Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Last Week in TV - Childhood/Teen TV Edition - Reviews and Episode Awards






Welcome back to this very special edition of Last Week in TV. Today we focus on the TV we loved when we were kids and teens. I was really excited to see how well my classic TV shows held up to today's standards. Surprisingly, many of them did. They had some stereotypical characters and the pacing was slower all around, even in action shows, but the problems we faced as kids/teens still apply today and we're still a world in need of a few good superheroes, be they powered or just great friends to help us through. So check out what we thought of the following shows and hit up the comments to wax poetic about your own favorite childhood gems.

While this is a special edition of Last Week in TV, it's also the last one of the season. We'll be back in late August to highlight our most anticipated pilots and create wish lists for our favorite shows. I hope you'll join us then. I will also put out an all-call for people interested in becoming part of our Last Week in TV team then. If you've always wanted to write for SpoilerTV but either don't have the experience or are not sure you could commit to reviewing a show weekly, this is a great place to get your feet wet. If you'd like more details about guest reviewing, e-mail me at dahne@spoilertv.com and I'll send you some information. A HUGE thank you to all our guest reviewers this year. I appreciate all of you and how much you gave to the column. I was a little nervous about having guest reviewers, but you answered the call and made this experience so much better. Thanks, thanks, thanks to you all.

Until next season, thanks to everyone who has read, nominated, commented, and participated in Last Week in TV this season. I appreciate your becoming a part of our community and I hope to see you back in the fall. Until then, happy TV viewing.

Shameless Plug - Although Last Week in TV is taking a hiatus, SpoilerTV is not. After the episode competition ends, it will be time for the Character Cup. It's a little different from the other competitions because the focus is on discussion even if you don't have anyone to vote for. Every day we have a TV Talk Topic and the discussions are often fun, broad, and deep. If you love talking TV, check it out and feel free to add any topics you'd like to discuss in the comments. Also, don't forget to look for the nominations to open about 1 week after the episode competition ends. Nominations go very quickly for the Character Cup.



Weekly Review



12 Monkeys - 2.10 - Fatherland
BY BlueStar

Well, there’s certainly a lot of hurt feelings going around in this episode. To begin with, Cassie makes it clear to Deacon that she doesn’t return his feelings and she and Ramse argue with Cole and Jones over which mission to take: 1961 Berlin to find information on Titan or 1957 to stop the final paradox. With the red storm only days away from hitting the compound, Jones agrees with Cole that they must stop the final paradox. Cassie and Ramse refuse to go along with this plan and convince Dr. Adler to set the time travel date to 1961. Once there, they drug Cole and leave him behind in his hotel room while they head off to Berlin. Cole finds Agent Gale and together they go after them, arriving just in time to save them after they get caught by Mossad agents who were after the same man they were. That man, Kirschner, was a Nazi during World War 2 doing experiments and was urged on by the Witness to do so. He found a way to create stronger people, people created to be immune to the virus instead of just born that way naturally so he created the path to the Messengers. They decide to take him to his operations on the other side of Berlin to get rid of his experimental notes and then kill him so there will be no Messengers. Unfortunately, Agent Gale dies helping them get through the wall currently being built between east and west Berlin. When they get to Kirschner’s lab, they discover his experiment is a little girl who is very strong. Before they can take her away, the Messenger Vivian grabs her and Cassie splinters. Instead of helping Cole get the girl back, Ramse rips off the Titan information Kirschner had on his wall before they splinter too. Back in 2044, Jones and Cole are both furious at Cassie and Ramse. Now it is too late to prevent the messengers and the final paradox. There isn’t any time left to find Titan. The red storm is upon them. Cole has Ramse and Cassie put in a prison cell like Jones did with Dr. Adler for their betrayal. Outside, Deacon drinks straight from a bottle, watching the red storm approach.

Grade: B

Best Reason To Watch – Agent Gale has some really good scenes, and we find out Olivia’s origin.
Best Scene – The Berlin Wall run was intense.
Best Decision – Locking Cassie and Ramse up. They need a time out. But hey, at least they’re getting along, right?
Most Frustrating – Cassie and Ramse, who are too obsessed with seeking revenge to consider that maybe, just maybe, their mission is more likely to fail.
Most Heroic – Agent Gale
Most Intriguing Reveal – Olivia was the girl in the box and was raised with the Pallid Man.
One Down – Olivia officially has given up on the Witness and in turn the mission. Yay! Small win.

Best Quotes:
1. Agent Gale: “I got a granddaughter. Two years old. You know what I see when I look at her? I see a little girl who is already dead. Her world dies, and there’s not a GD thing I can do about it. But you can, Cole. Sometimes you just have to go it alone.”
2. Ramse: “You still get what you want, Cole. We put a bullet in Kirschner, we destroy all his research, we all win here.” Cole: “Yeah, why don’t I go back and tell Gale how lucky we are.”
3. Cassie: “Stay here.” Ramse: “What are you doing?” Cassie: “Buying you time to grab Kirschner.” Ramse: “No wonder they get along.”
4. Agent Gale: “You know, Cole, I’ve known you a long time now.” Cole: “What do you mean? We met once in ’44, right?” Agent Gale: “Right…my point is, I’m afraid your loyalty is gonna bite you in the a** one of these days. Sometimes you got to go it alone.”
5. Olivia: “I longed for the day I would see you again, when the forest was red. You told me The Witness would always be there for me. You lied. What other lies did you tell? My place in the great cycle ends today. At least with him. Goodbye, mother.”



Nostalgic Show Reviews



The A-Team (1.01-1.04)
By Dahne

Out of all the shows I've watched for this edition, The A-Team is the most like I remember it. It's full of quips and grouchy teamwork and loads of action. Something gets blown up almost every episode and more gunshots are fired than your typical summer blockbuster. In other words, it's all good. I did forget about Face Man being replaced after the pilot and I forgot about Amy altogether. Maybe because she has no role except occasional dead weight in the story, especially here in the beginning. I do like Murdock a whole lot better now than I did as a kid and that surprises me since he's the most over-the-top character of them all. I also liked Hannibal less because he seems more good guy mustache twirler here than I remembered. Still this show is a lot of fun and totally relevant to today's TV. I'd expect the TV reboot any minute now. (Note - IMDb and Netflix number these differently, depending on whether they count the two-part pilot as one or two episodes. For this purpose, I watched the pilot and the next two episodes.)

Grade: B
Potential for Today's TV - High. With the exception of getting around facial recognition and other modern law enforcement techniques, The A-Team could be a big hit today in a Burn Notice kind of way.

Best Episode - pilot
Best Thing I Loved as a Kid but Didn’t as an Adult - some of Hannibal's grandstanding
Best Reason to Watch - lots of action
Best Character Interaction - BA and Murdock
Best Trade Phrase - Hannibal: "I love it when a plan comes together."
Biggest Switcharoo - Face Man
Biggest Laugh - A-Team trying to get arrested so they put a car through the sheriff's office
Most Iconic - the van
Most Practical - BA
Most in Need of Training - I have no objection to Amy on the journey, but she has to stop being dead weight. Either handle it or stay home.



Alice (6 Fan Picked Episodes from 1976 – 1980)
BY Emma

I was a little older when I started watching Alice so I got more of the humor but the main thing I remember from the show are the catchphrases. “Kiss my grits!” and “When pigs fly” were common staples on the playground in my area. I will never forget when I got mad at my dad about cleaning my room and told him to “kiss my grits” while I stomped off. I’m fairly certain I would’ve been grounded for sassing him if it wasn’t for him trying so hard not to laugh. In revisiting the show, I realized that I still missed 90% of the humor. I laughed so hard in the re-watch that I’d like to go back and re-watch the entire series, maybe even the movie it’s based on too. Many of the problems the characters faced are still relevant today, which helps this show stand the test of time.

Test of Time Grade: A-

Best Thing I Loved as a Kid but didn’t as an Adult – the opening credits song
Reason to Watch as an Adult – hilarious and many of the situations are still relevant
Most Improved Character since Childhood – Alice, I can now fully appreciate her dedication to raising a child but still holding on to her dreams
Least Improved Character since Childhood – Vera, I used to find her endearing but now I wanted to Gibbs' smack her
Biggest Facepalm – son telling his mother she should show more cleavage on her date
Biggest Laugh – everything that comes out of Flo’s mouth, her snark is priceless
Most Relevant Problem – LGBTQ stereotyping, single motherhood, following your dreams
Best Catchphrases – “Kiss my grits” (Flo) / “When pigs fly” (Flo) / “Stow it” (Mel)



The Addams Family (1964) – (1.01-1.03)
BY Emma

I loved the Addams Family reruns as a kid. I didn’t think there was anything strange about them…well, maybe Uncle Fester and Cousin Itt. What I remember the most was how much Gomez loved Morticia and Morticia’s plants. I remember asking my mom if any of the plants in the garden would eat me and my mom telling me that plants like Cleopatra couldn’t live in Minnesota because it was too cold. (My parents used the cold as a ward against anything scary more than lights.) Revisiting the show as an adult was fun even if it’s a bit dated and the abnormal as normal theme gets a bit tired.

Test of Time Grade: B

Best Thing I Loved as a Kid but Didn’t as an Adult – the abnormal as normal theme gets old fast
Best Reason to Watch as an Adult – Morticia and Gomez have a great relationship
Most Improved Character as Childhood – Thing, I get the hand gestures now
Least Improved Character Childhood – Cleopatra, that plant is still creepy
Biggest Change – the children are so polite, don’t see that on TV anymore
Biggest Laugh – Uncle Fester and his propensity to blow things up
Best Character Interactions – Morticia and Gomez
Most Relevant Problem – Pugsley doing things he normally wouldn’t just so he’d fit in better
Best Music – the theme song is infectious, it’s impossible not to snap your fingers along with it



Boy Meets World (4.01/4.02/4.07/4.13/5.03/5.13/5.17/5.21)
BY Jessica VanWinkle

Boy Meets World was my absolute favorite show as a kid and after rewatching a few episodes, I’m happy to say that I still love it. I wish there were more shows with families like the Matthews and normal teenagers. Cory and Topanga were the first TV couple that I shipped, and I loved them just as much this time around. However, I think my favorite thing about Boy Meets World now is the amazing friendship between Cory and Shawn. I remembered that Shawn always had crazy ideas, wasn’t that great in school, and the Matthews were basically family to him. This was all true, but as much as Shawn needed Cory, Cory needed Shawn too. They helped each other with their problems. In “Hair Today, Goon Tomorrow” Cory was worried because he thought Topanga would dump him for someone more attractive. Shawn not only convinced Cory otherwise, but he had a conversation with Topanga about it. Cory and Shawn were the ultimate bromance. Another relationship I liked when I was younger was Eric and Cory. Cory loved and respected his big brother, but when I watched these episodes it was clear that Eric looked up to Cory as well. The only thing that disappointed me was Shawn and Jack’s relationship. I only watched a few episodes of season five, but the Hunter brothers weren’t as close as I thought they were. It is possible that I just watched the wrong episodes and I know they had a rocky start, but maybe I exaggerated their relationship as a kid. The other thing that slightly bothered me was the episode “And Then There Was Shawn”. It was cheesy and a bit over top, but I never like dream sequences. It did have a deeper meaning behind it so at least it wasn’t a pointless stand-alone sequence. Besides those little things, I loved watching Boy Meets World again. Now I’m itching for a full series rewatch.

Favorite Relationship - Shawn and Cory
Most Nostalgic - Cory and Topanga’s relationship
Favorite Quote - Mr. Feeney: “Ho Ho! Is that the stupid idea train coming around the bend?”
Biggest Disappointment - Shawn and Jack’s relationship
Funniest Moment - Shawn and Cory turn Mr. Feeney’s house into a B&B
Favorite Episode - B & B's B 'N' B (4.13)



Cheers (1.01-1.06)
BY Dahne

Nowadays Cheers is mostly known for its theme song or as a powerful example of a network biding its time to allow a show to grow. However, Cheers was the Friends of its time. Back when cable meant mostly music videos and the Weather Channel, Cheers was must-see TV, garnering ratings in the 20's and becoming the most watched show on TV after starting off as 74th out of 77 shows in its first season. It also received over 100 Emmy nominations and ran for 11 seasons. That makes it the perfect show to review here. In general, Cheers still fits as a workplace/made family comedy. It has its stereotypical characters but the show allows them to seem sympathetic in all their flaws, mostly by sharing the jokes among all the characters and creating softer moments so the audience can get to know them better. It has the requisite will they-won't they relationship already built in with Sam and Diane. These two check off all the shipping boxes: co-workers, dislike masquerading their real feelings, chemistry, helping each other when they really need it, inspiring the other to be a better person, witty banter, etc. Mostly though, it creates a family of lovable misfits that depend on each other to get through the days. It truly is a place where "everybody knows your name" and everybody has a sense of belonging. Therein lies its success.

Grade: B+
Potential for Today's TV - In many ways, Cheers is already on TV. Any comedy where the workplace becomes a substitute home and co-workers become family has its roots in Cheers. The show itself would still work but some of the stereotypes would need to be tinkered with and they would need a more diverse cast.

Best Episode - 1.04 or 1.05
Best Thing I Loved as a Kid but Didn’t as an Adult - Carla was a little harder to take here
Best Reason to Watch as an Adult - humor
Best Theme Song Ever- Where Everybody Knows Your Name
Best Guest Star - Fred Dryer, Allyce Beasley, and Julia Duffy
Biggest Laugh - Norm when asked how his day's going each episode
Most in Need of Therapy - Carla
Most as I Remembered / Character I Liked Better as an Adult - Diane
Most Nostalgic - Coach



Dawson’s Creek (2.01/3.23/6.15)
BY Beth Whitley

Dawson’s Creek was one of those shows that I remember being ‘appointment television’ when I was in high school and you had to watch it live because DVR and streaming weren’t a thing back then (crazy I know!). I was always team Pacey when I was younger and I couldn’t tell you why; I just was. Now as an adult, I know exactly why. Pacey loved Joey for her no matter what, while I believe Dawson loved the idea of the epic nature of their romance. It was his storyline and she, his muse. The show is relevant today because of the struggles those characters faced and I also believe they were ahead of their time in many ways.

Best Character - Pacey, the clown who became the most endearing character
Worst Character - Dawson, who treated his friends/family like the supporting cast in the running movie of his imagination.
Best Character Interaction - Jack and Jen, friendship goals!
Best Gif Before Gifs were Real - Dawson’s ugly cry face on the dock after Joey booked it to be with Pacey.
Most Nostalgic - No cell phones so they were relying on landlines!
Best Quote - Pacey: "Ask me to stay" – the SOS Pacey wrote to Joey on the wall he leased for her.
Biggest Face Palm - Joey and Pacey being ‘trapped’ in a Kmart where there were several doors and windows they could have used to get out. (I still loved the ‘filler episode' though)
Best Advice I’d Give a Character that I probably Wouldn’t Have as a Teenager - Joey, you definitely should have gone to Paris. That is a once in a lifetime experience, and if a boy loves you, he will most certainly be there when you get back!



