Last Week in TV - Week of March 22 - Reviews and Episode Awards

Welcome back to this late version of Last Week in TV. Sorry for not posting yesterday but real life hit back hard this week and I was feeling a bit unmotivated afterwards. It's also why some reviews are so short and why I decided to hold 12 Monkeys off for a special Marathoned Shows section next week. It will join Powers and Community at a minimum. I'm hoping to review a couple of other shows that way too so I won't have so much to catch up on during the summer. (Shameless Plug - I will also be reviewing an episode of Leverage for next week's Throwback Thursday on SpoilerTV. Check it out.) Today's nominated episode was Gotham, which I dropped after 3 episodes this fall. I am still not a fan of the bleakness of the show and I never much liked Batman, but there was much needed improvement in the relationship between Harvey and Gordon. Next week's nominated episode will be The Middle - 6.08. If you would like to nominate, please fill out the form below. Remember there is no need to nominate shows I watch weekly and I will not review a nominated show twice in the same season so Once Upon a Time and others are out for now. Until next week, comments are lovely and happy TV viewing.

Show of the Week:

Backstrom - 1.08 - Give 'Til It Hurts

Backstrom is back and it's as snarky as ever. I laughed the whole way through. I still can't believe that I love this show but it is a tremendous amount of fun. Perhaps it's because Backstrom gets called out on his douchey ways on a regular basis. In this episode, Amy tells him that they aren't getting back together and that he's an alcoholic. He needs to keep getting knocked down a few pegs or he's at risk of becoming Dr. House, where everyone seemed to bend over backwards to excuse his behavior. Again the best part of the episode is the dialogue, which is razor sharp throughout. Also the secondary characters shine, especially Moto who figures out 2 vital clues. Big kudos to Dr. Deb as well for going to extreme lengths to help Backstrom whether he wants it or not. I really like their interactions even if Backstrom was a complete douche for manipulating him with the sobriety chip. All in all, this show works based on its character interactions and they were as spot-on as ever in this episode. Too bad the ratings don't reflect how funny this show can be.

Grade: B+

Best Reason to Watch - all the snarky dialogue
Most Fun - Backstrom and Amy tango
Biggest Douche - Backstrom, who cuts in line of a homeless shelter and takes extra food / Backstrom uses Amy's father's sobriety chip to manipulate Dr. Deb
Best Reaction - even Backstrom can't snark when a husband asks them to find his wife's killer as a death bed wish
The "You Clean Up Well" Award- all of them
MVP - Moto, who keeps filling in the missing pieces
Best Plan - sending Niedermayer in to talk to the society women / Backstrom gets a homeless guy to walk his 10,000 steps for him
The "Swing and a Miss" Award - Backstrom tries to kiss Amy and she dashes off
The "I'm with Backstrom" Award - It's not the homeless' fault that the sporting goods mogul is a racist douche. Let them benefit from his scum bag tendencies.
The "Welcome Back" Award - Assaf Cohen from Burn Notice, Heroes, and the worst episode of Supernatural yet / Keegan Connor Tracy, also from Supernatural and Once Upon a Time
Best Quotes -
1. Meredith: "We have nothing more to say." Backstrom: "Really? Why is that? Because the Botox has frozen your face so much."
2. Backstrom: "Wow, more money than God and all you get is experimental medicine and a cr** art project. That's got to sting."
3. Backstrom: "Your cr** lawyer should have advised us that you didn't have access to a car considering you're being accused of committing a hit and run. Argh!" Nate: "I'm a tax lawyer."
4. Backstrom: "Oh right, because that battery-operated vanity toy probably couldn't go fast enough to kill someone."
5. Deb: "Nice to meet you, Detective Gravely, and you have my deepest sympathies." Gravely: "And I feel your pain, Dr. Chaman."

Nominated Show:

Gotham - 1.04 - Arkham

I've always been more of a Spiderman person than a Batman person. There's something far more noble and less depressing in "With great power comes great responsibility" than the revenge-fueled bleakness of Batman. To be honest, I don't see a whole lot of difference between Batman and the people he's killing off, and I have no idea why people are trying to save a town this corrupt. Arrest everyone. Start over. Therefore I knew right from the first episode that the mood and tone of Gotham was going to put it on early hiatus for me. From what I remember, I liked this episode better than the others especially because the mob war didn't require any previous comic knowledge. Two mobsters both want the same land and fight over it. It's like any drug cartel show with the same outcome. Lower level management on both sides is taken out and it ends with the honest citizens losing every time. I did like that the hostility between Gordon and Harvey was more tempered even though they approach things from vastly different scopes. Still Gotham is a show that takes itself far too seriously for the villains to be this campy. Either let the audience in on the fun or make villains we can actually fear. You can't play it both ways. Also some relief from the generally oppressive atmosphere would be nice. At least for me, but as I said, I'm not a Batman fan. That's why this show is still firmly in the middle of my new shows to be marathoned over the summer list. By the way things are shaping up, I should get to it after the TV Apocalypse.

Grade: B-
Ranking - 3
Audience - Batman fans (I think)

Best Reason to Watch - mob politics
Best Character Interaction - Bruce and Gordon
Least Surprising - Cobblepot was behind the restaurant robbery and killed his guys
Worst Way to Make a Business Decision - having people duke it out and the winner gets the job
Best Action - Gordon vs. Gladwell
Smartest Kid - Bruce Wayne, who probably could figure out the connection between his parents and the Arkham murders if he had enough time and data
Worst Way to Die - having gasoline poured on you and then being lit on fire
The "Welcome Back" Award - Hakeem Kae-Kazim from Black Sails
Best Quotes -
1. Bruce: "Everything they worked for is now falling into the hands of criminals." Gordon: "Not everything. You're alive. It's not too late." Bruce: "Do you really believe that? Do you believe Gotham can be saved?" Gordon: "I believe it's worth trying."
2. Fish: "Look at me. I ain't looking for no girl. I'm looking for a weapon."
3. Gladwell: "You know if it were up to me, this would be over quick without all the fuss. My father used to say, 'Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication,' but it's not up to me. My customer specifically asked me to send a message and you know what they say. The customer is always right."
4. Barbara: "I'm not going to live like this. I can't live like this. You're going to have to make a choice, Jim. You either let me in or you let me go."
5. Gladwell: "You know why they hire a professional? Because he finishes the job."

