"The Tick" Season Two Reviews (Spoilers)
Also reviews for the latest episodes of Batwoman, Supergirl, ThunderCats Roar!, DuckTales, The Simpsons, Bob's Burgers, Family Guy, American Dad!, Transformers: Cyberverse, Transformers: Rescue Bots Academy, and The Blacklist.
The Tick "Lesson One: Think Quick!"
Love the Tick's new costume. Much closer to the Patrick Warburton version.
Maybe Arthur should have chosen a superhero name different from his actual one.
I laughed at Dangerboat referencing "As you wish" from The Princess Bride.
The Tick and Overkill's hug fight was funny.
Dot's reaction to Tick drinking coffee out of the pot was priceless. But why does she object to sharing the coffee after that and yet shares a bottle of whiskey with Overkill?
Her being concerned that the Tick hits Arthur is very interesting. Never considered that their relationship might be thought of as abusive.
The new TV-14 rating probably means no more f-bombs. Good.
Interesting that Overkill thinks his no-kill promise is a hindrance to his job. I know Sharpshooter's name hints he used lethal force too but it strikes me as odd that the Flag 5 would have allowed that.
Tick and Arthur being in the new Flag 5 is gonna be neat.
Jackie Earle Haley is apparently no longer on the show. Fine with me. Dude creeps me out in every role I've seen him in.
I predict I will like this season more than the first. We are already off to a better start. ****.
The Tick "A.E.G.I.S. And You"
Lobstercules is a good name. So is Edgelord.
The Molemen are referenced here.
I had no idea Dot was there for the death of her and Arthur's father and that she suffered trauma and survivor's guilt from it, but it makes total sense.
"If you want to be less confused, come with me." That's great.
John Hodgeman gettin' work.
I love that Tick broke the arm wrestling machine and was the first person to ever beat it. The look on Hobbes' face over that was great too.
For the record, Barium is nasty.
Things are black and white with Overkill because his eyes are cybernetic and he can't change the settings. Excellent!
That got tense so Dangerboat puts on some salsa music.
Superian getting ticked off at the end. Interesting that pundits suck no matter the universe.
Arthur being asked to keep tabs on the Tick sounds reasonable but probably isn't.
Decent episode. ****.
The Tick "Hot Beige!"
It's a spreevil! I love it. Selfish Shellfish is also great.
Superian is super needy.
I love that the Tick is delighted by shaking hands with Flexon.
Squeeze ya later! I want to be interrogated by the Tick.
Arthur's rejections only makes Dangerboat want him more.
The stuff with Overkill and Ty Rathbone was outright cool.
I love that the Tick refers to Dot and Arthur as "The kids" to Joan over the phone.
Two people named Joan on the series? That will get confusing.
I like Ms. Lint's new costume.
Arthur was both good and bad at undercover at the club.
Rathbone's black hole heart is alarming.
Solid. ***1/2.
The Tick "Blood And Cake"
That was a moving scene of acknowledging love between Dangerboat and Arthur. I was surprised at how much it touched me.
And it's interesting that it was Arthur who made the last ditch effort to save Dangerboat. If anything Arthur should feel uncomfortable and creeped out by Dangerboat's behavior towards him. Instead he feels sympathy which is a really cool and interesting thing. It's certainly not something I would feel, or at least not the primary thing I would feel. The fact that Arthur knows why Dangerboat is so "friendly" towards him, and isn't annoyed by it says that Arthur is a good person.
Speaking of which, that Superian advice really backfired, didn't it?
I will never get used to Hot Dot. Still I think it's super cool that she has the ability to undo Tick's No-Kill wish with Overkill. I'm wondering if there is something supernatural involved with the Code. Overkill doesn't seem to believe violating it is an option, when it totally is. Perhaps because of the tech in his body, he's unable to. I don't know. I don't expect to learn the logic of it by the end of the series but I'm interested anyways.
I love the 28th Amendment idea. It was cool in season 1, but I love the idea that somebody like Ms. Lint can abuse it for her own advantage. I also like that in this specific Universe, secret identities seem pretty easy for most people to guess. That's actually realistic. A mask would probably not fool many people who actually knew a given hero in their real life.
I liked the arguments everyone got into over who gets to decide how to mete out justice, and who gets to be the person who does it. It's an interesting argument I'd like to see followed up on at some point, although I don't expect so. Maybe if the series had lasted another season.
Human furniture is a truly sick idea. The bad guys on this show suck.
Surprisingly moving episode. Never expected that from this franchise. ****1/2.
The Tick "Magic Is Real"
Liz Vassey as Lobstercules?! Yes, please!
Lobstercules being a victim and a mother being blackmailed by the safety of her kids is an amazing twist. Also amazing is ending the episode with Joan Of Arc capturing her. That is perfect. I cannot say enough good things about that.
Bob is a great character and concept. Is she from the comics or the cartoon? It feels like I've seen her before.
Sage is cool too. Although the third nipple creeps me out.
Prediction: Superian is going to be the Big Bad. If not this season, he would have been had the show continued.
That was fantastic. Best episode so far. *****.
The Tick "Categorically Speaking"
Arthur's actual superpower is navigating red tape. That was a good meet/cute too.
I think the episode was pretty amazing. Superian is outright crazy. And the worst thing is that nobody stands up to him because no-one can actually stop him. But I don't think he's faced the Tick.
Doctor Agent Hobbes is clearly sinister, although Rathbone still strikes me as ambiguous. Tantalizing hints about Walter and why he hooked up with Joan, that I hope will be fully revealed by the end of the season.
The scene where the Tick holds his hand up to the cage and swears to protect Lobstercules' children was the thing that made the episode amazing for me. I would never have predicted this specific franchise could EVER hit me in the feels. But this shockingly did. I stand amazed and humbled.
Tinfoil Kevin's stuff with Dot was great too. I don't feel like good things are coming to that character and I need Dot to make the connection now to make whatever is obviously going to happen have resonance. But when he tells her AEGIS doesn't see Categories as human, and that when you start doing that bad things start to happen, I am aware those bad things are about to happen to him. I hope the pathos lives up to it. The set-up here indicates it will, but you never know.
Interestingly, my lukewarm opinion on Season 1 hasn't actually changed. It's the series itself that has gotten great. Me getting used to the show has nothing to do with that.
Another great episode. ****1/2.
The Tick "Lei-Lo, Ho!"
Big romantic moment for Dot and Overkill at the end. Even the funny "Drama!" chorus at the end couldn't undercut how big it was.
I'm really questioning why Wu looking exactly like Walter didn't raise any red flags for Dot last episode. She might have saved herself some future grief.
Either the idea of becoming a hero is driving Ms. Lint crazy, or something else is going on with the evil mirror double. I think something else is going on, but I could be wrong.
The dance party was fun because it was lame and everyone knows it's lame. We're allowed to enjoy it for once.
Lei-Lo Hotel. I just got that. I'm a dope.
That was good. ****.
The Tick "Joan!"
Everything important that happens in this episode happens in Arthur's apartment.
The stuff with his mother was great. And Walter's stuff was Dot was too. I'm glad it appears he's NOT a Black Hat after all. What I especially like is that his motivations for his secret and falling in love with Joan are rational instead of ludicrous. This is a very different take on the premise if only for that alone. '
John Wu. I like that.
I cannot decide if Superian is a sociopath of not. He's callous and doesn't seem to care about human beings. On the other hand he wants to do the right thing, and is trying to be a better person. It's just that I think he's doing that for all the wrong reasons. I still predict he's the Big Bad of the entire series. If I'm wrong by the finale I'm confident it would have happened in a future season had the series not been canceled.
Good stuff. ****.
The Tick "In The Woods"
Dire and excellent ending. The drama and pathos of the moment landed perfectly.
Did not actually expect Hobbes to be the Duke himself, but in hindsight, there is no-one else he could be.
It's interesting that even though he died, Rathbone WAS actually on the right side.
I love Tick's scenes with Walter, because it is very clear how fond Walter is of the Tick. He clearly adores him and that makes me adore Walter.
So maybe Ms. Lint is crazy after all. If so, it's crazy in a good way.
Have to watch the finale now. ****1/2.
The Tick "Choose Love!"
That last scene says we were robbed of a cool season 3. And yes, Superian would have been the Big Bad.
