Doctor Who "Smile" Review (Spoilers)
Also reviews for the latest episodes of Class and Teen Titans Go!, the Second Season of DC Comics Vixen, the latest episodes of Supergirl, The Flash, Arrow, Gotham, iZombie, Samurai Jack, Ben 10, Marvel's Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D., Once Upon A Time, Tangled: The Series, Elena Of Avalor, Bob's Burgers, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Prison Break, American Dad, The Last Man On Earth, and Making History, the series finale of Bates Motel, and the latest episodes of Fargo, Angie Tribeca, The Blacklist, and Blindspot.
Doctor Who "Smile"
Probably shouldn't have cast The Sarah Jane Adventures' Mira Anwar as the doomed woman at the beginning. Raises too many questions about Gita.
Unsurprised the Doctor has high blood pressure with two hearts.
I like Bill sort of getting it upon reading the outside of the TARDIS. The DOCTOR is the Universe's help-line. The Doctor isn't fooling anybody by trying to pretend differently.
Seeing Peter Capaldi smile is super creepy. Which is why it's funny.
What exactly is in Twelve's browser history that he doesn't want Bill to see?
"All traps are beautiful. That's how they work." Deep.
It's bad writing if I got what was going on with the pods before Bill did. It's terrible writing if I got there before the Doctor.
Twelve thinks the opposite of a massacre is a lecture. If that's so, you figure he'd be better at it.
Good episode, not great. ****.
Class "The Coach With The Dragon Tattoo"
Mostly boring, but I liked the ending.
Probably shouldn't have killed off Mr. Armitage, as he was the show's one remaining link to Doctor Who.
I did like the guy Ms. Quill kissed turning out to be a robot, and Ram convincing the dragon to switch sides.
But this was thoroughly average. **1/2.
Teen Titans Go! "Employee Of The Month: Redux"
Out of all of the Teen Titans episodes to remake, "Employee of the Month" is probably the most obscure they could have chosen.
Return of "Mooyah!" Yay!
Meaty is not as great of a boss as Bob was, but he shares his best quality: He not only never gets Beast Boy's name right, but he never calls him the same thing twice.
I forgot that Cyborg ate the Big Bad in that episode.
Next remake I wanna see: "Can I Keep Him?" ****1/2.
DC Comics Vixen: Season 2
I liked it. They had a lot more cameos for the other Arrowverse characters than Season 1 did.
At first I thought Mari was dumb for not realizing her sister would betray her, but Ray means she had it covered.
Not bad. I wonder if there will be a Season 3. Look forward to seeing this and Season 1 being cut together into a movie. ****.
Supergirl "Ace Reporter"
Ugh. Nanotech. Single biggest storytelling crutch in modern genre.
Wait, Ravi is Lena's ex? It's hard to keep these DC shows straight.
Lyra is really starting to grow on me especially since she discovered Guardian's secret identity by scent. I love that James is dumb enough to think Winn told her.
Okay, maybe Lyra shouldn't be PUNCHING kids who are criminals, but she's got a better read of the situation than James does. They shouldn't be letting them go either.
I'm a little disappointed Mon-El stole Ravi's keycard. Because the idea that Mon-El is the type of dude who gives hugs to guys he wants to bromance is hilarious on its own.
I appreciated why Kara told Lena not to confront Jack. But that was a totally unreasonable request. Lena was under no obligation to honor it. It would have actually been weird if she did.
I love that after the bar blow-up, Winn seems to ultimately blame James. Which is something I get. Because Winn took equal responsibility for benching Lyra, even though it was clearly all James. I'd be ticked someone forced me to break up with my hot alien girlfriend too. I like that James ultimately understood that and repaired things. For the record, cats ARE delicious.
I also love that Supergirl apologizes full throatedly to Snapper. Because he deserved that. She did wrong by him and I thought so at the time. I love that the one person Snapper has ever thanked was his divorce attorney. It was very uncomfortable for everyone involved. I was all like "Aww!" when he thanked her and told her she did good. And I laughed at him telling her she shouldn't start a food truck.
I liked Lena saying she's never stood behind any man. "Did I mention I was a Luthor?" is a good quip too. I laughed at her clocking Beth the face after she told him Jack wouldn't survive the nanobots being destroyed.
I hate how this show always puts Lena through the wringer. The fact that Kara said she would always be her friend and protect her tells me the series is going to make her a villain. And that frankly annoys me.
Not bad, not great. ***1/2.
The Flash "The Once And Future Flash"
Loved it. Lots to absorb.
I love that Cisco is chill and Zen in the future. Very nice. I especially love that Present Day Barry realized something important: It was just as important to fix the far future potential timeline as it was to fix the near future probable timeline. Because if he doesn't fix the latter, that's the future they are stuck with, unless he steps in when he does. That future told me something else: Flash is going to save Iris. I had been thinking that it was actually 50/50 they'd kill her off, and simply make it a predestination paradox like the movie version of 12 Monkeys. But this is only the third season of The Flash. If they go through with it, just the things they said would happen if they did would simply put, kill the show. So the only answer is that Iris is saved.
Savitar being someone Caitlin immediately trusts is interesting. Perhaps another universe's version of Ronnie Raymond? If so, how does knowing that help Flash? The only other person I would think she would immediately trust is Julian, and it's pretty unlikely to be him as he is still a good guy in the future. But he's my dark horse if they are able to rationalize everything else. It could be a Julian from the far future. Maybe the conundrum next week is deciding whether or not to kill present day Julian. We'll see.
The more I think about it, the more I am convinced it is Julian from maybe ten or twenty years in the future. If it was Ronnie, her reaction would have been different than "Tell me what you want me to do". She would have understandably had other questions first. But I think she might have been on board Julian's plan immediately because there are several reasons it makes sense it is him.
In the future, Killer Frost claims Savitar got her to stop seeing her powers as a sickness to cure. And I think the only person who could truly change her mind about that is a Julian who became a metahuman. Simply because he was the one person on the show who mistrusted metahumans more than she did. If he's embraced that philosophy once he became Savitar, it makes sense Caitlin would go for it immediately too, especially if she immediately understood the main clue it is Julian.
