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First allow me to apologize for not posting a review last week. I was out of town for work and didn’t get to watch the episode until later in the weekend.
This week I had a different problem, anxiety over the subject matter of the new episode. The title and the promos made it sound like another misogyny fare along the same lines of 9.08. Imagine my surprise when I finally sat down to watch and got a mythology episode instead.
This episode was leaps and bounds better than the last three. The writing was stronger (heads up Robert Berens) and it concluded two of the dangling storylines, thus moving the so far stagnant plot marginally forward. It also revealed the reason I so far have been underwhelmed with season 10, something I like to call "The Story of Others.” I'll get to it in Gripe #2.
Gripe #1 - The Title
As I said, the title of this episode threw me off and made me reluctant to watch it. Supernatural has had a long history of mishandling its female characters and since Carver has come along - with the exception of Sheriff Jody Mills - the show has constantly marginalized them to either villains or sex objects. The success of Sheriff Mill's character should have been a clue to the writers that people like female characters who are treated like humans, not vehicles to remind us the boys still have libidos.
But back to the title, that's another plague that has struck our beloved show in recent years. When in the past the titles of episodes used to be adaptations of classic rock songs, or classic movies, recently they resemble punchlines to jokes. I fail to understand why this episode was called something that fits better as a neon sign above a strip joint. The "girls" part of the episode was mostly fluff, perhaps a ruse to draw more male viewers to a show that is inarguably devoid of women. To call it after that was either to throw us off - running the risk of also alienating us - or a tired attempt to remind us there are indeed females in the Supernatural universe (if for no other reason than sex) and that the boys' manly urges aren't on sabbatical.
Gripe #2 - Sam and Dean and the stories of others
Here is the big one, and where the season has failed me. While season 8 made me angry for misrepresenting Sam, and season 9 did the same with Dean, this season has just been…there. Even the mythology episodes produce no emotional response in me, except perhaps boredom. After this episode I at least know why.
The main characters for whom I watch the show are not players in their own stories, they play supporting roles in other people's stories.
Since the Demon Dean storyline was resolved Sam, Dean and Castiel have been chasing various plots. While those plots keep them tied up, if one pays close attention they would realize that in none of them the stakes are actually stacked against them. Since the beginning of the season Castiel has been a support character in Hannah's story (a fact that became evident in this episode, then promptly changed thanks to all the TV gods,) while Sam and Dean have been touring random story land.
Even in season 1, a season mostly comprised of one-off stories, the central storyline of the show - the spine that the entire season was attached to - was a Winchester story. Their missing father had to be found and the Yellow Eyed Demon had to be stopped. This main plot underscored every fluff story they stuffed into that season.
What about this season? Let's look at what the boys have been doing since Dean was freed of his demon curse. They helped Kate with her sharp toothed sibling problem, watched a high school musical, went to a party of Bobby's relatives, grappled with a witch and had a throw down with Cole. The only storyline that remotely resembled mythology was the witch one, and based on what we saw in the last bit of this episode, that isn’t a Winchester story either, it’s Crowley’s.
Will the Winchesters get tangled with it in some way in the future? Considering Rowena got away I'd say it’s a possibility. But also considering how quick this season has been wrapping up its plots, and how unlikely it seems to make Rowena's story emotionally connected to the brothers, and more than a witch hunt, I don't see a Sam and Dean suffused future for this season any time soon.
Of course there is always the possibility to lightswitch things by dousing Sam with another bucket of Hellhound juice, or giving Dean another mark on top of the dormant one he already has, to create a newly minted Winchester mythology without much buildup. But would that really resonate with viewers as much as a season long storyline would? Or would it feel like the showrunners are continually pulling the emotional foothold out from under the viewers' feet and replacing it with another one, then demanding that we care?
Gripe #3 - Rowena's dialogue
Allow me to get my minor gripe with Rowena’s character out of the way before I get to the next major gripe of this season. When Rowena first appeared in this episode I instantly liked her. She gave off a Crowley-esque vibe which the accent accentuated. The actress had a certain pizzazz about her and she played the character with the right mix of quirkiness and evil.
Sadly it got spoiled when her dialogue sloped toward bad exposition. It started when she bemoaned the fact that others had ostracized her as punishment for turning toward dark arts (giving me Harry Potter visions.) This of course was information intended for us, the viewers, not those girls sitting across from her whom I can't find a reason for Rowena to care about.
