This is the time in the fall schedule when I realize I can't watch everything. Sadly the networks usually start deciding for me since some of my favorite new shows are inevitably canceled early as I'm sure will be the case this season. Still, it won't be enough so it's time to start dropping. Some I will pick up in marathon over the winter break, some in the summer, some I'll watch periodically, and of course there are those I will never watch again. So what have you dropped already? Are there some you intend to give another try later or are they dead to you? Are there shows you are worried the networks are going to drop that you love? For me, that is Red Band Society. I hope it makes it. So far, here's my dropped list:
Dropped Until Winter - The Blacklist (which I like better in marathon), Arrow (which I am debating dropping for good), Criminal Minds (because I still need to get caught up)
Dropped Until Summer - Supernatural (because I loathe Jeremy Carver), Gotham
Watch When I Have Extra Time - The Strain, NCIS:NO, Legends, Mysteries of Laura, Blackish
Most Likely Dropped for Good - Madam Secretary, Bad Judge, A to Z, Mulaney
As always, I am on the lookout for good shows I missed that can replace some of these dropped shows. If you have a show you think I should watch, fill out the nomination form below. Also, don't forget to leave a comment about your TV week below. I love our discussions. Until next week, happy viewing!
Overall Awards:
I adore this show. The times when I don't think it's awesome are few and far between. I know I say it every week but this episode had the right combination of heart and laughs. I never understood why America was so into the royal wedding, but I know exactly why Murray and Beverly work for me. They always get it in the end and it's always a beautiful thing to watch.
Grade: A
Best Reason to Watch - Murray and Beverly
Biggest Aww Moment - Murray throws Beverly a spontaneous wedding vow renewal ceremony
Best Scene - Murray shows Barry his wedding video
Mot Goldberg - Renewing your vows in your nightgown on the royal wedding day
Worst Lip Synching - Barry and Adam
Best Singing - Erica and Lainey
Funniest Scene - the outtake where Erica proves to Barry that the wig makes him look like Beverly
Best Reaction - Pops to having to listen to Adam and Barry's garage band music
Best Nostalgia - Family Ties
Nostalgia I Never Understood - fanfare over the royal wedding
Worst Plan - telling Beverly about vow renewals / Pops agreeing to pay for the renewal celebration without talking about the price
Best Music - Eternal Flame
Best Quotes -
Adam: "You know if we're going to be selling out mega stadiums, maybe we should learn more than one song." Barry: "It's not about the music, okay? It's about the showmanship and pageantry and smoke machines and glitter cannons and giant hair and cod pieces."
Murray: "Marriage is not like a magazine subscription. You don't have to keep renewing it." Beverly: "You do if you want to keep the magazine." Murray: "Well this magazine right here, you get for free for the rest of your life."
Lainey: "It's music television. They should just play videos and nothing else."
Resurrection continues to get more mysterious without trying my patience when it comes to answers. That is a rare mix and it is mostly because of Margaret Langston, Henry's recently returned mother and Jacob's grandma. This week all my questions surrounded Grandma, who is definitely the most shady character since Caleb went poof. Digging up graves in the factory floor? What was that all about and was it connected to her father or her? Whatever it is, she knows more than she's saying and she's obviously trying to put a wedge between Jacob and everyone else but her. Then she's seeing coming out of the blink-and-you-missed-him Sick Returnee's room before he disappears. Yep, she's creepy…and brilliantly played.
Best Reason to Watch - Grandma Langston
Best Scene - Henry shows his mom the decaying factory
The "Yeah I Am Taking Sides" Award - Team Janine all the way. I think I resent Rachael more than Janine does.
Best Twist - skulls on the factory floor
Theory Busted - the returned have anything to do with how they are buried. Grandma was cremated.
Most Disturbing - Jacob tries to resurrect the dead birds
The "So Why Were You Here Again" Award - Unless Sick Returnee ends up being a huge plot device, I have no idea why he was here in the first place, except to make Grandma look more shady. He came, he coughed, he poofed away. Um, okay.
Best Quotes - Grandma: "Death is fickle. It comes when it comes."
All I can say is if you are a bad guy, it pays to look both ways before running into the street no matter who is pursuing you. Especially if it's about 20 minutes into the episode. The Mysteries of Laura, the Blacklist, and Scorpion all pursued suspects only to have them mowed down before they could get answers. Talk about a bad break. On NCIS: NO they did switch it up a bit so that they car crash happened at the beginning and it allowed the prisoners to escape instead end up in the hospital. Even people in comedies weren't safe, since Eliza from Selfie got tapped by a car and then fell in a manhole. The streets of TV Land are definitely hazardous these days. Perhaps it's time for some crossing guards?
Nominated Show:
Usually medical shows and lawyer shows aren't in my entertainment wheelhouse. I tend to find them boring with bad pacing. This episode was anything but. It starts with Diane telling Will that Alicia and Cary are leaving the firm to create their own and taking some powerful clients with them and ends with everyone oozing slime. In between is a game of legal ping pong both quick paced and exhilarating. I highly doubt this episode is typical to the show but it was exciting in a way the law very seldom is to me. As a new viewer, I am not even sure who I am supposed to be rooting for since they both sink equally low and even Alicia's husband, the governor, weighs in with sketchy politics. It seems like everyone is for sale here and each lawyer a more skillful con artist than the next. The acting is top-notch as well, making scenes fraught with tension riveting. I'm still not sure that I would like this show on a regular basis, but this episode is a definite winner.
Grade: B+
Best Reason to Watch - legal ping pong
Most Unhinged - Will
Biggest Gesture - The governor frightens a client to sign with Alicia's firm
Best Acting - Alicia in the elevator alone
Biggest Laugh - Alicia and Will stop mid-fight to talk about Alicia's daughter's field trip
Best Quote - Will: "God, you're awful and you don't even know how awful you are."
New Shows/Specials:
I tried to figure out what I liked least about this pilot. It wasn't that I hardly laughed. It wasn't the atrocious laugh track. It wasn't the overabundance of quirky characters. In the end it was the flat, almost robotic delivery of the dialogue. The cadence was a strange staccato that made me wonder if it was on purpose because no one talks so flatly. If it is, they need a change up quickly before the main character is mistaken for an android. Come to think of it, that might be an improvement. Almost Human, the comedy?
Grade: D
Ranking - 1
Prediction - Gone, gone, gone.
Audience - I really don't know. I didn't think it was funny at all.
Best Reason to Watch - there are a lot of people you'll recognize
Best Character - Mulaney
Worst Thing a Comedy Can Do - tie - laugh track / not be funny
Best Quotes -
Mulaney: "Because in her eyes, I'm an adult and adults murder each other."
Mulaney: "It looks shady when you're honest with doctors."
This pilot is definitely a winner, even for someone who typically doesn't like meta human stories. Enter Barry, a dorky but lovable crime scene technician who thirsts to prove his father innocent of his mother's murder over a decade ago. He's the kind of character you cannot help but like, and that becomes the cornerstone of the series quickly. If Barry ever becomes unlikeable, this show will crumble. Think of him as the anti-Oliver Queen, especially in season 1 of Arrow. In a freak particle accelerator accident, he gets whammied by lightning and when he wakes up from a coma 9 months later, he finds he has supersonic speed. Just what he needs to fight the less noble meta humans roaming around his city these days. He's joined by the youngest looking doctor since Doogie Howser, a resident boy genius, and an adult genius who looks extremely shady by the end of the episode. Luckily for a pilot, it doesn't have as much exposition as I expected and by halfway through Barry knows his special powers and has assembled the team. All that's left is to take down the first bad guy and leave when a twist and a stirring speech. Yes, Flash is a bit formulaic but the characters are appealing and the plot swift moving and that's really all I need right now.
Grade: A-
Ranking - 5
Prediction - Renewed for season 2, since it's hard to imagine a universe in which this gets such bad ratings it isn't
Audience - anyone who likes superheroes
Best Reason to Watch - Barry is just the kind of goofy underdog that everyone roots for
Best Twist - Joe learns about Barry's superpowers in the pilot instead of drawing it out
Biggest Confusion - for the first 10 minutes I couldn't figure out where in the timeline this pilot took place. For some reason I thought it was post-Arrow but it actually fills in the gaps between Arrow.