Superian answers the question of what would happen if Superman were emotionally stunted and needy. It's not a good look or answer.
I like the idea that Ms. Lint saved the day by resorting to villainy and betrayal. She's a hero and a villain at the same time, which is exactly the right place to leave off the character.
The drama with Hobbes and his disgusting views, and the "They won't" romance between Dot and Overkill, it's just all great.
And I love that the Tick takes the pounding from Lobstercules because he refuses to fight an innocent mom. I love that.
I love that the Tick's role was properly large for the finale, and the fact that last finale he seemed a supporting player is why last year sucked. His role in the finale is basically the episode's title. He's the moral center and gets everyone to embrace the sap. And I don't want to hear any complaints from cynical fans complaining that this episode was too sappy. That's not an actual legit complaint. Sappiness has its place. And it was well-done and earned here. Good and unusual writing from Ben Edlund here.
I am a little embarrassed yet glad my elaborate theory about Kevin being a sacrificial lamb to motivate the good guys to win was wrong. Here was my problem. I accepted the darkness the show was showing us at face value. The finale let us know the show is a lot more optimistic than I gave the series credit for. But after the gutsplattering violence last season can you blame my confusion? My theory presupposed that Kevin's potential death is an example of good writing set-up. Perhaps it's actually better writing that the show doesn't feel the need to kill him off at all.
The ending was super happy all around. Even Rathbone came back. And Sage notes, that's totally gonna be a thing in the future (or it would have been). And the family forgives, loves, and accepts Walter as one of their own. I am glad to have gotten closure about that bit at least.
Disappointed Arthur being forced to keep tabs on the Tick was never addressed. But maybe it's better that they didn't.
At least we got the "Spoooooon!" battle-cry in the last episode.
I wish this show had lasted longer. But a Tick show wouldn't be a Tick show if it weren't royally screwed by the network and canceled too soon. Frankly, that seems to be part of the mystique. We at least got more out of this than Patrick Warburton's version. But this also ended too soon. ****1/2.
Batwoman: "If You Believe In Me, I'll Believe In You"
Mary is on Team Bat! Yay!
Loved Kate's gloating tour when she visited Tommy Elliot.
Speaking of which, I would have thought Alice would have figured out Bruce Wayne was Batman long ago. But the reveal here was better because the look in her eyes said "That explains a LOT!" Very well acted by Rachel Skarsten.
I like Kate asking her ex if she could hear a little whine in her ear. Excellent shade against Luke.
It was kind of neat to see Tommy get the Hush bandages but that was actually a very badly written plot point. Does Alice truly believe they won't do an autopsy on the Elliot double and find out he didn't hang himself, or even more likely, discover the face was a mask? What bothered me the most about this idea is that it probably didn't occur to the writers at all which is like storytelling malpractice. I would respect the show if this is how Alice was caught. But knowing she would get away with this specific thing made it unacceptable instead. I don't believe the old saying that a thousand monkeys with a thousand typewriters will eventually tap out the complete of works of Shakespeare. But they probably could have typed out that scene. Or an above average episode of Riverdale.
I'm still amazed Alice thinks she can worm sympathy and favors from Jacob. How does she not get that because she's a serial killer, her daddy can't sweep her actions under the rug? It's actually kind of weird that she thinks he should. And instead of committing to reform to earn his trust so he'll change his mind about her down the line she immediately threatens to torture him and make him suffer, thereby proving her insincerity. And she does this EVERY time and wonders why she never gets a different response. I think Alice is dumb.
Alice doesn't give a hoot and Mary doesn't give a feel. And I am painfully reminded this show is broadcast television. Although it amazes me how far gay sex scenes are now allowed to progress. You used to not even be able to show kissing when I was a kid.
The Crimson Knight? I actually like that.
Didn't see Reagan being a Black Hat or her being Magpie's sister coming. Julia potentially being dirty was also a surprise.
Outside of the dumb Tommy Elliot fake suicide that was okay. ***.
Supergirl "Deus Lex Machina"
Great episode title.
The Luthors are the one corner of the Arrowverse Oliver Queen neglected to clean up when he rebooted the Universe. I don't care if the Monitor owed Lex a favor, he was dead. Oliver should have put it right.
I liked seeing the footage of Brandon Routh and Tom Welling from Crisis On Infinite Earths.
I love Lex promising to carrying out all of Eve's dirty work. She didn't seem to understand that actually makes him a bad guy which is why I think she's an idiot.
Lex's plan against Leviathan doesn't actually suck, which is something I like.
How dumb is Eve? She thinks the lab mice are cute and instantly gets attached. Did I mention she's an idiot?
Lex asks if Lillian questions his will. If she doesn't I will. His Superman obsession is a weakness and proves how petty and small his will actually is. It's why he's going to lose. Him calling it inspiration is outright delusional. It's why he sucks.
I liked Lena's tentative sympathies to Kara and I like that Lex didn't. Of course she overreacts to Supergirl using Myriad, but frankly Kara SHOULDN'T be using it. Lena isn't actually wrong to be upset. She goes too far in believing it to be a personal betrayal, but Kara's still a hypocrite.
Lex killed Jeremiah? I could have sworn that was Dean Cain's online behavior.
I didn't bother reading the opening credits so M'Gann's appearance was a surprise.
Lex's plan against Leviathan is good but his treatment of Tess is completely counterproductive. She's already devoted to him. He could have let her down gently and she'd still serve him faithfully. Instead he has to rub her nose in how much smarter than her he is and now she has an actual excuse to turn against him when the time is right. Stuff like that is why I hate this version of Lex Luthor. He's unnecessarily cruel because he enjoys it, and is too dumb to understand it will ultimately hinder his goals. I don't know what Kevin Smith is smoking by praising Jon Cryer so highly on the Crisis Aftershow recently. The Arrowverse probably contains my least favorite Lex Luthor ever.
But everything else was all right. I'm curious how the aborted season will actually be able to wrap up.***1/2.
ThunderCats Roar! "Summer Fun Day!"
I like the subtext at the beginning that the repeated battles with the Mutants on the old show wound up feeling like a chore. Because they kind of did.
The Crabmen had the coolest design back in the 1980's.
I like the idea that violence is their way of making friends and to beat them you have to be nice to them. It also led to a hilarious "Hold on, TigerSharks" cameo.
Solid. ****.
ThunderCats Roar! "Safari Joe"
Like all 1980's action cartoons, ThunderCats was terrible. What I do not get is how a show that bad came up with a character as great as Safari Joe. His catchphrase is genius. And yet, he's never caught on in popular culture. Family Guy hasn't referenced him once. I'm not sure, but maybe Robot Chicken did, but almost nothing else has ever given this hilarious and hilariously annoying character his media due. It's shocking.
This episode was great, especially Cheetara revealing the traps were escape pods. One of the best things about Safari Joe on the original series is that he he only returned once or twice. The character IS super annoying, as great as he is, and making him a regularly recurring foe would be obnoxious. They knew enough not to overdo him. Will this show do the same? Considering how deliberately annoying this show tries to be, I suspect not.
Speaking of deliberately annoying, I love Slithe telling Vultureman if he REALLY has a problem with Cheetara's podcast, he could choose not to watch. That is a giant middle finger to every single one of this show's critics and as far as I'm concerned, it's a welcome one.
That was fun. *****.
ThunderCats Roar! "Ratar-O"
Man, Ratar-O had the coolest ship and twin daggers on the old show, and it was cool to see them return.
I like how Monkian's Lady Snarf disguise turned from "Rejected" to "Thinkin' about it..."
I love how embarrassed Slithe was at how easy the ThunderCats were for Ratar-O to beat. I swear they are usually MUCH harder!
I love the show making fun of how the characters could breathe in space on the original series. That show was super dumb. Even for 80's weekday afternoons.
Worsties for life! Heh. ****.
ThunderCats Roar! "Prince Starling's Quest"
That was a very disturbing ending. It was supposed to be so I won't dock any points over it.
I like that the wasp stinger has a bone sticking out of it for a handle.
The King of the Toads looks like Jabba the Hutt.
Starling defeated a bird and took his name. I like that.
It was an interesting episode but the end was creepy. ***1/2.
ThunderCats Roar! "Lion-S"
Lion-S. Lioness. Get it?
