While it may have been a short TV week with lots of shows already in hiatus, what did air was pretty awesome. Some of my favorite episodes of the season so far happened this week. From the sheer, unrelenting intensity of Scorpion to the painful ending of The 100 to saying adieu to White Collar, this might be the best TV week of the season so far. Our nominated episode from Revenge was fun to watch as well and oh so dramatic. Next week I'm going undead to review The Walking Dead, a gorefest for sure. If you have a show you would like to nominate for review, simply fill out the short form below. Oh and just to clarify, I did not review Ascension since it is technically a mini-series; however, it is one my to-watch list later. So how was your short TV week? Anything stick out for you? Until next week, Merry Christmas and happy TV viewing.
Shameless Self-Promotion - We are currently accepting nominations for Pitch Your Favorite Low-Rated Show. If you have a show that is not getting the ratings or recognition you think it deserves, please fill out the form here. I'll create the article next week.
Overall Awards:
Best Episode - Scorpion
I know it is a scandalous pick given that The 100 had such a beautiful and emotional episode and White Collar ended its series beautifully. Still for overall entertainment and sheer breathlessness, Scorpion is my pick.
Best Scene - The 100
While Scorpion might have edged out The 100 in Best Episode, no scene yet this season was as powerful or haunting as when Clarke killed Finn to keep him from being tortured and he thanks her for it. No scene in any show this year comes close. While I hate that Finn is gone, I love how The 100 never shies away from the hard choices.
Most Bittersweet / Best Finale - White Collar
I have loved this show for 6 years now and was upset to hear that USA Network was only giving them 6 episodes to wrap up. Given that we left with Neal kidnapped, it didn't seem like a long enough time to build a bad guy , tie up all loose ends, and find a satisfying conclusion for all the main characters. The writers surpassed my wildest expectations. I left this episode feeling sad that it was over but relieved that it was over so well. May Neal and company live on in fan fic (and maybe the occasional movie) forever.
Nominated Show:
Revenge continues to be a soapy piece of fun but it is definitely not a show you can jump in wily nily. To say I was confused by this episode would be the biggest understatement of the week and it's been a big week. I have no idea who half these people are and even less understanding about why Emily and Victoria are still after each other. With absolutely no knowledge on their sordid pasts beyond 1.08, I am on Team Victoria. I always liked her better than Emily. Plus they are both equally evil from what I can tell and neither seems capable of giving up a grudge. Here's hoping the show ends with both of them blowing each other up after gloriously histrionic speeches. From what I gathered, Victoria knew Emily's dad was actually still alive but didn't tell her because of their feud, which by the way is based on Emily's dad being dead. It was an intense episode with emotions flying from one place to another and everyone up in arms. Let's just say David returning is a big deal on many fronts. While I have fun with Revenge and often laugh more than in some of the comedies I watch, it remains as ever solidly in the middle of my to-watch pile. I have a feeling that too much Revenge in one sitting wouldn't work well for me, but an episode or two a year is delightful.
Grade: B
Best Reason to Watch - Emily finds out her father is alive
Best Scene - Emily breaks down after the line-up
MVP - Victoria Grayson
Most Quotable - Nolan
Most Surprising - Emily's dad is alive / people still don't know Emily is an imposter?
Least Surprising - Charlotte is Emily's sister
Biggest Idiot - David Clarke
The "Say HUH?" Award - To list the things I don't understand in this episode would take far too much time and space, so I'll just say nothing about David makes any sense to me. I have no idea why he is trying to kill Emily or why he is beating himself with a chain. How exactly is he related to Roswell Kyle again? I also have zero idea why he thought shoplifting in front of a cop was a good plan. Is he playing everyone or is he mentally unstable?
The "Welcome Back" Award - Elena Satine, formerly Lorelei on SHIELD
Least Realistic - Daniel stares at that blank computer screen pretty hard when his mother tries to talk to him. Anything interesting there, Daniel?
Best Quotes -
1. Victoria: "You are not a victim so stop choosing to act like one. Now if you want a relationship with your father, fight for it and if you want my respect, then earn it. But do not give into the darkness. It will destroy you."
2. Nolan: "Because maybe the henchman wasn't working for Victoria alone? Maybe Little Arson Annie was behind this too."
3. Townsend: "Looks like a guy with a record a mile long." Ben: "That's called profiling you know." Townsend: "Well who died and made you a liberal?"
4. Louise: "One time when I was 14, I put a hex on her to make her love me." Daniel: "Did it work?" Louise: "Oh no darling, nothing can fix the devil. My momma and I, we'll never mend things."