Doctor Who – Season 13, Serial 6, The Seeds of Doom (1976)
BY Emma

I was born when the 4th Doctor had the TARDIS and most of the repeats I watched on PBS were of his and Sarah’s exploits. In fact, my earliest TV memory is of the Doctor and Sarah. I was mesmerized by how smart the Doctor was and maybe a little jealous that he could go anywhere in space and time. I don’t have many memories of his specific exploits and I certainly wasn’t old enough to appreciate his humor but the Doctor was my first hero besides my dad. In revisiting Classic Who, it was difficult to not compare it to the new versions but besides better special effects, the Doctor himself hasn’t changed much; smart, resourceful, honorable, snarky and possibly a little crazy.

Test of Time Grade: A

Reason to Watch as an Adult – see what the Doctor was like at the young age of 749
Most Missed Character – K-9 / the TARDIS, neither were in the serial I picked to revisit
Biggest Change – I get the jokes now so it’s much more humorous
Best Holdover from Childhood – the effects used were pretty low-key to begin with so they held over well
Biggest Laugh / Facepalm – Sarah describes the plants eating people as “undignified”
Most Relevant Problem – saving endangered species is important
Best Character Interactions – the Doctor and Sarah. Besides Rose & the 10th Doctor, these two are my favorite Doctor/Companion combo.



Facts of Life (1.01- 1.06)
By Dahne

The Facts of Life is one of the few shows that was pretty much like I remembered it. Well, minus Jo. I totally forgot that she came in the second season, which was a little disconcerting since she was my favorite character and turned the whole dynamic around. However, without Jo, Blair ended up being a completely different character. She was still vain but she was also very concerned about her schoolwork and cared about things more in general than I remembered. Mrs. Garrett was the same wise but kooky substitute mother, although I forgot that her voice can grate as much as Fran Drescher's. The problem of the week was largely the same as tween shows today, including parent pressure, body image, and cheating in school. For the most part, with a change of clothes and slang, these girls could be characters today.

Grade: B
Potential for Today's TV - There is very little disrespect and a whole lot less slapstick, but otherwise I could see this show debuting on any tween channel with a fashion makeover.

Best Episode - 1.02 and then 1.04
Best Thing I Loved as a Kid but Didn’t as an Adult - Mrs. Garrett's voice
Best Reason to Watch as an Adult - to remind you that the good old days actually had pretty much the same problems as today
Best Reference - Colonel Sanders
Best Character Interaction - Mrs. Garrett and all the girls
Biggest Reaction - the girls are shocked when the principal says "hell"
Most Missed - Jo
Most Improved from My Memory - this early Blair is less snob and more humanized
Most as I Remembered / Most Fun - Tootie
Most Relevant Problem - body image
Most Smarmy - Jason
Most Annoying - the original theme song (the second version is much better)
Best Quote - Blair: "Hey, exams come and go. Worry lines stay with you forever."



Felicity (1.01/2.21/4.22)
BY Beth Whitley

Revisiting Felicity was really interesting. First, I realized that this show was unique in that it started with these characters past the angst of high school and navigating the world for the first time on their own as adults. When I first watched the pilot all those years ago, I know I must have thought that Felicity ended up in New York solely because of Ben, but it wasn’t that. She wanted to take a chance for the first time in her life, and it turned out quite well. Finally, I looked it up and this show mostly filmed in New York, which would be rare today because shows hardly ever film where they are set.

Best Character - Well Felicity of course! She had ups and downs but rooting for her was never hard.
Worst Character - Noel, I struggled with giving him this but he was just childish when life didn’t go his way.
Best Episode - 2x21 ‘The Aretha Theory’. I still want to try a Bonzai Demon and Ben calling a film canister ‘a time machine’ to right the wrong of ditching Felicity earlier in the season because he was scared, hit all the feels.
Best Quote - Javier: "Benjamin, you can’t give up on diamonds!"
Best Piece of Advice I Would Give All The Characters - You guys can branch out and greet each other with something other than ‘hey’.
Something I Had Forgotten for Good Reason - The series finale involved time travel and spells, which turned out to be only in Felicity’s fever dream.



Friday the 13th, aka Friday's Curse (1.01-1.04)
By Dahne

Back in my high school years, everyone's favorite horror TV show was Tales from the Crypt. Now don't get me wrong. That series had moments of true brilliance but mostly it was hit or miss and there were a lot of misses. For me, by far the best horror series was Friday the 13th. Not only did it creep me out, but it had an actual storyline. In fact, it is what inspired me to watch Warehouse 13 with its similar plot. Friday the 13th is the story of 2 cousins who inherit an antique store full of cursed items. Before they realize what they've actually inherited, they sell almost everything so the series is basically about them trying to get it all back before the items kill everyone. The special effects are even lamer than I remember but the stories are still really creepy, as in not really one I can marathon. (I had to break this into 2 days.) I love the antiques they need to collect but I wish they had back story to them like on Warehouse 13. I also wish Micki weren't such a stereotypical horror story girl. She needs a big strong man to help her way too often for someone who constantly nags about not needing anyone.

Grade: C+ (downgrade for Micki)
Potential for Today's TV - Like most of these shows, I think Friday the 13th would do well in today's world with some significant tweaks. They would need a good special effects team and Micki would need to be retooled into a kick-butt female. This show could fill the actual horror story void in today's TV alongside AHS and it's still got a procedural element. Thus, I think it would actually do very well.

Best Episode - 1.04
Biggest Thing I Loved as a Kid but Didn't as an Adult / Biggest Whiner - Micki
Best Reason to Watch as an Adult - genuine scares
Best Mulan Impression - Micki
Best Advice I'd Give a Character - stock up on salt
Worst Horror Trope - the creepy, self-aware doll and the equally creepy kid who is controlled by it
Most in Need of a Giant, Flashing Warning Sign - when someone is conjuring death by tarantula, I NEVER need to see that
Most Horrifying - the effects (they are just sad)
Most Out There Reference - Monty Hall
Biggest Horror Scene - death by guillotine
Biggest Brat - Mary from the pilot



Full House (3.20/4.11/7.19)
By Saloni 

“Everywhere you look, everywhere you go, there’s a heart, (there’s a heart), a hand to hold on to. Everywhere you look, everywhere you go, there’s a face of somebody who needs you, everywhere you look.” The theme song to “Full House” describes the show perfectly. The comedy, which ran from 1987-1995, will always be a special one. The beauty of the show lies in its simplicity and even its sappiness. It gives off a little ‘too-good-to-be-true’ vibe, but honestly, we could all use that sometimes. It’s funny, it’s sweet, and it’ll make you smile — what more could you want? This is the same reason I enjoy current comedies like “The Middle,” “Fresh off the Boat,” and “Last Man Standing.” In the show, when Danny Tanner loses his wife in a car accident, he calls upon his brother-in-law Jesse and his childhood best friend Joey to help raise his three girls: DJ, Stephanie, and Michelle. Eventually, we are also introduced to Jesse's wife Rebecca, DJ's best friend Kimmy, and DJ's boyfriend Steve. Each 20-minute episode focuses on developing the characters, their relationships, and a moral. In the midst of all this, they infuse humor to maintain the balance. The cast takes a little while to get into the groove but once they do, the show really takes off. Would it still work in the current TV landscape the same way it did in its time? Maybe not as well, no. But personally, I know I would enjoy it just as much. I rewatched it earlier this year to be prepared for “Fuller House,” and I realized that the core issues of family/friendship problems and relationship dramas are still very relevant. I think even after all these years, if someone were to watch “Full House” for the first time, they would relate to the characters and the situations they are in.

Episode 4.11 - Secret Admirer

In one of the funniest episodes of the show, Danny invites his girlfriend Cindy and her mischievous son Rusty over for barbecue with the family. As a prank, Rusty pretends to be D.J’s crush and writes her a love letter. This spirals out of control when the letter doesn’t get delivered to her as planned and ends up getting passed to almost every character, each of whom try to figure out who their secret admirer could be.

MVP - Michelle Tanner.
Best Reaction to Receiving the Letter - Kimmy when she thinks Jesse is in love with her.
Worst Reaction to Receiving the Letter - Jesse believes either Danny or Joey wrote it to his fiancé Becky.
Worst character - Rusty, of course. He was just annoying, funny but annoying.
Best Character Interaction: Jesse and Michelle in the opener
Best Quotes -
1. Rusty: "You can help me deliver the letter, like a mailman." Michelle: "I’m very busy today." Rusty: "Tell you what little lady. I’ll give you this bright, shiny, new penny." Michelle: "Don’t be cheap. Give me a nickel!"
2. Michelle: "I got two nickels. What can I buy with it?" Jesse: "A dime!"

Episode 7.19 - Love on the Rocks

After D.J. spends the week away from her boyfriend, she realizes how different they are and that she isn’t dependent on him. She hikes up the mountain with her friends and conquers her fears. The episode is a little more serious and quite excellent because it shows her realizing she’s independent and needs to become her own person. It gives a glimpse into real teenage heartbreak. Also, after Joey pulls pranks on the whole family, they decide to band together to get back at him.

MVP - D.J Tanner, her character development is brilliant.
Best Moment - At the end of the episode, D.J is alone after her break-up on top of the mountain and she smiles and realizes she’s going to be okay on her own.
Best interaction - D.J and Becky when they discuss her relationship.
Best Scene - when the family pranks Joey
Best Quotes -
1. DJ (after they've climbed the mountain): "Well, what do you think?" Steve: "I think there should be an elevator here."
2. Steve: "We’ll lose out on something incredible, us." DJ: "We’ll never lose out on us. We’ll always be friends." Steve: "I hope so because you’re the best friend I’ve ever had."

Episode 3.20 - Honey, I Broke the House

In another insane hilarious episode, Stephanie drives Joey’s car into the kitchen by mistake. She is so scared of what will happen and that Danny will stop loving her, she runs away to Becky’s house. Meanwhile, Jesse and Becky get into a fight of their own.

MVP - Naturally, Stephanie. She’s hilarious even when she’s scared.
Best Reaction to Finding the Car in the Kitchen - Michelle
Worst Reaction to Finding the Car: Joey
Believable as a Kid, Not as an Adult - Parking the car in your backyard. Nope.
Funniest Scene - Jesse finds Steph hanging inside a jacket in Becky’s closet
Cutest Michelle Scene - Singing ‘Rain, Rain Go Away’ when she hears DJ and Kimmy singing.
Best Insult - Kimmy: "You know there’s a country where they eat children as meat." Stephanie: "Then you better not go there because you’re full of baloney! "
Best Quote - DJ: "Michelle, do you know how Joey’s car got in here?" Michelle: "Yes, I do." D.J: "How?" Michelle: "Through the window!"



Gidget (1.01-1:05)
by Dahne

Officially Gidget is before my time, but it played in reruns when I was a kid so I'm counting it. My basic takeaway from this show is that Gidget is kind of like Lizzie McGuire or Hannah Montana, if you take out animation breaks and pop star singing and replace it with random 60's dancing. There is a language barrier but many of the problems she faces are similar. She's got a pain in the butt sibling - so check every Disney show in the last 6 years. She has a close relationship with a parent but she sometimes can't communicate with him. Another Disney check if you include parent figures as well as blood relatives. She struggles with a breakup and has problems getting settled back in with her friends. She has a crush on someone who doesn't like her back, but in the end, she knows she's loved and a bright, sunny day is around the corner. Yep, it all sounds like the Big Ears Network to me. What she doesn't have is cool gadgets or tons of snark, which might make her refreshing to those whom Disney movies are aimed at. Just call it Teen Beach Movie: The TV Show.

Grade: B-
Potential for Today's TV - It would take some tweaking but Disney could revamp it.

Best Episode - 1.03
Best Thing I Loved as a Kid but Didn't as an Adult - Russell consistently chooses Gidget over Anne in one of the worst examples of parental favoritism ever on TV
Best Reason to Watch as an Adult - it's the kind of innocent fun where problems are solved in 25 minutes and you can take a brief break to laugh before worrying about your own
Best Character - LaRue, the wacky sidekick
Best Character Interaction - without a doubt, Gidget and her dad
Best Point - Gidget tells her dad that he should have called if he wasn't coming home until morning
Worst Way to End a Date - with a police escort
Biggest Shock - The pilot episode involved her family thinking Gidget had sex. What the heck! This is Gidget. She's supposed to be the Disney Channel of the 60's.
Biggest Laugh - LaRue's beach outfit
Most Overbearing - Anne and John
Smartest Cookie - Gidget, who realizes that Great Kahuna is playing a part to stop her infatuation
Best Quote:
1. Great Kahuna: "The trouble with a Girl Friday is pretty soon she hooks into Saturday and Sunday."
2. Anne: "What's it called when you use a hammer on your own sister?" John: "Justifiable homicide."



Gilligan’s Island (1964) – (1.01-1.03)
BY Emma

Off all the shows I’ve revisited for this article, Gilligan’s Island is the one I remember the most. Ginger was so glamorous, the Professor was so smart, and Gilligan was a bigger klutz than I was, which made him instantly likable to me. I watched repeats almost every day after school but in selecting the show for revisit, I realized I never saw the pilot. When I looked at my DVDs, the insert says that the pilot never aired but I also didn’t realize that all of the season 1 episodes were filmed and aired in black and white and colorized later for syndication. As a kid, I found the physical humor of Gilligan and the Skipper hilarious in a 3 Stooges kind of way but as an adult, it doesn’t hold up nearly as well as the 3 Stooges. Gilligan is more annoying than funny and while the Skipper is still bossy and short-tempered with Gilligan, I get why he is now. That being said, it’s still a cute, clean show that can be counted on for a good laugh or two.

Test of Time Grade: B

Best Thing I Loved as a Kid but Didn’t as an Adult – Gilligan & the Skipper’s arguments
Reason to Watch as an Adult – Nostalgia
Most Improved Character since Childhood – the Professor
Least Improved Character since Childhood – Gilligan
Biggest Change – opening credit song lyrics were “and the rest” instead of “the professor and Mary Ann”
Biggest Laugh – the Professor's trap / Skipper and Gilligan disguised as a bush and a tree



Greatest American Hero (1.01/1.02/1.03/1.07)
BY Prpleight

This show is about aliens, who charge Ralph Hinkley and Bill Maxwell with fighting crime using a super suit. Unfortunately, Ralph loses the instruction book before he gets home. I adored this show as a kid. (I still remember the theme song lyrics!) What I loved about the show when I was a kid was Ralph Hinkley’s inability to fly and Bill’s frustration at his inability to get the civilians to adopt his priorities or see him as the ultimate authority on all things crime solving. Re-watching for this article, I was surprised by how well the story held up and the fact that the show wasn’t fluff for kids. It was, in many ways, another of Stephen J. Cannell cop show. In the episodes I watched, the themes were deeper than I was old enough to grasp. Not only are the themes still relevant today, several of the crime stories are still being told today.

Drinking Game Word - “Scenario”
Most Needed Piece of Modern Technology - Cell phone
Most As I Remembered/Most Nostalgic - The little boy that teaches Ralph how to fly…er….get off the ground in his approximation of flying.
Best Character - Bill Maxwell
Biggest Surprise - How relevant and accessible this show still is despite the lack of cell phones.



