The final third of this late-season entry provides some of the best acting, directing, and writing of the season, and makes this episode essential.

“Belonging” is a good episode that felt like a missed opportunity, with great philosophical questions and strong performances, but a by-the-numbers plot.

It’s horrifying to think that other people might see a color in a different way. But “The Color Blue” of the title refers as much to a general feeling of sadness enveloping the lives of many of our heroes this week.

I’m late getting to the write-up this week because, you know, life happens. Fortunately Mad Men waits for me. It’s not as demanding as a crying baby or an “eccentric” hotel baron or a lascivious cigarette salesman.

The opening scene of “Belle Chose” was one of the strangest and most disturbing thing I’ve seen on TV in quite awhile. This was a very promising episode after last week’s disaster.

I don’t know how I feel about these short-season series. They come and go like traveling salesmen in the night, tempting you with their exotic wares, only to abandon you before you’ve even turned the clocks back to standard time. I’m nursing a cold.

For about ten minutes in the middle of “Instinct”, I was hooked. And then it sort of turned to crap.