Character Cup Rules

Character Cup Rules:

1. Don't take it too seriously! Have fun. Discuss. Play nice.

2. Cheaters suck! - Only one vote per person per poll please. While we do our best to keep the contest running smoothly, it's up to each person to follow the rules. The Cup is just a fun little piece of internet fluff. It won't get anyone's show renewed or un-cancelled. It has zero effect on ratings, so there is zero reason to cheat. All cheaters do is disrespect themselves, their fandom, their show, the actors, and this community. Just don't.

3. Focus on characters, not people. Talking about what you like and dislike about a character is encouraged. Going after actors or fans is not.

4. The aliens have not landed. There's no conspiracy here. I will do my best to keep the contest running smoothly, but I make mistakes. I apologize in advance for any technical difficulties, spelling errors, and general absentmindedness. Let me know and I'll fix it.

5. Comments are life. As you anxiously await the end of hiatus, why not distract yourself with a little TV Talk? Each day is a new topic so even if your favorites are out, you can still discuss. While the Cup is just a silly little distraction, the conversation here dives deep, so jump on in.

6. Nuts and Bolts - All polls are active for about 24 hours. Winners advance to the next round. In case of a tie, both characters go to the next round. New polls should go up every day and polls may sometimes overlap each other. Any questions? Ask away in the comments.

About the Author - Dahne

One part teacher librarian - one part avid TV fan, Dahne is a contributing writer for SpoilerTV, where she reviews various shows, coordinates and edits Pitch Your Show, co-edits Quote of the Week, and writes The Monthly Binge. She also runs the annual Character Cup and SpoilerTV Awards. She's addicted to hot chocolate, loves reading and traveling, and co-hosted The 100 "Red-Shirted" and Teen Wolf "Welcome to Beacon Hills" podcasts for Southgate Media Group.  She can also be found @dahne1 and on her blog. ~ "I speak TV."
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2022 SpoilerTV Awards - Nominations, Part 2

With the regular TV season now over, it is time for the SpoilerTV community to begin our hiatus awards season. Woo hoo! As usual we will start with the SpoilerTV Awards, followed by the Episode Contest and Character Cup and ending with the epic Favorite Show Competition. Previously, we started nominations with comedies and dramas. In the second nominations, we focus on the acting. As you are nominating, please make sure you put the actor’s name, not the character. Also, make sure you also include the TV show. Without both, your nomination cannot be counted.

Please read the rules carefully, as some are different than in stage 1. If you have questions, leave them in the comments below. Also, don’t forget to nominate for part 1 if you have not already.


Part 1 Nominations

The Rules:

1. Nominations will be open until Monday at noon CST. Please only submit this nomination form once or your nominations will be invalid.

2. Only scripted TV shows that are in English or foreign language shows covered by SpoilerTV are eligible.

3. Only TV shows that aired between May 23, 2021 - May 31, 2022 are eligible for all categories except for New Show. The New Show category must begin in or after the fall 2021 TV season.

4. You do NOT have to nominate in each category. You can nominate up to 2 different performers per category but you can only nominate a performer once. So, you cannot nominate a performer twice in one category or in both the drama AND comedy categories. Doing so will void all of your nominations.

5. The show determines whether a performer should be nominated under comedy or drama, not the character. All nominations for a show have to be either comedy or drama. Please do not mix them.

6. Remember, put in the actor’s name (not the character’s) and include the TV show to have a valid nomination.

7. One performer per show per category can make it to the voting stage.

About the Author - Dahne

One part teacher librarian - one part avid TV fan, Dahne is a contributing writer for SpoilerTV, where she reviews and/or creates polls for Teen Wolf, How to Get Away with Murder, The Librarians, and others. She also runs the annual Character Cup. She's addicted to Twitter, loves live tweeting, and co-hosted The 100 "Red-Shirted" and Teen Wolf "Welcome to Beacon Hills" podcasts for Southgate Media Group. Previously she wrote a Last Week in TV column for her blog and SpoilerTV. ~ "I speak TV."

2022 SpoilerTV Awards - Nominations, Part 1

With the regular TV season now over, it is time for the SpoilerTV community to begin our hiatus awards season. Woo hoo! As usual we will start with the SpoilerTV Awards, followed by the Episode Contest and Character Cup and ending with the epic Favorite Show Competition. This is the first of two nomination rounds for the SpoilerTV Awards so look for part 2 to come in about 12 hours. Please read the rules carefully so that your nominations will count. If you have questions, please leave them in the comments below. Talking up your favorites here can help them get to the voting stage as well.

The Rules:

1. Nominations will be open until Monday at noon CST. Please only submit this nomination form once or your nominations will be invalid.

2. Only scripted TV shows that are in English or foreign language shows covered by SpoilerTV are eligible. Network TV is considered anything that airs on ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, FOX, and The CW in the United States.

3. Only TV shows that aired between May 23, 2021 - May 31, 2022 are eligible. NEW shows are those that first aired between these dates.

4. You do NOT have to nominate in each category. You can nominate up to 2 different shows per category. If you try to nominate the same show multiple times in one category, all of your nominations will be invalid.

