And no, I'm talking about the first nonjogging scene which Taylor "LT" Thompson had today.

I'm talking about the Zen. I'm going to be mostly positive about today because I was willing to bet Zen wouldn't get their own room in their own hotel (yes, I'm very bitter and cynical about AMC these days), and we started out with that.

I'm thrilled that we got Original Recipe Zen with the hockey/Detroit shoutouts and I felt like they were themselves again.

I will be ridiculed for this, but I thought it was telling that alot of the segments ended with Zen and their issues, rather than Graidan discussing Ryan on their wedding night (OMG, AMC, really now), and Ryannie discussing Greenlee on what would have been their 412th honeymoon. I got the feeling that Zen's issues were pretty important, not throwaways.

"We've lost ourselves here. We lost who we are and I would like that back." Me, too, dude. Me, too.

I'm glad Zach owned his part, and I love Kendall for not saying to the man that she was vehemently opposed to the idea from the beginning. But there's no getting around it--this is a massive about face from Zach. It's ok with me, I'm fine with them not interfering in love lives or Richie's murder, but it's pretty big. And it makes me wonder what all of this was about, other than giving Zen a reason to clash with each other.

No one spent the night in Vegas. Neither Zach nor Kendall mentioned meeting in Vegas, and I would have preferred that to a rehash of "Would you have married me all over again?" I adored them ditching the Foursome and leaving notes ("goodbye and good riddance"), but that was too good to last. I guess I have to be grateful Zen look like they're going to a firing squad rather than a group planeride.

Someone needs to tell Pratt that the monolith that is the Sextet really isn't "one" after all. Two of those people can think for themselves and one day, maybe, AMC will write for those two.

At first I hated today's show, but as it progressed I began to see it as perhaps the beginning of a clean up of the mess that B&E have made of the characters of Zach and Kendall by their OOC plot driven sl/s.

I think that today brought out some necessary truths about the way Zach and Kendall are being written. Both are involved in their friends’ lives more than they should. Zach in his secretive close to the vest pursuit of finding out what is up with Annie and Kendall with her obsessive pursuit of trying to fix Ryan’s pain. They are both guilty of not paying enough attention to their own family and some of the problems that are arising in their relationship. Zach has said this not only today, but previously when he said that they should not allow other people to define who they are and Kendall had called him on his over protective concern about Greenlee.

Zach was right today when he admitted that it was a mistake to come to Vegas and it was his idea. He was also right about Kendall's obsessive behavior about Ryan and his pain and that she just won‘t let go. I am so glad that he brought up how involved they have been getting in other people's lives and not enough with their own family and that goes for both of them. Isn't that what we have been saying all along. Has someone finally listened.

That last scene was so Kate Hall, who really writes well for the Zen relationship. I found that scene very well written and very telling. I do however think that Kendall's character is being written too much as a caricature, which would have fit the Kendall in 2004, but not the Kendall of today. They are regressing Kendall again to do the poor unhappy Ryan propping to the point that I just want to throw something at the screen.

Yes, I wanted a romantic Zen scene juxtaposed Graiden, however if this brings the writing that will get Zen out of the quartet's business soon, then today's program will have been worth it. I realize that the writers have to finish the Annie/Richie s/l and we will still have to tolerate both Zach and Kendall involved in Ryannie's and Graiden's lives, but perhaps there is a light at the end of the tunnel and we will get something worthy of both characters that will free them from this never ending nightmare of musical chairs. Mr Pratt are you listening?

Today reminded me a little too much of Sisyphus. Just keep pushing that boulder up the mountain only to have it come rolling back down so you can start pushing it up again: the same futile, agonizing task over and over and over . . .

Zen - I loved how cute they were with their renewal of vows discussion, especially with the jumbotron and the zamboni (sp?) rides. Much more fun than the Sistine Chapel--which just didn't strike me as the place for a vow renewal what with being all attached to the Vatican Museum and so guarded and all it just doesn't have that kind of feel when you're in it. I loved it even more when they started talking about getting away from the deadweight. Whatever little bits of tension there were seemed more like mutual realization than any antagonism between them (because I am so sick of other people causing problems between Zen!), so that was fine with me. Zach realizing that the trip was a bad idea after all was great. And Kendall does need to reign it in--the Rylee Regression Syndrome they've given her is wearing thin. I floved it when Zach started saying that they'd lost themselves and needed to be with the boys and Kendall readily agreed. Goodbye and good riddance indeed!

And then . . . the boulder came tumbling down. Ryan/Annie and Graidan just came and attached themselves again. I would say that I'm hopeful that the writing for Zen today was an indication of things to come in the detaching of the sextet, but honestly, I'm afraid it was like so many other glimmers of hope that we've been given: nice and shiny, but all too fleeting and ultimately fruitless. I've become a little eensy bit cynical about the writers. Shocking, I know.

Graidan - Them: "Slurp. Smack. Ryan." Me: "Gag. FF."

Ryan/Annie - Them: "I won't leave you. I won't leave you. I'm not gonna leave you." and "What about Greenlee?" Me: Eye roll. "When's he gonna leave her already?"

Erica/Sam - You know, they kinda made me smile today. He's just sooooooo much better than Jackass. Such a standup guy. And he and Erica seem like they have respect for each other--a rare thing for couples on AMC (besides Zen, of course). They're just taking things slow and I like them for now. It was a little lame of Erica to lie about who broke it off with who concerning Jack, but old habits die hard, I guess.

Jangie - Angie seems to cook a lot. I like that Jesse's not an idiot in terms of settling for the case as presented, but dude, how is somebody supposed to find a lug wrench with only the highway number for a search area?

Frankie/Cass - God, she's annoying. Frankie and his Randi thing is still not cute, although that sheepish look he got on his face was.

Jake/Taylor - Okay, they were better than they have been up to this point. I do like the fact that they aren't being shoved down my throat on the show even if they're being shoved down my throat in the promos. I'm digging RPG, but not yet sure about BE.

Hubbards/Taylor - I liked that scene at the end. Taylor called Frankie "Hub" and he said he missed her "like shrapnel to the head." That was funny. Plus the looks on Jesse's and Angie's faces were hilarious.

GO TEAM SLATER!!!

I loved this analogy Zenamo.

Zen is communeacateing......... YAY!!! :thumbsup :thumbsup :thumbsup