Weekly Shows:

Battle Creek - 1.04 - Heirlooms

Battle Creek went more police procedural and less hilarious odd couple cop buddy show this week and it suffered a little because of it. The episode didn't keep my attention as much and I laughed less. Part of it is that Russ' insistence on digging up dirt on Milt to make himself feel better feels increasingly childish as is his reluctance to use the resources Milt has. Jealousy is never a good look on anyone. Still this is one of the funniest cop shows hands down even in this episode. I loved how Russ and Milt kept lying to each other in increasingly pathetic sob stories. Even better is the fact that neither believed any of it.

Grade: B-

Best Reason to Watch - Russ and Milt out-lying each other
Best Reason to Fast Forward - Russ' insistence that Milt's back story is his business
Best Point - Fontanelle tells Russ that Milt has no reason to confide in him
Most Fun - running from the dog via trampoline, although the big finish looked a bit painful
Best Visual - the 3 Battle Creek crew standing with guns pointed when the rich siblings flee
Biggest Tall Tale - Russ creates a sad story about his parents' divorce to make Milt confide in him
Best Lie Detector - Milt knows he's lying and confesses nothing
Biggest Hmmm - What's up with Battle Creek and kids involved with crimes?
Biggest Stalker - Russ keeps asking about Holly and questioning where she is
Least Surprising - the will is the reason the waitress died
Best Surprise (for the characters) - the kid is now worth $42 million
Best Surprise (story) - Holly going for her law degree
Best Quotes -
1. Eleanor Whitehall: "He died of a heart attack 2 days ago." Funkhauser: "Talk about an excellent alibi."
2. Meredith: "Great. I was going to do an actual autopsy, you know, with science and stuff but if you've got it figured out, saves me some time."
3. Milt: "I don't like you guys . I didn't like you guys before you were killers. You know why? Because every town has people like you, spoiled little brats who get away with everything. But every town also has people like me, stubborn idiots. Yes, we don't have any evidence." Milt: "Russ, I don't…" Russ: "Yes, you clean up well but you know what? This isn't the end until you go to jail. You know why? Because you can't stab a person and not get bloody."
4. Russ: "Maybe the stabs didn't kill her. Oh, maybe she had a heart attack and somebody gave her CPR with a steak knife."
5. Milt: "People love people without sleeping with them all the time."

Scorpion - 1.19 - Young Hearts Spark Fire

Way, way too much Walter pining over Paige in this one for me. This entire episode was made for the shippers. I'm not one of them so the fire episode left me cold. It did have its moments. Sylvester told off Grumpy and saved him both with brains and brawn. Toby and Sylvester got great lines. Walter jumped off a cliff. Cabe didn't give up on the team. Nothing much happened with the females except shipping junk so that was disappointing. Let's just say that in the rewatch, this episode went down an entire letter grade. Ho hum.

Grade: C

Best Reason to Watch - forest fire heroics
Best Reason to Fast Forward - anything about Walter and Paige feelings, so 1/3 of the episode
Best Moment - Grumpy tells Sylvester he'd be proud to have Sylvester as his kid
Biggest Laugh - a firefighter sprays Toby with the extinguisher right as he's about to tell Happy he loves her
Smartest Hero - Sylvester for finding a way for them to survive in a flashover fire
Biggest Hero - Walter, for rope swinging across the ravine first
Biggest Douche - Grumpy, who isn't making anything better
Sweetest Gesture - Paige gives her costume jewelry to the kid so he can propose
Best Running Plot - never leave a man behind
Most On the Nose - the title
Least Interesting Subplot - Paige and Walter
Most Exciting Engagement - not everyone's engagement ring can save them from a forest fire
Biggest Hmm - Why did they take Paige along instead of having her stay with Sylvester and Grumpy? It seems like her interpersonal skills were best needed with them.
Most Complicated - Toby turns to math to prove Walter likes Paige. I use my eye roll paradigm.
Biggest Dig - climate change deniers and anti-vaccine groups
Most Practical - Happy tells the kid to dump his rocks when they're hiking
Stupidest Plan - Toby undoes his seatbelt before the crash to cover Happy
Most in Need of a New Contract - Sylvester because they keep putting him in perilous situations over his clear objections
Best Reference - Rock a Bye Baby
Best Quotes -
1. Walter: "And how old are you?" Toby: "Thirteen months older than you so show your elders respect."
2. Sylvester: "Walter, I want to help but I can't willingly board a death trap designed by Leonardo da Vinci 500 years ago."
3. Happy: "When I go down, this thing is going to shake. Just keep your heads straight and we should be good." Sylvester: "Should. Fantastic."
4. Toby (holding the broken sat phone): "We might not get the reception we're looking for on this model."
5. Paige: "Over there." Toby: "How do you know?" Paige: "It's very scientific. I heard them."

The Returned - 1.03 - Julie

Remember how last week I had even fewer answers than after watching the pilot? This tradition continues, but at least I'm more engrossed this time. Lena's new and widening scar has all kinds of potential. Is Camille psychically sucking the life from her and it is manifesting physically? Is Lena receiving the wounds Camille got as she died? Is Victor responsible for all of this? So many questions. And what about Peter's claim that he knew someone who came back a long time ago? Was it him? Has he studied cases like these and that's why he took Camille's reappearance very well? What did he do before he moved to this town and why did he show up here to begin with? Did he really come as part of his job or is there a deeper significance to the town? Is Adam really the serial killer Tony obviously thinks he is? Will Victor do us all a favor and kill Nosy Neighbor? I'm guessing this is a no since that's what they are leading us to believe. I bet he makes her less nosy though. I'm also betting they don't show us what he does to her because they really want to keep their secrets to themselves in this show, a frustrating side effect of almost all genre shows.

