Last Week in TV - Week of Oct. 5 - Episode Awards and Reviews

This is the time in the fall schedule when I realize I can't watch everything. Sadly the networks usually start deciding for me since some of my favorite new shows are inevitably canceled early as I'm sure will be the case this season. Still, it won't be enough so it's time to start dropping. Some I will pick up in marathon over the winter break, some in the summer, some I'll watch periodically, and of course there are those I will never watch again. So what have you dropped already? Are there some you intend to give another try later or are they dead to you? Are there shows you are worried the networks are going to drop that you love? For me, that is Red Band Society. I hope it makes it. So far, here's my dropped list:

Dropped Until Winter - The Blacklist (which I like better in marathon), Arrow (which I am debating dropping for good), Criminal Minds (because I still need to get caught up)
Dropped Until Summer - Supernatural (because I loathe Jeremy Carver), Gotham
Watch When I Have Extra Time - The Strain, NCIS:NO, Legends, Mysteries of Laura, Blackish
Most Likely Dropped for Good - Madam Secretary, Bad Judge, A to Z, Mulaney

As always, I am on the lookout for good shows I missed that can replace some of these dropped shows. If you have a show you think I should watch, fill out the nomination form below. Also, don't forget to leave a comment about your TV week below. I love our discussions. Until next week, happy viewing!

Overall Awards:

Best Episode - The Goldbergs - 2.03 - The Facts Of Bleeping Life

I adore this show. The times when I don't think it's awesome are few and far between. I know I say it every week but this episode had the right combination of heart and laughs. I never understood why America was so into the royal wedding, but I know exactly why Murray and Beverly work for me. They always get it in the end and it's always a beautiful thing to watch.

Grade: A

Best Reason to Watch - Murray and Beverly
Biggest Aww Moment - Murray throws Beverly a spontaneous wedding vow renewal ceremony
Best Scene - Murray shows Barry his wedding video
Mot Goldberg - Renewing your vows in your nightgown on the royal wedding day
Worst Lip Synching - Barry and Adam
Best Singing - Erica and Lainey
Funniest Scene - the outtake where Erica proves to Barry that the wig makes him look like Beverly
Best Reaction - Pops to having to listen to Adam and Barry's garage band music
Best Nostalgia - Family Ties
Nostalgia I Never Understood - fanfare over the royal wedding
Worst Plan - telling Beverly about vow renewals / Pops agreeing to pay for the renewal celebration without talking about the price
Best Music - Eternal Flame
Best Quotes -
Adam: "You know if we're going to be selling out mega stadiums, maybe we should learn more than one song." Barry: "It's not about the music, okay? It's about the showmanship and pageantry and smoke machines and glitter cannons and giant hair and cod pieces."
Murray: "Marriage is not like a magazine subscription. You don't have to keep renewing it." Beverly: "You do if you want to keep the magazine." Murray: "Well this magazine right here, you get for free for the rest of your life."
Lainey: "It's music television. They should just play videos and nothing else."

Best New Character in a Recurring Drama - Margaret Langston - Resurrection - 2.02 - Echoes

Resurrection continues to get more mysterious without trying my patience when it comes to answers. That is a rare mix and it is mostly because of Margaret Langston, Henry's recently returned mother and Jacob's grandma. This week all my questions surrounded Grandma, who is definitely the most shady character since Caleb went poof. Digging up graves in the factory floor? What was that all about and was it connected to her father or her? Whatever it is, she knows more than she's saying and she's obviously trying to put a wedge between Jacob and everyone else but her. Then she's seeing coming out of the blink-and-you-missed-him Sick Returnee's room before he disappears. Yep, she's creepy…and brilliantly played.

Best Reason to Watch - Grandma Langston
Best Scene - Henry shows his mom the decaying factory
The "Yeah I Am Taking Sides" Award - Team Janine all the way. I think I resent Rachael more than Janine does.
Best Twist - skulls on the factory floor
Theory Busted - the returned have anything to do with how they are buried. Grandma was cremated.
Most Disturbing - Jacob tries to resurrect the dead birds
The "So Why Were You Here Again" Award - Unless Sick Returnee ends up being a huge plot device, I have no idea why he was here in the first place, except to make Grandma look more shady. He came, he coughed, he poofed away. Um, okay.
Best Quotes - Grandma: "Death is fickle. It comes when it comes."

Recent TV Trend - Suspects getting Hit by Moving Vehicles

All I can say is if you are a bad guy, it pays to look both ways before running into the street no matter who is pursuing you. Especially if it's about 20 minutes into the episode. The Mysteries of Laura, the Blacklist, and Scorpion all pursued suspects only to have them mowed down before they could get answers. Talk about a bad break. On NCIS: NO they did switch it up a bit so that they car crash happened at the beginning and it allowed the prisoners to escape instead end up in the hospital. Even people in comedies weren't safe, since Eliza from Selfie got tapped by a car and then fell in a manhole. The streets of TV Land are definitely hazardous these days. Perhaps it's time for some crossing guards?

