I'm not going to recite every kiss, every look and every word between Zen. They all warmed my Zen-loving heart. I really appreciated how Kendall was one tough lady, but also capable of shaking and being vulnerable.

I know Graidan aren't a couple now, so I understand why they weren't kissing/hugging, etc., but I'm surprised that Jabe was not given more romantic moments to show us how worried JR was and how Babe was scared she'd never see him again. Seemed to me that AMC relied on Zendall for the romance in this story, and that's OK with me. They got the kisses, the longing looks, the hugs, the touches. Jabe was background, which is odd considering that Babe was the kidnap victim here. In any event, AMC got it right. The Slaters are the money couple.

The one thing I really didn't like (and I successfully blocked it out as much as possible) is the ridiculous notion that Zach would let Aidan take Kendall home (and Greenlee, too, but who cares about her?), and that Greenlee has a right to tell Kendall that Zach's a big boy, as if she has a say in Zen's marriage. That moment, in particular, bugged the shit out of me. Aidan had sex with Kendall and has shown himself to be a lying creep. Greenlee hinted that she and Zach had sex. These two should be out of Zen's marriage (preferably out of their lives), but definitely not someone that Zach or Kendall should be relying on when it comes to discussing Zach's or Kendall's wellbeing.

The scenes of Annie and Richie bickering in the car were fabulous. Best part of the show for me today. I could feel her getting more and more desperate as she blamed him for everything in her life, and when Richie said he loved Annie I believed that he really did in his own warped way because they are siblings. She got fed up with him reminding her of the ways they are alike because it hit too close to home. I wish we were going to get more of them together. For me it's been the most compelling part of this story so far.

I definitely felt and enjoyed the romance at some parts with Zen from the touches to the worried gazes back and forth, but I was insulted by the latter half of the show where the men basically patted the women on the head and ABC again emphasized that a woman needs to go home and wait while the men do what men do. "No arguments." Bleh. Argue, girl.

I also felt Kendall would've fought harder to stop Zach from doing something that could possibly risk their future. I don't think in this moment he would've listened as he was determined to finish this, but considering what's at stake I felt she more passive that I expected. Maybe she was shaken up. More likely it was plot pushing to make sure Zach got out there alone to search for Richie.

Finally, Jesse Hubbard the Chief is rocking my world. He's not taking any shit and I hope that continues with all the little PV vigilantes wannabes. I'm sick of the police looking like tools.

Dink, you're right about the 2nd half of the show. It was Zach's way, take it or leave it. I have to say, one thing that confuses me is how far Kendall wants Zach to go, and AMC has not clarified this for me since the courtroom scenes. My take is that Kendall is ok with Zach catching Richie and beating him up, but despite her remarks about how Zach will kill Richie, I don't think she is supportive of that. My sense is that to her, that would be something stupid, and yet, she seems to know that he probably would kill the guy if he found him. That's what I don't understand, and I don't think AMC wants to clarify it, either. Let it be ambiguous.

I thought that Kendall did as much as she could, short of piggybacking on to him and physically stopping him from walking out the door. When she asked Greenlee if she'd done the right thing, I thought that's what she meant--letting Zach go without more of a fight.

It depends on what day of the week it is and how I'm feeling, but today I accepted the plot device of Zach walking out the door, despite Kendall's misgivings. If I'm honest, I think I was happy with the romantic Zen moments and Kendall expressing her feelings and being heard for a change (though he didn't do as she asked), and more importantly, the relegation of Aidan and JR to the back of the bus where this story is concerned. JR has a right to be involved in revenge, but AMC won't write it for him, and I've got my own theories about that, but that's not for here. Aidan has no right to be involved in revenge against Richie, and AMC is choosing not to write it for him. Both work for me.

It seems pretty clear that Jesse and Zach are headed for a showdown. I'm psyched for that confrontation.

It's sketchy, but my take is that she doesn't want Zach to kill him because she knows the consequences wouldn't be good, and he'd likely face charges and have to deal with the enormity of taking a life. She's constantly worried he'll go "too far" in his revenge. Scaring Richie and teaching him a lesson she seems to condone because it doesn't come back on Zach. Killing him would have deeper consequences. I don't get why AMC is presenting the story that Richie must be DEAD for him to no longer be a threat, but that's what I'm getting from the writers as the frame of mind of the guys (Zach, Aidan, JR). They don't trust the system, and JR and Zach especially seem to have a disdain for cops. Aidan/Ryan are conflicted. The girls seem to loathe him and want him to suffer, but are willing to let the police handle it rather than taking it to that level even when presented with the chance.

Likely it's to set up the bigger theme of the system vs. vigilante justice, and I think that is where the Jesse/Zach showdown comes into play.

I'm also looking forward to that.

Jules I also disliked that part of the cabin scene. Neither Greenlee nor Aiden should have any say in the Zen relationship. I do believe however that we are still dealing with B&E as head writers and today's show was still written by Courtney Bugler, who I believe has been fired. The Greenlee/Ryan love was all over today's show, but IMO there are differences in the feel of the show. I think we are catching glimpses of the the real Team Slater. They are not keeping things from each other. They are understanding what the other is all about and needs to do and are accepting, though concerned and protective of each other. We saw Kendall yesterday attempting to call Zach to let him know what she was doing ( being only stopped by GB) and we have Zach trying to call Kendall so that she wouldn't worry about his not being home.

