...And Expiation

A suitably dramatic end of the two parter, though I think secretly we all knew they weren't going to send Mary to prison.

I'm glad Matt decided not to move back home - I don't think I could've taken another "who's moving into another room?" episode, they are tedious.

Good overall.

After a series of very « artistic » photos, Jessica Biel was given the cold shoulder. When her character made that 180, and became the ugly duckling of the Camden family clan. On top of having the opposite effect, it made the show more popular, and gave her more, character (?). So who knows, maybe it was just a publicity stunt... As far as I remember, and as corny as those slip ups were, Mary's bad girl phase, made the next seasons a lot more entertaining to me. In a show where every little things are blown out of proportions (I'm still recovering from the middle finger incident...) she brought interesting drama to the table. I liked Simon and Ruthie's little journey to different sacred places, and hear what their representatives had to say about their concerns. But it was still trying too hard to force religious issues, into a plot that could rely on its own.