I thought the Germans were kind of robbed.
Yes maybe. H/S skated well, but their level is not really as high as T/M's is supposed to be. And it was a bit of home-cooking for S/N, let's face it. Maybe if it wasn't in Russia, H/S would have edged S/N who still have a lot of kinks to work out as a new team. I wasn't sure what the judges would be giving T/M for a very lackluster performance with miscues. The 76+ was overly high for that performance. But they are at home in Russia.
At least T/M seemed more relaxed and smiling after their performance, perhaps because they are at home. Also, perhaps they are resigned to possibly not making the GPF. Also, it's still possible for them to turn things around for the major competitions the rest of the season. Maybe they have decided not to put so much pressure on themselves. The judges don't seem to care whether T/M actually have good material or whether they connect well, as long as they skate relatively clean with their top-notch elements. Even with mistakes or minor miscues they get high scores.
Boi/Koz were not as electrifying as at Skate Canada, but they were still very good. It's a sign of how well-trained and committed they are that Koz overcame that fall during the warm-up. He did seem to be shook-up, but he did not seem to want any sympathy. He shook it off well, but he was holding onto his side for a moment. Boi/Koz and all of the Russians appeared very relaxed skating at home. The 80+ score seems a bit high, but they are in Russia, and it's obvious B/K's PCS were kept down a bit at SC -- they have risen here. Compare the sp scores from both events below:
http://www.isuresults.com/results/season1920/gpcan2019/SEG005.htm SC
http://www.isuresults.com/results/season1920/gprus2019/SEG005.htm RC
I don't think Stolbova/Novoselov look that great together, but new partnerships take time. They still have a lot of work to do, and right now I don't sense a tremendous amount of chemistry between them. Selecting the right music is always important. I didn't see their original sp. This music is good, and some of the choreo works really well, but Novoselov is very bland to Stolbova's fiery personality. She does seem more mellow and calm, with a gracious attitude toward her partner. She probably appreciates being able to continue her career, and she seems happy they've made it this far. I thought their score was a bit high for a new team with miscues, but they are skating at home. I don't see the make-up of the podium changing in the least. Unless B/K make mistakes in the fp, and T/M go clean, the results may stand as is for the top three.
Walsh/Michaud changed their sp completely. The previous one to
Benny & the Jets simply wasn't working for them. This new one with different music, choreo, and costumes is apparently more in their style wheelhouse. They perhaps had to try too hard with the previous program to put on an edgy, funky 'tude that didn't come naturally to their personalities. They had trouble skating clean with the previous program. This love ballad theme seems to be more comfortable for them.
I think Lu/Mitrofanov are a better team overall than the Italians, Ghilardi/Ambrosini, but L/M obviously can't afford to make any mistakes as a young team relatively new to seniors. They are expendable in the scoring based on the judging. I thought L/M's score was rather low, even with Lu's fall on the throw. L/M do need to gain more experience and learn how to project more, and not rush their elements.
Ziegler/Kiefer's sp music did not seem to go with their costumes. The music was rather dark and melancholy, and they were wearing what looked like 1920s jazz-era costumes.
Evgenia and Vladimir have like a certain amount of sanity and confidence, but it's only enough for one person at a time. 
about black catsuits for this whole damn season. They can use the SP costumes for the LP, because I really dislike the LP ones.
The judges love T/M. Maybe they get PCS for their beauty and the top-notch tech skills the judges know they possess, even though we haven't been seeing consistent performances from them recently. We've never seen exciting performances by T/M. They have not yet found the best music to bring out something special -- maybe they never will. But T/M always receive overly high PCS, in particular on CO and IN, which are categories where they definitely DO NOT excel. The judges don't care. They will continue to manipulate PCS whichever way they please, sadly. Once again though, Stol/Novo have a way to go to earn higher PCS as a team. They can't reward Stolbova just because she's a badass diva. 
That's ridiculous, despite Samarin's modest improvements in smoothing out his skating and finding music that works for his personality. I know this is pairs thread, sorry. 
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