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New Girl - Review - "Panty Gate"
As teased by Meaghan Rath (May) on Twitter this afternoon, big things happened on tonight's episode of New Girl. Coach broke up with May and coped with his loss by drinking with the guys while Jess tried to play love doctor and console May after she finally broke down about the relationship. Tonight's episode was the penultimate episode for Season 4 of New Girl and after tonight, things are definitely in motion leading to some major shifts for the finale and the set-up for next season. This season has been a return to form for New Girl with a steady stream of season long arcs focused on the gang equally instead of just Jess as well as some plain, old-fashioned fun loft gimmicks.
However, the plot lines haven't been as complex or involved as the drama that unfolded with Jess and Nick. Even Schmidt and Fawn have had ups and downs, but it's always felt like it's played for comedy's sake without any real weight. We know Cece will eventually spill with her feelings towards Schmidt, but it's been played out a little too long. I can only hope a thread like that is addressed in next week's season finale as well as give a graceful sendoff to Damon Wayans Jr. aka Coach. Plus, the showrunners will have to address Zooey Deschanel's pregnancy or pull a HIMYM and cover her with baggy clothing/camera angles. Also..."True American"...is it happening or have I been waiting for the impossible? There are way too many threads to wrap up, but for now let's take a look at how the episode played out and what's in store for next week.
Who smiled when Schmidt stated he wanted to be, "crazy in love...drunk in love?" It was great to finally see Schmidt realize that Fawn was not right for him and subsequently break up with her. His freak out after with the underpants was great and a nice way to help Fawn out one last time. But, I have a feeling that Fawn's last look of realization will have her plea with Schmidt next week to take her back. Now, the run in at the bar was unfortunate for all parties involved, but Coach's declaration of love and the subsequent studio confession was honest and sincere. Coach offering and May asking him to move to New York with him was the perfect way to segue Damon Wayan Jr.'s sendoff and how I pictured it would end for his character arc back when it was announced he was leaving.
New Girl this week was a fun and serious way to set-up the season finale. For now, I'm excited to see how the season ends and prepare for what's in store for our favorite loft gang with one last Coach adventure next week. Will Cece leave to go climb that mountain, will Fawn show up to plea with Schmidt one last time, and how will Coach leave the gang? Tune in next week for the season finale of New Girl at 9PM on Fox.
Law and Order Special Victims Unit / Chicago P.D Crossover - Preview
Later Benson found out about the case and called Hank, telling him that she had a case tens years ago with the same MO, and this might be the same guy. And told Hank that she was on the next flight out to Chicago.
For tonight be prepared for another gut wrenching episode, kind of like those William Lewis episodes. Where every scene just gets worst and worst..
Yes, it starts off in Chicago with the burn victim that's how NYPD Special Victims Unit becomes involved. Then just as the detectives are about to nail the guy he kidnaps a girl and takes her to New York City, where he's from. While the detectives are tracking him, they are figuring out that this guy is sick, Ted Bundy sick.
This episode will be two hours long from start to finish. Both squads from Chicago and New York team up to work on this case and try to catch this serial rapist killer. And from the moment you meet him, he will sends chills down your spin.
Enjoy!
![](//3.bp.blogspot.com/-bR-9RfNd98Q/VHPPiZsdJZI/AAAAAAAABOw/L4-CCYikrK8/s1600/me_authorbox.jpg"")
For tonight be prepared for another gut wrenching episode, kind of like those William Lewis episodes. Where every scene just gets worst and worst..
Yes, it starts off in Chicago with the burn victim that's how NYPD Special Victims Unit becomes involved. Then just as the detectives are about to nail the guy he kidnaps a girl and takes her to New York City, where he's from. While the detectives are tracking him, they are figuring out that this guy is sick, Ted Bundy sick.
This episode will be two hours long from start to finish. Both squads from Chicago and New York team up to work on this case and try to catch this serial rapist killer. And from the moment you meet him, he will sends chills down your spin.
Enjoy!
![](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bR-9RfNd98Q/VHPPiZsdJZI/AAAAAAAABOw/L4-CCYikrK8/s1600/me_authorbox.jpg"")
Hello SPN fans. Welcome to this week's Gripe (but not really) Review.
Man what a difference another writer makes. Just when I was wrestling with myself to watch another sub-par Supernatural episode - and write another scathing review- along comes Robert Berens and saves the day. Like the last well-crafted, entertaining episode he wrote, this one too was one of the season’s best.