That was fun and it was neat to see Mandora again. But Lion-O is a total sap. ***1/2.
DuckTales "Astro B.O.Y.D.!"
That was sweet. I appreciate that it was Gyro who talked Boyd down rather than Huey. His younger persona more closely resembled the character from the Duck Comics if you ask me.
What happened to the plane they took to Japan? Did Launchpad just drop them off? If not why did they just fly home using the Gizmoduck suit and Boyd?
I like the girl in the Sailor Moon outfit.
The animation on the Astro Boy scenes was tight. Very well boarded. Not something I actually demand from the Ducks but I'll acknowledge they still did a good job.
I like that if Fenton just wants to use a gauntlet and not the whole suit he just needs to say the first part of the codeword.
Not a fan of action Duck toons but Gizmoduck (and a rare heartwarming ending for Gyro Gearloose) makes it tolerable. In fact I liked it. ****.
The Simpsons "Warrin' Priests, Part 2"
I said last week I'd have a more solid opinion of that episode this week. The verdict: That was all right with me.
Frankly, I expect to be lonely in liking this two-parter. I can picture the rants on No Homers about how when the Simpsons did a rare two-parter back in the day, it was a major deal in Who Shot Mr. Burns. And this and the Great Gatsby episode just don't justify stretching things out to two episodes. I have an alternate perspective to chew on. Two-parters on this show need to become more common. I don't like the fact that this is only the third one we've gotten in the show's 30-odd year history. If the show wants to stretch out an episode for ANY given topic, I approve. Fully.
And regardless of the fact that this two-parter didn't rely on a gimmick of a real cliffhanger I like the padded runtime because it meant the show could actually explore the topic and have the characters like Lisa discuss it. And Lisa's conversation with Brody at the end was so unusual for this show, and refreshing, and couldn't have happened with a tight 22 minute runtime. I like that the major scene of the episode was a philosophical discussion between Lisa and Brody and her telling him how he screwed up, why it was dumb, and him acknowledging that it was stupid. The thing about Lisa saying "Well, I'm 8, and I'd never do anything that stupid" is excellent, but Lisa doesn't realize or understand that she's fictional, and unlike every other 8 year old in the world. Brody doing something that dumb as a teenager is not unheard of. How many kids nowadays text pictures of their genitals to their classmates? Burning a Bible to make a subtle religious point is actually less stupid than that. And a person that age doing something that dumb, without thinking through the consequences of it, is quite realistic. If not relatable, because I DO think a person doing something that dumb isn't a person I'd hang out with. But there are dumb kids out there everywhere who think they are outrageous or profound and don't understand they're actually dumb and are just proving it with their antics.
I think the worst thing is that Brody still sought work as a preacher. He's asking to eventually get taken down in each town he goes to, and his and everyone else's hearts broken in every parish he ministers to when everyone learns the truth. There are other ways of serving God than being the guy on the pulpit. And the town was hurt because he didn't get that, and he let them down more than he should have. I think him choosing that vocation is actually quite selfish. I don't agree with Ned that he's a narcissist. But he's definitely not thinking about the long term health of any flock he preaches to with that in his past.
Lisa saying the town doesn't understand subtext, is a good point about Springfield, illustrated that their NPR station broadcasts wrestling. And yet, even though I appreciate the subtext myself, and understand what he was trying to do, even I don't think he should be a pastor after that. I might think differently if it was far in the past, and something nobody who knew him back then likes to talk about, but it's actually on tape. Once you see it, you can't forgive it if you're a Church-goer. And this is me speaking as someone who doesn't believe the Bible in and of itself means anything in relationship to the true nature of God and his existence. But I know enough about the subject that you can't expect a congregation to follow a pastor who has done that. It's unreasonable, whether it personally bothers me or not.
Love Homer taking an extra long second gulp for his double spit-take over Brody asking if he finds Flanders annoying. One of the interesting things about Homer to me is that over the years, his hatred of Flanders has stopped being irrational. I hate the character too now. And when Brody talks about Homer's innate goodness, the fact that he hates Flanders is something that proves his goodness. Because Flanders is awful.
I love Helen automatically be turned off by Lovejoy's train room suggestion. The guy does not know when to shut up. The episode proved that's common for all preachers, but most preachers aren't so bad at talking that they talk themselves out of getting laid by their wives. Lovejoy is a special kind of suck regarding preaching.
I didn't recognize what the Couch Gag was parodying. The Simpsons usually isn't more pop-culture savvy than I am. I appreciate it whenever it is.
Lisa and Brody's runner with the brick at the end was absolute golden. Great performances by Yeardley Smith and Pete Holmes. The comic timing was sublime. Interestingly, sublimely timed performances are more things the early seasons are more known for, especially because they had A Brooks around more. But that was great stuff right there.
I liked the episode a lot. Much more than I predicted I would. ****1/2.
Bob's Burgers "Poops!... I Didn't Do It Again"
I loved most of it but one part of it was so bad that the final grade is going to be lowered considerably.
I found Louise's fear about pooping in public bathrooms endearing and relatable, and something I almost never do either unless I absolutely have to. It's a very personal problem to give to a little girl, and it's something that immediately engenders sympathy with the audience, whether they have the problem or not. If it weren't such an intimate problem, the audience might not even care. But good lord, giving this to a little girl has resonance because it is so personal.
I liked that Bob overcame his fear to help her, and I liked Linda being the one to point out the obvious solution that Bob was too shortsighted to see. This IS a problem. But it's a problem they both decide to have. It's up to them to have it or not. I have it too, but I also recognize there are emergencies where I have to ignore my hang-up or there will be a mess. And I like that Linda was the one who pointed that out.
And we get to the thing I didn't like. It involved Linda, and it struck me as something Linda would have done in the earlier seasons, but I had mistakenly thought she had outgrown stuff like this. But as far as being a creative person goes, Linda has zero talent for anything. It's also something I hate about Gene, but I think that is supposed to be more of an actual character flaw with him. Here the show seems to expect me to find it funny. I don't. But basically everyone in the family thinks the banana sketch is awful. It is. But Linda's idea is to copy it, even knowing it's terrible. And somehow make it worse. That's her solution. And she also has no idea how to edit footage on a camera, send it to her parents, or even write a musical number herself. Gene got his lack of actual talent from his mother. I don't think Linda is being common sense or realistic for suggesting they forget it and get ice cream instead. I feel like she's wasted everyone's time. And that's something I hated about being a kid. Adults wasting my time. And it's something you had to put up with. There is no counter to that, objecting to it, or saying no. If an adult wants to do a stupid or embarrassing thing, you have to go along with it. Whatever I think about how foolish Linda is, I will concede the show has ALWAYS portrayed the unfairness of being a kid accurately, especially in a show where most of the adults are awful.
Here is something most adults refuse to admit to kids: Some parents ARE actually lame. Not every teenager who thinks that about their parents is insufferable and emo. Some of them of are actually right. And good lord, they sure do seem to exist on this show.
But in the end, as bad as that was, the episode still gets four stars for allowing Lousie the victory of feeding the sharks at the end. Linda being dumb doesn't take that away from her or the audience. I just wish the Linda stuff didn't exist. She wasn't just wasting the kids' time. She was wasting the audience's as well. ****.
Family Guy "Better Off Meg"
That was not great. I did not love that. But I will say this: I don't think the show understands its own strengths and weaknesses. Generally speaking, I have found in the recent seasons, the Meg episodes are the best ones. Stewie's also tend to be good, but both Peter and Lois episodes are always hit or miss, Chris episodes are forgettable, and Brian's are always uniformly awful. Meg's are always solid. I think probably because the character is written better and more consistently when the episode is focused on her instead of her being a punchline in the background. And usually her focus episodes are good because I relate to her problems of hating and being embarrassed by her family. Because I hate her family too, and I'd be embarrassed in her place. Really, the producers have no idea the value Meg holds to the show. Nothing says that more than the 100th Episode special Seth MacFarlane did back in the day trying to embarrass people who hate Family Guy on-camera. A woman said Meg was the only character she liked and MacFarlane's winks to the camera at how stupid this person is. But if you hate Family Guy and its characters, Meg is the only character worth liking, because she's the only one complains about how much they suck. Acting like "Oh, this is a Meg episode so here's clicker and no-one would blame you," shows a real cluelessness on Fuzzy Door's end about what makes worthwhile comedy and conflict.