Hogan’s Heroes (1965) – (1.01-1.03)
BY Emma

My memories of Hogan’s Heroes repeats are pretty much just generalities: Hogan always making Colonel Klink look like an idiot, the guard dogs being so nice, and Schultz’s catchphrase. I was far too young to understand why the men were there and what they were doing, which made revisiting the show a big draw. After watching the first three episodes (the first in black and white), all I could think of was these guys were the OG MacGyvers because they made everything out of nothing – a coffeepot wire-tap, the sink turned into a periscope-like spy lens, and one of the bunks turned into a secret passage complete with ladder. However, for all their shenanigans, the humor really didn’t translate well – mostly because this is not even remotely a close representation of how POWs are treated and no Colonel worth his salt would be so oblivious to what they were so obviously doing. The best part about revisiting was seeing a very young and handsome Richard Dawson!

Test of Time Grade: C-

Best Thing I Loved as a Kid but Didn’t as an Adult – the humor
Reason to Watch as an Adult – nostalgia
Biggest Laugh – stealing a tank
Best Character Interactions – Hogan and his men / Hogan and Klink
Best Catchphrase – Schultz: “I see nothing.”



MacGyver (1.01-1.04)
by Dahne

In case you haven't heard, there's a new MacGyver reboot heading to TV so it's a perfect time to revisit the classic. MacGyver is just as smart as I remember and he rivals Michael Westen from Burn Notice in creative uses for duct tape. After all, as Michael said, "Guns make you stupid…..Duct tape makes you smart." While I really liked the pilot and all its MacJiggering, I found quickly that this show is best to take in smaller slices. Marathoning tends to point out all the overlap - like the cute kid trope, all the voiceovers, the macking on the lady of the episode, and most bizarre, the idea that MacGyver is the sole main character. As in, it's him and the guest actors of the week each and every week. Sure keeps casting costs down. Other than that, this is basically where Scorpion gets its roots, minus the team. It's also a lot more plausible than Scorpion, which means it could never, ever in a million years happen as opposed to their zillion years. I would expect that the format will switch dramatically in the reboot so it will feel more like Scorpion than the original, but the character is solid and there's a reason why he's still remembered today.

Grade: B-
Potential for Today's TV - It is coming back as a reboot, so very high. Just give him a team this time.

Best Episode - pilot
Best Thing I Loved as a Kid but Didn’t as an Adult - the repetition
Best Reason to Watch as an Adult - the "science" is still a lot of fun and all the action
Best Extended Metaphor - riding a horse to dismantling a missile
Worst Cliché - bad guys can't shoot
Biggest Nostalgia - Russia as the big time 80's enemy
Biggest Idiot - Kate, the investigative photographer who wears sandals to secretly film one of the world's biggest criminals and who just stands wherever to take her pictures
Biggest Laugh - the flying horse visual / MacGyver complains about incessant telephone use…in 1985. I can't imagine what he'd think about smartphones and constant cell phone use today.
Most Fun - map slide
Dumbest Plan - Taking the map instead of taking a picture of the map. Plus he didn't steal the pictures attached to the map, which seem significant.
Most Unbelievable - there's a lot but the Budapest car chase beats chocolate sealing the toxic leak
Man's Best Friend - duct tape
Smartest Guy in the Room, Any Room - MacGyver
Instant Good Guy Alert - when they are smart and part of Big Brothers, you know they are the good guy
Instant Bad Guy Alert - the bad guy mustache (in most episodes)
Trademark Phrase - MacGyver: "I hate heights." / any version of "I've got an idea"
Why Every Hero Should Wear Flannel - makes a nifty temporary gas mask, pot holder, and heroic gesture
Best Quote - MacGyver: "We might be able to whip up a Band-aid."



The Munsters (1964) – (1.01-1.03)
BY Emma

What I remember most from watching The Munsters reruns during my childhood was wanting a car like Grandpa’s dragster and Lily and Herman’s acceptance of the people they thought of as abnormal. They were both so kind and gentle, it never occurred to me that they were portraying the same monsters featured in cinematic horror movies. In revisiting the show, I didn’t realize how similar in theme The Munsters was to The Addams Family and while The Munster held over a little better than The Addams Family (mainly because they didn’t depend on the abnormal as normal theme as heavily as The Addams Family did but they really focused on getting Marilyn married off) they share the same great message: what’s “normal” is a matter of perspective and differences should be celebrated, not feared.

Test of Time Grade: B, the recurring theme of getting Marilyn married off knocks it down a few pegs

Best Thing I Loved as a Kid but Didn’t as an Adult – Grandpa’s moving snacks were funny as a kid but now they give me the creepy crawlies
Reason to Watch as an Adult / Best Character Interaction – Lily and Herman love and respect each other
Most Improved Character since Childhood – Marilyn, more likable than I remember
Least Changed Character since Childhood – Lily, still as strong and commanding of respect as I remember / Grandpa, still up to no good in his lab
Biggest Change – the journalists actually left when the cops told them too
Best Episode – My Fair Munster, love potion runs amok
Biggest Laugh – Eddie being chased by a gaggle of girls because of the love potion
Best Music – theme song is still stuck in my head



Quantum Leap (1.01-1.04)
By Dahne

I really enjoyed rewatching Quantum Leap and will probably continue marathoning it after this, although it is really uneven. The pilot is the superior episode because it focuses on world building and allows Sam time to bond with the people in the life he's absconded. The only drawback is that Sam doesn't remember Al in the pilot. Since it's the single most important relationship on the show, it makes the pilot a bit rough in parts. The subsequent jumps of the week had less background and felt goofier (1.02) or preachy (1.03). Also, I didn't remember Sam's amnesia so I felt it took too long for him to be back on board with everything. The CGI is also lame but back then I thought it was really cool. This is one of the few shows that I wish they would remake because the sci-fi bones are still as viable today as they were back in 1989. Actually nowadays it would probably be soapier and definitely more cause of the week, so yeah, I'm okay with Hollywood keeping their mitts off.

Grade: B+ / C / B-
Potential for Today's TV - The bones of the story are still good storytelling today and it has that procedural element that networks like. However, in this version, it's about a scientist with a very firm belief in God who prays to him along with all the sci-fi stuff. Sadly, any remake would probably cut this character development out.

Best Episode - pilot
Best Thing I Loved as a Kid but Didn’t as an Adult - the CGI
Best Reason to Watch as an Adult - the sci-fi and the characters
Best Music - In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida by iron Butterfly, which always reminds me of ShifterDean from Supernatural / the Quantum Leap instrumental version of Eye of the Tiger (not the song but the spirit of it)
Best Historical Tie - Sam creates the Watergate Scandal
Best Character Interaction - Sam and Al
Worst Athletes Ever - whatever team Sam plays against, whose in-fielding would suck in Little League
Biggest Aww Moment - Sam's dead dad invites him to Thanksgiving
Biggest Laugh You'd Never Get Now - getting the pregnant lady drunk in order to stop her labor
Most Interesting One-Off Character - Dixie, the Marilynn Monroe stripper with more depth than expected
Best Quotes -
1. Sam: "Please God, I'd like to wake up now."
2. Al: "Your best shot is freezing the brain until all electrical activity has ceased." Sam: "That's called death." Al: "I never said it would be easy."



Remington Steele (1.01-1.04)
By Dahne

Remington Steele remains a charming procedural with one of my first TV heroes…Laura. Yep, not Remington. I was too young for his charms when this aired but watching a lady PI on the screen was awesome. She was the perfect continuation of my Nancy Drew phase. I loved the idea that Laura was actually the smartest and always got the bad guy while Steele tried to keep up. I did forget about how they showed a part of the episode before the title sequence, like current promos. It's a bit odd and I would NOT think people would want to be spoiled 30 seconds before the show began. Still overall, I think this series holds up very well. You'd have to find a reason why facial recognition and DNA samples wouldn't expose Steele's real identity and it would be a lot harder to make up a fake person these days, but this show practically screams current day. For one, it had the two leads of a crime show flirting with each other in a constant will they-won't they dynamic long before every single freaking procedural and most serials followed suit. In fact, I think that's the reason I loved it as a kid. It was the exception and not the clichĂ© at that time. Give Hollywood's penchant for reboots these days, I expect to hear of this one making round 2 any day now.

Grade: B+
Potential for Today's TV - A lot being the kind of crime procedural romance that networks and viewers salivate over these days. I'm actually surprised it isn't debuting in fall with MacGyver.

Best Episode -1.03
Best Thing I Loved as a Kid but Didn’t as an Adult - Steele is kind of a jerk, especially to Bernice Foxe
Best Reason to Watch as an Adult - smart crimes without all the gimmicks of today
Best Way to Sum Up Your Exposition - title sequence
Best Character - Laura
Best Character Interaction - Laura and Steele
Best One Shot Character - Emery Arnok, the client dragged through a case and becomes an asset
Most Charming - Pierce Brosnan
Most Punny - the episode titles



Sabrina the Teenage Witch (1.01/1.02/1.05/1.17/1.18/2.01/2.12/2.15)
BY Jessica VanWinkle

I loved Sabrina the Teenage Witch when I was younger. I chose to watch some of the early episodes because I remembered I liked the first few seasons the best. Sabrina Spellman was a great main character. She’s funny and smart, but also struggles with balancing her studies and her personal life. I felt like she was relatable. I loved her relationship with her aunts and with her cat, Salem. Maybe it’s weird that I liked a talking cat, but whatever. I like cats. Sabrina’s aunts and Salem all cared about her well-being and tried to help her learn magic. They also helped with her problems at school and with her friends. When I was a kid, I loved Sabrina’s on-again-off-again relationship with boyfriend, Harvey, but I didn’t like it as much now. At the beginning of the series, Harvey is a dumb football player. I guess I forgot that or I didn’t notice it when I was younger. His character does change some as the series progresses, but it bothered me that he was so stereotypical. When I was younger I liked Sabrina’s friend Jenny, but I didn’t like her friend Valerie. I thought Valerie was really annoying. Her self-esteem was so low and she always needed reassurance from Sabrina that she wasn’t going to fail at life. Rewatching episodes did nothing to improve my opinion about Valerie. I also thought some of the episodes were over the top, but I guess that’s what happens when you have a show about witches. As a kid I loved some of the ridiculous stories, but this time I preferred the simpler episodes with Sabrina and her friends at school or Sabrina hanging out at home with her aunts and Salem. I did enjoy the Christmas episode in season two; it wasn’t cheesy as some holiday specials, and I just love holiday episodes. For the most part, I still enjoyed watching Sabrina but I think a child or teenager would enjoy it more than an adult.

Best Character Interaction - Sabrina and her aunts, Zelda and Hilda
Favorite Characters - Sabrina and Salem
Thing I Loved as a Kid but Didn’t as an Adult - Harvey
Most as I Remembered - Sabrina’s annoying friend Valerie
Problem I Can Relate To - Sabrina trying to be a good niece, friend, girlfriend, and keep her grades up all at the same time.
Favorite Episode - Sabrina Claus (2.12)



Scooby Doo (1969-1970) – Season 1
BY Emma

When I signed up for Scooby Doo for this article, I realized I probably shouldn’t have picked this show because I still watch it! I have many of the various show incarnations on DVD as well as many of the movies. I was born after the original Scooby Doo cartoons aired but it was always the original ones that were (and still are) my favorite. Sure it was easy to figure out who the “monster” was but seeing how the clues the gang found led them to that person was why I kept watching, well that and Scooby and Shaggy’s antics. While the current versions of the gang have been updated to reflect our times and the mysteries are a lot more difficult to figure out (sometimes the “monsters” are actually real now), there is nothing like the original. I dare you to watch it and not have the theme song stuck in your head for days.

Test of Time Grade: A

Best Thing I Loved as a Kid but Didn’t as an Adult – the animation
Reason to Watch as an Adult – good, clean fun
Most Improved Character from Childhood – Daphne, smarter than I remember and not as vain either
Least Improved Character from Childhood – Fred, his traps actually kind of sucked
Least Changed – Shaggy and Scooby
Best Episodes / Favorite “Monster” – The Tar Monster, something about the dripping tar is just creepy
Biggest Laugh – Shaggy and Scooby’s appetite
Most Relevant Message – people from all walks of life can be friends
Best Catchphrase – Shaggy: “Zoinks!” / Velma: “Jinkies!” / Scooby: “Ruh Roh Raggy”



Soap (1.01-1.05)
By Dahne

Wow! That was a huge eye opener. What a difference 4 decades make. When I was a kid my parents watched this when we were on vacation, so ALL the sexual innuendo went over my head. And I thought Three's Company had the most sexual references. This one has jokes on erectile dysfunction, Joy of Sex, multiple affairs, pornography, homosexuality, transgender, incest, possible sex with a priest, and more. I think the only things they didn't touch on were S& M and bestiality but then again I stopped after 5 episodes. There were also a lot of stereotypical characters and things that people found funny then, especially about being gay and racism, would probably be considered offensive today. It is interesting to see all these actors from other parts though. Still, this was by far the worst show I rewatched.

Grade: D-
Potential for Today's TV - none without MAJOR revamping of the characters

Best Episode - 1.03
Best Thing I Liked as a Kid but Didn’t as an Adult - basically the entire show but especially the "humor"
Best Reason to Watch as an Adult - all the actors you know from other places
Best Peacemaker - Mary
Best Character - Benson, whose level of sarcasm rivals any character's today
Best Character Interaction - Mary and Jessica
Best Reference - the Flying Wallendas
Best Twist - Bert's son is Corrine and Jessica's lover
Most Annoying - the iconic show introduction exposition / the music that beeps throughout / laugh track
Most Funny - everyone's reaction to Peter



About the Author - Dahne
One part teacher librarian - one part avid TV fan, Dahne is a contributing writer for SpoilerTV, where she recaps, reviews, and/or creates polls for Teen Wolf, The 100, Grimm, How to Get Away with Murder, The Librarians, and others. She also runs the annual Character Cup. She's addicted to Twitter, live tweets a multitude of shows each week, and co-hosts The 100 "Red-Shirted" and Teen Wolf "Welcome to Beacon Hills" podcasts for Southgate Media Group. Currently she writes a Last Week in TV column for her blog and SpoilerTV. ~ "I speak TV."
Recent Reviews (All Reviews)




Monday, June 27, 2016

Quiz: Guess the Show - I Love the 80's Edition





Come celebrate your knowledge of 80's TV with us! Since the 80's had so much to love and laugh at, I've divided it into 2 quizzes. One should be relatively easy if you know some 80's TV. It's designed for the process of elimination to help if you're unsure. The second one contains more obscure shows. It's still possible to do well, though, even if you've never heard of the show. Again the process of elimination will help. If you like these quizzes, let me know. I have enough material for another four. :-P For those of you for whom the 80's is way too early, I'll have one focusing on the 90's in a couple of weeks. Until then, enjoy this like totally tubular, rad fab, righteous trip back to the 80's.

Shameless Plug - Want more 80's nostalgia? Tomorrow's Last Week in TV article focuses on childhood / teen TV and how well it holds up in the 21st century. Check it out and join the discussion on all things nostalgia TV.