5. Please consider carefully whether the show is a comedy or a drama. In general, comedies are in a half hour format and dramas are in an hour long format, although not always. Do NOT nominate the same show in both the comedy AND drama categories or all of your nominations will be invalid.

6. The top 5 shows (not including ties) nominated in each category will proceed to the voting stage.



Now let the SpoilerTV Summer Competition season begin! Best of luck to all of your favorites.

About the Author - Dahne

One part teacher librarian - one part avid TV fan, Dahne is a contributing writer for SpoilerTV, where she reviews and/or creates polls for Teen Wolf, How to Get Away with Murder, The Librarians, and others. She also runs the annual Character Cup. She's addicted to Twitter, loves live tweeting, and co-hosted The 100 "Red-Shirted" and Teen Wolf "Welcome to Beacon Hills" podcasts for Southgate Media Group. Previously she wrote a Last Week in TV column for her blog and SpoilerTV. ~ "I speak TV."

Quote of the Month - May

A weekly feature highlighting the best quotes on TV as picked by the SpoilerTV team. We'd love to hear your picks too so please sound off in the comments below.

Derry Girls - Folie-lex
1. Sister Michael: "The conflict here has led to so many terrible atrocities...and now we must add your play to that list. Just one message this morning girls, quite an important one: as Jenny's AWFUL PLAY just alluded to a referendum is about to take place, the outcome of which could change the course of history. To those of you who have already turned eighteen I strongly urge you to exercise your right to vote. It's your future. Take it seriously. On the other hand, and I cannot stress this enough, I have absolutely no interest whatsoever in any of your other so called rights. I don't want to hear your thoughts on the workload, or the uniform, or the fact that you have to occasionally do my ironing. Our Lady Emaculate is not a democracy. It is a dictatorship. My house, my rules. Is that understood?"
2. Orla: "I'm glad Jenny's party was so cracker." Erin: "What? " Orla: "I mean she had everything: a magician, firework display, karaoke machine, river dance, wee horse...-" Erin: "Yeah, okay Orla." Orla: "And all it did was make me realize, I'd still rather just be standing here on the walls with you guys." Erin: "Orla..."
3. Erin: "What if we do it, and it was all for nothing? What if we vote ''yes'' and it doesn't even work?" Granda Joe: "And what if it does? What if no one else has to die? What if all this becomes a -- a ghost story you'll tell your wains one day? Hhm? A ghost story they'll hardly believe..."



The Equalizer - Prpleight
1. Dr. Roszak: "It's okay not to be okay."



FBI: Most Wanted - Dahne
1. Remy: “He stayed on as manager and pocketed a payday in the low 7 figures.” Ortiz: “If you ask me, there’s nothing low about 7 figures.”

Halo - Folie-lex
1. Master Chief [to Riz and Vannak]: "We lose the artifact, we lose the war. It's that simple. No matter what they've done to us...we're all we have now. It's just us."
2. Master Chief: "Coulda knocked me out, handed me over to Halsey. Why didn't you?" Cortana: "Because I was also designed to learn, John. And I have. From you. I believe that what Dr.Halsey wants to eliminate from your species is precisely the thing that makes you special: your humanity. I've watched you fight for yours, and I believe it's a cause that's right."



Law and Order - Dahne
1. Kate: “He was just on the cover of Forbes. He was the new breed of CEO.” Kevin: “Spoiler alert - it’s a lot like the old breed.”

The Rookie - Folie-lex
1. Jake [to Tim]: "It's like we're looking in a funhouse mirror of handsome."
2. Nolan: "Always do things the right way. That way, when the danger is real, the moves are automatic." Harper: "I need to talk to you about what comes after." Grey: "This sounds ominous."
3. Harper: "No, it's not at all. I just, I-I-I've been thinking, and once this baby is born, I would like to stay with the detectives." Grey: "I figured as much. Nyla, you're an exemplary T.O., but at heart you're a hunter."



Star Trek: Strange New Worlds - Lisa
1. Captain Pike: "Hit it!" ~~~Perfect command that sums up Pike as well as Picard's "Engage."

What We're Watching: 

Cold Justice - Dahne
1. Kelly: “The one thing that I’ve learned after all these years is there ain’t no good way to break up with a bad man.”

Ghost Whisperer - Dahne
1. Delia, to the Professor Payne when he starts rambling about himself: “Is there a caboose to this train of thought, Professor?” 2.21
2. Jim: “That’s because she didn’t read the first rule of the wiccan faith. Do no harm.” Melinda: “Okay, well maybe this is the teen angst version of wicca.” 2.15
3. Melinda: “Point please?” Professor Payne to Delia: “The point…the point is what do you lose by believing?” 2.21
4. Delia: “You’re gonna think I’m crazy.” Melinda: “You would be surprised at my crazy threshold.” 2.13
5. Eli, after finding a box of children’s wishes: “Santa would have been a better bet.” 4.9

How We Roll - Dahne
1. Jen: “Okay, have fun. Be safe. Do not settle for a guy with a futon. You deserve a bed that’s never a couch.” Tia: “Thanks, mom.” Jen: “At least I can be a mom to someone today.” Tia: “What are you talking about? You were a great mom all day today.” Jen: “How? I wasn’t home. I couldn’t even take a Froyo break with them.” Tia: “That’s right, because you were working your a** off and showing Sam you’ll do anything to provide for your family, while your husband chases his dream.” Jen: “Yeah?” Tia: “Hell ya. I would take that bada** mom over Robot Jessica Alba any day.”
2. Lew: “I was at Powell’s Mortuary this morning to pick up some flowers for a date tonight…” Tom: “You are just begging to be haunted, aren’t you?”