5. Nolan: "You do know that that hoodie is not a bulletproof vest. You can die and that the girl you are so desperately trying to save would like to see that happen sooner rather than later."
Weekly Shows:
While I didn't like this episode as much as I did the first two, it still was more fun than most shows. Jenkins and Ezekiel both became better characters, while Jake and Baird still rock. That only leaves Cassandra, who got on my nerves almost every time she opened her mouth. She has to be the most juvenile adult of all TV shows I watch. Her temper tantrums and inability to recognize the magnitude of her betrayal annoyed me to no end. They need to grow this character up before I start rooting for her to get stuck in a time loop somewhere very far away from my screen. That said I did like how different Ezekiel and Jake's responses were to that betrayal. For Jake it was personal and proved that trusting people is always a mistake. For Ezekiel, it was about self-preservation, something he has perfected himself. It helped flesh out both characters. I was also disappointed by the lack of action in much of the episode, although I thought the massive exposition overload was decently handled for the most part. Fix Cassandra and The Librarians could be the most consistently fun show I watch all year.
Grade: B-
Best Reason to Watch - it's the first time the newbies are on their own
Best Scene - Jakes tells Cassandra that he's not going to trust her again
Biggest Aww Moment - Ezekiel tells Cassandra he'll be her eyes and lead her through
Best Action / Best Moment - Baird casually head butts the Golden Axe flunky and steals his key card / Baird power slides under the minotaur, shooting as she does
Best Speech - Willis brags about modernizing human sacrifice rituals
Best Plan - Jake runs over the minotaur with a stolen truck
Dumbest Plan - Why would they send a NATO Counterterrorism colonel to her death? Wouldn't that raise more red flags and put them under more scrutiny than they would ever want? Not bright.
Cheesiest Special Effects - the minotaur, like perhaps the cheesiest since Buffy
Biggest Whiner - Cassandra, who is really getting on my nerves, whines about things being unfair and uses air quotes
Best Save - Cassandra jumps on Willis' back so Ezekiel can get the thread
Worst Game of Hide and Seek - Baird's training mission for the LiTs
The "Why Yes, He Does Get to Judge" Award - Guess what, Cassandra? You set Jake up to die so yes, he does get to judge you and whining about him not trusting you just makes me dislike you more. Shut the heck up or leave my screen. Either one.
Best Exposition/Best Magic - Jenkins explains that the back door can take them anywhere, which also takes care of one of my pet peeves from Warehouse 13
Most Excited - Cassandra over the wormhole
Most Fascinating - Jenkins' lab
Best Antiquity - forget the Minoan art, Jenkins' ancient phone is fantastic
Best Reaction - Baird and the LiTs to Jenkins asking how the mission went
Most Nonchalant about Human Sacrifice - Willis and Franklin talk lunch plans after sacrificing some poor intern
Biggest Ouch - Baird rips the nose ring from the minotaur
Worst Time for a Migraine - they get to the artifact room but Cassandra goes down for the count
Best Quotes -
1. Jenkins: "Good luck." Baird: "What?" Jenkins: "Nothing. Go away. I'm working."
2. Jenkins: "Although I will say I'm impressed. We've had guardians lose librarians in the past of course, but never three in one day. It'll be quite some time before anyone beats that."
3. Baird: "I found a room full of really old art." Jake: "That is weird. We found a room full of human skulls." Baird: "What do you mean, human skulls?" Jake: "How many ways can I mean human skulls?"
4. Baird: "Stay calm. I've been in worse spots than this before." Ezekiel: "That strains credibility."
This is one of the best episode I have seen in a long time. Yes, it stretched the boundaries of believability to the breaking point and yes, logic says they made things far more complicated than it had to be. Still, the intensity and pacing more than made up for it. In fact, I excuse all logic issues because the episode gripped me tight and had me not breathing several times throughout, even in the rewatch. There's no greater way to raise the ante than to have to save a child from a horrific death in a dwindling race against time and the writers made every minute of it agony for the characters and the audience. My logical brain kept yelling that there was no way they would kill a kid, especially in a Christmas episode, but my heart was worried. I even got a little misty-eyed for that kiddo. Great casting by the way. Not many child actors could sell it as well as he did. In the end, I watch TV to entertain me and this episode had me at the edge of my seat the entire time. It even got a friend to try the series and now she's hooked too. That's a powerful episode, the best of the week in a surprisingly deep list of candidates.