Nominated Show: 

The Good Wife - 5.05 - Hitting the Fan

Usually medical shows and lawyer shows aren't in my entertainment wheelhouse. I tend to find them boring with bad pacing. This episode was anything but. It starts with Diane telling Will that Alicia and Cary are leaving the firm to create their own and taking some powerful clients with them and ends with everyone oozing slime. In between is a game of legal ping pong both quick paced and exhilarating. I highly doubt this episode is typical to the show but it was exciting in a way the law very seldom is to me. As a new viewer, I am not even sure who I am supposed to be rooting for since they both sink equally low and even Alicia's husband, the governor, weighs in with sketchy politics. It seems like everyone is for sale here and each lawyer a more skillful con artist than the next. The acting is top-notch as well, making scenes fraught with tension riveting. I'm still not sure that I would like this show on a regular basis, but this episode is a definite winner.

Grade: B+

Best Reason to Watch - legal ping pong
Most Unhinged - Will
Biggest Gesture - The governor frightens a client to sign with Alicia's firm
Best Acting - Alicia in the elevator alone
Biggest Laugh - Alicia and Will stop mid-fight to talk about Alicia's daughter's field trip
Best Quote - Will: "God, you're awful and you don't even know how awful you are."

New Shows/Specials:

Mulaney - 1.01 - Pilot

I tried to figure out what I liked least about this pilot. It wasn't that I hardly laughed. It wasn't the atrocious laugh track. It wasn't the overabundance of quirky characters. In the end it was the flat, almost robotic delivery of the dialogue. The cadence was a strange staccato that made me wonder if it was on purpose because no one talks so flatly. If it is, they need a change up quickly before the main character is mistaken for an android. Come to think of it, that might be an improvement. Almost Human, the comedy?

Grade: D
Ranking - 1
Prediction - Gone, gone, gone.

Audience - I really don't know. I didn't think it was funny at all.

Best Reason to Watch - there are a lot of people you'll recognize
Best Character - Mulaney
Worst Thing a Comedy Can Do - tie - laugh track / not be funny
Best Quotes -
Mulaney: "Because in her eyes, I'm an adult and adults murder each other."
Mulaney: "It looks shady when you're honest with doctors."

The Flash - 1.01 - Pilot

This pilot is definitely a winner, even for someone who typically doesn't like meta human stories. Enter Barry, a dorky but lovable crime scene technician who thirsts to prove his father innocent of his mother's murder over a decade ago. He's the kind of character you cannot help but like, and that becomes the cornerstone of the series quickly. If Barry ever becomes unlikeable, this show will crumble. Think of him as the anti-Oliver Queen, especially in season 1 of Arrow. In a freak particle accelerator accident, he gets whammied by lightning and when he wakes up from a coma 9 months later, he finds he has supersonic speed. Just what he needs to fight the less noble meta humans roaming around his city these days. He's joined by the youngest looking doctor since Doogie Howser, a resident boy genius, and an adult genius who looks extremely shady by the end of the episode. Luckily for a pilot, it doesn't have as much exposition as I expected and by halfway through Barry knows his special powers and has assembled the team. All that's left is to take down the first bad guy and leave when a twist and a stirring speech. Yes, Flash is a bit formulaic but the characters are appealing and the plot swift moving and that's really all I need right now.


Grade: A-
Ranking - 5
Prediction - Renewed for season 2, since it's hard to imagine a universe in which this gets such bad ratings it isn't

Audience - anyone who likes superheroes


Best Reason to Watch - Barry is just the kind of goofy underdog that everyone roots for
Best Twist - Joe learns about Barry's superpowers in the pilot instead of drawing it out
Biggest Confusion - for the first 10 minutes I couldn't figure out where in the timeline this pilot took place. For some reason I thought it was post-Arrow but it actually fills in the gaps between Arrow.
Biggest Huh? - Harrison can see the newspaper of the future? Say what? Oh yeah, and he can walk too. He's shady.
Best Meta - John Wesley Shipp plays Barry's dad. He also played The Flash in the 1990's version of the show before becoming Dawson's dad on Dawson's Creek and Isaac's dad on Teen Wolf.
The "Welcome Back" Award - Jesse L. Martin from Law & Order and Rent before that
Biggest Awww Moment - Barry goes to visit his dad in prison
Best Save - Detective West gets Barry out of trouble after he is late to a crime scene…again
Best Sign that You're Grade-A Crazy - believing you are God
Most Cheesy - the special effects when Barry's running
Worst Plot Device - unrequited love
Arrow Cameo - Oliver, who mutually fangirls with Barry
Best Quotes -
Iris: "You're doing that thing where you're not speaking English."
Barry: "Lightning gave me abs?"
Joe: "Why in the hell would God need to rob banks?"