Grade: B

Best Reason to Watch - the mysteries are getting deeper and more complicated
Best Aww Scene - Simon sees his daughter
Best Mystery - Peter says he knew someone who came back earlier / Lena's wound
Most Annoying - Camille
Most in Need of Going - Nosy Neighbor
Biggest Psycho - Adam Darrow, who his brother obviously thinks is killing women / Victor, the likely homicidal kid
Most Creepy / Biggest Stalker - Why does Sheriff Tommy have spyware on his fiancé installed on his laptop? That's a total violation. I'm beginning to think he killed Simon because he wanted Rowan even back then.
Most Valid Point - Camille says that she lost Lena too and the new age difference makes that true
The "Are You Kidding Me?" Award - Jack gives Camille a cigarette
The "Welcome Back" Award - Michelle Forbes, who is also currently starring in Powers
Best Reference - Emerson
Best Quote - Lena: "Someone has to babysit the miracle."

Fresh Off the Boat - 1.09 - License to Sell

It's good to have Fresh Off the Boat back. It and Benched are my favorite new comedies this season. In fact, they are the only new comedies I kept watching and this one will actually get a season 2. (Sorry Benched.) As usual, Jessica is the highlight of the episode and it was good to see her out of her element. She's rarely anything but confident. Seeing someone psych her out was good for her character development and allowed Louis to support her. I really loved how both Honey and Louis gave her a pep talk, although I think Honey needs to find a hobby. She's run around Orlando twice in this episode alone. I love how they continue to utilize Honey but Nicole needs to go. Her brattiness weighs down the show and makes Eddie worse.

Grade: B

Best Reason to Watch - laughs combined with a good message
Best Laugh - the boys and then Louis using the hair dryer as a spaceship
Most Needing to Go - Nicole and her enormous attitude
Best Reaction - Jessica to Louis' salon style hair dryer
Worst Advice - Louis basically tells Eddie to stalk Nicole in order to get a date with her
Worst Plan - Eddie lets Nicole tattoo and pierce him
Best Pep Talk - Honey to Jessica, even if Jessica doesn't take it
Best Turn About - the boys get to quiz Jessica for her test and they make her write the answers 5 times
Best Ninja Mom Move - Eddie says he's going to do homework and loves his mom, so she zaps right in front of him to see what he's hiding
Best Reference - Melissa Joan Hart
Best Quotes -
1. Louis: "You look like an Indian Elmer Fudd."
2. Jessica: "How crazy are houseboats? You go home and you sail away. What's your address? The ocean. Don't like your neighbors? Fish are your neighbors. You can eat your neighbors."
3. Eddie: "Can you not talk in Restaurant?"
4. Jessica: "Apparently you need a license to sell houses. Did you know this?" Louis: "I did know this. I told you this, and you ignored me."
5. Louis: "Okay find some shared interest, something you both like…you know to break the ice." Eddie: "Is that what you did with mom?" Louis: "Oh not right away. We developed our shared interests over about 9 months. You." Eddie: "Nasty."

iZombie - 1.02 - Brother, Can You Spare a Brain?

While I liked the pilot better, I still enjoyed this episode. I think if we didn't spend so much time in the artist brain, I would have found it more entertaining. I guess I'm not sure what the goal here was. Were they trying to make us see Liv in a different light? Were they going for humor? Were they going for horny? I don't know so obviously they didn't achieve their goal with me. I do hope that we won't see lingering vestiges of artist brain with Liv though because the flowery descriptions, while funny at first, tended to slow down the usually whip-smart dialogue.

Grade: B

Best Reason to Watch - Liv is constantly changing based on who she's eating at the time so she's unlikely to get boring
Biggest Scumbag - Surprisingly it was not the zombie killer, the human murderer, or the slutty almost rapist. It was the 40-some odd year old murder victim who knocked up an 18 year old.
Best Side Effect from Being Zombified - Nope, not the sudden urge to go Bob Villa. It's the sudden ability to kick douche bag butt.
Best Business Man - Blaine can turn a pretty profit in the brain business once he turns people into zombies
Least Appealing Subplot - eating brains of course is the most disgusting but Liv's new art passion went from quirky to outright annoying in about 12 minutes
Best Side Eye - Clive to Liv getting way into her brain revelation and reaction to the model
Biggest Say What? - the murder suspect introduces her friend as her favorite of her husband's lovers
Best Plan - Major tells Liv off and kicks her out
Least Surprising - David Anders plays a bad guy
Most Enthusiastic - Doc in examining Blaine
Most Awkward - Liv tells Blaine that he turned her into a zombie although he says he doesn't remember
Best Reaction - the sketch artist at Liv's artistic description
Best Reference - LL Cool J
The "Welcome Back" Award - Judy Reyes from Scrubs / Sean O. Roberts, formerly Mensa Monster on Supernatural
Best Quotes -
1. Clive: "Someone came in that you didn't see but was probably Lola." Liv: "I didn't say that." Clive: "No, you gave me 50 Shades of Psychic and no vital details."
2. Blaine: "You're the trend spotter. I should ask you. Zombies, I heard we're finito. Is that…is that true? Has oversaturation buried us?"
3. Clive: "I'm going to head over and question her again. You feel like joining me? Maybe you'll have another vision. Hopefully one that's less late night premium cable."
4. Major: "Hey, pod person who's taken over Liv's body, really should have done some homework because no one's gonna buy this."
5. Liv: "There he is, Tasha's ex. The one with the gleaming crystal eyes and the mouth that looks like it just finished eating a peach." Clive: "How about you just tell me what color shirt he's wearing?" Liv: "Cerulean."
6. Tito: "I've been thinking about you ever since our interrogation. I've heard of bad cop-good cop before but bad cop-horny cop was a first." Liv: "How about we go grab a drink with the others and you can tell me all about how I objectified you?"