The other time was when Rowena fled with the brunette to the back alley and, when confronted about leaving the other girl behind, admitted that she didn't give a fig about the blonde and had sacrificed her to get away. What smart villain would say that, except one who aimed to communicate to the viewers just how evil she was? Whenever a character says something that is meant for us instead of the character who's in the scene, we've entered bad exposition territory.
Gripe #4 -The Angel Mythology Snafu
This episode saw the end of Hannah's story, to which I said 'good riddance' because that's one less boot stomping the already ground to goop angel mythology. I don't even know what purpose her character served before this episode. Certainly, for me, her shenanigans to either get into Castiel's pants, or marry him and have his babies, or experience humanity through him, or just add more awkward, unneeded, sexual undertone to a concept that, for all intents and purposes, was completely allergic to it, were becoming irritating.
The show's utter failing of the angel mythology goes beyond Hannah. They addressed the vessel issue this episode and that reminded me how I had pushed it to the back of my mind closet in order to not get ruffled by the latest seasons. However, since this episode brought the subject up, I'm obligated to pull those issues out of the closet and place them on the counter for debate.
First, the mechanics of angel possession. In The Rapture we saw how Castiel had to search for a human vessel that was right for him and who had, due to his pre-emptive devotion to God, the appropriate workings to be coerced. Even then he had to court that vessel for what seemed like a long time in order to get his full consent. Consent has been a key element in angels possessing humans to appear on screen in their skin, an issue that has been largely ignored since Carver took over the show and upended Heaven.
Another issue is the excess of sexual intimation involving angels. When Castiel and his brethren first appeared on the show, they seemed mostly celibate, a trait that seems relevant because most of them looked very uncomfortable in their human suits. There were exceptions like Gabriel and Balthazar, but the fact that they went overboard in their exhibition of sexual prowess hinted it was more performance than anything truly carnal. Personally I prefer to think of angels as asexual because I have a problem with good creatures inhabiting bodies and using them to get jollies. I believe it's obvious why there is no consent in these cases. The initial agreement, as shown in The Rapture, was for the angel to employ the body toward furthering God's cause, not to tumble in hay with each other or another human.
Because of Carver's neglect of most of this I had hand-waved the idea of vessel taking and almost convinced myself that angels came part and parcel with their bodies, or perhaps the humans they possessed died on contact. By addressing it this episode those questions came to surface and now we have no choice but to wonder if all these angels who fell from Heaven deviated from God’s approved possession process and simply took the bodies of those humans by force. Worse, were they using them toward their own sexual pursuits and satisfaction without the human’s consent? If that's true, and if Jimmy Novak is somehow still alive, then Castiel’s misadventures with Meg, April and Hannah suddenly take on a newer, much uglier meaning.
Gripe #5 – “I’m past saving”
Dean says this while guest starring in Cole’s story. Sam hears it and confronts him about it later. I assume this was added so we get emotional and think this episode touched the boys' storyline in some way. There’s just one problem: Dean says this while guest starring in Cole’s story.
This loops back to gripe #2. It’s an emotional declaration from Dean, and even though it is accompanied by Jensen Ackle’s heartbreaking performance, it still lacks the proper effect, because it isn’t connected to or supported by any current storylines. Dean was saved in 10.03. His demon affliction was cured because of the love he shared with his brother and his best friend. Right now, his brother is all right and at his side, and he hasn’t asked about that best friend since. What reason does he have to think he is past saving other than the writers pulling old strings to feed us angst? Yet they seem to have forgotten that to achieve that emotional punchline you first need to lay the ground work and give your characters something to angst about. You can’t both have your cake and eat it: Spend your time telling stories of secondary and minor characters, then use old dog tricks to make your audience swoon over the main cast.
Kudos: The story of two vessels
It may sound strange that the vessel storyline is both the subject of gripe #4 and that of the kudos. Why did I like it despite all the plot holes it reopened? Because it was a nice piece of continuity to end Hannah’s story and begin Castiel’s new quest. So, ignoring all the plot holes, I am glad the writers chose this path for the two of them, reaching back to old Supernatural mythology instead of pulling something new out of the hat that ran the risk of damaging canon.
Hannah put me through a roller coaster this episode. First I despised her because of the full frontal she subjected Castiel to, then I hated her for putting on a show in front of Caroline’s husband, using the poor woman’s body without her consent to emotionally scar her husband. Until then I’d only considered Hannah a comedic nuisance, but after that I was torn between wanting her to die a gruesome death, and fearing that death because it would most likely result in Castiel moping over her for the rest of the season.