It is Julian because it finally makes sense why Savitar created him to be Alchemy and his herald in the first place. An earlier Julian metahuman heralds the becoming of Savitar completely, and is probably the specific reason Savitar chose him. It may also be because Savitar trusted him to do what he needed to do. Because he WAS him, and saw how the future was gonna play out, and knew he was the best choice to handle things.
I am 99% certain Savitar is Julian.
Great week. ****1/2.
Arrow "Dangerous Liasons"
Dark Felicity has always been a ridiculous concept, but I like where they made it end up. Because just based on Lilah's secret shenanigans, Felicity didn't actually cross the line. Sure, her friend did when she accidentally killed Chase's mole, but despite Felicity saying she was willing to do whatever it takes, she never allowed herself to be placed in a situation where she actually crossed the line. If I were her, I wouldn't be mad at Oliver at being skeptical that she can pull such a win off with no Argos casualties. Because he's never pulled that off himself, and probably isn't aware it's even possible if you do your due diligence first.
I like that Rene's daughter calls Quentin "Hoss". He's never gonna get stopped calling that now. Love how excited Rene was that she plays hockey. She's a goalie!
The Lilah and Dig drama seemed forced. Just because I find it hard to believe Dig never suspected she was doing this stuff in the first place. Either he places too much faith in his wife, or he's dumb. I'm leaning towards the latter.
I understand why Helix cut ties with Felicity when they did, and I like that Felicity didn't seem mad either. She WAS a liability, but at least that one mission got her the intel she wanted... possibly too late.
Next week is gonna be good. ****.
Gotham "Heroes Rise: How The Riddler Got His Name"
My reaction to that was indifference. Some things are all right, some things aren't. I guess this is the part I go through them.
Riddler's riddles were unusually sucky. Because as Lucius noted, many of them had multiple answers. While the "lighter than air, can't hold it for long" thing is definitely true of your breath, that riddle also completely fits the notion of a fart. Just like Love is an equally valid answer to the riddle Ed thinks means loneliness.
This was the most Lucius has been used since the beginning of season two. He is a grounding influence on the show in the way Gordon SHOULD be, but isn't. He is completely calm and collected as Ed pulls a gun on him, and is less concerned with the Riddler's mad plot than he is in helping Ed seek help for the bad fix he had created for himself. He was truly concerned Ed killed Penguin, and what it must have felt like. I think in another life Lucius would be an excellent therapist. He is so lacking pretense, that people cannot help let down their guard.
Another good example of this was him calmly telling the skel in holding that he was sitting too close to him to rattle him. It didn't stop rattling him, did it? What harm is in the truth in that scenario? And I like that about Lucius.
Penguin's nightmarish musical number was the show at its deranged best.
The rest of the episode was less successful. I do not believe Alfred would not automatically get that isn't Bruce. For all of his training, the clone is terrible. He can have the history down pat, he does not get the personality at all. Bruce is dour and unpleasant. He would never say "That sounds delicious!" upon Alfred serving a meal. I don't get how Alfred doesn't get this is the clone. It's not like he isn't aware there is a double of Bruce out there somewhere unaccounted for.
I love that Bruce was actually angry at Selina too. I'm glad he's stopped wanting to be her monkey. Him waking up in Asia will probably be the start of Bruce's journey around the world, although I think that it really should have been voluntary on Bruce's part. He should WANT this training, and have sought it out himself. Similarly disappointing is the idea that the Riddler persona was fully fledged and in use over a decade before Batman existed. This show has no patience to do this right, and that hurts it, even if it makes good trailer bait.
So-freaking-so. **1/2.
iZombie "Wag The Tongue Slowly"
Are we sure Blaine isn't faking not getting his memories back? It seems like the kind of thing he'd do.
I love upon finding the body, one woman screams at the top of her lungs in another's ear, and the other say "Okay, get it together." This show is so funny. Why have I never seen that joke before?
80 movies in 5 months. That blows my mind. And it's probably true. But that woman was way too attractive to believably be a porn star. You will not find women that beautiful doing porn, and it's amazing to me that television always thinks otherwise.
Pretty good. ***1/2.
Samurai Jack "Episode XCVII"
Woolies! We haven't seen them since season 1. Cute as ever. Fun getting updates from all of the people Jack saved in the original series.
That line about the penis was actually a little bit too off-putting for me. The swearing was especially jarring too.
Disappointed they didn't get back David Alan Grier for Da Samurai. Demongo's cameo on the other hand was perfect.
Loved that one of the dogs on the boat looked like Astro from The Jetsons.
I'm with Jack. I love Ashi's new dress. I also love how she was the one who ultimately told him he was the one who mattered and that he saved her life.
I look forward to looking for the sword next week. ***1/2.
Ben 10 "Adventures In Babysitting"
Love that Gwen has a crush on Ryan.
Why does Simon's grandmother let him keep the backpack? I get why Max let Ben keep the watch: he saves people. But it seems like Simon only uses the robot backpack to get in trouble.
All right. ***.
Ben 10 "Something I Ate"
I like Gray Matter.
I like that he made the gold bars into a rocketship.
"I have a heavy flashlight and I'm not afraid to use it," is pretty much the worst threat ever.
This was a fun episode. ****.
Ben 10 "Steam Is The Word"
Max bought his shirt from a psychic. He said it would be popular.
"Is everyone insane but me?" is pretty much the best Steam Smythe line ever.
The eagle at the end was the RANDOMEST thing ever.
Average. ***.
Ben 10 "The Beast Inside"
They seem to be airing these things out of order.
Heatblast seems to be an entirely ineffective alien. And against a monster with no real weapons but it's teeth, he should not have been.
Below average. *1/2.
Marvel's Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. "All The Madame's Men"
That was pretty much awesome. Love that the team was surprised at the end that the people outside of the studio weren't Hydra and wanted to help. I especially like the idea that the way to fix our Universe is to save the dream one.
