Hello and welcome back to Last Week in TV. Remember how I was going to get totally caught up on my TV viewing over this break? HA! That didn’t happen. I did get closer though. How were your holidays (if you celebrated)? Did you do any TV catch up as shows were on a short break? How many of your shows have already gone on winter hiatus? I'm especially looking forward to this hiatus because I have some great shows I am going to try out. Speaking of, shameless plug - I do the Pitch Your Favorite Low-Rated Show article each midseason hiatus. If you have a show that isn't getting the best ratings and you'd like to inspire others to check that show out, I encourage you to nominate it for the article. All you have to do is tell people why you think the show is worth their time to check out. It's a great way to encourage new people to try the show and gives you a chance to extol its virtues. Be thinking now of the shows you want to include.
As for this week, I didn't realize until late that I never had the random number generator choose a nominated show. Therefore I concentrated on catching up instead. This week the nominated show is Doctor Who and it's taking me back to the Tennant years. He's my favorite Doctor. If you would like to nominate a show for me to watch, please fill out the short 2 question form. I will NOT review any of the following shows again this season, so please hold off nominating them until the 2016-2017 TV season: Nashville, Jane the Virgin, NCIS, The Americans, and The Vampire Diaries. I only review a show once a season and they have already been done, so I automatically scrap any of those nominations. I also will not review anything that is normally covered by our guest reviewers since they are doing such a fantastic job already. Other than that, nominate away. Sometimes the best shows are the off-beat ones that I have never heard of or never had time for in previous years, like Hustle and Merlin. Sometimes they are the ones that totally surprise me, like Dexter, which I never expected to enjoy. Basically I am looking to add a little variety into my TV diet and your nominations help me explore shows I normally would not.
Thanks to everyone who nominates, comments, and participates in this column in any way. I am definitely thankful for you. Until next week, happy TV viewing.
Episode of the Week
Like the premiere, this episode opens with a splat..as in the splat that dozens of bleeding bodies hitting the floor make. The action only intensifies from there. I like the introduction of Matilda and hope she continues to play a part in the story. It's interesting to see what life is like under the Widow too. I hope they keep expanding to the other barons so we can see more of the world. All in all, this is a good follow-up to the pilot and is looking to be the most action-filled show of the season. If you like action and haven't checked this show out, try it.
Grade: B+
Best Reason to Watch - all the lovely action of course
Best Scene - Tilda fights MK and is sympathetic to him
Best and Most Unrealistic Action - Sunny verses everyone
Best Reaction - Matilda to killing the guy and seeing MK watch her do it
Biggest Psycho - Quinn, who brags about his first kill to Sunny and who kills the messenger, aka the doctor and his wife
Biggest Surprise - MK saves Sunny
Biggest Gamble - Tilda fools her mother into thinking MK is just a normal boy
Most Kick Butt - the Widow
Most Interesting Fashion Choice - bustle that holds swords
Worst Excuse for a Peep Show - both the Widow and Matilda watch MK as he bathes
The "Well That's Too Bad" Award - Sunny doesn't allow Ryder to die
The "Awww, He Made a Friend" Award - MK meets Matilda, who helps him escape into the Widow's land
Best Quotes -
1. Waldo: "Sunny, you know what's out there beyond our borders? A big sack full of stories. It's a wasteland…no, no, it's a paradise. It's a…whatever. Nobody knows what is and ain't true."
2. The Widow: "Relax. If I came here to kill you, we wouldn't be talking."
3. Waldo: "What's out there?" Sunny: "Freedom." Waldo: "Ulh, overrated. People don't really want to be free. Besides, it's an illusion. I mean, you take my birds. Oh they just love flying free, but every night they fly on home to their cages where it's safe and warm."
4. Veil: "He took my family." Sunny: "I'm your family now and I'm going to protect you, both of you. I don't know how or when but we're getting out of the Badlands."
5. Widow: "MK, everyone in our family must learn to fight. I've asked Tilda to begin your training." MK: "I'm not interested." Widow: "It's not a request."
Guest Reviews
Since most shows were off for the holiday, there were no regular guest reviews this week. However, Michaela was kind enough to answer some questions about The Librarians for me and since there wasn't enough response for a full roundtable article, I decided to place it here. Thanks so much Michaela for helping out!
BY Michaela
What was your favorite thing about episode 2.04, ...And the Cost of Education?