Biggest Huh? - Harrison can see the newspaper of the future? Say what? Oh yeah, and he can walk too. He's shady.
Best Meta - John Wesley Shipp plays Barry's dad. He also played The Flash in the 1990's version of the show before becoming Dawson's dad on Dawson's Creek and Isaac's dad on Teen Wolf.
The "Welcome Back" Award - Jesse L. Martin from Law & Order and Rent before that
Biggest Awww Moment - Barry goes to visit his dad in prison
Best Save - Detective West gets Barry out of trouble after he is late to a crime scene…again
Best Sign that You're Grade-A Crazy - believing you are God
Most Cheesy - the special effects when Barry's running
Worst Plot Device - unrequited love
Arrow Cameo - Oliver, who mutually fangirls with Barry
Best Quotes -
Iris: "You're doing that thing where you're not speaking English."
Barry: "Lightning gave me abs?"
Joe: "Why in the hell would God need to rob banks?"
I actually first watched this pilot when they were at testing phase before they made the changes. Sadly, they didn't change enough. I find Cristela to be annoying and ungrateful, which is a bad start to a comedy. They did temper her a little, but not enough. Plus every other character is a stereotype for laughs instead of a character. Only the laugh track makes that less funny. I had high hopes that Cristela would be a great comedy featuring Hispanic characters but mostly it's just one bomb after another. Here's hoping they make the family less toxic as they go.
Grade: C
Best Reason to Watch - Daniela and Cristela teasing their mom
Best Scene - Natalia talks about her fears with Cristela
Best Character - Daniela
Most Annoying - everyone else
Best Cheer - Be Regressive. B-E Regressive.
Most Funny - conversation between Josh and Cristela while waiting to interview for the internship
Least PC - Trent, the boss
Best Turnaround - Cristela gets Felix paid
Best Quotes -
Felix: "If you were my wife, I would put poison in your coffee." Cristela: "If you were my husband, I'd drink it."
Natalia: "Oh yes. A job where you work really hard and make no money. That's what I dreamed of for you when you came to this country."
Daniela: "I can't believe it. Today my little girl is going to be a cheerleader." Cristela: "Ah yes, the great Texas tradition where girls learn they're not quite as important as boys."
This retrospective is the best thing to come out of Supernatural since the moment Jeremy Carver took the reins. It's an unabashed love fest of the Winchester brothers and the people who love them. In fact, if Carver and company would just believe all that they said in here, SPN would be great again. In some ways this special made me fall in love with Supernatural all over again. The majority of what was showcased was from the first few seasons, back when Supernatural was at its very best. The best lines were quoted and the best episodes highlighted. It was a joyful walk down memory lane with just a few speed bumps, like not enough Jensen and Jared and none of the anecdotes were new. I could have fast forwarded the meta part about the books, which of course is Carver's favorite thing ever. I did fast forward through part of the angel stuff. But man was it great to see Kripke talking SPN again. Let me reiterate my #1 wish in all of TV Land - please, please come back Kripke. Because no matter what anyone says, SPN is still "Two brothers on a long road, fighting for humanity and each other." And yes Carver, that "each other" is very important.
Best Reason to Watch - nostalgia
Best Interview - Kripke
Best Segment - Opening / Impala
Worst Segment - Fandemonium and the one on the books
Most Wonky - the music, except for Carry On Wayward Son
Best Quotes (Past) -
Dean: "What do you say we kill some evil SoB's and we raise a little hell.?"
Dean: "Saving people, hunting things - the family business."
Sam: "Jerk." Dean: "B**"
Bobby: "Family don't end with blood, boy."
Dean: "What happened with you being okay with this." Sam: "I lied."
Sam: "I lost my shoe."
Best Quotes (Special) -
Kripke: "I would say the more that Supernatural is about Sam and Dean, the better it is."
Jensen about Bobby: "He was home to these guys."
Kripke: "Because they're fighting for humanity and they're fighting for each other."
Kripke: "We were sort of the kids in the back of the class at the CW and we were the ones throwing spitballs."
Mark: "There is no Supernatural without its fans. We know that."
Chuck: "Then and now, it's the story of 2 brothers."
Chuck: "Demons have been a part of Supernatural since day 1, but there is only one King."
Weekly Shows:
This episode was a tale of 2 storylines. The one about the guys buying into the comic book shop was fantastic and showed off the very different dynamics of the main couples. I also like how none of them considered telling their significant others about the investment until Sheldon, of all people, points out that it is a good idea. However, the storyline about Raj's girlfriend being jealous of Penny stalled so much it started rolling downhill fast. The whole thing felt rehashed and recycled from any comedy where the leads are in a relationship. I really hope they get over it soon. Howard being jealous of Stewart is getting old too, but at least it doesn't feel like it's been done over and over again.
Grade: B-
Best Reason to Watch - how things go differently when Leonard, Howard, and Sheldon talk to their significant others about investing in the comic book store
Biggest Mooch - Stewart, although it's still nice that he has a storyline
The Most Common Sense - Leonard, who doesn't think having a van pick up kids and bring them to their comic book store is a good idea
Least Needed Storyline - Raj's girlfriend is jealous of Penny
Best Product Placement - several of the comic books shown in the store are of The Flash, which debuted this week on another network but both produced by Warner Brothers.
Best Quotes -
Leonard: "What happens if she doesn't like us?" Raj: "Well hey, you're my dear friends. You'll get a Christmas card for a couple of years and then you're dead to me."
Bernadette: "Did she say she didn't like you?" Penny: "Of course not. No one ever says they don't like you straight to your face." Amy: "We have lead different lives."
Sheldon: "Is this a comic book store or a rave at the third little pig's house?"
Scorpion continues to enthrall me with its high octane thrills and created-family partnerships. This time we got to see Happy in action more, Toby brought the snark, and Sylvester pulled a gun. All of that was win. On the meh side was the long windup to the crime of the week, the geniuses failing the military test, and everyone dissing Paige because she's normal. I do like that she had the information that led to the motive though. In some ways this episode felt like it should be second and not third because they didn't seem to have as many trust issues in the last one. I hope they gel quickly, because this team does a whole lot better when they are all on the same page.
Grade: B
Best Reason to Watch - everyone has a part to play to stop the bad guys, a real team effort
Best Moment - Paige tells the geniuses to shut up because she has vital info
The "Well that Came Back to Haunt You" Award - Doesn't it just suck when you give your kid great advice and then are forced to follow it yourself?
Most Likely to Have the Police Called on Them - The Scorpion group who don't bother to wash the blood and explosives off them before they show up at Ralph's school.
The "Are You Kidding Me?" Award - the one guy who can give them answers got hit by a bus? Really?
Best Reason to Always Have a Backup - Rogue government officials who are willing to kill thousands to keep an e-mail from coming out. Flash drives are really cheap these days. Get everyone one.
Best Lesson - how to really delete something from the internet / characteristics of a cyclone of scorpions
Best Quotes -
Toby: "Word to the wise. Don't bet on Yertle McQuickshell. She's misnamed."
Gallo: "I'm going to call Information." Toby: "That's a good idea. Oh afterwards, let's ride on one of those Zeppelins I've heard of."
Gallo: "Before computers, people had to actually talk to each other."
The Blacklist works best when the lister of the week walks in a grey area. Similar to The Judge, Dr. James Covington has a cause to believe in and goes about it in the wrong way. It makes the case of the week stand out more and allows for interesting water cooler conversation. I have to say that I like The Blacklist's procedural elements more than the serial ones at this point. Still Mondays are packed so this show goes to winter marathon for me.
Grade: B+
Best Reason to Watch - Dr. Covington, who made for a compelling lister of the week
Funniest Character - Vargas
Best Surprise - Tom is back, even as a dream
Least Surprising - Vargas actually works for Red / Frisked Guy is part of the conspiracy
Best Reminder that Red's a Bad Guy - he plays the FBI to get his business plan to work
The "Welcome Back" Award - Hal Ozsan, who played the witch that made Dean old on Supernatural
The "Of Course He Did" Award - the one guy who could give answers gets hit by a truck. And we've got a TV trend folks.