Grade: A
Best Reason to Watch - the intensity and pacing of the episode
Best Awww Scene - everything with Owen is an awww scene, everything, so I'm choosing the scene where Happy's dad tells her that he always knew who she was and they hug
Most Intense Interaction - Cabe tells Walter it's hopeless and Walter goes down to the shore to scream
Most Heroic - Walter, over and over again
Biggest Sigh - Owen coughs up water and starts breathing on his own
Best Cheerleader - Megan, especially with the Salk speech to Walter and tough loving Sylvester
Worst Cheerleader - Walter, who makes Sylvester feel like a failure and snaps at the hospital staff
Best Speech - Toby tells Happy to tell her dad the truth
Biggest Miracle - Walter calls the whole thing a miracle
The "Safety First" Award -Happy and Toby take time to put on helmets before riding the motorcycle
Biggest Huh - How is the news reporter getting all these details? Who is letting her hack Walter's wireless? I can't believe no one has shut this lady down.
Biggest Plot Device - the parents only brought one cell phone on their trip, it's dying, and they have no charger
The "Are You Kidding Me?" Award - Traffic accident? Running out of gas? This is too much, writers.
The "Yeah, I Think Not" Award - Bacon is nothing like Christmas ham, Walter. It's better.
Saddest Christmas Memory - it's hard to pick but I think I'll go with Happy's foster home Christmas blues over Toby's fun times gambling
Biggest Silly - Paige gives Walter a winner for Ugliest Sweater award and he actually wears it
Best Music - at first this was going to be Black Sabbath, but in the end it has to go to Here it is Christmas Time by the Old 97's, the song playing during the ending montage
First Awww Moment (in a long line of them) - Walter helps Owen fly his kite
Sweetest Gesture - the team makes a Rube Goldberg machine to make it snow for Ralph
Most Common Sense - Walter sends a cell phone down to talk to the kid
The "Welcome Back" Award - One of my favorite recurring characters that left Supernatural too early was Victor Henriksen so I get unreasonably happy when Charles Malik Whitfield is on my TV screen. Good to see you, sir. Someone find this man his own show.
The "Score One for Accuracy" Award - Here's a kid that can separate historical myth from truth. Good on him.
Best Gift - besides having their son back of course, the best gift is that Megan is going to do the drug trials
Worst Timing - I am all for Happy talking about her dad but surely there is something they can be doing to rescue this kid in that time. Packing up the stuff they'll need for one.
The "I Agree" Award- Oh Cabe, I can't believe this is working either. At all.
Most Fortunate / Most Brave - Owen. He's fortunate because Walter was there when he got trapped / He's brave for about 9,000 reasons, the biggest of which is not breathing underwater and trusting Walter that he doesn't need to. I'm not sure I could do it.
Best Quotes -
1. Happy: "You know more than you let on." Toby: "I watch you work sometimes." Happy: "Thank you for making this creepy. Now find the other parts."
2. Toby: "There are no mistakes - Richard Bach." Happy: "Get out of my face - Happy Quinn."
3. Dan: "When'd you learn how to do this?" Walter: "On the internet." Cabe: "He's not kidding."
4. Paige: "Do the math all you want but there's a boy breathing underwater still alive. That's a miracle in my book."
5. Cabe: "You're about to risk your life again on the likelihood that Owen is still alive after almost 5 minutes underwater." Walter: "We've seen worse odds." Sylvester: "No, we have not."
6. Toby: "I have seen you drive. We can't save Owen if we're both dead."
Things are heating up as Charlie's lies catch up to her and her nemesis, terrorist Fatah, steps up his war against the west with a sleeper cell waiting to attack in the US. This episode was different because there was no standalone story or issue of the week. Instead it was focused on just how deep things are getting for Charlie. I have no idea where this is leading but when the President of the United States gives an order to have you tailed and monitored, it's not going anywhere good. Surprisingly we didn't get any further on the mole front or Nick's kidnapping. No matter what Syd says, Nick needs to be found because he's the linchpin in this whole fiasco. Without his knowledge, we're half in the dark. Besides I would really like to know who this mole is so we can put that part of the story to rest.