I think Meg is usually underwritten and inconsistent from episode to episode, especially the ones that portray her as a sociopath as a joke. But Meg does not have to be a perfect character to have value as the show's contrarian. That used to be Brian's role, and once they turned him away from that, his character immediately went in the toilet. I don't understand why the show thinks the character that used to be like Brian when he was popular with the audience is measurably less interesting than current Brian, who the audience pretty much universally detests.
MacFarlane callously has explained in the past that since none of the writers knew how to write teenage girls, they made her a punching bag and punished her for it instead. Forget for a moment what this ultimately says about MacFarlane's morality. Let's presume Meg's role as the abused member of the family exists in a vacuum. While the writers are portraying the rest of the family as such loathsome maniacs, that automatically engenders sympathy from the audience for Meg. And the writers don't get that? They don't see how that is a good thing for the show? How Meg isn't a terrible character, but one of the show's actual selling points? One of the worst things about most television is it is unable to distinguish which plot turns that have permeated pop culture are good or bad. Most shows do every plot twist ever whether it works or not, just because every previous show has done the same things, and they feel obligated to do a take on an awful idea. So Family Guy is not unusual in not being able to recognize what does and doesn't work. What's troubling to me isn't that the show repeatedly goes back to bad ideas and tropes. Almost all shows do that. It's that it confuses its good tropes for the bad ones, which is not a problem most other shows suffer from. But most other shows aren't created or largely run by a sociopath like Seth MacFarlane. And I love The Orville and Cosmos, and this show and American Dad make me laugh sometimes, but I think the shakiness in quality for Seth MacFarlane cartoons ultimately boils down to the fact that he's clearly a terrible person. He's not dumb or a bad writer, but because he sucks, he doesn't really understand what is and isn't funny as much as a person who doesn't suck does. I adore this show's observational humor, and when it does realistic and funny dialogue. But ultimately I think the entrenched meanness is unnecessary, and wouldn't be a problem if MacFarlane weren't the sort of guy who dances around on stage at the Oscars and embarrasses actresses to their faces over having seen their boobs on-film, often in scenes depicting rape. That's not something a good person does. And repeatedly punishing a female character because you don't understand how to write them isn't either. And yet, because of that, Meg has become unexpectedly sympathetic and relatable, and nobody writing the show seems to quite realize what a gift that is, and treats having to include her in episodes as an annoyance. It's really not, and while I didn't much dig this episode, if it had been Brian in the exact same plot, I would have hated it.
Honestly, I think the show isn't too hard on Meg. What's it's too hard on is the important role she would be playing on the show if it were written by people who probably didn't attend and cheer Andrew Dice Clay concerts in the 1980's. Really. Enough is enough.
One last note (but I'll first mention I liked Joe's portion of the Quizno's card joke): Peter's "Stop crying" thing was a great observational joke. Honestly? What he is doing there is the reason people tell other people not to cry when they are upset. They aren't trying to make the person feel better. They are either annoyed and embarrassed and want it to stop. It's a totally jerky thing to do and almost everybody does it. Let me tell you I am proud to say I am one of the few people who never does that. I am probably not the greatest person in the world, but I at least never do that. And as terrible of people as the writers are, I find it interesting that they DO recognize that specific behavior as wrong. Because almost nobody in real life realizes it is.
But that was mostly a dud. Simpsons easily won the night. *1/2.
American Dad! "A Starboy Is Born"
Is The Weeknd the very first actor in Sethverse history to get a Special Guest Star credit? I seem to recall the cast of The Simpsons got one on the Family Guy crossover, but they all had to share it. Good for the Weeknd. Also good that he lacks enough vanity that he's willing to do the virgin jokes. Because it was hilarious.
Hayley feels dirty for having a virgin on top of her freebie list? What are you even mad about there, Hayley?
For the record, Jeff puts up with far too much of that woman's nonsense.
Do you know what? All joking aside, Klaus' biggest wish being a dinner with a woman who loves him is a really cool wish. I feel bad that Roger tricked him into revealing his misogyny later on in the episode. That's actually a really nice wish.
Yes, the Bubonic plague jokes are badly timed and ill-advised. But I'll say this for TBS. They actually aired them. Fox would have edited them out or held off the episode until the virus was no longer a hot topic. And that's not even a question. I think the show is worse on TBS than it is on Fox just because it's been on so long, and has gotten stale. But TBS treats it far better than Fox treats its shows.
I liked this week a lot. ****.
Transformers: Cyberverse "Enemy Line"
Man, I didn't like that.
Clobber was being nice and friendly and Bumblebee repaid her by violating the treaty. Optimus saying the Decepticons were holding an Autobot prisoner was b.s... Windblade wasn't a prisoner. She was a patient Slipstream saved when she didn't have to. It's amazing the Autobots are the ones overstepping their bounds and risking war for no good reason. It's also interesting Megatron lets it slide. I would not have in his place. I'm not saying I would have gone to war over it. But I would have raised a stink instead of accepting Optimus' bogus false equivalency.
Also I think the show is badly written for having Optimus thinking that it was easier making decisions during wartime. Because the decisions asked of him were actually easy. I think much less of him that he is unable to handle trivial matters. I don't find it relatable that Optimus is having trouble in peacetime. I find it stupid. What's amazing is that the franchise has always portrayed Optimus as the most level-headed and fair-minded character out of everybody. He should be a natural diplomat and absolutely the right personality for a peacetime leader. He should excel at this. And this is not the first Transformers show to suggest he sucks at it, which tells me the franchise doesn't understand its most important character at all, or even what the role of a leader during peacetime is or should be. It's super annoying to give the one character who should not have this specific flaw this flaw. I might have let it slide if this was the first project to suggest it. I'd think it was dumb, but I'd think the fact that it should be unusual and counterintuitive to his personality interesting on its own if it's just the once. Instead I just think the guy is incompetent deep down. And I don't like thinking that about Optimus Prime. All things considered, outside of Transformers Prime, I have never truly cared about this franchise. But Optimus' nobility was a definite selling point in every incarnation. And I'm a little bit annoyed that the later series refuse to give the character his due about that sort of thing.
Although in fairness to both the Aligned Continuity and the Prime Wars Trilogy, Optimus was never portrayed as absolutely incompetent as this, even if he was uncomfortable in peacetime. This show doesn't just feed into Optimus' worst character trait more than ever before. It's worse about it than every previous project as well.
Bad episode. *.
Transformers: Rescue Bots Academy "The Great Energon Rush"
It's only Grimlock. No need to be concerned. Counterpoint: Yikes!
It's interesting that this episode says that in the Aligned Continuity, the "Me Grimlock" thing is a busted voice circuit. Interesting because this is the first time he's actually said it. He never said it on Transformers: Robots in Disguise.
That was admittedly kind of cute. ***.
Transformers: Rescue Bots Academy "The Vault Of The Primes"
That was mostly boring but the last scene was interesting. Although I still hate Ratchet's new voice. **1/2.
The Blacklist "Brothers"
This episode is everything wrong with the show and the reason why I think when all is said and done, and the show finally ends, my opinion will probably be that this is more of a bad show than a good one. There are good things about the show. And there are good things about most of the shows I watch and review. But I think this particular show is a dud deep down and episodes like this are why.
Why am I supposed to root for Ressler getting away with this? He's a murderer. Why should he not have to go to prison for that? I understand that Red does stuff like this all the time. But he's a criminal and is considered a criminal. You can't have the supposed agents do stuff like this as if me being okay with Red means I'd be okay with an FBI agent doing these things. Also take note: Ressler was about to steal the file and have the UA killed until his brother talked him out of it.
And Ressler has been treating his brother terribly all season. After all that I had suspected it's because Ressler was forced to do something illegal to bail him out of a jam and resented him for it. It actually turning out to be the opposite makes me hate Ressler even more than I already did.
And Anthony Michael Hall is far too old to play Ressler's brother. He could play his father and I'd buy that easier.
And finally, of course Liz Keene refuses to let anyone else be the worst and most annoying character of the episode. Her making everything that happened in the episode about her is the reason I think Liz is currently the worst character on television that isn't on Riverdale. She is an absolute steaming dumpster fire of flaming turds.
