(S04E17) "I think if these were Travis Tritt fans, I might have better luck." - Colby

Sometimes I just don't know what they're thinking when they come up with stories for this show. Call me crazy, but the notion of a small rap label feud just doesn't strike me as something that the FBI is going to handle. And I do mean small. Besides the fact that the only real purpose that the case served was to play up the humorous stereotypes and clichés it created (like the scene with Larry and Charlie in the recording studio), I don't think it felt realistic. The music industry is far larger than the microcosm depicted in this episode and writers just hand-picked elements for this small, almost indie, rap label. I mean, c'mon - "2x4?" Really?

Three rappers, two are successful, and one isn't. The label owner had been using payola with all the radio stations to get one guy played more and the other played less. Someone found out and people started dying. I suppose I should also mention (mainly because I find it funny) that the episode featured a guest appearance from the "Oscar winning" group Three 6 Mafia. Hilarious.

OK, so before I get to the good stuff (there was some), let me complain some more first. The idea of an algorithm that predicts a song's success is ridiculous. By analyzing tone changes, lyrics, guitar riffs, and other parts of songs? There's no way something like that could exist and if it did, there's no way it would work properly. I'm all about the math and how it's featured on the show, but I hate it when it's used foolishly like this.

Then there were all the stereotypes. 2x4, the wimpy white rapper. Kilo, the thug bodyguard. Drug involvement. Larry and Charlie's "rap ineptitude." Mansions and AK-47s. It was just an endless list of all the things you've read and heard about over the years. The only thing missing was an East vs. West element.

Moving on. First off, I loved the meeting with Amita's parents. They went from being obnoxious to nice and everything worked out. It's just great to see that at least one of the romances on this story is actually being played out rather than forgotten or set aside. I will say that it was pretty rude of them to try and set Amita up with that other guy right in front of Charlie, especially after Amita's mom made that crack about how he'd make "some girl" very happy someday. But in the end, they came around. I'm thinking we might see Charlie propose in next week's finale?

And speaking of romances, it looks like Liz and Colby might be getting a little closer? I'm not sure anything will come of it though since Liz isn't the one taking Megan's place on the team after she leaves (someone new is being cast). That got set up too. Megan was in New York on leave. I got the impression that Larry knew she wasn't coming back either. I'm guessing her resignation comes in the finale next week?

A few more thoughts?

• Where was Robin?
• I'd like to meet this professor that Larry and Charlie refer to as "the slurper."
• I loved when Larry commented that he "hadn't been living in a cave" but didn't know who any of the rappers were. Then Charlie had to remind him that he sort of had been - the space station, the monastery, and oh yeah, the campus steam tunnels.

So, as I mentioned, the finale (it's called "When Worlds Collide") airs next week. I'm not sure what to expect other than what we already know about. Last season ended with that huge twist, finding out that Colby was a Chinese spy. Since we know that Diane Farr is leaving, I hope there's more to it than just some tearful goodbye. I want a cliffhanger!

This week's numb3rs: 1,148 hip hop albums; 3.6 billion gross sales dollars; 186 radio stations; 3 artists
This week's math: Pay to Play