Cristela - 1.01 - Pilot

I actually first watched this pilot when they were at testing phase before they made the changes. Sadly, they didn't change enough. I find Cristela to be annoying and ungrateful, which is a bad start to a comedy. They did temper her a little, but not enough. Plus every other character is a stereotype for laughs instead of a character. Only the laugh track makes that less funny. I had high hopes that Cristela would be a great comedy featuring Hispanic characters but mostly it's just one bomb after another. Here's hoping they make the family less toxic as they go.

Grade: C

Best Reason to Watch - Daniela and Cristela teasing their mom
Best Scene - Natalia talks about her fears with Cristela
Best Character - Daniela
Most Annoying - everyone else
Best Cheer - Be Regressive. B-E Regressive.
Most Funny - conversation between Josh and Cristela while waiting to interview for the internship
Least PC - Trent, the boss
Best Turnaround - Cristela gets Felix paid
Best Quotes -
Felix: "If you were my wife, I would put poison in your coffee." Cristela: "If you were my husband, I'd drink it."
Natalia: "Oh yes. A job where you work really hard and make no money. That's what I dreamed of for you when you came to this country."
Daniela: "I can't believe it. Today my little girl is going to be a cheerleader." Cristela: "Ah yes, the great Texas tradition where girls learn they're not quite as important as boys."

Supernatural - A Very Supernatural Special - Retrospective

This retrospective is the best thing to come out of Supernatural since the moment Jeremy Carver took the reins. It's an unabashed love fest of the Winchester brothers and the people who love them. In fact, if Carver and company would just believe all that they said in here, SPN would be great again. In some ways this special made me fall in love with Supernatural all over again. The majority of what was showcased was from the first few seasons, back when Supernatural was at its very best. The best lines were quoted and the best episodes highlighted. It was a joyful walk down memory lane with just a few speed bumps, like not enough Jensen and Jared and none of the anecdotes were new. I could have fast forwarded the meta part about the books, which of course is Carver's favorite thing ever. I did fast forward through part of the angel stuff. But man was it great to see Kripke talking SPN again.  Let me reiterate my #1 wish in all of TV Land - please, please come back Kripke. Because no matter what anyone says, SPN is still "Two brothers on a long road, fighting for humanity and each other." And yes Carver, that "each other" is very important.

Best Reason to Watch - nostalgia
Best Interview - Kripke
Best Segment - Opening / Impala
Worst Segment - Fandemonium and the one on the books
Most Wonky - the music, except for Carry On Wayward Son


Best Quotes (Past) -
Dean: "What do you say we kill some evil SoB's and we raise a little hell.?"
Dean: "Saving people, hunting things - the family business."
Sam: "Jerk." Dean: "B**"
Bobby: "Family don't end with blood, boy."
Dean: "What happened with you being okay with this." Sam: "I lied."
Sam: "I lost my shoe."


Best Quotes (Special) -

Kripke: "I would say the more that Supernatural is about Sam and Dean, the better it is."
Jensen about Bobby: "He was home to these guys."
Kripke: "Because they're fighting for humanity and they're fighting for each other."
Kripke: "We were sort of the kids in the back of the class at the CW and we were the ones throwing spitballs."
Mark: "There is no Supernatural without its fans. We know that."
Chuck: "Then and now, it's the story of 2 brothers."
Chuck: "Demons have been a part of Supernatural since day 1, but there is only one King."

Weekly Shows:

TBBT - 8.04 - The Hook-Up Reverberation

This episode was a tale of 2 storylines. The one about the guys buying into the comic book shop was fantastic and showed off the very different dynamics of the main couples. I also like how none of them considered telling their significant others about the investment until Sheldon, of all people, points out that it is a good idea. However, the storyline about Raj's girlfriend being jealous of Penny stalled so much it started rolling downhill fast. The whole thing felt rehashed and recycled from any comedy where the leads are in a relationship. I really hope they get over it soon. Howard being jealous of Stewart is getting old too, but at least it doesn't feel like it's been done over and over again.

