Welcome to our end of the season special edition of Last Week in TV where the guest reviewers and I look over TV as a whole and give out show awards for all we watched in the 2015-2016 season. (Disclaimer - I only let us pick 5 awards per show to get better variety) Since the column is so long this time, I put a link to the condensed poll below if you would like to vote on these awards yourself. If enough people participate, I will include the results in the next column. Speaking of the next column, not only will it be the last one before we go on summer hiatus, but it is also a very special edition that will focus on shows we watched as kids or teens. I've already been shocked more than once in preparation for it. Let's just say that innuendo went right over my head as a kid. I hope you will join us for it; I think it will be a great trip through nostalgia. If you would like to participate in the reviews, e-mail me at dahne@spoilertv.com or tweet me @dahne1 for details. Thanks to everyone who has already sent in their reviews. Keep them coming! The more shows we cover, the more likely it is that something you watched will be included and the more fun it will be. As for this article, I watched zero new shows this week since I've been stuck in the 70's and 80's so everything here is from earlier. Thanks to the guest reviewers for keeping things fresh. Until our season finale next week, don't forget to fill out your own awards, leave a comment about ours, and happy TV viewing.
2015-2016 TV Awards
BlueStar - 12 Monkeys / The Librarians
Emma - Jane the Virgin
Jessica - Grey's Anatomy / Chicago Fire
Laura - How to Get Away with Murder / Brooklyn 99
Dahne - The Blacklist / iZombie
BlueStar - Into the Badlands / Limitless
Emma - Limitless
Jessica - Chicago Med / Limitless
Laura - Limitless / Lucifer
Dahne - Into the Badlands / Oh My Venus
BlueStar - The Originals
Emma - Scorpion
Jessica - iZombie / The Blacklist
Laura - Suits / It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Dahne - The Blacklist / Elementary
BlueStar - Arrow / Nashville
Emma - Grimm
Jessica - The 100 / Black-ish
Laura - Daredevil / Looking
Dahne - way too many but the worst offenders were Grimm / The 100
BlueStar - Supernatural / Person of Interest
Emma - iZombie
Jessica - House of Cards / How to Get Away with Murder
Laura - Brooklyn 99
Dahne - Killjoys / Dominion
BlueStar - 12 Monkeys
Emma - The Real O'Neals
Jessica - Lucifer
Laura - Lucifer / The Real O'Neals
Dahne - Into the Badlands / Wynonna Earp / Younger / The Carmichael Show
BlueStar - Person of Interest / Limitless
Emma - Limitless / Agent Carter
Jessica - Limitless
Laura - Galavant / Limitless
Swanpride - Agent Carter
Dahne - Rush Hour / Agent X
Emma - 6,741 (Person of Interest) / Messengers (Outsiders)
Jessica - Salivation Army (iZombie) / Entropy (Criminal Minds)
Laura - Headquarters! (Limitless) / What Did We Do? (How to Get Away with Murder)
Dahne - Salivation Army (iZombie) / What Did We Do? (How to Get Away with Murder) / Hand of 5 Poisons (Into the Badlands) / The Son Rises (Code Black)
Emma - Sameen Shaw (Person of Interest) / Frank Castle (Daredevil)
Jessica - Liv Moore (iZombie) / Alex Karev (Grey's Anatomy)
Laura - Arnold (Please Like Me)
Dahne - Jessica Huang (Fresh Off the Boat) / Ross and Demelza (Poldark) / Margot (The Catch) / Wells (The Flash) / Sunny, Lydia, and the Widow (Into the Badlands)
Emma - Roan (The 100)
Jessica - Jimmy (Chicago Fire)
Laura - Eve Rothlo (How to Get Away with Murder)
Dahne - Morland Holmes (Elementary) / Anna Jarvis and Whitney Frost (Agent Carter) / Moriarty (The Librarians) / Drake and his mom (iZombie) / Roberta (Galavant)
Emma - Felicity (Arrow)
Jessica - Adam Ruzek (Chicago PD / Will Halstead (Chicago Med)
Laura - Dan (Lucifer)
Dahne - Rip Hunter (Legends of Tomorrow) / Raj (TBBT) / Houdini (Houdini & Doyle) / King Louis (The Musketeers)
BlueStar - Layla (Nashville)
Jessica - Jasper (The 100)
Laura - Wuntch (Brooklyn 99)
Dahne - Jasper, Bellamy, Jaha and others (The 100) / Liam, the rest of Team Tween, and Grandpa Evil (Teen Wolf) / Ralph and Heywood (Scorpion) / Jay, Jesse, and Reverse Flash (The Flash) / Chuck, Metatron, Lucifer, and every freaking angel (Supernatural)
BlueStar - Klaus (The Originals)
Emma - Lucifer Morningstar (Lucifer)
Jessica - Fitz (Agents of SHIELD)
Laura - Mike Ross (Suits)
Dahne - Walter and Happy (Scorpion) / Sheldon (TBBT) / King Richard (Galavant) / Kelsey (Younger) / Claire (Dominion)
BlueStar - Derek Hale (Teen Wolf)
Emma - Leonard Snart (Legends of Tomorrow)
Jessica - Leslie Shay (Chicago Fire) / Cristina Yang (Grey's Anatomy)
Laura - Alex Blake (Criminal Minds)
Dahne - Lexa and Lincoln (The 100) / Moriarty (Elementary) / Bobby and Rufus (Supernatural)
Emma - Peggy and Jarvis (Agent Carter)
Jessica - Hawaii 5-O / Criminal Minds
Laura - Josh and Arnold (Please Like Me) / Connor and Oliver (How to Get Away with Murder)
Dahne - Carter and Lee (Rush Hour) / Bob and Mike (Crowded) / Dutch and John (Killjoys) / Madalena and Gareth (Galavant) / Snart and Rorry (Legends of Tomorrow)
Emma - Jon Bernthal (Daredevil)
Jessica - James Spader (The Blacklist) / Justin Chambers (Grey's Anatomy)
Laura - Jake McDorman (Limitless)
Dahne - James Spader (The Blacklist) / Jeff Garlin (The Goldbergs) / Timothy Omundson (Galavant) / Tom Cavanagh (The Flash)
Emma - Haley Atwell (Agent Carter)
Jessica - Viola Davis (How to Get Away with Murder) / Ellen Pompeo (Grey's Anatomy)
Laura - Rose McIver (iZombie)
Dahne - Viola Davis and Liza Weil (How to Get Away with Murder) / Marcia Gay Harden (Code Black) / Megan Mullally (You, Me, and the Apocalypse)
Emma - Underground
Jessica - Chicago Fire / How to Get Away with Murder
Laura - Brooklyn 99
Dahne - Billions (pilot) / Galavant (lyricist)
BlueStar - Into the Badlands
Emma - Blindspot
Jessica - Hawaii 5-O / Arrow
Laura - Daredevil / Lucifer
Dahne - Into the Badlands / Rush Hour / Agent X / Dutch in Killjoys / The Musketeers
BlueStar - Nashville / Supernatural
Emma - The Goldbergs
Laura - Limitless / Suits
Swanpride - Outlander
Dahne - The Blacklist / The Goldbergs / Wicked City / Ash vs. Evil Dead
BlueStar - 12 Monkeys / Into the Badlands
Emma - Underground / Outsiders
Jessica - iZombie (makeup and costumes)
Laura - Limitless (straw scene in 1.21 especially) / Daredevil (fight scene in 2.03)
Swanpride - Outlander (visual storytelling) / Sherlock (visual storytelling)
Dahne - The Shannara Chronicles (cinematography, costuming, make-up) / Ash vs. Evil Dead (directing and practical effects) / The Expanse pilot (special effects) / Angie Tribeca and Motive (guest casting) / The Musketeers (costuming and stunt coordination)
Emma - Code Black renewal
Jessica - CMT renews Nashville / Emily returns to Criminal Minds
Laura - The Real O'Neals
Dahne - return of Dean's amulet and a Baby-centered episode (Supernatural) / Eva Longaria is really funny (Telenovela) / Kim Manners headstone and Cigarette Smoking Man is still alive (The X-Files) / Whitney Frost and Rose are much more than they seem (Agent Carter) / Otto commits suicide (Second Chance)
BlueStar - Ty gives Amy the mini horse and Amy tells him she is pregnant (Heartland)
Emma - Kenny, his brother, and mom talk at Prom (The Real O'Neals)
Jessica - Gunnar kisses Scarlett on stage (Nashville) / Kensi and Deeks talk about proposals (NCIS: LA)
Laura - Brian interviews his new team (Limitless) / Josh and Arnold have sex for the first time (Please Like Me)
Dahne - Jarvis promises anything if Anna will only wake up (Agent Carter) / Rorish forgives the man who killed her family (Code Black) / Barry admits that he's scared that everyone will leave him behind (The Goldbergs) / D'Avin breaks down alone after being forced to almost kill John and Dutch (Killjoys) / Ezekiel begs the team to just believe him (The Librarians) / Maddie calls herself an alcoholic for the first time at the AA meeting (Recovery Road) / Korsak breaks down on the land mine (Rizzoli & Isles) / Sylvester brings Megan the stars one more time (Scorpion) / Sheriff wakes up and tells Stiles he's still there and Scott and Stiles repair their friendship (Teen Wolf) / Mulder holds Scully as she mourns her mom's death (The X-Files)
BlueStar - Cami dies (The Originals) / [SPOILER] dies in the finale (Person of Interest)
Emma - Megan dies (Scorpion)
Jessica - Derek leaves the team (Criminal Minds)