Berens is one of the newer writerd on the staff and twice now he has left me with wall to wall praise for his work. It's interesting that a writer who has a shorter history with the show can produce denser, more engaging, and more relevant episodes than the veterans. His episodes focus on the main characters instead of his own pets. His side characters are multidimensional and real instead of cartoon villains or gimmicks. He shows that he cares more about the story than what pleases him or his twitter followers. That's what good writing is to me, putting the story before your ego, and Berens shines that way. He even manages to make Rowena interesting. He reminds me of Edlund somehow who, in his later years, showed up every once in a while to clean up the mess other writers had made after they’d partied and smashed the SPN mythology house.
This is where I usually start listing the things I found questionable or substandard in the episode. This time however I'm going to post the things I thought worked well, and I wished were done more often, in hopes other writers would see and copy.
Things that made 10x19 a quality episode (SPN writers take note!)
Telling a story through setting
One the most impressive elements of this episode was the fact that, aside from a few scenes in the Impala, with Rowena, and the flashbacks, nearly all of it was filmed in Suzie’s house. In that sense it reminded me of the finale of season 3. It’s a treat to watch drama unfold within a single, confined space and still be entertained by it. Part of the reason of course was good acting and dialogue. Another part however, was the house itself.
I don’t know if it was in Beren’s script or the director’s choice, but every room in Suzie’s house tells a story about her. It’s cluttered, it’s dirty, it’s in shambles, and it is alive. In a way, the house is a part of Suzie’s character. It shows us Suzie’s history, what her life has been like since her family died. It’s a brilliant strategy to give information without adding exposition to dialogue.
Writing dialogue that represents character (or good dialogue in general)
Dialogue is still the main storytelling tool in a script. When used skillfully however, it can do multiple tasks. In this case we have the scene between Dean and Suzie in her kitchen, right after he tells her he’s from the neighborhood watch. Suzie is a slightly unhinged woman who, at a tender age, watched her whole family commit suicide. She can’t put coherent thoughts together. What shines about her dialogue is that her level of insanity comes through. A person like Suzie wouldn’t sit on the couch, drink coffee with Dean and tell him what happened, yet we have seen similar scenes many times in previous episodes. Such exposition doesn’t tell us much about the character. It’s just passing information to the audience, information that in most cases was already shown in the intro or the flashback.
Berens is clever enough to make his dialogue work harder than that. He makes Suzie talk all over the place and when she finally arrives at the cause of her horror, he has her say this, “I told her (Suzie’s aunt) not to go on the basement. No one goes in the basement.” This dialogue is intercut by shots of Sam walking through the basement and finding the forbidden box. The dialogue does three things at once: 1) It informs us of the fate of Suzie’s aunt, 2) It shows us the state of Suzie’s mind through the broken, grammatically incorrect way she speaks, and 3) it ramps up tension by making us worry what might happen to Sam. This is what every line of dialogue in great TV shows like True Detective and Hannibal sounds like. This is how every line of good dialogue should sound like.
How to infuse every scene with tension
One thing this episode did well was to produce tension for its entire run. Berens and Pleszczynski made sure that in every scene there was something keeping us on the edge of our seats. Whether it was Suzie’s unstable mind that could make her pull the trigger on Dean any time, or Sam opening the box unprepared, or whatever happened after the box was opened, we were always kept in a state of unease. The only parts that fell a little short were the parts with Rowena and Sam trying to decode the box, and the long stretch with Dean walking through purgatory and Benny chasing after him. But even those ended in events that made up for their slowness, and hence worked as buildup for highly tense or emotional scenes.
Continuity with the season’s overall arc
One of my favorite details of the Cain prophecy is the tale that Dean will kill a pile of people plus Crowley, then his best friend Cas, then his brother Sam. This part of the mythology was introduced in The Executioner’s Song (10x14,) by Berens. In that episode it was implied that Dean did not intend to go through with it, and if it came down to it he would rather die at the hand of Cas or Sam.
The detail was brought up by imaginary Benny in this episode, to be used as a weapon against Dean. Since fake Benny is created by Dean’s subconscious mind and therefore carries all of his thoughts and feelings he knows what Dean wants to do as well as the doubts he has. Through him we realize that even though Dean is firm in his resolve, he knows his friend and brother's feelings on the matter too. They are his white and dark knights and as much as they want do the right thing, their love for him would get in the way. Benny even adds a dash of salt to that apprehension by reminding Dean of what it would do to them if they were forced to kill him, effectively guilt-tripping him to change his mind.