So now that you're warmed up, why not try a more challenging quiz. If you remember any of these shows, show your love in the comments or tell us about your favorite 80's shows.







About the Author - Dahne
One part teacher librarian - one part avid TV fan, Dahne is a contributing writer for SpoilerTV, where she recaps, reviews, and/or creates polls for Teen Wolf, The 100, Grimm, How to Get Away with Murder, The Librarians, and others. She also runs the annual Character Cup. She's addicted to Twitter, live tweets a multitude of shows each week, and co-hosts The 100 "Red-Shirted" and Teen Wolf "Welcome to Beacon Hills" podcasts for Southgate Media Group. Currently she writes a Last Week in TV column for her blog and SpoilerTV. ~ "I speak TV."
Recent Reviews (All Reviews)








Wednesday, June 22, 2016

Last Week in TV - Week of June 12 - MEGA End of Season Awards and Reviews




Welcome to our end of the season special edition of Last Week in TV where the guest reviewers and I look over TV as a whole and give out show awards for all we watched in the 2015-2016 season. (Disclaimer - I only let us pick 5 awards per show to get better variety) Since the column is sooo long this time, I put a link to the condensed poll below if you would like to vote on these awards yourself.  If enough people participate, I will include the results in the next column. Speaking of the next column, not only will it be the last one before we go on summer hiatus, but it is also a very special edition that will focus on shows we watched as kids or teens. I've already been shocked more than once in preparation for it. Let's just say that innuendo went right over my head as a kid. I hope you will join us for it; I think it will be a great trip through nostalgia. If you would like to participate in the reviews, e-mail me at dahne@spoilertv.com or tweet me @dahne1 for details. Thanks to everyone who has already sent in their reviews. Keep them coming! The more shows we cover, the more likely it is that something you watched will be included and the more fun it will be. As for this article, I watched zero new shows this week since I've been stuck in the 70's and 80's so everything here is from earlier. Thanks to the guest reviewers for keeping things fresh. Until our season finale next week, don't forget to fill out your own awards, leave a comment about ours, and happy TV viewing.







2015-2016 TV Awards



Best Returning Show:
BlueStar - 12 Monkeys / The Librarians
Emma - Jane the Virgin
Jessica - Grey's Anatomy / Chicago Fire
Laura - How to Get Away with Murder / Brooklyn 99
Dahne - The Blacklist / iZombie


Best New Show:
BlueStar - Into the Badlands / Limitless
Emma - Limitless
Jessica - Chicago Med / Limitless
Laura - Limitless / Lucifer
Dahne - Into the Badlands / Oh My Venus


Most Improved Returning Show:
BlueStar - The Originals
Emma - Scorpion
Jessica - iZombie / The Blacklist
Laura - Suits / It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Dahne - The Blacklist / Elementary


Returning Show that Got Worse:
BlueStar - Arrow / Nashville
Emma - Grimm
Jessica - The 100 / Black-ish
Laura - Daredevil / Looking
Dahne - way too many but the worst offenders were Grimm / The 100


Best Show to Binge Watch:
BlueStar - Supernatural / Person of Interest
Emma - iZombie
Jessica - House of Cards / How to Get Away with Murder
Laura - Brooklyn 99
Dahne - Killjoys / Dominion


Best Midseason Show:
BlueStar - 12 Monkeys
Emma - The Real O'Neals
Jessica - Lucifer
Laura - Lucifer / The Real O'Neals
Dahne - Into the Badlands / Wynonna Earp / Younger / The Carmichael Show


Worst Cancellation:
BlueStar - Person of Interest / Limitless
Emma - Limitless / Agent Carter
Jessica - Limitless
Laura - Galavant / Limitless
Swanpride - Agent Carter
Dahne - Rush Hour / Agent X


Best Episode:
Emma - 6,741 (Person of Interest) / Messengers (Outsiders)
Jessica - Salivation Army (iZombie) / Entropy (Criminal Minds)
Laura - Headquarters! (Limitless) / What Did We Do? (How to Get Away with Murder)
Dahne - Salivation Army (iZombie) / What Did We Do? (How to Get Away with Murder) / Hand of 5 Poisons (Into the Badlands) / The Son Rises (Code Black)


 
Best Character:
Emma - Sameen Shaw (Person of Interest) / Frank Castle (Daredevil)
Jessica - Liv Moore (iZombie) / Alex Karev (Grey's Anatomy)
Laura - Arnold (Please Like Me)
Dahne - Jessica Huang (Fresh Off the Boat) / Ross and Demelza (Poldark) / Margot (The Catch) / Wells (The Flash) / Sunny, Lydia, and the Widow (Into the Badlands)


Best New Character in a Returning Show:
Emma - Roan (The 100)
Jessica - Jimmy (Chicago Fire)
Laura - Eve Rothlo (How to Get Away with Murder)
Dahne - Morland Holmes (Elementary) / Anna Jarvis and Whitney Frost (Agent Carter) / Moriarty (The Librarians) / Drake and his mom (iZombie) / Roberta (Galavant)


Character Most in Need of Fixing:
Emma - Felicity (Arrow)
Jessica - Adam Ruzek (Chicago PD / Will Halstead (Chicago Med)
Laura - Dan (Lucifer)
Dahne - Rip Hunter (Legends of Tomorrow) / Raj (TBBT) / Houdini (Houdini & Doyle) / King Louis (The Musketeers)


Character that Most Needs to Go:
BlueStar - Layla (Nashville)
Jessica - Jasper (The 100)
Laura - Wuntch (Brooklyn 99)
Dahne - Jasper, Bellamy, Jaha and others (The 100) / Liam, the rest of Team Tween, and Grandpa Evil (Teen Wolf) / Ralph and Heywood (Scorpion) / Jay, Jesse, and Reverse Flash (The Flash) / Chuck, Metatron, Lucifer, and every freaking angel (Supernatural)


Character with the Most Growth:
BlueStar - Klaus (The Originals)
Emma - Lucifer Morningstar (Lucifer)
Jessica - Fitz (Agents of SHIELD)
Laura - Mike Ross (Suits)
Dahne - Walter and Happy (Scorpion) / Sheldon (TBBT) / King Richard (Galavant) / Kelsey (Younger) / Claire (Dominion)


Most Missed Character:
BlueStar - Derek Hale (Teen Wolf)
Emma - Leonard Snart (Legends of Tomorrow)
Jessica - Leslie Shay (Chicago Fire) / Cristina Yang (Grey's Anatomy)
Laura - Alex Blake (Criminal Minds)
Dahne - Lexa and Lincoln (The 100) / Moriarty (Elementary) / Bobby and Rufus (Supernatural)


Best Character Interaction:
Emma - Peggy and Jarvis (Agent Carter)
Jessica - Hawaii 5-O / Criminal Minds
Laura - Josh and Arnold (Please Like Me) / Connor and Oliver (How to Get Away with Murder)
Dahne - Carter and Lee (Rush Hour) / Bob and Mike (Crowded) / Dutch and John (Killjoys) / Madalena and Gareth (Galavant) / Snart and Rorry (Legends of Tomorrow)


Best Actor:
Emma - Jon Bernthal (Daredevil)
Jessica - James Spader (The Blacklist) / Justin Chambers (Grey's Anatomy)
Laura - Jake McDorman (Limitless)
Dahne - James Spader (The Blacklist) / Jeff Garlin (The Goldbergs) / Timothy Omundson (Galavant) / Tom Cavanagh (The Flash)


Best Actress:
Emma - Haley Atwell (Agent Carter)
Jessica - Viola Davis (How to Get Away with Murder) / Ellen Pompeo (Grey's Anatomy)
Laura - Rose McIver (iZombie)
Dahne - Viola Davis and Liza Weil (How to Get Away with Murder) / Marcia Gay Harden (Code Black) / Megan Mullally (You, Me, and the Apocalypse)


Best Writing:
Emma - Underground
Jessica - Chicago Fire / How to Get Away with Murder
Laura - Brooklyn 99
Dahne - Billions (pilot) / Galavant (lyricist)



Best Action:
BlueStar - Into the Badlands
Emma - Blindspot
Jessica - Hawaii 5-O / Arrow
Laura - Daredevil / Lucifer
Dahne - Into the Badlands / Rush Hour / Agent X / Dutch in Killjoys / The Musketeers


Best Music:
BlueStar - Nashville / Supernatural
Emma - The Goldbergs
Laura - Limitless / Suits
Swanpride - Outlander
Dahne - The Blacklist / The Goldbergs / Wicked City / Ash vs. Evil Dead


Best Technical Aspects:
BlueStar - 12 Monkeys / Into the Badlands
Emma - Underground / Outsiders
Jessica - iZombie (makeup and costumes)
Laura - Limitless (straw scene in 1.21 especially) / Daredevil (fight scene in 2.03)
Swanpride - Outlander (visual storytelling) / Sherlock (visual storytelling)
Dahne - The Shannara Chronicles (cinematography, costuming, make-up) / Ash vs. Evil Dead (directing and practical effects) / The Expanse pilot (special effects) / Angie Tribeca and Motive (guest casting) / The Musketeers (costuming and stunt coordination)


Biggest Surprise:
Emma - Code Black renewal
Jessica - CMT renews Nashville / Emily returns to Criminal Minds
Laura - The Real O'Neals
Dahne - return of Dean's amulet and a Baby-centered episode (Supernatural) / Eva Longaria is really funny (Telenovela) / Kim Manners headstone and Cigarette Smoking Man is still alive (The X-Files) / Whitney Frost and Rose are much more than they seem (Agent Carter) / Otto commits suicide (Second Chance)


Biggest Awww Moment:
BlueStar - Ty gives Amy the mini horse and Amy tells him she is pregnant (Heartland)
Emma - Kenny, his brother, and mom talk at Prom (The Real O'Neals)
Jessica - Gunnar kisses Scarlett on stage (Nashville) / Kensi and Deeks talk about proposals (NCIS: LA)
Laura - Brian interviews his new team (Limitless) / Josh and Arnold have sex for the first time (Please Like Me)
Dahne - Jarvis promises anything if Anna will only wake up (Agent Carter) / Rorish forgives the man who killed her family (Code Black) / Barry admits that he's scared that everyone will leave him behind (The Goldbergs) / D'Avin breaks down alone after being forced to almost kill John and Dutch (Killjoys) / Ezekiel begs the team to just believe him (The Librarians) / Maddie calls herself an alcoholic for the first time at the AA meeting (Recovery Road) / Korsak breaks down on the land mine (Rizzoli & Isles) / Sylvester brings Megan the stars one more time (Scorpion) / Sheriff wakes up and tells Stiles he's still there and Scott and Stiles repair their friendship (Teen Wolf) / Mulder holds Scully as she mourns her mom's death (The X-Files)


Most Heartbreaking:
BlueStar - Cami dies (The Originals) / [SPOILER] dies in the finale (Person of Interest)
Emma - Megan dies (Scorpion)
Jessica - Derek leaves the team (Criminal Minds)
Laura - Danny finds Alex's body (London Spy)
Swanpride - parting of Bobby and Hunter (Agents of SHIELD)
Dahne - Octavia breaks down over Lincoln's stuff and Monty kills his mom twice (The 100) / Reddington tries to cope with Liz's death (The Blacklist) / Doyle prays for his wife to wake from her coma and Doyle arrives for their date only to find that his wife has slipped back into her coma (Houdini & Doyle) / Annalise breaks down over her dad baby and Asher breaks down over his dad's death (How to Get Away with Murder) / Linus and his parents at the hospital (Stitchers) / Stiles sits alone in the waiting room unsure if his dad will make it (Teen Wolf)


Most Fun:
BlueStar - Ravi from iZombie (character) / Jane the Virgin (show)
Jessica - iZombie / Hawaii 5-O
Laura - Please Like Me
Dahne - Rush Hour (show) / Jessica Huang from Fresh Off the Boat (character) / slip and slide at graduation practice and Beverly's Risky Business imitation (The Goldbergs, moment) / Mike and Bob in the helicopter (Crowded, scenes) / Mulder line dancing (The X-Files, scene)


Biggest Wish:
BlueStar - Arrow focuses less on drama and more on action / Supernatural's mytharc and some character plots get better
Jessica - The 100's season 4 is better than season 3 / new shows this season are better than last season
Laura - How to Get Away with Murder focuses more on back story and less on gratuitous sex scenes & bring Eve back / Brooklyn 99 bring Kevin back so Holt and he can have their real wedding
Dahne - The 100 return to its former glory / better comedy offerings this season / Supernatural gets back to its glory now that Carver is out / Hunters and Houdini & Doyle gets a second season / Teen Wolf spends less time on Team Newbie




Miscellaneous Awards:



Best Cliffhanger:
Emma - Lucifer
Jessica - Criminal Minds
Laura - Brooklyn 99 (finale) / Lucifer (finale)
Dahne - How to Get Away with Murder (almost every episode) / Quantico (midseason)


Worst Cliffhanger:
Emma - Stitchers
Jessica - Nashville
Dahne - The Flash




Best Couple / Cutest Couple (canon only):
BlueStar - Amy and Ty (Heartland) / Sunny and Veil (Into the Badlands)
Emma - King Richard and Roberta (Galavant)
Jessica - Gunnar and Scarlett (Nashville) / Kensi and Deeks (NCIS: LA)
Swanpride - Fitz and Simmons (Agents of SHIELD)
Dahne - John Kim and Kang Joo-eun (Oh My Venus) / Sylvester and Megan (Scorpion) / Murray and Beverly (The Goldbergs) / Bob and Alice (Crowded) / Cynthia and Joe (The Carmichael Show)


Best Friends:
Blue Star - Scott and Stiles (Teen Wolf) / Cole and Ramse (12 Monkeys)
Dahne - Jessica and Honey (Fresh Off the Boat) / Carter and Jarvis (Agent Carter) / Cynthia and Vern (Recovery Road) / Carter and Lee & Carter and Gerald (Rush Hour) / Valerie and Alice (The Catch)


Best Mentor/Student Relationship:
Blue Star - Sunny and MK (Into the Badlands)
Dahne - Guthrie and Angus & Rorish and the residents (Code Black) / Wells and Cisco (The Flash) / Jackson and Regan (Hunters) / Cynthia and Maddie (Recovery Road) / Maggie and Camille (Stitchers)


Best New Streaming Show:
Emma - The Man in the High Castle
Swanpride - Jessica Jones




Best Returning Streaming Show:
BlueStar - Daredevil
Emma - Daredevil
Swanpride - Daredevil
Dahne - Angie Tribeca


Best Show You're Not Watching:
Emma - How to Get Away with Murder
Laura - Please Like Me
Dahne - Younger / The Carmichael Show / Code Black / Killjoys / iZombie


Best Storyline:
Dahne - Kan Joo-eun (Oh My Venus) / Shaw (Quantico) / Demelza (Poldark) / Regan (Hunters) / Eretria (The Shannara Chronicles) / Kirsten and Camille (Stitchers)



Best Team:
BlueStar - Team Machine (Person of Interest) / the librarians (The Librarians)
Swanpride - Agents of SHIELD
Dahne - Scorpion / The Librarians / Houdini, Doyle, and Adelaide (Houdini & Doyle) / Musketeers / the halfway house (Recovery Road)