Young & Hungry - 2.01 - Young & Too Late

This episode felt more like the season 1 finale than it did the season 2 premiere. All it needs is for Gabi to lose her phone by the next episode or Josh to have moved on to a new girlfriend. He doesn't seem to like being alone at all. Sadly this pair has all the makings of a will they-won't they relationship to me and I'm sick of those. Either put them together or forever hold your peace, show. And I do mean forever. No final season hooking up really quickly before the show is cancelled thing. Ho hum to everything Josh and Gabi anyway. I love all the secondary characters better, including Cooper this time. Yolanda is still snarking her way into my heart, and despite the continual bad advice, Sophia is a favorite too. What surprised me in this episode was how much I liked Elliot. Usually he annoys me, but here he was funny and less obnoxious. Big kudos on that. Let's hope he continues in this vein because if my favorite duo becomes a trio, well that's a lot of Gabi and Josh I can sweep right on by.

Grade: B-

Best Reason to Watch - the secondary characters, all who make the mess of Josh and Gabi tolerable and even fun
Biggest Laugh - Sophia tells Josh to call Gabi and he starts yelling out her name
Biggest Hypocrite - Gabi can't gripe about Josh sleeping with someone else since it was her last time
Best Emotional Blackmail - Yolanda tries to get Elliot to ditch his date and stay with Josh
Biggest Ouch - Josh gives Gabi back the blanket she crocheted for him
Most Improved Character - Elliot
Worst Change - the opening credits are way too bizarre now
Biggest Hmm - Gabi doesn't know how to put her phone on airplane mode? Was she born last century?
The "Say What?" Award - no way Gabi has packed for 3 weeks in China with just that little suitcase
Worst Advice - Sophia telling Josh to spill his feelings out over voice mail
Biggest Babble - it's hard to choose between Josh and Gabi here
The "Glad the Wedding Cancellation Paid Off for Someone" Award - at least Elliot got a date out of it
The "Welcome Back" Award (character) - Cooper
Best Quotes -
1. Cooper: "Anyway I figured while Josh was away on his honeymoon, you could spend 3 weeks with me in China. It's such an amazing place. Everything in this apartment is from there."
2. Yolanda: "May I remind you that I told you to go tell Gabi how you feel, not to creep outside around her apartment and then run away."
3. Andre: "I'm a florist. That practically makes me a licensed psychologist. Spill."
4. Josh: "Are you saying that Gabi has feelings for me?" Sophia: "Come on, Josh. You had no idea?" Andre: "The pretty ones are never smart."
5. Gabi: "He must be beside himself." Yolanda: "He's beside something alright."

Forever - 1.18 - Dead Men Tell Long Tales

The case of the week was pretty bland, but I do like how Henry's back story came full circle. We've now seen how he became immortal and the result of his decision to try to free the slaves. I'm glad it had a happy ending and Henry can get some peace for that part of his life. I'm also good with Jo dating Isaac if that means there is more Cuba Gooding, Jr. on my screen. The man is a 90's icon. Plus it throws a wrinkle in the partner romance thing. Woo hoo! I do wish that Abe had a bigger role in this but Henry and he breaking into the warehouse was fun. Now we need an episode that focuses on Abe's flashbacks.

Grade: B

Best Reason to Watch - Henry back story
Best Scene - Isaac tells Henry that the slaves made it to freedom because he dropped the key when he died
The "Poor Baby" Award - Lucas just wants a little love from Henry
Best Matchmaker - Reece, who leaves Jo and Isaac alone to set up another date
Best Detective Duo - Henry and Abe
Most Enthusiastic - Lucas talking about treasure
The "Yes, Everything in the Universe Does Indeed Revolve Around Henry" Award - this time a man is murdered who found the ship that Henry was murdered on
Biggest Punner - Lucas, who never met a pirate joke he didn't say
The "Say What?" Award - Why would Adam think that the weapon used to temporarily kill them the first time can eternally kill them now? I mean it didn't kill them the first time. Is second time the charm?
The "Not Him Again" Award - I am very unexcited about Adam returning
The "Welcome Back" Award - Cuba Gooding, Jr., most notably from Boyz in the Hood, A Few Good Men, and Jerry Maguire
Best Quotes -
1. Abe: "Never pull a job on an empty stomach."
2. Abe: "Henry, I've been your son for almost 70 years. I've heard all of your stories."
3. Jo: "Did he just give away his motive?" Henry: "I think he also winked at you."
4. Henry: "I believe that 99.9% of everything can be explained scientifically. There's no fate, no magic, no curses except for one - my own."
5. Jo: "What's he after?' Hanson: "My guess…you."



The Flash - 1.16 - Rogue Time

You take the good. You take the bad.
You take 'em both and there you have this episode, this episode.
Time travel's got to go. It's slow
When everything that you know
It gets redone. It's been undone.
When no one's really dead
And they don't remember what they just said,
And suddenly you're finding out
All of last week's story clout
Is moot. It's really moot.
At least they did get something right.
Iris and Barry are not as trite.

Seriously though, time travel is not a good TV trope and then they added some of the most cringe worthy dialogue of the season. Seriously, almost everything the villains said was horrendously cheesy. On the plus side though, we got Cisco back and the end of the molasses-paced Barry and Iris saga. Let's just all agree that we don't ever need to hear about their will they-won't they relationship again. There is no upside there. Now that Caitlin has smoothed things over between them with her totally bogus mental health diagnosis, let's get back to saving the world. Um, except from Snart I guess. (Aside - I originally typed Snark and that makes me laugh. Could we please have a villain called Captain Snark? That's one ubervillain I won't want to see go. PS - His alter ego is Crowley on SPN.) Isn't making deals with your archrival the way superheroes fall? This won't end well for you, Barry. Luckily they did preserve 2 things from the previous episode. I love that Wells still tells Cisco that he's like a son to him. I also love that suspicion is mounting against Wells. He's playing a dangerous game, trying to keep everything normal, and I hope he gets good and stuck in his web of lies. Still this episode is all about Cisco and that's where it excels. We get much needed back story on the character, including a pretty intense case of sibling rivalry. I'm glad Caitlin was there for him at the party. At first I wanted her to be the one to comfort him when he returned after being kidnapped but in the end it was more powerful coming from Wells. Not only is Cisco like a kid to Wells (one he doesn't mind killing by the way) but Wells is like a father figure to Cisco. It is now more clear why he needs to believe in Wells and why he is so eager for his approval. Of everyone who gets hurt when Wells is revealed as the Yellow Flash, it will be Cisco that takes it the hardest.

