I somehow only caught on last season that the detective's name was surely a nod to said syndicated conspiracy theorist.

I 100% agree on Shaw's taking herself out of the game being her choosing a side, as because of her situation she felt it was the only way she had left available to thwart Samaritan / get out with her soul in tact.

I would agree with you on almost any other show. Michael's emotional blackmail and immaturity was awful. Jane's realization the relationship was broken and she could throw out the giraffe and move on was lovely. The fact that all the guys have to do in TV shows is just hold out hope and pine and say "but you were my…

It was kind of broad-Irish-by-way-of-terrible-Scottish. I thought that was part of the joke, that Finch just can't do accents.

Loved that!

I just travelled to Tasmania and they are reeeeeally strict about import of things. [Export, not so much.] Apparently they're the last remaining place without the fruitfly, and with . . . a lot of other specific ecosystem things my local friend explained to me.

The machine-writing theory would explain a lot, indeed.

Yep.

I think it was Samaritan's view on how two nigh-super-human killers would have sex. Power struggle. Clothes tearing. Lots of things breaking. Etc. I mean, maybe it thinks *all* humans have sex like that, but I'd think that with Reese it would take a very dry clinical approach, with a rando it would take an…

So, I thought it was mostly regarding the Machine's fear of Finch (and a possible mis-reading of other things Finch had done. In what is very intentional proximity to this, we have him pulling on a ski-mask, and then badly attempting to break down a door and shoot into it while accompanying Reese at Peak Badass). Even…

Finch is a good guy, and the tension between his being a good guy, and the acts he committed which make the Machine look at him as dangerous in this episode, is what's really wonderful.

The only truly good-and-pure-from-the-start member of Team Machine was Carter, may she rest in peace.

It is a big demo group - well, really two, as it touches on the various Protestants / Evangelicals as well, who don't have said easily identifiable motions and icons which convey their religion instantly. The crucifix and rosary are really wonderful shorthand. But it's also just not as likely to be controversial. The…

Jane the Virgin does Catholicism regularly. Of course, that's the go-to for many reasons; it has easily identifiable gestures and symbols, it's 'close enough' to Protestantism in practice that it can feel inclusive of two large groups of people, and (since the 70s at least) it feels easy and non-threatening to…

The obvious solution seems to be 'get more Muslim writers / producers / showrunners.'

Always +1 for a Party Down reference.

I had taken it as: in the midst of him telling her that he was going to need a break from her presence for a while, he was validating that he does still love and accept her by calling her by her preferred name.

The revenge theme was really meh, but the exploration of voyeurism, unethical spying, and the implications of us as an audience of peoples' troubles and psychology visits being compared / contrasted with Team Machine as an audience of peoples' troubles and psychology visits is great.

I thought Harold's mention of losing someone was actually delivered to invoke both Carter and Shaw - perhaps also Grace, though that relationship dynamic was quite different. The writing certainly could have been more clear in nodding to both of them (or maybe we're meant to see Harold as still holding out hope,…

So beautiful.