Welcome back to a double episode, let's just call it superhero sized edition, of Last Week in TV. I apologize for not posting last week but I had a family emergency that prevented me from spending time on it. As a result, this episode is stuffed to the gills with your favorite shows. As always, thanks to our guest reviewers for helping round it out. Thanks also to everyone nominating shows. Please remember that I will only review one nominated episode of a show per season so there is no need to nominate Nashville, NCIS, The Americans, or The Vampire Diaries, which was this week's episode. I also will not review any show our guest reviewers are covering because they are already doing a great job with those shows. This week's randomly picked, nominated show will be Jane the Virgin. If you have a show you'd like reviewed, fill in the short, 2 question form below. Until then, happy TV viewing and don't forget to leave your episode awards in the comments.
Nominated Episode
While I devoured all things L. J. Smith as a kid, I never really tried The Vampire Diaries as a TV show until I found SpoilerTV. Determined to give the show a fair shake back then, I watched the entire first season. While it was better than its detractors said (it's no washed out Twilight, that's for sure) and I loved the pacing, I'm just not into supernatural romance and I really, really hate love triangles. Thus I approached this nomination with only 1 season of information and that is definitely NOT enough. Many, many thanks to Nakia who answered all my important questions like "Who's that guy and where did he come from?" In the end though, I just rolled with my ignorance and desperately tried to figure out which crazy said which great line. And there were some fantastically snarky lines.
The gist is the long-lost Salvatore matriarch is back from the grave and way too psycho to be dressing herself much less kicking out an entire town so she can create a home for her new family at the expense of her old one. I'm guessing Thanksgiving is loads of fun for the Salvatores. Witch Bonnie isn't excited about her new neighbors so she and Damon kill his new half brother and Mama is ticked so she kidnaps Caroline and sends Elena to a watery grave…er, bed…er, never mind. That whole thing is way too confusing. As is Alaric, who has his lady love's corpse on ice. Cause nothing says love like resurrecting your autopsied fiancé with a stone from hell. Maybe literally. I'm sure this will end up being a stellar plan with absolutely no horrifyingly catastrophic consequences like all those other shows where resurrection ended up being the best plan. Um, I'm sure there's one show like that, right?
In the end though, the pacing is the star of this episode. No parts drag and while the relationships were all confusing, each character had a chance to shine. I may not have understood the motives, but it was crystal clear what everyone's end game was and where they were heading. Well except the end. I have no idea who is shooting Caroline in the end. One point I still need clarified though. This whole thing boils down to a nasty property dispute in which the prize is Mystic Falls. I'm still not sure why anyone would want Mystic Falls to be honest. It's like living on the Hellmouth with extra juicy drama. When your murder rate triples Detroit, perhaps it's better for everyone to move out. Keep the nifty vampire rings and move to Miami.
Grade: B-
Best Reason to Watch - the pacing
Best Scene - Caroline laughs at the psycho sister's Victorian dress
Best Character - Valerie
Most Improved - Caroline
Least Improved - Damon, who seems to be pining over Elena and not near as snarky
Best Back Story - Lily's style of punishment when Damon and Stefan were kids
Best Tool - EMF…but only with rock salt and lead and holy water. Forget it. Just bring the Winchesters.
Biggest Fighter - Bonnie, who is taking back the town one heartless witch at a time
Biggest Huh? - So if I'm getting this right, there's a flash forward (confusing in its own right) and no one's living in Mystic Falls anymore because the witches took over? And Elena's dead/not dead in a Sleeping Beauty spell? And there's no love triangle? So most importantly, who are these people in the IMDb photo? I don't recognize any of them. What a difference 6 seasons have made!
Possibly Worst Plan Ever - letting a witch kill you so your ex can be rescued from witch vampires
The "Nope, Sorry. I Was Wrong" Award - keeping the frozen corpse of your fiancé is the worst plan ever and the worst literal interpretation of fridging someone
Most Annoying - the heretics
Most Petty? - Unless there is something special about Mystic Falls (and in 6 years there may certainly be), it seems awfully petty of Lily to move her new family into her old family's place to rub their nose in it. That's completely childish when there's a perfectly good Hellmouth in need of some crazy further west. Still someone who steals children's toys to get what they want seems a bit too unhinged to be mom to one family, much less two. Time for you to die…for real this time.
Most Awesome - Caroline has become a fighter, takes down Enzo, and frees herself - well temporarily
Least Likely to be a Deterrent - Alaric tells his students there's nothing to see in Mystic Falls but they have to know 10 people died there recently. Social media ensures it. Let the dumb ones flock, call it Darwinism, and be done.
Least Surprising - Alaric doesn't destroy the magic rock. Bonnie, unless you see it dissolve yourself, it's not happening.
Biggest Surprise - Caroline staked at the end
The "Stop Talking and Get Fleeing" Award - I have no idea why characters feel the need to talk when they first see their incarcerated love one. Get them out. Then chat.
The "That's Just Cold" Award - Lily desecrating a grave
Best Quotes -
1. Bonnie: "He wants to bring Jo back to life with a stone that's filled with evil incarnate." Damon: "Yep, sounds about right. So about how long do we have before this evil engulfs the world? Just trying to plan my week."
2. Matt: "So Damon screws up, Caroline gets grabbed, and I end up dead. Doesn't it ever feel like we're fighting the wrong enemy?"
3. Stefan: "Can I help you? It's okay. I speak mute. Just communicate what you want with a series of grunts."
4. Enzo: "So I should condone someone I care about being tortured?" Valerie: "No, you should just stop caring about her."
5. Mary Louise: "Why the hell are you in here?" Valerie: "Just looking for this. See I heard of this new fashion trend called Hooker Chic. I figured you'd have something. Thanks."
Episode of the Week
I feel like I keep repeating myself but I can't believe how much better this season of The Blacklist is compared to the first two. I liked this show before but it's must-watch TV now. This was another superb episode with good pacing, interesting philosophy, and more kick butt if sociopathic Tom Keene than one episode should be able to hold. I love when Reddington goes toe-to-toe with the Director and I find a perverse thrill at seeing the Director backed into a corner. Tonight's cat and mouse game had a great twist in that Reddington was not attacking the cabal as a whole but instead specifically targeted the Director, taking away his nest egg and holding proof that he's betraying the cabal by skimming the till. When you add the Leverage-ish shenanigans to get to the safety deposit box first, this is a topnotch episode. Another reason it resonates is because we have spent so much time delving into Liz's feelings about her precarious situation, but this episode instead focuses on Reddington. That made it more action-oriented and gave James Spader another mesmerizing speech to deliver. I like how he stuck it to the cryogenic crazy but then turned around and shot him to expedite the story. Plus, I find Tom Keene endlessly fascinating so the more of him the better in my opinion. It feels like everything is coming to a head and for once Red and Liz are on top. I can't wait to see them crush the cabal.
Grade: A-
Best Reason to Watch - the pacing
Best Scene / Best Speech - Red tells off Mr. CrazyBillionairePants
Best Gotcha - Red to the Director
Best Action - everything with Tom
Best Plan - Red controlled the entire board here, but his best move was to buy the woman a restaurant and force the inspector to work his plan
Most Confident - Tom Keene
Most Needing to Die - the Director
Most Over His Head - You'd think this would be the Director but actually it's Harold, who apparently expected Tom to play by FBI rules when he involved him in clearing Liz's name. How's that working out for you, Harold?
Most Barbaric - fight to the death sporting
The "Well He Warned You" Award - Generic Russian Bad Guy, Tom did tell you exactly how he was going to take down your crew. You really should have been able to defend yourself better.
The "Sometimes It Pays to be Dumb" Award - nothing like being kidnapped and offed for cold storage because you are the top of your field
Best Music - Radar Love by Golden Earring, which I love by the way
Best Quotes -
1. Red: "It's a novel theory, Donald, but like all novels, it's fiction."
2. Red: "No matter how many poor souls you turn into popsicles, the fix is in. The world in which you awaken will be one incapable of sustaining human life and why? Because at the critical tipping point, one tragically quixotic megalomaniac cannibalized humanity of the very minds that might have been its salvation. You see if you were a betting man, you would understand that now trumps later every time. The future is a sucker's bet, a maybe, a contingency, a what if. The only thing that is real is the present and you've plundered it, robbed it of the very geniuses that might have averted the dystopia that you so fear. Indeed perhaps even the very one who might have devised a means to revive your sad, tired, frozen a**. Congratulations Crispin, you've doubled down on extinction."
3. Red: "I'm gonna bring this whole damn thing down on you, Peter, and when I do, your own people will beg me to kill you to stop the bleeding."
4. Kerikar: "Who the hell are you?" Tom: "I'm the guy who's taking you back to DC to admit that you framed my wife for murder."
5. Red: "Dead? Pish posh, what's death? It's just a process, right?"
This was the best episode of Quantico yet. I like how both stories were on a timer and it increased my interest in both of them because of it. I also like how the team is becoming more congealed in the fast forward as well. It's bound to be a mistake because someone is going to betray their trust but I think one of the reasons why I tend to like the training parts better is because there is more character interaction in them. Now both parts give me that and it's improved the narrative. I especially like how blindsided I was that Natalie is basically Team Alex now too. Talk about a twist. That's bigger than finding out there's another bomb out there. I figured that was a given. Does no one watch 24? I also like how Shaw let everyone in on the secret of the twins. The reactions were great and Raina made a good point about having to trust each other and that meant they couldn't have these big secrets. Now I'm sure there are still big secrets to go for all of these characters and we still don't know why Simon supposedly got kicked out, but it made for the most honest speech in the show.
Grade: A-
Best Reason to Watch - the great teamwork, both in training and in the flash forward
Best Scene - disarming the bomb
Best Reaction - the class to learning about the twins
Best Shock - Natalie allows Alex and Booth to leave
Biggest Shock - Booth turns down a reinstatement and Caleb gets back into the field agent program
Biggest Girl Scout - Alex trades info to try to get Booth's job back
Biggest Boy Scout - Booth (along with Shelby and Simon) puts his job on the line to help prove Alex was framed
Biggest What the Heck? - Why are TV terrorists always watching cartoons?
Biggest Face Palm - Do none of these specially trained people ever gauge their surroundings and the situation before sticking their foot in their own mouth. First it was O'Connor. Now it's Shelby.
Biggest Douche - guess Caleb comes by it honestly because his dad's an even bigger douche than he is
Biggest Adios - Goodbye, Elias. Don't let the door hit you on the way out. Oh, and I don't need to see your creepy stalker ways anymore.
Least Surprising - there's another target
Best Quotes -
1. Elias: "This is feeling less like an exam and more like the last 10 minutes of Saw."
2. Raina: "Interesting how someone who's wrongly accused finds it so easy to point the finger. She's innocent."
3. Natalie: "Go. Go now. Go."
4. Shelby: "I really want to pray right now but the only thing I can think of are Joan Osborne lyrics." Simon: "I know about 4 songs from Pippin. Maybe it's the Fantasticks." Caleb: "You know I think we're more okay with dying than hearing you sing."
5. Natalie: "Fletcher's not crazy, okay? If he was, I'd be having way more fun."
Guest Reviews
BY Toni
I was happy that they didn't just sweep Dawson's miscarriage away as if it didn't happen. I liked it opening up with her talking to the chaplain. It was sad but it was a great scene. Riddle is such a douchebag. There is no way he made it this far without someone punching him in the face several times. I don't know how he can "personally verify" someone as fit for duty when he's barely verified as a human being. I don't know how many times I called him a !*?! in this episode. He and Patterson can go kick rocks together, but I love Boden. I love Boden when he's angry and when he's protecting his firehouse. He is really the "father" of that family. I am sick of Severide being kicked around every time he turns around. The so-called authority figures always have a problem with him and at this point, I'm a little tired of it being used as a plot point. Get new material. He's dedicated, hard working and respected by his peers and subordinates. It doesn't look good to keep harassing him over silly cr**. I need him to be bada** Severide and shut these idiots down. He needs to start fighting back, harder. I also want to see more of Casey and Severide working together to save a victim. They're at their best. I really want to like Chili but I just don't. I don't know if it's the actress or the character but I didn't like her character on Friday Night Lights either. I'm hoping she'll grow on me because they seem to be pushing her towards Jimmy. I really liked this episode and where the season is headed. I think they're balancing the cast out better and it shows. Molly's may be my favorite bar since Cheers. I love the look of it and the feel it gives off. If I ever quit my day job to own a bar, I'll totally steal ideas from Molly.
Grade: B
Most Surprising - How much I am enjoying Jimmy. I really like this kid. He has a lot of heart, work ethic and he knows how to have fun.
2nd Most Surprising - Patterson helped Sylvie with the wedding song (I still don't like him)
Best Head to Head - Boden and Riddle. I think Riddle is underestimating Chief and he looks unhinged.
Best Scene- The firehouse wedding
Best Performance-Sylvie's wedding song.
Worst Scene-It's just a pet peeve but the fiancé was literally JUST brought into the ER and the first question the bride asks the doctor is when he'll be discharged. He hasn't even examined the patient yet.
Biggest WTH - The BDSM scene. It's so overdone at this point. Is anyone surprised when they see a man and woman with collars, whips, chains and generic Viagra? Nope. Not even surprised when they're married to other people either.
So Adorable - Steve McQueen's smile. I did not like him on The Vampire Diaries but as Jimmy, he is really caring and charming. He has a smile that lights up the firehouse. I'm just surprised and I like that.
Biggest Middle Finger - Patterson taking credit for the wedding as a human interest story. He is really going to regret crossing Boden and Severide sooner or later and I can't wait to see it. It's going to be beautiful. Sucker.
Best Quotes:
1. Boden - "We are having the wedding here. I'll be damned if Chief Riddle or anyone else is going to change my way of running this house. He wants to fight, then lets fight."