I loved the scene where they found out that the monster fed on ego and everyone at the table turned to look at Ezekiel and they used him as bait. It was especially funny that he couldn't self-start when it came to coming up with reasons why he was so awesome so he had to have Jacob constantly egging him on. It was a nice, fun scene between the two characters and I like that they acknowledged Ezekiel's flaws instead of just indulging him.
If you could change anything about episode 2.04, what would it be?
I wish they'd done a bit more with the frat and shown Ezekiel trying to bro down with people his age and possibly even trying out an American accent. It's never not funny to me when people do an accent intentionally terribly and frat bros are hilarious to make fun of.
This episode brings up the debate of whether magic should be locked up or if the public has a right to know. Would you prefer The Librarians continue to try to keep people in the dark about magic or would you like the show to portray magic as more universal?
I liked the debate because it's something I had never thought of before the show brought it up. I never thought I'd say this, but I like Cassandra's idea to make The Library a place of knowledge for people who want to learn more about magic and educate themselves. I don't think they should tell everyone about it, but if people find them and ask about it, I don't think they should try to trick them and pretend magic doesn't exist.
Lucy is like a Cassandra Mini-Me. What did you think of this character? Would you like to see more of her?
I'm not the biggest fan of Cassandra, but I didn't mind Lucy. I liked that she was self-sufficient and aware of magic without being evil. I'd like to see more of her in the future at some time, but I don't want the show to turn her and Cassandra into the new Flynn-Eve romantic plot black hole. I'd also rather see Bruce Campbell as Santa again, if we're bringing characters back.
What grade would you give episode 2.04?
Probably an A or an A-. I really liked this episode. It's one of my favorite episodes this season. I don't think this season has been as creative as last season was, but hopefully they'll get there before the season ends.
What was your favorite thing about episode 2.05, ...And the Hollow Men?
I really liked the fake Morse code they used in the episode and that the person who captured Flynn was smart enough to figure out what he was doing. Oftentimes, the villains the Librarians face are a step behind unless they're the Big Bad, so it was refreshing to see a minor villain who was actually semi-competent and not just powerful but bumbling.
If you could change anything about episode 2.05, what would it be?
I wish there was more character development for people who weren't Flynn. He's gotten more character development than everyone else and he's been in far fewer episodes. Ezekiel and Cassandra are still kind of caricatures, so I wish the character development had gone to them and not to Flynn again. I also wish they'd cast someone different to play Ray. This version was just too angry and all over the place for me and I would have thought the library would be more dignified and knowledgeable.
In this episode, Ray was the human embodiment of the library. How did you feel about them making the library human? What did you think of Flynn's interaction with Ray?
The storyline with Ray as the embodiment as the library seemed a little haphazard and thrown together for me. I dislike that he seemed as confused and harried as the library itself was and I wish he had been a bit more strange and nerdy like a less blatantly quirky version of Flynn. I'm not a huge Whovian, but I think Doctor Who did a much better job of portraying the personification of the Tardis than The Librarians did with their portrayal of the library.
Following the same format as last year, Flynn returns in the 5th episode after being gone in episodes 3 and 4. Unlike last year, this episode was highly Flynn-centric in much of the screen time and plot. How do you feel about the timing of the episode and did you like the Flynn focus?
Flynn's a bit too over the top for me, so I would have liked him to be a bit more toned down or slightly less foregrounded. I don't really know who would have been a better fit with the personified library though except for maybe Eve or Jenkins. His constant romance with Eve is getting to be a bit too much, so I wish The Librarians could find a way to include Flynn without having it seem too shoehorned in or without needing a romantic plotline to justify his presence. They should probably either save his appearances for especially hard to defeat villains or at least figure out how to make the villains play to his specific skills. Right now, I don't really know what he offers other than his long experience as a librarian, so the episodes that include him seem a bit more random and messy than they should.
What grade would you give episode 2.05? Why?
B-, I didn't hate the episode, but I think the writers could have found a way to make it more cohesive and less all over the place between Flynn's storyline and everyone else's. I also don't need to hear about Flynn's emotional armor right now because he's been in less than half the episodes and already got his own movies to himself, so it would have been nice for the character development to have gone to a different character. I also would have thought Flynn would have been competent enough not to get knocked unconscious and then captured.