Grade: B-

Best Reason to Watch - how things go differently when Leonard, Howard, and Sheldon talk to their significant others about investing in the comic book store
Biggest Mooch - Stewart, although it's still nice that he has a storyline
The Most Common Sense - Leonard, who doesn't think having a van pick up kids and bring them to their comic book store is a good idea
Least Needed Storyline - Raj's girlfriend is jealous of Penny
Best Product Placement - several of the comic books shown in the store are of The Flash, which debuted this week on another network but both produced by Warner Brothers.
Best Quotes -
Leonard: "What happens if she doesn't like us?" Raj: "Well hey, you're my dear friends. You'll get a Christmas card for a couple of years and then you're dead to me."
Bernadette: "Did she say she didn't like you?" Penny: "Of course not. No one ever says they don't like you straight to your face." Amy: "We have lead different lives."
Sheldon: "Is this a comic book store or a rave at the third little pig's house?"

Scorpion - 1.03 - A Cyclone

Scorpion continues to enthrall me with its high octane thrills and created-family partnerships. This time we got to see Happy in action more, Toby brought the snark, and Sylvester pulled a gun. All of that was win. On the meh side was the long windup to the crime of the week, the geniuses failing the military test, and everyone dissing Paige because she's normal. I do like that she had the information that led to the motive though. In some ways this episode felt like it should be second and not third because they didn't seem to have as many trust issues in the last one. I hope they gel quickly, because this team does a whole lot better when they are all on the same page.

Grade: B

Best Reason to Watch - everyone has a part to play to stop the bad guys, a real team effort
Best Moment - Paige tells the geniuses to shut up because she has vital info
The "Well that Came Back to Haunt You" Award - Doesn't it just suck when you give your kid great advice and then are forced to follow it yourself?
Most Likely to Have the Police Called on Them - The Scorpion group who don't bother to wash the blood and explosives off them before they show up at Ralph's school.
The "Are You Kidding Me?" Award - the one guy who can give them answers got hit by a bus? Really?
Best Reason to Always Have a Backup - Rogue government officials who are willing to kill thousands to keep an e-mail from coming out. Flash drives are really cheap these days. Get everyone one.
Best Lesson - how to really delete something from the internet / characteristics of a cyclone of scorpions
Best Quotes -
Toby: "Word to the wise. Don't bet on Yertle McQuickshell. She's misnamed."
Gallo: "I'm going to call Information." Toby: "That's a good idea. Oh afterwards, let's ride on one of those Zeppelins I've heard of."
Gallo: "Before computers, people had to actually talk to each other."

The Blacklist - 2.03 - Dr. James Covington

The Blacklist works best when the lister of the week walks in a grey area. Similar to The Judge, Dr. James Covington has a cause to believe in and goes about it in the wrong way. It makes the case of the week stand out more and allows for interesting water cooler conversation. I have to say that I like The Blacklist's procedural elements more than the serial ones at this point. Still Mondays are packed so this show goes to winter marathon for me.

Grade: B+

Best Reason to Watch - Dr. Covington, who made for a compelling lister of the week
Funniest Character - Vargas
Best Surprise - Tom is back, even as a dream
Least Surprising - Vargas actually works for Red / Frisked Guy is part of the conspiracy
Best Reminder that Red's a Bad Guy - he plays the FBI to get his business plan to work
The "Welcome Back" Award - Hal Ozsan, who played the witch that made Dean old on Supernatural
The "Of Course He Did" Award - the one guy who could give answers gets hit by a truck. And we've got a TV trend folks.
Best Call Out - Ressler tells Elizabeth that she has been corrupted by the work they do
Best Quotes -
Elizabeth: "How does an Iranian end up working for Mossad?" Navabi: "How did the FBI end up working for Raymond Reddington?"
Mrs. Wyatt: "My husband's heart wasn't harvested. It was repossessed."

Gotham - 1.03 - The Balloonman

This was the best Gotham yet, mostly because the vigilante killer was unique and had a great implementation mechanism. Plus Bruce Wayne was tolerable this time around. I could see how he would grow up to be a vigilante himself when the whole city of Gotham is crying out for someone to save it by any means necessary. Sadly I am the only one still watching who cares not one jot about Penguin and quite frankly he's wearing on my last nerve right now. Good thing I am dropping this show until midseason hiatus then. Depressing comic book stories where the majority are antiheroes or villains are just not for me.

Grade: B-

Best Reason to Watch - the Balloonman
Most Creative Revenge - floating your enemies into the air via weather balloon
Most Fun - that swordfight with Alfred is the first time that Bruce has smiled since his parents died
Worst Job - Non-corrupt Gotham City cop or Fish's lover, it's a tossup
Most in Need of Remedial Science - Harvey and Gordon, who don't know about gravity I guess
Best Quotes -
Gordon: "No body. Are we calling this a murder?" Harvey: "Call it a public service. Danzer was a bum. He got what he deserved. I'm going to go get a Danish. That's what I deserve."
Harvey: "Listen smarta**, you want to kill a crooked financier, be my guest. You kill a cop, it's a job safety issue."