2. Connie - "Oh and Chief? What you're doing here, with this wedding? Not the smartest move you ever made."
3. Boden -"Better to die on your feet than live on your knees Connie."
4. Herrmann- "Heads up. It's the Riddler."
5. Severide - "To hell with him. He was never going to give me my bugle back anyway. Shove it up his a**, Chief."
6. Severide - "There's one thing that's become crystal clear in all of this. It's either him or me. I'm not going anywhere"
BY Toni
This episode was hard for me. I hate TV shows that touch on the subjects of school violence, bully behavior and molestation. Not because I don't think they deserve to be talked about but because I get so angry. Anyway, I thought it was one of CPD's best episodes. In the beginning, I was sure it was another school shooting story but they switched it up and if us watching didn't suspect the coach from the very beginning, we need to turn in our TV viewer cards. I say that because I didn't. I'm not sure how I feel about Alvin and Michelle. For such a strong cop, Alvin is coming off as pretty passive and weak. I don't like it. I understand she may be his daughter. Since he trashed the DNA test, it seems he's sure she is or doesn't care. He's claiming her. That's great but there really should have been more of a discussion with his other daughter. This could have been a strong family story. It still might happen. Atwater's sudden insecurity at the beginning of the episode was so out of nowhere for me, I didn't like it at all. He seemed hesitant, almost stuttering in his attempt to talk to the Captain. I was disappointed. If it was just a set up to the end, it could have been done differently. AHHH, Burgess and Ruzek. I don't like them. I never have. I like Burgess on her own and I actually love her relationship with Roman. She and Ruzek bore me so much. If she has to pull childish tricks to see where his head is at, her head is not in the right place either. Be a woman. Flat out ask him what you want to know. This episode belonged to Halstead though. He was so good with Ethan. I teared up a few times. The kid broke my heart. I hate it. I hate to see it but CPD handled it really well. Halstead was patient, understanding and he didn't push the kid. He was just there for him, giving him strength.
Grade - B+
Best Performance- Ethan. This young actor was really good for this story. I felt his pain. I wanted to find that coach myself.
Best Character - Halstead. He and Ethan played so well off of each other.
Best scene - The end scene of Ethan and Halstead. Ethan had hope again. That's all these kids need. Hope for better.
Most Fun scene - Voight going all in on Coach Sanders. I kept waiting for him to explode but he held back. I wish he hadn't.
Most Surprising - Atwater gets a strange invite that turns out to be an in to Captain Whitikar and Chief Boden's poker game. Loved it.
Biggest You Need A Reality Check - Ethan's mother. There was something so off with her, I thought she may be involved. Sadly, she was just confused. Very odd acting or writing for her.
Biggest I Hope You Make Friends in Prison - Coach Sanders
Character I Love to Watch - Mouse. He is just fun and smart. When it counts, he is on it.
Best Unusual Interaction - Erin and Atwater. I like it. There should be more character interactions than what we have. It's a great ensemble that we should see more of.
Best Quotes -
Halstead: “I’ve known some heroes. But what you did, going public…it might just be the bravest thing I’ve ever seen.”
Captain Whitikar: "Atwater, you just made 2 mistakes. Our shared skin color is irrelevant to me. Good police is good police. Secondly, I get one half hour of peace each day by myself, which is breakfast. You have disturbed that."
Kirby: "It's initiation. It happens to everybody but Ethan went nuts. He came after me with a fire extinguisher. I swear, he was trying to kill me." Atwater: "By extinguishing you?"
BY Emma
I’m not sure if it’s just me but it seems that the Criminal Minds production team is getting more creative with letting music instead of dialogue tell the story. A few weeks ago, my favorite scene was a closing montage set to the perfect song. This week, the cold open takes a turn and was again my favorite scene of the episode. I hope to see more of this in future episodes! After 11 seasons, procedurals tend to get a bit monotonous but with unique COTW story lines and/or locations and differing ways of telling the narrative, this season has been able to keep my interest from week to week with no problem. Also on deck this week was a bit of character development for our newest BAU member. We saw Lewis’ fist kill in the line of duty tonight. It left her shaken but determined, almost turning down a new promotion. Aisha Tyler has always been billed as recurring or guest so I was wondering how they were going to explain her absence from cases throughout the season. I’m glad the writers chose to go the promotion route and that they didn’t use her first kill to justify her going back to interviewing after the fact. I’m looking forward to seeing more of Dr Lewis – especially her interactions with the full team when JJ returns next episode.
Grade: B (docked a few points as no mention of the Dirty Dozen again)
Best Reason to Watch – murder takes place in a community entirely made up of sex offenders
Best Scene – cold open, almost entirely without dialogue and set to the perfect song
Best Character Interaction – Rossi and Lewis
Least Surprising – the teen daughter disobeys her dad and ends up in trouble
Most Surprising – Lewis was going to turn down the promotion
Best Twist – most of the town fits the profile of the Unsub
The “Welcome Back” Awards – Joel Gretsch of “V” and “The 4400” / Ruben Garfias of various TV and Film credits
Best Quotes:
1. Rossi (giving career advice to Lewis): “This job isn’t all milk and honey. Some days you lose. Some days you do things you don’t want to do. So ask yourself this, where can you do the most good and still do yourself the least harm?”
2. Danny (to sister planning to sneak out): “My silence isn’t free.”
BY Emma
Yes, yes, yes – this is the Criminal Minds I know and love! This is by far my favorite episode of the season. So much was packed into this hour yet it still seemed to fly by so if there is only one episode you catch before the holiday hiatus, make this the one. We start with Morgan interviewing Montolo about The Dirty Dozen we learned of in the premier. Unfortunately, we don’t learn much before he is killed. Cut to the BAU elevators and it is JJ’s first day back from maternity leave. Of course the team (and us) is happy to have her back and have gifts for the new baby. It’s great to see how each of the gifts is reflective of the personality of the team members giving them. The laughter is short lived as we get confirmation that Montolo was poisoned and Rossi’s daughter arrives with a case for the BAU. Throughout the rest of the episode, we get great character interactions, some character development on Rossi’s daughter, Joy (clearly, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree with this one), and the case is unusual in that it has multiple Unsubs, all of which are involved with the current case, but only one of them is the current perpetrator that brought the BAU in. All of this in one episode would be amazing but the last scene with Garcia explaining to Morgan what the Dirty Dozen is was the cherry and the sprinkles on top of an already amazing sundae. Since the premier, I’ve felt that this story line was the set up for Shemar Moore to exit the series. Interviews with MGG and others have said that we will lose a member of the team this year. With the reveal that Garcia is the Dirty Dozen, and it being common knowledge that Morgan would give his life for her, I’m almost positive that this will be the eventual end of Derek Morgan.
Grade: A+
Best Reason to Watch – the last scene with Garcia and Morgan
2nd Best Reason to Watch – JJ’s back
3rd Best Reason to Watch – advancement on the Dirty Dozen story line
4th Best Reason to Watch – Rossi’s daughter is back (and the apple certainly doesn’t fall far from the tree)
Best Scene – Garcia explains to Morgan what the Dirty Dozen is
2nd Best Scene – Rossi calls out Joy for being reckless
3rd Best Scene – JJ’s welcome back gifts from the team
4th Best Scene – Rossi finds out Joy has started using his last name (professionally)
5th Best Scene – Reid calls his mom
Best Character Interaction – Rossi and Joy / JJ and Reid
Most Surprising – Rossi’s daughter was attacked while in college
Least Surprising – Montolo is killed
The “Whoa, WTF” Award – Garcia is the Dirty Dozen
The “Welcome Back” Award (character) – JJ is back from maternity leave / Joy, Rossi’s new found daughter is back (with a case!)
The “Welcome Back” Award (actor) – Amber Steven West formerly of “Greek” and Robert Neary of daytime soap “General Hospital”
Best Quote - Rossi (voiceover) – “To a fater, nothing is dearer than a daughter. Euripides”
BY Laura Markus
This is, by far, the best episode of the series so far. Everything in this episode fell together in just the right ways. Many questions from Part One were answered, and plot points that at first seemed confusing were added upon and explained in this part. My favorite character, Matt Parkman, returned and it was absolutely fantastic. I loved his scene with Noah immensely. Luke and Joanne, who went into a full on psychotic break, was crazy and awesome to see. Carlos and Farrah knowing each other was cool. And Nathan's bond with Hiro was painstakingly beautiful. Seeing Angela again was nice too. I feel so bad for Nathan - having to teleport away from his family and then having his memories wiped by Caspar must've sucked. And Quentin? That whole ordeal made my head spin around. Stay tuned for my review of both parts, here.
Grade: A+
Best Reason to Watch - All the time travel craziness from the first part is dwelled upon and explained.
Best Scene - Matt is forced to read Noah's mind to find out where Claire is.
Funniest Moment - Noah and Nathan finding an old Angela watching over Malina.
Saddest Scene - Luke and Joanne crying over Dennis's body.
The "I'm Not Buying It" Award - It's the same as last week, Kring. Claire's not dead. Sorry.
Most Ironic Scene - The man Luke saved tried to kill him via freezing. Irony!
The "Oh, Cr**!" Award - Joanne looking "blissfully satisfied" after her killing.
The "Welcome Back" Award - Greg Grunberg as Matt Parkman!!!!!
BY Jessica VanWinkle
I think it may have been the best episode of the season. We started the episode right where last week left off: with Jeff Fordham’s death. Everyone took turns finding out, and Juliette doesn’t remember anything. She truly believed that Jeff committed suicide, but Cole tells his father the truth. Jeff tried to save Juliette from falling off the roof. Juliette denies everything until she sees a big sign of herself that triggers her memories. Remembering that Jeff saved her life makes her realize she needs help, and she checks herself into therapy. Juliette will be gone for the next few episodes since Hayden is also in therapy. I wonder what will happen when she comes back. Will she and Avery reconcile? Will she want her child back? I also wonder where this storyline with Deacon is going. While I think it’s nice that he named the bar after his sister, I do share Rayna’s concerns. Is it really the best idea for an alcoholic to own a bar? He did have a good point though: his sister died giving his liver to him. Hopefully this is just Rayna being overprotective. I need Deacon and Rayna to be healthy and happy. Elsewhere, Scarlett decides she wants to go on tour with Gunnar. I usually like Scarlett, but she wasn’t my favorite this week. I thought she was rude to almost everyone and I don’t really understand why. I should mention that I loved Clare Bowen’s decision to cut her hair. She posted on her facebook page about her personal struggles with nephroblastoma as a child. She wants everyone to feel beautiful and confident regardless of how they look. It’s just hair. I encourage everyone to read her post; it’s very moving. Nashville has started moving in a good direction, and I’m excited to see what happens as we get closer to the winter finale.
Grade: A
Best Reason to Watch - the fallout from Jeff Fordham’s death.
Best Scene - Juliette remembers Jeff trying to save her life.
Best Actress - Hayden Panettiere
Best Voice - Layla Grant. Her tribute to Jeff was absolutely beautiful. I would love to hear more of her voice in the future.
Best Absence - Maddie Conrad. It was so nice not having her whining and complaining this week.
Biggest Reason to Worry - Deacon owning a bar.
Best Quotes -
1. Scarlett: “Feel free to call Locks of Love and tell them you need my hair more than a sick child does.”
2. Gunnar: “So Scarlett cut her hair and turned into a crazy person.”
3. Will: “Erin, your one night stand who you’ve just spent the last three nights with, Erin?” Gunnar: “Yeah. It’s casual.” Will: “I think we’ve established that you don’t do casual.”
4. Juliette: “I tried to kill myself. Jeff died saving me.”
5. Rayna: “I’ve never let a little fear get in my way. And nothing’s ever gonna keep me away from you.”
BY Swanpride
Well, it looks like I was right. In a way, this is a pity. I think it would have been great to experience the Lash-reveal (and wasn't the transformation well done?) totally unaware. But even without this pleasure, this episode was a delight to watch. After focusing the whole last episode on Jemma, this week her story is on the backburner while the other two big arcs, Hydra and the Inhumans, come back to the forefront and touch lightly for the first time. And to make the whole thing more interesting, the show is mixing up the pairing a little bit. May teaming up with Bobby is even more fun than her teaming with Hunter and Hunter turns out to be a great addition to Mack's and Daisy's team. Meanwhile Coulson and Rosalind are dancing around each other a little bit more. All in all, the show deserves a lot of praise for balancing the various story-lines that well while giving each character a moment to shine. With such a large cast, this is quite a feat. If I have one point of criticism, it's that Strucker Jr. ended up kind of a throwaway character. The built-up to him was better than what was offered in the end. Though I guess there is a small chance that he is still alive? But the memento is still strong. The show continues the trend of leaving off with more questions than before. What happened to Andrew? How much in control is he? Does Rosalind know about the Obelisk? She was part of NASA at one point after all. And does she really work on a cure? And when will Daisy finally get her group of Inhumans to lead? I can't wait for the answer.
Grade: A-
Best Reason to Watch - THAT's what I call girl power. Woman power, to be precise.
Best Scene - The Reveal
Best Character - I give it to Hunter for butting in more or less everywhere this week.
Best Team-Up - It's a draw. Every single team up works perfectly...especially since both teams have Fitz to back them up.
Best Turn-Around - Jemma counseling Andrew
Best Prop - Fitz's spy drone
Best Action - May and Bobbi storming the hotel room
Best Bilingual Bonus - May and Bobbi discussing their battle strategy in Mandarin
Most Creepy - The Inhuman Storage looks very inhumane (pun intended)
Biggest Head Scratcher - So...is Gideon Malik supposed to be the council member from The Avengers or is he supposed to be a different character? With Marvel's tendency to reuse actors in minor roles for bigger roles eventually, I am not sure.