Weekly Shows
Agent X is one of the few shows where I like the case of the week better than the overall conspiracy. Sadly, neither part really worked for me this time. I have trouble understanding why no one just shot El Diablo, much less how they believed that he was protected by an Aztec god. It seemed over the top. The conspiracy to take down the President is also. There are so many ways to upset a presidency these days and the simple fact is that no president stays in power for long. Why make such a fuss when the Constitution will change power fairly quickly anyway? This presumably worldwide conspiracy needs better timing and I don't need yet another worldwide conspiracy show. I'd much prefer to get back to the straight up action and take down one bad guy a week.
Grade: C
Best Reason to Watch - Luna was a great
Best Reason to Fast Forward - adultery lie
Best Scene - knife fight at the OK Cantina
Best Moment - Luna takes down the Chief
Best Action - stilt fight
Best Plan - photocopying the ledger pages
Best Back Story - how John and Pamela met
Best Place for a Ghost Story - the catacombs with skeletons all over it
Best Trick - locking the dogs in with the bomb materials
Biggest Flaw - not enough action
Most Cringeworthy - there's more than a little American jingoism in this with the American hero coming to save the poor, naïve, superstitious natives from themselves
The "Say What?" Award - People actually believe this guy is immortal? Why?
The "Welcome Back" Award - Angelica Celaya from Constantine / Carlos Gomez from Gang Related
Best Quotes -
1. John: "You know those government benefits do come with therapy so I really don't need you to psychoanalyze me."
2. Millar: "Disobeying orders is becoming a habit with him. In his line of work you either follow orders or you get retired." Natalie: "John still has a couple of good years left in him." Millar: "Not that kind of retirement."
3. Natalie: "Shakespeare? Miles, I never saw that coming." Miles: "What did you expect?" Natalie: "Machiavelli."
4. John: "That badge looks good on you by the way. Wear it well."
5. John: "Alright, dark creepy hallway or ladder?"
That felt like the shortest TV episode ever but not in a good way. The entire thing was one big acid trip that ended in 2 terrible developments. One, Ruby and Amanda partnered, which is bound to lead to nothing good. Two, Kelly is possessed. She's my favorite character so turning her evil is highly annoying. Let's hope they fix that fast.
Grade: C-
Best Reason to Watch - the brujo
Best Postcard - Jacksonville, Florida dream world
Best, if Creepiest Consistency - possessed laser teeth doll
Worst Plan - turning Kelly into a demon
Most Creepy - Brujo's house
Bad Sign - when your car locks you in and tries to kill you
Even Worse Sign - Ruby has Ash's evil, possessed hand in her car
The "I Don't Know about This" Award - Kelly, you may want to rethink your new partnership here. I'm not sure Ruby is trustworthy.
Best Music - "Here I Go Again" by Whitesnake
Best Quotes -
1. Ash: "Okay, time for the trip to be over. Let's go back to Kansas."
2. Ash: "What the hell is it? It is hell. It's pure evil."
3. Brujo: "Speak what you know while knowing that you know nothing." Ash: "Okay. I know that I summoned something very bad and I'm looking to undo whatever I done did."
4. Ash: "Don't eat the eyeball, brujo."
5. Ash: "When evil shows up, it blows up."
Grade: B+ (for Sheldon and Amy)
Best Reason to Watch - Sheldon and Amy as friends, putting their differences aside
Best Snark - the end card
Biggest Nope - I did not need to see Leonard in Penny's lingerie. Not even a little. My eyes, they burn.
Most Socially Awkward - Who brings up the girlfriend status over the phone while driving? That's a face-to-face conversation.
Most Educational - I never knew who Elon Musk was before this
Most Busted - Leonard is caught reading Penny's journal
The "Poor Baby" Award - Amy at the end
The "Say What?" Award - Exactly why is that apartment door not locked? (Besides plot device.) Plus who just walks into a friend's place without knocking?
Best Quotes -
1. Penny: "I am not putting that on the internet. I don't want people to see this. I don't want to see it."
2. Howard: "Just because you have that accent doesn't mean what you say isn't stupid."
3. Howard: "If you can't support me when I'm lying then why are we even married?"
4. Sheldon: "If there was a list of things that make me feel more comfortable, lists would be on the top of that list."
5. Emily: "Are you and I close enough for me to say…" Bernadette: "That he's an a**? He beat you to it."
This was an excellent episode of The Blacklist. I love how we finally get more insight into Navabi. Having the terrorist be her brother was achingly emotional and yet very well done. I like how they allowed Mozham Marno real meat to sink her acting teeth into and it paid off handsomely. Not such a fan of having Navabi and Ressler hook up of course. I am done with office romances and sex. Just done. However Tom's increasingly stupid plans, leading to him bringing the Russian to Harold's house, did end up working. I'm totally with Harold's wife on this matter, in that I would want no part of torture and duress in my house. Best to take that to some empty warehouse space, Tom. I'm sure you know plenty.
