Sorry, Rivera. Not that men don’t hug. They do, and it doesn’t have to be just a greeting or a goodbye. But bonding usually comes from shared activities or experiences, not from contrivance. Long-time friends meeting up again; being part of a sports team; having regular get-togethers at a local diner; or experiencing a shared tragedy; examples like these can create bonding situations.

A short and failed fishing seminar, a hike, and a pointless group hug are not enough, except, perhaps, for really shallow people. You don’t suppose Rivera is implying anything like that, do you? As regular viewer and commentator Daniel P recently lamented to Rivera, just get Mark back “in the field” fighting bad guys and heartless institutions that hurt the environment.

As for Eli getting scratched by a bat, get real! Bats are normally nocturnal. Nobody says “Oh look! A bat!” and goes to pick it up. So, what’s the point of repeating this recently-done scenario?