Laura - Danny finds Alex's body (London Spy)
Swanpride - parting of Bobby and Hunter (Agents of SHIELD)
Dahne - Octavia breaks down over Lincoln's stuff and Monty kills his mom twice (The 100) / Reddington tries to cope with Liz's death (The Blacklist) / Doyle prays for his wife to wake from her coma and Doyle arrives for their date only to find that his wife has slipped back into her coma (Houdini & Doyle) / Annalise breaks down over her dad baby and Asher breaks down over his dad's death (How to Get Away with Murder) / Linus and his parents at the hospital (Stitchers) / Stiles sits alone in the waiting room unsure if his dad will make it (Teen Wolf)
BlueStar - Ravi from iZombie (character) / Jane the Virgin (show)
Jessica - iZombie / Hawaii 5-O
Laura - Please Like Me
Dahne - Rush Hour (show) / Jessica Huang from Fresh Off the Boat (character) / slip and slide at graduation practice and Beverly's Risky Business imitation (The Goldbergs, moment) / Mike and Bob in the helicopter (Crowded, scenes) / Mulder line dancing (The X-Files, scene)
BlueStar - Arrow focuses less on drama and more on action / Supernatural's mytharc and some character plots get better
Jessica - The 100's season 4 is better than season 3 / new shows this season are better than last season
Laura - How to Get Away with Murder focuses more on back story and less on gratuitous sex scenes & bring Eve back / Brooklyn 99 bring Kevin back so Holt and he can have their real wedding
Dahne - The 100 return to its former glory / better comedy offerings this season / Supernatural gets back to its glory now that Carver is out / Hunters and Houdini & Doyle gets a second season / Teen Wolf spends less time on Team Newbie
Miscellaneous Awards:
Emma - Lucifer
Jessica - Criminal Minds
Laura - Brooklyn 99 (finale) / Lucifer (finale)
Dahne - How to Get Away with Murder (almost every episode) / Quantico (midseason)
Emma - Stitchers
Jessica - Nashville
Dahne - The Flash
BlueStar - Amy and Ty (Heartland) / Sunny and Veil (Into the Badlands)
Emma - King Richard and Roberta (Galavant)
Jessica - Gunnar and Scarlett (Nashville) / Kensi and Deeks (NCIS: LA)
Swanpride - Fitz and Simmons (Agents of SHIELD)
Dahne - John Kim and Kang Joo-eun (Oh My Venus) / Sylvester and Megan (Scorpion) / Murray and Beverly (The Goldbergs) / Bob and Alice (Crowded) / Cynthia and Joe (The Carmichael Show)
Blue Star - Scott and Stiles (Teen Wolf) / Cole and Ramse (12 Monkeys)
Dahne - Jessica and Honey (Fresh Off the Boat) / Carter and Jarvis (Agent Carter) / Cynthia and Vern (Recovery Road) / Carter and Lee & Carter and Gerald (Rush Hour) / Valerie and Alice (The Catch)
Blue Star - Sunny and MK (Into the Badlands)
Dahne - Guthrie and Angus & Rorish and the residents (Code Black) / Wells and Cisco (The Flash) / Jackson and Regan (Hunters) / Cynthia and Maddie (Recovery Road) / Maggie and Camille (Stitchers)
Emma - The Man in the High Castle
Swanpride - Jessica Jones
BlueStar - Daredevil
Emma - Daredevil
Swanpride - Daredevil
Dahne - Angie Tribeca
Emma - How to Get Away with Murder
Laura - Please Like Me
Dahne - Younger / The Carmichael Show / Code Black / Killjoys / iZombie
Dahne - Kan Joo-eun (Oh My Venus) / Shaw (Quantico) / Demelza (Poldark) / Regan (Hunters) / Eretria (The Shannara Chronicles) / Kirsten and Camille (Stitchers)
BlueStar - Team Machine (Person of Interest) / the librarians (The Librarians)
Swanpride - Agents of SHIELD
Dahne - Scorpion / The Librarians / Houdini, Doyle, and Adelaide (Houdini & Doyle) / Musketeers / the halfway house (Recovery Road)
Emma - Agent Carter
Swanpride - Kilgrave (Jessica Jones)
Dahne - David Whele (Dominion) / Whitney Frost (Agent Carter) / Warleggans (Poldark) / Sands and Morra (Limitless) / every criminal in the 5-part Hindsight saga (Major Crimes)
Dahne - Savage (Legends of Tomorrow) / Blair (Stitchers) / Constance (Wynonna Earp) / Vaughn, Gilda, and Stacey Boss (iZombie) / Amara (Supernatural)
Dahne - Honey (Fresh Off the Boat) / Bonnie (How to Get Away with Murder) / Malia and Team Parent (Teen Wolf) / Jenkins (The Librarians)
Laura Markus - Keegan Joyce (Please Like Me)
Dahne - Colin Salmon (Limitless) / Peri Gilpin (Scorpion) / Clancy Brown (Daredevil) / Greg Finley (iZombie / The Flash) / Bradley James (Damian) / Bruce Campbell (Ash vs. Evil Dead) / Wil Wheaton (TBBT) / June Squibb (TBBT) / Joanna Garcia (Grandfathered) / Susan Walters (Teen Wolf) / Steven Williams (SPN) / Jessica Tuck (True Blood) / Blair Brown (Limitless) / Orla Brady (Fringe) / Arjay Smith (Perception) / Beth Riesgraf (Leverage) / Lyndsy Fonesca (Grandfathered) / Eliza Coupe (Superstore) / Oded Fehr (Quantico) / Judd Hirsch (Forever) / Zachary Levi (Chuck) / Julian Richings (The Expanse) / Olga Fonda (Agent X) / Jane Kaczmarek (Playing House) / Tim DeKay (Second Chance) / Anthony Head (Dominion) / Sean Owen Roberts (The Flash) / Beniro Martinez (H2GAwM) / Angelique Cabral (Enlisted) / Amanda Tapping (Stargate) / Christopher Gorham (Heartbeat)
Nominated Episode
I like the story behind this show a lot but I do think I would have found the first two episodes more entertaining if I hadn't just marathoned Killjoys. In many ways they inhabit the same world. In both, a handful of evil, greedy corporations exploit the people and make them virtual slaves. In both, our band of heroes has to come to the rescue when the corporations go too far. The big difference is that the Killjoy crew would probably have a warrant out on the Dark Matter one. I do particularly like the theme of being able to start over and deciding who you want to be that permeates the two-part pilot in Dark Matter. If the computer is to be believed (and at this point that is a BIG if), 5 of the 6 people onboard were wanted for murder and a whole host of other crimes. Somehow their memories got purposely wiped and now they have a chance to start over. Their first mission is to save the people they were originally hired to kill. Also onboard is an android and a teenager, who looks to be Dark Matter version of River Song from Firefly, only a whole lot less bat guano nuts. She's also less irritating, at least for now. I am definitely intrigued enough to put this on my summer marathon list but it'll be awhile before I get to it.
Grade: B-
Ranking: 4
Audience - basically anyone who likes sci-fi shows in space should find something to like about this one
Best Reason to Watch - since the mystery of who they are seems solved for now, the mystery of why their memories were erased should become a season-long arc
Best Scene / Best Action - shoot out at the power plant
Best Choice - choosing Two as leader, since she's the smartest of them all
Best Reaction - Five when Three wants to rank them according to their Most Wanted status
Best Plan - Two gets the competition to make the killer corporation go away
Worst Plan - not picking up the soldiers' guns after they shoot them so they have more ammunition
Biggest Douche - Three
Most Suicidal Plan - a rover attacking a ship
Most Confusing / Most Irritating - Everyone uses a number for a name when they could just give themselves a name instead of taking on their murderer personas. Having to remember which number goes with which character is frustrating, although I'm sure it gets easier.
Most Impressive - Four's sword play
Most in Need of Therapy - Three
The "Welcome Back" Award - Roger Cross from Motive and Arrow / Rob Stewart from Killjoys and Nikita / Tori Higginson from Stargate
Best Quotes -
1. Six: "But the truth is we're nothing but a bunch of low-life mercenaries." Three: "No, we're better than that. We're also pirates and smugglers and thieves. It's a very diversified portfolio." One: "You think is funny." Three: "It's my defense mechanism - humor. That and apparently killing people."
2. Two: "No computer file is going to tell me who I am. Call me Two."
3. One: "This isn't right. Am I the only person who heard what they said? A shipment of arms. Obviously, we were meant to help these people." Three: "You don't know that." One: "And the fact that we've got a cargo hold full of weapons? That's a coincidence?" Three: "You're forgetting one important detail - the scary lizard people who are on the way to this planet to destroy everything! I'm guessing you don't wanna be there when they show up." One: "Okay, I admit that part sounded bad."