Leverage - Dahne
1. Corporal Perry: “Doc, he’s cool. I found him on the internet.” Doctor Laroque: “Yes, that never goes badly.” 1.02
2. Eliot about Parker: “That’s 20 lbs of crazy in a 5 lb bag.” 1.01
3. Parker: “My money’s not in my account. That makes me cry inside in my special angry place.” 1.01
4. Hardison: “Look. You know what I can do? I can re-task a satellite. I can get a level 3 NSA clearance, but I can’t hack a hick.”
5. Sterling: “Of course you know, your entire plan depended on my being a self-serving, utter bas***.” Nate: “Yeah, that’s a stretch.” 1.13
6. Hardison to Nate: “You see what you did. You took the world’s best criminals - hitter, hacker, grifter, thief - you took us and you broke us.”
7. Ian: “Maggie? Look, you understand…” Maggie punches his face. Maggie: “Screw therapy. That felt really good.”
8. Eliot: “He tried to kill us.” Parker: “More importantly, he didn’t pay us.” Eliot: “How is that more important?” Parker: “I take that personally.”
9. Parker to bank robber: “Sometimes bad guys are the only good guys you get.” 1.05
10. Hardison: “Age of the geek, baby. We run the world.” Eliot: “You keep telling yourself that.”

NCIS: NOLA - Dahne
1. Percy to Sebastian: “De-geek your speak.” 3.05
2. Tammy: “Um, shouldn’t she be seen and not heard?” Loretta: “Tammy, she’s my intern, not my 19th century orphan.” 6.13
3. Gregorio, about the obnoxious new guy: “Permission to kill him.” Sebastian: “I can make it look like an accident.” Hannah: “Okay, charitably, let’s just say he’s uncomfortable filling LaSalle’s shoes.” Gregorio: “Non-charitably?” Hannah: “Let’s put a pin in that murder idea.” 6.14
4. Patton: “Man - running is running, no matter who you running from. If you’re being haunted by a memory, you need to confront it or you’re gonna be running from it for the rest of your life.” 6.12

The OC - Lindsey
1. Ryan [answering the phone]: "Cohen residence." Seth [on the other line]: "Ryan, hey good, I was hoping you'd answer. [whispers] If you're alone cough twice." Ryan: "I'm alone." Seth: "Okay it's not as stealth, but it works too." 2.08
2. Julie: "Well I was just making bagels, I figure if the Cohen's can do it why can’t we?" Alex: "Uh, none for me thanks, I don't eat breakfast." Julie: "That's very punk of you. You know, I used to like the punk in my day." Marissa: "Mom!" Julie: "Oh you're right Marissa, it still is my day, I was just being modest." 2.14
3. Ryan: "So what do we do now?" Summer: "Hmm, I have an idea." [she puts on a hockey mask] Ryan: "You're gonna kill us all with a chainsaw?" 2.15

Young Sheldon - Dahne
1. MeeMaw: “What’s the matter?” Missy: “Everything.” MeeMaw: “Did somebody die?” Missy: “No.” MeeMaw: “Then we can fix it.” 5.13
2. Missy: “Ooh, we getting something fun with the money?” George: “Talking about a dishwasher.” Missy: “When did your dreams die?” George: “When we had kids.” 5.14
3. Mary: “What kind of 29-year-old dates someone your age?” George: “Obviously the kind that was lied to.”

About the Author - Dahne

One part teacher librarian - one part avid TV fan, Dahne is a contributing writer for SpoilerTV, where she reviews and/or creates polls for Teen Wolf, How to Get Away with Murder, The Librarians, and others. She also runs the annual Character Cup. She's addicted to Twitter, loves live tweeting, and co-hosted The 100 "Red-Shirted" and Teen Wolf "Welcome to Beacon Hills" podcasts for Southgate Media Group. Previously she wrote a Last Week in TV column for her blog and SpoilerTV. ~ "I speak TV."

Quote of the Week - April 3

A weekly feature highlighting the best quotes on TV as picked by the SpoilerTV team. We'd love to hear your picks too so please sound off in the comments below.

Blue Bloods - Donna
Henry Reagan: “Great leaders don’t lead according to words on a page; great leaders lead with their hearts.”