Do you know what I hope? I hope Fitz winds up killing his father. That would be great for our Fitz to have to live with once he gets his memories back.
"Alternate facts"? Oh, yes. They went there. Sean Spicer is team Hydra all the way.
Loved Coulson quoting Nick Fury.
Excellent episode. "My name is Phil Coulson and I'm an Agent of SHIELD.." ****1/2.
Once Upon A Time "Where Bluebirds Fly"
Even if David was merely thinking the timing of the wedding was off, he was right about one thing: Granny's was wholly inadequate for the wedding. What is Snow thinking? Seriously messed up thought processes in that woman.
Loved getting the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion. Just need to see the origin of the Scarecrow and the entire Oz mythology comes together.
Learning the Black Fairy is afraid of Rumple learning the reason she gave him up is interesting. Because that implies the Black Fairy cares. Which is something I wouldn't have suspected was true before.
Zelina's plan and sacrifice to fix her mistake was clever. I am relieved it worked. All of those extra good fairy crystals will probably help in the Final Battle now.
Decent episode. ***1/2.
Tangled: The Series "The Return Of Strongbow"
The fact that Eugene had a beard in the flashback 8 years ago says something icky. Flynn is far too old for Rapunzel. She's 18 and he's in his mid-20's at least.
I like that Eugene decides to tell the queen the truth at the end anyways, even though he was essentially off the hook with Rapunzel. That's the right lesson, because he shouldn't want to bring her into his lies. I also like that Lance repented at the end.
Pretty good. ***1/2.
Elena Of Avalor "King Of The Carnaval"
Near-perfect. Estabon episodes are always the best, and the coolest thing about Estabon is how much he's grown to love Elena and her family over the course of the series. My one regret is that the full truth about the betrayal hasn't come out yet, (that will be juicy) but I think they are probably saving that for later.
I loved this episode. ****1/2.
Bob's Burgers "Zero Larp Thirty"
A larp of a show like Downton is the worst idea ever, and for the reasons the episode stated. I cannot believe they didn't think this out ahead of time. I do know think Linda was being insane for once. It was totally unfair.
I love that Bob ultimately had a good time. I also love Linda saying God made a lot of amazing things but he got her birthday wrong. Remember, Linda's birthdays always suck. Maybe this is the reason.
"I think you are confusing us with kids who know things and do stuff." Truer words were never spoken on the this show. A line of it's polar opposite was Louise's observation about the gurney: "If anything it's TOO safe."
Teddy's doctor hasn't changed his policy on kisses. Too bad.
Funny episode. ****.
Bob's Burgers "The Laser-inth"
What a wonderful episode. Both plots were amazing.
Bob is such a great father. But I have to say, for someone who wants to be a musician, Gene is kind of a wuss. I love that Bob was able to sell him on trying that again, but Gene being a coward is not new.
I love that there is only one Nick and he's been screwing with the scalper the entire time. That's hilarious.
I love the stuff with the spy doll too. Gretchen has no filter after too much wine, and I love the look on her face when she realized she said too much. I love the clever way she helped them rescue the spy doll, and I equally love that Tina put on a brave face so that Louise would be allowed to take it home.
Amazing episode. *****.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine "Serve & Protect"
Nathan Fillion appears to be having fun.
Love that Jake is excited at the end to hear his name on the show anyways.
Always good to see Greg Germann getting work. I was surprised Jake was right about him and Rosa was wrong. That was a nice twist.
Holt is the only black male Boyle wants to know. He knew it was wrong, but he got it in his head, and he just had to say it.
Loved Gina throwing the yogurt. It got in the grout. It's gonna smell for weeks.
Terry didn't think about the receipt? Idiot.
I love Rosa telling Jake to take his hand off hers. Even after that. So funny.
Good episode. ****.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine "The Last Ride"
Love both that Gina saved the precinct, and that she was doing it in the background of the episode the entire time without us realizing it. That's Gina Linetti in a nutshell.
Holt IS Amy's mentor! "It was real!" Indeed.
Another great line was Jake's "Thank you, Heroin Jesus!"
Funny. ****.
Prison Break "The Prisoner's Dilemma"
Sarah's new meat is the Big Bad! That just makes her and Michael's ship all that much easier.
Two things I love about T-Bag this episode: Him talking down kale, and him calling 911. I love the second thing so much because you can tell he'd never done it before, and he is the last person I ever thought I'd see on TV do it. But, y'know, in that particular scenario, it is the right call.
Look forward to Michael filling in Linc next week about what all the nonsense he's been involved in is about. They are both in a bad spot.
Wonder why we haven't Sucre since a cameo in the premiere.
I loved that Kellerman reformed on the original series, but after what he put everyone through, I shed no tears when he died. I was still surprised though. Won't lie about that.
Tense, exciting episode, where Michael plausibly did the one thing I never expected him to do after last week. I should have remembered that Michael Scofield always has a Plan B. ****1/2.
American Dad! "A Nice Night For A Drive"
Only Klaus can have a story start in a parking lot and have it turn boring. The Zagnut thing was the randomest product placement ever.
Loved how dumb that doctor was. He makes Elmer Hartman seem competent.
I love that Cindy was fired from the Zagnut Gang for not wanting to eat a third Zagnut. F*** you, Cindy!
Roger's plot was so dark, it was unenjoyable. Until the end of the woman walking out of the restaurant with her kids confidently while empowering music played. That made it almost worth it. But Roger is a psychopath.
Loved Klaus throwing the Powerball thing back in Stan's face. I bet he DOES memorize everything Stan says. The reveal of Stan having killed all those cougars was funny too.
Pretty good. ***1/2.
The Last Man On Earth "Name 20 Picnics... Now!"
Tandy is the worst. Do you know why? Because he is ten times more frightening and off-putting than he claimed Melissa was. He is the one who was scaring the kid, not her.