My Prediction of the Week - Andrew will end up in one of those containers eventually.
Best Quotes -
1. Coulson: "Are you back?" May: "Yeah. I am back!"
2. Hunter: "If your girlfriend's ex visits from Phoenix, you don't buy him the plane ticket." Fitz: "...that's really specific."
3. Henchman: "What makes you think you can beat me?" Bobbi: "Experience!"
BY Swanpride
So far I have holding off giving the show an A, because I always had the feeling that it can do just a little bit better. And I am so glad that I was right (about that and about Andrew's eventual fate). This episode had me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. The show runners made the good decision to let the Ward/Hydra plot lay low and concentrate on the Inhumans. It made the equally good decision to intercut the suspenseful hunt for Lash with the emotional healing of Fitz and Simmons. The result is a construct which I can only describe as cathartic. When the episode was over and everything was said and done, I felt emotionally drained but also somehow lighter. After all, two huge secrets were revealed this week to the characters. And yet I am worried. Because I have the feeling that there are still bigger secrets looming in the background. Werner is still alive, so I doubt that Ward is done with him. Nor do I doubt that Ward has something big up his sleeve. And what is the deal with the secret organization connecting to the obelisk? Is Rosalind perhaps part of it? I can't wait to find out!
Grade: A
Best Reason to Watch - The Feels! Oh, the Feels!
Best Scene - Fitz listening to Simmons recording
Best Character - This was May's episode and she killed it! Or imprisoned it....
Most Unexpected Team-Up - Mack and Lincoln. Didn't see that one coming at all.
Best Prop - Fitz's cleaning station.
Best Action - The whole Lash sequence
Best Detail - Daisy hugging May. It was great that the writers haven't forgotten that she hasn't seen her for months at this point.
Worst Detail - Lash pushing Rosalind over the edge. It looks like he is holding a puppet, because her legs are dangling oddly (he most likely did, but it shouldn't be that obvious).
Biggest Head Scratcher - How does Shield officially not exist? Sokovia should have made it very clear that they are still around.
My Prediction of the Week - There is no way that Rosalind is Hydra. The show is trying to sell us that she wants to kill Coulson, but I am not buying.
Best Quotes -
Bobbi: "I don't need a knight in shining armor; I need you alive."
Mack: "I gotta commit to the shotgun-axe idea."
New Shows
This may be my favorite pilot of the season yet. To be honest, the 2015-2016 pilots were fairly tame and forgettable but this one is so packed full of great action that it felt like the hour raced by. They didn't drag out the exposition and they let us know the characters through their actions instead of their speeches. That's my kind of storytelling. While the case of the week was fairly routine - important person's kid is taken hostage until a terrorist is released - the execution was pure adrenaline. It reminded me a lot of Scorpion's pilot last year. Structurally though, this show is designed to fill the hole in my TV life where Burn Notice once lived and so far it functions well. Olga is Agent X's version of Burn Notice's Fiona, except that she's ever more over-the-top. Usually I'm not a fan of that, but like Fiona, I absolutely loved this morally ambiguous, take charge, rescue herself, no damsel here antagonist. The Catwoman vibe between Case and Olga worked for me too. In fact, I really hope she shows up again because there are never enough kick butt women on TV. I also really like Sharon Stone in this show too. Generally I'm not the biggest fan of her roles but here she is a competent women, who is able to take charge even when thrown in the deep end. It's good to see Stone getting such a positive role. The main male characters were a lot of fun too with Case providing most of the action and Millar as wise counsel. This is not a show to win awards but it sure is a blast to watch. The second episode slowed a bit in the middle but again, the action was topnotch.
Grade: A- / B
Ranking - 5
Audience - anyone who loves action and a swift moving plot
Best Reason to Watch - ALL the action
Best Scene - Case and Olga fight on the framework
Best Character Interaction - Case and Olga
Best Action - the first 5 minutes were really impressive but really the whole show was action-packed
Best Thinking on Her Feet - Olga Petrovka, who outsmarts just about everyone
Biggest Surprise - Sharon Stone's VP makes for a great character, both competent and decisive
Least Surprising - Case has to work with his nemesis , who dies mid-battle so Case doesn't have to kill him
Most Practical - Olga leaves her high heels behind to hunt down her ex
Most "National Treasure" - the Library of Congress holds all the secrets / secret rooms and tunnels all over
Most Impressive - room protecting the real Constitution
Most Flexible - Olga
Best Guest - James Earl Jones as Chief Justice
The "Welcome Back" Award - James Earl Jones, who still reigns as the Best Voice in Hollywood / Sharon Stone from the 90's / Gerald McRaney from Major Dad / John Shea, formerly Lex Luthor / Jamey Sheridan from Arrow and The Stand
Best Quotes -
1. Case: "You know, Olga, you raise the definition of high maintenance to a whole new level."
2. Case: "In English, the president needs plausible deniability." Millar: "Some of the Founding Fathers were lawyers, ma'am."
3. Missy: "What are you doing?" Case: "Improvising." Missy: "Seriously?" Case: "Well, Plan B is dying."
4. Maccabee: "Tell me this is a wine cellar."
5. Case: "I'll celebrate after the mission when we get those missiles back." Olga: "That is stupid. After the mission, you may be dead. To be alive another day in our business, that's enough to celebrate." Case: "Wow! You must have been really fun in high school."
I'm not quite sure what to make of Flesh and Bone. The dancing is superb for all I know about those things and the acting is great for a show starring dancers. Plus the director is definitely more into showing than telling. In fact, there are multiple times when the characters talk but the audience doesn't get to hear what they are saying because the music purposely takes over. I expect that is artsy but for me it was just annoying. So was the tendency not to address secondary characters by name so I had to guess who was talking. I still don't know if the only person who stands up to Grayson is named Jessica or not but I really liked her. Claire though is taken directly from Black Swan's page book. She's a young ingénue with sex issues who is plucked out of obscurity by a vainglorious leader who prays on her awkwardness. The pilot itself was a mishmash of jealous glares, overtly sexual scenes for no purpose except to be sexual, and people full of themselves. Basically it's the cable version of a nighttime soap with fewer cheesy speeches. In other words, not for me.
Grade: D+
Ranking - 1, waaaaayyyy too much sex and nudity for me
Audience - well I'm guessing if you liked Black Swan, you'll like this one
Best Reason to Watch - they hired actual dancers to create a show about dancers
Best Scene - Claire dances after her cell phone goes off
Best Character - Daphne
Best Laugh - the piano player starts playing Claire's ringtone after her cell phone goes off in rehearsal
Most Impressive - Daphne's apartment is amazing but not near as amazing as her closet
Least Surprising - Claire's brother is a sick molester
Biggest Douche - Grayson by 3 egos
Biggest Cat Eyes - Mia when she realizes they are grooming Claire for success over all the other dancers
Biggest Mystery - Why did Claire steal the other ballerina's drugs? Does she want them for herself or is she trying to throw her competition off their game?
Biggest Death March - Claire heading for Laurent looks like she's heading to death row
Strangest Directing Choice - focusing on the director's facial expressions instead of the ballerina's performance
Creepiest Scene - Grayson whispering in Claire's ear in the mirror and saying she's his / the brother call
The "You Know Something's Wrong When…" Award - you have to put a lock on your bedroom door
The "Now That's the Way to Pack" Award - Claire packs a suitcase full of books
The "Nope, I Didn't Need to See That" Award - ripping off nails does not do anything for me
Best Music - Phenomena by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Best Quotes -
1. Jessica: "I'm not nay saying. I'm just saying and you don't like hearing it."
2. Daphne: "You really need to grow a pair." Claire: "I'm sorry. What?" Daphne: "You see this skin. Thick. You can't chew through it. Get some or go home. That's for free."
3. Mia: "Blood sugar thing? I have a cookie. I brought it fresh yesterday, but I was only planning on staring at it."
4. Grayson: "Ballet is the ultimate optical illusion. We make effort appear effortless, we make difficult divine, and we make gravity our b**. We live to dance and we dance because of you."
5. Daphne: "Welcome to the fray, new girl. Try not to fit right in unless you want to spend your whole salary on shrinks."
This is no Sunshine Cleaning. Not at all. In fact, it's more like Mob Doctor than anything else I've seen. The premise is simple. A down of his luck crime scene cleaner's life is upended when his criminal brother shows up with a dead body full of heroin. Desperate for money to pay his bills, Jean agrees to get the heroin out of the corpse so that Martin can sell it to the highest bidder. Only one problem - Martin's a complete douche idiot who makes every situation worse. Long story short, Jean now seems to be working for a drug cartel instead of the police. While Spotless definitely has its share of gratuitous nudity, close-ups of ick, and excessive language, the story itself is intriguing. Just how far will Jean go to protect the shell of a life he's living? How will covering up murder affect him? Will someone render Martin mute? Please. For now the interesting story outweighs the drawbacks so I'm in for the next 2 episodes. I like the influx of humor to break the drama and Jean is an excellent counterbalance to Martin in the pilot. They will need to tone down Martin though because he's about as cartoon as cable gets.
Grade: B
Ranking - 4
Audience - anyone interested in CSI without the good guys or procedural elements
Best Reason to Watch - the premise is fascinating as is the back story
Best Scene - Jean talks Frank into letting them clean the crime scene instead of killing them
Best Character - Frank
Best Twist - when they were kids, Jean killed a man who was beating Martin
Best Job Perk - Jean's cleaning company allows him to clean up for the drug cartel murders
Biggest Douche - Martin
Biggest TV Trope - dirty cop
Worst Mix-Up - having 2 buyers for the same heroin
Worst Surprise - Martin has a dead body in his refrigerator
Least Surprising - the "therapist" is really the mistress
Least Sympathetic - office guy is more concerned about the cleanup cost than why someone committed suicide
Most Troubling - the little kid is a messenger for the drug runners
Most Interesting Conscience - Frank is worried about his karma but he has no problem knifing a rival several times
Most Disgusting - All those close-ups of brain matter are nothing to Jean lying down shirtless on a public bathroom floor. Blech! Triple blech!
The "That Should be a Given" Award - most people don't feel the need to say they didn't screw someone's corpse
The "Well That Got Violent Fast" Award - 2 minutes in and somebody's got a hatchet in the head
The "You'd Have More Money if You Didn't Have a Mistress" Award - I have no sympathy for these guys' money troubles
Best Quotes -
1. Jean: "You brought weed across the border?" Martin: "Well I thought if they found a dead body, they would let the weed slide."
2. Frank: "I don't feel right killing people unless I absolutely have to. Well I saw a thing on National Geographic."
3. Jean: "You brought a dead body into my home. That changes everything. Be gone by the morning."
4. Frank: "I really don't think that the killing's been justified."
5. Jean: "Dead bodies are not my thing."
Weekly Shows
Grade: B-
Best Reason to Watch - still campy, still gory, still hilarious
Best Scene - mom goes zombie
Biggest Moron - Kelly's dad who walks right toward the zombie
Least Surprising - the zombie is in the backseat
Smartest Plan - Pablo snatches the book, guaranteeing that Ash will have to help Kelly
Most Disgusting - Ash pulls brain matter out of Pablo's hair and feeds it to his pet / fork through the eye
Most Evil - Mom zombie claims to commit suicide to get away from her daughter
Most in Need of a Constant Change of Clothes - anyone near Ash
The "I Don't Think That'll Cover It" Award - Ash hands Pablo a Wet Wipe to wash all the blood off his face
The "Welcome Back" Award - Mimi Rogers from NCIS
Best Quotes -
1. Ash: "Sometimes a whale needs it’s baitfish to remind him of where he is in the ocean."
2. Kelly: "Pablo, believe it or not, the rude middle aged man you brought is kind of ruining my mom time."
3. Pablo: "Is this what it's like to be you?" Ash: "Yeah, pretty much. I've never killed my boss before so that was new."
4. Pablo: "Ash, I know you said that when I got hit I'd know what to do but I just got hit and I don't know what to do."
5. Kelly: "And this is Ash, a person I never thought would be in my home." Ash: "Hi. You used to be dead, right?"
Grade: B
Best Reason to Watch - the group is gelling together better
Best Scene - Ash decides he needs a pack instead of being a lone wolf
Best Reaction - Pablo to realizing that he just knocked out a cop
Worst Plan - purposely summoning a demon…for any reason…at all…ever
Biggest Ugh - Why are all evil demon books made from human skin? Can they not find a printer?
Biggest Moron - Ash, by far
Most Snarky - Kelly
Most Brutal - glass shard right in the eye
Most Casually Vicious - Ruby pings on the fork sticking out of a zombie's eye
Least Surprising - the book is a gateway to hell / the circle is unbroken
The "Made Me Jump" Award - I knew a hand was popping out of that grave and I still jumped anyway. Such is the conditioning of horror movies in high school.
The "I'm with You" Award - neither Kelly or I want to hear about Ash's role-playing sex life
Best Quotes -
1. Kelly: "Oh sure. I'll just sit here with the police officer we tied up and rethink my recent life choices."
2. Ash: "Okay first off, you don't look anything like your photo so you might want to update that."
3. Ash: "Sounds like a lot of yappin'-ing and not a lot of happening."
4. Ash: "If I get this done quick enough we might have time to stop for churros and look, that's not a racist thing Pablo. That's just a great dessert." Pablo: "Okay. You know I'm not Mexican, right?"
5. Lionel: "It says he preys on the spiritually and emotionally weak." Ash: "Well he can do that on his own time."
This was a much better episode of TBBT simply because both subplots delved into the characters instead of stereotyping them or making them the object of stupid jokes. I enjoyed being able to see Sheldon react to Amy's break up, not because I find wallowing entertaining, but because Sheldon gets so little time to simply be human. Leonard's joke was dead on. Sheldon needs character growth and part of that depends on the audience getting to see how he embraces and rejects those messy emotions. Howard and Bernadette both got a good character moment too. I really like how it wasn't one sided but that they both had issues they needed to take care of.