Thankfully none happened. For once the writers chose the actions-have-consequences route. Hannah, as it appeared, did have a shred of humanity in her and felt bad about what she had done. This was good storytelling because it involved an internal struggle and meaningful character growth. It was much better than her primary story of falling in love/lust with Castiel for no discernible reason. At least here we could connect her actions to something tangible that had happened: She went against her righteous core and it tormented her so much she decided to make it right at the cost of losing her physical body. Moreover she triggered an internal conflict in Castiel that propelled him toward a quest of his own, causing more continuity to roll out.
I’m excited to find out what happened to Jimmy’s family. It, along with the mystery of his disappearance, is something the show has brushed under the carpet for five seasons. It is time they dug it up and I sincerely hope they don’t ruin it by making short work of it like everything else this season. It will be a good story for Castiel now he's seemingly stuck in his own story lane till the end of the series, or end of Carver’s reign, whichever comes first.
Now if Sam and Dean could also get their own story before the end of the series.
Don’t forget to comment. Thank you as always for reading my review and sharing your thoughts and ideas with me.
Tessa
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Lisa Kudrow in this season of The Comeback has been hysterical. She portrays an actress that was an A - lister back in the 90s and now can barely get recognized. When HBO decided to create a show with her old character Valerie, she took advantage of that and hired a camera crew to follow her around.
In tonight's episode,
-Valerie's show gets some budget cuts and the producer will have to cut some of Valerie's scenes.
-Valerie thinks "well that's not going to happen", so she moved production to her house.
-The production causes tension between Valerie and her husband.
-So they decide to move to one of their rental properties.
-Valerie attends an improv acting class, which was very funny, I'm sure you all could imagine!!
This episode is very funny, there is a big shocking ending, to say the least. So you can't turn off the last few minutes. This has been a great show, I'm glad it's back and I'm glad to see Lisa Kudrow back on TV.
![](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bR-9RfNd98Q/VHPPiZsdJZI/AAAAAAAABOw/L4-CCYikrK8/s1600/me_authorbox.jpg"")
New Girl - Episode 4.09 - Review: "Thanksgiving IV"
All in all, a good holiday-themed episode of New Girl. Nothing as ground breaking for the show like "Background Check", but it's been on a consistently good run for the past few episodes. In my opinion, the show works best when the roommates and Jess work together and try to help each other in their journey to figure out their lives. Obviously, the situation with Ryan was going to be the crux of the episode. Without Jess freaking out in each episode, it wouldn't be New Girl. I get that she is supposed to be lost in her life when it comes to finding someone to love, but it's a little much to see her constantly questioning herself. She could be a strong female character if she just stepped up and acted on her feelings. By the end of the episode she did take Nick's advice, but it seems like it's just the right thing to do at the moment. Things with Ryan won't last because eventually Jess will fear for losing her job or Ryan losing his job.
I thought it was fun to see Nick and Schmidt duel over Cece and Lucy. Schmidt's feelings for Cece are definitely going to be addressed, either during the mid-season finale or at the start of next year's run of episodes. I also feel like Nick may eventually fall for Jess again, or vice-versa. With two former lovers living in such close proximity, it's only a matter of time for it to happen again and I'm sure everyone will take a collective sigh. We hate to see it happen, but we know it's got to happen eventually.
Nick meeting Tran's granddaughter, Coach arm-wrestling, and the ridiculous timing of Jeff arriving culminated in a sweet ending for the loft. The music close-out may be a little cliched, but I think the episode warranted it with everyone having a fun end to the night. I do believe next week is the mid-season finale titled "LAXmas" where the gang plans trips to go home for the holidays, but ends up stranded at the airport. Tune in next week at 9PM to see if any of the relationship issues are brought up on an all-new New Girl.
Memorable Quotes:
"Plus he's British, so you know the sex will be weirdly polite." - Coach
"Why didn't you tell me you were setting me up with one of the guardians of the galaxy!" - Coach
Who could have ever imagined that the most
awkward way to get his Grimm powers back would have been to turn Juliette into
Adalind and sleep with Nick like the Hexenbeist did? I guess the very first
minutes of this fifth episode of Grimm were a little funny to me. Mostly because Trubel’s
face when she’s listening to Elizabeth’s plan. While Rosalee and Monroe try to
make Nick and Juliette comfortable about this, Trubel only points out her
sarcastic comment - by speaking the truth: the spell needs to be done.