I think the kid (I refuse to call him Jasper) has a LOT in common with Melissa. They are both being taken care of by overprotective people. In Melissa's case, it's necessary, and at least Todd is sane. But her and the kid are in the same boat of being with someone they do not want to be with. That saddens me about Todd and Melissa because I am also a major shipper of them, but even Todd himself recognizes that in this situation, romance should be the last thing on anybody's mind.
For the record, the party is stupid. Gail and Erica have been entirely too forgiving with Tandy and Carol's insanity around a young child.
I hate Carol too. I always thought she was making Phil better, but even if that's true, he's also making her worse. I haven't liked her at all this season.
I didn't care for this. **1/2.
Making History "The Godfriender"
Do you know what was the best thing about Deb gleefully saying their major victory in the episode was saving Al Capone's marriage? That's actually what the episode was about! She got what was going on better than anybody else.
The Scarface moment was hilarious. Back then, you only fired a gun to shoot someone. Al never considered you can use them to simply scare people.
Speaking of things he's never considered, Al having to get shot five separate times before he realizes he doesn't have to use bullets in the loyalty test shows that guy has a startling lack of imagination.
I love Mrs. Capone and Deb enjoying the experience with one another of beating the cr*p out of each other. The kindest and friendliest fight I've ever seen.
I love the fact that the dumb "marry the bag" runner impresses Al so much. We have heard dumb jokes like that a million times, but imagine a world where the dumb jokes didn't exist yet. They'd be funny as h*ll. I also loved Deb saying that she didn't know Mrs. Capone was making a joke because it wasn't funny. She was getting the sarcasm thing in the episode, but it was entirely unneeded in that moment.
Great episode. *****.
Bates Motel "The Cord"
I'm totally fine with that. It's not great. I would have loved closure for Caleb and Bradley (and Dr. Edwards), and I'm sad Romero died, but I can live with that ending. It makes more sense for me for Norman to die, than to live a life in an institution. The institution is the creepier and more unsettling ending. Dylan being forced to kill his brother is the better one.
I'll give the series major credit for something, that I wasn't sure they'd do upon killing Norman. They didn't flashforward to scenes of him and Norma in Heaven after he was dead. Norman's fantasy life remained crazy, and was gone the moment he was. That is something a lesser series would have resisted. But no, Norman was always nuts, and this show did right by not trying to give any credence to his delusions.
When I saw Norman dressing his mother for dinner with Dylan, I was like "Are they really gonna do this?" And then they did. And it killed me. And I think that's the right answer. It is true Norman wasn't properly punished, and never had to really answer for his actions, or even face them. "If you believe hard enough" is not the thought I wanted to be in his head right before he died. But Norman is hopeless there. There is no help for somebody who doesn't want it. So even if Norman didn't actually have to suffer the way he made his victims suffer, I at least appreciated that the series took the mythology as far as it could go before Dylan ultimately stopped his madness. When Dylan lists off the things he'd rather have had happen, I agreed with most of them. And I hate Norman.
I would have preferred Norman in jail where he has to realize that he's an idiot, and none of this is real, and there are real consequences to going on a murder spree because you were in love with your mother. But the truth is that the world is better off for Norman Bates being dead and gone. And again, maybe that's not how I would have ended the series if I were in charge, but it IS what if not the series was building up to, than at least the season. I will shed no tears for Norman. And I'm glad Dylan and Emma still got a Happily Ever After.
But this was a great series, if not quite a great finale. ****1/2.
Fargo "The Principle Of Restricted Choice"
Do you know what I love about Vargas? He talks to everyone as if they're smart. Even though he knows they're stupid. What an amazing way to go through life.
I did not recognize the bloody tampon for what it was until Emmitt and his buddy starting talking about it in the next act. That was the randomest revenge crime ever.
They thought the old guy being thrown from a roof was a suicide? This is 2010. CSI is actually a thing. H*ll, CSI: MIAMI is actually a thing at this point. You kind of love Gloria for smart mouthing the new chief over her not wanting to use computers, but, yeah, it's because of that, a guy being clearly murdered is called a suicide by an incompetent M.E.. And there is no excuse for that. Whatever else Gloria is, she is the worst cop at her job in all three of the Fargo seasons (and the movie if we're counting that).
Mickey is right that what her and Ray were doing was a perfect crime. But SHE was the one who messed it up by misreading what happened to the stamps. When she and Ray are brought down, the seeds to that will be in the lipstick on the picture and the used tampon. They would have gotten away it too if it weren't for that bloody tampon!
This is going to be a good season. ****1/2.
Angie Tribeca "Brockman Turner Overdrive"
I love that Geils is mad when the coach gives Angie laps. And then they both do them.
The critical truck driver was funny too.
Geils head-faking Aaron in court was great, as was Turner beating up the phone and Aaron getting hurt by that.
Above average episode. ****.
The Blacklist "Philomena"
Marvin has a good point. Kaplan survived a gunshot to the head. Most people would consider that winning the lottery. Maybe she should have just walked away and considered herself lucky.
Except Kaplan held Liz as a baby.
Yeah, that's a non-starter.
Because of Liz, I think there's a chance Kaplan survives the season. She is serious about this now, and I hope she'll step up.
This Gale dude is impressive. He's like Frank Black sans the supernatural. The fact that he's always right makes him WAY better at this than Will Graham. Also, more emotionally healthy too. I love that about him. You don't see light and jokey profilers on TV very often.
Another great episode. ****1/2.
Blindspot "Regard A Mere Mad Rager"
What was up with that ending with Zapata? What is going on? The previews were no help with that.
I love Weller saying to Patterson "That was anticlimactic," after all the crazy sh*t Shepard just went through.
Speaking of Shepard, do you know why she sucks? She instantly killed the guard she bonded with. She didn't even have to do that. She could have just knocked him out and had that be a "Nothing personal," life lesson. But Shepard is a bad person deep down, which means her mission is too.
I threw up my hands in disgust that Patterson let Weller talk her into going in her place to the puzzle tournament. They won anyways, but if they had Patterson it wouldn't have even been close.