4. Android: "Are you afraid of them now?" Five: "Do you think I should be?" Android: "They show a history of violence, mental instability, extreme antisocial behavior, deceit…" Five: "What's important is who they are now." Android: "An admirable attitude. Also potentially a very foolish and dangerous one."
5. Two: "It also means you could spend the rest of your life doing good deeds and not even come close to making up for it. I know what you're trying to do and it's not going to work. You don't want to believe what those computer files say you are, fair enough. I don't much want to do so either but I'm not going to kill myself trying to make up for crimes I don't even remember committing. We stick to the plan." One: "And who made you team leader?" Two: "I did by stepping up, and so did all of you by not challenging me when I did, unless you've had a change of heart and think you can do a better job….didn't think so."
6. Six: "I supposed that's plenty. Hell of a lot more than what I wanted to know anyways." Four: "We all wanted to know. These are the memories we left behind - death, despair, chaos. So what? If they're no longer a part of us now, then what does it even matter."
Guest Reviews
BY BlueStar
While not flawless, this episode was pretty amazing. I’ve seen a few Groundhog Day-style episodes done well before on other shows, and this one now can be included in that group. After the events of the last episode, a guilty Jones sends Cassie to 2020 to kill her right after her daughter Hannah dies at Spearhead to prevent her from creating time travel. Cassie does as ordered, but time resets and she finds herself in the same field she arrived in. Cole is now there too, having followed her back in time to stop her from killing Jones. Cassie insists she already killed her, but soon they realize that was today’s yesterday, and it hasn’t actually happened yet and so the many days of today began. On one day Cole shoots Jones to save Cassie from dying of a gunshot wound. On another day, Cassie saves Hannah (who was misdiagnosed, and actually has bacterial meningitis, not the Kalavirus, which she is indeed immune to), but the time resets, undoing this. Eventually, Cole tells Cassie they’re going to wait the day out and do nothing, but at the end of the day there still is a reset. Finally, Jennifer, who is a prisoner at Spearhead at the time, tells Cole time likes time travelers and doesn’t want time travel stopped. In order to get out of the time loop, he must do something but nothing. The cryptic message seems daunting to figure out, but Cole does and puts his plan into action. Afterward, Cole and Cassie are brought back to 2044 and they reveal to Jones that they saved her daughter Hannah, and Jennifer took her in and raised her in her daughters' group the last 24 years. They did this so Jones would still create time travel, but yet would also get back her daughter someday. They changed something, but they didn’t change the outcome. The episode ends with Cole and Cassie arguing over whether they could be together, and Cassie finding Ramse in her room with a gun. He wants to kill her to avenge Sam and then kill himself. She stops him by telling him she got into the Witness’ head when he got in hers, and she knows where he is. She convinces Ramse to team up with her to kill him.
Grade: A
Best Reason To Watch – This was an exciting and entertaining time loop episode, but if that’s not your thing, Cole, Cassie, Jennifer, and Jones all had some really great scenes together.
Best Scene – The montage of Cole and Cassie saving Hannah/revealing to Jones she is still alive (the editing and music and everything about it was so good)
Best Narration – Jones quotes Shakespeare as we catch up on what’s happened in 2044 since the last episode
Doomsday Moment – Ramse views the red storm from a cliff
Most Haunting – Jones singing Brahms's Lullaby over her flat-lined daughter
Most Intense – Ramse pointing a gun at Cassie’s face and his speech to her
Most Interesting Reveal – The Witness is in a place named Titan. Now where’s that?
Worst Ticking Time Bomb – Each time the day resets, Cole and Cassie become sicker and sicker. The time loop has a similar affect on them as time travel had on Cole in season one.
Best Quotes:
1. Cole (to Jones): “Now you can say that the time loop was just a glitch in the machine, and you can believe that, but the only thing that stopped the loop was this. For you to create time travel, you had to lose Hannah…or at least believe that you did.” Cassie: “But Jones, we changed the timeline. They told you Hannah died in their care, that her body was incinerated with the others. It wasn’t.”
2. Cassie: “What do you think Jennifer really meant?” Cole: “She said…time knows Jones invented time travel and needs her to do it.” Cassie: “Did she also tell you that time has a long, white beard and a list of commandments – ‘thou shall not splinter and kill the creator of time travel’?”
3. Cole: “Cassie.” Cassie: “You and I both know we’re gonna lose so much before this is over.” Cole: “I’d rather have that moment and lose it than die never having had it at all.” Cassie: “You say that now, but it’s the losing that haunts us.”
4. Cole: “How do we break this loop?” Jennifer: “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Maybe time won’t let you kill Jones. Maybe time likes time travel.”
5. Jennifer: “So welcome to 2020. That number usually represents perfect vision, but it looks like you two aren’t seeing too clearly.”
BY BlueStar
This episode was not as exciting as the last two, but it was still interesting. It begins with Jennifer calling the Pallid Man and freeing some psychiatric patients to join her to hunt the 12 Monkeys down. She calls them the Hyenas. Cole joins her in 2016 to find the Pallid Man so he can force him to tell him who the last primary is but Jennifer’s team rebels against her for letting Cole in and because they want to kill the Pallid Man and let the world know about the virus. Cole and Jennifer capture the Pallid Man and are able to get a date and location of the next paradox from him, but the 12 Monkeys bomb the hospital where Oliver Peters (the virus’ creator) was going to reveal the truth. He and Jennifer’s hyenas die in the bombing along with hundreds of others. The Pallid Man’s bodyguard helps him escape from Cole and Jennifer, and Cole comforts Jennifer after her loss. He disappears to the future, but moments later he shows back up at Jennifer’s door. He is an older Cole, with scratches on his face. While all this is happening, in the future Jones bonds with Hannah, as Cassie and Ramse set out on their own to find a man named the Keeper. He collects data and trades the truth. In order to get information on Titan, Cassie and Ramse must tell the truth to the Keeper. He zaps them when they lie about why they hate each other. Eventually, they get through his lie detector test and he gives them a CIA document about Titan. It gives a date and location in Germany. Finally, in the past, the Pallid Man discusses creating the Titan project with Jones’ husband.
Grade: B
Best Reason To Watch – Jennifer shines in this episode
Best Scene – Jennifer calling the Pallid Man and releasing the hyenas
Can’t You Two Share? – Cassie and Ramse hate each other because they both think the other is Cole’s favorite. Grow up, kids.
Most Vague – Still future Jennifer. What are you keeping secret?
Oh, Poor Thing – Not! - Olivia is losing faith in The Witness and for saying he lies, the Pallid Man nearly suffocates her.
Renaming Ceremony Award – With the Pallid Man still alive, and now Olivia, I think their team should have a more fitting name like the 12 Cockroaches. (~Bwaaaahh! Dahne)
Strangest Effect Of Time Breaking Down Yet Award – A camp of people caught in a red storm de-aged and aged quickly back and forth. What???
Best Quotes:
1. Jennifer (to Pallid Man): “I want you to take this moment and think back to the day we met. To the person I was then. Crazy, wild-eyed Jennifer Goines. Well, the good old days are over. I’m not a victim anymore. I’ve got credit cards and the Second Amendment on my side. I’m free like a virus in a preschool and paying it forward to all the other crazies. I’ve got the keys to the zoo and now I’m springing the cuckoo’s nest. There’s a new pack in town. Predators with a purpose and a thirst for vengeance, because there’s one thing I’ve learned. It’s that nothing frees you to be crazy like learning that you’re not.”
2. Jennifer: “Cole, is this who I became in the future? A woman who’s failed everyone?” Cole: “No.” Jennifer: “Then tell me what happens. How does this end?” Cole: “There are many endings.” Jennifer: “Which is the right one?” Cole: “[The right one] is the one that you’ll choose.”
3. Jennifer: “Peggy, I asked you to please be careful with the grenades. We got a discount for a reason.”
BY Jessica VanWinkle
Overall I enjoyed these four episodes, and my favorite storyline was Dr. Lewis’s. Susan struggles to stand up to cardiologist Dr. Jack Kayson. He is a bully and criticizes her ability to perform medicine, even writing her up. Dr. Greene, who is usually on Susan’s side, agrees that she has problems with asserting herself, and he has to review and co-sign all of her charts. She is angry at Dr. Greene for not supporting her, and I don’t blame her. Sometimes it’s hard for women to be taken seriously in the workplace so I can definitely relate to her. In an ironic twist, Dr. Kayson has a heart attack in “Long Day’s Journey” and she has to fight to save his life and stand up to another doctor to get him to do the treatment Kayson wants. Another character that experiences growth in these episodes is Dr. Ross. Doug is a very good pediatrician, and I love watching him treat and interact with his patients. He deals with very serious situations such as telling a homeless 15-year-old that he has AIDS and treating a boy with a brain injury. He helps the patients and their parents and listens to them. He doesn’t judge them. Doug seemed like a huge flirt and somewhat of a jerk in the earlier episodes so it’s nice to see his good side. Carter continues to try to impress Benton but now has competition. Ming-Na joins the cast as med student Deb Chen, and I cannot get over how young she is here! In “Luck of the Draw” Carter makes Deb do all of the exams, but she accidentally shocks him with the chest paddles and he hits his head on a gurney and falls to the ground. While he’s unconscious, Deb and nurse Haleh do a full work up on him to pay him back. My favorite scene in these episodes is when the entire staff goes next door to Doc Magoo's and has burgers (except Benton because he only eats healthy food). They laugh and tell stories about their day and laugh at Carter because they all heard about his exam. I love all of the ER getting along and having fun. Another scene I enjoyed was in “Feb. 5, 95” when cardiology steals the ER’s new crash carts. Carol is livid and makes Carter, Doug, and a few others go and steal the carts back. Doug ends up flirting with the lady at the front desk while the others run to the elevator with the carts. ER has so many serious moments so it’s nice to have a few laughs and lighter moments.