Sleepy Hollow - 2.03 - Root of All Evil

Sleepy Hollow needs to stop talking itself to death. There, I said it. Two of the best things about this show are the action and the humor, both of which were MIA this episode while people talked and talked and talked. This is the closest I've ever come to bored in an episode and that is not okay. Granted dialogue like the scene between Henry and Ichabod was spellbinding by the sheer power of the acting, but most of the rest of it was exposition, arguing, or more verbal spewing than 42 minutes can take. Time to get back in the grove, let the monsters come out and play again, and for goodness sakes, not every single episode needs to end with Ichabod and Abbie talking out their feelings. This is not Dr. Phil!

Grade: C

Biggest Surprise - explosion
Best Character Interaction - Henry and Ichabod
Best Awww Moment - Abbie tells Jenny it will be okay and that she's always on her side
Least Appealing - tie - Mills sisters fighting / Abbie's issues with Katrina
Most Uncomfortable - Ichabod when Reyes calls him out on his lack of identification
Week's Wacked Out History - Benedict Arnold and Judas tied together with 30 pieces of cursed silver
Most Unbelievable - Let's just remember that this is a story that features multiple resurrections, the apocalypse, demons, witches, a headless guy firing assault weapons, and more. Still the most unbelievable thing this episode was a waitress carding Ichabod and Abbie. Who would ever think they were under 21? That's just nuts.
Second Most Unbelievable - Ichabod kicks the coin and Hawley catches it in the glass
Most Needed Webisodes - Someone mentioned this on Twitter (sorry, I forget who) but we really do need webisodes of Ichabod watching and reviewing current TV shows, movies, and books
Best Plan - Ichabod pretends to visit another patient in order to talk to Irving
Best Reaction - Ichabod takes a hard right when he sees Reyes coming
Best Addition So far - Hawley
The "Face Palm" Award - Why are Ichabod and Abbie discussing the coin's ancestry in front of Hawley? They do know there is no cone of silence around them, right?
Worst Timing - Reyes interrupts Ichabod from going after Henry
Worst Plan I Wish Has Worked - Jenny tries to kill Reyes

Selfie - 1.02 - Un-Tag My Heart

I hate Facebook, but I am a somewhat recovered Twitter addict and I've gotten lost on Pinterest before so I guess I can see someone getting way into it. I will never understand the appeal of cat videos though. Nor does Eliza appeal to me even though she was much better in this episode. Mostly I am still waiting to care about any of these characters. The show does have its moments but they feel small comapred to the rest. I'll give this show one more episode to hook me or else it goes in the drop pile.

Grade: C

Best Reason to Watch - Henry checks out Facebook and can't figure out how to untag
Best Scene - Henry goes to the hospital room to check on Eliza and Freddy shows up
Biggest Aww Moment - Henry says he'll call Eliza every hour to wake her up
Most Awkward - Henry with his ex
Biggest Stalker - I assume that Henry was outside Eliza's window when she turned off the light and that's a bit creepy.
Best Quotes -
Henry: "First friend is my mom. Just like in life."
Henry: "Shouldn't you be reading the book instead of worrying about what to wear while reading the book?"
Eliza: "Sorry if I smell like dead people." Book Club: "We all do." Wren: "That's how you know it's vintage."

Manhattan Love Story - 1.02 - In the Mix, on the Books, and in the Freezer

This was a much better episode. The characters became more endearing and I could see the merits in each of them. Of course, Kurt Fuller smoked them all as the father giving out bonuses. He cracked me up and I hope we get more of him. Otherwise, while this is not my usual type of comedy, I'm willing to try it for a little while longer as long as ABC is willing to keep it on the air. I do like how both leads are equally awkward in their dating situation and Amy continues to rock. As far as romantic comedies go, this was the best of the week for me.

Grade: B

Best Reason to Watch - the main characters are adorable
Biggest Distraction - the voiceovers still
Most Improved - David
Most Diabolical and Awesome - William, their dad
Best Reason to Not Online Date - everybody Dana meets
The "Let's Not" Award - Shock and Awe works in defense strikes. It's not a good choice in dating.
Best Quotes -
Dana: "We've had some really nice moments and I'm sure that someday we're going to get through a date without one of us crying."
Dana: "When did lingerie stores all start looking like doll houses?"

SHIELD - 2.03 - Making Friends and Influencing People

So did anyone really believe that Simmons had switched allegiance to Hydra? Yeah, I didn't think so. Still it gives her an interesting storyline to play the mole and go undercover. I'm glad for that because both Fitz and she needed something to do. Speaking of, I love how Fitz found out about Ward although I am a bit worried about their security around him because it didn't look like Fitz had to do much to get to him. Having Fitz deprive Ward of oxygen was a masterful stroke. I am also encouraged about how Fitz is still struggling to communicate because I think it gives the series more heft. In most genre shows, it feels like consequences are swept under the rug and the show merrily continues as if nothing happened. Not so here and it makes the storytelling that much more impactful.