Scary Jewel Staite is not so scary after all. That's actually a really attractive look for her. She's really grown up since she was a kidnapping victim of The X-Files. Kaylee wasn't the half of it.
I still think the Asian therapist is sinister. She wouldn't be trying to get Reed to quit if she wasn't.
Good episode. ****.
Doctor Who "Smile"
Probably shouldn't have cast The Sarah Jane Adventures' Mira Anwar as the doomed woman at the beginning. Raises too many questions about Gita.
Unsurprised the Doctor has high blood pressure with two hearts.
I like Bill sort of getting it upon reading the outside of the TARDIS. The DOCTOR is the Universe's help-line. The Doctor isn't fooling anybody by trying to pretend differently.
Seeing Peter Capaldi smile is super creepy. Which is why it's funny.
What exactly is in Twelve's browser history that he doesn't want Bill to see?
"All traps are beautiful. That's how they work." Deep.
It's bad writing if I got what was going on with the pods before Bill did. It's terrible writing if I got there before the Doctor.
Twelve thinks the opposite of a massacre is a lecture. If that's so, you figure he'd be better at it.
Good episode, not great. ****.
Class "The Coach With The Dragon Tattoo"
Mostly boring, but I liked the ending.
Probably shouldn't have killed off Mr. Armitage, as he was the show's one remaining link to Doctor Who.
I did like the guy Ms. Quill kissed turning out to be a robot, and Ram convincing the dragon to switch sides.
But this was thoroughly average. **1/2.
Teen Titans Go! "Employee Of The Month: Redux"
Out of all of the Teen Titans episodes to remake, "Employee of the Month" is probably the most obscure they could have chosen.
Return of "Mooyah!" Yay!
Meaty is not as great of a boss as Bob was, but he shares his best quality: He not only never gets Beast Boy's name right, but he never calls him the same thing twice.
I forgot that Cyborg ate the Big Bad in that episode.
Next remake I wanna see: "Can I Keep Him?" ****1/2.
DC Comics Vixen: Season 2
I liked it. They had a lot more cameos for the other Arrowverse characters than Season 1 did.
At first I thought Mari was dumb for not realizing her sister would betray her, but Ray means she had it covered.
Not bad. I wonder if there will be a Season 3. Look forward to seeing this and Season 1 being cut together into a movie. ****.
Supergirl "Ace Reporter"
Ugh. Nanotech. Single biggest storytelling crutch in modern genre.
Wait, Ravi is Lena's ex? It's hard to keep these DC shows straight.
Lyra is really starting to grow on me especially since she discovered Guardian's secret identity by scent. I love that James is dumb enough to think Winn told her.
Okay, maybe Lyra shouldn't be PUNCHING kids who are criminals, but she's got a better read of the situation than James does. They shouldn't be letting them go either.
I'm a little disappointed Mon-El stole Ravi's keycard. Because the idea that Mon-El is the type of dude who gives hugs to guys he wants to bromance is hilarious on its own.
I appreciated why Kara told Lena not to confront Jack. But that was a totally unreasonable request. Lena was under no obligation to honor it. It would have actually been weird if she did.
I love that after the bar blow-up, Winn seems to ultimately blame James. Which is something I get. Because Winn took equal responsibility for benching Lyra, even though it was clearly all James. I'd be ticked someone forced me to break up with my hot alien girlfriend too. I like that James ultimately understood that and repaired things. For the record, cats ARE delicious.
I also love that Supergirl apologizes full throatedly to Snapper. Because he deserved that. She did wrong by him and I thought so at the time. I love that the one person Snapper has ever thanked was his divorce attorney. It was very uncomfortable for everyone involved. I was all like "Aww!" when he thanked her and told her she did good. And I laughed at him telling her she shouldn't start a food truck.
I liked Lena saying she's never stood behind any man. "Did I mention I was a Luthor?" is a good quip too. I laughed at her clocking Beth the face after she told him Jack wouldn't survive the nanobots being destroyed.
I hate how this show always puts Lena through the wringer. The fact that Kara said she would always be her friend and protect her tells me the series is going to make her a villain. And that frankly annoys me.
Not bad, not great. ***1/2.
The Flash "The Once And Future Flash"
Loved it. Lots to absorb.
I love that Cisco is chill and Zen in the future. Very nice. I especially love that Present Day Barry realized something important: It was just as important to fix the far future potential timeline as it was to fix the near future probable timeline. Because if he doesn't fix the latter, that's the future they are stuck with, unless he steps in when he does. That future told me something else: Flash is going to save Iris. I had been thinking that it was actually 50/50 they'd kill her off, and simply make it a predestination paradox like the movie version of 12 Monkeys. But this is only the third season of The Flash. If they go through with it, just the things they said would happen if they did would simply put, kill the show. So the only answer is that Iris is saved.
Savitar being someone Caitlin immediately trusts is interesting. Perhaps another universe's version of Ronnie Raymond? If so, how does knowing that help Flash? The only other person I would think she would immediately trust is Julian, and it's pretty unlikely to be him as he is still a good guy in the future. But he's my dark horse if they are able to rationalize everything else. It could be a Julian from the far future. Maybe the conundrum next week is deciding whether or not to kill present day Julian. We'll see.
The more I think about it, the more I am convinced it is Julian from maybe ten or twenty years in the future. If it was Ronnie, her reaction would have been different than "Tell me what you want me to do". She would have understandably had other questions first. But I think she might have been on board Julian's plan immediately because there are several reasons it makes sense it is him.
In the future, Killer Frost claims Savitar got her to stop seeing her powers as a sickness to cure. And I think the only person who could truly change her mind about that is a Julian who became a metahuman. Simply because he was the one person on the show who mistrusted metahumans more than she did. If he's embraced that philosophy once he became Savitar, it makes sense Caitlin would go for it immediately too, especially if she immediately understood the main clue it is Julian.