Best Villain:
Emma - Agent Carter
Swanpride - Kilgrave (Jessica Jones)
Dahne - David Whele (Dominion) / Whitney Frost (Agent Carter) / Warleggans (Poldark) / Sands and Morra (Limitless) / every criminal in the 5-part Hindsight saga (Major Crimes)


Worst Villain:
Dahne - Savage (Legends of Tomorrow) / Blair (Stitchers) / Constance (Wynonna Earp) / Vaughn, Gilda, and Stacey Boss (iZombie) / Amara (Supernatural)


Character that Needs More Screen Time:
Dahne - Honey (Fresh Off the Boat) / Bonnie (How to Get Away with Murder) / Malia and Team Parent (Teen Wolf) / Jenkins (The Librarians)




The "This Actor Needs More Work" Award:
Laura Markus - Keegan Joyce (Please Like Me)
Dahne - Colin Salmon (Limitless) / Peri Gilpin (Scorpion) / Clancy Brown (Daredevil) / Greg Finley (iZombie / The Flash) / Bradley James (Damian) / Bruce Campbell (Ash vs. Evil Dead) / Wil Wheaton (TBBT) / June Squibb (TBBT) / Joanna Garcia (Grandfathered) / Susan Walters (Teen Wolf) / Steven Williams (SPN) / Jessica Tuck (True Blood) / Blair Brown (Limitless) / Orla Brady (Fringe) / Arjay Smith (Perception) / Beth Riesgraf (Leverage) / Lyndsy Fonesca (Grandfathered) / Eliza Coupe (Superstore) / Oded Fehr (Quantico) / Judd Hirsch (Forever) / Zachary Levi (Chuck) / Julian Richings (The Expanse) / Olga Fonda (Agent X) / Jane Kaczmarek (Playing House) / Tim DeKay (Second Chance) / Anthony Head (Dominion) / Sean Owen Roberts (The Flash) / Beniro Martinez (H2GAwM) / Angelique Cabral (Enlisted) / Amanda Tapping (Stargate) / Christopher Gorham (Heartbeat)




Nominated Episode



Dark Matter - 1.01/1.02 - Pilot

I like the story behind this show a lot but I do think I would have found the first two episodes more entertaining if I hadn't just marathoned Killjoys. In many ways they inhabit the same world. In both, a handful of evil, greedy corporations exploit the people and make them virtual slaves. In both, our band of heroes has to come to the rescue when the corporations go too far. The big difference is that the Killjoy crew would probably have a warrant out on the Dark Matter one. I do particularly like the theme of being able to start over and deciding who you want to be that permeates the two-part pilot in Dark Matter. If the computer is to be believed (and at this point that is a BIG if), 5 of the 6 people onboard were wanted for murder and a whole host of other crimes. Somehow their memories got purposely wiped and now they have a chance to start over. Their first mission is to save the people they were originally hired to kill. Also onboard is an android and a teenager, who looks to be Dark Matter version of River Song from Firefly, only a whole lot less bat guano nuts. She's also less irritating, at least for now. I am definitely intrigued enough to put this on my summer marathon list but it'll be awhile before I get to it.

Grade: B-
Ranking: 4
Audience - basically anyone who likes sci-fi shows in space should find something to like about this one

Best Reason to Watch - since the mystery of who they are seems solved for now, the mystery of why their memories were erased should become a season-long arc
Best Scene / Best Action - shoot out at the power plant
Best Choice - choosing Two as leader, since she's the smartest of them all
Best Reaction - Five when Three wants to rank them according to their Most Wanted status
Best Plan - Two gets the competition to make the killer corporation go away
Worst Plan - not picking up the soldiers' guns after they shoot them so they have more ammunition
Biggest Douche - Three
Most Suicidal Plan - a rover attacking a ship
Most Confusing / Most Irritating - Everyone uses a number for a name when they could just give themselves a name instead of taking on their murderer personas. Having to remember which number goes with which character is frustrating, although I'm sure it gets easier.
Most Impressive - Four's sword play
Most in Need of Therapy - Three
The "Welcome Back" Award - Roger Cross from Motive and Arrow / Rob Stewart from Killjoys and Nikita / Tori Higginson from Stargate

Best Quotes -
1. Six: "But the truth is we're nothing but a bunch of low-life mercenaries." Three: "No, we're better than that. We're also pirates and smugglers and thieves. It's a very diversified portfolio." One: "You think is funny." Three: "It's my defense mechanism - humor. That and apparently killing people."
2. Two: "No computer file is going to tell me who I am. Call me Two."
3. One: "This isn't right. Am I the only person who heard what they said? A shipment of arms. Obviously, we were meant to help these people." Three: "You don't know that." One: "And the fact that we've got a cargo hold full of weapons? That's a coincidence?" Three: "You're forgetting one important detail - the scary lizard people who are on the way to this planet to destroy everything! I'm guessing you don't wanna be there when they show up." One: "Okay, I admit that part sounded bad."
4. Android: "Are you afraid of them now?" Five: "Do you think I should be?" Android: "They show a history of violence, mental instability, extreme antisocial behavior, deceit…" Five: "What's important is who they are now." Android: "An admirable attitude. Also potentially a very foolish and dangerous one."
5. Two: "It also means you could spend the rest of your life doing good deeds and not even come close to making up for it. I know what you're trying to do and it's not going to work. You don't want to believe what those computer files say you are, fair enough. I don't much want to do so either but I'm not going to kill myself trying to make up for crimes I don't even remember committing. We stick to the plan." One: "And who made you team leader?" Two: "I did by stepping up, and so did all of you by not challenging me when I did, unless you've had a change of heart and think you can do a better job….didn't think so."
6. Six: "I supposed that's plenty. Hell of a lot more than what I wanted to know anyways." Four: "We all wanted to know. These are the memories we left behind - death, despair, chaos. So what? If they're no longer a part of us now, then what does it even matter."



Guest Reviews



12 Monkeys - 2.08 - Lullaby
BY BlueStar 

While not flawless, this episode was pretty amazing. I’ve seen a few Groundhog Day-style episodes done well before on other shows, and this one now can be included in that group. After the events of the last episode, a guilty Jones sends Cassie to 2020 to kill her right after her daughter Hannah dies at Spearhead to prevent her from creating time travel. Cassie does as ordered, but time resets and she finds herself in the same field she arrived in. Cole is now there too, having followed her back in time to stop her from killing Jones. Cassie insists she already killed her, but soon they realize that was today’s yesterday, and it hasn’t actually happened yet and so the many days of today began. On one day Cole shoots Jones to save Cassie from dying of a gunshot wound. On another day, Cassie saves Hannah (who was misdiagnosed, and actually has bacterial meningitis, not the Kalavirus, which she is indeed immune to), but the time resets, undoing this. Eventually, Cole tells Cassie they’re going to wait the day out and do nothing, but at the end of the day there still is a reset. Finally, Jennifer, who is a prisoner at Spearhead at the time, tells Cole time likes time travelers and doesn’t want time travel stopped. In order to get out of the time loop, he must do something but nothing. The cryptic message seems daunting to figure out, but Cole does and puts his plan into action. Afterward, Cole and Cassie are brought back to 2044 and they reveal to Jones that they saved her daughter Hannah, and Jennifer took her in and raised her in her daughters' group the last 24 years. They did this so Jones would still create time travel, but yet would also get back her daughter someday. They changed something, but they didn’t change the outcome. The episode ends with Cole and Cassie arguing over whether they could be together, and Cassie finding Ramse in her room with a gun. He wants to kill her to avenge Sam and then kill himself. She stops him by telling him she got into the Witness’ head when he got in hers, and she knows where he is. She convinces Ramse to team up with her to kill him.

Grade: A

Best Reason To Watch – This was an exciting and entertaining time loop episode, but if that’s not your thing, Cole, Cassie, Jennifer, and Jones all had some really great scenes together.
Best Scene – The montage of Cole and Cassie saving Hannah/revealing to Jones she is still alive (the editing and music and everything about it was so good)
Best Narration – Jones quotes Shakespeare as we catch up on what’s happened in 2044 since the last episode
Doomsday Moment – Ramse views the red storm from a cliff
Most Haunting – Jones singing Brahms's Lullaby over her flat-lined daughter
Most Intense – Ramse pointing a gun at Cassie’s face and his speech to her
Most Interesting Reveal – The Witness is in a place named Titan. Now where’s that?
Worst Ticking Time Bomb – Each time the day resets, Cole and Cassie become sicker and sicker. The time loop has a similar affect on them as time travel had on Cole in season one.

Best Quotes:
1. Cole (to Jones): “Now you can say that the time loop was just a glitch in the machine, and you can believe that, but the only thing that stopped the loop was this. For you to create time travel, you had to lose Hannah…or at least believe that you did.” Cassie: “But Jones, we changed the timeline. They told you Hannah died in their care, that her body was incinerated with the others. It wasn’t.”
2. Cassie: “What do you think Jennifer really meant?” Cole: “She said…time knows Jones invented time travel and needs her to do it.” Cassie: “Did she also tell you that time has a long, white beard and a list of commandments – ‘thou shall not splinter and kill the creator of time travel’?”
3. Cole: “Cassie.” Cassie: “You and I both know we’re gonna lose so much before this is over.” Cole: “I’d rather have that moment and lose it than die never having had it at all.” Cassie: “You say that now, but it’s the losing that haunts us.”
4. Cole: “How do we break this loop?” Jennifer: “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Maybe time won’t let you kill Jones. Maybe time likes time travel.”
5. Jennifer: “So welcome to 2020. That number usually represents perfect vision, but it looks like you two aren’t seeing too clearly.”



12 Monkeys - 2.09 - Hyena
BY BlueStar

This episode was not as exciting as the last two, but it was still interesting. It begins with Jennifer calling the Pallid Man and freeing some psychiatric patients to join her to hunt the 12 Monkeys down. She calls them the Hyenas. Cole joins her in 2016 to find the Pallid Man so he can force him to tell him who the last primary is but Jennifer’s team rebels against her for letting Cole in and because they want to kill the Pallid Man and let the world know about the virus. Cole and Jennifer capture the Pallid Man and are able to get a date and location of the next paradox from him, but the 12 Monkeys bomb the hospital where Oliver Peters (the virus’ creator) was going to reveal the truth. He and Jennifer’s hyenas die in the bombing along with hundreds of others. The Pallid Man’s bodyguard helps him escape from Cole and Jennifer, and Cole comforts Jennifer after her loss. He disappears to the future, but moments later he shows back up at Jennifer’s door. He is an older Cole, with scratches on his face. While all this is happening, in the future Jones bonds with Hannah, as Cassie and Ramse set out on their own to find a man named the Keeper. He collects data and trades the truth. In order to get information on Titan, Cassie and Ramse must tell the truth to the Keeper. He zaps them when they lie about why they hate each other. Eventually, they get through his lie detector test and he gives them a CIA document about Titan. It gives a date and location in Germany. Finally, in the past, the Pallid Man discusses creating the Titan project with Jones’ husband.

Grade: B

Best Reason To Watch – Jennifer shines in this episode
Best Scene – Jennifer calling the Pallid Man and releasing the hyenas
Can’t You Two Share? – Cassie and Ramse hate each other because they both think the other is Cole’s favorite. Grow up, kids.
Most Vague – Still future Jennifer. What are you keeping secret?
Oh, Poor Thing – Not! - Olivia is losing faith in The Witness and for saying he lies, the Pallid Man nearly suffocates her.
Renaming Ceremony Award – With the Pallid Man still alive, and now Olivia, I think their team should have a more fitting name like the 12 Cockroaches. (~Bwaaaahh! Dahne)
Strangest Effect Of Time Breaking Down Yet Award – A camp of people caught in a red storm de-aged and aged quickly back and forth. What???

Best Quotes:
1. Jennifer (to Pallid Man): “I want you to take this moment and think back to the day we met. To the person I was then. Crazy, wild-eyed Jennifer Goines. Well, the good old days are over. I’m not a victim anymore. I’ve got credit cards and the Second Amendment on my side. I’m free like a virus in a preschool and paying it forward to all the other crazies. I’ve got the keys to the zoo and now I’m springing the cuckoo’s nest. There’s a new pack in town. Predators with a purpose and a thirst for vengeance, because there’s one thing I’ve learned. It’s that nothing frees you to be crazy like learning that you’re not.”
2. Jennifer: “Cole, is this who I became in the future? A woman who’s failed everyone?” Cole: “No.” Jennifer: “Then tell me what happens. How does this end?” Cole: “There are many endings.” Jennifer: “Which is the right one?” Cole: “[The right one] is the one that you’ll choose.”
3. Jennifer: “Peggy, I asked you to please be careful with the grenades. We got a discount for a reason.”



ER (1.12 – 1.15)
BY Jessica VanWinkle

Overall I enjoyed these four episodes, and my favorite storyline was Dr. Lewis’s. Susan struggles to stand up to cardiologist Dr. Jack Kayson. He is a bully and criticizes her ability to perform medicine, even writing her up. Dr. Greene, who is usually on Susan’s side, agrees that she has problems with asserting herself, and he has to review and co-sign all of her charts. She is angry at Dr. Greene for not supporting her, and I don’t blame her. Sometimes it’s hard for women to be taken seriously in the workplace so I can definitely relate to her. In an ironic twist, Dr. Kayson has a heart attack in “Long Day’s Journey” and she has to fight to save his life and stand up to another doctor to get him to do the treatment Kayson wants. Another character that experiences growth in these episodes is Dr. Ross. Doug is a very good pediatrician, and I love watching him treat and interact with his patients. He deals with very serious situations such as telling a homeless 15-year-old that he has AIDS and treating a boy with a brain injury. He helps the patients and their parents and listens to them. He doesn’t judge them. Doug seemed like a huge flirt and somewhat of a jerk in the earlier episodes so it’s nice to see his good side. Carter continues to try to impress Benton but now has competition. Ming-Na joins the cast as med student Deb Chen, and I cannot get over how young she is here! In “Luck of the Draw” Carter makes Deb do all of the exams, but she accidentally shocks him with the chest paddles and he hits his head on a gurney and falls to the ground. While he’s unconscious, Deb and nurse Haleh do a full work up on him to pay him back. My favorite scene in these episodes is when the entire staff goes next door to Doc Magoo's and has burgers (except Benton because he only eats healthy food). They laugh and tell stories about their day and laugh at Carter because they all heard about his exam. I love all of the ER getting along and having fun. Another scene I enjoyed was in “Feb. 5, 95” when cardiology steals the ER’s new crash carts. Carol is livid and makes Carter, Doug, and a few others go and steal the carts back. Doug ends up flirting with the lady at the front desk while the others run to the elevator with the carts. ER has so many serious moments so it’s nice to have a few laughs and lighter moments.

Grade: B+

Best Scene - the staff all hang out at Doc Magoo's and discuss their day
Favorite Character - Susan Lewis
Best Character Growth - Doug Ross
Welcome Back Award - Ming-Na (love her ~Dahne)
Most Ironic - Susan ends up treating the doctor that hates her

Best Quotes -
1. Mark to Carol: “What are the odds that you’d set a date for the wedding, win ten dollars, and catch HIV all in the same day?”
2. Doctor: “Jack, you look great. We’re going to blow your arteries out.”