This probably wasn't the worst episode of the series ever. But it felt like it was when I was watching it. 0.
The Tick "Lesson One: Think Quick!"
Love the Tick's new costume. Much closer to the Patrick Warburton version.
Maybe Arthur should have chosen a superhero name different from his actual one.
I laughed at Dangerboat referencing "As you wish" from The Princess Bride.
The Tick and Overkill's hug fight was funny.
Dot's reaction to Tick drinking coffee out of the pot was priceless. But why does she object to sharing the coffee after that and yet shares a bottle of whiskey with Overkill?
Her being concerned that the Tick hits Arthur is very interesting. Never considered that their relationship might be thought of as abusive.
The new TV-14 rating probably means no more f-bombs. Good.
Interesting that Overkill thinks his no-kill promise is a hindrance to his job. I know Sharpshooter's name hints he used lethal force too but it strikes me as odd that the Flag 5 would have allowed that.
Tick and Arthur being in the new Flag 5 is gonna be neat.
Jackie Earle Haley is apparently no longer on the show. Fine with me. Dude creeps me out in every role I've seen him in.
I predict I will like this season more than the first. We are already off to a better start. ****.
The Tick "A.E.G.I.S. And You"
Lobstercules is a good name. So is Edgelord.
The Molemen are referenced here.
I had no idea Dot was there for the death of her and Arthur's father and that she suffered trauma and survivor's guilt from it, but it makes total sense.
"If you want to be less confused, come with me." That's great.
John Hodgeman gettin' work.
I love that Tick broke the arm wrestling machine and was the first person to ever beat it. The look on Hobbes' face over that was great too.
For the record, Barium is nasty.
Things are black and white with Overkill because his eyes are cybernetic and he can't change the settings. Excellent!
That got tense so Dangerboat puts on some salsa music.
Superian getting ticked off at the end. Interesting that pundits suck no matter the universe.
Arthur being asked to keep tabs on the Tick sounds reasonable but probably isn't.
Decent episode. ****.
The Tick "Hot Beige!"
It's a spreevil! I love it. Selfish Shellfish is also great.
Superian is super needy.
I love that the Tick is delighted by shaking hands with Flexon.
Squeeze ya later! I want to be interrogated by the Tick.
Arthur's rejections only makes Dangerboat want him more.
The stuff with Overkill and Ty Rathbone was outright cool.
I love that the Tick refers to Dot and Arthur as "The kids" to Joan over the phone.
Two people named Joan on the series? That will get confusing.
I like Ms. Lint's new costume.
Arthur was both good and bad at undercover at the club.
Rathbone's black hole heart is alarming.
Solid. ***1/2.
The Tick "Blood And Cake"
That was a moving scene of acknowledging love between Dangerboat and Arthur. I was surprised at how much it touched me.
And it's interesting that it was Arthur who made the last ditch effort to save Dangerboat. If anything Arthur should feel uncomfortable and creeped out by Dangerboat's behavior towards him. Instead he feels sympathy which is a really cool and interesting thing. It's certainly not something I would feel, or at least not the primary thing I would feel. The fact that Arthur knows why Dangerboat is so "friendly" towards him, and isn't annoyed by it says that Arthur is a good person.
Speaking of which, that Superian advice really backfired, didn't it?
I will never get used to Hot Dot. Still I think it's super cool that she has the ability to undo Tick's No-Kill wish with Overkill. I'm wondering if there is something supernatural involved with the Code. Overkill doesn't seem to believe violating it is an option, when it totally is. Perhaps because of the tech in his body, he's unable to. I don't know. I don't expect to learn the logic of it by the end of the series but I'm interested anyways.
I love the 28th Amendment idea. It was cool in season 1, but I love the idea that somebody like Ms. Lint can abuse it for her own advantage. I also like that in this specific Universe, secret identities seem pretty easy for most people to guess. That's actually realistic. A mask would probably not fool many people who actually knew a given hero in their real life.
I liked the arguments everyone got into over who gets to decide how to mete out justice, and who gets to be the person who does it. It's an interesting argument I'd like to see followed up on at some point, although I don't expect so. Maybe if the series had lasted another season.
Human furniture is a truly sick idea. The bad guys on this show suck.
Surprisingly moving episode. Never expected that from this franchise. ****1/2.
The Tick "Magic Is Real"
Liz Vassey as Lobstercules?! Yes, please!
Lobstercules being a victim and a mother being blackmailed by the safety of her kids is an amazing twist. Also amazing is ending the episode with Joan Of Arc capturing her. That is perfect. I cannot say enough good things about that.
Bob is a great character and concept. Is she from the comics or the cartoon? It feels like I've seen her before.
Sage is cool too. Although the third nipple creeps me out.
Prediction: Superian is going to be the Big Bad. If not this season, he would have been had the show continued.
That was fantastic. Best episode so far. *****.
The Tick "Categorically Speaking"
Arthur's actual superpower is navigating red tape. That was a good meet/cute too.
I think the episode was pretty amazing. Superian is outright crazy. And the worst thing is that nobody stands up to him because no-one can actually stop him. But I don't think he's faced the Tick.
Doctor Agent Hobbes is clearly sinister, although Rathbone still strikes me as ambiguous. Tantalizing hints about Walter and why he hooked up with Joan, that I hope will be fully revealed by the end of the season.
The scene where the Tick holds his hand up to the cage and swears to protect Lobstercules' children was the thing that made the episode amazing for me. I would never have predicted this specific franchise could EVER hit me in the feels. But this shockingly did. I stand amazed and humbled.
Tinfoil Kevin's stuff with Dot was great too. I don't feel like good things are coming to that character and I need Dot to make the connection now to make whatever is obviously going to happen have resonance. But when he tells her AEGIS doesn't see Categories as human, and that when you start doing that bad things start to happen, I am aware those bad things are about to happen to him. I hope the pathos lives up to it. The set-up here indicates it will, but you never know.
Interestingly, my lukewarm opinion on Season 1 hasn't actually changed. It's the series itself that has gotten great. Me getting used to the show has nothing to do with that.
Another great episode. ****1/2.
The Tick "Lei-Lo, Ho!"
Big romantic moment for Dot and Overkill at the end. Even the funny "Drama!" chorus at the end couldn't undercut how big it was.
I'm really questioning why Wu looking exactly like Walter didn't raise any red flags for Dot last episode. She might have saved herself some future grief.
Either the idea of becoming a hero is driving Ms. Lint crazy, or something else is going on with the evil mirror double. I think something else is going on, but I could be wrong.
The dance party was fun because it was lame and everyone knows it's lame. We're allowed to enjoy it for once.
Lei-Lo Hotel. I just got that. I'm a dope.
That was good. ****.
The Tick "Joan!"
Everything important that happens in this episode happens in Arthur's apartment.
The stuff with his mother was great. And Walter's stuff was Dot was too. I'm glad it appears he's NOT a Black Hat after all. What I especially like is that his motivations for his secret and falling in love with Joan are rational instead of ludicrous. This is a very different take on the premise if only for that alone. '
John Wu. I like that.
I cannot decide if Superian is a sociopath of not. He's callous and doesn't seem to care about human beings. On the other hand he wants to do the right thing, and is trying to be a better person. It's just that I think he's doing that for all the wrong reasons. I still predict he's the Big Bad of the entire series. If I'm wrong by the finale I'm confident it would have happened in a future season had the series not been canceled.
Good stuff. ****.
The Tick "In The Woods"
Dire and excellent ending. The drama and pathos of the moment landed perfectly.
Did not actually expect Hobbes to be the Duke himself, but in hindsight, there is no-one else he could be.
It's interesting that even though he died, Rathbone WAS actually on the right side.
I love Tick's scenes with Walter, because it is very clear how fond Walter is of the Tick. He clearly adores him and that makes me adore Walter.
So maybe Ms. Lint is crazy after all. If so, it's crazy in a good way.
Have to watch the finale now. ****1/2.
The Tick "Choose Love!"
That last scene says we were robbed of a cool season 3. And yes, Superian would have been the Big Bad.
Superian answers the question of what would happen if Superman were emotionally stunted and needy. It's not a good look or answer.