Grade: B-

Best Reason to Watch - Barry finally believes that Wells may be evil
Best Back Story - Cisco and his brother
Worst Deal - So Snart keeps stealing stuff and the Flash keeps letting him? Is that the deal they struck? That isn't going to go bad quickly at all. Just wait until the internet figures it out.
Biggest Aww Moment - Cisco tells Barry he revealed his secret identity and they both apologize
The "You Deserve It" Award - I feel not one jot sorry for Barry. He deserved to be punched by Eddie.
Biggest Laugh - the dialogue. Think "The Count on Arrow" bad.
The "Say What?" Award - Her gun turns people to gold? If Cisco had that capability, why does he even need a job?
Most Cartoonish Villains - Every single one of them tonight. They all talk like they came from a B movie.
Most Anticlimactic - Barry arrests the bad guy while he's reading the paper and before anything can happen
Least Likely to Keep a Secret / Most Likely to Screw a Timeline All to Hades - Barry
Least Surprising - Cisco is no longer dead
Most Surprising - Barry thinks Eddie is going to hit him again but instead he bear hugs him
The "Well At Least We Don't Have To Deal with Romance" Award - If we have to undo, at least we get Cisco back and we don't have to deal with Barry and Iris sucking all oxygen from the room.
Best Friend - Caitlin tells Cisco that she'll go with him to his brother's birthday party / Caitlin creates Lightning Psychosis to explain Barry's weird behavior with Iris and Eddie
Most Relatable - sibling rivalry
The "Hey, Even I Know that's a Comic Thing" Award - Barry calls Snart's gang a Rogue Gallery
Most Awkward - Barry and Cisco pretty much tie for this one
The "Welcome Back" Award - Captain Cold and Heat Wave
Best Quotes -
1. Wells: "Making a choice between 2 people you love, that is the hardest dilemma you will ever face." Cisco: "Well, you won't have to worry about me making the wrong decision again." Wells: "All you proved today is that you're human. All you proved today is that you love your brother and the reason that we all want you to stay is that we love you too. Now I am not a parent but in many ways you have shown me what it is like to have a son."
2. Caitlin: "Yeah, it's a very uncommon neurological phenomenon. We're really only just now beginning to research it in chronomedicine. It's why Barry's been spending so much time at Star Labs." Iris: "I just…I wish you would have told me." Barry: "It hardly feels real sometimes."
3. Snart: "Hello, Cisco. What exactly are your intentions with my sister?" Cisco: "Oh come on. I should have known better. I'm not that lucky. Please don't kill me for kissing your sister." Snart: You kissed him." Lisa: "You're not dad, Lenny." Snart: "I know. Dad's in jail. Sterling role model."
4. Iris: "Did I ever tell you how wise and amazing you are?" Joe: "Not enough."
5. Cisco: "That's the first time I've heard anyone use the word great to describe a breakup."

Supernatural - 10.16 - Paint It Black

Even after 200+ episodes, I love a good ghost story. I don't even mind that we spent significant time on back story of a character we had never met before and would never meet again. I was far too busy being impressed by how nonchalant Good Sister was about ghosts. Ha! I wouldn't mind her coming back again. After all, she did say that ghosts were frequent visitors to the church so who knows when she'll need another good ghostbusting. Strangely though the brothers were kind of secondary in this episode, which did lower the grade a bit. Well besides Dean's mortality staring right at him and Sam desperately trying to get through to Dean again. Have I said how much I like this return to old Sam who is all about saving his brother? Then there's Rowena who finally has a purpose in the story besides torturing Crowley. It's about time. Now maybe she will stop nagging at him. I love this extended Crowley time but Rowena needs to interact with other characters because the manipulative mother act is getting old. Also shout out to Dr. Fraiser from Stargate SG-1, who died far too soon in that series. It's good to see Teryl Rothery back on my screen.

Grade: B-

Best Reason to Watch - old-fashioned ghost tale complete with back story on tertiary characters
Best Character Interaction - Rowena and Olivette
Biggest Moral - don't choose the crazy as your muse
The "Say What?" Award - Sam, ignore Dean and go with your gut. If it isn't the journal tethering her, then you might need it to figure out what is.
The "It's about Time" Award - someone acknowledges that they can hear Dean and Sam when they talk about supernatural things in public places
Biggest Face Palm - Dean at confession before it turned serious
Biggest Brat - Rowena, and it's actually funny
Best Continuity - we've got smoke ghosts like smoke demons / Dean gets beat up by the possessed chick
Least Surprising - the ghost nun did it / witches don't like the Men of Letters
Best Surprise - Sister is cool with ghosts
The "Um, Hellooooo" Award - We've been through dozens of vengeful spirits before. Why are they acting like one tied to an artifact is a new thing? They don't all have bones to salt and burn.
The "Welcome Back" Award - Teryl Rothery from SG-1, Arrow, Kyle XY, and others
Best Quotes -
1. Olivette: "It was a rabid group of sanctimonious do gooders dedicated to our downfall." Rowena: "They had equal magic?" Olivette: "Worse, public relations."
2. Rowena: "The Winchesters. Again with the Winchesters. Perpetually the Winchesters."
3. Sam: "Look man, I'm just saying I'm your brother. If you ever need to talk about anything with anybody, you've got somebody right here next to you."
4. Dean: "Sister, did you notice any change in the McCarthy's lives? You know fighting, drinking, cheating. You know, the usual." Sister: "The usual. A bit cynical, Agent?" Dean: "Well you know scissors to the gut really bring out the Grinch in me."
5. Sister: "Really? The FBI believes in ghosts."
6. Dean: "What if I said I…I didn't want to die yet and that I wasn't ready." Father: "Are you expecting to?" Dean: "Always. You know, the life I live, the work I do, yeah, I pretty much just figured that that was all there was of me. You know, tear around and jam the key in the ignition. Haul a** until I ran out of gas. I guess I just thought sooner or later I'd go out the same way that I live. Pedal to the metal and that would be it."