Grade: B+

Best Reason to Watch - Fitz finds out that they are keeping Ward locked up in the basement
Best Return - Simmons as in Real Simmons not HalluciSimmons
Least Believable - If IceBoy froze the guy's whole body, how in the world is his cell phone not a cake of ice too?
Biggest Revenge - Fitz cuts Ward's oxygen to show him what it was like to have no oxygen
The "Well Thank Goodness" Award - Ward says he was never brainwashed and I am glad about that. It would have been a cheap copout.
Best Quotes -
Ward: "A gifted that refuses Hydra is a threat and threats are taken care of quickly."
Hunter: "Skye, you cover the door." Skye: "You don't give the orders, Trainspotting." Hunter: "I'm not Scottish."
Hunter: "May shot me." Tripp: "Man, I wanted to be the one."
Hunter: "So we're even." May (looking at Tripp): "We are." Hunter: "Oh bloody hell."

Forever - 1.04 - The Art of Murder

While Forever still remains based when focused on the Henry and Abe relationship, this week I thought the crime of the week was very interesting too. Not so much the crime itself but the twist of it being a suicide as well as all the flashbacks it brought with it. I like knowing more about Henry's past lives and this gave the show an opportunity to dig deeper into his relationship with Abigail. I was shocked when the woman who inherited it all didn't end up being the daughter of Cranky Granny's lover though.

Grade: B

Best Reason to Watch - the relationships
The "Are You Kidding Me?" Award - How many times do I have to say it. WEAR GLOVES at a freaking crime scene!!!
Most Clueless - Henry
Best Plan - Lucas and the wedding ring biopsy story
Best Twist - suicide
Most Improved - the captain
Best Quotes -
Berkowitz: "We're not afraid of dead bodies. We'll step right over them."
Jo: "The good memories. Those are the ones that hurt the most."
Henry: "Try not to make any more headlines today."

NCIS:NO - 1.03 - Breaking Brig

NCIS:NO keeps on keeping on. It's not improving; it's not getting worse. It's just stuck in the middle of Okay Land, 2+ NCIS appearances at a time. I personally think all these unnecessary cameos are hurting the show because all it does is remind me of the characters I already know and love. I think they have now exhausted all of NCIS so I am betting Hetty from NCIS:LA shows up next time. I just won't see it. I have given this show my due diligence of 3 episodes so while I might catch up on it later, it is currently dropped for me.

Grade: C

Best Reason to Watch - Pride is growing on me
Best Scene - the soldier gets to see his dying momma before being hauled to prison
The "You Must be Idiots" Award - the 3 girls just stand there as 3 cons break out in a crash. Get in your car, get going, get on your phone. In that order.
NCIS Appearance - Gibbs and Vance
Best New Addition / The "Welcome Back" Award - Addie, who used to be Kali on Teen Wolf

Supernatural - 10.01 - Black

Supernatural is not going to be weekly TV for me. Not until Jeremy Carver is booted to the curb. However I wanted to see how Demon Dean would be portrayed, so I checked it out early. While I do not follow the Supernatural fandom anymore either, I know there were mixed feelings about it. For me, it was a lot of fun. I came for Demon Dean but I stayed for Awesome Brother Sam. One of the major problems I had with Carver is that in season 8, he threw Sam under a bus and then kept running him over. Season 10 Sam is back on track, and the Dean-Crowley partnership is hilarious. I don't expect even that anymore so woo hoo! I admit I was thrown when we finally got a "Jerk" "B**" combo and it was Crowley instead of Sam, but I was able to roll through it because it was funny. On the negative side, I still do not care one single jot about the angels, who just will NOT go away. I hate Hannah, don't care about Cas' failing health, and wish Metatron was just a bad acid trip. I'm also not sure why we get the morning routine of Random Revenge Guy. I really don't care about him. But I do care about Dean and Sam, and I really like that Sam is giving everything he's got to save Dean from himself.