Endgame - Dahne
1. Elena, as Val handcuffs them to each other: “Oh, friendship bracelet. Another sleepover tradition, no?”
2. Anthony: “Why go through the trouble of refilling the tank?” Val: “Federova image control. She doesn’t steal from the people. She’s like Robin Hood, but in couture.”
3. Val: “You know when she left it? When you liberated the reserve. It was a set up. She left something behind.” Doak: “We were both there that day.” Val: “Oh, now you want to share credit.”
4. Doak: “Only question now is do you want to go quietly or with all your bridges on fire?” Val: “With you? That bridge has been burning for a year.”

Killing Eve - Donna
1. Konstantin: “I swear to God you women will be the death of me.”
2. Konstantin: “Fear is in my blood.”
3. Pam: “Who do I have to kill to get a smile out of you?”

Law and Order - Dahne
1. Vertiz: “Post was sent from a cafe in Brooklyn called Coffee and Smile.” Cosgrove: “Why has it become mandatory for coffee shops to be called stupid names?” Dixon: “That’s why I drink tea.”

Star Trek: Picard - Donna
1. Rios: “We’re the good guys.” 2. Dr. Ramirez: “Good guys never say that.”

What We're Watching:

Endgame (1.04-1.06) - Dahne
1. Val: “I’ll never understand it. It’s like a piece missing. What’s the one thing that turns a person from normal human being to…to zealot?” Elena: “Willingness. For us, it was our baby. We wanted a better life, a better world for our child.” Val: “As most mothers do.” Elena: “Giving birth does not make you soft. Quite the opposite. You know what’s easy? Murder, violence. What is hard is forgiveness.”
2. Elena: “Your patience is thin. It’s becoming difficult for you to discover how deeply your husband is involved. I’m sympathetic.” Val: “Try being cooperative.” Elena: “Consider that it might not be a bad thing.” Val: “What? My husband lying to me for years? Not gonna put that on the plus side.”
3. Val, looking at the perp’s wall of fame: “He’s so proud of himself. Whenever you see one of these - an entire “me wall” - you know they’re no damn good.”
4. Rogelio: “Alright, you’ve done your digging. Good for you. What’s the point?” Elena: “The point is that corruption doesn’t begin with a bang, but a whimper. Because of this, you see a young woman full of promise where I see something else.” Rogelio: “Alright then, Doak has some unconventional ideas to liberate First Capital, things I wouldn’t normally approve of, but given this, they’re in motion.” Elena: “This is the beginning of corruption. You began this journey as a man of principle and now you’ve let Doak off his leash and you’re downplaying a beautiful relationship with the judge, which she may take offense, if she survives the day.” Rogelio: “Don’t push me and don’t underestimate me.”
5. Owen: “You said the plan could draw them out, but you never told me that Val could get caught in the crossfire.” Sergey: “Did you think that it was gonna be easy? Elena’s doing everything she can to protect her.” Owen: “You better hope that’s enough…because if anything happens to Val…I’ll kill you both. Remember that.”

About the Author - Dahne

One part teacher librarian - one part avid TV fan, Dahne is a contributing writer for SpoilerTV, where she reviews and/or creates polls for Teen Wolf, How to Get Away with Murder, The Librarians, and others. She also runs the annual Character Cup. She's addicted to Twitter, loves live tweeting, and co-hosted The 100 "Red-Shirted" and Teen Wolf "Welcome to Beacon Hills" podcasts for Southgate Media Group. Previously she wrote a Last Week in TV column for her blog and SpoilerTV. ~ "I speak TV."

Quote of the Week - March

A weekly feature highlighting the best quotes on TV as picked by the SpoilerTV team. We'd love to hear your picks too so please sound off in the comments below.

The Equalizer - Dahne
1. Vince, the mob thug: “Head or chest, Bert?” Bert: “Which hurts less?” Lou, the other mob thug: “I don’t know. Never asked.” Vince: “Who you gonna ask? It’s not like you can take an exit poll.”
2. Shira: “I’ll have my usual. Make it two. I’m forgiving you.” Mel: “Wow.” Shira: “I know. You can thank your husband. That man can talk. He is exhausting, but he loves the hell out of you.”
3. Harry to Shira: “Listen, I get…I get you never liked me, alright. I took your best friend away. I was never good enough for her. Whatever. I get it. Okay, listen. I’m not here for me. This is about Mel. She hated lying to you, really she did, but she had to do it, I swear. I can’t get into it, but it had to do with the government and high level secrets. But she did it to protect me and she did it to protect you. You can hate me, okay? But not Mel, alright. After everything I put here through - the fear, the isolation - it was like a death, but you were the only one who was there for her. You were there for her when I couldn’t be. You were the one who kept her sane. You know what she said to me this morning?” Shira: “What?” Harry: “That you are the only one who knows her. You are the only one who knows who she was, why she is who she is. So please, come on, what do you say. Just give her another chance. Let her back into your life. Please.”
4. Robyn: “Everybody makes bad choices. Not everybody gets a chance to fix them. Smart ones take advantage of it.” Jackie: “You’re not very subtle, you know.”

Killing Eve - Donna
1. Konstantin: “What are you good at?” Pam: “Embalming.”
2. Konstantin: “There is no why, there is only do.”
3. Villanelle: “Dares are pointless. The point of them is to be pointless.”