I like the idea that Ms. Lint saved the day by resorting to villainy and betrayal. She's a hero and a villain at the same time, which is exactly the right place to leave off the character.
The drama with Hobbes and his disgusting views, and the "They won't" romance between Dot and Overkill, it's just all great.
And I love that the Tick takes the pounding from Lobstercules because he refuses to fight an innocent mom. I love that.
I love that the Tick's role was properly large for the finale, and the fact that last finale he seemed a supporting player is why last year sucked. His role in the finale is basically the episode's title. He's the moral center and gets everyone to embrace the sap. And I don't want to hear any complaints from cynical fans complaining that this episode was too sappy. That's not an actual legit complaint. Sappiness has its place. And it was well-done and earned here. Good and unusual writing from Ben Edlund here.
I am a little embarrassed yet glad my elaborate theory about Kevin being a sacrificial lamb to motivate the good guys to win was wrong. Here was my problem. I accepted the darkness the show was showing us at face value. The finale let us know the show is a lot more optimistic than I gave the series credit for. But after the gutsplattering violence last season can you blame my confusion? My theory presupposed that Kevin's potential death is an example of good writing set-up. Perhaps it's actually better writing that the show doesn't feel the need to kill him off at all.
The ending was super happy all around. Even Rathbone came back. And Sage notes, that's totally gonna be a thing in the future (or it would have been). And the family forgives, loves, and accepts Walter as one of their own. I am glad to have gotten closure about that bit at least.
Disappointed Arthur being forced to keep tabs on the Tick was never addressed. But maybe it's better that they didn't.
At least we got the "Spoooooon!" battle-cry in the last episode.
I wish this show had lasted longer. But a Tick show wouldn't be a Tick show if it weren't royally screwed by the network and canceled too soon. Frankly, that seems to be part of the mystique. We at least got more out of this than Patrick Warburton's version. But this also ended too soon. ****1/2.
Batwoman: "If You Believe In Me, I'll Believe In You"
Mary is on Team Bat! Yay!
Loved Kate's gloating tour when she visited Tommy Elliot.
Speaking of which, I would have thought Alice would have figured out Bruce Wayne was Batman long ago. But the reveal here was better because the look in her eyes said "That explains a LOT!" Very well acted by Rachel Skarsten.
I like Kate asking her ex if she could hear a little whine in her ear. Excellent shade against Luke.
It was kind of neat to see Tommy get the Hush bandages but that was actually a very badly written plot point. Does Alice truly believe they won't do an autopsy on the Elliot double and find out he didn't hang himself, or even more likely, discover the face was a mask? What bothered me the most about this idea is that it probably didn't occur to the writers at all which is like storytelling malpractice. I would respect the show if this is how Alice was caught. But knowing she would get away with this specific thing made it unacceptable instead. I don't believe the old saying that a thousand monkeys with a thousand typewriters will eventually tap out the complete of works of Shakespeare. But they probably could have typed out that scene. Or an above average episode of Riverdale.
I'm still amazed Alice thinks she can worm sympathy and favors from Jacob. How does she not get that because she's a serial killer, her daddy can't sweep her actions under the rug? It's actually kind of weird that she thinks he should. And instead of committing to reform to earn his trust so he'll change his mind about her down the line she immediately threatens to torture him and make him suffer, thereby proving her insincerity. And she does this EVERY time and wonders why she never gets a different response. I think Alice is dumb.
Alice doesn't give a hoot and Mary doesn't give a feel. And I am painfully reminded this show is broadcast television. Although it amazes me how far gay sex scenes are now allowed to progress. You used to not even be able to show kissing when I was a kid.
The Crimson Knight? I actually like that.
Didn't see Reagan being a Black Hat or her being Magpie's sister coming. Julia potentially being dirty was also a surprise.
Outside of the dumb Tommy Elliot fake suicide that was okay. ***.
Supergirl "Deus Lex Machina"
Great episode title.
The Luthors are the one corner of the Arrowverse Oliver Queen neglected to clean up when he rebooted the Universe. I don't care if the Monitor owed Lex a favor, he was dead. Oliver should have put it right.
I liked seeing the footage of Brandon Routh and Tom Welling from Crisis On Infinite Earths.
I love Lex promising to carrying out all of Eve's dirty work. She didn't seem to understand that actually makes him a bad guy which is why I think she's an idiot.
Lex's plan against Leviathan doesn't actually suck, which is something I like.
How dumb is Eve? She thinks the lab mice are cute and instantly gets attached. Did I mention she's an idiot?
Lex asks if Lillian questions his will. If she doesn't I will. His Superman obsession is a weakness and proves how petty and small his will actually is. It's why he's going to lose. Him calling it inspiration is outright delusional. It's why he sucks.
I liked Lena's tentative sympathies to Kara and I like that Lex didn't. Of course she overreacts to Supergirl using Myriad, but frankly Kara SHOULDN'T be using it. Lena isn't actually wrong to be upset. She goes too far in believing it to be a personal betrayal, but Kara's still a hypocrite.
Lex killed Jeremiah? I could have sworn that was Dean Cain's online behavior.
I didn't bother reading the opening credits so M'Gann's appearance was a surprise.
Lex's plan against Leviathan is good but his treatment of Tess is completely counterproductive. She's already devoted to him. He could have let her down gently and she'd still serve him faithfully. Instead he has to rub her nose in how much smarter than her he is and now she has an actual excuse to turn against him when the time is right. Stuff like that is why I hate this version of Lex Luthor. He's unnecessarily cruel because he enjoys it, and is too dumb to understand it will ultimately hinder his goals. I don't know what Kevin Smith is smoking by praising Jon Cryer so highly on the Crisis Aftershow recently. The Arrowverse probably contains my least favorite Lex Luthor ever.
But everything else was all right. I'm curious how the aborted season will actually be able to wrap up.***1/2.
ThunderCats Roar! "Summer Fun Day!"
I like the subtext at the beginning that the repeated battles with the Mutants on the old show wound up feeling like a chore. Because they kind of did.
The Crabmen had the coolest design back in the 1980's.
I like the idea that violence is their way of making friends and to beat them you have to be nice to them. It also led to a hilarious "Hold on, TigerSharks" cameo.
Solid. ****.
ThunderCats Roar! "Safari Joe"
Like all 1980's action cartoons, ThunderCats was terrible. What I do not get is how a show that bad came up with a character as great as Safari Joe. His catchphrase is genius. And yet, he's never caught on in popular culture. Family Guy hasn't referenced him once. I'm not sure, but maybe Robot Chicken did, but almost nothing else has ever given this hilarious and hilariously annoying character his media due. It's shocking.
This episode was great, especially Cheetara revealing the traps were escape pods. One of the best things about Safari Joe on the original series is that he he only returned once or twice. The character IS super annoying, as great as he is, and making him a regularly recurring foe would be obnoxious. They knew enough not to overdo him. Will this show do the same? Considering how deliberately annoying this show tries to be, I suspect not.
Speaking of deliberately annoying, I love Slithe telling Vultureman if he REALLY has a problem with Cheetara's podcast, he could choose not to watch. That is a giant middle finger to every single one of this show's critics and as far as I'm concerned, it's a welcome one.
That was fun. *****.
ThunderCats Roar! "Ratar-O"
Man, Ratar-O had the coolest ship and twin daggers on the old show, and it was cool to see them return.
I like how Monkian's Lady Snarf disguise turned from "Rejected" to "Thinkin' about it..."
I love how embarrassed Slithe was at how easy the ThunderCats were for Ratar-O to beat. I swear they are usually MUCH harder!
I love the show making fun of how the characters could breathe in space on the original series. That show was super dumb. Even for 80's weekday afternoons.
Worsties for life! Heh. ****.
ThunderCats Roar! "Prince Starling's Quest"
That was a very disturbing ending. It was supposed to be so I won't dock any points over it.
I like that the wasp stinger has a bone sticking out of it for a handle.
The King of the Toads looks like Jabba the Hutt.
Starling defeated a bird and took his name. I like that.
It was an interesting episode but the end was creepy. ***1/2.
ThunderCats Roar! "Lion-S"
Lion-S. Lioness. Get it?
That was fun and it was neat to see Mandora again. But Lion-O is a total sap. ***1/2.
DuckTales "Astro B.O.Y.D.!"