Also, poor Wu. When Nick and Hank are being called on the crime scene, he talks about a ‘wolf’ who scared a woman, Ava. At this point he says he’s ready to believe to everything. What his friends don't know, Wu is closer to know the truth, and I'd say finally.
Nick and Hank investigate on Ava Diaz, a rich
heir woman being driven to madness by her Luison, a kind of Sud-American Wesen.
Everybody says she’s mental instable, but Nick, Hank and Renard think it’s her
husband, Gabriel, to be the real Luison. Renard wants Theresa on the case too,
but Nick declines since he doesn’t want her to her more involved.
But our former Grimm has some other troubles to handle: Josh calls him telling some guys are looking for him; he wants to get rid of the rest of his Grimm’s father, then he mentions a key. It turns out, the Luison case is more stranger than it seems, when Gabriel and his twin brothers are involved. Three identical twins! In the end, Ava finds out her husband did all this for the money. Her sentences about "monsters" matches with Nick's reply "Some hide very well."
But our former Grimm has some other troubles to handle: Josh calls him telling some guys are looking for him; he wants to get rid of the rest of his Grimm’s father, then he mentions a key. It turns out, the Luison case is more stranger than it seems, when Gabriel and his twin brothers are involved. Three identical twins! In the end, Ava finds out her husband did all this for the money. Her sentences about "monsters" matches with Nick's reply "Some hide very well."
"I like being a Grimm." Well, finally Nick admitted it. Otherwise, let’s say, the show won’t be called Grimm. I think at some point, Nick misses his life fighting supernatural crime. Also, having another Grimm in town is better than let Trubel handle all those stuff. Juliette gets the confirmation when a Wolfsangel appears outside Burkhart's house.
"I'm ready."
"For what?"
"You need to be a Grimm again."
Beyond helping Nick to get his powers back, I wonder what's the purpose of having Juliette in the show? I keep asking season 4 started. Also, I really want Adalind to be the old strong Hexenbeist we saw in the first seasons. Give her more space, playing badass scene, I miss this. What do you think?
What do you miss most in Grimm? What do you think about Juliette's decision to hel Nick? Share your comments below.
New Girl - Episode 4.09 - Preview: "Thanksgiving IV"
Hi everyone, and if you're in America, have a Happy Thanksgiving this Thursday! In the traditional spirit of New Girl episodes focusing on holidays, this week's episode is titled "Thanksgiving IV." Last year, the gang decided to go camping for Thanksgiving with some unwanted experiences in tow. This year, the gang tries a different approach. Schmidt decides it will be a sex-filled Thanksgiving with everyone being required to bring an attractive partner for someone else in the loft. The synopsis calls it a "Bangs-giving!" Jess wants to invite Ryan to spend more time with him and see if there are true feelings on her side, but is set on following the school rules of not fraternizing with a coworker. Coach puts it ever so eloquently with how he feels with being set up with someone from the police academy. "You should have warned me you were setting me up with one of the guardians of the galaxy!"
Nick ends up picking his own name out of the "Sex-giving" hat and decides to bring Tran to the party. He also becomes jealous when Schmidt is set-up with a girl from his gym, Lucy, that he had previously slept with months earlier. The quick flashback of him in said gym is hilarious. Coach ends up bringing Ryan for Jess because he is tired of her playing it straight and not being reckless from time to time. Let's just say that awkward hilarity ensues as the night progresses with each couple trying to handle their partners' idiosyncrasies. Tune in tomorrow night at 9PM to see how the Thanksgiving-themed episode plays out and check back here for my review within a day or two.
Law and Order Special Victims Unit - Review - Chicago CrossOver " Write Your Success in a Stone and Your Failures in the Sand"
"Write Your Success in a Stone and Your Failures in the Sand" It's true, even in life, you can't think about your failures or what you don't have, you have to think about what you do have, and what you've accomplished.
The case starts out in Chicago when a firefighter rescued a man from a burning building. The man dropped a suitcase full of childpornagraphy, the Chicago P.D was called who tracked down one of the victims to New York. When Detective Rollins took the call, she came to realized that one of the victims was Detective Lindsay's half brother Teddy from Chicago. Which made the case personal for Lindsay, Teddy was the main focus of the case. Teddy's family thought he ran away or went to go live with his dad, but somehow he ended up in New York. When the detectives managed to find Teddy, he was working the piers as a male prostitute. He was really damaged, you could tell that he was working the streets for a while. In the past we've learned there's always something more underneath the anger.
