Gotta say Mrs. Hughes continues to be my favorite downstairs character. She is just so *capable* and so compassionate at the same time. She definitely picked up on rapist-valet being up to no good before Anna even told her, which I thought was interesting since Bates (who had been so suspicious of the guy)…

This. I absolutely hate this plot turn, for all the reasons you just stated.

That moment at the dinner table - Isobel looking over at Mary laughing - was the best part of the episode.

"Maestro" has a nice ring to it.

Good point re: tougher competition. I guess that's just the way it goes.

Oh, I agree! But just surveying the critics'/Oscar precursor awards, it seems like JLaw is dominating the supporting actress category and Amy's a longer shot for actress. (And it also seems doubly wrong that Jennifer has an Oscar already when Amy doesn't!)

So I'm super-excited for this movie, but I have to ask: I LOVED "The Fighter," really liked "Three Kings," disliked "I Heart Huckabees," and was resoundingly "meh" on "Silver Linings Playbook." Predictions on how I'll feel about this one?
And while I like Jennifer Lawrence, count me among those sad that she's…

Aw, I didn't want Louis to go. But then I didn't really want either of the other two to go, either - although Justin's kind of getting on my nerves, but he seems to be one of the stronger contestants so not his time to leave yet.
I really wish "Captain Vietnam" would go, but it's looking like he might be the…

Haven't seen Citizen Ruth or About Schmidt, but I am 100% with you on the other three movies. As a woman especially, I just couldn't get invested in such awful (though well played) male characters with no clue how to treat women about 10,000 times more awesome than themselves.

One of my favorite Spielbergs, and if I'm being honest and not movie-snobby, one of my favorite movies, period. Yes, the effects still hold up amazingly well. But I still say the glue that holds it together is that marvelous, marvelous score. One of John Williams' best, too.

Call me crazy, but I don't think surfer dude guy is anything special, looks-wise.  He has annoying hair and he wore pink shorts on the first ep, and reeked douchiness that could not mitigated by calling himself on it.

I have to say I was a little taken aback at the vitriolic response to this review.  I mean, it was admittedly not one of the better recaps I've read - I'm not a fan of the sloppiness ("effected," getting one of the judges wrong) or the attempts to be cute/arch - but I hardly see any of this rating more than mild…

Great production, even if the religious/Christ/St. Sebastian/martyrdom imagery was laid on with a trowel.  I come out neutral on the decision to turn Aumerle into Richard's assassin: understand why they did it, don't really think it added or detracted anything.

@avclub-c26473f2f4772a2a52e4690515ce6e75:disqus , you and me both.  Just when I thought the imagery couldn't get any heavier-handed…I literally LOL'd when the camera panned upward from R. in the coffin in his Christlike pose to…the crucifixion altarpiece.

I recognized her from "Nashville."  I like(d?) her in that, even though she had kind of a thankless role.  Here's hoping this one is better developed.

Been waiting for this one for over a year.  Woot woot!

Well, this is proof that it's really hard to empathize…with someone who does not empathize.

Right on with Laura Linney.  "The Life of David Gale" is one of the worst movies I've ever seen, but her performance in it is also one of the reasons she's my favorite actress working today.  I don't know how she managed to pull an A-grade performance out of that shitpile, but she did.

So any chance this show is gonna be recapped regularly since you guys have decided to start covering Pretty Little Liars?

And once again, Southland gets ignored.  But hey, the seven of us fans are used to it by now, aren't we?  And I'm happy with the love for The Americans.