That was sweet. I appreciate that it was Gyro who talked Boyd down rather than Huey. His younger persona more closely resembled the character from the Duck Comics if you ask me.
What happened to the plane they took to Japan? Did Launchpad just drop them off? If not why did they just fly home using the Gizmoduck suit and Boyd?
I like the girl in the Sailor Moon outfit.
The animation on the Astro Boy scenes was tight. Very well boarded. Not something I actually demand from the Ducks but I'll acknowledge they still did a good job.
I like that if Fenton just wants to use a gauntlet and not the whole suit he just needs to say the first part of the codeword.
Not a fan of action Duck toons but Gizmoduck (and a rare heartwarming ending for Gyro Gearloose) makes it tolerable. In fact I liked it. ****.
The Simpsons "Warrin' Priests, Part 2"
I said last week I'd have a more solid opinion of that episode this week. The verdict: That was all right with me.
Frankly, I expect to be lonely in liking this two-parter. I can picture the rants on No Homers about how when the Simpsons did a rare two-parter back in the day, it was a major deal in Who Shot Mr. Burns. And this and the Great Gatsby episode just don't justify stretching things out to two episodes. I have an alternate perspective to chew on. Two-parters on this show need to become more common. I don't like the fact that this is only the third one we've gotten in the show's 30-odd year history. If the show wants to stretch out an episode for ANY given topic, I approve. Fully.
And regardless of the fact that this two-parter didn't rely on a gimmick of a real cliffhanger I like the padded runtime because it meant the show could actually explore the topic and have the characters like Lisa discuss it. And Lisa's conversation with Brody at the end was so unusual for this show, and refreshing, and couldn't have happened with a tight 22 minute runtime. I like that the major scene of the episode was a philosophical discussion between Lisa and Brody and her telling him how he screwed up, why it was dumb, and him acknowledging that it was stupid. The thing about Lisa saying "Well, I'm 8, and I'd never do anything that stupid" is excellent, but Lisa doesn't realize or understand that she's fictional, and unlike every other 8 year old in the world. Brody doing something that dumb as a teenager is not unheard of. How many kids nowadays text pictures of their genitals to their classmates? Burning a Bible to make a subtle religious point is actually less stupid than that. And a person that age doing something that dumb, without thinking through the consequences of it, is quite realistic. If not relatable, because I DO think a person doing something that dumb isn't a person I'd hang out with. But there are dumb kids out there everywhere who think they are outrageous or profound and don't understand they're actually dumb and are just proving it with their antics.
I think the worst thing is that Brody still sought work as a preacher. He's asking to eventually get taken down in each town he goes to, and his and everyone else's hearts broken in every parish he ministers to when everyone learns the truth. There are other ways of serving God than being the guy on the pulpit. And the town was hurt because he didn't get that, and he let them down more than he should have. I think him choosing that vocation is actually quite selfish. I don't agree with Ned that he's a narcissist. But he's definitely not thinking about the long term health of any flock he preaches to with that in his past.
Lisa saying the town doesn't understand subtext, is a good point about Springfield, illustrated that their NPR station broadcasts wrestling. And yet, even though I appreciate the subtext myself, and understand what he was trying to do, even I don't think he should be a pastor after that. I might think differently if it was far in the past, and something nobody who knew him back then likes to talk about, but it's actually on tape. Once you see it, you can't forgive it if you're a Church-goer. And this is me speaking as someone who doesn't believe the Bible in and of itself means anything in relationship to the true nature of God and his existence. But I know enough about the subject that you can't expect a congregation to follow a pastor who has done that. It's unreasonable, whether it personally bothers me or not.
Love Homer taking an extra long second gulp for his double spit-take over Brody asking if he finds Flanders annoying. One of the interesting things about Homer to me is that over the years, his hatred of Flanders has stopped being irrational. I hate the character too now. And when Brody talks about Homer's innate goodness, the fact that he hates Flanders is something that proves his goodness. Because Flanders is awful.
I love Helen automatically be turned off by Lovejoy's train room suggestion. The guy does not know when to shut up. The episode proved that's common for all preachers, but most preachers aren't so bad at talking that they talk themselves out of getting laid by their wives. Lovejoy is a special kind of suck regarding preaching.
I didn't recognize what the Couch Gag was parodying. The Simpsons usually isn't more pop-culture savvy than I am. I appreciate it whenever it is.
Lisa and Brody's runner with the brick at the end was absolute golden. Great performances by Yeardley Smith and Pete Holmes. The comic timing was sublime. Interestingly, sublimely timed performances are more things the early seasons are more known for, especially because they had A Brooks around more. But that was great stuff right there.
I liked the episode a lot. Much more than I predicted I would. ****1/2.
Bob's Burgers "Poops!... I Didn't Do It Again"
I loved most of it but one part of it was so bad that the final grade is going to be lowered considerably.
I found Louise's fear about pooping in public bathrooms endearing and relatable, and something I almost never do either unless I absolutely have to. It's a very personal problem to give to a little girl, and it's something that immediately engenders sympathy with the audience, whether they have the problem or not. If it weren't such an intimate problem, the audience might not even care. But good lord, giving this to a little girl has resonance because it is so personal.
I liked that Bob overcame his fear to help her, and I liked Linda being the one to point out the obvious solution that Bob was too shortsighted to see. This IS a problem. But it's a problem they both decide to have. It's up to them to have it or not. I have it too, but I also recognize there are emergencies where I have to ignore my hang-up or there will be a mess. And I like that Linda was the one who pointed that out.
And we get to the thing I didn't like. It involved Linda, and it struck me as something Linda would have done in the earlier seasons, but I had mistakenly thought she had outgrown stuff like this. But as far as being a creative person goes, Linda has zero talent for anything. It's also something I hate about Gene, but I think that is supposed to be more of an actual character flaw with him. Here the show seems to expect me to find it funny. I don't. But basically everyone in the family thinks the banana sketch is awful. It is. But Linda's idea is to copy it, even knowing it's terrible. And somehow make it worse. That's her solution. And she also has no idea how to edit footage on a camera, send it to her parents, or even write a musical number herself. Gene got his lack of actual talent from his mother. I don't think Linda is being common sense or realistic for suggesting they forget it and get ice cream instead. I feel like she's wasted everyone's time. And that's something I hated about being a kid. Adults wasting my time. And it's something you had to put up with. There is no counter to that, objecting to it, or saying no. If an adult wants to do a stupid or embarrassing thing, you have to go along with it. Whatever I think about how foolish Linda is, I will concede the show has ALWAYS portrayed the unfairness of being a kid accurately, especially in a show where most of the adults are awful.
Here is something most adults refuse to admit to kids: Some parents ARE actually lame. Not every teenager who thinks that about their parents is insufferable and emo. Some of them of are actually right. And good lord, they sure do seem to exist on this show.
But in the end, as bad as that was, the episode still gets four stars for allowing Lousie the victory of feeding the sharks at the end. Linda being dumb doesn't take that away from her or the audience. I just wish the Linda stuff didn't exist. She wasn't just wasting the kids' time. She was wasting the audience's as well. ****.
Family Guy "Better Off Meg"
That was not great. I did not love that. But I will say this: I don't think the show understands its own strengths and weaknesses. Generally speaking, I have found in the recent seasons, the Meg episodes are the best ones. Stewie's also tend to be good, but both Peter and Lois episodes are always hit or miss, Chris episodes are forgettable, and Brian's are always uniformly awful. Meg's are always solid. I think probably because the character is written better and more consistently when the episode is focused on her instead of her being a punchline in the background. And usually her focus episodes are good because I relate to her problems of hating and being embarrassed by her family. Because I hate her family too, and I'd be embarrassed in her place. Really, the producers have no idea the value Meg holds to the show. Nothing says that more than the 100th Episode special Seth MacFarlane did back in the day trying to embarrass people who hate Family Guy on-camera. A woman said Meg was the only character she liked and MacFarlane's winks to the camera at how stupid this person is. But if you hate Family Guy and its characters, Meg is the only character worth liking, because she's the only one complains about how much they suck. Acting like "Oh, this is a Meg episode so here's clicker and no-one would blame you," shows a real cluelessness on Fuzzy Door's end about what makes worthwhile comedy and conflict.