Best Call Out - Ressler tells Elizabeth that she has been corrupted by the work they do
Best Quotes -
Elizabeth: "How does an Iranian end up working for Mossad?" Navabi: "How did the FBI end up working for Raymond Reddington?"
Mrs. Wyatt: "My husband's heart wasn't harvested. It was repossessed."
This was the best Gotham yet, mostly because the vigilante killer was unique and had a great implementation mechanism. Plus Bruce Wayne was tolerable this time around. I could see how he would grow up to be a vigilante himself when the whole city of Gotham is crying out for someone to save it by any means necessary. Sadly I am the only one still watching who cares not one jot about Penguin and quite frankly he's wearing on my last nerve right now. Good thing I am dropping this show until midseason hiatus then. Depressing comic book stories where the majority are antiheroes or villains are just not for me.
Grade: B-
Best Reason to Watch - the Balloonman
Most Creative Revenge - floating your enemies into the air via weather balloon
Most Fun - that swordfight with Alfred is the first time that Bruce has smiled since his parents died
Worst Job - Non-corrupt Gotham City cop or Fish's lover, it's a tossup
Most in Need of Remedial Science - Harvey and Gordon, who don't know about gravity I guess
Best Quotes -
Gordon: "No body. Are we calling this a murder?" Harvey: "Call it a public service. Danzer was a bum. He got what he deserved. I'm going to go get a Danish. That's what I deserve."
Harvey: "Listen smarta**, you want to kill a crooked financier, be my guest. You kill a cop, it's a job safety issue."
Sleepy Hollow needs to stop talking itself to death. There, I said it. Two of the best things about this show are the action and the humor, both of which were MIA this episode while people talked and talked and talked. This is the closest I've ever come to bored in an episode and that is not okay. Granted dialogue like the scene between Henry and Ichabod was spellbinding by the sheer power of the acting, but most of the rest of it was exposition, arguing, or more verbal spewing than 42 minutes can take. Time to get back in the grove, let the monsters come out and play again, and for goodness sakes, not every single episode needs to end with Ichabod and Abbie talking out their feelings. This is not Dr. Phil!
Grade: C
Biggest Surprise - explosion
Best Character Interaction - Henry and Ichabod
Best Awww Moment - Abbie tells Jenny it will be okay and that she's always on her side
Least Appealing - tie - Mills sisters fighting / Abbie's issues with Katrina
Most Uncomfortable - Ichabod when Reyes calls him out on his lack of identification
Week's Wacked Out History - Benedict Arnold and Judas tied together with 30 pieces of cursed silver
Most Unbelievable - Let's just remember that this is a story that features multiple resurrections, the apocalypse, demons, witches, a headless guy firing assault weapons, and more. Still the most unbelievable thing this episode was a waitress carding Ichabod and Abbie. Who would ever think they were under 21? That's just nuts.
Second Most Unbelievable - Ichabod kicks the coin and Hawley catches it in the glass
Most Needed Webisodes - Someone mentioned this on Twitter (sorry, I forget who) but we really do need webisodes of Ichabod watching and reviewing current TV shows, movies, and books
Best Plan - Ichabod pretends to visit another patient in order to talk to Irving
Best Reaction - Ichabod takes a hard right when he sees Reyes coming
Best Addition So far - Hawley
The "Face Palm" Award - Why are Ichabod and Abbie discussing the coin's ancestry in front of Hawley? They do know there is no cone of silence around them, right?
Worst Timing - Reyes interrupts Ichabod from going after Henry
Worst Plan I Wish Has Worked - Jenny tries to kill Reyes
I hate Facebook, but I am a somewhat recovered Twitter addict and I've gotten lost on Pinterest before so I guess I can see someone getting way into it. I will never understand the appeal of cat videos though. Nor does Eliza appeal to me even though she was much better in this episode. Mostly I am still waiting to care about any of these characters. The show does have its moments but they feel small comapred to the rest. I'll give this show one more episode to hook me or else it goes in the drop pile.
Grade: C
Best Reason to Watch - Henry checks out Facebook and can't figure out how to untag
Best Scene - Henry goes to the hospital room to check on Eliza and Freddy shows up
Biggest Aww Moment - Henry says he'll call Eliza every hour to wake her up
Most Awkward - Henry with his ex
Biggest Stalker - I assume that Henry was outside Eliza's window when she turned off the light and that's a bit creepy.
Best Quotes -
Henry: "First friend is my mom. Just like in life."
Henry: "Shouldn't you be reading the book instead of worrying about what to wear while reading the book?"
Eliza: "Sorry if I smell like dead people." Book Club: "We all do." Wren: "That's how you know it's vintage."
This was a much better episode. The characters became more endearing and I could see the merits in each of them. Of course, Kurt Fuller smoked them all as the father giving out bonuses. He cracked me up and I hope we get more of him. Otherwise, while this is not my usual type of comedy, I'm willing to try it for a little while longer as long as ABC is willing to keep it on the air. I do like how both leads are equally awkward in their dating situation and Amy continues to rock. As far as romantic comedies go, this was the best of the week for me.
Grade: B
Best Reason to Watch - the main characters are adorable
Biggest Distraction - the voiceovers still
Most Improved - David
Most Diabolical and Awesome - William, their dad
Best Reason to Not Online Date - everybody Dana meets
The "Let's Not" Award - Shock and Awe works in defense strikes. It's not a good choice in dating.
Best Quotes -
Dana: "We've had some really nice moments and I'm sure that someday we're going to get through a date without one of us crying."
Dana: "When did lingerie stores all start looking like doll houses?"
So did anyone really believe that Simmons had switched allegiance to Hydra? Yeah, I didn't think so. Still it gives her an interesting storyline to play the mole and go undercover. I'm glad for that because both Fitz and she needed something to do. Speaking of, I love how Fitz found out about Ward although I am a bit worried about their security around him because it didn't look like Fitz had to do much to get to him. Having Fitz deprive Ward of oxygen was a masterful stroke. I am also encouraged about how Fitz is still struggling to communicate because I think it gives the series more heft. In most genre shows, it feels like consequences are swept under the rug and the show merrily continues as if nothing happened. Not so here and it makes the storytelling that much more impactful.
Grade: B+
Best Reason to Watch - Fitz finds out that they are keeping Ward locked up in the basement
Best Return - Simmons as in Real Simmons not HalluciSimmons
Least Believable - If IceBoy froze the guy's whole body, how in the world is his cell phone not a cake of ice too?
Biggest Revenge - Fitz cuts Ward's oxygen to show him what it was like to have no oxygen
The "Well Thank Goodness" Award - Ward says he was never brainwashed and I am glad about that. It would have been a cheap copout.
Best Quotes -
Ward: "A gifted that refuses Hydra is a threat and threats are taken care of quickly."
Hunter: "Skye, you cover the door." Skye: "You don't give the orders, Trainspotting." Hunter: "I'm not Scottish."
Hunter: "May shot me." Tripp: "Man, I wanted to be the one."
Hunter: "So we're even." May (looking at Tripp): "We are." Hunter: "Oh bloody hell."
While Forever still remains based when focused on the Henry and Abe relationship, this week I thought the crime of the week was very interesting too. Not so much the crime itself but the twist of it being a suicide as well as all the flashbacks it brought with it. I like knowing more about Henry's past lives and this gave the show an opportunity to dig deeper into his relationship with Abigail. I was shocked when the woman who inherited it all didn't end up being the daughter of Cranky Granny's lover though.
Grade: B
Best Reason to Watch - the relationships
The "Are You Kidding Me?" Award - How many times do I have to say it. WEAR GLOVES at a freaking crime scene!!!
Most Clueless - Henry
Best Plan - Lucas and the wedding ring biopsy story
Best Twist - suicide
Most Improved - the captain
Best Quotes -
Berkowitz: "We're not afraid of dead bodies. We'll step right over them."
Jo: "The good memories. Those are the ones that hurt the most."
Henry: "Try not to make any more headlines today."