Grade: B (if I forget that SPN seasons 1-3 ever happened)

Best Reason to Watch - Carver finally beginning to redeem himself for his destruction of Sam in season 8
Most Fun - Demon Dean is really, really enjoying himself
Least Fun - anytime Demon Dean karaokes. Seriously, I was right with the crowd, cringing. Time to pull the plug on him.
Biggest Douche - Demon Dean, by a whole lot
Best Reaction - Sam when he sees Dean's black eyes
Biggest Shock - Demon Dean is really going to just leave Sam
Biggest Huh? - Now it is possible I missed something in my season 9 marathon, but why would Dean need to kill people to stay human? I seem to remember Cain not killing someone for years and doing alright.
Biggest Laugh - Crowley walks in on Dean and Ann Marie post-coitus on his bed and then has to remind Demon Dean to wear pants
Least Heroic - Dean stops Ann Marie's ex from hassling her but then almost beats him to death
Best Character Interaction - Demon Dean and Crowley
Best Snark - Crowley: "Moose, took you long enough. Your brother and I were beginning to wonder if you hit another dog, you know."
The "Just Die Already" Award - Hannah
Best Quotes -
Ann Marie: "Get a room, you two." Crowley: "Had a room until you two soiled it."
Sam: "I don't know how you did this. What kind of black magic stunt you pulled, but hear me, I will save my brother or die trying."
Sam: "I'm going to find you. I'm going to save my brother and then I'm going to kill you dead."
Dean: "You lied." Crowley: "Who do you think you're talking to here?"
Sam: "He's not your pet." Crowley: "My pet? He's my best friend, my partner in crime. They'll write songs about us, graphic novels - the Misadventures of Growley and Squirrel. Dean Winchester completes me and that's what makes you lose your chickens."

Stalker - 1.02 - Whatever Happened to Baby James?

This was better than the pilot. It felt less like a string of shock thrills and more like a story. Less torture porn, more psychological intensity. Still the subplots don't work for me. The stalker department cop stalking his ex. The other stalker department cop being stalked by a former case. Both seem unnecessary, especially right from the beginning. If one of them came in the second season, it would be more believable to me. This is another show that I feel would benefit from following a more traditional procedural format for at least one season.

Grade: B-

Best Reason to Watch - creepy chills
The "Well You Certainly Know How to Make an Entrance" Award - every cold open has someone running for their lives from a killer
Smartest - the kid who waits to run and then locks the door behind him and then questions the stranger telling him to open the door. It might not have worked out well, but it was the smart play.
The "Umm, There is Another Victim" Award - While they are comforting the kid and reassuring the kidnapper, they might want to check on the person who is obviously bleeding somewhere else in the house.
Best Music - Be My Little Baby
Best Blow Off - Jack basically tells Janice that she's too hot for him to have drinks with

Red Band Society - 1.04 - There's No Place like Homecoming

Another solid episode for Red Band Society, especially since the love triangle was mostly in talk only. Here's hoping it disappears for good. While Kara was doubly obnoxious in this episode, everyone stepped up. I like how Nurse Jackson both takes on Jordi's mom and softens towards her, even if she ends up leaving Jordi high and dry. Mostly though I love all these little hints we keep getting about Jackson's past. First there was Kenji talking about what she gave up. Today there was the moments about Jordi's mom and how much she hated her for giving up her kid. Something big happened and I cannot wait to hear what it is. That is so much more interesting to me than any Homecoming.

Grade: B+

Best Reason to Watch - Nurse Jackson, who makes miracles happen and has really good instincts
Best Character Interaction - Jackson and McAndrew
The "Poor Baby" Award - Jordi. In an episode about the importance of not pitying people, I still feel really, really bad for him.
Biggest Prediction - Jackson has a back story that involves kids of her own and I can't wait to see
Biggest Aww Moment - Leo shows up to make Emma feel better at Homecoming / Leo calls Kara a witch in front of everyone to stop them from pitying her
Most Improved - Brittany, who tells Kara to knock it off or she won't go to Homecoming
The "Say What?" Award - Dash and Jordi play poker for marijuana. How are they always getting access to weed? Shouldn't hospitals have a strict drug accountability policy?
The "Are You Kidding Me?" Award - No high school on the planet would have forced Kara to go to the stage in a wheelchair. None.
Biggest Back Fire - Emma going to Homecoming makes her anorexia worse
Best Music - Nothing Stays the Same by Luke Sital
Best Quotes -
Coma Boy: "The thing about being a hero? You're not supposed to rescue more than one damsel in a night."
Jackson: "We both want the same thing - what's best for Jordi." McAndrew: "I guess he's ours now." Jackson: "He was ours the second he walked through that door."
Leo: "I seriously want to hug you right now." Jackson: "You'll get over it."
Dash: "I'm just wondering who gets the rose on the latest episode of Cancer Bachelor. Is it the Latino heartthrob, Jordi, or the hometown favorite, Leo?"
Kara: "Sell that sunshine somewhere else. We both know that absence does not make the heart go fonder. It just makes people forget about you."