Grade: B
Best Reason to Watch - PotUS no longer trusts Charlie which should make all things interesting
Best Scene - PotUS goes after Green politically for leaking the report about her son's death and Green tells her about Charlie's affair with Nick
Most Worth Her Pay - Mo already has a compiled a comprehensive file on Nick before anyone asked for it
Least Sympathetic - Syd, who is good if Nick's dead
Most Creative - Kurt asks Mo out on a date via a card trick / Nick hides his getaway package inside a globe
Worst Plan - lying to PotUS, which is going to come back and haunt you big time, Charleston
Best Quotes -
1. Mo: "Charlie, I don't mind deep water but I do mind drowning."
2. David: "Jules, you don't strike me as a grassy knoll kind of guy."
3. Jules: "I'm not going to say what I think when you're just drunk enough to take a swing at me."
Bwah! I was rolling with this episode, mostly because of Diamond. I hope he becomes a recurring guest because he's hilarious. I liked his dynamic with Nina better than anyone else's. I also liked how Micah was so much more competent as a lawyer than Carlos and Phil, right until she got into court. Then she crumbled. It was good to see both sides of her. All around, this may be the best episode of Benched yet and just what I needed on a crazy busy week. Powers That Be, please get Diamond back.
Grade: B+
Best Reason to Watch - Diamond, who had me cracking up the entire time
Best Lawyer - Micah, and she can't even practice law yet
Most in Need of Anger Management - Nina, who tells off everyone to get her client into anger management
Worst Plan - Nina's client tries to mug her with a fake gun because guns cost money
Most Rude - Micah throws away Nina's specialty lunch because it smells bad
Most Needing to be Fired - Carlos and Phil who spend most of their work time betting on basketball
Biggest Um - Can't you call the anger management class people to see if your client registered instead of trying to track your client somewhere in Los Angeles, Nina? You're always doing things the hard way.
The "Poor at Math" Award - it is going to cost Nina a whole lot more to win the bet than she's actually going to win in the bet
Most Tom Sawyered - Micah, who keeps getting saddled with Phil and Carlos' work. Good thing she wants to actually work, which is more than I can say about them.
Best Quotes -
1. Diamond: "Were you just quoting Bill Cosby to me?" Nina: "A little Cosby might have slipped in there, yeah." Diamond: "Never quote Bill Cosby to another black man. Do you understand me?"
2. Nina: "Not everyone has a gambling problem like you, Phil." Phil: "Wanna bet?"
3. Diamond: "I'm robbing you, not killing you. Get up."
4. Phil: "Are you a witch?" Diamond: "Maybe you should have given them the Bill Cosby speech."
5. Phil: "I'm impressed and a bet is a bet. You win $10." Nina: "But you were right, the system's broken so you know what? We both win." (She rips the ten in half.) Phil: "No, we both lose. Do you understand how money works?"
The reason The 100 sticks out from the rest of CW fare is that it constantly puts its characters in terrible situations where there is no right answer. It's not so much a choice of black and white or even gray, but black and even blacker. And no choice is harder than the one Clarke and the others face here. It's the choice of sacrificing a friend or the whole camp. While it was no surprise that Finn turned himself in and little surprise that Clarke mercy killed him, it in no way detracted from the sheer intensity and pain of both decisions. That ending scene was physically wrenching to watch and may be the most powerful moment in the entire series. (The people volunteering to die on the Ark last season is the only moment even close.) It is a testament to The 100 writers and PTB that the scene feels earned as well. They don't do emoangsting just for drama alone here. The pain is felt and builds over time, which is why I thoroughly expect to see a devastated Clarke in the weeks to come. No one can go through what she did without consequences and in the end that's what the whole storyline was about. While I still hate that they killed Finn's character way before this episode and I will become increasingly unhappy at not seeing Finn on my screen, it did prove again that The 100 is not afraid to kill off their lead characters and they won't whitewash the results of tough choices. I think it was a big mistake to sacrifice Finn's character to the fandom because that's what this ultimately is, but oh did they give him a glorious episode to go out on.
Grade: A-
Best Reason to Watch - Finn's journey
Best Scene - Clarke offers to trade her life for Finn's, but when she's refused she kills Finn to keep him from suffering
Best Awww Moment - Raven tells Finn they will always be family
Best Moment - Finn does not kill the grounder who attacks them
Biggest Sacrifice - Finn takes the blame for the spacewalk so Raven won't be floated immediately
Least Surprising - Finn turns himself in to the grounders
Most Surprising - Raven invites Murphy to the party just so they can trade him to the grounders instead
Most Joyful Moment - Raven spacewalks
Most Intense - Clarke walks the line of grounders to plead for Finn's life with Lexa
Worst Timing - Sinclair tells Raven that he added her to the Zero G program despite her heart condition but only after the spacewalk and Finn's incarceration
Best Non-Death Reaction - Kane to seeing Jaha in handcuffs and realizing all the politics he missed
The "He's Got a Point" Award - Jaha reminds Abby that they already sent Finn to his death when they launched the 100 to the ground, thinking they would die from radiation poisoning
The "Sadly, You're Right" Award - I hate Murphy and I'm not getting over how psychotic he is even if everyone else forgets, but he can't be blamed for Finn's massacre. That's all on Finn.