Grade: A-
Best Reason to Watch - Navabi
Best Scene - Navabi talks to Ressler about her brother and he talks about their job
Best Action - there was the bomb and the firing squads and the terrorists, but still the best was Tom vs. Ressler and it was much too short
Worst Surprise - Navabi and Ressler hooking up
Least Surprising - the original kidnapping was a setup
Most Healed - Dembe
Biggest Whoa - Navabi's brother is alive and he's the terrorist
Worst Timing - Red calls Navabi to warn her just as the bomb goes off
Worst Plan - Tom brings the Russian to Harold's home
The "There is NO TIME for This" Award - Navabi and Shur, rekindle your romance when her brother is not trying to kill you all. Come on. There is no time for this.
The "Welcome Back" Award - Shur
Best Quotes -
1. Solomon: "I have diplomatic immunity. You may expel me or let me go, but you may not under any circumstance bore me."
2. Hasaan: "Sister, you swore to protect me." Navabi: "I swore to protect my brother. He died in Pishin. Hasaan is all yours."
3. Tom: "So the bad news…you're still alive, but the good news is that all you have to do to get out of here is tell your story to the Feds. That's it. Exonerate Liz and then I'll personally fix you a nice soybean smoothie so you can croak yourself vegan style."
4. Aram: "Sweater Vest is running a tap on it which I know because I got around his firewall and accessed his computer, which despite being a felony feels amazing."
5. Navabi: "I know you don't approve of what I did, giving him to Reddington." Ressler: "Reddington saved your life. If giving him Hasaan was the price of that, I'd pay it twice over." Navabi: "It took me years to mourn his loss. Now I have to do it all over again."
This episode was more emoangsty and less fun than the first one. Besides the misdiagnosed dementia patient, I didn't care for any of the other storylines. The runaway story had zero closure and everything felt like it was really about the doctors' personal issues instead of the patients. That's what drives me nuts in most medical dramas. This one has one more episode for me, but the writing is clearly on the wall already.
Grade: C-
Best Reason to Watch - the dementia patient and her husband
Best Character - Dr. Charles
Best Awww Moment - the "dementia" patient remembers her husband
Best Call - Reese researches "Where the Boys Are" for her patient
Best Interaction - Dr. Charles and Reese
Best Reference - Connie Francis
Best / Worst Technique - all these doctors keep making everything personal
Worst Plan - ignore it and hope it goes away
Biggest Surprise - Choi coaches the girl on what to say when the cops get there
Weirdest Choice - muting out the conversation between Halstead and the rep with music that doesn't fit
The "Welcome Back" Award - Annie Potts from Designing Women and Ghostbusters
Best Quotes -
1. Cardiologist: "What's the difference between God and a doctor? God knows he's not a doctor."
2. Manning: "They're your family." Kara: "You make that sound like a good thing."
3. Manning: "I'm not sure about that bag on you." Halstead: "Oh perhaps with a different shoe?"
4. Halstead: "Try thinking like a doctor and not a pregnant woman."
5. Rhodes: "It's a good pitch, dad. Really, you hit all the right notes. Not buying it."
Grade: C+
Best Reason to Watch - back story on Mario
Best Scene - Christa intubates the kid's mother
Best Awww Scene - hospital bed proposal
Best Boss - Jesse, for standing up for his nurses
Most Obnoxious and in Need of Control - Cole, who should be suspended for being a complete douche
Most Intrusive - Malaya, who continues to push her agenda on others instead of letting a pregnant woman make her own choices
The "I'm with Random Patient Here" Award - I think both Jack and Rose could have shared the raft if they had tried a few more times
The "What? Is This Titanic?" Award - the girl lies on top of the raft in the icy water while holding the hand of the guy in the water
Best Quotes -
1. Carla: "Doable? Do you think that being born blue and having to be intubated is doable?"
2. Angus: "This must be what it's like to go to the gym."
3. Jesse: "The problem with medicine is sometimes there's no good answer."
4. Killian: "So I had a near death experience, huh?" Rorish: "It wasn't near. It was the real deal." Killian: "I don't remember any of it though." Rorish: "Just know that you were fearless. You did everything you could to save her and you did."
