Showing posts with label The Americans. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Americans. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 29, 2018

The Fourteenth Annual Scooter Television Awards


Welcome to the 14th Annual Scooter Television Awards honoring show that aired a majority of their season between July 2017 and June 2018. Without further ado, here are the winners of the 2018 STA's:

Best Scripted Show: The Good Place

Best Drama: The Handmaid’s Tale

Best Sci-Fi Show: Future Man

Best Comic Book Adaptation: Krypton

Best Period Show: G.L.O.W.

Best Animated Show: Star Wars Rebels

Best Reality Show: Survivor

Best Remake, Reboot, or (non-comic book) Adaptation: The Long Road Home

Best Miniseries: The Long Road Home

Best Talk Show: Pardon the Interruption

Best New Show: G.L.O.W.

Guiltiest Guilty Pleasure: The Bold Type

Best Musical: Jesus Christ Superstar

Worst Show I Made Though an Entire Season Of: Kevin (Probably) Saves the World

Best Hour of TV: eps3.4_runtime-err0r.r00 (Mr. Robot)

Best Half Hour of TV: The Trolly Problem (The Good Place)

Biggest Shocker: No cuts or commercials and Angela did not die during eps3.4_runtime-err0r.r00 (Mr. Robot)

Best Line: “I’ve only ever said I love you to two men my entire life: Stone Cold Steve Austin, and a guy in a dark club… who I mistook for Stone Cold Steve Austin.” (Eleonore Shellstrop, The Good Place)

Worst Idea: Having Axe and Chuck team up (Billions)

Worst Moment: Rio was able to get out of prison so early. (Good Girls)

Biggest Disappointment: The Jennings did not get their comeuppance (The Americans)

Best Musical Moment: Drivin’ My Life Away – Eddie Rabbit (The Americans)

Best Karaoke: I Will Survive – Vicky (The Good Place)

Best New Title Sequence: GLOW

Best Character: Jason Mendoza (The Good Place)

Best Recurring Character: Vicky (The Good Place)

Best Guest Appearance: Mindy St. Clair (The Good Place)

Best Cast Addition: Irving (Mr. Robot)

Best Duo: Alison and Donny Hendrix (Orphan Black)

Most Entertaining Reality “Star”: Kellyn Bechtold (Survivor)

Most Annoying Reality “Star”: Britni Thornton (The Challenge)

Most Anticipated New Show of Next Season: Manifest

Most Anticipated Reboot: Veronica Mars

Show That Should Be Brought Back: Orphan Black (or at the very least an Alison/Donny spin-off)

Biggest Question for 2016-2017: How long will the new Good Place experiment last?



Tuesday, August 28, 2018

The Ten Best Television Shows of 2017-2018



1. The Good Place 2.x (NBC)

2. GLOW 1.x (Netflix)

3. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt 3.x (Netflix)

4. The Handmaid’s Tale 2.x (Hulu)

5. Good Girls 1.x (NBC)

6. Future Man 1.x (Hulu)

7. Claws 1.x (TNT)

8. Shameless 8.x (Showtime)

9. Homeland 7.x (Showtime)

10. The Americans 6.x (FX)


Shows that aired a majority of their season between July 2017 and June 2018 were eligible for this list.

Sunday, June 03, 2018

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 6/3/2018



Patrick Melrose: Oh wow, Patrick has of his own now? He looks like he is trying very hard not to be his father but turns out he is damaging the kid in different ways than his father did. And I am surprised he did not get injured going to the liquor store.

Billions: I thought Axe finally (and probably wisely) upgraded from Lara, until I realized that he was playing Maria Sharapova. That would have been a massive upgrade. And I still am not entirely sure why Ben Kim did a strip tease in the elevator, I am just glad he did.

I’m Dying Up Here: Gee, Cassie really is trying for that second kid. Is she going to go back to Bill next episode? And just when is Ron going to get a comeuppance? Once you start burning money, it has to come pretty soon.

Supergirl: Mama El is still alive? What? And just what does the High Council chick know? Is she communicating with Reign on Earth or is that just a hologram like Kara’s mom she talks to? But how convenient for Alex that every assassination attempt had a lengthy delay? She was able to pick up a grenade and put it in some bomb resistant receptacle (seriously, what park has those?). Then the dude set her motorcycle explode except she had enough time to flee before that went off too.
You can download Supergirl on iTunes.

Lucifer: So the show filmed a couple episodes for season four after they were done with season three before going on break… except Fox decided to cancel the show anyway. Kind of weird to have a show on the bubble do that. I do wonder if the first episode was meant to be the season premiere because they did not touch on the cliffhanger at all. But if Ella’s imaginary friend was going to be a season plot point, I actually want to see that. It would be better than the Cain plot or Lucifer’s mom. But when they put Able in a quirky chick’s body, that only lasted one episode so maybe we would have not seen ReyRey again after this.

The Challenge: Champs vs. Stars II: What a silly way to split a tie. They should have said if you cannot agree, you would be sent into elimination. I would love to see who budged them. But at this point of the game, getting out the strong teams is the right strategy. They should target CT and Tony.
You can download The Challenge: Vendettas on iTunes.