I think Meg is usually underwritten and inconsistent from episode to episode, especially the ones that portray her as a sociopath as a joke. But Meg does not have to be a perfect character to have value as the show's contrarian. That used to be Brian's role, and once they turned him away from that, his character immediately went in the toilet. I don't understand why the show thinks the character that used to be like Brian when he was popular with the audience is measurably less interesting than current Brian, who the audience pretty much universally detests.
MacFarlane callously has explained in the past that since none of the writers knew how to write teenage girls, they made her a punching bag and punished her for it instead. Forget for a moment what this ultimately says about MacFarlane's morality. Let's presume Meg's role as the abused member of the family exists in a vacuum. While the writers are portraying the rest of the family as such loathsome maniacs, that automatically engenders sympathy from the audience for Meg. And the writers don't get that? They don't see how that is a good thing for the show? How Meg isn't a terrible character, but one of the show's actual selling points? One of the worst things about most television is it is unable to distinguish which plot turns that have permeated pop culture are good or bad. Most shows do every plot twist ever whether it works or not, just because every previous show has done the same things, and they feel obligated to do a take on an awful idea. So Family Guy is not unusual in not being able to recognize what does and doesn't work. What's troubling to me isn't that the show repeatedly goes back to bad ideas and tropes. Almost all shows do that. It's that it confuses its good tropes for the bad ones, which is not a problem most other shows suffer from. But most other shows aren't created or largely run by a sociopath like Seth MacFarlane. And I love The Orville and Cosmos, and this show and American Dad make me laugh sometimes, but I think the shakiness in quality for Seth MacFarlane cartoons ultimately boils down to the fact that he's clearly a terrible person. He's not dumb or a bad writer, but because he sucks, he doesn't really understand what is and isn't funny as much as a person who doesn't suck does. I adore this show's observational humor, and when it does realistic and funny dialogue. But ultimately I think the entrenched meanness is unnecessary, and wouldn't be a problem if MacFarlane weren't the sort of guy who dances around on stage at the Oscars and embarrasses actresses to their faces over having seen their boobs on-film, often in scenes depicting rape. That's not something a good person does. And repeatedly punishing a female character because you don't understand how to write them isn't either. And yet, because of that, Meg has become unexpectedly sympathetic and relatable, and nobody writing the show seems to quite realize what a gift that is, and treats having to include her in episodes as an annoyance. It's really not, and while I didn't much dig this episode, if it had been Brian in the exact same plot, I would have hated it.
Honestly, I think the show isn't too hard on Meg. What's it's too hard on is the important role she would be playing on the show if it were written by people who probably didn't attend and cheer Andrew Dice Clay concerts in the 1980's. Really. Enough is enough.
One last note (but I'll first mention I liked Joe's portion of the Quizno's card joke): Peter's "Stop crying" thing was a great observational joke. Honestly? What he is doing there is the reason people tell other people not to cry when they are upset. They aren't trying to make the person feel better. They are either annoyed and embarrassed and want it to stop. It's a totally jerky thing to do and almost everybody does it. Let me tell you I am proud to say I am one of the few people who never does that. I am probably not the greatest person in the world, but I at least never do that. And as terrible of people as the writers are, I find it interesting that they DO recognize that specific behavior as wrong. Because almost nobody in real life realizes it is.
But that was mostly a dud. Simpsons easily won the night. *1/2.
American Dad! "A Starboy Is Born"
Is The Weeknd the very first actor in Sethverse history to get a Special Guest Star credit? I seem to recall the cast of The Simpsons got one on the Family Guy crossover, but they all had to share it. Good for the Weeknd. Also good that he lacks enough vanity that he's willing to do the virgin jokes. Because it was hilarious.
Hayley feels dirty for having a virgin on top of her freebie list? What are you even mad about there, Hayley?
For the record, Jeff puts up with far too much of that woman's nonsense.
Do you know what? All joking aside, Klaus' biggest wish being a dinner with a woman who loves him is a really cool wish. I feel bad that Roger tricked him into revealing his misogyny later on in the episode. That's actually a really nice wish.
Yes, the Bubonic plague jokes are badly timed and ill-advised. But I'll say this for TBS. They actually aired them. Fox would have edited them out or held off the episode until the virus was no longer a hot topic. And that's not even a question. I think the show is worse on TBS than it is on Fox just because it's been on so long, and has gotten stale. But TBS treats it far better than Fox treats its shows.
I liked this week a lot. ****.
Transformers: Cyberverse "Enemy Line"
Man, I didn't like that.
Clobber was being nice and friendly and Bumblebee repaid her by violating the treaty. Optimus saying the Decepticons were holding an Autobot prisoner was b.s... Windblade wasn't a prisoner. She was a patient Slipstream saved when she didn't have to. It's amazing the Autobots are the ones overstepping their bounds and risking war for no good reason. It's also interesting Megatron lets it slide. I would not have in his place. I'm not saying I would have gone to war over it. But I would have raised a stink instead of accepting Optimus' bogus false equivalency.
Also I think the show is badly written for having Optimus thinking that it was easier making decisions during wartime. Because the decisions asked of him were actually easy. I think much less of him that he is unable to handle trivial matters. I don't find it relatable that Optimus is having trouble in peacetime. I find it stupid. What's amazing is that the franchise has always portrayed Optimus as the most level-headed and fair-minded character out of everybody. He should be a natural diplomat and absolutely the right personality for a peacetime leader. He should excel at this. And this is not the first Transformers show to suggest he sucks at it, which tells me the franchise doesn't understand its most important character at all, or even what the role of a leader during peacetime is or should be. It's super annoying to give the one character who should not have this specific flaw this flaw. I might have let it slide if this was the first project to suggest it. I'd think it was dumb, but I'd think the fact that it should be unusual and counterintuitive to his personality interesting on its own if it's just the once. Instead I just think the guy is incompetent deep down. And I don't like thinking that about Optimus Prime. All things considered, outside of Transformers Prime, I have never truly cared about this franchise. But Optimus' nobility was a definite selling point in every incarnation. And I'm a little bit annoyed that the later series refuse to give the character his due about that sort of thing.
Although in fairness to both the Aligned Continuity and the Prime Wars Trilogy, Optimus was never portrayed as absolutely incompetent as this, even if he was uncomfortable in peacetime. This show doesn't just feed into Optimus' worst character trait more than ever before. It's worse about it than every previous project as well.
Bad episode. *.
Transformers: Rescue Bots Academy "The Great Energon Rush"
It's only Grimlock. No need to be concerned. Counterpoint: Yikes!
It's interesting that this episode says that in the Aligned Continuity, the "Me Grimlock" thing is a busted voice circuit. Interesting because this is the first time he's actually said it. He never said it on Transformers: Robots in Disguise.
That was admittedly kind of cute. ***.
Transformers: Rescue Bots Academy "The Vault Of The Primes"
That was mostly boring but the last scene was interesting. Although I still hate Ratchet's new voice. **1/2.
The Blacklist "Brothers"
This episode is everything wrong with the show and the reason why I think when all is said and done, and the show finally ends, my opinion will probably be that this is more of a bad show than a good one. There are good things about the show. And there are good things about most of the shows I watch and review. But I think this particular show is a dud deep down and episodes like this are why.
Why am I supposed to root for Ressler getting away with this? He's a murderer. Why should he not have to go to prison for that? I understand that Red does stuff like this all the time. But he's a criminal and is considered a criminal. You can't have the supposed agents do stuff like this as if me being okay with Red means I'd be okay with an FBI agent doing these things. Also take note: Ressler was about to steal the file and have the UA killed until his brother talked him out of it.
And Ressler has been treating his brother terribly all season. After all that I had suspected it's because Ressler was forced to do something illegal to bail him out of a jam and resented him for it. It actually turning out to be the opposite makes me hate Ressler even more than I already did.
And Anthony Michael Hall is far too old to play Ressler's brother. He could play his father and I'd buy that easier.
And finally, of course Liz Keene refuses to let anyone else be the worst and most annoying character of the episode. Her making everything that happened in the episode about her is the reason I think Liz is currently the worst character on television that isn't on Riverdale. She is an absolute steaming dumpster fire of flaming turds.
This probably wasn't the worst episode of the series ever. But it felt like it was when I was watching it. 0.