5. Rorish: "Bottom line - he's not dead until he's warm and dead."
I love that Cyber now has a villain worthy of them. It ups the ante and the tension. Most of these cyber criminals aren't into dirty work so the intensity has to come from the chase. This one includes the smarts of the chase combined with the physical danger of other cop shows. The only reason I marked it down is because there was a lot of overacting in this episode that didn't feel true to the characters. Also I have no idea why a smart and patient criminal like Python would leave his handprint on Avery's computer. That makes zero sense in the overall picture of things. If he's suddenly going to be a random psycho killer with no long-term vision, he's going to get old fast.
Grade: B-
Best Reason to Watch - Cyber has a new criminal who ramps up the intensity
Best Scene - Krumitz does the victory lap with Python's server
Most Intense - nothing like the torture and assassination of an Interpol agent to start an episode
Most Overacting - Patricia Arquette, who is usually more subtle than this
Biggest Eye Roll - once again, someone croaks before giving up vital information
Biggest Hmm - Why not disassemble the laptop on a table where there is less chance of something dropping?
The "Yeah, You're Losing It" Award - Avery, step back. They are working as hard as they can.
The "Welcome Back" Award - Diogo Morgando straight from playing Satan in The Messengers and Jesus in The Bible mini-series
Best Quote - Krumitz: "Guys, Python is a psychotic killer, okay? So can we tone down the black hat worship?"
Grade: B
Best Reason to Watch - doppelgangers make for an interesting twist, but it's still John Noble
Best Scene - Morland tries to reconcile with Sherlock
Best Reference - Say Anything
Best Reason to Shoot Someone - playing marching music early in the morning
Best Product Placement? - vacuum sealer
Most Likely to Get a Job in a Terrible Circus - Dorian
Most Snarky - Sherlock, and sometimes not for the good
The "Welcome Back" Award (characters) - the entire precinct and all the lovely people who come with it
The "Welcome Back" Award (actor) - Jefferson White of H2GAwM / Shohreh Aghdashloo of Grimm
Best Quotes -
1. Morland: "I came because I'd like to make a confession." Sherlock: "Well I would dial the authorities for you, but I wouldn't know which ones."
2. Watson: "Are you cooking or did we get stampeded by a class of second graders?"
3. Watson: "Fluent in 3 dozen languages but the man has never seen Say Anything." Bell: "That's an 80's movie, right?" Watson: "You want me to punch you, right?"
4. Sherlock: "Are they so all-seeing that you felt the need to adopt the guise of a clown from the future?"
5. Sherlock: "Close but wrong cold-blooded reptile. My dinner date is my father. I can understand you confusing him with Clyde. They could be doppelgangers."
Nothing in this episode made one lick of sense. Not one thing. Plus I fell asleep when watching it the first time. That's never a good sign.
Grade: D
Best Scene - Sherlock making a poultice for a bruised Watson
Biggest Douche - Gina Cortes with her personal vendetta against Joan (but funny enough, not against Sherlock)
Most Common Sense - figuring out how to get the handcuffs off before handcuffing yourself
Most Disgusting - creating your own medical specimen skeleton
Strangest Subplot - some police officer (Gina Cortes) is investigating Joan
Dumbest Reason to Murder Someone - I don't even understand this case. Why is the oncologist telling people they have cancer when they don't? This is really about boosting survival rates? Are you kidding me? None of this makes any sense at all.
Dumbest Subplot - everything Gina Cortes
Worst Plan - that "Friday" song
Worst Reference - "Who Let the Dogs Out?" although it was funny when Sherlock referenced it
The "Say What?" Award - Why would anyone want multiple spouses?
The "Welcome Back" Award - Carolyn McCormick from Law and Order
Best Quotes -
1. Sherlock: "I assume you kept them separate so they can't coordinate their stories." Gregson: "Yeah like 5 married people could ever agree on anything."
2. Kirk: "I've got to think knowing how to work a deli slicer and deboning a person are 2 very different things."
3. Bell: "Well any way you slice it…pun most definitely NOT intended, whoever did this is a nasty piece of work."
4. Gregson: "I don't know how they do it. I couldn't make a marriage to one person work."
Grade: B
Best Reason to Watch - the end after Jimmy stops acting like an idiot
Best Scene / Best Apology - Jimmy brings Mexican for Thanksgiving
Best Speech - Gerald talking to Jimmy about his childhood
Best Use of Champagne - to put out a fire
Most Annoying - Jimmy's jealousy
Biggest Game Buster - Jimmy throws the football into the sewer on the first throw of the game
Worst Date - Jimmy, who leaves his date tanning out in the yard
The "Say What?" Award - Sniffing cut wood? That's a thing now, huh?