All these canon relevant mind games create a mallet that the spell-generated Benny grabs and swings, hitting Dean over the head with the better idea to end it now, while he could, before it’s too late and either his brother or his best friend fall victim to Cain’s curse.
Twist #1 - Dean on the brink of suicide
The image of a dazed Dean with a broken bottle in his hand reminded me of the other times I’d seen a similar image on the show. Usually it is followed by the other brother, either emerging victorious from a fight or newly arrived on the scene, bursting in to save the spellbound Winchester and snap him out of his funk.
This episode gave us a different outcome, once again tied to canon. Dean cannot be killed with ordinary weapons. His mark won’t let him. It begins to glow and jolts him out of his fake reality. Although slightly predictable this twist breaks the long standing trope mentioned above and reminds us again of the workings of the MoC. I don’t recall any episodes written by the other writers that addressed the mark (the show’s current conflict) as often and in as much accuracy and detail as the two Berens episodes of late. Again writers, take note!
Twist #2 - Rowena
The episode’s best twist however was Rowena’s presence in the house. I confess I didn’t see it coming, which is impressive since I was one of the few who guessed the ending of M. Night Shyamalan’s Sixth Sense half an hour before the end of the movie.
Rowena being Sam’s hallucination was a very well-played stunt, aided by her clever entrance in which she destroys the previous hallucination. I wonder if the Werther Box possessed some intelligence if it could produce such a smart trick, to first present an obvious hoax, then cannibalize it by the real one to fool the victim. In the end, when Rowena was encouraging Sam to bleed to death and Dean ran in and didn’t even look her way, the penny dropped for me. It had been a long time since the show surprised me with a clever twist and because of that, the discovery of fake Rowena became one of my most enjoyable moments of season 10.
Teeny-weeny gripes
Of course it won’t be the Gripe Review without gripes. But these are so insignificant I’ll just list them in bullet points:
. In the intro flashback why did young Suzie suddenly feel compelled to break the wall and unveil the box? Was she possessed? Why then and not sooner? I don’t imagine that was the first time she took laundry down to the basement, and I don’t remember an explanation for why the box would act up at that time.
. After present day Suzie discovers Dean’s con and pulls a gun on him she strangely sounds more sane. I wished Berens had continued her slightly lopsided persona.
. I was happy to see Benny back, yet I wished Ty Olsson would soften his accent a bit. He was really laying it thick this time around. I didn’t understand half the things he said to Dean and had to dig up a transcript.
. The Rowena twist was great. Only problem was that hallucination-Rowena actually did crack the mystery of the box. How did that happen? Did Sam somehow get smarter under the spell? When fake Rowena told him the box needed more Winchester blood and he started cutting himself I thought it had nothing to do with the box and was a trick by the spell to have him kill himself. But when Dean arrived and snapped him out of it, he gave the box some of his own blood, and it did the trick.
. At the end of the episode Dean seemed really happy that he and Sam closed the case together. It was a sweet moment they shared in the Impala, yet it was soured by Sam’s sideways look, indicating he was still lying to Dean. That of course is not Berens’ fault but something chosen by Carver. It doesn’t make it any less disappointing, or unoriginal, and creates a faint stain in an otherwise flawless episode.
I look forward to your comment below. I have realized in the past I disappoint a few people every time I post a positive Gripe Review but I can’t help admiring Berens. He is a tough opponent for any grumpy critic, one who gives nothing to gripe about and makes me love him more with each episode. Luckily (sadly) it’s Thompson’s turn next week (again,) so I’m sharpening my slating pencil for that one.
Tessa
tessa-marlene.tumblr.com/
twitter.com/tessa_marlene
I look forward to your comment below. I have realized in the past I disappoint a few people every time I post a positive Gripe Review but I can’t help admiring Berens. He is a tough opponent for any grumpy critic, one who gives nothing to gripe about and makes me love him more with each episode. Luckily (sadly) it’s Thompson’s turn next week (again,) so I’m sharpening my slating pencil for that one.