Grade: B+
Best Reason to Watch - delving into the actual characters
Best Scene - Howard and Bernadette talk about kids
Best Reaction - Penny to hearing that Sheldon planned to propose to Amy
Biggest Woo Hoo - Wil Wheaton is back
Worst Plan - Sheldon decides to propose to Amy, whom he's not even dating
Most Interesting Guest - Adam Nimoy
The "Say What?" Award - I thought we established in previous seasons that it was Bernadette who primarily raised her siblings, not her mom or her dad
The "Don't Quite Your Day Job" Award - Raj, whose diagnosis may have hit a little too on the head
The "Welcome Back" Award - Bernadette's dad
Best Quotes -
1. Sheldon: "There goes television lying to us again. We let you raise our children and this is the thanks we get."
2. Bernadette: "Alright, let's start over. I'm redecorating - the furniture, the carpeting, the walls. I'm changing everything that depresses me when I look at it. Try not to be one of those things."
3. Sheldon: "It's just my valuables. My passport, my Wil…" Leonard: "You have a will?" Sheldon: "Yeah, my 1/18th scale Wil Wheaton action figure. Yeah, I also have the other kind of will and in it I will my Wil back to Wil." Leonard: "Will Wil want it?" Wil: "Wil won't."
4. Mike: "You gonna be okay down here?" Howard: "Yeah, yeah, I feel like an archaeologist. Indiana Jones and the Single Family Dwelling."
5. Sheldon: "As a child, when faced with a dilemma my mother encouraged me to ask, 'What would Jesus do?' The answer to that was always love thy neighbor, but my neighbor had a dead tooth so that wasn't going to happen."
For the first time, Jane is getting on my nerves. She's just plain too good to be true. She's like Trinity, except there's no nifty Matrix download to explain why she is always competent at everything. I expect next time she'll be cooking a 5-star meal while juggling apricots and composing a concerto. They need to start making her more real because right now she's just another superhero except with amnesia. The saving grace to this episode was Patterson and David, whose love of puzzles was contagious. I enjoyed how they worked it out and I hope the FBI is sensible enough to get surveillance on that place so we can get some forward movement on the mytharc. I did love that Mayfair is sharing her big secret with Weller but I really hope that we get to hear it too. Right now I'm not sure exactly how much Guerrero has to do with the overarching mystery. He could be another case of the week designed to bring down Mayfair and Carter. What that has to do with everything is still anyone's guess.
Grade: B
Best Reason to Watch - Lou Diamond Phillips makes one heck of a bad guy
Best Scene - hmm, hard to chose between the action scenes
Best Snark - Guerrero
Best Dynamic Duo - Patterson and David, who are far more interesting than Jane and Weller right now
Best Surprise - Mayfair seems to be reading Weller into Operation Daylight
Biggest Surprise - Patterson ends up breaking up with David
Least Surprising - the sheriff is being paid by Guerrero
Most Busted - Patterson, for sharing classified FBI files with her BF
Most Annoying Trope - trained militia bad guys can't shoot
Most Likely to Die - David, whose curiosity won't just kill the cat sadly OR he's a mole for the CIA and he dies because of it
The "Are You Kidding Me?" Award - Jane might as well be named Mary Sue right now. She's good at everything even when she doesn't remember that she is. Plausibility = zero!
The "Forget Fired" Award - Patterson, honey, you ought to be more concerned about going to prison.
The "Welcome Back" Award - Lou Diamond Phillips from my teens, Numb3rs, and Longmire
Best Quotes -
1. Reade: "They do know you're in here, right?" Guerrero: "They're very enthusiastic."
2. Weller: "Just to be clear. You have the right to remain silent."
3. Guerrero: "So which is it? Hands up, down on the ground, or don't move?"
4. Weller: "You got something to say, just say it." Zapata: "You're protecting her. She's more than just an FBI asset to you. It's one thing if you won't admit it. It is something else if you don't even know it."
5. Guerrero: "What is this? A scavenger hunt?"
6. Guerrero: "The anticipation is killing me." Reade: "You know what? Your little play-by-play isn't helping."
Grade: B-
Best Reason to Watch - Rorish opens up about the night her family died
Best Scene - Christa gets shocked trying to save her patient
Best Back Story - Rorish and Tom
Best Character - the kid who got shot in his pacemaker
Most Brilliant - Taylor, who tells the hypochondriac what he wants to hear and gets him to leave on his own
Most Funny - every time Rorish walks up to Jesse the system goes code black but when she walks away, it returns to code red
Pushiest Person - Malaya
The "Welcome Back" Award - Benito Martinez from Supernatural and American Crime / Cress Williams from Hart of Dixie
The "Welcome Back?" Award - Shiri Appleby of Roswell and UnREAL fame
Best Quotes -
1. Malaya: "I'm doing this all wrong." Niven: "Doing what all wrong? Being a doctor or being a human?"
2. Hudson: "Two ways to kill your patient. What you don't know and what you think you know but isn't so."
3. Taylor: "I've been doing this longer than you've been manscaping."
4. Rorish: "You've just become our priority patient. You get the first OR available." Tom: "Not the lottery I want to win."
5. Jesse: "Mala suerte." Rorish: "That's directed at me? I'm bad luck?" Jesse: "I was in code red. You walked up, code black. Do the math. I'll bring some sage in." Rorish: "Do that. I'll tell you where you can shove it."
Grade: B
Best Reason to Watch - pacing is good and the patients are interesting
Best Scene - Malaya talks Dorothy through breathing on her own
Best Patient - Dorothy
Best Awww Moment - the grandma comes to keep the grandson in the country for medical help
Best Save - giving the military woman her eyesight back
Most Forceful - Hudson when faced with a stubborn patient
Least Surprising - the lady who killed the people with her car became suicidal
Strongest Woman - Susan, who brings her cheating husband his things
The "Nope, Just Nope" Award - I cannot watch eye surgery. This is freaking me out.
The "Welcome Back" Award - Gabrielle Carteris from Beverly Hills, 90210 / Christopher Cousins from Revolution and Supernatural
Best Quotes -
1. Dorothy: "Listen kid, me and 10 girlfriends started a book club about 40 years ago. Do you know how many of us are left? Two, me and Marie. She picked Atlas Freaking Shrugged to read this time. Now I read the whole damn thing. Well it's not good enough to kill a bug with. There is no way that I read that thing for nothing. I'm not gonna die today."
2. Hudson: "You're not better than him, Mario. You know we're not better than any of them. We all have memories of from when we needed the help of another human being. The only difference between you and him is that today, he's the one asking."
3. Dorothy: "The secret of any great relationship is to hate the same people."
4. Susan: "In point in fact, I'm not doing anything. He's the one who made the decisions that put him here. He's the one who decided to be who he is." Hudson: "And you get to decide who you are. Is this who you are?"
5. Rorish: "Part of learning this job is learning where it ends."
It's not often that our fearless team gets stumped by someone else. That made this episode more intense and the clock ticking down worked well for the pacing too. Still, the reason to watch this episode is Artie. I love that brilliant, paranoid crazy person. I really hope he comes back again because he made my night. The only thing that hampered this episode for me was the rift between Avery and Elijah. I like that there are consequences but seriously, Elijah made the right call with Artie. Avery needs to acknowledge that instead of sticking this to him too so she can address the real issue which is what happened last week. Without an Elijah and Avery team, this show would be much less watchable.
Grade: B
Best Reason to Watch - honestly, it was Artie and I hope he comes back
Best Scene / Biggest Laugh - Artie runs away from Elijah in his housecoat
Best Bromance Moment - Nelson is jealous of Krumitz working with Artie
Best Awww Moment - Avery reunites with Grace
Least Surprising - the attack is personal instead of financial
Most Fun - Artie, the paranoid
Technology to Fear of the Week - hospital drug drip
Best Back Story - Avery's daughter's best friend wants to be a part of her life again
Weirdest Back Story - again people think that if you are watching this show, you've watched CSI but I haven't so I have no idea what that flashback with Elisabeth Shue was
The "Get Over It" Award - Elijah and Avery need to heal the rift and I don't really care how
The "I Would be Surprised…" - …but I already saw this before. Stabbing yourself to divert attention is an old tactic in crime procedurals.
The "Welcome Back" Award - Jessica Tuck aka Mama Biest on Grimm
Best Quotes -
1. Artie: "Man if anybody had ever told me that this is where my tax dollars are going, I'd actually start…never mind."
2. Krumitz: "Where are you going?' Elijah: "Baltimore." Krumitz: "I thought Avery grounded you." Elijah: "She told me to stay in Washington. Everybody knows Baltimore's just a suburb of the district."
3. Elijah: "Last year he called City Mercy 8 times but the hospital just dismissed him as a wacko." Krumitz: "Well he probably is. Who makes that face in their driver's license photo?"
4. Artie: "Turns out not everyone on the wire is trustworthy."
5. DB: "People feel an emptiness in their lives without you, you know. So just remember them and don't ever stop fighting. Goodbye, Jules."
6. Krumitz: "In my 10 years at the FBI, I have only failed once. Today might be the second time."
Grade: B
Best Reason to Watch - the case was really cool
Best Scene / Most Fun - battle bot
Best Action - Elijah vs. the gang member
Best Ride - Nelson's joyride IF he was actually in control
Best Point - today's media make every tragedy worse by refusing to stop harping on it
Best Tech - whatever that wheeled thing Nelson is using when looking for the burner phone
Best Twist - the car crasher is in a wheelchair after a street racing crash
Biggest Woo Hoo - Artie's back, if only for a little while
Most Interesting - The car is driving without anyone in it. Hello, Evil KITT.
Least Surprising - the other driver is actually a cop
The "Oh the Nostalgia" Award - my first car love was my uncle's '68 Mustang
The "No, That's Not Cool" Award - automated license readers that can track where ordinary citizens go sounds more like Big Brother to me
Best Quotes - Krumitz: "Cars are pretty much computers on wheels these days." DB: "Yet another reason to love my '68 Mustang."
Elementary opened with a bang (sorry, pun intended) almost literally. The case was great, complex but plausible. I like how while I guessed much of what was happening beforehand, I still was not bored. I also loved the introduction of Sherlock's father. It's no secret that I adore John Noble from his Fringe days so I'm anxious to see what this role has for him. It will be awesome to see Sherlock off his game and NOT because of drug use. Mostly though, I am glad that the rifts between Watson and Sherlock seem largely gone. It made last season highly depressing so this reversal gives me hope that season 4 will go back to the earlier fun. All in all, a good start to the season. Now to bring back Moriarty.
Grade: B
Wish List:
1. BRING BACK MORIARTY!!!
2. Fix any and all rifts between Watson and Sherlock (Check)
3. Get Joan and Sherlock back into the NYPD consulting business
4. More bromance between Sherlock and Bell and Gregson
5. Let Watson kick butt more often
6. No more heroin abusing Sherlock(Check)
Best Reason to Watch - Sherlock and Watson seem to be in a much better place than they were last year
Best Scene - Gregson and Sherlock talk about what happened last season
Best Speech - Joan's partnership speech to Sherlock
Best Threat - Sherlock tells the gang member that if he doesn't give them info he's going to wire his family money and make it seem like he rolled on the gang
Best Reaction - Cook to Watson asking how hard he's been hit
Best Twist - the 2 victims were trying to kill the coyote who killed their families
Most Promising - Sherlock vs. his father
Least Fair - Watson is kicked out of consulting too because of Sherlock's lack of control
Least Surprising - the witness did it
The "Say What?" Award - Why is this guy confessing to murder outside an AA meeting?
The "Welcome Back" Award - John Noble from Fringe and Sleepy Hollow
Best Quotes -
1. Watson: "Say Operation Bestow Glory actually works, what are you going to do while I consult with the police?" Sherlock: "You know I have my distractions." Watson: "You really don't get it?" Sherlock: "I don't get what?" Watson: "When it comes to what we do, the only thing that matters to me is our partnership. So if you go, I go. You offered me a job. I didn't take it to work with the police. I took it to work with you." Sherlock: "Well you should know that my detractors are not limited to the NYPD. My professional prospects are quite bleak in general." Watson: "We'll figure it out. We always do."
2. Sherlock: "Justice is like an orgasm. It can never come too late."
3. Sherlock (about his father): "Was he driven here or did he arrive in a plume of black smoke?"
4. Sherlock: "Uh, what do you want?" Bloom: "To hire you. I hear you're quite the detective." Sherlock: "Unfortunately I've got a 'no sadists' policy."
5. Sherlock: "It seems you'll not have to visit me in prison after all." Watson: "You're not being charged. Okay, I'm going to heat up some celebratory leftovers and then we're gonna talk about all the women that you don't have to write to."
I'm actually liking Patty, unlike many in the fandom. I enjoy that she has an actual role to play so it seems like they are fixing the mistakes they made with Iris. I need her to continue to have a storyline outside of Barry though and maybe focus more on her partnership with Joe. A big plus is that it looks like Wells the Sequel is forcing Jay out and I'm good with that for as long as it lasts. There's also the fact that Wells is snarkier than Jay any day. Another plus was that secrets were spilled so we can move on. Still not liking that Cisco is Vibe but at least it's out now. Thanks, Wells. Other than that it was a rather ordinary episode without many highs or lows.
Grade: B
Best Reason to Watch - Jay might be gone…if only for a little while
Best Surprise - Zoom has imprisoned Wells' daughter
Best Reaction - Joe's shoot first and ask questions later response to having another Wells around
Best Boss - Larkin, who dies protecting his employees
Most Confusing - Telling Wells from Earth 2 the story of Wells from Earth 1
Most Annoying - Wells' new deep throated voice
Biggest Woo Hoo - it's a Linda sighting
Biggest What the Heck - and Linda's a super villain. No, an Earth 2 metahuman? Oh, this show.