It is Julian because it finally makes sense why Savitar created him to be Alchemy and his herald in the first place. An earlier Julian metahuman heralds the becoming of Savitar completely, and is probably the specific reason Savitar chose him. It may also be because Savitar trusted him to do what he needed to do. Because he WAS him, and saw how the future was gonna play out, and knew he was the best choice to handle things.
I am 99% certain Savitar is Julian.
Great week. ****1/2.
Arrow "Dangerous Liasons"
Dark Felicity has always been a ridiculous concept, but I like where they made it end up. Because just based on Lilah's secret shenanigans, Felicity didn't actually cross the line. Sure, her friend did when she accidentally killed Chase's mole, but despite Felicity saying she was willing to do whatever it takes, she never allowed herself to be placed in a situation where she actually crossed the line. If I were her, I wouldn't be mad at Oliver at being skeptical that she can pull such a win off with no Argos casualties. Because he's never pulled that off himself, and probably isn't aware it's even possible if you do your due diligence first.
I like that Rene's daughter calls Quentin "Hoss". He's never gonna get stopped calling that now. Love how excited Rene was that she plays hockey. She's a goalie!
The Lilah and Dig drama seemed forced. Just because I find it hard to believe Dig never suspected she was doing this stuff in the first place. Either he places too much faith in his wife, or he's dumb. I'm leaning towards the latter.
I understand why Helix cut ties with Felicity when they did, and I like that Felicity didn't seem mad either. She WAS a liability, but at least that one mission got her the intel she wanted... possibly too late.
Next week is gonna be good. ****.
Gotham "Heroes Rise: How The Riddler Got His Name"
My reaction to that was indifference. Some things are all right, some things aren't. I guess this is the part I go through them.
Riddler's riddles were unusually sucky. Because as Lucius noted, many of them had multiple answers. While the "lighter than air, can't hold it for long" thing is definitely true of your breath, that riddle also completely fits the notion of a fart. Just like Love is an equally valid answer to the riddle Ed thinks means loneliness.
This was the most Lucius has been used since the beginning of season two. He is a grounding influence on the show in the way Gordon SHOULD be, but isn't. He is completely calm and collected as Ed pulls a gun on him, and is less concerned with the Riddler's mad plot than he is in helping Ed seek help for the bad fix he had created for himself. He was truly concerned Ed killed Penguin, and what it must have felt like. I think in another life Lucius would be an excellent therapist. He is so lacking pretense, that people cannot help let down their guard.
Another good example of this was him calmly telling the skel in holding that he was sitting too close to him to rattle him. It didn't stop rattling him, did it? What harm is in the truth in that scenario? And I like that about Lucius.
Penguin's nightmarish musical number was the show at its deranged best.
The rest of the episode was less successful. I do not believe Alfred would not automatically get that isn't Bruce. For all of his training, the clone is terrible. He can have the history down pat, he does not get the personality at all. Bruce is dour and unpleasant. He would never say "That sounds delicious!" upon Alfred serving a meal. I don't get how Alfred doesn't get this is the clone. It's not like he isn't aware there is a double of Bruce out there somewhere unaccounted for.
I love that Bruce was actually angry at Selina too. I'm glad he's stopped wanting to be her monkey. Him waking up in Asia will probably be the start of Bruce's journey around the world, although I think that it really should have been voluntary on Bruce's part. He should WANT this training, and have sought it out himself. Similarly disappointing is the idea that the Riddler persona was fully fledged and in use over a decade before Batman existed. This show has no patience to do this right, and that hurts it, even if it makes good trailer bait.
So-freaking-so. **1/2.
iZombie "Wag The Tongue Slowly"
Are we sure Blaine isn't faking not getting his memories back? It seems like the kind of thing he'd do.
I love upon finding the body, one woman screams at the top of her lungs in another's ear, and the other say "Okay, get it together." This show is so funny. Why have I never seen that joke before?
80 movies in 5 months. That blows my mind. And it's probably true. But that woman was way too attractive to believably be a porn star. You will not find women that beautiful doing porn, and it's amazing to me that television always thinks otherwise.
Pretty good. ***1/2.
Samurai Jack "Episode XCVII"
Woolies! We haven't seen them since season 1. Cute as ever. Fun getting updates from all of the people Jack saved in the original series.
That line about the penis was actually a little bit too off-putting for me. The swearing was especially jarring too.
Disappointed they didn't get back David Alan Grier for Da Samurai. Demongo's cameo on the other hand was perfect.
Loved that one of the dogs on the boat looked like Astro from The Jetsons.
I'm with Jack. I love Ashi's new dress. I also love how she was the one who ultimately told him he was the one who mattered and that he saved her life.
I look forward to looking for the sword next week. ***1/2.
Ben 10 "Adventures In Babysitting"
Love that Gwen has a crush on Ryan.
Why does Simon's grandmother let him keep the backpack? I get why Max let Ben keep the watch: he saves people. But it seems like Simon only uses the robot backpack to get in trouble.
All right. ***.
Ben 10 "Something I Ate"
I like Gray Matter.
I like that he made the gold bars into a rocketship.
"I have a heavy flashlight and I'm not afraid to use it," is pretty much the worst threat ever.
This was a fun episode. ****.
Ben 10 "Steam Is The Word"
Max bought his shirt from a psychic. He said it would be popular.
"Is everyone insane but me?" is pretty much the best Steam Smythe line ever.
The eagle at the end was the RANDOMEST thing ever.
Average. ***.
Ben 10 "The Beast Inside"
They seem to be airing these things out of order.
Heatblast seems to be an entirely ineffective alien. And against a monster with no real weapons but it's teeth, he should not have been.
Below average. *1/2.
Marvel's Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. "All The Madame's Men"
That was pretty much awesome. Love that the team was surprised at the end that the people outside of the studio weren't Hydra and wanted to help. I especially like the idea that the way to fix our Universe is to save the dream one.
Do you know what I hope? I hope Fitz winds up killing his father. That would be great for our Fitz to have to live with once he gets his memories back.
"Alternate facts"? Oh, yes. They went there. Sean Spicer is team Hydra all the way.