Tessa
tessa-marlene.tumblr.com/
twitter.com/tessa_marlene
Embrace your true nature in Grimm Iron Hans. This week, Nick and Hank are brought in to investigate a homicide they learn is connected to an age-old Wesen rite of passage. Meanwhile, Juliette makes a surprising new ally. Elsewhere, Captain Renard continues to battle a darkness within, and Nick finds hope for Juliette in the last person he expected - Adalind.
What's wrong with Sean Renard? What I don't like about the show is how the writers drag a storyline for almost the whole season. We hot him bleeding every single episode so far, and we still don't know what's happening with him. It's a hint to say he's going to die? I hope not.
Anyway, the Hexenbeist is here for another reason: have his protection in exchange for helping Juliette to come back as a normal human being. But Juliette is full or rage and when she arrives at the precinct she's not happy to find her ex boyfriend with Adalind. She's ready to destroy her as Nick takes Adalind's side - he can't let Juliette killing her, since Adalind is his only hope to help his ex girlfriend. I wonder what the agents had thought in that moment when they looked at this kind of weird 'love' triangle lol
"OMG again!" poor Rosalee. She was the one more shocked when she saw Adalind pregnant. To help Juliette, even Rosalee is ready to make a great effort on standing her. Meanwhile, Juliette crosses a line when she burns down the trailer with Aunt Marie's books. How is Nick supposing to save people without those pages? Damn, Juliette. That was evil.
Next week is going to be a blast as Juliette is now the Evil Queen of the show - and maybe the queen of the Royals too? Will our heroes find out where Diana is?
Share your comments below.
Hey Royals! Are you ready to talk about this week's episode of Reign? I know I am. This episode had lots of sexy intrigue, terse Frary fake out moments and even action with Bash leading the charge. There is lots to discuss so let’s get started…
This week’s episode was written by Nancy Won and Robert Doty. We found Deborah Chow in the director's chair this week. I like the new writing team pairing of Reign veteran Nancy Won with newcomer Robert Doty. You get the wisdom of Won and some fresh blood with Doty and it resulted in an intense episode with great pacing and lots of sexual tension. Nevertheless, there was a lot of repetition of dialog, which drove me a little mad at some points.
This week’s episode saw Mary's actions drive Condé into the arms of another and who just so happens to be a rival queen! - Mary with the threat of England looming, aligns herself with France and thus, the ailing Francis. Condé makes a bold move that would tie him to England. With all of the turmoil, Catherine and Narcisse work to win favor in court. Meanwhile, Kenna got closer to General Renaude as Bash continued to be distant.
Quick Aside: They really beat the dead horse about France being so vulnerable no thanks to Mary, didn't they?
We see Narcisse's and his men planting the dead bodies of Condé's men at the monastery.
Bash returns to update Francis and Mary with a scout report. Things don't look good. The boys are scattered throughout the monastery. The radicals have no demands but tons of gunpowder. Looks like this is a murder-suicide pack. They want to martyrs and they want to channel their inner Fallout Boy and be remembered for centuries apparently. Mary surmises that they are waiting for word to spread and for the fear to grow and when the fear and fervor is at its apex, that's when they'll blow it all up. Of course Francis feels the need to remind Mary that it is her fault, AGAIN. Now don't get me wrong, I totally see where Francis is coming from and agree with him but he is a king, he shouldn't be coming across a such a petulant child is all that I'm saying. And the fact that he did in front of Bash and an open door with guards there was just crazy.
Bash meets up with General Renaude and they storm the monastery. It is pretty much a success but a few men are lost, including Renaude's right hand man.
Upon hearing, the news that some of his men were found at the monastery Condé makes a brash decision to come to Mary in her chambers. He tells her he is being setup and that maybe they should run. Mary insists that he stay and let her protect him and he DOES (at first)!
Mary storms into Francis' quarters and claims that Condé is innocent. Francis tries to blame the affair on Condé but Mary insists that it was her fault and not take it out on Condé. Francis is swayed somehow and says that contempt alone is not enough. But treason just might be…
The next morning Condé and the envoy head off to the port but they see a fire in the village where the marriage was performed.
Renaude returns to the castle to schmooze and curry favor with the nobles. He asks about her night at the brothel and she asks if it was worth it trying to come off all high and mighty only he burst her bubble. But she actually is turned on by his pragmatism. He leaves her with confirmation of Bash's infidelities and tells her she doesn't belong to anyone and wants to change all that.