Biggest Disappointment - Not enough Joe and no big Joe and Barry moment
The "Way to Out Him" Award - Wells spills the beans on Cisco's visions
The "Oops, You Landed in the Wrong Generation" Award - I think Barry is on another Earth as well given that Patty is using words like "coolio"
The "Finally" Award - someone catches Barry and Cisco out for talking about secrets in a public place
The "Say What?" Award - Why exactly would Wells be genetically indistinguishable? I thought parallel earths were all about being similar but different so why would Wells 2.0 have the exact same family line as Wells 1.0? Did nobody have sex with a different person in the entire other timeline?
The "Welcome Back" Award - Tom Butler from Gracepoint
Best Music - You're No Good by Linda Ronstadt
Best Quotes -
1. Joe: "How are you still alive?" Wells: "I don't know. Because you missed?" Barry: "Hey, I'm trying to keep him from shooting you. You're not helping."
2. Cisco: "Okay our Dr. Wells may have been evil but you're just a d**."
3. Barry: "Stop, alright. I was gonna ask her out and then a land shark tried to eat me and then Doctor Wells the Sequel showed up."
4. Caitlin: "Technically this could be mine but I want to run some tests on you." Wells: "I'll be genetically indistinguishable from my earth 1 counterpart. Your tests will reveal nothing." Caitlin: "Great. Still gonna run 'em."
5. Joe: "I just want one week where we're not surprised by somebody from our past."
6. Barry: "You've got to give him a chance, okay? He's not a speedster. He's just a regular, normal guy…from another universe." Cisco: "I never thought I'd miss time travel."
That was an awesome, action-packed hour of The Flash. I loved all the flash backs to explain New Wells a little more and I hope we get to meet Jessie for longer at some point. I also really liked Linda's training sessions and the utter laugh out loud camp of their B-budget fight. Nothing like a stage whisper and the most hideous dialogue this side of Vertigo to lighten the mood. I'm not sure about letting Linda in on Barry's secret, mostly because the more people he tells, the less it's a secret identity. Still it was good to have more Linda time. I also like how Iris is stepping up and now being motivational speaker to all, instead of just the Barry Whisperer. As always Joe and Barry were my favorite interactions, but every part of the team got a moment to shine and I adore Cisco saving the day. He needs more hero moments. All in all, the first real appearance of Zoom was a hit and I look forward to them chasing him down in all his Green Goblin looking glory.
Grade: A-
Best Reason to Watch - lots of great action and awesome pacing
Best Scene - Barry talks to Joe about Wells the Original(?)
Best Action - freefall fight
Best Save - Cisco
Best Back Story - Wells and his daughter
Best Cliffhanger - Barry can't feel his legs
Best Montage - I'm not usually a fan of the montage but I like this Linda training montage…unless she becomes an evil mutant
Best Plan - let the person you are going to put into danger decide whether or not to complete the mission
Biggest Laugh - the super fake Linda vs. Barry fight
Most in Need of a Throat Lozenge - Wells and his whisper voice
Most Fun - Cisco's new photography hobby
Most Freaky - Wells, big time
The "Poor Baby" Award - Barry's crestfallen face while talking to Joe is hard to take
The "I'm with Joe" Award - like always, Joe is right and I do NOT need to know the details of Barry's relationship with Patty either but I do like Patty
The "Okay, That Was Cool" Award - I dislike all the Arrow references they throw into The Flash at the most random of times, but the reveal that on Earth 2 it is Oliver's dad who survives to become Arrow is a fun twist
The "Yeah, I Don't See the Difference" Award - Linda's cheesy dialogue sounds on par with many of the villains on this show. Cold anyone?
The "Say What?" Award - Exactly how many people is Barry going to let into the Flash Club? I love Linda, but she doesn't need to know.
Best Quotes -
1. Barry: "For better or worse, Wells…he knew me." Joe: "Better than I know you? He may have stalked you for 15 years but I raised you. Look, Wells said what he said to you to mess with you, to get in your head one last time. If you listen to him, you let him win." Barry: "I know. I don't want that." Joe: "You're responsible for your own happiness, Barry. Forget about Wells. Think hard about what you want and what makes you happy. Go out and get it. It's as simple as that, right?"
2. Wells: "He's not Wells. I'm Wells." Cisco: "Whatever, Harry."
3. Cisco: "You would think the serial killer version would have been the bigger jerk."
4. Joe: "You're putting a whole lot of faith in the man wearing the face of your mother's killer."
5. Joe: "Who exactly came up with this terrible idea?" Cisco: "Okay, it's not a terrible idea. The suit can absorb the blasts." Iris: "For real or ish?" Joe: "What does a terrible idea look like to you, Cisco?"
6. Caitlin: "Oh great! That could be this year's cold gun. Maybe another criminal can get it and then we'd have Sergeant Slow." Cisco: "I would never let that happen. Sergeant Slow is a terrible name."
This may be the most unfunny episode of Fresh Off the Boat yet. Unless you are into impressions. Then it might have cracked you up. Surely the middle school drama didn't though. Most of this was blasé or preachy and neither look good on this usually awesome show.
Grade: C
Best Reason to Watch - ummmm, Carla from Scrubs is on it
Best Character - Emery
Best Visual - the escalator
Best Advice - Emery, who tells Eddie to just talk to Alison
Best Reference - Sixteen Candles
Worst Reference - Bill Cosby as the moral center
Least Effective Form of Communication - middle school and high school notes
Most Clueless - Eddie and me, because even middle school wasn't this confusing to me
The "Welcome Back" Award - Ken Marino, who is in so much stuff lately that he's hit "Hey It's That Guy" status for me / Judy Reyes from Scrubs
Best Quote -
1. Eddie: "Allison's officially my girlfriend." Louis: "What? When did that happen?" Eddie: "Apparently 2 weeks ago. I had no idea we were even dating. I guess that's how things work in 7th grade. Love moves fast and quiet, like Miss Jackson says."
2. Mindy: "We finally have an answer to that question everyone's been asking. Why doesn't anybody move the damn thing? Apparently human touch would render the endangered tortoise infertile. Maybe that tortoise should try being an unmarried woman over 40."
3. Mey-Mey: "It's okay. We're on at 4 am. Our core demo is truckers clocking on and hookers clocking off."
4. Brian: "Call me crazy but square pizza just tastes less good." Eddie: "It's the right angles. Trying to make us learn at lunch."
5. Louis: "Well, one person can't be everything."
Much of this episode was unfunny and downright boring. People keep trying to push Jimmy into being who they want him to be and the whole plan was tasteless and offensive. The only interesting subplot was how awful Jimmy's old preschool was and Vanessa rocking it as a demanding mom. Other than that, this was not a winner.
Grade: D+
Best Reason to Watch - the playground scene
Best Scene - the ending
Biggest Nightmare - Sarah sees Gerald's old preschool and it's not like she remembered
Worst Parenting - there's a whole lot to choose from in this episode but refusing a child seat in your car when transporting children has to be the most completely asinine
The "Don't Push It" Award - Jimmy has the right to a place without Cheetos everywhere
The "Say What?" Award - Why would Edie get in just because her dads were gay? That makes no sense for an elite preschool and sounds like a lawsuit ready to happen. Don't they have some kind of criteria they use for everyone? Actually the idea of an elite preschool is pretty bonkers on its own.
The "Welcome Back" Award - Joanna Garcia from Reba and Astronaut Wives Club
Best Quotes -
1. Sarah: "Edie would love it there and bonus - you don't have to pretend you sleep with your dad."
2. Jimmy: "Come on, Edie. Let's check out a school you'll never get into and then after I'll take you to a store and burn a doll in front of ya."
3. Jimmy: "You know you can't be the cutest girl in the world and the smartest. You've got to spread it around a little bit. You don't want haters, right?"
4. Jimmy: "I refuse to live in a world where laws protect human life over fine Italian leather."
5. Jimmy: "I have no idea what it's like to be in a homosexual relationship." Annelise: "It's like being in any other relationship." Jimmy: "I have no idea what that's like either."
I certainly hope this show is trying to highlight a double standard in world culture. How else can they explain the lack of outcry in pushing Nick together with his rapist? I mean why not just have her move into the bed where she tricked him into having sex with her. URGH!!! Not to mention, Adalind tried to kill him multiple times. This is beyond despicable and trying to redeem Adalind is a huge mistake that screams of fan pandering at its worse. Why kill off the admittedly useless Juliette if only to shove a far less plausible Adalind in her place? Especially since it feels more and more likely that Juliette is going to return to annoy another day. Ugh! I do not understand how everyone is willing to just forgive Adalind for all her crimes like they've been hit by a selective amnesia spell. Gibbs' slaps to everyone. If they push a relationship between Nick and Adalind, I will drop the show. It's sick.
Grade: D-
Best Reason to Fast Forward - everything with Nick and Adalind
Biggest Tease - what's beating up Meisner in the cage. My bet is still on Juliette over it being Trubel.
Biggest Asset - Wu, who finds the other embezzler
Biggest Idiots - since I only feel comfortable giving one award to "every single character," I'll go with the Marshalls who refuse to listen to Nick and therefore live up to their red-shirt status
Most Missed ALWAYS - Trubel
Most in Need of a Gibbs' Slap - EVERY SINGLE CHARACTER and the writers
Most Needing to Shut Up - Adalind freaks out over having no job or place of her own if Nick is arrested
Least Likely to Be Hired - whoever painted over the claw symbol and did such a haphazard job
The "Come Out, Come Out Wherever You Are" Award - Meisner, who keeps hiding in the shadows for no apparent reason
The "Say What?" Award - since when has Renard become a pencil pushing, red tape creating, bureaucratic douche who ignores Wesen problems
The "Welcome Back" Award (character) - Sergeant Franco
Best Quotes -
1. Monroe: "Too many bad things have gone down here, man. Too much death and destruction. I'm just saying, you might want to think about a…you know, change of venue." Nick: "You mean move." Monroe: "Oh I mean get the hell out of here."
2. Hank: "Can't wait to explain that to Pogue." Wu: "I'll come visit you in the psych ward every Tuesday."
3. Pogue: "Does he look like a guy who can rip someone's throat out?" Hank: "It's hard to know what's inside somebody."
I don't think any episode of Grimm will get above a C rating for me if they keep on pushing a relationship between Nick and his rapist. It's vile. No one should romanticize rape. Putting Nick in Adalind's bed willingly took it down a letter grade for me. If they actually hook up, I will be out. In fact, it's really only the promise of Trubel that is keeping me watching at all.
Grade: D
Best Reason to Watch - Trubel is back even if only for 5 seconds
Worst Reason to Watch - everything Nick and Adalind
Best Scene - of course, it's Trubel's return by a few thousand miles
Best Twist - the juvie warden is part of the Wesen Uprising plan
Best Plan - Rosalee woges to get out of her ropes
Best Character Interaction - Monroe and Rosalee
Best Take Down - Rosalee and the kid leader
Worst News - Viktor is now on the throne and could possibly come back
Most Psychotic - it's a hard choice between these kids, but I think I'm going with Peter over Big John
Biggest Sci-Fi Trope - evil children who just need to be loved
Biggest Hmm - How does Renard NOT know that his dad is dead? Shouldn't that have been on the news like it was when Eric died? At the very least, wouldn't the police talk to him since the King was visiting?
Coolest Feature - Nick's house has a hidden escape tunnel
The "It's Recap-A-Licious" Award - Grimm has taken to having as many recaps in it as Sleepy Hollow
The "Welcome Back" Award - Trubel, woo hoo!!!!! / Meisner
Best Quotes -
1. Lily: "Did he listen to his mother?" Rosalee: "No, and that's always a mistake."
2. Monroe: "I'll tell you two things I know about kids. 1. They are the future and should be cherished. 2. They're lying little b**."
3. Peter: "Listen, I know this is going to be hard at first but you'll get used to it." Rosalee: "Get used to what?" Peter: "Being loved." Rosalee: "You don't kidnap loved ones."
4. Monroe: "Well look, whatever kind of family you have, reality is relative. You know normal is just the middle of the mess."
5. Rosalee: "I let him keep it." Monroe: "Excuse me. Pardon me. I'm sorry. Uh, what?"
This is another example of how H2G can take a less than amazing episode and ramp it all the way up in the last 10 minutes. That conversation between Annalise and Bonnie at the end is some of the finest acting I've seen on TV. It easily becomes the scene of the week for me and raises the episode a whole letter grade by itself. Plus we are coming to the time when the present catches up to the flash forwards so things ought to be incredibly intense in the next episode. They did a great job of raising that intensity also with the mass murderer entering Oliver's apartment. Even if it was zero surprise, it was very well done and leaves yet another cliffhanger to keep people talking until next week. Top it off with what looks like Bonnie throwing Sinclair off the roof and the ending could have been the entire episode. The beginning of the episode was a bit slow, I still don't care about anyone's love life, the case of the week completely blew, and there were more confrontations than a marriage counselor sees in a year, but oh…that ending!
Grade: B
Best Reason to Watch - the end
Best Scene - Bonnie confronts Annalise for telling Asher about her father raping her
Best Cliffhanger - murderer in Oliver's apartment
Best Character Interaction - Bonnie and Annalise, of course
Best Back Story - still Asher
Biggest Voice of Common Sense - Laurel
Biggest Idiot - Oliver, who should have started running last year and never looked back
Biggest Creeper - the client of the week, who is the most stalker-y stalker this side of Stalker (which I miss)
Biggest Head Desk Ever - Asher, fighting for victims of rape is not someone's "thing". Saying that makes you sound like the obnoxious, oblivious prat Bonnie thinks you are.