Best Quotes -
1. Vanessa: "It's not time for Oprah."
2. Annelise: "Happy Black Friday, suckers. I'm about to join the curb revolution."
3. Jimmy: "I started today trying to give Edie some kind of traditional Thanksgiving but I realize now that tradition is just whatever happens when you bring together the people you love."
I liked this episode better than the last one, which surprises me because I'm not usually a fan of Flynn's return. The high point for me was his relationship with the library. I like that they humanized the library so that we could see more of what the library means to Flynn. It was also nice that they still remember Judson and Charlene. I could have done without the romance bookends at the front and end of the episode, but I liked Flynn better in this episode than a long time. That being said, it's time to go back to a more ensemble approach…well, that or an Ezekiel-focused episode finally.
Grade: B
Best Reason to Watch / Best Twist - Ray is the humanized version of the library
Best Collaboration - Flynn and the library
Best Place to Hide - in an area filled with other containers
Best Return - Moriarty
Best Reference - Judson and Charlene
Most Interesting - the Chinese have their own version of Morse code
Worst Dance - the "hopping past arrows" dance
The "Welcome Back" Award - Drew Powell from Leverage
Best Quotes -
1. Eve: "Cassandra, please do not fangirl over the archvillain."
2. Jenkins: "When the last ghost light goes out, the library will grab hold of the greatest source of life it can find and that's me." Jake: "That's your Plan B? To let this place eat you?" Cassandra: "If you think we're gonna leave you here alone, in the dark you're…I don't know what you are, but we're not doing that."
3. Moriarty: "If you don't trust my virtue, trust my self-interest."
4. Moriarty: "Can't die like other men. Doesn't mean it doesn't hurt."
Good insight into Naz's life along with a political scandal with ties to previous episodes make this one of the more interesting episodes. Big bonus points for Boyle coming through.
Grade: B+
Best Reason to Watch - get some more focus on Naz and the story's interesting
Best Scene - Brian negotiates with pirates
Best Character - Boyle
Best New Character - Loretta, whom I hope we see again soon
Worst Plan - dating your boss' daughter
Worst Surprise - Paulson is the rat who gave Brian to the CIA
Worst Filler - Brian's version of Screw - Marry - Kill
Biggest Change - Ike seems to be enjoying working with Brian these days
Biggest Douche - Grady Johnson
Biggest Hmmm - Why would the gangsters not take Harris too? I mean she was talking to Brian when they pulled up.
Most Bizarre - Brian bargains for a girl's life with an exotic pinball machine
Most Clever - Boyle, who gets the document they need via a pan of brownies
The "Life is the Same All Over" Award - the Asian kid will give them information but only if they tweet out his social media so that his page gets more hits
The "Say What?" Award - Ava agrees that Naz gave money to a terrorist, but it is because her niece is being held for ransom
Best Reference - Pong
Best Quotes -
1. Harris: "Well I'm not saying he's the most mature person in the world…for your average 3rd grade classroom for that matter."
2. Boyle: "She's always had a bit of a crush." Johnson: "Just make sure she didn't spike them. You don't want her to go all Misery on you."
3. Harris: "You're not really going to try to bring your music collection in the largest format possible, are you?"
4. Harris: "What are you thinking about?" Brian: "Trying to figure out if there's a way that this ends with me sort of fighting pirates."
This is my favorite episode of Limitless yet. It was fun, moved quickly, and involved everyone getting some great moments. I like how it felt more like an ensemble than any of the others and they worked the separate storylines in well together. They were all too easily caught but the joy was in the getting there. Plus Mike deserved his vacation. He's put up with a lot from Brian. I'm not sure about the last 10 minutes though. I do not want anything to happen to Brian's dad and I am still not sure why he couldn't accept that Brian was dealing with classified stuff. No, Brian should not lie to him but he also should not have to breach national security to repair things with his dad. Other than that, this was a riot. I think Brian might have a point about everyone having a little more fun in their work.