CSI: Cyber - 1.03 - Fire Code

This is a solid episode of CSI: Cyber and it holds up well after repeat watching. The crime is interesting even if the pacing could use a little help. Who knew arson went to the cyber level? Still the best part of the episode was getting more back story on Nelson. Now all we need is a Raven-centric episode.

Grade: B

Best Reason to Watch - Nelson back story
Best Dukes of Hazard Slide - Mundo hopping a hood to cross the street
The "Oh Please" Award - If the fire was big enough to create a back draft, then the door knob would have been hot, alerting Stacie to its presence.
Most Educational - the idea of a zero-day attack
Best Plan - Nelson puts a tracker on his flash drive
Biggest Pet Peeve - Why do shows feel the need to recap stuff that happened in the same episode? Do they really think we are so stupid we forgot we happened 8 minutes prior or are they worried that what they wrote was that forgettable? Bah on recapitations.
Biggest PSA - strong wi-fi passwords could keep your house from burning down
Best Quotes -
1. Mundo: "You're not that smart. You're a step above Script Kitty."
2. Avery: "Elijah, a little piece of advice. When it comes to family, be selfish."
3. Avery: "You work for the FBI. We are a team, but we all need to know what play is being called, okay?"

The Goldbergs - 2.16 - The Lost Boy

As always, The Goldbergs combines laughs and heart in just the right measure to hit the comedy sweet spot. In this case I liked Beverly's storyline more than Murray's though. We've all lived through mom guilt, but Beverly is a world class master in it. To be honest, I don't think I'd ever stop seeing a shrink if my mom guilted me that much. What I like here is that I laughed and cringed as she did her worst, but that scene with Pops was amazing. I love how he can make her see the long-term consequences of her actions and yet still make her feel loved and understood. It's a great parent-adult child bond that we don't see in many shows today. I liked how she in turn made peace with Erica and Barry until they all found a compromise. The montages at the end accompanied by the song of the episode are always stunning heart grabbers. I had a harder time with the Murray and Adam story line though because I can't believe that a junior high kid in the 80's had no plan for if he got lost. We had plans for every place and every building had the area you went to if you were lost. Everyone knew that. Maybe if Adam were 8 I would buy this but he's too smart to not at least have some clue as to what to do. Not to say that Murray was much better since he doesn't even know how old his kid is. Plus parents in the 80's knew to come up with a meeting place in any building in case someone got lost. I think he missed the memo.

Grade: B (average)

Best Reason to Watch - Beverly apologizes for guilting her kids and they apologize for ditching her
Best Aww Moment - Murray tells Adam that he's safe when they finally find each other
Best Scene - Pops tells Beverly to back off before her kids resent her
The "Say What?" Award - Even in the 80's every place had an information station. The first thing a lost kid did was find it and your parents would come there eventually if the company didn't completely embarrass you first by PA-ing that you were lost. If nothing else, Adam should be able to tell about where they sat by looking at the field from each section. Does Adam have zero common sense?
Best Reaction - Beverly to Erica and Barry driving away and leaving her
Most Embarrassing - Beverly and she has Olympic-sized talent at it
The "So Much for Parenting" Award - Murray doesn't even know how old Adam is
Most Disgusting - urine trough, blech!
Biggest Face Palm - Barry thought Pops was teaching them to literally fight their mother
Most Pathetic - Adam, who can't go to the bathroom by himself when he's in middle school
Best Motto - "It's Not Real. Don't Feel." Most passionate fans need to remember this when writers try to manipulate them through fan pandering to mask the fact that the story doesn't make sense. (Sorry. This is less about The Goldbergs than other shows in the last few weeks.)
The "It's Your Own Fault" Award - I don't know why Adam is upset with Murray. He was the moron that didn't check a seat number or the section they sat in and then couldn't even smart his way back.
Best Music - Have a Little Faith in Me
The "Welcome Back" Award - Diedrich Bader from The Drew Carey Show and a whole lot of voice work
Best Quotes -
1. Murray (when heading to the baseball game): "Go get your glove." Adam: "My Michael Jackson glove or my Nintendo Power glove?" Murray: "Really?"
2. Pops: "Honey, you can't hold them hostage with guilt for the rest of their lives. They're just going to end up resenting you." Beverly: "What else am I supposed to do? I'm their mom. If it were up to them, they'd never spend time with me." Pops: "Have you ever wondered why they love hanging out with me so much? Cause I don't force them to. Also, I'm pretty freaking delightful." Beverly: "You are pretty delightful." Pops: "And so are you."
3. Barry: "Ah come on, not the little pack of tissues. Mom tears are the worst tears ever."
4. Barry: "But we're just trying to apologize for what we did." Beverly: "No, I'm the one who needs to apologize. I guilt you kids way too much. It's just…uh, when you were little all you wanted to do was spend time with me and you know a mom gets used to that. You two will never understand how much it hurts when that goes away." Erica: "I think that's just the way things are right now." Barry: "You know we really meant what we bedazzled. We do love you."
5. Erica: "I need you to look me in the eye and say you are with me." Barry: "I'm with you. God save my soul. I'm with you."

Allegiance - 1.08 - The Arrival

Allegiance is heating up as the mole goes on the defensive, or is that moles? I still say that Michelle and whoever killed her are both moles. No way she's taking up a relationship with Alex in the middle of the case if she's not. Right now the smart money is on Sam being the other mole but I really hope he isn't. Plus he's the next obvious choice so they wouldn't go there, right? I'm going with either the lie detector man, Faber, or the head honcho, Brock, being Michelle's killer. I guess it could have been someone in the SVR though. Does Victor have those gloves? I feel like I have missed something crucial by not checking out everyone's gloves in the past few episodes, but I have no time to go back to check. If any of you have an Alex-like memory, let me know who the gloves fit.