NCIS: Hawai’i - Dahne
1. Jesse, about their kidnapped tech expert: “The problem is we sort of need Ernie to find Ernie.”
2. Lucy: “Even in the best coded systems, humans are the wild cards.” Ernie, fangirling about Rook: “Yeah, what a great wild card! Can you imagine how scared he is? Gun to his head, life on the line, and he manages to send me a message. It’s really just like…” Jesse: “Hey, Ernie, since his life is on the line, maybe tell us where he is?”
3. Ernie: “No wasted effort, no mistakes. Elegant. Why did you ever retire and deny the world your talents?” Rook: “I had nothing left to give. I was too tied up in the work. What I did became who I was and there was no more pleasure, only more work.” Ernie: “Yeah, it can be hard to separate the two.”
4. Ernie: “I think you just saved my life.” Lucy: “No way was I letting them get you twice in one day.”

Resident Alien - Prpleight
1. Harry: “I do not like having people in my house uninvited.” Asta: “Well, now you know how Earth felt when you got here.”
2. Harry: “A birthday party is just a participation trophy.”
3. Harry: “Human infants are the only mammal whose main attribute is helplessly flopping.”
4. Sheriff Mike: “You know 100% of the people who have rabies go insane, but only 20% of insane people have rabies That's an internet fact.”

Snowpiercer - Kath
1. Wilford: “Sorry about leaving you to die, I suppose. But you know how things are.” Melanie: “It was great. Got a little me time.”

Star Trek: Picard - Donna
1. Picard: “I’m counting on you Agnes, we all are.” Jurati: “Peachy, have you met me in a pinch?”
2. Jurati: “You all right mister?” Picard: “Just having memories of things that have yet to occur.”
3. Picard: “Change always comes later than you think it should.”

What We're Watching

NCIS - Prpleight
A discussion between Gibbs and his father about the man who saved his life during WWII.
1. Gibbs: “Dad...German? That's the most important part.” Jackson Gibbs: “No son, the important part is is that we were both flyers. We were brothers up there. We were the same. We're all the same, but we keep fighting each other.”

About the Author - Dahne

One part teacher librarian - one part avid TV fan, Dahne is a contributing writer for SpoilerTV, where she reviews and/or creates polls for Teen Wolf, How to Get Away with Murder, The Librarians, and others. She also runs the annual Character Cup. She's addicted to Twitter, loves live tweeting, and co-hosted The 100 "Red-Shirted" and Teen Wolf "Welcome to Beacon Hills" podcasts for Southgate Media Group. Previously she wrote a Last Week in TV column for her blog and SpoilerTV. ~ "I speak TV."

Throwback Thursday - Forever - The King of Columbus Circle

Throwback Thursday is a weekly article in which we look back at our favorite TV episodes from the past.


Original Air Date: Feb. 10, 2015
Director - Matt Barber
Writers - Matthew Miller and Phil Klemmer

Previously on Forever - Nemesis Adam left Abraham a clue to his birthparents and Abraham finds their names, which allows him to start learning about his birth family.

This Throwback Thursday is a bit different for me because I usually try to showcase a variety of tv series. Instead, this episode is a continuation of the episode of Forever, I most recently reviewed. While it is not a two-parter, per se, it does continue the storyline of Abraham finding his long-lost relatives and says a lot about what it means to be family and what it means to be home. Who makes up a family? Is sharing a bloodline important? Should kids be held responsible for the sins of their fathers? It’s this depth of questioning that transforms a typical crime case into one of my favorite episodes of Forever and ends with one of my favorite scenes in all of television. So, please pardon me for sticking with the same show, but I hope you enjoy this trip down memory lane with me.

The episode opens in line at the fictional Urkesh embassy, where a man is trying to get a visa. When asked why, he says that he wants to go home to die. He ends up being the exiled king of Urkesh, which causes quite the stir. Later, he sits on a park bench feeding the birds, when he clutches at his chest and slumps over dead. Back at Chez Morgan, Henry and Abe are having breakfast, together? They sit at the same table but do not interact, both reading. Henry inspects the newspaper while Abe peruses the phone book. They still make those? It’s good to know that it’s not only phones and social media that cause people to completely ignore each other while eating. Apparently, older news sources did the same. Henry finally looks up and questions the phone book, snapping Abe out of his reverie to talk about his search for any living relatives. Abraham: “Wait a minute. No, no, no. I’m the one who’s being thoughtless now.” Henry: “Don’t beat yourself up. I’m used to being ignored at the breakfast table.” Abraham: “No, no, what I mean is I don’t need a family tree to tell me who my real Pops is.” Henry: “Oh, nor I, my real son.” It’s a sweet moment to open, causing Henry to ponder the meaning of family in a voice over. VO: “Why do we feel compelled to trace our roots? Those names in the family tree are just that, names, and yet the kinship we feel to them is powerful. Does the fact that we’re rooted in history make us feel more secure in our present? But what if our family trees are more like vines, twining aimlessly throughout the ages?”