Grade: A-
Best Reason to Watch - simply, it's a whole lot of fun
Best Subplot - Lawrence
Best Moment - Boyle puts an Exclamation Mark Post-It on Brian's new office
Best Fight Sequence - the one in Brian's head
Best Job Perk - Mike finally gets a reward for babysitting Brian when he's sent for a stakeout in a Costa Rica resort
Best Filler - the Bruntouchable movies montage
Best Doppelganger - Lawrence's NZT self, who keeps him focused
Biggest Brat - Brian, who is like a 2 year old who wants a new toy
Biggest Sibling Move - Brian's sister comes over to watch Game of Thrones on his TV
Worst Plan - giving NZT to anyone else, especially a civilian brilliant enough to figure out what it is
Most New Age / Most Far-Fetched - Brian, the scent tracking dog
Most Fun - Brian's elite team of crime fighters includes the only people he knows at the FBI, including the janitor
The "I'm with Boyle" Award - I wouldn't want to be attached to something titled Bruntouchables either
The "Welcome Back" Award - Isiah Whitlock, Jr. from Lucky 7
Best Quotes -
1. Brian: "Well James, we want you to infiltrate the cult, not join the cult."
2. Brian: "Sorry Rebecca. I didn't mean to suggest that women can't be…um, horrible criminals too." Harris: "No offense taken."
3. Brian: "Their whole way of life is dying. They're like the Pennsylvania Dutch at this point."
4. Naz: "He admitted to murder in exchange for a dozen bagels?"
5. Harris: "Yeah, fugitives can have Twitter accounts too."
I am not a fan of this whole Brian's dad as defender storyline. First off, it implies that Brian cannot take care of himself. Now while Brian in the beginning might not have been capable, the Brian who has evolved throughout this season can. It has been by far the best thing about this series and to throw doubts on that feels like a step back. Second, it turns his father from Brian's biggest supporter into an adversary and ruins one of the better relationships of the show. Third, legalese is no more interesting than technobabble is and the show spared us from it. I don't care how they plan to jump through hoops to give Brian's dad control over him. I think it's a shady business to begin with and most importantly, it slows down the momentum of the series.
Grade: C
Best Reason to Watch - the robotic arm case is intriguing
Best Scene - Harris tells Brian that he needs to be honest with his dad
Best Twist - Boyle's buddy really did murder his wife
Best Juvenile Prank - Brian has Shaw's arm punch him in the face repeatedly
Biggest Thank You - not having to hear the technobabble
Least Necessary - threatening Naz about Brian when she has bent over backwards for him
Most Excited - Brian with the "jet pack"
Weirdest Alibi - "the arm" did it
Worst Filler - cat montage
I'm of two minds about this episode. The case of the week was one of the most ludicrous things Scorpion has ever done but Megan's farewell was touching and created some great moments. I only wish that instead of locking Walter and Paige together (again) , they would have kept Walter more with his sister. I think it would have been far more interesting to watch. I did absolutely adore Sylvester bringing the stars to Megan and at the end when Sean tells Sylvester that he's family. Sylvester earning Sean's respect despite a rocky start was a great story. I also loved Megan's video to Walter and how he ended up sharing a personal story about Megan to the group because of it. Humanizing Walter has been the best thing about season 2. If only they had concentrated more on Walter and Megan, including more flashbacks, and less on mold, this would have been an A episode.
Grade: B (average of the superior Megan story and the subpar mold mission)
Best Reason to Watch - Megan and everything about her storyline
Best Scene - Megan leaves Walter a video to say that she loves him and to not be afraid of being human
Best Speech - Sylvester stands up to Megan's dad and explains how he's been by Megan's side
Best Save - Paige comes up with boiling to release the bacteria
Biggest Awww Moment - Sylvester brings Megan the stars for one last time
Most Ironic - in a hospital, Toby is the only available doctor to help the infected kitchen staff member
Worst Cliché - Ralph to the rescue again
Worst Decorating - Sylvester's Super Fun Guy stuff is not really what you want when meeting your new in-laws for the first time
The "Um, Okay, Whatever" Award - So this really super strong, ancient fungi can literally be cured from the palm of Sylvester's hand? And I'm buying this why? That's as eyerollingly bad as the fungi knocking out all the experts in 2 seconds and the insta-cure.
The "Say What?" Award - Shouldn't the people in the hazmat suits be protected from airborne fungi? Isn't that the entire purpose of a hazmat suit? Plus, why in the world would a doctor in infectious diseases be walking around in a known outbreak with only a mask and gloves? This makes no sense.
Best Quotes -
1. Sylvester: "I have super powers. I am Bacteria Man."
2. Sylvester: "Megan, my whole life I've been told I was brilliant for a million different reasons but falling in love with you was the smartest thing I ever did. I will always love you."