NCIS:NO keeps on keeping on. It's not improving; it's not getting worse. It's just stuck in the middle of Okay Land, 2+ NCIS appearances at a time. I personally think all these unnecessary cameos are hurting the show because all it does is remind me of the characters I already know and love. I think they have now exhausted all of NCIS so I am betting Hetty from NCIS:LA shows up next time. I just won't see it. I have given this show my due diligence of 3 episodes so while I might catch up on it later, it is currently dropped for me.
Grade: C
Best Reason to Watch - Pride is growing on me
Best Scene - the soldier gets to see his dying momma before being hauled to prison
The "You Must be Idiots" Award - the 3 girls just stand there as 3 cons break out in a crash. Get in your car, get going, get on your phone. In that order.
NCIS Appearance - Gibbs and Vance
Best New Addition / The "Welcome Back" Award - Addie, who used to be Kali on Teen Wolf
Supernatural is not going to be weekly TV for me. Not until Jeremy Carver is booted to the curb. However I wanted to see how Demon Dean would be portrayed, so I checked it out early. While I do not follow the Supernatural fandom anymore either, I know there were mixed feelings about it. For me, it was a lot of fun. I came for Demon Dean but I stayed for Awesome Brother Sam. One of the major problems I had with Carver is that in season 8, he threw Sam under a bus and then kept running him over. Season 10 Sam is back on track, and the Dean-Crowley partnership is hilarious. I don't expect even that anymore so woo hoo! I admit I was thrown when we finally got a "Jerk" "B**" combo and it was Crowley instead of Sam, but I was able to roll through it because it was funny. On the negative side, I still do not care one single jot about the angels, who just will NOT go away. I hate Hannah, don't care about Cas' failing health, and wish Metatron was just a bad acid trip. I'm also not sure why we get the morning routine of Random Revenge Guy. I really don't care about him. But I do care about Dean and Sam, and I really like that Sam is giving everything he's got to save Dean from himself.
Grade: B (if I forget that SPN seasons 1-3 ever happened)
Best Reason to Watch - Carver finally beginning to redeem himself for his destruction of Sam in season 8
Most Fun - Demon Dean is really, really enjoying himself
Least Fun - anytime Demon Dean karaokes. Seriously, I was right with the crowd, cringing. Time to pull the plug on him.
Biggest Douche - Demon Dean, by a whole lot
Best Reaction - Sam when he sees Dean's black eyes
Biggest Shock - Demon Dean is really going to just leave Sam
Biggest Huh? - Now it is possible I missed something in my season 9 marathon, but why would Dean need to kill people to stay human? I seem to remember Cain not killing someone for years and doing alright.
Biggest Laugh - Crowley walks in on Dean and Ann Marie post-coitus on his bed and then has to remind Demon Dean to wear pants
Least Heroic - Dean stops Ann Marie's ex from hassling her but then almost beats him to death
Best Character Interaction - Demon Dean and Crowley
Best Snark - Crowley: "Moose, took you long enough. Your brother and I were beginning to wonder if you hit another dog, you know."
The "Just Die Already" Award - Hannah
Best Quotes -
Ann Marie: "Get a room, you two." Crowley: "Had a room until you two soiled it."
Sam: "I don't know how you did this. What kind of black magic stunt you pulled, but hear me, I will save my brother or die trying."
Sam: "I'm going to find you. I'm going to save my brother and then I'm going to kill you dead."
Dean: "You lied." Crowley: "Who do you think you're talking to here?"
Sam: "He's not your pet." Crowley: "My pet? He's my best friend, my partner in crime. They'll write songs about us, graphic novels - the Misadventures of Growley and Squirrel. Dean Winchester completes me and that's what makes you lose your chickens."
This was better than the pilot. It felt less like a string of shock thrills and more like a story. Less torture porn, more psychological intensity. Still the subplots don't work for me. The stalker department cop stalking his ex. The other stalker department cop being stalked by a former case. Both seem unnecessary, especially right from the beginning. If one of them came in the second season, it would be more believable to me. This is another show that I feel would benefit from following a more traditional procedural format for at least one season.
Grade: B-
Best Reason to Watch - creepy chills
The "Well You Certainly Know How to Make an Entrance" Award - every cold open has someone running for their lives from a killer
Smartest - the kid who waits to run and then locks the door behind him and then questions the stranger telling him to open the door. It might not have worked out well, but it was the smart play.
The "Umm, There is Another Victim" Award - While they are comforting the kid and reassuring the kidnapper, they might want to check on the person who is obviously bleeding somewhere else in the house.
Best Music - Be My Little Baby
Best Blow Off - Jack basically tells Janice that she's too hot for him to have drinks with
Another solid episode for Red Band Society, especially since the love triangle was mostly in talk only. Here's hoping it disappears for good. While Kara was doubly obnoxious in this episode, everyone stepped up. I like how Nurse Jackson both takes on Jordi's mom and softens towards her, even if she ends up leaving Jordi high and dry. Mostly though I love all these little hints we keep getting about Jackson's past. First there was Kenji talking about what she gave up. Today there was the moments about Jordi's mom and how much she hated her for giving up her kid. Something big happened and I cannot wait to hear what it is. That is so much more interesting to me than any Homecoming.
Grade: B+
Best Reason to Watch - Nurse Jackson, who makes miracles happen and has really good instincts
Best Character Interaction - Jackson and McAndrew
The "Poor Baby" Award - Jordi. In an episode about the importance of not pitying people, I still feel really, really bad for him.
Biggest Prediction - Jackson has a back story that involves kids of her own and I can't wait to see
Biggest Aww Moment - Leo shows up to make Emma feel better at Homecoming / Leo calls Kara a witch in front of everyone to stop them from pitying her
Most Improved - Brittany, who tells Kara to knock it off or she won't go to Homecoming
The "Say What?" Award - Dash and Jordi play poker for marijuana. How are they always getting access to weed? Shouldn't hospitals have a strict drug accountability policy?
The "Are You Kidding Me?" Award - No high school on the planet would have forced Kara to go to the stage in a wheelchair. None.
Biggest Back Fire - Emma going to Homecoming makes her anorexia worse
Best Music - Nothing Stays the Same by Luke Sital
Best Quotes -
Coma Boy: "The thing about being a hero? You're not supposed to rescue more than one damsel in a night."
Jackson: "We both want the same thing - what's best for Jordi." McAndrew: "I guess he's ours now." Jackson: "He was ours the second he walked through that door."
Leo: "I seriously want to hug you right now." Jackson: "You'll get over it."
Dash: "I'm just wondering who gets the rose on the latest episode of Cancer Bachelor. Is it the Latino heartthrob, Jordi, or the hometown favorite, Leo?"
Kara: "Sell that sunshine somewhere else. We both know that absence does not make the heart go fonder. It just makes people forget about you."
Everything is just getting more and more jacked up on this show and I love it. Just when I think I figured something out, I am blindsided by another twist. I have no idea why anyone on this show does anything, but I am eager to watch the pieces fall together. Let's just say this better have one heck of an ending. I am most intrigued by why Nate lied about Sam's alibi as well as what Rebecca's role in this all is. Keating continues to be a strong, multifaceted character while most of the others, with the exceptions of Connor and Asher, have become intriguing as well. I do think they need to lose the same flashbacks they show every single episode. These recapitations are starting to stall the story. Trust me producers. We will still know it is a flashback because of the lighting, clothing, woods, etc. You don't have to keep showing the coin toss.
Grade: A-
Best Reason to Watch - the mystery keeps getting more intense
Best Twist - the woman who was arrested in the park is actually a fugitive bomber
Most in Need of Therapy - Bomber Mom, like majorly in need of surgery
The "Welcome Back" Award - Jason Gedrick, who was in several of the films of my youth
Most Skilled - Wes, who creates his own fake lawyer ID
Biggest Huh? - Why is Nate telling Keating that her husband's alibi I solid when he knows he lied?
Biggest Plot Device - Michaela loses her ring after burning Sam's body
This becomes the first comedy I drop. There is nothing here for me but Tedward and the van love, one of which won't make it to the end of the episode.
Grade: D
Best Reason to Watch - Tedward / sentencing
Most Relatable - I am a big fan of car love even if it is a hideous 70's van
Biggest Shock - the van got as totaled as totaled can get
The "Welcome Back" Award - Captain Awesome, from Chuck
Best Sentencing - tie - throwing all the paparazzi in jail / sending the attention hound to a convent
Best Quote - Rebecca: "What's the matter? Cat got your hash tag?"