Cut to Catherine and Narcisse gossiping about Condé and how to get rid of him. Catherine learned that Condé had married Elizabeth but the wedding was undone. They gleefully rejoice in the new news that Condé will be done away with.
You remember that spy, well yeah, he now delivers the news about the exchange between Lola and Narcisse. Catherine is none too pleased.
The best part about this episode was that all the main players each had their moment in the sun and they actually gave us some Bash and Francis time as well as a swashbuckling, heroic Bash. Not to mention it feels like they realized it was time to give Megan Follows' Catherine something to do. She even has a duplicitous love interest that can handle her (but not really). Yep, the end of the season is shaping up to be pretty awesome and with season 3 having been already guaranteed a while ago that means that better planning is assured (hopefully). Neither the character of Claude or Leith were missed by me but I did miss the actors themselves.
The show runners and writers' room now have two season of sampling to figure out what the fans like and what the fans don't. The only thing that really worries me is that we are running out actual historical stuff (well the exciting stuff anyway). I'm curious how the show will continue. I'm all for completely deviating from the history books and making it an alternative timeline. I mean so many liberties have been taken already, what's a few more? I'm eager to see what is in store for us Royals.
Grade: B-
Episode Awards
Character of the Night
• Narcisse
Best Character Interactions
• Kenna and Lola
Scene of the Night
• Bash pulling Francis aside discuss his discover of Condé's men at the monastery.
Line of the Night
• Kenna: Does this ‘friend’ have a name? Breasts? A vagina?
Most Memorable Moment
• The fallen ladies-in-waiting raise a toast to themselves.
• Bash pulling Francis aside discuss his discover of Condé's men at the monastery.
Best Dressed
• Mary (but Toby Regbo's butt in those black leather pants was definitely in the running).
Favorite Lady-In-Waiting
• Greer
That awkward moment when…
• That awkward moment when someone gives a backhanded compliment. General Renaude not only confirmed for Kenna that Bash had indeed moved on but that she didn't belong to anyone.
Miscellaneous
The 'Go Put a Dollar in the Douche Jar' Award
Narcisse: Won’t be long until I am slipping into your warm…royal…bed.
The 'What a Historical Cowinkydink' Award
• The most famous historical marriage by proxy of royalty is Mary, Queen of Hungary to Louis I, Duke of Orléans in 1385.
Burning Questions
• Who undid the wedding?
• Why did the Frary and Benna relationships both have to go up in flames this season?
• Why can't the writers let us have nice thing? Do they enjoy bathing in our tears or something?
What did you think of this week's episode of Reign? Who was your favorite character? Are you ready to see Condé hang? Are you still hopeful for a Frary reconciliation? Feel free to answer these questions or any other comments below.
Thanks for stopping by, you know I love you guys for reading.
New Girl - Preview - "Panty Gate"
New Girl returns with an all-new episode next Tuesday, April 28th at 9PM on FOX. "Winnie needs a minute." "Panty Gate" finds Coach in a rough spot after he and May break up. May decides to take a job in New York and Coach insists that the break-up is amicable. Jess thinks otherwise and assembles the loft to pick up Coach's spirit. Later that morning, Coach has to give a presentation on reproduction in his health class and things don't go exactly to plan leading to a great comedic moment for Coach. Meanwhile, Schmidt is dealing with the fallout of Fawn's golfing incident which the media has dubbed "Panty Gate". Schmidt explains to Cece that things have gotten better with Fawn, but he appears to have spoken too soon as Fawn calls a press conference in the wake of the nude scandal and blames Schmidt for the incident at the golf course.
Coach assures the gang that he is completely fine, but the "love doctor" Jess knows that it's all just a cover. Coach asks Jess to wait for May at the apartment to give her a cello stabilizer for her recording session while Coach, Nick, and Winston go out to party. Jess uses this moment to work her "love doctor" magic on May and sure enough, May cracks under the simple extension of Jess's friendship to discuss how the relationship went wrong. "The love doctor is in." Tune in next Tuesday at 9PM to see how it all plays out in an all-new episode of New Girl.
Hey there all you fans of ABC Family’s Young & Hungry! Are you ready to talk about this week’s episode? I know I am. Tons to discus so let's get started...
Post Your Questions for Executive Producer Warren Leight of Law and Order SVU & Executive Producer Matt Olmstead of Chicago Fire / Chicago P.D
The interview will center around the upcoming three show crossover that starts on April 28th.
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