Later Benson explained to him that the same people who took him, took another boy Henry, and they're doing the same things to Henry that they did to him. Benson also mentioned that they've talked to his friend Jocelyn from the center, and that she's in school and doing really well. But the second she mention Jocelyn, Teddy clamed up and dismissed Benson.
When Amaro and Rollins went back and talk to Jocelyn, they told her that they found Teddy, she freaked out and ran off. So the detectives went back over to the FBI where they found out that Jocelyn was another victim of the same people who took Teddy and Henry. They also found out that Teddy raped Jocelyn.
Teddy-
"No, it was my idea, because I knew who they'd send in if it wasn't me. SOMEONE OLDER, SOMEONE ROUGHER. SHE WASN'T READY FOR THAT JOCELYN WAS MY FRIEND! And you're right they were done with me I-I could do what I-I-I want. So I went out on my own.
Jocelyn to Teddy-
Jocelyn-
"I thought you were my friend, why would you do that to me?
With the help of Jocelyn and Teddy both SVU and the Chicago P.D was able to bring down one of the largest child pornography ring that spanned across the country. They both started out as victims and ended up as the heroes. Saving three children, one in New York and two in Chicago that were products of this horrible ring of operation. The case ends with Teddy flying to Chicago and naming the ring leader who was the head of the Department of Family Services. He would place foster children with foster parents, who then would sell them to childpornographers.
This crossover event was great. The writers did a great job working together, I only wish to have seen more of the case in Chicago Fire instead of in the last few minutes of the episode. I just felt Chicago Fire gave us very little of the first half of the crossover, it wasn't nearly good as SVU and Chicago P.D.!!
This story proves that even though you've been raped or forced to rape someone else you can start your life over. Everyone gets a restart button if they want one. And like what Benson told the ring leader of the child pornography. "Even the worst killers, child molesters, and rapist sleep better at night and feel the sun on their skin when they tell the truth."
"
The Mentalist – Episode 7.01 – Nothing But Blue Skies (Advance Review + Teasers)
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Welcome back Mentalistas! As you know, season 7 is the last season of The Mentalist. So I guess why everyone is so excited for this new chapter.
In May, “Blue Bird” ended with Jane and Lisbon finally confessing their love to each other and kissing. Now, as reading the press release for the seventh season premiere, they’re going to hide their relationship to their co-workers.
At first I need to say this: I’ve never been a romantic type, but this season premiere made me smile. A lot. Jane and Lisbon are so in love with each other and their relationship is so pure and genuine – thanks to Simon Baker and Robin Tunney too, whose friendship in real life, helped in this case, and made their characters so spontaneous in every gesture they make. Simon and Robin’s chemistry is at its best.
Beside this, there’s always the weekly murder case to solve.
I’m here to share with you some spoilers about the season premiere “Nothing But Blue Skies”.
Some teasers:
- Coffee is a good way to start your day.
- Jane and Lisbon have never smiled so much like this.
- Cho can hug someone.
- Jane really likes to surprise Lisbon... but you’ve already known that, right?
- There’s a new FBI agent in town.
- We’ll find out where’s Kim Fischer right now. Also, she has a sweet message for someone.
- Jane is good at the imitation game.
- At their first meet, Jane’s already read Michelle Vega’s personality and I promise this: you’re going to like her.
- You can try to hide something to Abbott, but eventually he’ll always know there’s something going -on.
- A hammer.
- Not everyone can understand how Jane’s plans work.
-If you think Jane and Pike’s confrontation will be awkward, expect to listen what Marcus has to say to him.
Some quotes:
"Don’t talk to her like that!"
"Pleased to be here, sir." "Oh, you don’t have to call me ‘sir’. Serve it for him."
"You don’t need to wait until I need to know to tell me things, okay? Not anymore."
"Why is Jane telling everyone what to do? I thought Abbott was in charge."
"Why is Jane telling everyone what to do? I thought Abbott was in charge."
"Your look is good." "It’s for an undercover thing."
"So, it’s you and her."
I know it’s hard to post something without spoilering everything. I hope this will help a little bit to get prepared for the seventh season premiere. If you have some questions, please comment below and I will ll try to answer, if I can.
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