 

 

Henry is called from breakfast to inspect the dead body. Hanson and Jo think that it’s a natural death and a rookie got too eager when he called it in as a homicide. Good thing the rookie did. As Henry examines the body, he sees an old, jagged scar on its torso and flashes back to his honeymoon with Abigail. They are vacationing on the Orient Express, when a knock interrupts their discussion of whether to have a baby or not. Abigail is pro-baby, but Henry feels that another child would only lead to considerable heartache since he is immortal. An imposing man is at the door and claims that a child is sick and needs a doctor. They both rush to the boy, who has appendicitis. Henry realizes that they will have to remove the appendix on the train, because the boy is in acute distress. It’s the scar that leads Henry to conclude that the boy on the train and the dead body are the same person. His flashback ends when the king’s wife, Zarina, rushes into the morgue to identify her husband’s body. Henry offers her support in Russian, which prompts Jo’s interest. Jo: “I don’t get it, Henry. A person would have to live 10 lives to pick up everything you have.” Henry: “Or just one very long one.” Ha!

 

While Henry investigates if there is a crime, Abe launches his own investigation into all possible relatives. He sets up a huge board in his shop that lists everyone he’s found. When Henry joins him, Abe is eager to share how far he has progressed in such a short amount of time. Abe: “Hey, what if I turned out to be related to someone really famous? You know, like Charlesmagne or…uh, Napoleon or George Washington.” Henry, deadpans: “I don’t believe any of those gentlemen are Jewish.” Ha! It’s funny so much more for the delivery than the words themselves. This doesn’t dampen Abe’s enthusiasm, though, until Henry starts reflecting on his flashback with the king. He questions whether Abe ever thought about having children, but he has no regrets in that department. Henry: “Do you ever think about your legacy?” Abe: “What do you mean? An heir? Now, why would I need an heir? I have you so part of me, spiritually, will go on forever.” Henry: “That’s very sweet of you…I think.”

The mood grows somber until Abe questions why Henry pocketed a ring from his store. Abe exposits that Henry gave him the ring after Abigail and he came back from their honeymoon. Let’s just say young Abe was less than pleased with his stay on the family farm. The king of Urkesh gave it to Henry for saving his son with the appendectomy. In the present, Henry takes the ring back to Zarina, explaining that he deals in antiques and thought it should go back to the original family. Zarina states that they were never able to have kids but that Armen had a happy life away from the pressures of being king. His only wish was to return to his homeland before he died. They chat some more about his cancer, but Zarina claims that he did not get radiation treatment for the disease. Alarm bells go off in Henry’s head as he realizes that the king was poisoned. He races back to the lab but the body is being taken away by the Urkesh government. Getting Lucas to halt the elevator, he takes a Geiger counter to confirm the radiation. After claiming that the elevator is now irradiated, the men who came for the body are quite fine leaving it with Henry to do the autopsy. Lucas updates Jo on the new findings. Henry: “Kings aren’t murdered. They’re assassinated. Well, what are you waiting for? We’ve got work to do.” Lucas: “I think I’ll take the stairs.” Good thinking, Lucas!

 

Later, Jo and Henry interview the Urkesh consulate. Jo cautions that they need to be tactful, but Henry has no diplomatic finesse. When he doesn’t like the consulate’s answers, he messes with a priceless vase and gets them kicked out, only to find the diplomat waiting for them by a food truck. He did process the visa, since the deposed king gave him a large diamond to expedite things. Jo: “A diamond the size of a grape. It sounds less like assassination and more like good, old-fashioned greed.” This prompts Henry to flash back to the Orient Express again. He and Abigail start with foreplay when they are interrupted again. The king personally thanks them for saving Armen’s life and proceeds to invite himself and his entourage in for a huge feast of yak shank. Back in the present, Hansen and Lucas fill Jo and Henry in on Armen’s last meal so they go to the restaurant. They find out that the owner was tortured as a kid by the Urkesh royal guard so there’s no love lost there. They also find an irradiated bowl. Formal interview time. Guy: “If I knew he was heir to the throne of Urkesh, you think I would have poisoned him like a woman?” Hanson: “No need to get sexist, pal.” Guy: “I would have stabbed him in the heart with a knife and told him to rot in hell for what he did.” Hanson: “What exactly did he do? The guy was just a kid, the same age as you were, when the revolution went down.” Guy: “He had his father’s blood in his veins and my people’s blood on his hands.” Yikes! The sins of the father…

Jo and Hanson learn that Armen was arguing with a young woman right as Henry and Lucas find a club stamp on Armen’s hand. Off to the Gilded Cage, they go. Lydia, the cocktail waitress, tells them that she grew up in foster care but Armen showed up recently and claimed to be her father. He showed her huge diamonds, which she thought were fake, and wanted her to accompany him to Urkesh. He also said not to tell anyone about him because his wife would be upset to learn of Lydia. Jo and Henry confirm that Armen was telling the truth, but this changes nothing in Lydia’s life. Her break is over and she has to go back to work. Lydia: “And an orphan all over again.” Lydia’s predicament continues to eat at Henry. Abe: “Hey, what’s wrong?” Henry: “I just worry that your mother and I deprived you.” Abe: “Of what?” Henry, pointing to Abe’s board: “That, family. All the aunts and uncles and cousins on the Morgan side whom you never met.” Abe: “Well I never met them because my dad was immortal. It would have made family reunions a bit awkward, wouldn’t you think?” Ha! Good point. He says: “No, no, the 3 of us were all the family I ever wanted.” Henry, presses on and Abe asks if Abigail and he ever wanted other kids. Henry admits that there was a time when they thought about it.