This episode is the story of a guy who already had a date set before he met the girl of his dreams and the funny hijinks that occur because of it. Coincidentally, that is the exact same story plot as Manhattan Love Story this week. MLS did it better, so I am dropping this one. This is way to cutesy for my cynical nature.
Grade: C
Best Reason to Watch - it's very romantic
Best Vocabulary - Stephie, who uses besotted in a sentence
Biggest Gesture - Andrew makes Zelda a souvenir license plate out of several of them
The "Are You Kidding Me?" Award - real people are starting shipping names? Really? Oh kill me now!
Best Reference - War Games, all three times
Most Needy - Andrew, who really needs to chill out
Best Quotes -
Zelda: "I don't need to app stalk him…but keep me updated."
Andrew: "What happened to playing it cool?" Stu: "I'm not a role model."
Stephie: "Even I feel emasculated."
Gracepoint continues to add suspects and I guess that is to be expected, given that it's only the second episode. This time we added Trailer Park Lady, who has Danny's skateboard, Boyfriend who is involved somehow with drugs, the priest because he's a Christian and Hollywood hates Christians, and the dad, who despite overwhelming evidence obviously had nothing to do with it because he's a suspect in the second episode. Probably the best twist for me is the dead boy had $500 in cash hidden in his room. Where does a kid get that kind of money? Now it makes me wonder if Best Friend, who's mom happens to be Detective Miller, is also stashing a wad of cash. In fact, I almost expected her to find some when sleeping in his room. Overall this episode didn't add much but extra suspects and mystery, including the background story of Detective Carter.
Grade: B
Best Reason to Watch - everyone is a suspect like the ads say and everyone is hiding something
Best Character Interaction - the two detectives talking about moral compasses
Biggest Twist - Detective Carver has something medically wrong with him
Most Reassuring - Detective Miller. If I were going to be arrested, I would want it to be by her.
Biggest Awww Moment - Beth breaks down in the grocery store
Least Necessary - the psychic angle
Best Quotes -
Gemma: "I'm cutting you off." Ned: "Listen to that. She thinks I'm drunk." Gemma: "Well yeah, you must be from the way you're talking. Alright it's been 40 hours, Ned. That family has just lost their only son. What? You want something to do? You write them a card, send them some flowers, start a collection for Danny's wildlife group. Get a hold of yourself and grieve respectfully. And then when the killers been caught, that boy can be buried, all the tents will come down, and people will come back and they will buy things. But until then, keep your mouth shut and be a decent person."
Carver: "It's a simple truth, Miller. Anybody's capable of murder given the right circumstances." Miller: "No most people have a moral compass." Carver: "Compasses break."
Carver: "I love this, the telephone guy who hears voices."
So what are you dropping so far this season? Anything you are hoping makes it through? How was your TV week?
ReplyDeleteMy TV week was just ok. You know how I felt about Supernatural. Sam and the Dean/Crowley moments were the best reasons to watch for me.
ReplyDeleteSleepy Hollow - I like the addition of Hawley but I thought the writing was a little sloppy. They were just spilling all kinds of supernatural secrets aloud for anyone to hear. Ichabod, as always, saves this show for me with his respect of Abbie, his indignation at the 21st century and his charm. (This episode was also a visual favorite for me as almost all of the outdoor shots were actual Wilmington. The buildings, streets and my favorite place, the riverwalk.)
Dropping until winter break - The Blacklist, Arrow (depending on how I like tomorrows episode) SOA, NCIS, NCIS LA, Criminal Minds. I like all of these better as a mini-marathon.
Honestly, Supernatural, Sleepy Hollow and The 100 will be the only shows that I know I won't miss unless I have no choice. All others can be caught up on later if I miss an episode. I really hope The 100 premieres to good ratings. I'm a little worried. Wednesday's are tougher than I thought.
Dropping for good - Gotham. It's not horrible, it just doesn't make me want to watch.
Thanks for this article. I have to say, The Flash is the only pilot so far this season that I remotely plan to keep up with.
My tv week was pretty good.
ReplyDeleteStrongest for me and the shows I look forward to the most each week is agents of shield and legend of Korra, that latter had the most incredible cliff hanger and now it's all I'm waiting for this week. Shield also continues to impress me by going from high to high.
Arrow and flash were pretty good as well. As I pilot, the flash did impress me and you're right, it's impossible not to love grant gustins Barry. But I'm not loving those young star lab scientists just yet. I enjoyed arrow too, everythig except the Oliver/felicity stuff which I was not sold in at all. But diggle have te baby was heartwarming.
Brooklyn 9 9 has been a consistent high, both last season and so far this season and last weeks episode was no different. I can never pick a stand out character each episode because they are all so different yet all so funny.
How to get away with murder is also going strong and I'm enjoying the mysteries and Annalise is amazing. I'm not loving Wes yet though. He's a little too quiet for me.
Gotham I've also been really enjoying. I think the penguin is such an interestingness character and I can't wait to see him play out. Bruce has really been growing on me and Gordon is great too. The only downfall is his girlfriend and the detective who had a secret relationship. The whole thing just feels stale. But the balloon man was great
Onto the not so great.
Supernatural. Honestly I think i only still watch it because of how incredible the first few seasons were. And that I love Sam and dean and hope that one day it will go back to that. There wasn't much I liked about this except for Sam being awesome and taking initiative (which it never made sense that he didn't do in season 8). But I hated Crowley saying the bitch jerk line. That is Sam and deans line and that felt so wrong. And if the angel storyline doesn't end next episode honestly I'm going to year my hair out its so boring. And it was the dullest season opener we've ever had.
Once upon a time I don't even know why I still watch. I hate almost every character and now they're destroying frozen, which I absolutely love. Yet I feel compelled to keep watching.
What I've dropped:
Originals and vampire diaries were gone before this new season even started. I'll probably pick vampire diaries back up again one day. Maybe. I don't know. My sister says she'll make me.
I've also dropped the blacklist. And it's currently on the bottom of the "I'll watch if I get time list"
Sleepy hollow and scorpion I both enjoyed but just literally do not have time for them so they're on my catch up over the break. Thankfully semester finished next week and my time will be free again to watch everything!!!
I'm still behind but that's because I still can't bring myself to drop anything more than NCIS:NO. Was a good week though from what I have seen...
ReplyDeleteResurrection
Grandma is SUPER shady! She literally knows where the bodies were buried. I seem to remember a story from S1 about some people dying at the factory during a flash flood but now I can't remember who that was (or maybe that was another show and I'm getting it confused!). Don't think Netflix has S1 streaming yet but as soon as it comes out, gonna have to rewatch the last few episodes...I think it was one of the returned people that was telling the story so I'm thinking Grandma had previous knowledge of people being returned before. Since Bellemy is now on life #3, I'm assuming there were others back then too???
The Flash
Sooooo glad that Joe found out about Barry's powers right away - not so happy that they are intending to drag it out with Iris though. Don't like her BF either...he's just off. Definitely a douche but more than that..just a little to smooth. He's up to something. And Harrison with the newspaper and btw I can walk? WTF? Can't wait for the next episode (I liked the pilot better than Arrow's S3 premiere).
Cristela
I liked this better than you did but I did spend quite a bit of the time wondering how they got some of that past the censors! The exchanges between Cristela, her sister and her mother were my favorite.
Scorpion
I liked that Paige stood up to Toby when she had found something important. Toby annoys me the most out of the entire cast so it was extra gratifying for "the normal" to put him in his place. I really like this show and will keep watching - however, they do need to stop showing up at school after they've been blown up and covered in blood (their own or someone else's).
Agents of SHIELD
This season has been great so far. Very happy that they didn't just fix up Fitz with some alien tech and move on. The scene where he found Ward was so well acted but I agree that the security on Ward needs to be a bit better, they are one blown fuse from his escape. I love that Simmons is branching out beyond the lab. May shooting Hunter was hilarious and the idea that Tripp (and probably Skye) still have some revenge coming his way is great...adds some lightness.