Loved Coulson quoting Nick Fury.
Excellent episode. "My name is Phil Coulson and I'm an Agent of SHIELD.." ****1/2.
Once Upon A Time "Where Bluebirds Fly"
Even if David was merely thinking the timing of the wedding was off, he was right about one thing: Granny's was wholly inadequate for the wedding. What is Snow thinking? Seriously messed up thought processes in that woman.
Loved getting the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion. Just need to see the origin of the Scarecrow and the entire Oz mythology comes together.
Learning the Black Fairy is afraid of Rumple learning the reason she gave him up is interesting. Because that implies the Black Fairy cares. Which is something I wouldn't have suspected was true before.
Zelina's plan and sacrifice to fix her mistake was clever. I am relieved it worked. All of those extra good fairy crystals will probably help in the Final Battle now.
Decent episode. ***1/2.
Tangled: The Series "The Return Of Strongbow"
The fact that Eugene had a beard in the flashback 8 years ago says something icky. Flynn is far too old for Rapunzel. She's 18 and he's in his mid-20's at least.
I like that Eugene decides to tell the queen the truth at the end anyways, even though he was essentially off the hook with Rapunzel. That's the right lesson, because he shouldn't want to bring her into his lies. I also like that Lance repented at the end.
Pretty good. ***1/2.
Elena Of Avalor "King Of The Carnaval"
Near-perfect. Estabon episodes are always the best, and the coolest thing about Estabon is how much he's grown to love Elena and her family over the course of the series. My one regret is that the full truth about the betrayal hasn't come out yet, (that will be juicy) but I think they are probably saving that for later.
I loved this episode. ****1/2.
Bob's Burgers "Zero Larp Thirty"
A larp of a show like Downton is the worst idea ever, and for the reasons the episode stated. I cannot believe they didn't think this out ahead of time. I do know think Linda was being insane for once. It was totally unfair.
I love that Bob ultimately had a good time. I also love Linda saying God made a lot of amazing things but he got her birthday wrong. Remember, Linda's birthdays always suck. Maybe this is the reason.
"I think you are confusing us with kids who know things and do stuff." Truer words were never spoken on the this show. A line of it's polar opposite was Louise's observation about the gurney: "If anything it's TOO safe."
Teddy's doctor hasn't changed his policy on kisses. Too bad.
Funny episode. ****.
Bob's Burgers "The Laser-inth"
What a wonderful episode. Both plots were amazing.
Bob is such a great father. But I have to say, for someone who wants to be a musician, Gene is kind of a wuss. I love that Bob was able to sell him on trying that again, but Gene being a coward is not new.
I love that there is only one Nick and he's been screwing with the scalper the entire time. That's hilarious.
I love the stuff with the spy doll too. Gretchen has no filter after too much wine, and I love the look on her face when she realized she said too much. I love the clever way she helped them rescue the spy doll, and I equally love that Tina put on a brave face so that Louise would be allowed to take it home.
Amazing episode. *****.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine "Serve & Protect"
Nathan Fillion appears to be having fun.
Love that Jake is excited at the end to hear his name on the show anyways.
Always good to see Greg Germann getting work. I was surprised Jake was right about him and Rosa was wrong. That was a nice twist.
Holt is the only black male Boyle wants to know. He knew it was wrong, but he got it in his head, and he just had to say it.
Loved Gina throwing the yogurt. It got in the grout. It's gonna smell for weeks.
Terry didn't think about the receipt? Idiot.
I love Rosa telling Jake to take his hand off hers. Even after that. So funny.
Good episode. ****.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine "The Last Ride"
Love both that Gina saved the precinct, and that she was doing it in the background of the episode the entire time without us realizing it. That's Gina Linetti in a nutshell.
Holt IS Amy's mentor! "It was real!" Indeed.
Another great line was Jake's "Thank you, Heroin Jesus!"
Funny. ****.
Prison Break "The Prisoner's Dilemma"
Sarah's new meat is the Big Bad! That just makes her and Michael's ship all that much easier.
Two things I love about T-Bag this episode: Him talking down kale, and him calling 911. I love the second thing so much because you can tell he'd never done it before, and he is the last person I ever thought I'd see on TV do it. But, y'know, in that particular scenario, it is the right call.
Look forward to Michael filling in Linc next week about what all the nonsense he's been involved in is about. They are both in a bad spot.
Wonder why we haven't Sucre since a cameo in the premiere.
I loved that Kellerman reformed on the original series, but after what he put everyone through, I shed no tears when he died. I was still surprised though. Won't lie about that.
Tense, exciting episode, where Michael plausibly did the one thing I never expected him to do after last week. I should have remembered that Michael Scofield always has a Plan B. ****1/2.
American Dad! "A Nice Night For A Drive"
Only Klaus can have a story start in a parking lot and have it turn boring. The Zagnut thing was the randomest product placement ever.
Loved how dumb that doctor was. He makes Elmer Hartman seem competent.
I love that Cindy was fired from the Zagnut Gang for not wanting to eat a third Zagnut. F*** you, Cindy!
Roger's plot was so dark, it was unenjoyable. Until the end of the woman walking out of the restaurant with her kids confidently while empowering music played. That made it almost worth it. But Roger is a psychopath.
Loved Klaus throwing the Powerball thing back in Stan's face. I bet he DOES memorize everything Stan says. The reveal of Stan having killed all those cougars was funny too.
Pretty good. ***1/2.
The Last Man On Earth "Name 20 Picnics... Now!"
Tandy is the worst. Do you know why? Because he is ten times more frightening and off-putting than he claimed Melissa was. He is the one who was scaring the kid, not her.
I think the kid (I refuse to call him Jasper) has a LOT in common with Melissa. They are both being taken care of by overprotective people. In Melissa's case, it's necessary, and at least Todd is sane. But her and the kid are in the same boat of being with someone they do not want to be with. That saddens me about Todd and Melissa because I am also a major shipper of them, but even Todd himself recognizes that in this situation, romance should be the last thing on anybody's mind.