Grade: B+
Best Scene - the staff all hang out at Doc Magoo's and discuss their day
Favorite Character - Susan Lewis
Best Character Growth - Doug Ross
Welcome Back Award - Ming-Na (love her ~Dahne)
Most Ironic - Susan ends up treating the doctor that hates her
Best Quotes -
1. Mark to Carol: “What are the odds that you’d set a date for the wedding, win ten dollars, and catch HIV all in the same day?”
2. Doctor: “Jack, you look great. We’re going to blow your arteries out.”
BY Emma
Usually, I avoid Hallmark shows because they are entirely too sappy for my liking. Fortunately, my prior ignorance about the show means I went in with no preconceived notions. I was trying to fill the void left by The Witches of East End and the title has “witch” in it, so I thought I’d give it a shot. Turns out, this show is very different than The Witches of East End except in the most important way – the characters are likable and you can’t help but want to know what happens to them and their small town. It’s not mind-blowing TV that tackles tough social issues, but it is a heartwarming, clean, family orientated show about a small town and the close-knit people who live there. Despite the title, there is very little mention of witchcraft. Cassie Nightingale and her family’s gifts seem to be limited to precognition and while their gifts are mentioned, they never label themselves as witches or what they do as witchcraft. Cassie is a Naturopath which makes her good with herbs but there is no indication that her teas or tinctures come with spells attached to them. Admittedly, Cassie is a Super Special Snowflake that can literally do no wrong but her humility and genuine desire to help people makes it endearing, not annoying (for the most part). Her daughter Grace has the normal teenage angst but she has a good head on her shoulders. The new neighbors, Dr. Sam Radford and his son Nick, move to their small town from New York and experience the pains of downsizing, slowing down and finding your place in a town where people have known each other since childhood. There are many recurring characters and sometimes it is hard to remember who everyone is and how they relate to each other but the season had a cohesive feel to it and each of the characters, regular or recurring, added to the story. If you are looking for a good, relaxing show to watch before bed, give Good Witch a try.
Grade: B
Where to Watch – S1 streaming on Netflix, S2 finale airs June 19th
Best Reason to Watch – clean, heartwarming, family show / fan of the movies
Best Episode – 1.13 “True Colors”
Best Subplot – land development/renovation and how it affects the small town dynamic
Worst Subplot – Grace’s rebellion
Best Character – Sam
Best Character Development – Abigail
Best Character Interactions – Sam and Cassie / Cassie and Grace
Most Mischievous – Abigail
BY Swanpride
It might sound odd, but I really looked forward to this episode. Yes, that is right, I wanted to see Claire going through the pain of a miscarriage, simply because this is something which is so rarely depicted on TV. I was really satisfied with this part, though I feel that overall the show pulled their punches. Yep, an episode which showed a child getting raped was pulling its punches. The thing is that the book managed to be even more disturbing without even having the scene with the rape in it (there Fergus tells Claire what happened, but only in the most basic terms). Why? Well, because in the book Fergus initially agreed to it because he had done it before when a customer showed interest in it. I am not sure how I feel about the show omitting the reality of child prostitution, but being comfortable with showing more of the actual act than I would have. In any case, even though I might not be on board with everything the show does (especially by trying to turn St. Germaine into a big villain without much success and adding a scene in which Louis tests Claire and Raymond just for even more cheap drama), I have to compliment the use of the cameras yet again. This show is not just full of beautiful costumes and sets, it is also perfectly staged. It tells more over the visuals than some high budget movies do in the dialogue. It's an art which seemed to be lost for so long, it is a joy to see it.
Grade: A-
Best Reason to Watch - Visual storytelling at its best.
Best Scene - Claire holding her dead child, though I do think that it would have worked even better at the beginning of the episode, making the audience believe just for a minute the child survived before the hard reality hits.
Best Character - Claire carries the whole episode
Best Visual - The shot from the bed on Claire and Louis is so explicit, I would have understood what was going on without the announcement beforehand.
Most Unnecessary - Actually showing the "payment".
Best Costume - The green dress Claire wears is perfect to show her allegiance to Jamie when she deals with the king.
Most WTF - The whole scene with the witch test. It's tense, but a needless detour which makes no sense whatsoever.
Best Music - While I don't like the test, the score is very effective in making it as dramatic as possible.
Best Quote:
1. Claire: "My sins are all I have left."
2. St. Germaine: "I salute you, Master Raymond, you evil b***. And you, witch, who sucks the c*** of the Devil. I'll see you in hell."
3. Jamie: "The weight of what has happened to you is too much for anyone of us to bear alone. The only way we can live with it is to carry it together."
BY Swanpride
If this show had something like a mid-season finale, it would have been the last episode. We are now fresh in the second part of the arc, back in Scotland. Honestly, after all the heartbreak in the last episode, I wouldn't have minded if the show had taken its time before throwing Claire and Jamie out of their comfort zone again. The scenes relating to planting potatoes are actually quite funny and would have been a great breather, which would make the drama which follows even more effective but that is just a nit-pick in the great scheme of things. Unlike what was going on in France, the politicking in the Scottish Highland is actually quite interesting, though, yet again, the show insists on complicating things which didn't need to be in the first place. When it follows the book, every second is worth watching, especially when Jamie stands up to his grandfather but I don't get why the show keeps insisting on diminishing Jamie's intelligence by letting Claire rescue him all the time.
Grade: B
Best Reason to Watch - Clan politics beats courtly intrigue hands down
Best Scene - Jamie taking care of Jenny's baby
Best Character - Lord Lovit is quite a b***, but nevertheless a fascinating character.
Best Costume - Jamie in his highland outfit is quite a welcome sight to see again.
Most Useless - Forcing Loaghaire into the plot
Best Addition - Colum, who originally didn't turn up in this part of the story but actually works out quite well.
Most Blessed with Sucks - Maisi, whose abilities are more a curse than anything else
Best Quote:
1. Jenny: "If you never come back, brother, I won't forgive you for a long time."
2. Jamie: "Go ahead, try to ravage my wife and after she is done with you, have another maid to sweep up your remains."
BY Swanpride
I really loved this episode! Finally Jamie was allowed to be the smart leader he is supposed to be. I also love the cuts to Claire's experiences in WWII. It was kind of depressing to see how war seems to be a constant presence in the world and how the basics of it never truly change, and it makes sense for her character suffering more under bad memories than the book ever allowed her to (yes, I actually compliment the show for doing something better than the book for once), though I don't think they necessarily needed to connect it with a maybe love interest for her. I also liked Dougal's constant scheming and Jamie asserting his authority over him. I was only slightly confused that they forgot to reveal to William Grey that Claire is Jamie's wife, but I guess at this point it doesn't matter in the great scheme of things and it does actually make more sense if Jamie doesn't reveal his "tricks" to an enemy without need. All in all, I went out of the episode more satisfied than I have ever been since this season started.
Grade: A
Best Reason to Watch - This time around we get a really realistic portrayal of war.
Best Scene - Claire telling off Dougal
Best Character - Dougal
Best Visual - Jamie's army on the march. I am quite impressed with the number of extras.
Most "I Wish I Could Unsee This" - The beginning of Trench foot
Best Costume - Dougal going for the "shirtless wild Scot" look.
Best Music - Loved the use of what I assume are Scottish Folk Songs, especially the one in the end. It sounded a little bit military, but also kind of longing, a very compelling and fitting mixture.
Best Quote:
1. American Soldier: "My Mom was Irish. She said that (Shaw) is the greatest writer of all time. Pops says he is a communist."
2. Dougal: "Then he is a better man than I." Claire: "Truer words have never been spoken."
3. Jamie: "I might prefer if they fight and LIVE for their king."
BY Swanpride
War strategies! I adore war strategies! On the front as well as the whole logistic surrounding it, like preparing for the wounded. The tense waiting before the battle really got to me and the battle itself was wonderfully staged by not going for mass scenes, but showing isolated stories of men within it, especially Fergus' point of view was used very effectively. Somehow the whole situation after it, with Charles talking about the English soldiers as his "subjects," makes it even sadder and senseless, especially knowing that he originally wanted the English wounded to be cared for before his own troops. Topple this with the truly sad departing of some beloved characters and the end result is one of the best episodes I have seen this year.