Most Blunt - Lincoln, who won't let them forget that Finn killed innocent people
The "Are You Kidding Me?" Award - in an episode full of intense moments and sometimes bad choices, the weirdest comes right at the beginning when Clarke shares the details of Lexa's offer with the whole camp instead of a small group inside, almost causing a riot
Most Welcome - Kane is back with the group / the flashbacks, which show why Finn was part of the 100 in the first place
Least Welcome - Murphy, who really needed to die in season 1 - early in season 1
The "Cooler Heads Prevail" Award - While it makes sense that the trio want to save Finn, it would be suicide for the rest of the survivors to do so. This time the adults are correct.
The "I'd Take that Trade" Award - If it comes down to Finn or Murphy, I would hand Murphy over to the grounders in a heartbeat.
Best Quotes -
1. Lincoln: "He massacred my village. Some of them there were my friends too." Clarke: "But that wasn't Finn. You know that's not who he is." Lincoln: "It is now. We've all got a monster inside of us, Clarke, and we're all responsible for what it does when we let it out."
2. Clarke: "Finn, the things that we've done to survive, they don’t define us." Finn: "What if you're wrong? What if this is who we are now?"
3. Abby: "I think we should pull back and go inside the station." Clarke: "No, we need to prove we're not afraid." Abby: "What if I am?" Clarke: "Fake it."
4. Octavia: "Your people would kill their own leader for being merciful?" Lincoln: "For being weak. Finn killed innocent people. If death has no cost, life has no worth. That's how we live."
5. Lexa: "It is done."
As the title says, au revoir White Collar. It has been a wonderful ride, getting to know your characters and living the adventures with them. Much thanks to the cast and crew, who have created so many great memories. Finales are hard to do because so much rides on them. You have to help fans let go throughout but at the same time wrap up all loose ends and make a splash. White Collar did a fantastic job of that. Sure not everyone's going to be happy, but for those of us who already knew Neal was going to fake his own death because he really had no other alternative, it was a cathartic release. For those who thought Neal actually was dead for awhile, not so much. Man were people steaming on Twitter, but it did make quite an impression. For me the only sour spot was not having Mozzie meet up with Neal in Paris at the very end. That would have made my series, but other than that this finale scored. It won't make me less sad that there is no more White Collar, but it left me satisfied that there was a happy ending for all.
Grade: A-
Best Reason to Watch - after 6 years, White Collar comes to an end in a satisfying, thrilling, emotional hour
Biggest Awww Scene - Neal tells Peter he's his best friend
Biggest Aww Moment - Peter puts a hand on Mozzie's back as he cries / Peter looks at the anklet and tells Neal he's free
Most Heartbreaking - Mozzie breaks down over Neal's death / Peter breaks down over Neal's death
Funniest Scene - Mozzie wears the weirdest glasses in history, prompting questions about mole people
Sweetest Goodbye - Neal and June reminisce about their first meeting, share compliments, and say they love each other. Awww.
Best Conversation - Peter and Mozzie talk about dealing with Neal's death a year later
Worst Moment - Peter and Mozzie stand over Neal's body in the morgue
Best Shot (Gun/Camera) - Peter kills Keller with a shot to the head / the camera slowly pans away from a crying Peter in the hospital hallway
Most Intense - El acts like she's the only person who has ever had a baby, making her even more intense than Woodford or Keller
The "Thank You, Jeff Eastin" Award - Neal in pilot uniform for the finale? Yes, please.
Most Skilled - Neal, who corrects Keller's mistake on the safe
Best Way to Clear a Crowd - Peter shows his badge where Mozzie is hustling 3 Card Monte in the park
Best Reaction - Keller when he thinks he shot Neal and then when he sees Neal's tracker
Best Stand Off - Neal vs. Keller
Best Way to Smuggle $20 Million - Via a homeless man's cart. I mean Peter didn't even notice Moz when he ran right by him.