For the record, the party is stupid. Gail and Erica have been entirely too forgiving with Tandy and Carol's insanity around a young child.
I hate Carol too. I always thought she was making Phil better, but even if that's true, he's also making her worse. I haven't liked her at all this season.
I didn't care for this. **1/2.
Making History "The Godfriender"
Do you know what was the best thing about Deb gleefully saying their major victory in the episode was saving Al Capone's marriage? That's actually what the episode was about! She got what was going on better than anybody else.
The Scarface moment was hilarious. Back then, you only fired a gun to shoot someone. Al never considered you can use them to simply scare people.
Speaking of things he's never considered, Al having to get shot five separate times before he realizes he doesn't have to use bullets in the loyalty test shows that guy has a startling lack of imagination.
I love Mrs. Capone and Deb enjoying the experience with one another of beating the cr*p out of each other. The kindest and friendliest fight I've ever seen.
I love the fact that the dumb "marry the bag" runner impresses Al so much. We have heard dumb jokes like that a million times, but imagine a world where the dumb jokes didn't exist yet. They'd be funny as h*ll. I also loved Deb saying that she didn't know Mrs. Capone was making a joke because it wasn't funny. She was getting the sarcasm thing in the episode, but it was entirely unneeded in that moment.
Great episode. *****.
Bates Motel "The Cord"
I'm totally fine with that. It's not great. I would have loved closure for Caleb and Bradley (and Dr. Edwards), and I'm sad Romero died, but I can live with that ending. It makes more sense for me for Norman to die, than to live a life in an institution. The institution is the creepier and more unsettling ending. Dylan being forced to kill his brother is the better one.
I'll give the series major credit for something, that I wasn't sure they'd do upon killing Norman. They didn't flashforward to scenes of him and Norma in Heaven after he was dead. Norman's fantasy life remained crazy, and was gone the moment he was. That is something a lesser series would have resisted. But no, Norman was always nuts, and this show did right by not trying to give any credence to his delusions.
When I saw Norman dressing his mother for dinner with Dylan, I was like "Are they really gonna do this?" And then they did. And it killed me. And I think that's the right answer. It is true Norman wasn't properly punished, and never had to really answer for his actions, or even face them. "If you believe hard enough" is not the thought I wanted to be in his head right before he died. But Norman is hopeless there. There is no help for somebody who doesn't want it. So even if Norman didn't actually have to suffer the way he made his victims suffer, I at least appreciated that the series took the mythology as far as it could go before Dylan ultimately stopped his madness. When Dylan lists off the things he'd rather have had happen, I agreed with most of them. And I hate Norman.
I would have preferred Norman in jail where he has to realize that he's an idiot, and none of this is real, and there are real consequences to going on a murder spree because you were in love with your mother. But the truth is that the world is better off for Norman Bates being dead and gone. And again, maybe that's not how I would have ended the series if I were in charge, but it IS what if not the series was building up to, than at least the season. I will shed no tears for Norman. And I'm glad Dylan and Emma still got a Happily Ever After.
But this was a great series, if not quite a great finale. ****1/2.
Fargo "The Principle Of Restricted Choice"
Do you know what I love about Vargas? He talks to everyone as if they're smart. Even though he knows they're stupid. What an amazing way to go through life.
I did not recognize the bloody tampon for what it was until Emmitt and his buddy starting talking about it in the next act. That was the randomest revenge crime ever.
They thought the old guy being thrown from a roof was a suicide? This is 2010. CSI is actually a thing. H*ll, CSI: MIAMI is actually a thing at this point. You kind of love Gloria for smart mouthing the new chief over her not wanting to use computers, but, yeah, it's because of that, a guy being clearly murdered is called a suicide by an incompetent M.E.. And there is no excuse for that. Whatever else Gloria is, she is the worst cop at her job in all three of the Fargo seasons (and the movie if we're counting that).
Mickey is right that what her and Ray were doing was a perfect crime. But SHE was the one who messed it up by misreading what happened to the stamps. When she and Ray are brought down, the seeds to that will be in the lipstick on the picture and the used tampon. They would have gotten away it too if it weren't for that bloody tampon!
This is going to be a good season. ****1/2.
Angie Tribeca "Brockman Turner Overdrive"
I love that Geils is mad when the coach gives Angie laps. And then they both do them.
The critical truck driver was funny too.
Geils head-faking Aaron in court was great, as was Turner beating up the phone and Aaron getting hurt by that.
Above average episode. ****.
The Blacklist "Philomena"
Marvin has a good point. Kaplan survived a gunshot to the head. Most people would consider that winning the lottery. Maybe she should have just walked away and considered herself lucky.
Except Kaplan held Liz as a baby.
Yeah, that's a non-starter.
Because of Liz, I think there's a chance Kaplan survives the season. She is serious about this now, and I hope she'll step up.
This Gale dude is impressive. He's like Frank Black sans the supernatural. The fact that he's always right makes him WAY better at this than Will Graham. Also, more emotionally healthy too. I love that about him. You don't see light and jokey profilers on TV very often.
Another great episode. ****1/2.
Blindspot "Regard A Mere Mad Rager"
What was up with that ending with Zapata? What is going on? The previews were no help with that.
I love Weller saying to Patterson "That was anticlimactic," after all the crazy sh*t Shepard just went through.
Speaking of Shepard, do you know why she sucks? She instantly killed the guard she bonded with. She didn't even have to do that. She could have just knocked him out and had that be a "Nothing personal," life lesson. But Shepard is a bad person deep down, which means her mission is too.
I threw up my hands in disgust that Patterson let Weller talk her into going in her place to the puzzle tournament. They won anyways, but if they had Patterson it wouldn't have even been close.
Scary Jewel Staite is not so scary after all. That's actually a really attractive look for her. She's really grown up since she was a kidnapping victim of The X-Files. Kaylee wasn't the half of it.
I still think the Asian therapist is sinister. She wouldn't be trying to get Reed to quit if she wasn't.
Good episode. ****.