Grade: A+
Best Reason to Watch - I think this is the first time I saw a battle on TV which didn't look heroic at all.
Best Scene - Can I go for everything involving the battle?
Best Visual - The slow-mo of Fergus on the battle field
Most Tense - Dougal "testing" the danger of the marsh
Best Character - Angus provides some nice comic relief between all those dramatic speeches, which makes his sudden and unexpected death even more shocking.
Best Costume - Dougal gets full mileage out of his outfit, especially the cap.
Biggest Prick - Charles, who wants to be king of the Scots but has no respect for them.
Most Fickle - Also Charles, who changes his mind at more or less every opportunity
Best Music - The score is used very effective by adding drums to make it sound more "military"
Best Quote:
1. Dougal: "And now I have to change my breeches because the hero of the hour just sh** his pants."
2. Claire: "So, apparently your Doctor McPherson left the town a few days ago, but fortunately he left his medical bag behind. The instruments in it will prove useful, more useful than the doctor himself probably would have."
New Shows
The best thing about this show is that it isn't boring. Generally AMC shows bore me to tears getting started but this one moves fairly quickly. It also has some characters you can really root for. Sadly Dion is not one of them for me, so he may end up being a deal breaker. You don't go into business with someone who is that manipulative, one who lies to your face all the time. I do like Tommy and TJ though and the flashbacks were a nice touch.
Grade: B / B-
Ranking: 3+
Audience - those who like complicated characters, mob movies, or cooking shows
Best Reason to Watch - food porn / faster pacing than usual for AMC
Best Scene - Tommy and Dion argue about opening the restaurant
Best Back Story - Dion and Tommy's days at the restaurant together before Dion burned it down
Best Character Interaction - Tommy and Dion
Best Character - Stavros
Worst Character - Detective Giordano / Aidan Moran
Worst Moniker - the Tooth Fairy
Worst Plan / Biggest Idiots - giving the contract to someone he just met instead of taking it to a real lawyer
Biggest Awww - Tommy brings flowers to his dead wife / Tommy at the grief group
Biggest Cutie - TJ, whose back story makes me want to hug him even more
Biggest Laugh - Aidan puts ice in his wine
Least Helpful - pretending like you know what you're talking about if you don't, especially with contracts
Most Manipulative - Dion, who is a straight up liar and junkie
Most Ingenuity - Dion when preparing a meal in a non-stocked kitchen
Most Clichéd - the dirty cop who is almost as bad as the gangster (at this point, the story turned blah)
Most in Need of Growing the Heck Up - Dion
The Welcome Back" Award - David Schwimmer from Friends / Ella Rae Peck from Deception and Welcome to the Family / Michael Gladis from Extant / John Doman from Gotham and Rizzoli & Isles / Christine Adams from Terra Nova
Best Quotes -
1. Dion: "How are you and the bottle getting along these days?" Tommy: "Really well actually." Dion: "Yeah?" Tommy: "Yeah. No, we're in love. How about you and the blow?" Dion: "We broke up."
2. Dion: "He lost his mom. He doesn't need to lose his dad too."
3. Dion: "Look, how do you live like this, huh? I had better digs back in prison." Tommy: "I'm sure they'd make room for you again."
4. Tommy: "It's important to me that…that when he looks at me he doesn't see Zombie Dad. You know, he sees…he sees his father."
5. Dion: "Is TJ alright? He seems a little…" Tommy: "Quiet?" Dion: "Dented." Tommy: "Dented I'll take. It's broken I'm worried about. He hasn't spoken since she died."
6. Guard: "With all due respect, I wish you'd gotten life." Dion: "Maybe you'll lose a few pounds, huh?"
Last Week
Angie Tribeca is a silly little show that is at its best when it is skewering the entire cop procedural genre. It has a bunch of physical gags and very little of it makes sense, which is exactly the point. Don't watch this one if you're expecting a traditional comedy. Of the two episodes, the first one is definitely superior. It stays true to form by taking the flash forward that is so popular these days head on. It also takes a pointed look at how many times characters escape death in TV now. The gist is that Angie is in an explosion from the bomb they supposedly defused in the season 1 finale. She wakes up from a coma months later only to find that she has had a baby and her partner-lover has moved on to the coroner. There's also some great stuff about the clichéd storyline of the good cop who comes back after an injury with a pain pill addiction. If you like police procedurals but sometimes they just make you roll your eyes, this may be the comedy for you. Plus Jon Hamm has the most bizarre cameo in this yet. Recurring guest James Franco pops in for a dream sequence too. The second one veered off a bit too much for me and seems to be an indictment on eco-terrorists and the privileged few. It also focused too much on the love triangle. Since it spent less time breaking down the genre, I didn't find it as funny. This show will never be weekly TV for me, but if you're in the mood for silly satire, it's a fun one to marathon.
Grade: B / C
Best Reason to Watch - breaking down of the police procedural genre
Best Scene - Geils telling Scholls that he's 100% settling for her
Best Reference to Last Season - Angie: "I've had 236 partners and I've fallen in love with every single one of them." Bwah!
Best Continuation - all the stellar guest stars
Best Cameo - Jon Hamm
Best Summation - Geils: "Hey if you're going to lose your mind every time you fall into a coma and I abandon you for another woman who then raises your baby thinking it's my Canadian love child, it's gonna be a long second season."
Biggest Turn Off - slurping the soup
Biggest Ewww - cannibalism
Worst Cliché - love triangle
Weirdest Flash Forward - the baby
The "Welcome Back" Award - James Franco from Freaks and Geeks and the Spiderman movies / Jon Hamm from Mad Men / Vicki Lewis from Newsradio / Busy Philipps from Cougartown / Tzi Ma from 24
Best Quotes -
1. Mrs. Quigley (divorce lawyer): "We were devastated to hear about John's death." Mr. Quigley: "I could swear he had 3 or 4 more divorces in him."
2. Atkins: "What are these?" Angie: "Newspapers, sir. That's how people got their information up until 2008."
3. Jane: "Just because we're divorced doesn't mean I'm happy that he's dead. We were high school sweethearts ever since college."
4. Atkins: "It's an election year and the mayor insists I crack down on murder. Anything for a couple of votes."
5. Geils: "Monica, how many times do I have to tell you? I'm in love with Tribeca but I'm dating you and nothing in the foreseeable future's gonna change that. I am head over heels, 100% settling for you."
6. Atkins: "Well since I'm now a year away from retirement, the department requires I start building a boat with a whimsical name…"
When it comes to the story, I liked this episode a lot. The people hiding in the mines for decades made for a great twist and a new ending to an old alien story. What I didn't like was how over-the-top preachy it was. I felt like I was watching an after school special part of the time. Doyle and Houdini switching their designated roles was a nice change though. It was good to see the scientist come out in Doyle, while I didn't want to smack Houdini every 10 minutes. He does need to learn about privacy though. Another plus was the movement on Adelaide's story. Putting her at risk increases the intensity and having the only other person involved in the mystery so far turn up dead makes the stakes higher immediately instead of having to wait down the road. Still my favorite part of this episode was the sheer panic on Houdini's face when he realizes that Doyle is missing. The bromance between these two and their partnership with Adelaide makes or breaks the show. It's good to see him concerned about Doyle for a change because we finally start to see how much Doyle means to him.
Grade: B-
Best Reason to Watch - Houdini and Doyle switch places on the believer-cynic spectrum
Best Scene - Houdini and Doyle convince the people to stop hiding in the mines
Best Back Story - Doyle's alcoholic father / Houdini's first experience with prejudice
Best Action - bar fight with Houdini out of control and the douche deserving it
Best Aww Moment - Houdini's concern over Doyle when he's left in the middle of the road unconscious
Best Twist - it's not aliens but the ancestors of persecuted immigrants
Best Invention - the flashlight
Biggest What the Heck? - Doyle getting a maid in trouble is somehow supposed to make Doyle understand bigotry. Say What? That doesn't make the slightest sense.
Biggest Douche - Jim
Biggest PSA - racism, classism, sexism, xenophobia, and prejudice sucked in early 20th century England too
Most Common Sense - asking someone if you want to know something instead of snooping through their things
Best Quotes -
1. Houdini: "Is everybody here like Jim or do you have any humans?"
2. Houdini: "You think they drugged you?" Doyle: "Either that or I donated my clothes to the Salvation Army in the middle of the night." Houdini: "Oh good, your sarcasm's back."
3. Houdini: "It's important, isn't it, that I'm just as wrong as you?" Doyle: "No, that you're just as honest as me." Houdini: "Well how about this? I actually enjoyed being the believer, accepting everything unquestionably. It was like a vacation." Doyle: "And I enjoyed playing the cynic, gainsaying everything and stooping to ad hominem arguments. It was refreshingly unimaginative."
4. Houdini: "Finding nothing doesn't mean there's nothing to be found." Doyle: "Apparently some sheep were stolen. Think the Martians abducted them too? Do they communicate telepathically or do they speak Martian-ese?"
5. Doyle: "Not that I want to throw you off your game, but we're in a bit of a pickle here. Can you work any faster?" Houdini: "My escapes are the result of extensive preparation. What kind of aliens use rope anyhow?" Doyle: "The same kind that uses oil lamps." Houdini: "What did they make their spacecraft out of? Bamboo and twine?"