Flashback - After their royal meal, Abigail falls asleep on their bed while Henry and the king stay up talking. The king gives Henry his signet ring, passed down for generations to the next king, but Henry demures. Henry: “No, your son should have this.” King: “I don’t wish to burden my son. You know what I wish for him? That he grows up to be something other than a king. That’s why he’s leaving Urkesh.” Henry: “And you?” King: “I will return to face whatever fate awaits me - a sacrifice I will make happily, knowing that my son may follow his own dreams, whatever they are. Isn’t that what every father wishes, and mother?” It’s hard to reconcile this concerned parent with the tyrant whose guards torture children. Still, his wish came true. Armen had a good life, although the rest of his family was killed in Urkesh. Unfortunately, his wife is now the prime suspect in his death. She is visibly ill when they interview her a second time. Jo and Hanson mention Armen’s affair, which she knew about 25 years ago. She did not know that he had a daughter, though. She vehemently denies killing him, stating how depressed she was when she thought his bloodline would end and that she married Armen for love, not a title or riches. Partway through proclaiming her innocence, Zarina collapses and Henry, FINALLY, realizes that she’s been poisoned, too. With some MacGyver-ing, he pumps her stomach and she lives. My extensive knowledge of radiation poisoning, learned completely through NCIS, makes me skeptical since if she is already showing symptoms, she should be a goner. However, Jo, Hanson, and Henry are more concerned with figuring out the murderer, who slopily left inky fingerprints on the door. The ink is the same color they use for visas at the Urkesh embassy.

Back to the consulate they go, and he shares the killer’s info in a roundabout manner. Asif Karimov wants to kill the entire royal family because the royal guards killed his parents when he was a kid. The consulate also shares that Lydia applied for a visa, saying she was the king’s daughter. Not smart when everyone seems to hate the royal family! Jo and Henry realize she is now in danger, but their warning call comes too late. Asif is already in her house. He goes to kill her, but is stopped by a baby’s cry. Lydia fights valiantly for her child but Asif knocks her out and proceeds to the baby’s room. He pulls a gun on a baby! What kind of sick is that! Luckily, Jo and Henry enter before the child is harmed and a pursuit through the house proceeds. Henry saves the baby, Lydia wakes up in time to warn Jo, Asif shoots Lydia, and Jo shoots Asif. In the ambulance, Lydia is bleeding out. She tells Henry that she does not want her baby to be an orphan like she was, and Henry, flashing back, gives her the same advice she gave a young Armen. He tells her to take courage because she’s the daughter of a king. She lives and as she sleeps in the hospital, Jo comes in with her baby. Jo: “I told Child Services I’d look after him until his mom wakes up. What?” Henry: “Nothing. I’m just used to you kicking down doors and shooting perpetrators.” Jo asks Henry if he ever wanted kids and he flashes back to the Orient Express, where he agrees to have a child with Abigail and they proceed to have sex. Henry says sadly, “Fate had other plans.”

He returns home, tired and a bit down, but Abraham waits for him, all excited. He insists that Henry listen. Henry: “So what? You’ve discovered some intriguing long-lost ancestor?” Abe: “Yes. Guess who.” Henry: “Please, I’m not in the mood for any guessing games.” Abe: “You.” Henry: “What do you mean?” Abe: “You, Henry. I’m related to you.” Henry: “But how’s that possible?” Abe: “We have a common ancestor, which means we have the same blood in our veins - well, at least a drop or two.” Henry: “Are you certain?” Abe: “According to my research, 200 years ago, a child was born out of wedlock to a gentleman by the name of Dennis Longworth. There.” Henry: “My uncle Dennis.” Abe: “What? You knew him?” Henry: “I would hardly call him a gentleman. The man was a cad and a scoundrel and died in a duel, shot in the groin. Not coincidentally. But who cares? We’re related.” Abe: “Isn’t that the greatest news you’ve ever heard in your life?” Henry: “It’s truly wonderful!” Abe, ushering them both in front of the mirror: “Take a look. We have the same cheekbones.” Henry: “How did I never see it before?” Their joy in the knowledge is tangible. They’ve been family for over 60 years and yet, this tenuous blood connection is still meaningful to them. It’s important to them both that Abraham’s lifelong search for his biological family still includes his adopted family.