Least Surprising - it's Oliver the serial killer goes after instead of Connor
The "Well At Least That's Over" Award - here's hoping that we don't see any more of Nate on trial
The "Welcome Back" Award - Anna Belknap from CSI: NY / Susan Walters from Teen Wolf and Star-Crossed
Best Quotes -
1. the entire Annalise and Bonnie conversation:
A. Bonnie: "You fixed it like always except this time I was the car you traded." Annalise: "I traded your past but I saved your future and it worked or else you'd be in prison right now." Bonnie: "I don't get to be mad about this? Is that what you're saying?" Annalise: "No, I'm saying you don't get to be emotional about this. You knew what trouble we were in. What else could I have done?" Bonnie: "Stop denying what you did."
B. Bonnie: "You exposed me to him." Annalise: "I didn't expose you. I saved you. You killed a girl in my basement, put a plastic bag over her head." Bonnie: "To protect you." Annalise: "And I did what I did to protect you." Bonnie: "No, you did this to ruin me. The one good thing I had in my life." Annalise: "Oh don't you dare. Every good thing in your life is because of me." Bonnie: "You mean despite you."
C. Annalise: "Everything that you're coming at me with right now is because of what your father did to you and you need to finally deal with that pain." Bonnie: "I deal with it every day." Annalise: "Well so do I. We both do, okay? I'm not the person to be angry with right now." Bonnie: "Shut up!" Annalise: "You may hate me for it but it worked, alright?" Bonnie: "Shut up!" Annalise: "Bonnie, it worked." Bonnie: "Shut up!"
D. Bonnie: "You knew how much this would hurt me. Out of everyone, you knew. But you did it because you wanted to. You don't know how to love anyone." Annalise: "I don't know how to love anyone? Alright, then go back to that fancy apartment and your rolling around in bed with that 25 year old boy and you're not hanging from a bed sheet behind some metal bars. Then you tell me that I don't love you." Bonnie: "I want you to die. That's what I want. That it was you they killed in this house, not Sam because he'd have never done this to me."
2. Laurel: "You're welcome." Annalise: "Excuse me?" Laurel: "For helping you win the case." Annalise: "You want the trophy, it's in a box in the basement." Laurel: "Is this because of Frank? Because of all the terrible things that happened in that house, us being together…" Annalise: "I don't care that you two are screwing?" Laurel: "You do. Otherwise why treat me like cr** and let everyone else act crazy. Because they are, all of them. They're a mess and I'm the one watching out for them. Fixing problems before you even know they exist." Annalise: "Don't you think I know that?" Laurel: "Why would I? You don't talk to me." Annalise: "Because I don't need to. Me not paying attention to you is the best compliment you can ever get because that means I don't have to worry about you. Go back to the office and stop being needy."
3. Annalise: "She called me first. Asked me for pills." Eve: "Of course she did because who doesn't ask their husband's mistress to off her?"
4. Wes: "Re-approach the prosecutor about a deal." Annalise: "That's called losing. We don't do that."
5. Annalise: "Sharon hates you, Dale. You're a stalker, you're pathetic, and you're fired."
In general, this episode sucked out loud. The never-ending sex montage being the pinnacle of said suckiness. Pretty much this was a filler episode to close the time before the flash forward meets the present. Even the twists were only so-so. Can a TV show use incest more to make things creepier? Perhaps Game of Thrones but I'm hard pressed to think of anything else. Two thwarted plea agreements was one too many. There was no resolution to the conflict between Bonnie and Annalise or the one with Asher. We still have no more clue as to what the murder scene is all about except that Catherine isn't as innocent as she seemed at first, but that's hardly a surprise on this show. Only Oliver has a shred of decency left in him and I'm sure in season 3 we'll find out that he's really a serial killing embezzler who's into kids. Hey, nothing shocks me anymore in this soap. I did like that Wes finally shares his guilty conscience but we got zero traction on that as well. Plus I think Sinclair is actually unhinged given her determination to sink herself along with Annalise. The synergy of the timelines can't come too quickly at this point. Neither can the breakup of every single couple.
Grade: D
Best Reason to Watch - plenty of pretty people screwing each other if you need an eye candy fix, especially Nate's pecs
Best Scene - Wes confesses that his conscience is getting to him
Best Acting - Viola Davis again
Best Played - Annalise, who stalls out the time of Caleb's plea agreement so it isn't valid anymore
Best Twist - Philip doesn't want to kill Oliver but he is a blackmailer so….there's that
Worst Twist - incest again but this time it's the dad and aunt
Biggest Filler - neverending sex montage
Biggest Sacrifice / Best Save - Frank digs heavily into his nest egg in order to get the DNA results needed
Most Missed -Bonnie
Most Proficient - Laurel actually makes a pretty good Bonnie even if I miss Bonnie
Most Obnoxious - Asher's victory dance is subtracting the sympathy points he's been building this season
Most Annoying - Wes, still taking the trophy in this category
Most in the Dog House - Frank has taken Bonnie's spot as Annalise's kicking stool
The "Not You Too" Award - now Nate is falsifying official police documents, which shows exactly how out-of-control Annalise really is right now because she can't seem to reign any of these people in anymore
Best Quotes -
1. Annalise: "Then why tell Catherine to take the deal?" Wes: "Because that's what I should have done. I should have turned myself in for Sam. Instead it just weighs on me, on you, on all of us. So if I'd just told the truth, then whatever time I deserved, we could have all moved on by now." Annalise: "You protected Rebecca and now I'm protecting you. No one deserves to go to jail for that, you hear me?"
2. Frank: "This apartment needs to be an Annalise-free zone."
3. Annalise: "I need you to be my new Bonnie." Laurel: "What happened to the old Bonnie?"
4. Bonnie: "There is no decision here. It was already made and you agreed so either get on board or you're the next dead body out there."
5. Annalise: "Now I don't smile very often but this…I'm smiling."
I'm a fan of this incarnation of Liv. She didn't feel sorry for herself or put anyone down. Instead she pep talked everyone and still brought the humor. Of course not as much as the Blaine and Ravi morgue fight, which was spectacular. Best scene of the season so far. Mostly though I adore that they are starting to move Major in the right direction. I hate this character assault they've had on him so far.
Grade: B
Best Reason to Watch - Major is getting back in character
Best Scene - lab fight for the utopium
Best Return - Liv and Ravi banter
Best Pep Talk - Liv tells Major that he's a winner who needs to get back up
Best Reference - Bon Jovi's You Give Love a Bad Name
Best Forward Plot Movement - Clive is one step closer to realizing that zombies are real
MIA - Peyton, again
Worst Plan - letting your zombie overdose before asking about the medical trials
Worst Partner - Bozzio, who keeps trying to make Clive laugh while his boss is yelling at him
Least Likely to Work - any cure that Liv is given
Best Music - Friday, I'm in Love by The Cure
Best Quotes -
1. Liv: "Horny boys are the worst. When all your blood returns to the normal locations in your body, you're gonna care whether that make out session has left you living or living dead."
2. Liv: "Is that look of disgust because you need cream and sugar or because you need habanera?" Major: "It's because you're still incapable of turning hot water and coffee grounds into a palpable beverage."
3. Liv: "How are you feeling?" Major: "Great. Who doesn't enjoy waking up to a beautiful woman cutting off his circulation?"
4. Major: "I'm beginning to think that your ulterior motive has an ulterior motive."
5. Major: "So far to me it sounds like all of our problems could be solved with condoms and rock salt."
And it's sex filler again. What is up with this week? No wonder I'm dropping shows like crazy. Other than that, I am incredibly confused but loving the story twists. If we could kindly keep Blaine's dad on ice, I would be even happier. I didn't think there could be a villain on this show that I didn't care about more than Blaine but his daddy dearest took the title. He even made Blaine emoangsty. Ugh! I am really liking Dale though so she'll probably end up working for Vaughn or another criminal. Still the biggest kudos come from the continuous repairing of Major's character.
Grade: B-
Best Reason to Watch - twists
Best Scene - Major reveal at the end
Biggest Filler - Strip non-poker for no reason at all. Seriously, what WAS that all about?
Biggest Douche - Blaine's dad is even worse than Blaine is
Biggest Surprise - usually I get the murderer within 5 minutes of meeting them, but the fangirling threw me off
Best Surprise (?) - Does this mean Major did NOT actually kill anyone? I am totally up for that.
Least Surprising - Blaine kills his grandpa
Biggest Fangirl Moment - Clive talks to Calvin Owens
Creepiest Creepster Who Ever Creeped - Stacey Boss, the barber shop client who talks about forced suicide
Most Awkward Conversation - Clive, Dale, Liv, and Major
Most Intense - Paige vs. Stacey Boss
Most Dramatic - Liv and Major can't have sex without making Major a zombie again
The "Zero Tears" Award- they shot the obnoxious douche and I feel...whatever
The "Welcome Back" Award - Robert Knepper from Cult and Prison Break / Steven Williams aka Rufus on Supernatural and X on The X-Files
Best Quotes -
1. Dale: "It's nice to get a name. In my head you've been Girl From the Morgue Who Somehow Makes Goth Work." Major: "Oh that is her Native American name. Hi. I'm Barely Employed Arm Candy."
2. Clive: "Does anyone else have any movie plots that may apply?"
3. Blaine: "Dad, I'd hoped your first visit here would be more…horizontal."
4. Peyton: "Body snatchers?" Ravi: "If that's Rihanna coming downstairs, it would explain so much." Liv: "Morning everyone." Peyton: "Whoa, wait, wait. Is this happening?" Liv: "It's happening." Peyton: "Well about damn time." Ravi: "But it won't always be this nauseating, right?"
5. Dale: "What chain of custody protocol includes your freezer?"
6. Blaine: "I've got a special on colorblind electrician." Angus: "Nothing in ungrateful parasite."
I thought this episode was good, but not for a premiere. It was a little slow and the main characters working on their own did not work for me. I think the real power of The Librarians is how they each use their separate strengths to help the entire group and a lot of that was missing, even if it was on purpose. For instance, they really needed to switch artifacts they were looking for. Jake should have been on earring patrol at least. He was speaking her language while Ezekiel was clueless. I do love how in the end they realize they all need each other, but it took far too long to figure that out. On the plus side, I am really loving the idea of literary characters coming to life. There's so much more they can do with that then the serpent brotherhood of last season. Although I wasn't a fan of its execution, I did think the fairy tale episode was a brilliant concept last year so I'm glad to see they're tweaking it here especially if we get new characters each week. The Queen of Hearts did make me think of Twisted Alice from Warehouse 13 though.
Grade: B-
Wish List:
1. Slightly less cheese
2. Tone down Cassandra and Ezekiel since they were the most annoying main characters last season
3. More Jenkins
4. Less Flynn (yes, I know he wasn't in much last season but still)
5. More exploration of different mythologies
Best Reason to Watch - the librarians are back and that means whichever is your favorite, they are saving the world again
Best Scene - Moriarty and Flynn have an observation -off
Best Action - Eve vs. Moriarty and it was way too short
Best Play - the janitor is the magician fictional
Best Way to Get People to Read the Classics - now I have to read The Tempest
Least Surprising - the action takes place in the Statue of Liberty
Most Smooth - Moriarty
Worst Subplot - the librarians do not want to work together
Best Quotes -
1. Eve: "Now, tactical assessment." Flynn: "An immortal magician from Shakespeare's plays has teamed up with a supervillain genius that he's pulled from literature to take advantage of the fact that magic has returned to the world to restore his power and to accomplish some sort of unknowable and yet terrifying plot for world domination." Eve: "So Tuesday then."
2. Moriarty: "Villain? I always prefer antagonist."
3. Jake: "We have a sun?" Jenkins: "Yes, in the sun room. What else would one store in a sunroom?" Eve: "Oh, magazines, cozy chairs, mimosas."
4. Flynn: "Hopefully if everything goes as planned, the storm falls apart." Eve: "And if it all goes wrong?" Flynn: "You and I get incinerated and New York drowns." Eve: "Sucky pep talk."
5. Flynnn: "Frozen land of giants, lost animal kingdom, hive of giant bees." Eve: "Why do we even have that door?"
This is an example of an episode that suffers in the rewatch, mostly because the plotting stands still at the worst times. This is especially true every time Eve and Flynn take precious time out of an action moment to fight over which style of magic gathering works best. It's tedious by the end, especially when the bad guy is almost at the magic tree. (No, I never thought I would write that sentence unironically.) On the plus side though, there is more action and a more cohesive feel to this episode than the premiere. That's what actually saves it. I really enjoyed Flynn and Ezekiel making Frankenstein's Monster aware of modern plastic surgery and online dating. It was bizarre in the best sense.
Grade: B-
Best Reason to Watch - Moriarty makes a good addition to the show and Carsen leaves
Best Scene - Flynn hugging it out with Frankenstein's Monster
Best Retreat - Jenkins refuses to take sides between Carsen and Eve
Best Publicity - all the positive press your local library gets and Mrs. Stevens, the librarian
Best Played - Flynn pretends to take out the Tree of Knowledge but it's a decoy
Best Negotiator - the little girl who borrowed the Shakespeare book
Worst Time for a Break Down - Eve and Carsen having a conversation about being a team while Prospero is almost at the Tree of Life
Biggest Copycat - almost all of Carsen's narrative is word for word what Jenkins said last episode
Biggest Modern Century Save - plastic surgery and Tinder
Most Likely to Get Stabbed in the Back - Prospero, who hasn't learned how to treat his underlings
Best Quotes -
1. Jenkins: "Excuse me, I'm going to go take care of my….desperately not wanting to be here."
2. Moriarty: "Well done, Duchess. I admire your initiative." Eve: "Well then you're gonna love my gumption and my spunk."