6. Doyle to Houdini: "Clearly only a brainless bigot can get a rise out of you."
This is the first time in a long time that the killer wasn't an innocent victim turned killer so I felt more for the killer than the victims. It's a great switch. This time, all parties were terrible people and we got 2 psychos for the price of one. While it didn't make it hard to guess the motive, it was kind of refreshing to not have a sob story behind it. Plus the killer wasn't exactly hiding her plan and she sure didn't waste any time wallowing in regret. Here a body. There a body. It kind of reminded me of last week when the sister shot the guy in the groin and was all matter of fact about it. Still the best part of the episode is that Angie and Vega seem to be getting along better. They weren't fighting before but the sense of estrangement permeated every scene they had, especially when Vega purposely kept separating himself from her. The end scene with the toast is the first time this season that it feels like they are a solid team again.
Grade: B
Best Reason to Watch - Angie and Vega are getting back on the same page
Best Scene - Angie pep talks Vega
Best Played - Maria tendering her resignation to throw Neville off and get a promotion
Best File - the liquor peace offering
Biggest Patsy - Robert Montgomery
Biggest Hmm - I really don't think that torturing someone means they won't lie to you. In fact, I think torturing someone means they tell you what they think you want to hear.
Most Insane - it's a tossup between Ashley and Charles
Most Shoddy Work - Ashley, who doesn't even burn the whole picture so it can be titled Plot Device
Strangest Filler - I'm not sure why this case was interspersed with the Montgomery case. It seemed odd every time they cut away to it. I would have waited until a case where Angie was doing something on them instead.
The "Welcome Back" Award - Kathleen Munroe from Supernatural and Resurrection / Victor Garner from Alias and Legends of Tomorrow / Carrie Anne Fleming, Supernatural's Karen Singer and also on iZombie
Side note - All of the named guest characters (plus 2 of the main characters) in this episode except two also guested on Supernatural at some point. Time to get Victor Garber on SPN.
Best Quotes -
1. Angie: "Listen. If we followed up every single person we met at a crime scene, we'd never finish an investigation." Vega: "We could have caught her by now. Jason could still be alive." Angie: "I don't…I don't accept that. You don't get to do this. You don't get to start second guessing yourself. We've known each other a long time and I did what you asked. I've given you space. You don't want to talk to me, that's fine. That's your choice, but I think you should talk to someone. I do because this doubting yourself and second-guessing, that's not you. So if you want to deal with it, then let's deal with it. Otherwise, I need you on the case. Okay?"
2. Angie: "What about the lawyer? Anything?" Vega: "Oh Charles Castella - open book. You know…very honest, very forthcoming." Angie: "So you don't believe him." Vega: "He's a lawyer."
3. Ashley: "I love how you think this is a democracy."
4. Vega: "Charles is gonna pull through." Ashley: "I'm sorry to hear that."
5. Osgood: "Why can't I fix it? I know I can fix it." Angie: "I know you can too but you need to put the knife down."
6. Angie: "Cheers." Vega: "To…" Angie: "Just cheers."
~That was the longest 6-hour episode of my life. (45 minutes in real time). The last 5 minutes were good and added to the mystery, but getting to those 5 minutes took an eternity. This show is way too slow for me so it is straight up dropped. Not even going to marathoned status. I might be in a coma if I tried to marathon this . Interesting to see Data playing Satan though.
Grade: D
Best Reason to Watch - the flashback end
Best Scene - the end
Best Back Story - Kyle vs. his possessed mom
Best Visual - the bike growing in the tree
Best Music - Barges, an old campfire song
Worst Wingman - Florence, who does not take the hint that Anderson doesn't want to have dinner with the parishioner flirting with him
Biggest Hmmm - Is it considered kidnapping if you take your momma out of a nursing home?
Biggest Douche - Kyle to the nurse on call and then to Norville
The "Welcome Back" Award - Brent Spiner from Star Trek: Next Generation and Warehouse 13 / Melinda McGraw from State of Affairs / Grace Zabrinskie from Twin Peaks
Best Quotes -
1. Megan: "Spanish blueberries, applesauce. Just take it slow. You can't go cold turkey off a Captain Crunch diet."
2. Anderson: "Getting all eaten up inside, running on the past, will eat away at whatever future you have in store. You want to reclaim your family, you've got to let your mother go."
3. Megan: "Jeans instead of PJ bottoms. Big changes happening around here."
4. Anderson: "The pain and heartache that Jesus relieves, he relieves by suffering himself." Kyle: "Is this a sermon?" Anderson: "Nope, it's just the way it is."
5. Giles: "I thought you were gonna leave that. Turn the other cheek." Anderson: "Honestly, I don't mind folks having a bit of fun at my expense. It goes with the territory but things have changed. Maybe it's time to start sweating the small stuff."
I'm not sure what it is but something seemed very off in this episode between the Earp sisters to me. From the moment Waverly just blurted out that Willa sent Joe to hell right through the end, it felt instantly combative. I can see doubts creeping in and issues too, but later. Shouldn’t they be so excited about having their sister back that the joy would outweigh everything else? I guess I feel like these issues should have come to a head maybe 2 episodes down the road or even more likely, in season 2. The whole gamut of emotion felt extremely rushed and highly unnatural even for a supernatural show. Other than that, I am liking Willa as a character even if she transformed too quickly too. What exactly is her connection to Bobo and why does he want her to live? Is she crucial to allowing him to roam free? Is he part of her missing time? I am highly intrigued by Juan as well. Is his group going to be a help or a hindrance or just a whole new kind of evil? So many questions. So few episode left this season.
Grade: C+
Best Reason to Watch - either action or family drama depending on your tastes
Best Scene - Doc and Juan Carlos
Best Action - attack on the homestead
Best New Addition - Juan and Willa (when it's not emoangsty)
Biggest Shock - Dolls the psychotherapist
Biggest Huh? - Why did Bobo save Willa? / Who is Juan Carlos and his group?
Most Enigmatic - Juan Carlos
Most Blunt - Waverly, who just blurts out hell and demons to a very confused Willa
Most Awkward - Willa and Waverly
Most Likely to Get Everyone Killed - Willa and her new, shoot everything attitude
Weirdest Dance Break - Dolls and the vampire twin
The "It's Your Own Fault" Award - Waverly, when they tell you to run and hide, do us all a favor and just do it. You don't get shot that way. At least get some training before you decide to go all commando because you're insecure about your place in the family.
Best Quotes -
1. Willa: "Excuse me. I don't want to be rude but I don't know any of you or what's happening." Wynonna: "Here, have a drink." Willa: "I don't drink." Wynonna: "You will because according to the fresh out of the oven DNA test, you are officially an Earp. Welcome home, Willa."
2. Dolls: "What? You don't believe me?" Wynonna: "Only the part about you having a buddy."
3. Doc: "I really need to stop drinking less or much, much more."
4. Willa: "Are there any angels?" Wynonna: "Sure - snow, Charlie's and Los." Willa: "How can you think this is funny?" Wynonna: "How can you not? This curse, our burden, if you don't laugh, you'll go crazy. I've been crazy. I didn't care for it." Willa: "You hate having to do this." Wynonna: "What would it make me if I didn't?"
5. Willa: "Demons? Like Beelzebub and Lucifer?" Wynonna: "Hell no." Willa: "Hell yes, apparently."
6. Juan: "Nothing hollows out a man quicker than completing a mission 'cause after that you still gotta live."
7. Juan: "You're a strange fella, aren't you?" Doc: "Been told I have character." Juan: Carrying a flask of Tabasco on your hip is character. Drawing a pistol on a good Samaritan, that's just being a d**."
8. Wynonna: "If she really is our long lost sister, then…" Dolls: "Technically she's the heir or an heir. Then there'd be both of you - two of you." Wynonna: "I was just going to say if she really is Willa, then we stopped looking for her a long time ago and we're really horrible people…."
Marathon Shows
Okay, if the rest of this series is as awesome as these three episodes are, then I am fully onboard. First off, it was a brilliant idea to have most of the people on other ships instead of Galactica. This allows for the same urgency without having to drown in thousands of extras. The cast is impossibly large as it is so focusing on a few key people and how they deal with each crisis makes a lot of sense. I still hate Gaius with a passion. It's not just that he's the biggest self-serving coward in the universe. It's also because every single one of his scenes with Six grind the momentum to a complete stop. One of the big pluses for 1.03 is that there's less of him. The Caprica storyline seems to be filler as well, or more like to keep around a character that probably should be dead. However, I might change my mind on this one if it ties into the overall plot later. I still haven't figured out why they are playing head games with the guy instead of shooting him. It's not like he knows anything about the whereabouts of the remaining humans. They hyper jumped what, 250 times in the premiere alone? There must be something on Caprica the Cylons want. Please don't say it is the remaining humans either. Out in space, I am finding great ties to The Last Ship, which also had a water crisis and a prison issue in the first few episodes. Starbuck has toned down a bit so I enjoyed her more and the tension between Adama and Roslin is still a huge plus. However, the whole reason for the rare solid A grade on 1.03 falls at Apollo's feet. He showed amazing leadership and the ability to think outside the box in a crisis. I really thought he was going to kill Old Apollo, but instead he came up with a solution that…well, will probably come back to bite them later. I seriously do NOT want Zarek to become president and people in stressful situations make terrible life-altering choices. I'm a huge fan of democracy but it's not always smart to hold elections during a crisis. The 100 proved that. Zarek could easily turn into a dictator as well. Roslin has proven she can make those tough decision but also rule with compassion. I adore the interactions between Apollo and her and I hope that they continue to support each other. I already know Roslin is going to make it through cancer. After all, there are 4 seasons and I can't see them all taking place within 7 months.