Good Witch – Season 1 (10 Episodes)
BY Emma

Usually, I avoid Hallmark shows because they are entirely too sappy for my liking. Fortunately, my prior ignorance about the show means I went in with no preconceived notions. I was trying to fill the void left by The Witches of East End and the title has “witch” in it, so I thought I’d give it a shot. Turns out, this show is very different than The Witches of East End except in the most important way – the characters are likable and you can’t help but want to know what happens to them and their small town. It’s not mind-blowing TV that tackles tough social issues, but it is a heartwarming, clean, family orientated show about a small town and the close-knit people who live there. Despite the title, there is very little mention of witchcraft. Cassie Nightingale and her family’s gifts seem to be limited to precognition and while their gifts are mentioned, they never label themselves as witches or what they do as witchcraft. Cassie is a Naturopath which makes her good with herbs but there is no indication that her teas or tinctures come with spells attached to them. Admittedly, Cassie is a Super Special Snowflake that can literally do no wrong but her humility and genuine desire to help people makes it endearing, not annoying (for the most part). Her daughter Grace has the normal teenage angst but she has a good head on her shoulders. The new neighbors, Dr. Sam Radford and his son Nick, move to their small town from New York and experience the pains of downsizing, slowing down and finding your place in a town where people have known each other since childhood. There are many recurring characters and sometimes it is hard to remember who everyone is and how they relate to each other but the season had a cohesive feel to it and each of the characters, regular or recurring, added to the story. If you are looking for a good, relaxing show to watch before bed, give Good Witch a try.

Grade: B
Where to Watch – S1 streaming on Netflix, S2 finale airs June 19th

Best Reason to Watch – clean, heartwarming, family show / fan of the movies
Best Episode – 1.13 “True Colors”
Best Subplot – land development/renovation and how it affects the small town dynamic
Worst Subplot – Grace’s rebellion
Best Character – Sam
Best Character Development – Abigail
Best Character Interactions – Sam and Cassie / Cassie and Grace
Most Mischievous – Abigail



Outlander - 2.07 - Faith
BY Swanpride

It might sound odd, but I really looked forward to this episode. Yes, that is right, I wanted to see Claire going through the pain of a miscarriage, simply because this is something which is so rarely depicted on TV. I was really satisfied with this part, though I feel that overall the show pulled their punches. Yep, an episode which showed a child getting raped was pulling its punches. The thing is that the book managed to be even more disturbing without even having the scene with the rape in it (there Fergus tells Claire what happened, but only in the most basic terms). Why? Well, because in the book Fergus initially agreed to it because he had done it before when a customer showed interest in it. I am not sure how I feel about the show omitting the reality of child prostitution, but being comfortable with showing more of the actual act than I would have. In any case, even though I might not be on board with everything the show does (especially by trying to turn St. Germaine into a big villain without much success and adding a scene in which Louis tests Claire and Raymond just for even more cheap drama), I have to compliment the use of the cameras yet again. This show is not just full of beautiful costumes and sets, it is also perfectly staged. It tells more over the visuals than some high budget movies do in the dialogue. It's an art which seemed to be lost for so long, it is a joy to see it.

Grade: A-

Best Reason to Watch - Visual storytelling at its best.
Best Scene - Claire holding her dead child, though I do think that it would have worked even better at the beginning of the episode, making the audience believe just for a minute the child survived before the hard reality hits.
Best Character - Claire carries the whole episode
Best Visual - The shot from the bed on Claire and Louis is so explicit, I would have understood what was going on without the announcement beforehand.
Most Unnecessary - Actually showing the "payment".
Best Costume - The green dress Claire wears is perfect to show her allegiance to Jamie when she deals with the king.
Most WTF - The whole scene with the witch test. It's tense, but a needless detour which makes no sense whatsoever.
Best Music - While I don't like the test, the score is very effective in making it as dramatic as possible.

Best Quote:
1. Claire: "My sins are all I have left."
2. St. Germaine: "I salute you, Master Raymond, you evil b***. And you, witch, who sucks the c*** of the Devil. I'll see you in hell."
3. Jamie: "The weight of what has happened to you is too much for anyone of us to bear alone. The only way we can live with it is to carry it together."



Outlander - 2.08- The Fox's Lair
BY Swanpride

If this show had something like a mid-season finale, it would have been the last episode. We are now fresh in the second part of the arc, back in Scotland. Honestly, after all the heartbreak in the last episode, I wouldn't have minded if the show had taken its time before throwing Claire and Jamie out of their comfort zone again. The scenes relating to planting potatoes are actually quite funny and would have been a great breather, which would make the drama which follows even more effective but that is just a nit-pick in the great scheme of things. Unlike what was going on in France, the politicking in the Scottish Highland is actually quite interesting, though, yet again, the show insists on complicating things which didn't need to be in the first place. When it follows the book, every second is worth watching, especially when Jamie stands up to his grandfather but I don't get why the show keeps insisting on diminishing Jamie's intelligence by letting Claire rescue him all the time.

Grade: B

Best Reason to Watch - Clan politics beats courtly intrigue hands down
Best Scene - Jamie taking care of Jenny's baby
Best Character - Lord Lovit is quite a b***, but nevertheless a fascinating character.
Best Costume - Jamie in his highland outfit is quite a welcome sight to see again.
Most Useless - Forcing Loaghaire into the plot
Best Addition - Colum, who originally didn't turn up in this part of the story but actually works out quite well.
Most Blessed with Sucks - Maisi, whose abilities are more a curse than anything else

Best Quote:
1. Jenny: "If you never come back, brother, I won't forgive you for a long time."
2. Jamie: "Go ahead, try to ravage my wife and after she is done with you, have another maid to sweep up your remains."



Outlander - 2.09- Je Suis Pres
BY Swanpride 

I really loved this episode! Finally Jamie was allowed to be the smart leader he is supposed to be. I also love the cuts to Claire's experiences in WWII. It was kind of depressing to see how war seems to be a constant presence in the world and how the basics of it never truly change, and it makes sense for her character suffering more under bad memories than the book ever allowed her to (yes, I actually compliment the show for doing something better than the book for once), though I don't think they necessarily needed to connect it with a maybe love interest for her. I also liked Dougal's constant scheming and Jamie asserting his authority over him. I was only slightly confused that they forgot to reveal to William Grey that Claire is Jamie's wife, but I guess at this point it doesn't matter in the great scheme of things and it does actually make more sense if Jamie doesn't reveal his "tricks" to an enemy without need. All in all, I went out of the episode more satisfied than I have ever been since this season started.

Grade: A

Best Reason to Watch - This time around we get a really realistic portrayal of war.
Best Scene - Claire telling off Dougal
Best Character - Dougal
Best Visual - Jamie's army on the march. I am quite impressed with the number of extras.
Most "I Wish I Could Unsee This" - The beginning of Trench foot
Best Costume - Dougal going for the "shirtless wild Scot" look.
Best Music - Loved the use of what I assume are Scottish Folk Songs, especially the one in the end. It sounded a little bit military, but also kind of longing, a very compelling and fitting mixture.

Best Quote:
1. American Soldier: "My Mom was Irish. She said that (Shaw) is the greatest writer of all time. Pops says he is a communist."
2. Dougal: "Then he is a better man than I." Claire: "Truer words have never been spoken."
3. Jamie: "I might prefer if they fight and LIVE for their king."



Outlander - 2.10- Prestonpans
BY Swanpride 

War strategies! I adore war strategies! On the front as well as the whole logistic surrounding it, like preparing for the wounded. The tense waiting before the battle really got to me and the battle itself was wonderfully staged by not going for mass scenes, but showing isolated stories of men within it, especially Fergus' point of view was used very effectively. Somehow the whole situation after it, with Charles talking about the English soldiers as his "subjects," makes it even sadder and senseless, especially knowing that he originally wanted the English wounded to be cared for before his own troops. Topple this with the truly sad departing of some beloved characters and the end result is one of the best episodes I have seen this year.

Grade: A+

Best Reason to Watch - I think this is the first time I saw a battle on TV which didn't look heroic at all.
Best Scene - Can I go for everything involving the battle?
Best Visual - The slow-mo of Fergus on the battle field
Most Tense - Dougal "testing" the danger of the marsh
Best Character - Angus provides some nice comic relief between all those dramatic speeches, which makes his sudden and unexpected death even more shocking.
Best Costume - Dougal gets full mileage out of his outfit, especially the cap.
Biggest Prick - Charles, who wants to be king of the Scots but has no respect for them.
Most Fickle - Also Charles, who changes his mind at more or less every opportunity
Best Music - The score is used very effective by adding drums to make it sound more "military"

Best Quote:
1. Dougal: "And now I have to change my breeches because the hero of the hour just sh** his pants."
2. Claire: "So, apparently your Doctor McPherson left the town a few days ago, but fortunately he left his medical bag behind. The instruments in it will prove useful, more useful than the doctor himself probably would have."



New Shows



Feed the Beast - 1.01 / 1.02 - Pilot / Father of the Year

The best thing about this show is that it isn't boring. Generally AMC shows bore me to tears getting started but this one moves fairly quickly. It also has some characters you can really root for. Sadly Dion is not one of them for me, so he may end up being a deal breaker. You don't go into business with someone who is that manipulative, one who lies to your face all the time. I do like Tommy and TJ though and the flashbacks were a nice touch.

Grade: B / B-
Ranking: 3+
Audience - those who like complicated characters, mob movies, or cooking shows

Best Reason to Watch - food porn / faster pacing than usual for AMC
Best Scene - Tommy and Dion argue about opening the restaurant
Best Back Story - Dion and Tommy's days at the restaurant together before Dion burned it down
Best Character Interaction - Tommy and Dion
Best Character - Stavros
Worst Character - Detective Giordano / Aidan Moran
Worst Moniker - the Tooth Fairy
Worst Plan / Biggest Idiots - giving the contract to someone he just met instead of taking it to a real lawyer
Biggest Awww - Tommy brings flowers to his dead wife / Tommy at the grief group
Biggest Cutie - TJ, whose back story makes me want to hug him even more
Biggest Laugh - Aidan puts ice in his wine
Least Helpful - pretending like you know what you're talking about if you don't, especially with contracts
Most Manipulative - Dion, who is a straight up liar and junkie
Most Ingenuity - Dion when preparing a meal in a non-stocked kitchen
Most Clichéd - the dirty cop who is almost as bad as the gangster (at this point, the story turned blah)
Most in Need of Growing the Heck Up - Dion
The Welcome Back" Award - David Schwimmer from Friends / Ella Rae Peck from Deception and Welcome to the Family / Michael Gladis from Extant / John Doman from Gotham and Rizzoli & Isles / Christine Adams from Terra Nova

Best Quotes -
1. Dion: "How are you and the bottle getting along these days?" Tommy: "Really well actually." Dion: "Yeah?" Tommy: "Yeah. No, we're in love. How about you and the blow?" Dion: "We broke up."
2. Dion: "He lost his mom. He doesn't need to lose his dad too."
3. Dion: "Look, how do you live like this, huh? I had better digs back in prison." Tommy: "I'm sure they'd make room for you again."
4. Tommy: "It's important to me that…that when he looks at me he doesn't see Zombie Dad. You know, he sees…he sees his father."
5. Dion: "Is TJ alright? He seems a little…" Tommy: "Quiet?" Dion: "Dented." Tommy: "Dented I'll take. It's broken I'm worried about. He hasn't spoken since she died."
6. Guard: "With all due respect, I wish you'd gotten life." Dion: "Maybe you'll lose a few pounds, huh?"



Last Week



Angie Tribeca - 2.01 / 2.02 - Fleas Don't Kill Me / Miso Dead

Angie Tribeca is a silly little show that is at its best when it is skewering the entire cop procedural genre. It has a bunch of physical gags and very little of it makes sense, which is exactly the point. Don't watch this one if you're expecting a traditional comedy. Of the two episodes, the first one is definitely superior. It stays true to form by taking the flash forward that is so popular these days head on. It also takes a pointed look at how many times characters escape death in TV now. The gist is that Angie is in an explosion from the bomb they supposedly defused in the season 1 finale. She wakes up from a coma months later only to find that she has had a baby and her partner-lover has moved on to the coroner. There's also some great stuff about the clichéd storyline of the good cop who comes back after an injury with a pain pill addiction. If you like police procedurals but sometimes they just make you roll your eyes, this may be the comedy for you. Plus Jon Hamm has the most bizarre cameo in this yet. Recurring guest James Franco pops in for a dream sequence too. The second one veered off a bit too much for me and seems to be an indictment on eco-terrorists and the privileged few. It also focused too much on the love triangle. Since it spent less time breaking down the genre, I didn't find it as funny. This show will never be weekly TV for me, but if you're in the mood for silly satire, it's a fun one to marathon.

Grade: B / C

Best Reason to Watch - breaking down of the police procedural genre
Best Scene - Geils telling Scholls that he's 100% settling for her
Best Reference to Last Season - Angie: "I've had 236 partners and I've fallen in love with every single one of them." Bwah!
Best Continuation - all the stellar guest stars
Best Cameo - Jon Hamm
Best Summation - Geils: "Hey if you're going to lose your mind every time you fall into a coma and I abandon you for another woman who then raises your baby thinking it's my Canadian love child, it's gonna be a long second season."
Biggest Turn Off - slurping the soup
Biggest Ewww - cannibalism
Worst Cliché - love triangle
Weirdest Flash Forward - the baby
The "Welcome Back" Award - James Franco from Freaks and Geeks and the Spiderman movies / Jon Hamm from Mad Men / Vicki Lewis from Newsradio / Busy Philipps from Cougartown / Tzi Ma from 24

Best Quotes -
1. Mrs. Quigley (divorce lawyer): "We were devastated to hear about John's death." Mr. Quigley: "I could swear he had 3 or 4 more divorces in him."
2. Atkins: "What are these?" Angie: "Newspapers, sir. That's how people got their information up until 2008."
3. Jane: "Just because we're divorced doesn't mean I'm happy that he's dead. We were high school sweethearts ever since college."
4. Atkins: "It's an election year and the mayor insists I crack down on murder. Anything for a couple of votes."
5. Geils: "Monica, how many times do I have to tell you? I'm in love with Tribeca but I'm dating you and nothing in the foreseeable future's gonna change that. I am head over heels, 100% settling for you."
6. Atkins: "Well since I'm now a year away from retirement, the department requires I start building a boat with a whimsical name…"



Houdini & Doyle - 1.06 - The Monsters of Nethermoor

When it comes to the story, I liked this episode a lot. The people hiding in the mines for decades made for a great twist and a new ending to an old alien story. What I didn't like was how over-the-top preachy it was. I felt like I was watching an after school special part of the time. Doyle and Houdini switching their designated roles was a nice change though. It was good to see the scientist come out in Doyle, while I didn't want to smack Houdini every 10 minutes. He does need to learn about privacy though. Another plus was the movement on Adelaide's story. Putting her at risk increases the intensity and having the only other person involved in the mystery so far turn up dead makes the stakes higher immediately instead of having to wait down the road. Still my favorite part of this episode was the sheer panic on Houdini's face when he realizes that Doyle is missing. The bromance between these two and their partnership with Adelaide makes or breaks the show. It's good to see him concerned about Doyle for a change because we finally start to see how much Doyle means to him.

