On the other hand, if they'd weighted the gun to simulate being loaded and Chase somehow felt the need to pull the trigger, he might have decided it was jammed and tried to beat the actress with it. There are so many ways that situation could have gone wrong -- not in threatening the reveal of the show, but in putting people's safety at risk. And while there were ways to stretch that more towards the comedic (because insulting him while offering sexual favors? Was not it), just about anything they could have pulled off in that situation carries danger depending on how deeply Chase believes this. I realize the show wants to give him the illusion of empowerment, but I would have gone one of two ways with it.

1. Actress is handcuffed to home interior. Chase guards her. She tries to talk her way out of things. Hilarity doesn't necessarily ensue, but it's very unlikely to become physical.

2. Ralph stays with actress while cast & Chase go after the running boyfriend, moving through a pre-rigged neighborhood obstacle course designed to put everyone (but especially Chase) through the wringer. Gosh, who would have thought there was going to be (it's Spike) a nudist colony right there?

As was? Too many ways for things to go wrong. None of them happened -- but to some degree, it's because the show got very lucky. Other results were available.

Random notes:

* The less said about the heart rate challenge, the better. And thus, this is all I'm going to say about the heart rate challenge.

* So what's going through Chase's head regarding the Suddenly Hearing incident? We don't know. His suspicions are there, but I think the confessional team was afraid to press him for details in case it got the gears turning.

* Losing L.V. takes out the only major storyline they had going -- and they'd better be riding those, because there just wasn't a lot of comedy in this episode. You can see other things being set up (because the editing would like to call your attention), but at this point, I don't know if they have any horses suitable for riding.

* We'd better be heading into strangeness. Right now, we're barely skirting the edge of what MB's natural psychos do on a slow day.

• RE: JS #3 Episode #4: the strap of love.,Loree, 03:15 AM, 01-24-13
  • RE: JS #3 Episode #4: the strap of love.,batts, 03:47 AM, 02-05-13

There is something missing from this season. Maybe Chase isn't likeable enough. I rewatched both Seasons 1 & 2 and often giggled and cracked up. The cast was just more enjoyable. Bryce and Garold alone could make me laugh in Season 2 and that isn't even mentioning the falcon twist. In season one Matt was just the perfect Schmo. This season needs something to happen. Maybe casting a married man was the problem.

Matt was the perfect Shmo wasn't he?