Supernatural
Haven't watched the episode. Was too scared to! I will eventually get caught up but it will likely be over the winter break.
Red Band Society
Love this show. This episode was another great one....I was surprised when Jordi's mom bailed on him again. Thought the whole thing was going to show that Jackson can be wrong especially when it hits close to home (can't wait to see that back story either). Unfortunately, I don't know that we are going to get a chance to see that back story with the ratings as they are.
Sleepy Hollow
More great one-liners from Ichabod but I agree that this episode was a little slow. Too much talky talk, not enough monsters...and they should have let Jenny shoot the Captain.
Glad to see you enjoyed the episode I mentioned, Dahne!
ReplyDeleteAs for your concerns about pacing, that was definitely a game changer for sure, but the amount of things that happen in any given episode of TGW (especially since that episode) barely leave you with a moment to breathe. (I have since started reviewing season 6, and even after simplifying it, my reviews are rather lengthy and complicated in order to get to everything).
I haven't dropped any shows yet this season. Still debating on Gotham.
ReplyDeleteI'm most worried for Forever right now. I'd really love another season. Resurrection is a concern too after last week's ratings, but it's not one of my favorite shows so...yeah. It has been quite interesting this season. I love the mystery but I hope this season answers a few questions.
Supernatural - I'm surprised with this rating. Usually you're more critical than me, and normally I don't grade episodes. But this episode was a D for me.
Sam was the best part of the episode and I laughed at the pants scene too. The bi*ch/jerk between Dean and Crowley was a nono, I didn't like the karaoke either, and while Dean apparently enjoyed himself at the end of the episode it seemed that in reality Dean was just masking inner conflict - same as usual but darker. Plus, from what I've heard the writers might be pushing a Castiel/Hannah ship. If that's correct the writers are barking up the wrong tree because not only do I not care much for Hannah, there is not really any chemistry there, imo. And this is from a person who "loves love" (to quote Cupid).
Special Mention
Once Upon A Time - I rate an A-, generously. I think I'm actually starting to get into this Frozen theme. Even watched the movie today. It's taken me a bit to warm up (ironic statement unintended) to this plot line but Elsa's selling me.
Madam Secretary has definitely become better since the pilot. Subsequent episodes have been way better so I'd advise you to watch them first before dropping it.
ReplyDeleteI dropped Gotham (for now) directly after the Pilot. To me, it is currently the weakest of all the superhero shows. Ironically, Agents of Shield is currently my fav, and this episode had me on the edge of my seat. The Fitz storyline is the best they managed so far, easily.
ReplyDeleteSo...am I free now to nominate the second season of Vikings, or and episode from the third of Sherlock?
You will cover White Collar when it is back, right?
I've dropped Homeland , I have learnt from my mistake with previous Showtime series which started brilliantly and then went bad (Dexter, Weeds) and I just don't think Homeland will ever match its fantastic debut season.
ReplyDeleteI am clinging onto Gotham due to my loyalty to all things Batman but it really needs to improve and fast.
I am only watching Sons of Anarchy because its the final season, wish I had given up after S5.
Really though I ended up picking up a bunch of new shows this week, I'm catching up on S1 of Review with Forrest MacNeil , I am kind of enjoying both Selfie and A-Z (though with my track record with comedies this year they will be cancelled) and I'm watching Transparent in slow time as well. Also got totally addicted to the Australian conspiracy thriller The Code which is airing in the UK. Oh and The Affair started and I'm already really into it.
I can't decide concerning Arrow...I am inclined to drop it for now, but I guess it would make sense to watch it in tandem with The Flash. But I don't really want to. I am not sure if I can ever get over what they did to Sara (And I am saying it outright: I wish it had been Laurel instead!).
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty much with you on the drop list.
ReplyDeleteIt pains me to be considering dropping Arrow. It was SO good from S1.5-S2.5 but after that point it became a chore to watch. Tonight's episode is going to seal the deal for me. If it sucks I am out. The Flash more than fills the void Arrow would be leaving in my watch schedule.
I may be done with Supernatural for good. That premiere episode was everything I expected and nothing I hoped for.
I'll catch up with Gotham after mid-season to see if it gets any better. The guy playing Gordon ruins the show for me right now.
That was my turning point in Arrow as well. Once we got the Maury Povitch moment with a should-still-be-dead Merlyn, I was done. I still hope it goes back to its premise but I doubt it ever will. Here's hoping Flash will continue to be vastly entertaining. I will never, ever trust a Carver-led Supernatural so until he's ousted it remains on my backburner. Same with Gotham, which is just too antihero and depressing for me to enjoy. I have a feeling when I pick this back up again, it won't be for long.
ReplyDeleteSPN - I adored Sam in this episode and Dean and Crowley made me laugh. Other than that, I'm meh about it. Sorry the second episode didn't appeal to you either. When I do pick it up, I am FF everything that involves angels for sure. I no longer have to put up with that nonsense.
ReplyDeleteSleepy Hollow - I talked about the mystical genre "cone fo silence" thing in the podcast too. It bugs me to no end when genre characters with a secret talk openly about the supernatural where anyone can hear. Can't wait to see your pictures of shooting sites. What i saw already was really cool.
The 100 - I have high hopes for word of mouth to help The 100 out. It might be optimistic but this show deserves to stand on its own and not int eh shadow of what people perceive the CW to be.
My favorite pilot so far has to be Scorpion. Then How to Get Away with Murder and The Flash.
I'm not looking forward to watching Sara die either. I guess it was expected but that character rocked before they turned her into yet another love triangle.
ReplyDeleteGlad you are sticking with the shows you've picked up, at least for now. I am really worried about Red Band Society and now Forever. Everything else feels safe.
ReplyDeleteScorpion - I also love that Paige and Gallo are a real part of the team. i couldn't stand if Paige was just the outsider or the butt of all the jokes, so I like what they have done with her character so far. I am actually shocked that Gallo is part of the team so quickly instead of the source of contention. It's a switch to the cliche and one of my favorite things abotu the show. I also love the balance between drama, action, and comedy.
The Flash - I think we come at comic book stories from a different angle. I agree that common sense and logic weren't given a starring role in the pilot, and to be honest i expect that continue. I find that to be true of most comic book shows, so I will likely overlook all but the worst of it. I also didn't mind the acting most of the time and one of the reasons I really liked it was because it was so light. I guess I am just tired of depressing shows with antiheroes. I do think that The Flash does have some issues, including an unrequited love story that is the start of yet another CW triangle. I also think that the metahuman stuf has a tendency to get cheesy really fast and I have a feeling that the villains are going to be in line with Arrow, the weakest link. If that is true then the freak of the week formula may get old fast.
SHIELD - I don't need Ward redeemed but I won't hate it if he is. I just think they will lose a much richer story. I also loved Simmons return and a better story for her. Right now I think teh new people are slowing becoming my favorites so that's exciting as well. Well except for May, because she's always my favorite.
Stalker - Part of my problem with this show is also that I really don't care about any of the characters yet because they are trying so hard to shock us into tuning into teh show. Cheap thrills do nothing for me.
OUaT - So glad that the Frozen theme is working for you. I don't watch the show but it is great when fans are enthused.
Hmm, I have never seen Legends of Korra. Is that animated? I think I liked the secondarycast in Flash partly because I liked the actors in other things. It remains to be seen whether that will continue or not. I think Wes is going to turn out diabolical in HtGAwM because of the toss-off "quiet ones" line before. He could end up out-manipulating all of them, unless that is Rebecca's role. I think I am the only one not loving Penguin on Batman. Maybe it's because I don't have a comic book background. I agree that the past lovers thing is eyerolling.
ReplyDeleteSupernatural will forever have a place in my heart. I have rewatched the first three seasons probably more than all other rewatched shows combined because it is my TV home. I agree that this is how Sam should have been in season 8 and to be honest, if he had I would still be watching it weekly today. I can definitely understand people hating the "Jerk." "B**" line because that is the brothers' thing. It should have been used throughout all seasons more regularly. As for angels, I've decided they no longer exist for me in the SPN world. I'm happier that way.
The Blacklist was one that i struggled to get watched in time as well. It makes for one great marathon show though. Even if I am not watchign weekly I am still excited about it. I hope youget caught up on Scorpion as your time becomes your own because I am interested in your opinion on it.