Grade: B-

Best Reason to Watch - Houdini and Doyle switch places on the believer-cynic spectrum
Best Scene - Houdini and Doyle convince the people to stop hiding in the mines
Best Back Story - Doyle's alcoholic father / Houdini's first experience with prejudice
Best Action - bar fight with Houdini out of control and the douche deserving it
Best Aww Moment - Houdini's concern over Doyle when he's left in the middle of the road unconscious
Best Twist - it's not aliens but the ancestors of persecuted immigrants
Best Invention - the flashlight
Biggest What the Heck? - Doyle getting a maid in trouble is somehow supposed to make Doyle understand bigotry. Say What? That doesn't make the slightest sense.
Biggest Douche - Jim
Biggest PSA - racism, classism, sexism, xenophobia, and prejudice sucked in early 20th century England too
Most Common Sense - asking someone if you want to know something instead of snooping through their things

Best Quotes -
1. Houdini: "Is everybody here like Jim or do you have any humans?"
2. Houdini: "You think they drugged you?" Doyle: "Either that or I donated my clothes to the Salvation Army in the middle of the night." Houdini: "Oh good, your sarcasm's back."
3. Houdini: "It's important, isn't it, that I'm just as wrong as you?" Doyle: "No, that you're just as honest as me." Houdini: "Well how about this? I actually enjoyed being the believer, accepting everything unquestionably. It was like a vacation." Doyle: "And I enjoyed playing the cynic, gainsaying everything and stooping to ad hominem arguments. It was refreshingly unimaginative."
4. Houdini: "Finding nothing doesn't mean there's nothing to be found." Doyle: "Apparently some sheep were stolen. Think the Martians abducted them too? Do they communicate telepathically or do they speak Martian-ese?"
5. Doyle: "Not that I want to throw you off your game, but we're in a bit of a pickle here. Can you work any faster?" Houdini: "My escapes are the result of extensive preparation. What kind of aliens use rope anyhow?" Doyle: "The same kind that uses oil lamps." Houdini: "What did they make their spacecraft out of? Bamboo and twine?"
6. Doyle to Houdini: "Clearly only a brainless bigot can get a rise out of you."



Motive - 3.10 - Purgatory

This is the first time in a long time that the killer wasn't an innocent victim turned killer so I felt more for the killer than the victims. It's a great switch. This time, all parties were terrible people and we got 2 psychos for the price of one. While it didn't make it hard to guess the motive, it was kind of refreshing to not have a sob story behind it. Plus the killer wasn't exactly hiding her plan and she sure didn't waste any time wallowing in regret. Here a body. There a body. It kind of reminded me of last week when the sister shot the guy in the groin and was all matter of fact about it. Still the best part of the episode is that Angie and Vega seem to be getting along better. They weren't fighting before but the sense of estrangement permeated every scene they had, especially when Vega purposely kept separating himself from her. The end scene with the toast is the first time this season that it feels like they are a solid team again.

Grade: B

Best Reason to Watch - Angie and Vega are getting back on the same page
Best Scene - Angie pep talks Vega
Best Played - Maria tendering her resignation to throw Neville off and get a promotion
Best File - the liquor peace offering
Biggest Patsy - Robert Montgomery
Biggest Hmm - I really don't think that torturing someone means they won't lie to you. In fact, I think torturing someone means they tell you what they think you want to hear.
Most Insane - it's a tossup between Ashley and Charles
Most Shoddy Work - Ashley, who doesn't even burn the whole picture so it can be titled Plot Device
Strangest Filler - I'm not sure why this case was interspersed with the Montgomery case. It seemed odd every time they cut away to it. I would have waited until a case where Angie was doing something on them instead.
The "Welcome Back" Award - Kathleen Munroe from Supernatural and Resurrection / Victor Garner from Alias and Legends of Tomorrow / Carrie Anne Fleming, Supernatural's Karen Singer and also on iZombie
Side note - All of the named guest characters (plus 2 of the main characters) in this episode except two also guested on Supernatural at some point. Time to get Victor Garber on SPN.

Best Quotes -
1. Angie: "Listen. If we followed up every single person we met at a crime scene, we'd never finish an investigation." Vega: "We could have caught her by now. Jason could still be alive." Angie: "I don't…I don't accept that. You don't get to do this. You don't get to start second guessing yourself. We've known each other a long time and I did what you asked. I've given you space. You don't want to talk to me, that's fine. That's your choice, but I think you should talk to someone. I do because this doubting yourself and second-guessing, that's not you. So if you want to deal with it, then let's deal with it. Otherwise, I need you on the case. Okay?"
2. Angie: "What about the lawyer? Anything?" Vega: "Oh Charles Castella - open book. You know…very honest, very forthcoming." Angie: "So you don't believe him." Vega: "He's a lawyer."
3. Ashley: "I love how you think this is a democracy."
4. Vega: "Charles is gonna pull through." Ashley: "I'm sorry to hear that."
5. Osgood: "Why can't I fix it? I know I can fix it." Angie: "I know you can too but you need to put the knife down."
6. Angie: "Cheers." Vega: "To…" Angie: "Just cheers."



The Outcast - 1.02 - (I Remember) When She Loved Me
~That was the longest 6-hour episode of my life. (45 minutes in real time). The last 5 minutes were good and added to the mystery, but getting to those 5 minutes took an eternity. This show is way too slow for me so it is straight up dropped. Not even going to marathoned status. I might be in a coma if I tried to marathon this . Interesting to see Data playing Satan though.

Grade: D

Best Reason to Watch - the flashback end
Best Scene - the end
Best Back Story - Kyle vs. his possessed mom
Best Visual - the bike growing in the tree
Best Music - Barges, an old campfire song
Worst Wingman - Florence, who does not take the hint that Anderson doesn't want to have dinner with the parishioner flirting with him
Biggest Hmmm - Is it considered kidnapping if you take your momma out of a nursing home?
Biggest Douche - Kyle to the nurse on call and then to Norville
The "Welcome Back" Award - Brent Spiner from Star Trek: Next Generation and Warehouse 13 / Melinda McGraw from State of Affairs / Grace Zabrinskie from Twin Peaks

Best Quotes -
1. Megan: "Spanish blueberries, applesauce. Just take it slow. You can't go cold turkey off a Captain Crunch diet."
2. Anderson: "Getting all eaten up inside, running on the past, will eat away at whatever future you have in store. You want to reclaim your family, you've got to let your mother go."
3. Megan: "Jeans instead of PJ bottoms. Big changes happening around here."
4. Anderson: "The pain and heartache that Jesus relieves, he relieves by suffering himself." Kyle: "Is this a sermon?" Anderson: "Nope, it's just the way it is."
5. Giles: "I thought you were gonna leave that. Turn the other cheek." Anderson: "Honestly, I don't mind folks having a bit of fun at my expense. It goes with the territory but things have changed. Maybe it's time to start sweating the small stuff."



Wynonna Earp - 1.11 - Landslide

I'm not sure what it is but something seemed very off in this episode between the Earp sisters to me. From the moment Waverly just blurted out that Willa sent Joe to hell right through the end, it felt instantly combative. I can see doubts creeping in and issues too, but later. Shouldn’t they be so excited about having their sister back that the joy would outweigh everything else? I guess I feel like these issues should have come to a head maybe 2 episodes down the road or even more likely, in season 2. The whole gamut of emotion felt extremely rushed and highly unnatural even for a supernatural show. Other than that, I am liking Willa as a character even if she transformed too quickly too. What exactly is her connection to Bobo and why does he want her to live? Is she crucial to allowing him to roam free? Is he part of her missing time? I am highly intrigued by Juan as well. Is his group going to be a help or a hindrance or just a whole new kind of evil? So many questions. So few episode left this season.

Grade: C+

Best Reason to Watch - either action or family drama depending on your tastes
Best Scene - Doc and Juan Carlos
Best Action - attack on the homestead
Best New Addition - Juan and Willa (when it's not emoangsty)
Biggest Shock - Dolls the psychotherapist
Biggest Huh? - Why did Bobo save Willa? / Who is Juan Carlos and his group?
Most Enigmatic - Juan Carlos
Most Blunt - Waverly, who just blurts out hell and demons to a very confused Willa
Most Awkward - Willa and Waverly
Most Likely to Get Everyone Killed - Willa and her new, shoot everything attitude
Weirdest Dance Break - Dolls and the vampire twin
The "It's Your Own Fault" Award - Waverly, when they tell you to run and hide, do us all a favor and just do it. You don't get shot that way. At least get some training before you decide to go all commando because you're insecure about your place in the family.

Best Quotes -
1. Willa: "Excuse me. I don't want to be rude but I don't know any of you or what's happening." Wynonna: "Here, have a drink." Willa: "I don't drink." Wynonna: "You will because according to the fresh out of the oven DNA test, you are officially an Earp. Welcome home, Willa."
2. Dolls: "What? You don't believe me?" Wynonna: "Only the part about you having a buddy."
3. Doc: "I really need to stop drinking less or much, much more."
4. Willa: "Are there any angels?" Wynonna: "Sure - snow, Charlie's and Los." Willa: "How can you think this is funny?" Wynonna: "How can you not? This curse, our burden, if you don't laugh, you'll go crazy. I've been crazy. I didn't care for it." Willa: "You hate having to do this." Wynonna: "What would it make me if I didn't?"
5. Willa: "Demons? Like Beelzebub and Lucifer?" Wynonna: "Hell no." Willa: "Hell yes, apparently."
6. Juan: "Nothing hollows out a man quicker than completing a mission 'cause after that you still gotta live."
7. Juan: "You're a strange fella, aren't you?" Doc: "Been told I have character." Juan: Carrying a flask of Tabasco on your hip is character. Drawing a pistol on a good Samaritan, that's just being a d**."
8. Wynonna: "If she really is our long lost sister, then…" Dolls: "Technically she's the heir or an heir. Then there'd be both of you - two of you." Wynonna: "I was just going to say if she really is Willa, then we stopped looking for her a long time ago and we're really horrible people…."



Marathon Shows



Battlestar Galactica (1.01-1.03)

Okay, if the rest of this series is as awesome as these three episodes are, then I am fully onboard. First off, it was a brilliant idea to have most of the people on other ships instead of Galactica. This allows for the same urgency without having to drown in thousands of extras. The cast is impossibly large as it is so focusing on a few key people and how they deal with each crisis makes a lot of sense. I still hate Gaius with a passion. It's not just that he's the biggest self-serving coward in the universe. It's also because every single one of his scenes with Six grind the momentum to a complete stop. One of the big pluses for 1.03 is that there's less of him. The Caprica storyline seems to be filler as well, or more like to keep around a character that probably should be dead. However, I might change my mind on this one if it ties into the overall plot later. I still haven't figured out why they are playing head games with the guy instead of shooting him. It's not like he knows anything about the whereabouts of the remaining humans. They hyper jumped what, 250 times in the premiere alone? There must be something on Caprica the Cylons want. Please don't say it is the remaining humans either. Out in space, I am finding great ties to The Last Ship, which also had a water crisis and a prison issue in the first few episodes. Starbuck has toned down a bit so I enjoyed her more and the tension between Adama and Roslin is still a huge plus. However, the whole reason for the rare solid A grade on 1.03 falls at Apollo's feet. He showed amazing leadership and the ability to think outside the box in a crisis. I really thought he was going to kill Old Apollo, but instead he came up with a solution that…well, will probably come back to bite them later. I seriously do NOT want Zarek to become president and people in stressful situations make terrible life-altering choices. I'm a huge fan of democracy but it's not always smart to hold elections during a crisis. The 100 proved that. Zarek could easily turn into a dictator as well. Roslin has proven she can make those tough decision but also rule with compassion. I adore the interactions between Apollo and her and I hope that they continue to support each other. I already know Roslin is going to make it through cancer. After all, there are 4 seasons and I can't see them all taking place within 7 months.

Grade: B+ / B / A

Best Reason to Watch - the pacing and the plot
Best Scene - Apollo negotiates with Zarek and Apollo tells it like it is to his dad and Roslin
Best Negotiator / Best Character - Apollo
Best Reference - Top Gun
Best Advice - Adama: "It's a gift. Never lend books."
Best Meta - Richard Hatch, who played Apollo in the original series, plays a terrorist here
Best Character Interaction - Roslin and Apollo
Best Reaction - Roslin to the baby being born
Best Plan - the Cylons for physically and mentally exhausting the crew until they eventually make a mistake by making them jump every 33 minutes for 5 days
Worst Plan - Why would the Cylon part of Boomer's brain not stay in control until either all bombs were utilized or the leftover was put back? Wouldn't it be a whole lot smarter not to make her start questioning whether she's a Cylon or crazy? Logically, this makes no sense.
Worst Advice - Adama tells his son, who is suffering from PTSD, to just live with it
Worst Character - still Gaius
Biggest Non-Reaction - the heads of Galactica to getting confirmation that there is a Cylon on board
Biggest Hope - a baby is born
Biggest Disappointment - there's no food pill that gives all daily nutrients even in this future
Biggest Surprise - Tigh and Starbuck agree on something
Most Awkward - Billy
Most Intense - firing on the civilian ship
Most Irritating - Gaius and Six interactions that stop all action
Most Nurturing - Roslin gives Apollo a better way of coping with his PTSD
The "Oh Please Shut Up" Award - Zarek's speechifying is getting very old
The "Good to See You Again" Award - Helo, who I thought was dead but merely wishes he were
The "Welcome Back" Award - Richard Hatch from the original BSG / Brent Stait from Supernatural

Best Quotes -
1. Apollo: "How about it, Tom? You still have a death wish? You ready to leave this world right here, right now?" Zarek: "Yes." Apollo: "Too bad 'cause this is what you're gonna do. You're gonna tell your men to help us get that water off the moon. They're gonna work for their points and they're gonna earn their freedom, and then…then, you're gonna get your elections." Zarek: "What?" Apollo: "Cause you're right, Tom. You were right about democracy and consent of the people. I believe in those things and we're gonna have them. And you can have them too…or you can have this bullet. Your call."
2. Helo: "I don't suppose we have a Plan B?" Cy-Boomer: "Plans B, C, D, and E are the same as Plan A. Get off the planet and get back to the ship."
3. Apollo: "I swore an oath to defend the articles. The articles say there's an election in 7 months. Now if you're telling me we're throwing out the law, then I'm not a Captain, you're not a Commander, and you are not the President, and I don't owe either of you a damned explanation for anything." Roslin: "He's your son." Adama: "He's your advisor." Roslin: "An election." Adama: "I guess you finally picked your side."
4. Adama: "There's a reason we separate military and the police. One fights the enemy of the state. The other serves and protects the people. When the military becomes both, then the enemies of the state tend to become the people."
5. Dualla: "On the other hand, it's nice to get out of the CIC. Break up the day. Meet new people."
6. Roslin: "Oh no, no, no. I don't mean to go behind your father's back, nothing like that. I'm not looking for military advice. I'm looking for advice about the military."
7. Roslin: "No, it's not smart. It's politics."
8. Adama: "Every man has to decide for themselves which side they're on." Apollo: "I didn't know we're picking sides." Adama: "That's why you haven't picked one yet."