Best Clue - Neal or Mozzie leaves the Burkes a bottle of Bordeaux which is the wine bottle Kate left Neal in the pilot
Lowest Blow / Best Continuity - Keller brings up Kate, who started it all
Least Surprising - Keller tries to double cross Neal / Neal fakes his own death
Most Surprising - Mozzie calls Peter by his real name / they arrest the bad guys at the halfway mark instead of later in the episode so they could time jump
Most Jealous - me when Mozzie is showered with money
The "Oh Poor Baby" Award - Mozzie plans conspiracy theories about how it can't really be Neal lying there
Best Plan - Neal, Moz, and Keller siphon off $30 million in 30 seconds from the heist
Best Revenge - Mozzie plans to drink Neal's best, most expensive wine because he let Peter into the Panthers instead of him
Best Story Time Ever - Moz tells Baby Neal Burke stories of his namesake's escapades from season 2
Best Gift - Mozzie gives Baby Neal his Mozart teddy bear, who is wearing the bib Neal gave him
Most Disturbing - one year later, Peter still sees ghosts of Neal everywhere
Best Nostalgia - Neal gives Mozzie back the Lady card from when they first met playing 3 Card Monte
Biggest "Say What?" - Why are there no actual guards in the room with Big Bertha?
Best Cameo - Jeff Eastin, the creator and executive producer, plays a homeless guy
Best Ending - Neal free in Paris / Diana taking the lead position in DC
Biggest Unanswered Question - I choose to believe that Mozzie knows where Neal is and lead Peter to the clues so that he would have peace of mind. That's why I think there is a Lady card there too, although others disagree with me.
Best Music - this one's hard but I'll go with La Mer over It's a Wonderful Life
Best Quotes -
1. Neal: "Calm down, Moz." Moz: "I am calm." Neal: "No you're not. That's a Zinfandel."
2. Homeless Guy: "You one of them mole people?" Moz: "I'm their leader." Homeless Jeff: "Told you. And you said Elton John."
3. June: "You bet your bippy you'll bring the vermouth." Moz: "Consider that bippy brought."
4. Peter: "We've got all the Panthers serving life but somehow a matter of $23 million went unaccounted for." Moz: "Oh that just sounds like sloppy government accounting."
5. Moz: "That's when I knew you were the best and I followed you home." Neal: "And I haven't had a decent wine collection since."
6. Neal: "You're my best friend."
7. Neal: "Is there anything you don't drink to?" June: "Mmm, no." Moz: "To…uh, what I may have missed."
8. Neal: "I swear to you that I will stop at nothing to keep him safe. Peter, you, your son - you're my family."
9. Moz: "I earn an honest living now." Peter: "I can see that."
10. Keller: "Either shoot him or let's get on with our day."
It's no secret that Elementary has been frustrating me lately, making Watson and Sherlock verbal sparring partners instead of a team. That's why I am so glad that this episode came before hiatus. For once it felt like everyone was working as a team, focused more on the task at hand than squabbling like children. It helped that the case of the week was compelling too. A cop addict is not new but exchanging real guns for fakes was a nice twist. I also found Sherlock compelling this week. His honor in meetings, feelings of betrayal, and the ultimate destruction of his illusion of normalcy made me empathize with him in a way I rarely do. Sherlock has few places where he can feel comfortable in social situations so to see the security of the meetings he needs taken away was heartbreaking. All in all, this was the best Elementary episode this season for me.
Grade: B+
Best Reason to Watch - Sherlock talks about sobriety
Best Scene - Sherlock confronts the man leaking his quotes online
Best Detective - Usually one person sticks out more than the others. This time everyone got their chance to shine and it made the episode much better
Most Sympathetic - Officer Polano, Alec's old partner who just wants to clear his name / Gregson, who has to be taking a lot of heat about police corruption and incompetence these days
Most Intimidating - the NYPD show up as the cop killer is arrested and walked through the line
Most Protective - Kitty and her desire to help Sherlock with his personal issue
Most Honorable / The "You Wouldn't Like Me When I'm Angry" Award - Sherlock tries to do right by the person who is plagiarizing and posting about him, but when the man refuses he threatens to tell his wife about an affair the man is having.
Biggest Hmm - zen archery? That's a thing?
Best Quotes -
1. Watson: "Burroughs supplies them with guns and in exchange they provide him with drugs, which he then sells in the US." Sherlock: "So he exports violence and imports misery."
2. Kitty: "They could have been anything though. A car seat, pillow." Sherlock: "His favorite stuffed teddy bear."
3. Sherlock: "I don't care about your affair. I care about your sobriety and I depend on every member of this group, including you, to care about mine."
4. Sherlock: "Whatever the case may be, Officer Flynn is no less a homicide victim. We'll keep you apprised of our search for the one-eyed man." Gregson: "Let's hope he's not a cop too."