Last week we saw Kendall being fully aware of what Zach had done to Richie in jail and being supportive. Zach had plans for Richie, but I do not believe that he has any intention of killing him even though we saw him take out his gun. I believe that Zach's plan was to make Richie disappear, (via the Cambias jet) perhaps into a prison of a foreign third world country. Such a plan would be so much more creative for a man like Zach with his resources, than just killing Richie. Zach told Kendall that he would do nothing to endanger their family and Kendall assured him that he has her trust. Of course there is worry and concern on Kendall's part, because things can go wrong....."best layed plans..."and all that.

Last year we saw a completely different Zen relationship, as well as a completely different writers' agenda. Whatever B&E had planned for Zen via the "hole" and ONS scenarios seems to be no longer being written. Since B&E are still on the credits, I tend to believe that the new head writer has been influencing the writing to bring on his stories for the characters. I am still very leary of expecting too much for Zen from the new head writer, but so far I like the way they are wrapping up the Richie story.

It is a shame that we will be losing Billy Miller as a member of the AMC cast. I thought that his scenes with Melissa Claire Egan were excellent today. Both actors gave a riveting performance.

Breaking news interrupted the show a couple of times today--ARGH!!!

Anyway. . . .

Cabin - ITA with you all on this one. Zen were fantastic. Jabe was fine. Greenlee and Aidan were irritating/useless.

Zen - I love seeing how much Kendall and Zach care for each other. It doesn't matter who else is in the room. They really felt so much more together today. One can only hope that the writers continue with that. I love that even when they're doing things on their own, they're still thinking about the other person. I wish Kendall had gone with Zach though, or even with Jabe for that matter--anything to avoid that Kenlee hugging crap. Zach may end up looking guilty of Richie's murder, but seems like Jesse actually has a brain, so I'm hopeful that he won't be in too much trouble for too long over it. I also hope this whole thing cements Zen stronger than ever.

Greenlee/Aidan - Seemed like there was a lot of pandering and flip-flopping on Greenlee's part--she's suddenly all about letting the police handle it . . . when she was the one who wouldn't let them call the police earlier. UGH. She tried to take credit for everything, but none of the responsibility. Typical. I wish Kendall wouldn't have had to apologize to Aidan so much. She didn't even hit him.

Jabe - They were fine. Babe is so much better than Greenlee. I'm amazed and a little weirded out by the fact that I'm almost liking Babe right now. I'm not actually liking her, but seriously, I was like "Ack, no! Babe, don't let Greenlee touch you!" when they did their side-hug thing.

Adam/Carmen - They were okay. Didn't like Carmen's outfit--what was up with those weird flower things? And I could have done without the KWAK reminiscing.

Teens - AMC should be embarrassed. That was just awful. Why are they suddenly having Colby act like she's sixteen and stupid again?

Ryan/Jesse - Man am I glad Jesse's not an idiot. He's a little over-the-top swaggery right now, but at least he's smarter than Derek and doesn't let the denizens of PV push him around. Ryan is starting to get suspicious of Annie now. I don't think she's gonna last long.

Annie/Richie - Wow. They were great today. Their scenes were so much fun! I loved Richie in them. BM knows how to deliver a line with just the right amount of snark--I especially enjoyed the "cry me a river" and "my heart bleeds" because even though they're uber-cliche, he delivered them so beautifully. Annie's unravelling fast, and I realized that I'm not liking her not because she's acting psycho, but because she's acting just like Greenlee--blame everyone else for everything and take no responsibility. UGH. I'm with Richie, she can cry me a river. MCE was great though. Volatile. Kudos to BM and MCE. Why do people always get great when they're leaving?

GO TEAM SLATER!!!

What really bothered me today was the fact that we are losing Billy Miller and maybe MCE in order to keep characters like Ryan and GB (who are of no real value) and those awful teens. When you see the kind of performance that both BM and MCE could turn out it boggles the mind that whoever is in charged really has no clue. I also think AMC should just stop writing for teens because they never get it right (maybe someone should check out OLTL).

As for Zen, ITA Jules we are seeing Team Slater again and they were great and in tune to each other. Except for Zen in the cabin, everyone else was kind of blah. GB, of course, was all about what she did and yet it was all Kendall. Kendall was the one who took charge and kept her head and it's a shame that Zach never gets to hear or see what his wife does (like when he was in the hole). It was so good to see the Real Kendall back.

I absolutely loved Jessie with Ryan and some of his facial expressions were priceless. Yes Jessie Ryan is that big of an asshole and it's not the amnesia. Can't wait for Jessie and Zach to go head to head.

I'm liking Adam and Carmen. The silver fox is always fun to watch and I think him and Carmen are going to be a hoot.

Again, BM and MCE were great.

The teens were awful.

the Zach and Kendall scenes were good...Kendall is always take action, I love that about her....

the rest of them, I could so do without....I love the Carmen/Adam thing...I think Adam is amused by her, she'll fit right in with the Chandler's.....