3. Jake: "You don't know how to use a card catalog?" Ezekiel: "Uh, it's the 21st century. I don't know how to shoe a horse either."
4. Eve: "Are we going to fight magical swords because I did not bring anything for that?"
5. Eve: "Shakespeare had a friend who was a wizard? Kind of buried the lead there."
6. Moriarty: "Welcome to Team Fiction."
Grade: B
Best Reason to Watch - the characters deliver some home truths about themselves
Best Action - Jake vs. Jake
Best Moment - Jenkins talks to Jake about family
Best Reveal - Ezekiel was a thief for the government
Best Awww Moment - Jake's fake dad hugs him
Best Device for Character Growth - having to tell the truth
Best Back Story - Jake
Best Twist - the foreman is Jake's dad
Biggest Face Palm - Is there anyone who didn't think the trio was going to get trapped in the cage?
Biggest Jerk - Jake's dad
Lamest Villain - the one removing alphabet letters / ones that take noses
Most Creepy - Fake Andy's huge clown grin
Most Likely to Create an Awesome Fan Wiki - Cassandra who computes heights and sets as she watches TV
Worst Plan - leaving Baird behind
The "Say What?" Award - Why exactly do they need to stay in the cage it keep it open? They already know what to push to open the door.
The "Are You Kidding Me?" Award - All these construction workers are walking by Fake Cassandra opening the locked explosives compartment and no one says a word?
Best Quotes -
1. Ezekiel: "Okay, this is the freakiest Friday ever."
2. Jenkins: "The one commonality is that they all feed off of lies and the chaos wrought by lies. The more lies, the more chaos they can create." Ezekiel: "So why hang around this small town? Why not head for Washington DC, home of lies?"
3. Cassandra: "When they told me about my tumor, they told me that I was going to die but I decided when. I want to die on my own terms so I picked a day, a day when I choose to die." Jake: "I'm sorry." Cassandra: "Save it. It's not today. Let's go."
4. Cassandra: "I stole…uh, sheet music from Aladdin in my grade school music class." Ezekiel: "Not exactly a criminal mastermind but we all have to start somewhere."
5. Jenkins: "Mr. Jones alone in Oklahoma is a version of the Rogers and Hammerstein classic no one should ever see."
I was never a fan of Ferris Bueller, even though I saw that movie when I was in high school. Therefore this opening and closing just made me groan. Plus The Goldbergs did it better not too long ago. A grown man stooping to recreating a movie to get out of work is stupid. Really stupid. However I did enjoy seeing both Naz and Boyle working hard to get Brian back. It was expected with Harris but I like that Brian means something to them too. Granted it could be a control thing with Naz, but she put her career on the line for his safe return so that's worth bonus points. The stuff in the woods wasn't as interesting to me and I could do with no more black ops for Brian ever.
Grade: B-
Best Reason to Watch - the FBI is desperate to get Brian back
Best Character - Naz
Best Scene - Brian and Aleksey with the pill
Biggest What the Heck Ever - No bus driver on the planet would ever pick up a stray on the road, especially with kids on the bus. None! Not even to fulfill a scene in a movie.
Most Useful - all of Brian's language studies
Least Surprising - the terrorist isn't a terrorist
Worst Reference - Ferris Bueller's Day Off as a whole and the intro especially
Best Reference - Harris as Sloane in Ferris Bueller's Day Off
The "Say what?" Award - Why is Cameron villain monologuing his plans to Brian, the guy he knows is on a superpill? Even a washout shouldn't be that dumb.
The "Um, Two are Enough" Award - Things were strained enough when there were 2 Brian's. Now there are 3? That's overkill.
The "Welcome Back" Award - Malik Yoba from Empire
Best Quotes -
1. Naz: "We're gonna find Brian. Once that's done, I'm gonna figure out who the hell authorized this and either that person will no longer work for the Bureau or I won't."
2. Sloane: "I wish the laws of physics would allow me strangle you right now."
3. Brian: "We used to call that the condom pocket. That's a little childish and stupid, but then again so is high school."
4. Brian: "You speak English?" Aleksey: "Everyone speaks some English."
Oh the melodrama. Everybody's relationships went up in flames in this episode and I don't care about any of them. For the first time, the terrorist plot was more interesting than everything except Miranda's back story. I'm also not sure about Alex's ever-growing circle of people "helping" her. There's got to be at least one traitor in her midst by the time the reveal happens, which is apparently coming sooner than I thought. I do like that several secrets are out though. This means the characters are almost caught up to the audience and that's a less frustrating tactic. I would like to go back to more interesting case work during FBI training and a bigger focus on action and mystery solving instead of the almost high school drama of who's screwing whom and who's jealous about it.
Grade: C+
Best Reason to Watch - everyone gets to play their turn at suspect in this show, which makes it harder to figure out who it really is
Best Scene - Miranda confronts her son at the school
Best Plan - Alex plants video equipment in O'Connor's office so she can see what he's really up to
Best Back Story - Miranda and her son
Worst Back Story - Shelby and Caleb's father
Biggest Red Herring - Neither of the twins are the terrorist. That would be way too easy and stereotypical.
Biggest Head Desk Moment - Did they not just hear that someone's listening all the time? Why are they talking about their sex lives in a surveillance house? Of course someone's listening.
Biggest Surprise - Simon now knows about the twins
Least Surprising - Caleb's dad is the guy running everything
The "Loose Lips" Award - Nothing like being so far up your own self that you recklessly spout off and therefore reveal your own secrets, O'Connor
The "No Truer Words" Award - Natalie calls Caleb a moron and unattractive in jealousy mode
Best Quotes -
1. Alex: "Simon, I need control over Caleb's computer right now." Simon: "Of course. You want me to get you a unicorn while I'm at it."
2. Charlie: "You wake up every morning wishing I made good on that note." Miranda: "I wake up every morning thanking God you're alive and you have a chance to be the man I know you can be."
3. Charlie: "And why do I care about your terrible parenting?" O'Connor: "Each one of these kids is alive because your mother stopped you from killing them. Instead of visiting graves, their parents get to visit dorm rooms and every time Louisa ignores my call at least I know she's alive and there's still hope she'll forgive me one day. Do you get that you almost took that hope away?"
4. Charlie: "I didn't want you to find the note." Miranda: "Who did you think would find it?" Charlie: "I didn't think." Miranda: "You didn't, but I did. I burned it. And that's the only reason that you're out of that place and that terrifies me because I don't know if I did the right thing or if I just made it easier for the next time you want to shoot somebody."
5. Booth: "Congratulations. You just blew your own op with Alex."
It was a typical episode of Scorpion with twice the bad puns and everyone getting in on the action. Character of the night goes to Happy for completely shocking me with her horrible comedy routine and the under subway train slide. I'm also liking that Toby is going to back off the pressure about their non-relationship. It should allow the writers to develop both Happy and him as characters and maybe even give them a better set of storylines. I am a little irked that there is no follow-up to Walter basically killing Toby last week though and Ralph constantly irks me, but it was a decent episode full of adrenaline and fun.
Grade: B
Best Reason to Watch - another high octane episode complete with ever-present countdown
Best Scene - everything on the train
MVP of the Night - puns
Best Reference - Speed (or at least that is the reference in my head)
Best Save - Happy flipping the switch
Most Used - Sylvester's cold compress for bruising
Most Likely to Make Me Throw Up - Walter chugging grease to get it into a hose
Most Selfless - Walter trying to save Paige and Ralph
Biggest Surprise / Most Cringeworthy - Happy is doing standup comedy
Biggest Eye Roll - Ralph, saving the day again
Biggest Yogi Berra - Ray and all his backwards statements
Worst Thing to Bet Your Life On - whether a fast food employee has done their job properly
Worst Plan - psychologically profiling your boxing opponent and making him mad
Best Quotes -
1. Toby: "Okay, no offense but I'm not about to give weight to the psychiatric musings of a guy who uses a superhero lunchbox and someone who still watches Bonanza."
2. Toby: "Suicidal genius says what now?"
3. Sylvester: "And at the current speed of Paige's train the Cant can't work."
4. Walter: "I don’t like this." Paige: "Me taking a risk or me using logic against you?" Walter: "Both."
5. Cabe: "Sorry. Sometimes the truth hurts more than a right hook, buddy."
This had the case of the week, the one liners, and the technical gadgetry of a typical Scorpion episode but in a lot of ways it was very different. The case was secondary and not as interesting as usual, while the emotional state of the characters went on high alert. Normally I am not a fan of anything leading to emoangsting, but I did like how Scorpion handled Megan's impeding death. There's going to be huge blowback on them all. I was expecting to see issues with Sylvester and of course Walter, but I didn't expect both Happy and Toby to go all clinical detachment. Surely these guys have dealt with death at some point in their lives already. Paige and Cabe are going to have their hands full just keeping the team together. I foresee a huge rift between Walter and Sylvester just when they will need each other the most. As for the case, it was more hype than anything. Just adding alien theories does not a good episode make so it's a good thing this episode isn't relying on them. The CIA thing though brought the grade down because it was beyond ludicrous. It would have made far more sense to remind them that they have a confidentiality contract with the government and they won't get paid if they yap. Instead they went for the most sensationalist plan, which is always Scorpion's downfall.
Grade: B
Best Reason to Watch - surprisingly the best thing for me is how each of the characters dealt (or didn't deal) with Megan's impeding death
Best Scene - the end between Sylvester and Walter
Weirdest Action Scene - fighting in zero gravity
Biggest Hero - Sylvester for standing up for Megan's wishes
Biggest Ha - Toby's cell phone looks like the one I had before my current dinosaur so that really is old
Dumbest Side Plot / Biggest What the Heck? - The CIA was going to kill the Scorpion team but now they're just letting them go instead of shutting down Sylvester too or at least verifying. Yeah, this makes the kind of sense that just doesn't.
Biggest Surprise - Cabe and Walter are asleep during the action in their segment
Worst Hide-and-Go-Seek Players - Happy, Toby, and Paige all pop their heads up right after the guard gives the all-clear even though he could look back at any minute
Worst Position - Sylvester, who is in between a Megan and a Walter
Biggest Hmm - Why exactly is flossing teeth disgusting? It's better than the alternative.
Least Surprising - Walter blames Sylvester for Megan not going on a respirator
Most Common Sense - Paige, who just kicks the thing until it's down
Quickest Way to Hitch a Ride - blow out the tire with intense heat
The "Well Duh?" Award - Of course the plane is used to spy on Americans? What else would it be used for in this paranoid TV age?
The "Say What?" Award - Um, Walter, I think I just heard this cryogenics theory on another show and that guy was a straight up lunatic, psycho killer. You're a little scary right now.
The "Will You Look at That" Award - there really is a Cone of Silence
Best Quotes -
1. Walter: "I trusted you. You promised me you would do the right thing." Sylvester: "I did do the right thing…for Megan. She doesn't want to prolong her state so I respected her wishes." Walter: "Don't go head to head with me on this. You've known her for a year. I've known her my whole life." Sylvester: "I love her just as much and I am sorry Walter but you are wrong." Walter: "Fine, fine, I'll just have to take care of it myself. This isn't over."
2. Cabe: "You got something to say to Megan, you should say it. Spend your time making memories. Don't bury yourself in solutions that may not work."
3. Sylvester: "I have to encourage you to be aggressive." Megan: "You have to stop being a conduit to my brother and be the man that I love."
4. Happy: "Your crippling gambling problems left you unable to afford nice things like the latest cell technology but yours is old enough to have a nickel cadmium battery." Toby: "Insulted, hurt, but glad to help."
5. Happy: "Remember your disgusting habit?" Toby: "Which one? I'm going to need you to elaborate."
This was definitely an improvement over the pilot. Kara offered her own words of wisdom, both to James and Alex, which made her seem more of a grownup than last episode. I also appreciated that Kat cut the most annoying thing about her off at the knees. Instead of watching Kara keep fumbling or worse, become instantly good at everything, starting small makes a lot of sense. It allows us to watch Kara's process and helps negate the fact that she has all of these powers. I'm a huge fan of even superheroes having to grow into their expertise. I also liked that James and Winn helped her do so, just not Winn's annoying jealousy. Still the best thing about the show is the sister bond and it is the reason why Supergirl gets another episode from me, because although this is a definite improvement, it's not enough to earn a place on the weekly watch list just yet for me.
Grade: B-
Best Reason to Watch - Kara isn't a klutzy little girl in this one but a newbie learning the ropes and not afraid to ask for help to get better. It's a good look on her.
Best Action - Kara vs. her aunt
Best Moment - Kara rescues a snake, named Fluffy, up a tree
Best Move - Alex takes down Bug Boy with his own talon
Best Pep Talk - James to Kara, in the most Hallmark way possible
Most Needed Talk - Kat tells Kara to start small and avoid making major disasters
Biggest Surprise - Hank is an alien
Biggest Waste - Why are they shooting off all these missiles? Shocking waste of taxpayer money.
Most Annoying - everyone but Kat and Hank spend their whole time telling Kara how special she is
The "I'm with Hank" Award - Alex should be glad that she's the one kicking Kara's butt instead of some space bug
The "Say What?" Award - How is kryptonite a secret? This show does start from the premise that Superman has been around for a long time.
Best Music - Hit Me with Your Best Shot by Pat Benatar
Best Quotes -
1. Kara: "I went from superhero to ecoterrorist in a single bound."
2. Kat: "Every step of the way I had to fight. To work hard, to get better, to come out ahead. Now catching planes and boats on fire. Hmm. How about we start small and work our way up?"
3. Kara: "James, part of being your own man is knowing when to accept help."
4. James: "You know Superman made plenty of mistakes when he first started. At least she's saving lives." Kat: "In the sloppiest, most awkward way imaginable, James."
