hurt about what happened but I wasn't a fan that he directed those emotions at Jane. That he got embarrassed by being on the carpet alone was unfortunate but his handling of the situation really left something to be desired.

I also wondered if it was Cephalo that Eretria saw. I hope not.

Poor Xo and Rogelio, though I wasn't a fan of Rogelio making Jane feel guilty about her being there for Xo. It wasn't about her picking one parent over the other. Jane would've seemed coldhearted to walk out on her mother's obvious despair in that moment and that's not Jane. I know Rogelio is narcissistic but I wish…

I'm still curious about that zombie lie circulating that Fitz is the worst president ever (not saying you're saying that… I'm just seeing some others spread that fallacy). We know he's gotten stuff done as it's mentioned once in a while on the show. It's very odd how much Shonda has trashed Fitz as his own character…

I see Scandal is still circling series lows. It deserves it from what I've seen. I also think a surprising number of people tuned out after being played over "Olitz At Last" during S5-A.

Ugh. I wanted Japril to be over but the messiness continues with her pregnancy & the audience not seeing Jackson sign the divorce papers.

Yay for satire.

I’m seeing mixed reviews online on how this ep ended but IMO TPTB laid out the foundation for Jane's decision a while ago and they kept dropping hints in the last 5 to 6 eps that it was really Michael she wanted.

I liked that things finally moved forward in the story. Thought last nigh's ep was solid.

I adored this episode, but especially all of the glorious Barry/Iris moments.

The Wil/Amberle "love story" is corny and not in an entertaining way. For me, watching them is like watching paint dry. The most interesting part of the ep was Ander and Tilton on their journey.

I really like the Eretria and Wil scenes. The two play very well off each other.

Did I miss who the twins father is?

"Birth" is one of the strongest OUAT eps in a very long time.

I love your take on things. You should drop some knowledge on the Scandal recapper on the Vulture website.

Yay for no Betsy being shoe-horned in the ep.

The positives for me:

This sums up how I feel. Chapter 27 was full of terribly hamfisted writing and plot points. I had a feeling about what would happen with some of Rafael's dialogue. I was disappointed I wasn't wrong, though. And disappointed with much of the writing for this episode. That said, the Villanueva Women scenes were top…

I had issues with the writing. It was hamfisted. The show is usually a good mix of fantasy & reality that feels authentic. This episode felt like a hammer of plot points.