Grade: B

Best Reason to Watch - the action is heating up and the mystery is in overdrive
Best Reaction - Alex to realizing Michelle wants a midday booty call / Sam to finding out Alex and Michelle slept together
Least Surprising - Christoph blows up the guy's nephew
Most Surprising - Michelle is killed
Most Telling Sign that They are in Danger - Alex tells his parents that he loves them
Most in Need of Dying - Isakof, like usual
Worst Spy - Alex, like usual
TMI Award - Katya tells Victor that Mark is incredible with his hands
Most Suspicious - Michelle has to be a mole. There's no way she keeps sleeping with Alex if she's not, but someone else must be as well. Please don't let it be Sam. Please.
Worst Plan - Alex tries to access Michelle's computer 1. When she's supposed to be out of town and 2. When no one else is in the office. I assume both the FBI and CIA keep track of employee computer data and that Alex needs to swipe in to get into the office to begin with.
The "Welcome Back" Award - Giancarlo Esposito, formerly of Revolution and soon to be the Maze Runner series
Best Quotes -
1. Katya: "There's more thumb than office in a lot of these." Victor: "You try taking covert photos in the middle of a meeting with a paranoid spy master."
2. Michelle: "Do you feel better?" Sam: "About Alex, yes. Not about the fairness of the universe to be frank."
3. Michelle: "How is it that you're employed by the same organization that tracked down Bin Laden?" Sam: "Jealous?" Michelle: "I will pay you to let me sleep right now."
4. Michelle: "Wipe that grin off your face before James Bond back there catches on."
5. Alex: "So what does it mean, this no side projects thing?" Natalie: "You're the dumbest genius ever. It means she doesn't want you sleeping with other people." Alex: "What? Why would I do that?" Natalie: "
Well you wouldn't."

Grimm - 4.15 - Double Date

At this point the only female still on Grimm that I can stand is Rosalee. I've said it 1345 times but they need Trubel back. She was always good for solving cases and injecting some good action. Let's see what the action was this time. Oh yeah, Nick and Hank stood around talking and then Nick shot the suspect with a dart while no one even moved their feet. Bah! Instead of action we get Juliette the HarpyHexen who seems to think everybody owes her something. Seriously, who goes over to someone's house and demands that they take them in indefinitely. Renard didn't do this to you, Juliette, so stop acting like he's there to serve you. Then we have Adalind's brilliant plan to shack up with someone right away and pawn her hellspawn off on them. Perfect. If she sleeps with Renard's dad, King or not, there will not be enough socks in the world. Unless Adalind dies in childbirth, there is nothing in this story that doesn't scream Fast Forward to me. Heave ho, out the door you go. At this point, only the new Royal in town is remotely intriguing in the whole storyline. Remember when everyone was on a quest for the key and it was mysterious and exciting and the whole Royals versus Resistance subplot added vitality to Grimm? It is all but a distant memory by now. Time to cut out the fat and get this show back on track or there will be nothing of substance for anyone to feed on.

Grade: C+

Best Reason to Watch - Wesen is interesting
Biggest Hmmm - Does Monroe have a say in this undercover work or are you guys all going to decide this for him?
Best Bar Name - Olive or Twist
The "Excuse Me" Award - You don't just barge into someone's house and tell them they have to put you up for the night. Geez Juliette. Go home or get a hotel. Also stop acting so entitled. It isn't Renard's fault that Nick and you jumped on a potion solution AGAIN when that has worked so well in the past for you.
The "You Said It, I Think It" Award - Renard looks at who's ringing the bell, sees it's Juliette, and says, "Oh this can't be good." That's pretty much how I feel, sir.
Best Reaction - Wu to them talking crossbows
The "Nope, Just Nope" Award - Nothing can happen to Renard. Even if these bad dreams and blood spurts mean he is shirtless, they need to go away and he needs to be just fine.
The "You So Got Played" Award - A hot woman going home with this guy on a TV show means bad things will happen. Not that I feel bad since he's apparently cheating on his wife.
Least Surprising - The woman and the man are the same person. I remember this from the worm dissection lesson in high school.
Best Plan - Viktor's out and New Royal's in. I don't know who he is but he has to be better than snore-worthy Viktor. At least the promo shows he can fight.
Most Grateful - me for it NOT being spiders
Biggest PSA - Monroe speaks out for transgendered Wesen everywhere
The "Also Starring" Award - Renard's abs, which should have their own billing this episode
The "Welcome Back" Award - Mark Famiglietti from Young Americans and recently on How to Get Away with Murder
Best Quotes -
1. Renard: "Sounds Wesen to me." Hank: "Or we're looking for a big-a** snail."
2. Rosalee: "This Wesen sounds like the epitome of an identity crisis. I can't even imagine how it must feel to be both a man and a woman." Wu: "That would be complicated."
3. Stacy: "Are you sure you want to hear my tales of woe? This is your last chance." Man: "Hey I'm from Detroit. I know woe."
4. Adalind: "I can't have another baby. I don't even know where the first one is."
5. Wu: "Let's pull the surveillance once we get there. I don't want to have to explain this to anyone else."

The Musketeers - 2.10 - Trial and Punishment

I have mixed feelings about this episode. I like that the season has its closure with Rochefort's death. I think they should keep self-contained seasons throughout. I loved all the scenes with Milady and Athos, and I am relieved that Athos was honest enough to go even if he arrived too late. However, I hate that Milady appears to be gone. If it is true, the single most interesting character has left us and we're stuck with a few I wouldn't mind seeing killed off. The biggest disappointment though is that there are zero consequences for any of the main characters and that sucks out loud. Aramis should be banished from the court. King Louis and all of his advisors should be sending him off to anywhere else on the pretense of guarding France. To have him still around makes a sham of the seriousness of their offense. I'm not a big fan of how easily D'Artagnan and Constance got off for their adultery either. Let's conveniently kill her husband so they can be together. It feels like fan pandering at its worst. Still this season gave us more Porthos, which was the biggest highlight, and the action stayed consistent and adrenaline-filled. Since the characters often annoy me, it is the action I'm here for anyway. Plus Rochefort was a fun ball of crazy, a definite improvement over the cardinal. All in all, I'm satisfied so I'll be sticking around for the war with Spain.