5. Alex: "I can't even imagine what you must be feeling right now. I mean after all this time, finding out you still have family." Kara: "You're my family."
Is Kara a teen, a college student, or a woman starting a career? It's hard to tell because the show can't make up its mind. This episode she was all pouty teen, stomping her foot when she doesn't get her way. Perhaps if she wants out of the shadow of Superman, she should stop acting like a child throwing a fit when he saves her life. It is especially baffling given her speech to James just last week about how being an adult means knowing when to ask for help. It's like Supergirl's writing staff doesn't look at each other's work. Is Jeremy Carver secretly involved in this show? Or perhaps it's everyone who left Arrow. Why else would they be trying to make Kara into Felicity every other minute - just not the smart, tech savvy parts? You know, the one's that originally made her more than Oliver's stalker. She's got the same girly girl, obnoxious crush thing but not the smarts to balance it. Then there's the insufferable love triangle that is only novel in the fact that it's 2 guys acting like imbeciles over a girl instead of two girls over a guy. Why exactly is James that interested in Kara anyway? He barely knows her and yet he's willing to risk his life for her. Is this hero transference? Or is it because Supergirl is becoming the most powerful Super Special Snowflake on TV? Either way, I'm not sticking around each week to watch things go from meh to drek. This is firmly in the marathon later (if I get time) pile. I'll stick to Agent Carter for all my comic book kick butt female needs. She's at least a grown up.
Grade: C-
Verdict - marathon later
Best Reason to Watch - if you're into "will they-won't they" couples, teen angst, or love triangles, this is the episode for you
Best Scene - sister wrap up at the end
Best Plan - car door shield
Best Mom - Alex, who has basically parented Kara several times in this series already
Best Cameo - Superman
Coolest Sidekick - Winn and his new Supergirl office
Biggest Product Placement - Dr. Pepper
Biggest Time Suck - the Kara and James dance conversation until Krull thankfully interrupts
Biggest Douche - Maxwell Lord is bound and determined to break the barrier on this one too
Biggest Cheerleader - Kara…for herself
Biggest Huh? - How does touching the reactor with a lead glove count as encasing it in lead?
Most Annoying - the verbal cat fight of Winn and James
Most Likely to be Featured on CSI - Winn finds where the bad guy is by tracking fungi
Worst Friend - Kara, who uses her superpowers to eavesdrop on a conversation James clearly doesn't want her in like an audible Peeping Tom
Worst Secret Keeper - James leaks that Clark Kent is Superman to Winn
The "Oh Get Over It" Award - Kara brats out because James called her cousin to help. Isn't this exactly the speech she gave last week. You know, the one about knowing when to accept help? Argh! You sound like a teen who didn't get her way. James' call saved your life!
The "I'm with Kara" Award - Just because the guy isn't from another planet doesn't mean they should pass off the guy who shoots heat balls to the local police
The "Welcome Back" Award - Chris Browning from The 100 and Agent Carter
Best Music - Girls Just Want to Have Fun
Best Quotes -
1. Henshaw: "What's next? A book deal, a reality show? Keeping Up with the Kryptonians."
2. James: "How's the covert alien hunting business?" Alex: "Not as covert as we would prefer."
3. Kara: "Supergirl didn't tell you how old she is. How do you know she's a millennial?" Kat: "Well if she's not then I want the name of her surgeon."
4. Kat: "I'm a writer. Well it's like riding a bike or severe childhood trauma, you never really lose it."
5. Kara: "She tricked me. She's like a villain. She's like a super interviewing villain." Winn: "That is literally the most boring power ever."
While last week's episode (Baby) was the best Supernatural's been in a long time, it had a slow middle and it wasn't in the least bit scary. This episode remedied one of those issues. This is the creepiest Supernatural has been in a long. The visual cuts, creaking steps, and flickering lights added that old-time, season 1 Supernatural feel. I actually turned the sound down when Dean went into the murder basement because I was getting wigged out. Of course, I also thought that for once it was going to be a straight up serial killer instead of the possessed, ghostly, or soulless. I'm not sure that bringing Amara into it was the best twist. I kind of liked the overall Benders feeling I was getting. Still, Len was fantastic. If he wasn't a soulless, soon-to-be killer, I would actually want him back. He had more personality soulless than many guest characters with souls have had. This was another above par SPN episode and all I can say is keep them coming.
Grade: B+
Best Reason to Watch - it's the creepiest Supernatural has been in years
Creepiest Scene - Dean and Sam going through the murder house
Best Reaction - Len to finding out he doesn't have a soul
Best Visual - the slow pan across baby's front end
Best Nostalgia - the EMF reader
Most Fun - Len
Least Missed Reference - Ghostfacers
Biggest SPN Trend - creepy kids and their creepy 20-something counterparts
Biggest Surprise - Len kills Sydney and saves the Winchesters / Len confesses to killing everyone just to keep himself from murdering for real
The "Say What?" Award - Why are Dean and Sam paying in cash? Do they no longer have fake credit cards?
Best Quotes -
1. Dean: "What is that smell?" Sam: "I think it's this. It's like a lavender toilet water." Dean: "Bottled toilet water? Why do you keep spraying it?" Sam: "I just wanted to see if the squeezy thing worked." Dean: "Wow. " Sam: "I think it was supposed to be a perfume or something." Dean: "Alright I'm gonna go check out the rest of the inn because now I've got grandma all over me so…"
2. Sam: "There's no sensitive way to tell somebody their soul has been sucked out by a prehistoric tween."
3. Sydney: "You're an angel." Amara: "Do I look like a whiny, winged suck up?"
4. Len: "I picked up my thumb like it was a mini hotdog." Dean: "Len, I'm not gonna lie. That's worrisome."
5. Dean: "What do you want to do about Cas?" Sam: "Oh, he's knee deep in binge watching The Wire. He just started season 2." Dean: "Oh yeah, he's not coming out anytime soon."
Does anyone, besides the writing staff, care to hear one more word come out of Metatron's mouth? Anyone at all? He's boring. He's obnoxious. He needed to die a few seasons ago. All I hear when he's expositing is the Charlie Brown teacher voice. It's still as annoying as is the mere glimpse of his face. Just die already. Please. He's worse than all the other angels put together. Other than the horror that is Metatron's voice and a constant bombing of God, the rest of the episode was pretty good. We had a lengthy battle scene with Sam that worked well and some movement on the overall mytharc. Amara is far more interesting now that she's older and I'm fairly sure we've got the cage back. More knowledge on that has been a long time coming. I also thought that Crowley's increasing desperation to control an unruly teen was inspired.
Grade: B-
Best Reason to Watch - the Crowley side of the episode
Best Reason to Fast Forward - anything Metatron
Best Scene - Amara vs. Crowley
Best Reaction - Dean to Crowley saying they have a bromance
Best Action - Sam vs. the demons
Worst Directing Choice - intercutting Metatron with the Winchester's brothers
Worst Move - Castiel doesn't kill off Metatron when he has the chance
Longest Recapitation - Cas' PTSD
Biggest Mystery - Sam's visions
Biggest Bwah - while in a management meeting, Crowley is actually reading a parenting book instead of listening to how legalizing marijuana has resulted in smaller soul collection
Biggest Jailbait - Amara needs to back out of Dean's personal space
Biggest What the Heck? - Besides because the plot demands it, how is Metatron so stupid as to get caught on tape?
Most Difficult - parenting a teenage ancient evil / getting through anytime Metatron is on the screen
Most Interesting - Is this the first time that a case of the week keeps them in the same town and identity for multiple episodes?
Most Nostalgic - that hideous sun clock on the badly decorated motel room wall
Most Likely to Scream Trap - Crowley at a place with no guards. How could they know he has a personnel shortage?
Weirdest Twist - Amara saves Dean from Crowley
Weirdest Connection - It might be just me but Amara reminds me of a teen version of season 1 Scully on The X-Files. Not the snarky personality or tendency to kill everything in sight of course. Just the hair and overall look. She looks much classier than most teens.
The "Just Stop" Award - Supernatural needs to stop bringing God into it
The "You Had One Job" Award - Crowley is NOT going to be happy that this lackey spilled the beans
The "Say What?" Award - Amara turns down a soul meal? Did she go full-on pouty 15 or has the binge eating gotten to her?
The "Um, Uh, No" Award - Crowley, please never speak of a bromance with Dean ever, ever again
Best Quotes -
1. Crowley: "What are you looking at? Still learning all you can about the world?" Amara: "If nonsensical slogans attached to idiotic pictures of domesticated animals counts as the world." Crowley: "Excuse me." Amara: "Memes."
2. Dean: "I thought you were going with socially acceptable binge watching. You know - The Wire, Game of Thrones."
3. Sam: "Oh right. I keep forgetting about you and Crowley's summer of love."
4. Crowley: "But you know what? I think I am going to kill you today. I feel different somehow, ready. What can I say? Fatherhood changes a man."
5. Crowley: "Where is everyone?" Jarvis: "Oh are ranks have been a bit thin since Amara ate everybody."
Other Shows
TBBT - 9.06 - The Helium Insufficiency
Grade: B-
~Another divided episode for me where I hated the B story of making fun of people's dating pictures (like these guys are a real catch) but I laughed in the story of Leonard and Sheldon buying bootleg helium. I like the smart thug character.
TBBT - 9.08 - The Mystery Date Observation
Grade: B
~I liked how the characters were split here and it's no surprise that Bernadette was a terrible stalker before Howard. I actually liked Vanessa and wish that Sheldon would have given her a chance. Mostly though I liked watching Amy trying to keep her cool when her date was fangirling all over Sheldon.
Worst Date - Amy's new beau only wants to talk about Sheldon
Most Fun? - Scavenger hunt sounds fun. Sheldon as a prize sounds more like losing though.
Most Interesting - Vanessa, who could be cool or who could be completely crazy, but we'll never know now
Blacklist - 3.05 - Arioch Cain
Grade: B+
~DEMBE!!!! That is all!
Blindspot - 1.06 - Cede Your Soul
Grade: B-
~The case interested me although it was a bit disconcerting to see Sofia from Young & Hungry playing a teenager. Not near as interested in the multi-character emoangsting.
Blindspot - 1.08 - Persecute Envoys
Verdict - dropped
~If I wanted someone to preach politics at me, there's a billion channels I could watch. Besides, Kurt's relationship with Jane is squicking me out and nothing is moving forward on the overall plot. Then there's Jane's increasing status as a super special snowflake and I find the only two characters I care about anymore are Patterson and her cannon fodder boyfriend. I need to free some time in my schedule so this one goes to the top of the dropped list.
Code Black - 1.04 - Sometimes It's a Zebra
Grade: C
~This one was missing a lot of the heart although the storyline of the kidnapped mom and the baby was a great twist.
Code Black - 1.05 - Doctors with Borders
Grade: B+
~I love all the back story with Hudson and it's good to see Mario at least trying not to be a douche.
CSI: Cyber - 2.04 - Red Crone
Grade: C+
~The moral of this story is that your kids will believe anything so you better teach them that not everything on the internet is true. It's also that too much kid stupidity doesn't make for the most interesting story. I did like the moment with Elijah and his dad though.
The Flash - 2.04 - The Fury of the Firestorm
Grade: B
~I'll miss Dr. Stein, but I'm super happy that SPN Raphael is not joining us. He always seems to play a douche. Mostly though, I'm glad that Stein is still alive, Iris' mom is booted, and Barry has met up with Wells 2.0.
Grandfathered - 1.06 - My Amal
Grade: B
~I love having Jimmy and Sarah together for an extended time because John Stamos and Paget Brewster play well off of each other. Plus Full House reunion, although briefly. I was never into Uncle Joey's weird voices but having Dave Coulier drop by on this one was fun.
Best Music - Eternal Flame by Heart
iZombie - 2.04 - Even Cowgirls Get the Black and White Blues
Grade: B-
~Not as good as last week, but the end to the case was a big twist and I LOVE that Peyton and Liv had reconciled. Plus it looks like Major might be coming back from the edge
Life in Pieces - 1.06 - Ponzi Sex Paris Bounce
Grade: B-
~Chad is getting really, really old but the rest of the segments had their plus points
Life in Pieces - 1.07 - Nanny Tent Earrings Cheeto
Grade: B-
~I plan to sue this episode for psychological damage. No one should be allowed to show that nightmare killer clown dummy at all, much less multiple times.
Limitless - 1.06 - Side Effects may Include…
Grade: B-
~a combination of too-high expectations and super slow pacing in the middle made this more of a just fair episode for me than it did for others
Quantico - 1.05 - Found
Grade: D
~Caleb is an absolute douche (but NOT a terrorist), Elias is a huge creeper, Shelby is a complete idiot, and I don't care one iota about any of these people hooking up. This was a waste of time. The only part of the entire episode that worked for me was the Unknown.
Truth Be Told - 1.02 - Adult Content
Grade: B-
~I actually laughed in this one. Got to say that I loved that the episode about going to a porn awards show had zero hint of porn at all, given that the whole thing was talking about marriage. Plus it had a real heart moment. This episode was a lot better than the pilot.
Truth Be Told - 1.03 - Big Black Coffee
Grade: C-
~Not many laughs, not much fun.
Truth Be Told - 1.04 - Psychic Chicken
Grade: B-
~I'm, not a fan of Hollywood's version of God or religion, but this was fairly well balanced and that itself is a blessing.
The "Welcome Back" Award - Ashley Tisdale from the Disney Channel and Hellcats / Ryan Cartwright from Bones and Alphas
Truth be Told - 1.05 - Members Only
Grade: C
~Comedies really should be funny but this one is hit or miss all the time; this episode was mostly miss.
Biggest TV Trend (Nov 1) - saving water by showering together
Biggest TV Trend (Nov 8) - every single show seems to be doing flash forwards this season