Grandfathered (1.10 - 1.14)

Grade: B- (overall)

Best Reason to Watch - the characters
Best Twist - Sarah models with Edie
Best Reference - Heart
Best Therapy - ripping up the upholstery
Best Meta - Jimmy says Sarah is like a kick butt woman on Criminal Minds
Best Reunion? - Drake Bell from Drake and Josh
Best Plan - the co-parenting app actually sounds like a fantastic idea
Worst Plan - a contest to out-cheap each other at a bargain spa
Biggest Party Pooper - Gerald
Biggest Earworm - Don't Be Scared kiddie song
Biggest Overreaction - Gerald and Vanessa to the waitress / Jimmy to the doctor's visit
Biggest Douche - Kirk
Least Likely to be Mistaken as Classy - Vanessa
Least Grateful - Gerald and Vanessa to Ravi for setting up an investor meeting for them
Most Likely to Get Arrested - Either Jimmy for kidnapping or Annelise and Ravi for theft
Most Scary - Sarah, trying to bribe a kid into telling who is biting others
The "Say What?" Award - So taking the kid to the doctor is dangerous but having a baby on the roof of a hardware store is not?
The "Welcome Back" Award - Dr. Phil as himself / Bob Saget from Full House / Lyndsy Fonesca from Nikita / Ryan Hansen from Veronica Mars and Bad Teacher /

Best Quotes -
1. Jimmy: "A doctor? In the Valley?" Sarah: "Dr. Melvoy is great. Look him up on Yelp." Jimmy: "Is he a doctor or a taco stand?"
2. Jimmy: "How do you think I'd look in a man bun?" Annelise: "You'd look like a man with an assistant who doesn't tell him the truth."
3. Kirk: "You know you remind me of my stepbrother" Gerald: "Oh, is he awesome?" Kirk: "No, no, he' s in jail for stalking Oprah."
4. Jimmy: "There's something I've got to do. Cancel my morning." Annelise: "I'm not sure who to call to cancel your 3-hour nap." Jimmy: "See if you can push it to the afternoon."
5. Sarah: "It's never a good sign when you can beat up every guy in the bar."
6. Jimmy: "We need somebody big. You know somebody cool like your Sinatra's or your Brando's." Annelise: "Or someone who's not dead."
7. Gerald: "I mean some even say binary code is the language of love." Vanessa: "Who says that?" Gerald: "Programmers."



Killjoys (1.08-1.10)

Killjoys was a great surprise and a whole lot of fun to marathon. The story flies by and most of the characters are intriguing or full out awesome right from the start. The Dutch and John hookup was a fairly big step back but things are mostly back to good at the end. Sadly though, everything about Khlyen is still annoying from his cryptic persona to the way he spells his name. I get that he is tied to Dutch and the bigger story but I'm already rooting for them to ice him in the season 2 premiere and find a less creepy Big Bad to pursue. He's got this weird combination of deranged parent and predator vibe. It squicks me out. The best thing now, however, is still the best thing about the pilot - Dutch and John's partnership. They are rock solid and I believe them when they say they'll do anything for each other. It's a beautiful friendship that so far has no sign of becoming anything romantic and therefore lessen their bond. Here's hoping that they never decide to place the two in contrived drama because their relationship sets this show apart from all the other kick butt space adventure shows. I can't wait to see where it goes in season 2, which happens to start on July 1, so you still have time to get caught up. I highly encourage it to anyone who likes action and a great female-male relationship that defies all stereotypes.

Grade: B / B- / A-

Best Reason to Watch - the story is fantastic and the character interaction is even better
Best Scene - John and Dutch talk about Khlyen and he says he backs her no matter what she decides
Best Action - Dutch vs. Khlyen
Best Back Story - Dutch shot John when she first met him / Pawter's medical history / John's mom
Best if Least Surprising Twist - Alvis is major into the Resistance and the bad guy was there to meet him
Best Plan - John forces Dutch and Dav to talk through their differences
Best Character Interaction - John and Alvis / John and Dutch
Best Sacrifice - Dav, who risks his career, freedom, and life to get Dutch to Khlyen
Worst Nickname - Team Awesome Force
Biggest Relief - it doesn't take more than a few minutes to get the team working together again
Biggest Evil - Delle Seyah, who releases a bomb at the meeting in order to justify killing an entire moon of people. Genocide is never a good look on anyone.
Least Surprising - Khlyen is a level 6 killjoy
Most Kick Butt / Most Just Done - John shoots all the bad guys with the nail gun
Most Simple Plan - break the machine
Most Interesting Way to Rebond - dancing together
Most Barbaric - Westerley capital punishment by acid rain
Most Protective - Bellus, who hasn't forgiven D'Avin for hurting Dutch
Most Awkward - Dutch and Dav
The "Not You Again" Award - Delle Seyah
The "Welcome Back" Award (character) - Alvis / Carleen

Best Quotes -
1. Dutch: "I think it's cold feet. I guess killing your surrogate father is no small thing." John: "If you want a fight, I've got your back. If you want to run, I call shotgun. But you've got to decide, Yalena." Dutch: "Say it one more time." John: "What?" Dutch: "What you told me the night we first met." John: "We don't have to stay here. We can just fly away and never look back." Dutch: "Not this time. I'm gonna face him, Johnny." John: "I know."
2. John: "In the last 10 days, I've been attacked by face-hugging biotech, stabbed by my brother, had major surgery, helped perform major surgery, been beaten, bullied, and burned. I'm done fixing things."
3. Dav: "You're not going to try to convert me, are you?" John: "I get enough masochism just being your brother, thank you."
4. John: "You bought me a comic to apologize for stabbing me." Dav: "No. No John, look. I…I know I've messed up in so many different ways…" John: "No, you have no idea where you even began to mess up." Dav: "Okay, I didn’t talk to you for 9 years." John: "And?" Dav: "And I left you to deal with the cr** of Mom and Dad alone." John: "Okay, thanks for playing but you failed to provide a complete answer. How about what it cost me? Taking care of Mom, I couldn't go away to school. Taking care of Dad's debts, I can never, ever go home. And then what, hmm? You slept with the one person that I asked you not to, and what did that cost me, huh? Our team, Dav." Dav: "I get it. I wrecked everything you liked. Just tell me how to make it better." John: "No, I'm done. I am done cleaning up for you. You want to fix this? Then you figure it out."
5. John: "It's a ghost town in here." Dav: "Mass murder tends to turn off shoppers."
6. Dav: "Dutch, you need to stop being so polite. Yell at me. It's okay to be angry, to hate me. It's normal." Dutch: "Normal won't work here. That's why I'm angry. If anyone…if the real you hurt me or Johnny, I'd know exactly what to do. I'd kill you, I'd mourn you, and I'd move on but this is so much messier than that. You're as much as a victim as we are, D'Avin, so I don't get to hurt you. I don't get to hate you and I don't know how to move on."
7. Dutch: "You leave now. There's no proof you're involved in any of this. You can still be a killjoy." John: "Hey idiot, I only want to killjoy with you."
8. John: "But after all this time you're still more your own person than anyone that I know. The only credit that Khlyen gets is for the bruises along the way."



Limitless (1.15 - 1.17)

I will never like Brian as much as hardcore Limitless fans. I still find him an irritating manchild, who at times can be both the biggest draw and the biggest drawback of the show. I'm also not a fan of most of the childish things that break up the narrative - the voiceovers, cartoons, puppets, etc. However, despite this Limitless has its charms and sometimes it can be downright brilliant. These 3 episodes pretty much sum up my relationship with Limitless. When it's good, it's very, very good. When it isn't, it's painful to watch. The first two episodes work because of the focus on the guest or recurring characters. I instantly liked Lucy and that rose the story above the documentary-style production that I usually hate. She brought spunk and she brought out the best in Brian. I wouldn't mind seeing these two pair up again, even if Lucy can't do undercover work anymore. Sands was an even better choice. First off, we got to know more about the character. This was essential because he was the most one-dimensional character on the show before. I wish they had gone for something a bit more original than a secret lover and hidden child, but it is still great to know more about Brian's nemesis. Second, it allowed Brian and Sands to have extended time together, something that also showed Brian in a good light. Both episodes benefitted from pairing Brian up with someone new. The third one had very little to recommend it. The pacing was really slow and the case was a minuscule part of the screen time, while emoangsty drama filled the rest. The breakup between Brian and Harris felt contrived. The family drama was even more so. I've been involved with addicts so I know there comes a time when you have to kick them out in order to retain some peace and safety of your own. However, it is very hard to believe that Brian's mom wouldn't even hear him out so soon. If he had and then she kicked him out, I would be okay with it. That's real. This just felt like another plot device to make sure Brian was on his own. Then what the heck was that fling with Ike and Brian's sister. Was it even necessary because it felt like filler across 2 episodes? I am glad that I'm catching up with Limitless, if for the Sands episode alone, and I very much feel for all of its fans. It sucks when your favorite is canceled after only one season. I just don't think I'm going to miss it as much as others. Forever, Enlisted, and Almost Human are definitely still more painful for me.

Grade: B+ (for Lucy) / A- (for Sands) / C (interesting case but the relationship drama was excruciating)

Best Reason to Watch - Lucy and Sands
Best Episode - Sands, Agent of Morra
Best Reference - Mythbusters' last season / Cary Grant
Best Back Story - Sands
Best Potential Crossover - Is Brian's Everywhere friends the same as Sherlock's Everyone friends on Elementary? Or are they secret hacktivist frenemies/rivals?
Best Character Interaction - Sands and Brian
Best Way to Tie 2 Stories Together - the kidnapped boy was Sands' kidnapped son
Best Reaction - Mike to Ike's primping
Best Revenge - Harris decides NOT to be Brian's handler anymore
Worst Plan - news agencies posting names and pictures of undercover agents all over TV
Worst Driver with the Best Cover - Lucy in her Mustang
Worst Brother-Sister Night Ever - When your stoner Netflix marathon turns into emergency surgery on the apartment floor, you know fun took a wrong turn somewhere. When your brother then won't answer any of your questions about it, it goes further south. But when he leaves you alone to clean up the bloody mess, well that's just Glare of Death time.
Biggest Douche - Brian on a pretty regular basis
Biggest Party Pooper - Harris, who forgoes all mentions of her birthday
Biggest Huh? - Why is there a Bollywood production in the middle of the interview? What the heck?
Biggest Facepalm - Once again, there is NO cone of silence. They are talking about the super secret, multi-year undercover case in the room that a mobster gave them to have sex with a prostitute. The prostitute is in the next room with no door in between them and it's not like they checked the room to see if there were bugs. This is how people get killed. Facepalm.
Most Potential - looks like Piper may be coming back so that's always good
Most Missed - How much money did Sands offer Harris? Inquiring minds want to know.
Most Kick Butt / MVP - Lucy, who needs her own show
Most Enthusiastic - Irina, about reality TV
Most Suspicious - Brian solving miscellaneous crimes in the wee morning hours with knowledge few people would have
Funniest Visual - Sands in Brian's FBI t-shirt
Strangest, Most Senseless Subplot - Jason and Brian's sister hooking up
The "I'm with You" Award - Rachel, I'm not watching this apartment surgery either
The "Are You Kidding Me?" Award - Just because you don't pull the trigger and kill someone doesn't mean you can't feel guilty for their death. What kind of psychopath are you exactly, Sands?
The "Welcome Back" Award (character) - Brian's mom played by the fabulous Blair Brown
The "Welcome Back" Award (actor) - Christina Vidal from Code Black / Tim Reid from WKRP in Cincinnati and That 70's Show

Best Quotes -
1. Harris: "I like catching the bad guy. Kind of my thing."
2. Brian: "Have you ever killed someone?" Lucy: "Have you?" Brian: "I think so. I didn't actually do it. It was something I said." Lucy: "Unless you ordered a hit, that's not on you. You can't control people. My advice - don't dwell on it."
3. Brian: "How do we get into the safe deposit box of a massively secure bank that isn't even open for business…without killing people?" Sands: "Why must you always make things harder?"
4. Lucy: "I'm borrowing a manchild from the CJC. I'll bring him back in better shape than I found him. Shouldn't be hard."
5. Lucy: "Now it's my turn to make a simple binary choice. I bring you’re a** in and I take my chances or I serve justice right here, right now. Probably not too hard to figure out which way I'm leaning." Brian: "Lucy, come on. You don't want to do this." Lucy: "You are so very wrong about that. This is why you shouldn't have come, Brian. You shouldn't see this." Brian: "You know what, then that's exactly why I should be here because if you do this it's over. You go to prison." Lucy: "Only if you tell." Brian: "I will tell and that's your career and your life and all the women that you helped on this case. And for what? For him? Listen I can prove that Friedrich is tied to the Blue Limits Escort." Lucy: "How?" Brian: "I don't know yet. I still need time, but this can end well." Lucy: "As far as I'm concerned, it's just about to." Brian: "Lucy, I'm gonna have to tell the FBI unless you're gonna kill me too and the receptionist and anyone else who might happen along." Lucy: "If he makes bail, he'll be on the next plane to Dusseldorf and we'll never see him again. To hell with that." Brian: "Yesterday we were talking about how people die in this line of work and you're not responsible even though you can't help but feel a part of it. If you pull this trigger, you are responsible and you cannot get away from that. That is you. That is you forever. Listen to me. I will back up any story you want but not if you kill him. I can't do that. I won't do that." Lucy: "Fine." (Lucy shoots the guy in the knee.) Brian: "Ohhh, what did you do?" Lucy: "Not walking out of here now."
6. Brian: "I may or may not have seen a Murder She Wrote about this and if we leave a note for the paramedics, it will save them time diagnosing him."
7. Brian: "You told me we were saving lives. You're taking out your own team members? I want no part of that." Sands: "You are supposed to be saving lives - saving my former team members from me. Frederic Tanner is forcing me to kill them so the sooner you can tell me where he is, the sooner I can stop doing it."
8. Brian: "Remember when you offered to give me a ride today and I was like 'nah' and you were like 'I insist.' I'm guessing you're regretting that decision now." Harris: "You're not wrong."



About the Author - Dahne
One part teacher librarian - one part avid TV fan, Dahne is a contributing writer for SpoilerTV, where she recaps, reviews, and/or creates polls for Teen Wolf, The 100, Grimm, How to Get Away with Murder, The Librarians, and others. She also runs the annual Character Cup. She's addicted to Twitter, live tweets a multitude of shows each week, and co-hosts The 100 "Red-Shirted", Sleepy Hollow "Headless" and Teen Wolf "Welcome to Beacon Hills" podcasts for Southgate Media Group. Currently she writes a Last Week in TV column for her blog and SpoilerTV. ~ "I speak TV."
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