As the episode closes out, Henry’s voiceover muses: “The truth is, each of us is related. It’s just a question of how far back you trace your family tree. Deep down, all of us have shared blood in our veins.” In the end, we’re all family if we choose to be. The closing vignettes prove that. Lydia wakes in the hospital to find Zarina holding her baby, the family signet ring around her neck. She looks on the baby in love and claims that the ring will be his one day. In one statement, she has claimed the family her husband kept from her and has made Lydia her family, an orphan no longer. Back at the morgue, a different kind of family breaks bread together. Lucas, Jo, and Hanson have ordered the yak stew in honor of the king. Lucas: “Yak stew.” Jo, sniffing it: “No.” Lucas: “There is a reason they call it yak.” Bwah! Still, it is the ending scene that wins the day. As Abe sleeps on the couch, the voiceover reminds us that everyone is important and children remain our children, no matter how old they get. Henry tucks a blanket around Abe and kisses his forehead, just as if he was a child. It’s odd since Abe looks so much older than Henry, but it is the perfect symbol of their relationship. Abe will always be Henry’s child, his family, and that is a true legacy of love.

 

My original review of this episode for Last Week in TV: 

By far the most touching episode of the week, Forever had me on the edge of sniffling with happiness. Without a doubt, the character interaction between Henry and Abe has been the best of the TV season. They are the show. In this episode, Abe is happily trying to find his long-lost relatives, now that he finally knows his birth name and that of his parents. He tracks them down through the phone book and reaches out on Skype. All this has a curious effect on Henry, who is launched back to memories of his honeymoon with Abigail in which they saved the life of a prince. When said prince becomes his latest homicide victim, Henry ponders the value of blood relations. He doesn't begrudge Abe's joy at finding a new part of himself, but it does make him more wistful and reflective than usual. Abe on the other hand takes time from his gleeful search to make sure that Henry knows that no matter who he finds, he always knows that Henry is his dad and that will never change. It's a sweet reminder of exactly why this relationship works. Even wrapped up in their own worlds, they recognize what the other is feeling and are considerate of each other's needs. It is a delightful change from most father-son dynamics on TV over the last few decades. It's also what makes the ending so special. When Henry, weary from the case, comes home to an ecstatic Abe, he expects to find tales of another relative Abe has found. The overwhelming joy in both of them when he finds out that he is actually related to Abe, even distantly, is a scene of pure, unadulterated pleasure. The viewer can't help but get swept up in their delight. Add to this a case of the week that also tugged at the heartstrings and a happy ending for the surviving royal family and this is the best episode of the week.


Grade: A-


Episode Awards:

Best Reason to Watch - Henry and Abe as always
Best Scene - Henry and Abe find out they are distantly related
Best Aww Moment - Henry covers Abe up with a blanket and kisses his forehead
Second Best Awww Moment - the Queen meets her grandson for the first time 
Biggest Evil - I don't care what psychological scars you have. If you even think about shooting a baby, you are evil. Pure evil.
Best Reaction - Henry to getting bear hugged by the King of Urkesh
Biggest Buzz Kill - Jo tells Henry they called the guy's doctor after Henry compliments Hanson 
Best Synchronized Eating - Henry and Abe are Olympic caliber
Biggest Hmm - Are Jo, Hanson, Reece, and Henry the only people on the police force? Why not call for the closest police officers to race to Lydia's if you know someone is attacking her?
Biggest Stock Villain - King's guard threatens Henry to save the prince
Best Reaction - Henry says everyone on the elevator is being irradiated and Lucas eats a chip

Best Quotes -
1. Henry: "Don't beat yourself up. I'm used to be ignored at the breakfast table." Abe: "No, no. What I mean is I don't need a family tree to tell me who my real Pops is." Henry: "Nor I, my real son."
2. Henry: "So what, you've discovered some intriguing long lost ancestor." Abe: "Yes. Guess who?" Henry: "Please, I'm not in the mood for any guessing games." Abe: "You." Henry: "What do you mean?" Abe: "You, Henry. I'm related to you."
3. Abe: "Henry, what's wrong?" Henry: "I just worry that your mother and I deprived you." Abe: "Of what?" Henry: "That. Family. All the aunts and uncles and cousins on the Morgan side, whom you never met." Abe: "Well I never met them because my dad was immortal. Would have made family reunions a bit awkward, don't you think?"

4. Henry: "Your father was a king. The last King of Urkesh." Lydia: "But that would make me…" Jo: "A princess." Lydia: "And an orphan. All over again." Manager: "Yo Lydia, break's over." Lydia: "Sorry, looks like this princess is back on the clock."
5. Lucas: "So what are we looking for, huh? Lipstick on the collar. Hickey on the neck."
6. Abigail: “What changed your mind?” Henry: “Instead of just thinking about me and some future heartbreak, I realized that you’re here now.” Abigail: “Yes, I’m here now.”


Screencaps by Kiss Them Goodbye

About the Author - Dahne

One part teacher librarian - one part avid TV fan, Dahne is a contributing writer for SpoilerTV, where she reviews and/or creates polls for Teen Wolf, How to Get Away with Murder, The Librarians, and others. She also runs the annual Character Cup. She's addicted to Twitter, loves live tweeting, and co-hosted The 100 "Red-Shirted" and Teen Wolf "Welcome to Beacon Hills" podcasts for Southgate Media Group. Previously she wrote a Last Week in TV column for her blog and SpoilerTV. ~ "I speak TV."