Grade: B+ / B / A
Best Reason to Watch - the pacing and the plot
Best Scene - Apollo negotiates with Zarek and Apollo tells it like it is to his dad and Roslin
Best Negotiator / Best Character - Apollo
Best Reference - Top Gun
Best Advice - Adama: "It's a gift. Never lend books."
Best Meta - Richard Hatch, who played Apollo in the original series, plays a terrorist here
Best Character Interaction - Roslin and Apollo
Best Reaction - Roslin to the baby being born
Best Plan - the Cylons for physically and mentally exhausting the crew until they eventually make a mistake by making them jump every 33 minutes for 5 days
Worst Plan - Why would the Cylon part of Boomer's brain not stay in control until either all bombs were utilized or the leftover was put back? Wouldn't it be a whole lot smarter not to make her start questioning whether she's a Cylon or crazy? Logically, this makes no sense.
Worst Advice - Adama tells his son, who is suffering from PTSD, to just live with it
Worst Character - still Gaius
Biggest Non-Reaction - the heads of Galactica to getting confirmation that there is a Cylon on board
Biggest Hope - a baby is born
Biggest Disappointment - there's no food pill that gives all daily nutrients even in this future
Biggest Surprise - Tigh and Starbuck agree on something
Most Awkward - Billy
Most Intense - firing on the civilian ship
Most Irritating - Gaius and Six interactions that stop all action
Most Nurturing - Roslin gives Apollo a better way of coping with his PTSD
The "Oh Please Shut Up" Award - Zarek's speechifying is getting very old
The "Good to See You Again" Award - Helo, who I thought was dead but merely wishes he were
The "Welcome Back" Award - Richard Hatch from the original BSG / Brent Stait from Supernatural
Best Quotes -
1. Apollo: "How about it, Tom? You still have a death wish? You ready to leave this world right here, right now?" Zarek: "Yes." Apollo: "Too bad 'cause this is what you're gonna do. You're gonna tell your men to help us get that water off the moon. They're gonna work for their points and they're gonna earn their freedom, and then…then, you're gonna get your elections." Zarek: "What?" Apollo: "Cause you're right, Tom. You were right about democracy and consent of the people. I believe in those things and we're gonna have them. And you can have them too…or you can have this bullet. Your call."
2. Helo: "I don't suppose we have a Plan B?" Cy-Boomer: "Plans B, C, D, and E are the same as Plan A. Get off the planet and get back to the ship."
3. Apollo: "I swore an oath to defend the articles. The articles say there's an election in 7 months. Now if you're telling me we're throwing out the law, then I'm not a Captain, you're not a Commander, and you are not the President, and I don't owe either of you a damned explanation for anything." Roslin: "He's your son." Adama: "He's your advisor." Roslin: "An election." Adama: "I guess you finally picked your side."
4. Adama: "There's a reason we separate military and the police. One fights the enemy of the state. The other serves and protects the people. When the military becomes both, then the enemies of the state tend to become the people."
5. Dualla: "On the other hand, it's nice to get out of the CIC. Break up the day. Meet new people."
6. Roslin: "Oh no, no, no. I don't mean to go behind your father's back, nothing like that. I'm not looking for military advice. I'm looking for advice about the military."
7. Roslin: "No, it's not smart. It's politics."
8. Adama: "Every man has to decide for themselves which side they're on." Apollo: "I didn't know we're picking sides." Adama: "That's why you haven't picked one yet."
Grade: B- (overall)
Best Reason to Watch - the characters
Best Twist - Sarah models with Edie
Best Reference - Heart
Best Therapy - ripping up the upholstery
Best Meta - Jimmy says Sarah is like a kick butt woman on Criminal Minds
Best Reunion? - Drake Bell from Drake and Josh
Best Plan - the co-parenting app actually sounds like a fantastic idea
Worst Plan - a contest to out-cheap each other at a bargain spa
Biggest Party Pooper - Gerald
Biggest Earworm - Don't Be Scared kiddie song
Biggest Overreaction - Gerald and Vanessa to the waitress / Jimmy to the doctor's visit
Biggest Douche - Kirk
Least Likely to be Mistaken as Classy - Vanessa
Least Grateful - Gerald and Vanessa to Ravi for setting up an investor meeting for them
Most Likely to Get Arrested - Either Jimmy for kidnapping or Annelise and Ravi for theft
Most Scary - Sarah, trying to bribe a kid into telling who is biting others
The "Say What?" Award - So taking the kid to the doctor is dangerous but having a baby on the roof of a hardware store is not?
The "Welcome Back" Award - Dr. Phil as himself / Bob Saget from Full House / Lyndsy Fonesca from Nikita / Ryan Hansen from Veronica Mars and Bad Teacher /
Best Quotes -
1. Jimmy: "A doctor? In the Valley?" Sarah: "Dr. Melvoy is great. Look him up on Yelp." Jimmy: "Is he a doctor or a taco stand?"
2. Jimmy: "How do you think I'd look in a man bun?" Annelise: "You'd look like a man with an assistant who doesn't tell him the truth."
3. Kirk: "You know you remind me of my stepbrother" Gerald: "Oh, is he awesome?" Kirk: "No, no, he' s in jail for stalking Oprah."
4. Jimmy: "There's something I've got to do. Cancel my morning." Annelise: "I'm not sure who to call to cancel your 3-hour nap." Jimmy: "See if you can push it to the afternoon."
5. Sarah: "It's never a good sign when you can beat up every guy in the bar."
6. Jimmy: "We need somebody big. You know somebody cool like your Sinatra's or your Brando's." Annelise: "Or someone who's not dead."
7. Gerald: "I mean some even say binary code is the language of love." Vanessa: "Who says that?" Gerald: "Programmers."
Killjoys was a great surprise and a whole lot of fun to marathon. The story flies by and most of the characters are intriguing or full out awesome right from the start. The Dutch and John hookup was a fairly big step back but things are mostly back to good at the end. Sadly though, everything about Khlyen is still annoying from his cryptic persona to the way he spells his name. I get that he is tied to Dutch and the bigger story but I'm already rooting for them to ice him in the season 2 premiere and find a less creepy Big Bad to pursue. He's got this weird combination of deranged parent and predator vibe. It squicks me out. The best thing now, however, is still the best thing about the pilot - Dutch and John's partnership. They are rock solid and I believe them when they say they'll do anything for each other. It's a beautiful friendship that so far has no sign of becoming anything romantic and therefore lessen their bond. Here's hoping that they never decide to place the two in contrived drama because their relationship sets this show apart from all the other kick butt space adventure shows. I can't wait to see where it goes in season 2, which happens to start on July 1, so you still have time to get caught up. I highly encourage it to anyone who likes action and a great female-male relationship that defies all stereotypes.
Grade: B / B- / A-
Best Reason to Watch - the story is fantastic and the character interaction is even better
Best Scene - John and Dutch talk about Khlyen and he says he backs her no matter what she decides
Best Action - Dutch vs. Khlyen
Best Back Story - Dutch shot John when she first met him / Pawter's medical history / John's mom
Best if Least Surprising Twist - Alvis is major into the Resistance and the bad guy was there to meet him
Best Plan - John forces Dutch and Dav to talk through their differences
Best Character Interaction - John and Alvis / John and Dutch
Best Sacrifice - Dav, who risks his career, freedom, and life to get Dutch to Khlyen
Worst Nickname - Team Awesome Force
Biggest Relief - it doesn't take more than a few minutes to get the team working together again
Biggest Evil - Delle Seyah, who releases a bomb at the meeting in order to justify killing an entire moon of people. Genocide is never a good look on anyone.
Least Surprising - Khlyen is a level 6 killjoy
Most Kick Butt / Most Just Done - John shoots all the bad guys with the nail gun
Most Simple Plan - break the machine
Most Interesting Way to Rebond - dancing together
Most Barbaric - Westerley capital punishment by acid rain
Most Protective - Bellus, who hasn't forgiven D'Avin for hurting Dutch
Most Awkward - Dutch and Dav
The "Not You Again" Award - Delle Seyah
The "Welcome Back" Award (character) - Alvis / Carleen
Best Quotes -
1. Dutch: "I think it's cold feet. I guess killing your surrogate father is no small thing." John: "If you want a fight, I've got your back. If you want to run, I call shotgun. But you've got to decide, Yalena." Dutch: "Say it one more time." John: "What?" Dutch: "What you told me the night we first met." John: "We don't have to stay here. We can just fly away and never look back." Dutch: "Not this time. I'm gonna face him, Johnny." John: "I know."
