Review: Well, THAT was depressing!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 09 2, 2013
:::::Very Mild Spoiler Alert::::Wow! That was brutal...heart wrenching...gut churning....and just plain ole SAD!  On some level...emotionally...I'm sorry I ever read this episode. I generally enjoy re-reading previous books to relive the excellent writing and story-telling. But I know in my heart of hearts I will never come back to this particular chapter in the Carmichael Brothers' saga (what an awful way to end a season!).  I've only cried a couple of times while  reading a book, but this left me in tears hours later.  And thus the 5-star rating...not so much for WHAT the story made me feel, but that it made me feel so deeply.On to the details...Dougie has been built up as this über smart kid with the brains (supposedly) to withstand what's happening to him and Mat. However, there's been little to no proof of that being the case. And this episode just reinforces that. He seems to be a willing participant in his own subjugation. It's hard to feel any sympathy for him considering his actions this season. I almost finding myself looking forward to him being punished for (what I perceive as) his incessant weakness.On the other hand, my heart absolutely breaks for Mat. For all his physical prowess he walks blindly into one manipulation after another, and stubbornly holds on to an idealized version of who his brother is that doesn't gel at all with the person he's becoming.  There's only so much crap a body can take, and for his (and the readers') sake I hope the authors have some good karma coming his way.  Not only does he deserve it, but I don't think I can stomach more episodes of him being the designated punching bag.  Also, deep down I was kinda hoping he'd turn out to be the hero he so desperately wants to be.  But given the way the authors have set the story up, I don't see any way for the brothers to get out of their situation without some outside help.I truly believe that there's a lesson to be learned from everything that happens to us. And maybe there's something to be gained by Mat realizing that he's babied his 23-year-old brother WAY too much in the past...or if Dougie can stop looking at his life and only seeing the things he's lost instead of all of the opportunities and blessings he's had (e.g. how many foster-system kids get to pursue a Ph.D.?!?).  However, what a way to come to those revelations.  For all of their love for one another (if it still exists), there's just no way their relationship  will be the same when/if they get out of this.  Maybe that's a good thing, maybe not.  It's definitely sad in either case.Finally, I've seen rumors on various blogs of at least 2 more season in the works. Which means readers have 6-8 more books to look forward to. A note to the (extremely talented) authors. Please give us something to actually "look forward" to.  I personally can't take 600+ more pages of utter hopelessness.  For the "emotional" readers of this series, you may want to wait until episode 11 comes out in November, and read books 10 and 11 back-to-back.  As I said before, I'm kinda sorry I read this installment...I'm even sorrier that I have to live with the taste of it for 3 more months.