Resurrection - I am hoping that Grandma becomes even more shady because she is the best mystery going on for me right now in a show that is brimming with mystery. I wonder if she was as concerned about the factory being abandoned and tarnishing their family name as she was about someone finding out it was a makeshift gravesite as well. I remember the flash flood deaths too. I thought it was the African American family from the thirties though. I definitely am going to need to rewatch season 1 in hiatus to remember everything.
ReplyDeleteFlash - I think my biggest problem with Iris is that she seems to be only there to play the love interest right now. She's the Laurel on Flash so far without the fan hate. I hope there is more to her character than just unrequited love because that's so boring. I have no idea what's up with Harrison but he has me intrigued. Let's hope Flash can keep up the pace and humor. If so, i think they have a real winner at the CW.
Cristela - My biggest problem is Cristela herself. If you are living at someone else's house, you really should be grateful so I hated her attitude. I agree about teh censor stuff. That boss is a real piece of work.
Scorpion - I don't mind Toby because he brings the snark, btu I do think they need to tone him way, way down because he gets obnoxious fast.
SHIELD - "they are one blown fuse from his escape." BWAH! I actually hope they do this. It would be funny and I am sure Coulson would have a great quip. I am enjoying the much lighter tone of SHIELD. In some ways it reminds me of Sleepy Hollow because it isn't afraid to make fun of itself and I think all comic book shows need that to be taken seriously.
Supernatural - Don't get me wrong. It was not at all on par with the first 3 seasons. I was jsut glad that Carver didn't manage to make the characters completely unrecognizable while creating his own canon out of thin air. It could definitely have waited. Crowley snark though is always worth the watch.
Red Band Society - If this gets canceled before I learn Jackson's backstory I am going to be be ticked and I usually don't get emotionally tied during cancelations because it's just business. I find Jackson to be the best part of the show so I am hoping while we are learning about her connection to Coma Boy, it will also delve into why she became a pediatric nurse to begin with.
Sleepy Hollow - I am pro-Jenny shooting New Sheriff as well. It's better when we don't have to go back to the beginning in season 2 and that's what the character feels like.
Thanks for choosing such a great episode to watch. I appreciate your input and I liked it a whole lot more than I ever expected. Glad to hear the pacing is usually pretty brisk and that lawyer-ing remains interesting throughout. I tend to prefer the crime elements of shows more than the legal ones. Not sure people getting slimier is my thing but the characters were definitely interesting. I have put the show on my summer to-watch list, but I have to watch ALIAS first.
ReplyDeleteSPN - I can't imagine Demon Dean is going to play well for long because as much as I like the Winchesters to have some fun, I agree that watching someone karaoke is the opposite of entertaining. I think I liked the Demon Dean scenes mostly because of Crowley to be honest. I doubt SPN will ever get even a fraction of its glory days back but at least it isn't stinking up the network like it did in season 8.
I am worried about Forever too. I have a feeling it will not be with us for very long and that's a shame. The Henry and Abe interactions are my favorite out of all new shows. I thougth Resurrection was still only going to be on until midseason so I wasn't too worried about it, but I could be wrong. I don't see it as a 22 episode a year show. I do hope that they have a good ending planned though because I would hate if it ended and we still don't know why or how the returned came back.
ReplyDeleteSupernatural gets graded on one heck of a curve for me these days. I have completely thrown out the idea that it will ever be as good as it was and now grade it basically on the Carver scale. In order for an episode to be good, I have to recognize the characters, not spend my whole time eye rolling the canon debacle, and not throw more than one basket of socks at the screen. To say my expectations are low is an understatement. The fact that I laughed in this episode gave it bonus points and Sam finally acting like Sam again threw it into the stratosphere for the Carver years. It's like he finally got around to watching the early seasons. I too think Dean should go darker before being redeemed. Quite frankly, I am surprised he didn't beat the stalker ex to death.
There was no seaosn 8 episode even worthy of being remembered for me although there are some that didn't embarass the Kirpke legacy as much as others. However there might have been a couple episodes in season 9 that were better in this one for me. Mostly it comes down to Sam being awesome and that's all I need. I had to laugh about the idea of Cas and Hannah because that will royally tick off a huge chunk of the fandom. Ha! I totally agree about Cas getting thrown under the bus inthis episode (instead of Sam) because he should have stood up for their ability to choose, but since I don't care about Cas I remained unfazed.
OUaT - I actually loved Frozen. It was the first Disney movie I've seen in a long time where I voluntarily watched it again even with no children around. Love the "warm up" bit too.
Thanks. I tend to dislike political shows so that has a lot to do with my wanting to drop it. I will give it another 2 episodes though since it has improved. It won't happen until hiatus though.
ReplyDeleteOh, I wrote this before I finished the episode. I loved Sam here too! I loved DD, I loved Crowley and I most especially loved the Crowley/Lonely Girl moment. I just wanted to hug him. During the Hannah/Cas/Metatron scenes, I just stayed on Twitter with my headphones on.
ReplyDeleteI've always though Jensen was one of the best at expressive acting, his facial expressions and eyes say so much, but that look he gave Sam in the Impala last night gave me chills. He's doing a good job with this.
Yep, all shows are open for renomination now. I really hope that Vikings is randomly picked because I need to make time for that show. I have gotten so busy that even this summer when I planned on getting caught up was just too crammed. I am, of course, doing White Collar. It will be can't miss TV. I will also be recapping it for SpoilerTV instead of just reviewing it here. I can't believe it is going to be the end, but oh what a great ride it has been.
ReplyDeleteSHIELD - I think you are right about Ward and I wish they would go that way. I don't need an excuse-spewing Ward, but if they are going to redeem his character in the future, I do need someone to be sympathetic to him and point these things out. He has a long way to go with the SHIELD group so maybe one of the new people will be assigned to him and they can start bonding. It won't be enough to feed them information on Hydra. We need to see someone getting to know his whole story and forgiving him so the audience can find that cartharsis as well.
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ReplyDeleteSome networks you just know when to pull the plug. Sorry Showtime keeps letting you down. I haven't heard of Transparent or The Code so I will try to track those down. Thanks. I am watching The Affair this weekend, but mostly for Joshua Jackson.
ReplyDeleteI haven't gotten to a single Doctor Who episode this season so it is on my marathon list as well. I am interested to see Capaldi's take. I am a huge Tennant fan and didn't care for Matt Smith so I guess I am a bit leery. Plus he's pretty much cemented in my mind as the Cardinal right now. It's going to be weird watching The Musketeers without him.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure why they didn't think of gravity either but I loved the whole weather baloon twist. It was clever in a way that comic book shows rarely are to me when it comes to villains. I also liked how the "villain" was more sympathetic than the victims. I am one who believes that a hero show is only as good as its villains and giving the Balloonman a sympathetic reasoning worked well in my opinion.
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ReplyDeleteI was surprised at my desire to watch the premiere too. I never expected to review Supernatural again, but the idea of Demon Dean was too tempting to not check out at least. If it had sucked for me, I wouldn't have included it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for shedding light on that quote. You are right that I have been avoiding the fandom jsut as much as Carver. I am not at all surprised to find out that Carver had nothing to do with one of the best lines from season 9. Of course it was someone who actually knew the character. Kudos to Jared for making SPN more like itself again. Sometimes I think Jared and Jensen should get final script approval since they obviously know the characters better than evryone else put together. I have no idea what Carver is ever thinking and it's even sadder if he is reading the scripts because then he just does not understand the two most important characters on his show. I remember that exchange between Dean and Sam although like you, not word for word since I no longer transcribe any of the show. You would think the showrunner would at least know the big elements and not use social media to keep abreast fo things. And yeah, I have no idea where the idea of Sam accepting Dean's death comes from. For me, he threw Sam under the bus in season 8 and has been driving over him ever since. I am glad he's at least correcting that because a Protective Sam is awesome.
Thanks for checking out the colum. I hope you keep sharing your TV thoughts/info with us.
