Oh man, yeah...that was BRUTAL. Gemma don't play! That show keeps upping the ante somehow, good stuff.
Kind of at the halfway point now for the 2013 TV season overall, some random thoughts:
Outside of Walking Dead, I can't think of any other show I'm enjoying more right now than American Horror Story. Terrific scenery-chewing acting chops, horrifically entertaining over-the-top violence (melon-baller to the eye FTW!) and a plot that continues to twist and evolve with every episode. Loving this season.
Best newcomer award goes to The Blacklist, I love the instant gratification that comes with getting the bad guy every week, not to mention the smug perfection of James Spader simply being better than everyone else and knowing it. I don't think his Gal Friday is a particularly good actress but she's not insufferable.
Close second to Almost Human - this has been better than expected, I figured it would be some dumbed down police procedural with a goofy cyborg twist, but it's actually darker and more interesting than I suspected it would be going in. And Karl Urban is so money.
SHIELD has been a solid meh. It teases so much potential but they don't seem to want to take it to the next level. The last few episodes were a distinct improvement, but I still find myself at least a couple of times each week saying "these idiotic jackasses are supposed to be a super-skilled espionage and counter-terrorism agency?" The writing is just not very tight and WTF are the superheroes already? Do you really need expensive CGI for Power Man and Iron Fist? OR any other the other galaxy of waiting secondary heroes you have at your disposal?
Overall I still think Walking Dead is the best thing on TV right now. Can't wait for the back half of this season!