2. John: "In the last 10 days, I've been attacked by face-hugging biotech, stabbed by my brother, had major surgery, helped perform major surgery, been beaten, bullied, and burned. I'm done fixing things."
3. Dav: "You're not going to try to convert me, are you?" John: "I get enough masochism just being your brother, thank you."
4. John: "You bought me a comic to apologize for stabbing me." Dav: "No. No John, look. I…I know I've messed up in so many different ways…" John: "No, you have no idea where you even began to mess up." Dav: "Okay, I didn’t talk to you for 9 years." John: "And?" Dav: "And I left you to deal with the cr** of Mom and Dad alone." John: "Okay, thanks for playing but you failed to provide a complete answer. How about what it cost me? Taking care of Mom, I couldn't go away to school. Taking care of Dad's debts, I can never, ever go home. And then what, hmm? You slept with the one person that I asked you not to, and what did that cost me, huh? Our team, Dav." Dav: "I get it. I wrecked everything you liked. Just tell me how to make it better." John: "No, I'm done. I am done cleaning up for you. You want to fix this? Then you figure it out."
5. John: "It's a ghost town in here." Dav: "Mass murder tends to turn off shoppers."
6. Dav: "Dutch, you need to stop being so polite. Yell at me. It's okay to be angry, to hate me. It's normal." Dutch: "Normal won't work here. That's why I'm angry. If anyone…if the real you hurt me or Johnny, I'd know exactly what to do. I'd kill you, I'd mourn you, and I'd move on but this is so much messier than that. You're as much as a victim as we are, D'Avin, so I don't get to hurt you. I don't get to hate you and I don't know how to move on."
7. Dutch: "You leave now. There's no proof you're involved in any of this. You can still be a killjoy." John: "Hey idiot, I only want to killjoy with you."
8. John: "But after all this time you're still more your own person than anyone that I know. The only credit that Khlyen gets is for the bruises along the way."
I will never like Brian as much as hardcore Limitless fans. I still find him an irritating manchild, who at times can be both the biggest draw and the biggest drawback of the show. I'm also not a fan of most of the childish things that break up the narrative - the voiceovers, cartoons, puppets, etc. However, despite this Limitless has its charms and sometimes it can be downright brilliant. These 3 episodes pretty much sum up my relationship with Limitless. When it's good, it's very, very good. When it isn't, it's painful to watch. The first two episodes work because of the focus on the guest or recurring characters. I instantly liked Lucy and that rose the story above the documentary-style production that I usually hate. She brought spunk and she brought out the best in Brian. I wouldn't mind seeing these two pair up again, even if Lucy can't do undercover work anymore. Sands was an even better choice. First off, we got to know more about the character. This was essential because he was the most one-dimensional character on the show before. I wish they had gone for something a bit more original than a secret lover and hidden child, but it is still great to know more about Brian's nemesis. Second, it allowed Brian and Sands to have extended time together, something that also showed Brian in a good light. Both episodes benefitted from pairing Brian up with someone new. The third one had very little to recommend it. The pacing was really slow and the case was a minuscule part of the screen time, while emoangsty drama filled the rest. The breakup between Brian and Harris felt contrived. The family drama was even more so. I've been involved with addicts so I know there comes a time when you have to kick them out in order to retain some peace and safety of your own. However, it is very hard to believe that Brian's mom wouldn't even hear him out so soon. If he had and then she kicked him out, I would be okay with it. That's real. This just felt like another plot device to make sure Brian was on his own. Then what the heck was that fling with Ike and Brian's sister. Was it even necessary because it felt like filler across 2 episodes? I am glad that I'm catching up with Limitless, if for the Sands episode alone, and I very much feel for all of its fans. It sucks when your favorite is canceled after only one season. I just don't think I'm going to miss it as much as others. Forever, Enlisted, and Almost Human are definitely still more painful for me.
Grade: B+ (for Lucy) / A- (for Sands) / C (interesting case but the relationship drama was excruciating)
Best Reason to Watch - Lucy and Sands
Best Episode - Sands, Agent of Morra
Best Reference - Mythbusters' last season / Cary Grant
Best Back Story - Sands
Best Potential Crossover - Is Brian's Everywhere friends the same as Sherlock's Everyone friends on Elementary? Or are they secret hacktivist frenemies/rivals?
Best Character Interaction - Sands and Brian
Best Way to Tie 2 Stories Together - the kidnapped boy was Sands' kidnapped son
Best Reaction - Mike to Ike's primping
Best Revenge - Harris decides NOT to be Brian's handler anymore
Worst Plan - news agencies posting names and pictures of undercover agents all over TV
Worst Driver with the Best Cover - Lucy in her Mustang
Worst Brother-Sister Night Ever - When your stoner Netflix marathon turns into emergency surgery on the apartment floor, you know fun took a wrong turn somewhere. When your brother then won't answer any of your questions about it, it goes further south. But when he leaves you alone to clean up the bloody mess, well that's just Glare of Death time.
Biggest Douche - Brian on a pretty regular basis
Biggest Party Pooper - Harris, who forgoes all mentions of her birthday
Biggest Huh? - Why is there a Bollywood production in the middle of the interview? What the heck?
Biggest Facepalm - Once again, there is NO cone of silence. They are talking about the super secret, multi-year undercover case in the room that a mobster gave them to have sex with a prostitute. The prostitute is in the next room with no door in between them and it's not like they checked the room to see if there were bugs. This is how people get killed. Facepalm.
Most Potential - looks like Piper may be coming back so that's always good
Most Missed - How much money did Sands offer Harris? Inquiring minds want to know.
Most Kick Butt / MVP - Lucy, who needs her own show
Most Enthusiastic - Irina, about reality TV
Most Suspicious - Brian solving miscellaneous crimes in the wee morning hours with knowledge few people would have
Funniest Visual - Sands in Brian's FBI t-shirt
Strangest, Most Senseless Subplot - Jason and Brian's sister hooking up
The "I'm with You" Award - Rachel, I'm not watching this apartment surgery either
The "Are You Kidding Me?" Award - Just because you don't pull the trigger and kill someone doesn't mean you can't feel guilty for their death. What kind of psychopath are you exactly, Sands?
The "Welcome Back" Award (character) - Brian's mom played by the fabulous Blair Brown
The "Welcome Back" Award (actor) - Christina Vidal from Code Black / Tim Reid from WKRP in Cincinnati and That 70's Show
Best Quotes -
1. Harris: "I like catching the bad guy. Kind of my thing."
2. Brian: "Have you ever killed someone?" Lucy: "Have you?" Brian: "I think so. I didn't actually do it. It was something I said." Lucy: "Unless you ordered a hit, that's not on you. You can't control people. My advice - don't dwell on it."
3. Brian: "How do we get into the safe deposit box of a massively secure bank that isn't even open for business…without killing people?" Sands: "Why must you always make things harder?"
4. Lucy: "I'm borrowing a manchild from the CJC. I'll bring him back in better shape than I found him. Shouldn't be hard."
5. Lucy: "Now it's my turn to make a simple binary choice. I bring you’re a** in and I take my chances or I serve justice right here, right now. Probably not too hard to figure out which way I'm leaning." Brian: "Lucy, come on. You don't want to do this." Lucy: "You are so very wrong about that. This is why you shouldn't have come, Brian. You shouldn't see this." Brian: "You know what, then that's exactly why I should be here because if you do this it's over. You go to prison." Lucy: "Only if you tell." Brian: "I will tell and that's your career and your life and all the women that you helped on this case. And for what? For him? Listen I can prove that Friedrich is tied to the Blue Limits Escort." Lucy: "How?" Brian: "I don't know yet. I still need time, but this can end well." Lucy: "As far as I'm concerned, it's just about to." Brian: "Lucy, I'm gonna have to tell the FBI unless you're gonna kill me too and the receptionist and anyone else who might happen along." Lucy: "If he makes bail, he'll be on the next plane to Dusseldorf and we'll never see him again. To hell with that." Brian: "Yesterday we were talking about how people die in this line of work and you're not responsible even though you can't help but feel a part of it. If you pull this trigger, you are responsible and you cannot get away from that. That is you. That is you forever. Listen to me. I will back up any story you want but not if you kill him. I can't do that. I won't do that." Lucy: "Fine." (Lucy shoots the guy in the knee.) Brian: "Ohhh, what did you do?" Lucy: "Not walking out of here now."
6. Brian: "I may or may not have seen a Murder She Wrote about this and if we leave a note for the paramedics, it will save them time diagnosing him."
7. Brian: "You told me we were saving lives. You're taking out your own team members? I want no part of that." Sands: "You are supposed to be saving lives - saving my former team members from me. Frederic Tanner is forcing me to kill them so the sooner you can tell me where he is, the sooner I can stop doing it."
8. Brian: "Remember when you offered to give me a ride today and I was like 'nah' and you were like 'I insist.' I'm guessing you're regretting that decision now." Harris: "You're not wrong."