3. Walter: "You were picked for a reason, Happy. You're supposed to be our reckless driver." Happy: "I'm driving as recklessly as I can."
4. Sean: "What the hell are you doing?" Sylvester: "Saving people's lives I guess."
5. Sean: "We came for Megan, not science fiction."
Other Shows
Grade: D
~These last 2 episodes have felt like a whole lot of filler. The exorcism bit should have come sooner and lasted for a shorter time. High Kelly is just slightly less annoying than rambling Pedro. Sorry to see the brujo go. He was a great character.
Most Awesome Addition - Pablo makes a new arm for Ash
Best Quotes -
1. Pablo: "I feel like I'm the sous chef of his exorcism kitchen."
2. Ash: "When you get back to hell, work on your aim."
3. Amanda: "There's a killer on the loose and I'm sitting here waiting for this decomposed hand to lead me to him.'
4. Ash: "Shoot first. Think never."
Grade: B+
~That was one of the better Elementary episodes in a long time. Morland is adding the kind of energy that Moriarty usually provides. I think it's because I am still not sure whether or not he is playing with them. Is he a father who is trying to help his estranged son or is he about to put the noose around Sherlock's neck? John Noble is always a winner and this is just the kind of ambiguous role that he sinks into.
Best Scene - Joan vs. Morland at the end
Best Quotes -
1. Sherlock: "Good luck overthrowing the government. Don't put us against the wall when you get those firing squads going, will you?"
2. Sherlock: "Well it would seem we're on the hunt for the least competent spy China's employed since the Ming Dynasty."
3. Morland: "If you think that Sherlock is the only one who considers me an enemy, you'd be wrong." Watson: "He doesn't consider you an enemy." Morland: "An antagonist then." Watson: "No, I think he just thinks you're a terrible father."
4. Watson: "Yeah well being a kook doesn't make him less likely to be a killer."
5. Maurice: "I would have said something." Watson: "If it hadn't meant admitting to cyberstalking your ex."
Grade: B-
~This episode was decent and a good reminder not to meddle into people's lives or believe gossip. Mostly I liked having Lyndsy Fonesca from Nikita back on my screen.
**The "Some Dreams Should Stay Private" Award - Annelise makes a much better manager (and probably everything else) than she does a lounge singer
**Best Quotes -
1. Jimmy: "Oh, apparently you don't care about cheating. What are you, a Patriot's fan?"
2. Sara: "Did you go to her office?" Jimmy: "No…yes." Sara: "Wow. I thought you were the cool, detached guy. When did you become a Jewish mother?"
3. Vanessa: "I could do that or since this is a pyramid scheme, you could become a distributor like me and that's when the real money starts pouring in. Okay, not for you. Got it."
4. Jimmy: "We were supposed to go out and get all up into trouble, not fall in love with trouble."
Grade: D
~Farting doesn't make for comedy and neither does much of this episode. I ended up turning it off before I got to the end.
Best Daddy-Daughter Time - dancing in the Mexican market
Best Quotes -
1. Jen: "Do we really need all this? I mean we're trying to find a godparent for Lark, not catch a serial killer."
2. Tim: "Babe, you've got to slow down. I don't understand a word you're saying." Sophia: "She said you're done watching football."
3. Jen: "Therapists raise children who need therapists." Greg: "Well she raised me…and I see your point and I second your veto."
Grade: B-
~This episode was vastly superior to the previous ones with the exception of Sophia, who needs to be spanked. She's the worst kid on shows I watch (which admittedly contain few kids). Other than Sophia, this episode had real heart. I wasn't a fan of the second segment but Hospital and Namaste where funny and heartwarming. Still my TV schedule is about to become even more packed, so I think this show is getting dropped next.
Best Blackmail - Love Doctor pictures
Most Interesting Date - the hospital
Worst Husband Ever - Tim, who has no idea what it means to be romantic
Biggest Brat and Likely Deal Breaker - Sophia
Best Quotes -
1. Sophia: "There's never a magical world in your closet when you need one."
2. Joan: "Life is complicated. Your father is not."
3. Jen: "Honestly, anyone who doesn't like a tater tot isn't someone I want to know."
4. Greg: "How's the finger?" Jen: "Honestly, I'm just glad it wasn't the picker or the flipper. You know, I need those."
5. Hostess: "Tell me what you value in a table." John: "Uh, four legs and a place to sit."
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