If Rogelio dies before the end of the show I will Rogeliriot.

What I learned from this episode is that Fillmore-Graves soldiers need helmets that cover their whole forehead.

Right?!! They are cramming in so much plot there’s not enough time for the fun! I never used to skip weeks before. At least Rahul is still the best.

Surprise twin? Secret parentage? Unforgiving estranged brother? “I’m your daughter”? WTF is this, a third-rate soap opera now? I swear during the whole conversation with Liv’s mother, even the lighting seemed suddenly bad, to the point that I wondered if they were doing a spoof based on a brain or something.

This. I think I keep on dreading a Buffy’s mom situation and I’m hoping it won’t come to pass.

Raf. has always been proud and petty, though. In his business dealings, in his personal life. That’s a big part of him. Throughout the show, we’ve seen that he can be a caring provider, a supportive partner, and a good friend; it’s just that the flipside is that: pettiness, control, and passive/aggression are how he…

Let’s be honest with ourselves here. Raf is both proud and petty. He has changed a lot over the years, and the extent to which he acts out on those things increases and decreases, but he is, assuredly, both proud and petty.

Having watched soap operas for years, every time Xo talks about being cancer-free I get a nervous twinge in my stomach. 

I wasn’t necessarily questioning their attraction, just the logistics of such a sexual encounter. I kind of could have gone either way on believing the veracity of the “no sparks” thing. Either way, it is probably for the best they finished in sort of a throuple.

Hm, yes, I, um, totally can’t imagine that....

For a minute I thought they were going to end up fighting and fucking in a manner similar to their characters in the VR. But that would have been super unrealistic, two guys who’ve never had gay sex before suddenly having successful hot sex in an alley in a rainstorm with no lube or condoms? The actual ending was…

I know that this was a “happy” ending on paper, but I wish they’d made the characters seem more happy about it.

i really appreciated that the final compromise allowed the boys to meet up in the game to indulge their fantasies but that it ALSO allowed Theo to take off her ring, go out on the town, and flirt (and possibly/probably hook up?) with a stranger. it was clear that all 3 of them were sacrificing something in their…

You’re not wrong. I’m a book reader, and it really is just serving up bits from the book to hit all my expectations.

That’s fair. I'm prone to knee jerk about the subject of uniqueness in narrative. It comes from teaching screenwriters, some of whom INSIST on chasing after The New. Instead of, you know, honing their craft...

Sure, if you want to zero in on that, make a meal for yourself. The broader point was not to make “different” the same thing as "good". Miniseries, 5 season TV show, science fiction feature film, 400 page book, art installation, sex with a professional escort, what-the-fuck ever. New does not equal good. GOOD equals…

Crazy that someone would want an hourlong dramedy to function... like... an... hourlong....

Braun: Taking names, running money and building brothels.

Winner of “Best Game” Award has to go to Bronn. This is a man that started out as nothing but a commoner. He was a sell sword. A nobody. When the game is over, he’s sitting on HighGarden, one of the best castles in all of Westeros, and is Master of Coin on the King’s Council. And all of that without having to fight…

Can I say something being the second oldest dude here? Game of Thrones premiered April 17, 2011. A sane man occupied the White House, the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell signed, Saddam Hussein dead, Occupy Wall Street, The HARRY POTTER movies ended, and Gabriel Giffords survived a senseless attack. The excitement…