How to Get Away with Murder - 1.03 - Smile or Go to Jail

Everything is just getting more and more jacked up on this show and I love it. Just when I think I figured something out, I am blindsided by another twist. I have no idea why anyone on this show does anything, but I am eager to watch the pieces fall together. Let's just say this better have one heck of an ending. I am most intrigued by why Nate lied about Sam's alibi as well as what Rebecca's role in this all is. Keating continues to be a strong, multifaceted character while most of the others, with the exceptions of Connor and Asher, have become intriguing as well. I do think they need to lose the same flashbacks they show every single episode. These recapitations are starting to stall the story. Trust me producers. We will still know it is a flashback because of the lighting, clothing, woods, etc. You don't have to keep showing the coin toss.

Grade: A-

Best Reason to Watch - the mystery keeps getting more intense
Best Twist - the woman who was arrested in the park is actually a fugitive bomber
Most in Need of Therapy - Bomber Mom, like majorly in need of surgery
The "Welcome Back" Award - Jason Gedrick, who was in several of the films of my youth
Most Skilled - Wes, who creates his own fake lawyer ID
Biggest Huh? - Why is Nate telling Keating that her husband's alibi I solid when he knows he lied?
Biggest Plot Device - Michaela loses her ring after burning Sam's body

Bad Judge - 1.02 - Meteor Shower

This becomes the first comedy I drop. There is nothing here for me but Tedward and the van love, one of which won't make it to the end of the episode.

Grade: D

Best Reason to Watch - Tedward / sentencing
Most Relatable - I am a big fan of car love even if it is a hideous 70's van
Biggest Shock - the van got as totaled as totaled can get
The "Welcome Back" Award - Captain Awesome, from Chuck
Best Sentencing - tie - throwing all the paparazzi in jail / sending the attention hound to a convent
Best Quote - Rebecca: "What's the matter? Cat got your hash tag?"

A to Z - 1.02 - B is for Big Glory

This episode is the story of a guy who already had a date set before he met the girl of his dreams and the funny hijinks that occur because of it. Coincidentally, that is the exact same story plot as Manhattan Love Story this week. MLS did it better, so I am dropping this one. This is way to cutesy for my cynical nature.

Grade: C

Best Reason to Watch - it's very romantic
Best Vocabulary - Stephie, who uses besotted in a sentence
Biggest Gesture - Andrew makes Zelda a souvenir license plate out of several of them
The "Are You Kidding Me?" Award - real people are starting shipping names? Really? Oh kill me now!
Best Reference - War Games, all three times
Most Needy - Andrew, who really needs to chill out
Best Quotes -
Zelda: "I don't need to app stalk him…but keep me updated."
Andrew: "What happened to playing it cool?" Stu: "I'm not a role model."
Stephie: "Even I feel emasculated."

Gracepoint - 1.02

Gracepoint continues to add suspects and I guess that is to be expected, given that it's only the second episode. This time we added Trailer Park Lady, who has Danny's skateboard, Boyfriend who is involved somehow with drugs, the priest because he's a Christian and Hollywood hates Christians, and the dad, who despite overwhelming evidence obviously had nothing to do with it because he's a suspect in the second episode. Probably the best twist for me is the dead boy had $500 in cash hidden in his room. Where does a kid get that kind of money? Now it makes me wonder if Best Friend, who's mom happens to be Detective Miller, is also stashing a wad of cash. In fact, I almost expected her to find some when sleeping in his room. Overall this episode didn't add much but extra suspects and mystery, including the background story of Detective Carter.

Grade: B

Best Reason to Watch - everyone is a suspect like the ads say and everyone is hiding something
Best Character Interaction - the two detectives talking about moral compasses
Biggest Twist - Detective Carver has something medically wrong with him
Most Reassuring - Detective Miller. If I were going to be arrested, I would want it to be by her.
Biggest Awww Moment - Beth breaks down in the grocery store
Least Necessary - the psychic angle
Best Quotes -
Gemma: "I'm cutting you off." Ned: "Listen to that. She thinks I'm drunk." Gemma: "Well yeah, you must be from the way you're talking. Alright it's been 40 hours, Ned. That family has just lost their only son. What? You want something to do? You write them a card, send them some flowers, start a collection for Danny's wildlife group. Get a hold of yourself and grieve respectfully. And then when the killers been caught, that boy can be buried, all the tents will come down, and people will come back and they will buy things. But until then, keep your mouth shut and be a decent person."
Carver: "It's a simple truth, Miller. Anybody's capable of murder given the right circumstances." Miller: "No most people have a moral compass." Carver: "Compasses break."
Carver: "I love this, the telephone guy who hears voices."

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 creates polls for Sleepy Hollow, Arrow, White Collar, Grimm, Teen Wolf, and others. She's addicted to Twitter, live tweets a multitude of shows each week, and co-hosts the Warehouse 13 "Endless Wonder", 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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