I have actually been watching Mysteries of Laura on and off so I am caught up with it. It has a formula where when the kids are mostly mute and the ex-husband generally out of the way, it is good. When they get more than 3 minutes of screentime each, it isn't. Madam Secretary is politically based and usually that is not a good combination for me. The last political show I liked was The West Wing and I only watched it for a few years. I will give MS two more episodes though because people are saying it improved and I would like to see Tea Leoni succeed. I completely understand about TV shows getting muddled. It seems like I watch so much these days that one runs into another and I have to read my notes to remember which was which.
ReplyDeleteFlash - I didn't have any preconceived notions about Gustin before seeing him on Arrow, and I think that was a good thing. I actually think he is a better actor than Amell was at the beginning of Arrow. Amell has grown a lot in 2 seasons, all credit to him. I think that they specifically wanted Barry to be the anti-Arrow and for me he makes a more compelling character. I alos be like my heroes with less angst and less rage. I am very curious though to see if Barry will remain a likeable guy or if he will grow increasingly dark as the show progresses. I hope he stays light because then the show will be able to as well. It needs to not take itself to seriously, a la Sleepy Hollow, so that I can scoff at the premise and move on from logic leaps too. I actually did not like the Oliver cameo because it felt too much like a self-congratulatory fanfest and wasn't really needed. I hope that further crossovers are more a part of the actual story instead of the obligatory appearance like they are doing on NCIS:NO. i am jsut as intrigued by Harrison as you are though. What an ending.
Cristela - They need to make the main character more empathetic for me and not so ungrateful. I agree that the un-PC boss was good at the beginning but he's one of those characters that is only good in tiny doses.
Scorpion - I hope there is more of them taking initiative in cases again. It seems to fit their personalities.
Gotham - That was one heck of a cliffhanger. I am not enthralled with Penguin like everyone else but it did shock me that of all the places he could have shown up, he did so at Gordon's. The Balloonman was awesome and my favorite part of the episode.
Forever - Lucas is rapidly climbing my list of favorite new characters. He's loveable and oh so funny. He gets all the best lines and I like how he was so earnest about putting things right. The suicide completely shocked me and that is saying something given how many crime procedurals I have seen. Almost as much as the Cold Case episode were the person who was accused in the first 3 minutes actually committed the crime. I like when procedurals throw little twists like that in.
Stalker - I am having a problem with McDermott's character so it may be the clunky dialogue you mentioned. Plus I think his storyline is ovely hokey. I want to like Stalker but I'm not sure it's going to happen.
Blacklist - Yeah, they do need to come up with a better tactic. It's old now. I like it more when Red is in situations far beyond his control and he has to rely on someone else, like when he needed Elizabeth to free the money to save his ex-wife. That actually had tension which this scenario did not.
NCIS - Ducky-centered episode? I will definitely have to check this out instead of waiting. I jump on all Ducky and Abbie-centered episodes.
Arrow - Ugh. I was going to try to watch the premiere this weekend, but now I think i will wait until midseason. I have zero interest in Olicity. Zero.
Glad the episode turned around for you and even more glad that Sam still rocks. I don't trust Carver so it wouldn't suprise me if he did a 180 and decided that Sam did not care anymore. Looking forward to more Crowley time and I agree that Jensen is always awesome. I am surprised that Sam and Dean are reunited already but I guess I shouldn't be. SPN fans do not tolerate separated brothers. At least Carver knows that. Twittering through the angels sounds like a mighty fine plan. Why in the world would they waste another second on Metatron?
ReplyDeleteBiggest TV shock of the week for me - Selfie, Manhattan Love Story, and Forever get 3 more scripts ordered. Doesn't mean there will be 3 more episodes, but it makes me more hopefull than it was before. At least they can do some wrap up.
ReplyDeleteLook forward to it. I can't believe it either, I really will miss the show. I just hope that they manage a decent if not outstanding final. But it is way too early (and it is rare that I say that about any TV show, even those I still really like by cancellation).
ReplyDeleteAre the shows which were nominated but never got picked still on the list? I remember nominating an episode of Missing, but I don't think that it ever got picked.
It took me a long while Capaldi as Doctor, I was too used to him in other roles too I think and this season also started with my two least favourite set of characters in which really didn't help either. He is very much a hark back to a Classic series Doctor in many ways, a bit of an a$$ at times and sometimes cold, but there's a subtle arc there so it's worth sticking with. It wasn't until halfway through when he went undercover as John Smith that I really started to warm to him, mainly due to Capadli's talents as a comedian, and esp in these last two adventures I really am behind him in the role.
ReplyDeleteIt's going to be odd not having him in Musketeers, Ryan Gage especially worked so well with him as a double act, again because of their comic timing. I'm hoping that King Louis still has that side to him in S2 as it's something that I really enjoyed. It looks as though Anne will have Constance and a new cast member around her at court, but there isn't much word on who the King will be spending much of his time with unfortunately.
Yeah, completely agree with you on Gotham, and like you say it also gave Bruce his first spark on his way to becoming Batman which was interesting to see. Batman has always been my favourite of the superheroes, he's a little bit grouchy and very cynical, which is difficult for a child actor to do successfully tbh, they aren't doing too badly with that in this so far. Having the son of a Doctor as a mentor must be a good thing ;) lol
I don't think I've ever disliked a character on this show more than Metatron. Maybe of any of my shows. He is like a troll. Greedy, spoiled, petulant and entitled. I like villains you love to hate or root for. Him, I just want to forget he ever was.
ReplyDeleteI don't usually do political shows but MS is decent. To me, MoL will always be the show that decided to have kids urinate on each other. Can't get over that.
ReplyDeleteFlash: I doubted that Gustin would be good. But he was great on Arrow and he was great here. Yep, I agree Amell has come a long way since the pilot. I think the show will stay quite light. There's no need for it to not. It's been very well-recieved as is, so why change a winning formula? Ending to the second ep was even better than the first, too.
Gotham: What is it about the Penguin that you don't like?
Forever: Lucas is to Forever what Jimmy is to NCIS. Just even funnier. All the characters are great, though, so it's hard to pick between.
Stalker: I have no issues with his story - I think it's a nice twist. But his character is coming off as far, far too creepy.
Blacklist: Yep. And, I dunno if you'd agree, but I feel there has been a lot less Spader this year than last year.
Arrow: I have no interest in shipping nor do I have an interest in ship hating, per se, but when it gets in the way of the story and/or brings the episode down, that's when I get frustrated. That's what happened. But it was ok. 3.02 was superb, too.
And dragged out a subplot that never needed to be there in the first place. I am even good with villains I would never root for liek Alastair because he was so creepy. Metatron was too much like Lucifer (pre-Hellucination Lucifer) for me. A crybaby with too much power on his hands.
ReplyDeleteNope, I started a new list completely so nothing from last season is on it. I will go back to it if there aren't enough nominations this year. Last season there were 271 nominations from January alone so sorry if I didn't get to yours. Blame it on the random number generator. :-)
ReplyDeleteI always said that I liked Felicity as a character and didn't need to see her as Oliver's love interest at all. So when the writers should go that route, they better do it right and not dicking Felicity around. She is a too good character to be wasted on a will they won't they plot.
ReplyDeleteSo what did the writers do? Make her relationship to Oliver the only storyline she got in season 2 and then dicking her around. Yeah, well done.
I am actually not sure what bothered me more about this episode, this or what they did to Sara. It doesn't matter. It's Friday now and I still feel no desire to watch the next episode Arrow.
yeah korra is an animated series. it's a spin off/follow up series to avatar the last air bender.
ReplyDeletei've never seen any of the flash actors in other things except for their cameos in arrow so for me they're all new.
hmmmm i see what you're saying about wes and his actions these last two episodes does show he may be heading that way.
i don't have a comic book background either (although superhero movies are my favourite genre, i've never actually read a comic book). i'm just really liking the character and the portrayal, he freaks me out which i find so compelling.
i wish i could pretend the angels didn't exist. but they just get worse with every episode. so very much worse. i'm scared to back to season 4 and see how much better it was coz i don't think i could return to this season if i did. it's hard enough to keep watching as it is.
one week left of essays and then i'm free till january (where i'm coming to study on exchange to america!!!!) so i'll be able to catch up on scorpion and maaaaaaybe blacklist then so i'll keep you posted.