Grade: B-

Best Reason to Watch - the action
Biggest Ho Hum - Rochefort is dead and life goes on for everyone
Best Aww Moment - Treville gives Porthos his battle sword
Most Intense - Aramis on trial
Best Plan - making Athos the new captain
Most Ironic - Rochefort is literally stabbed in the back
Best Timing - the Musketeers every single time someone is about to die
Least Surprising - Constance does NOT die / Marguerite does
The "I Feel for You" Award - I may not like King Louis and think he's an overgrown baby, but his life has sucked for the last few days. Finding out that his son is really not his son is the final straw.
Most Short and Sweet - French marriage vows consist of saying, "I Will" twice and 3-5 sentences from a priest. I've been to a Catholic wedding before and it's gotten considerably longer over the centuries.
Biggest Ouch - Queen Anne lays it on the line for Monsieur CrazyPants Rochefort
Best Rescue - tie - Milady of Aramis and the team of Constance
The "Don't Screw This Up Twice" Award- Treville, take the job and be grateful that another rampant psychopath isn't advising the king
Best Reference - The Musketeer motto from the book
Best Quotes -
1. Rochefort: "Do you know why it took so long for him to break me? You. The mere thought of you was a refuge from my agony." Queen: "Know this, Rochefort. In all that time, I did not think of you once."
2. Rochefort: "Do you love the queen, Aramis? Will you confess?" Aramis: "I will. I confess to knowing that you are a liar whose promises can never be trusted. You could never afford to leave the queen alive, Rochefort. She knows you are a Spanish spy. She knows you are a murderer. You assaulted Her Majesty without invitation or provocation and now you intend to conceal your lies by accusing the innocent. It is Rochefort who's the traitor, Rochefort who is the enemy, and Rochefort who should be on trial." Rochefort: "So you deny the charges." Aramis: "I do."
3. Aramis: "It won't be long before they notice my escape." Milady: "It was not an escape. It was a rescue for which you are very welcome." Aramis: "It's not a rescue yet."
4. Milady: "Would it matter to you if I went?" Athos: "You are free to do as you please." Milady: "I'm not free. I'm bound to you as you are to me. I've become this foul and ugly thing, this stranger who cheats and lies and kills without conscience. I don't want to be that creature anymore. I want to be as I was once with you. To feel hope instead of this deadness in my heart."
5. Vargas: "Spain thanks you for your service." Rochefort: "None of this was for Spain."

Community - 6.01 / 6.02 - Ladders / Lawnmower Maintenance & Postnatal Care

I like Community but I'm not a fanatic about it. If it had ended last season I would have been good. Still I am glad it's back because the season 6 premiere was Community at its best. Largely referential and meta, the premiere took audience concerns and made them part of the show. As always, Abed is the voice of the audience AND the creators. He points out issues the audience may have like how these guys never seem to graduate but then answers as the creators. It's not important. Greendale lives in a world on its own and as such the realities of life are meaningless. But too much fancy makes for a draining and often bizarre show so I am really glad that they added Frankie as a character. She's the voice of reality, something the show has needed for a long time. She grounds the most outlandish and still allows the characters to play in their own sandbox. I think that's why I loved the premiere but I didn't like the second episode nearly as much. The second one went off the deep end fast and I didn't find anything about Dean in the VR world funny at all. Maybe it's because I generally don't find the dean funny. I did love that they brought Keith David in though. I really miss him from Enlisted. Still I could have done without the VR plot at all. Britta's plot was only slightly less annoying. She tends to be my least favorite of the core group and this just enhanced her irritating qualities. Still it did explain a bit how they could afford the things they did (see question from the premiere) and I liked the interchange between Frankie and Britta in the car. Here's hoping Britta's parents are featured more as well. They were a lot of fun. So far this season of Community feels a lot like most of them. The good will be excellent and the bad utterly forgettable. I can't wait to see which way this season leans.

Grade: A- / B-

Best Reason to Watch - Community is one of a kind
Biggest Laugh - the sorry montage
Best New Addition - Frankie
The "Only on Community" Award - Frisbee avalanche
Most Admirable - Community approaches the issue of Troy and Shirley (people of color) leaving head on instead of ignoring it / they also approach the concern of the new character in a similar manner
Biggest What the Heck - Um, uh, The Butcher and the Baker? Yeah, okay. Hmm.
Best Subplot - montages / the fake TV and movie tags at the end
Best Meta - Abed and Frankie talk about Frankie as a new character
Best Character Growth - Jeff, who tells Elroy it feels better NOT to lie
Least Necessary - Chang, like usual
Most Ridiculous - Dean, like usual
Most Missed - Shirley with the rest of the group
The "Welcome Back" Award (character) - Bob Waite
The "Welcome Back" Award (actor) - Paget Brewster of Criminal Minds / Keith David, last making me laugh on the incomparable Enlisted / Martin Mull and Lesley Ann Warren from Clue and a bazillion other things
Best Music - Sweet Emotion
Best Quotes -
1. Abed: "My umbrella concern is that you as a character represents the end of what I used to call Our Show, which was once an unlikely family of misfit students and is now a pretty loose-knit group of students and teachers, none of them are taking a class together, in a school which as of your arrival is becoming increasingly grounded. Asking questions like how do any of us get our money, when will we get our degrees, and what happened to that girl I was dating?"
2. Elroy: "Get out of my Winnebago." Jeff: "You're not allowed to say that like it's a punishment."
3. Britta: "I'm going to name one of my sandwiches after her. My sandwiches suck."
4. Britta: "We're a restaurant inside a cafeteria, Annie. Our weak point wasn't traffic." Jeff: "Flo, Alice, stop fighting. I can't afford to lose this place. If I have to start drinking in the men's room, the score in my head has to change from Trent Reznor to Johnny Cash doing Trent Reznor."
5. Elroy: "He'll be back to his old self in an hour." Jeff: "Great. Do you have a way to fix that?"

About the Author - Dahne

One part teacher librarian - one part avid TV fan, Dahne is a contributing writer for SpoilerTV, where she recaps, reviews, and creates polls for The 100, Grimm, Teen Wolf, and others. She's addicted to Twitter, live tweets a multitude of shows each week, and co-hosts the Sleepy Hollow "Headless" and Teen Wolf "Welcome to Beacon Hills" podcasts for Southgate Media Group. Currently she writes a Last Week in TV column for her blog and SpoilerTV. ~ "I speak TV."

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