The Handmaid’s Tale: There has been a lot of debate of if Hulu should follow the Netflix model and dump every episode at once or continue the television model of weekly episode. Last week is why it is right to do the television model because it is more impactful to have to wait a week to live with what the aftermath of the bombing meant (it has been months for me as that was the last screener I saw). If you could just press play for the next episode, then the explosion had little impact. Sure it was pretty obvious Waterford would survive but the big shocker from the fallout was that Rory Gilmore and One Eyed Offwillie were reinstated as Handmaids. And now we half to wait week to see what that all means which makes it more meaningful.
You can stream The Handmaid’s Tale on Hulu.

The Americans: When the show started, it was weird watch because the protagonists were trying to bring down America. I figured the only way to have a satisfying ending would them being brought down or at the very least being flipped by the FBI. Neither of those happened because Philip and Elizabeth get to live happily ever after in Russia (or at the very least contently ever after). So I am a bit disappointed on that ending.

I did find it a bit weird Stan knew where Paige lived. Or did he call into the FBI to get that info? But how quick could they come up with that in the eighties? It was wise of him not to take a hard stand against them in the parking garage because he was out numbered. Though I was surprised he did not call it in later and feigned ignorance when his boss confirmed they were the spies. I kind of wished that was the climax with a five or so minute epilogue after that instead of another half an hour (without ads). As surprising as Stan letting them go was Paige staying. When she started talking about who would take care of Henry in her apartment, I thought she would make an argument of how she should, or just wanted to stay in America. So it was weird when she just left the train. But overall I guess it wasa show with watching.
You can download The Americans on iTunes.

Sunday, May 27, 2018

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 5/27/2018



Billions: Two episodes after the big revelation of Chuck and Axe and I still have little idea where the show is going if those two are not at each other. Is Chuck going to take on the Attorney General? Are Chuck and Axe ever going to target each other? When is Taylor going to turn on Axe like they have been teasing? Now that Connorty has found a job, is he going to go after Axe and/or Chuck again? They built to such a high apex for the first two and a half seasons, it does not seem like they are going anywhere for the remaining three episodes this season.

Fear the Walking Dead: Many people have theorized that Madison is no longer alive in the future timeline on account she has yet to turn up yet. When the Scavenger dude gave Alicia condolences to for her brother but not her mother I thought maybe that was a hint she is still alive. Then Dharma shows up and Alicia shoot at her making me think that the only thing that could make Alicia do that is Dharma killed her mother or had something to do with her death. Whatever the case I am guessing we will not get a definitive answer until the midseason finale.
You can download Fear the Walking Dead on iTunes.

I’m Dying Up Here: Did Carson really ever have on people who had potatoes shaped like people? But anyway. Apparently Cassie’s kid is going to be a thing this season. But we did who the father is and it was just some dude back home while she was in high school. I do still wonder if everyone back homes knows this or did the ruse start when she was still pregnant? But it looks like she wants another one.

Supergirl: One thing I noticed this episode was that all the cars had National City license plates. Wait, is National City a state? Do all the cares in this universe have their city’s license plate instead of the state? That was weird. And it says a lot that the only thing that stuck out to me in this episode were the license plates.
You can download Supergirl on iTunes.

The Challenge: Champs vs. Stars II: Again, the big twist just happened to help the Stars, and that was four straight Champ eliminations losses in a row (granted Hennessey walked out during that). Thankfully they are switching things up next week even though they pretty much gave away who wins as a pair with one Champ and Star debate what to do.
You can download The Challenge: Vendettas on iTunes.

The Handmaid’s Tale: Oh hey, Donnie Hendrix is back. I wondered where he was when Offred went to the doctor in the first episode. He had a memorable cameo in the first season offering to impregnate Offred because the Commander was shooting blanks. I just assumed he got fired for being a pervert. And as we saw with Lost, flashback can be hit or miss (and the longer the show goes the more misses there are), but Mrs. Waterford’s are always the most interesting. I kind of wish they would giver her a full episode because I am fascinated to see just how she got where she is. Oh, and just how exactly does a Handmaid get her hand on a bomb?
You can stream The Handmaid’s Tale on Hulu.

Survivor: Ghost Island: I spent the last couple weeks complaining that Laurel was content playing for third (which she ended up doing) but what the fork was Angela doing? First she is excited to be a part of SeaBass and Donathan’s plan to oust Dominick only to tell Dominick for no reason. Almost as mind blowing is that she voluntarily switched seats with Wendell to make him feel comfortable at the fire making challenge because he was freaked out having to use a loser’s color. Why would you want your opponent to feel comfortable when you are doing a challenge for a chance at a million dollars?

Seriously, why come on Survivor if you are not going play the game? It is one thing to realize to late you need to shake things up like Kellyn, Donathan, and SeeBass, but to know you are going to lose and being content about it is unacceptable. And no one talks about it because they went one two, but why didn’t Dominick or Wendell turn on each other until Dominick resigned Wendell to fire making (I laughed when Dominick floated giving Angela Immunity to take on Wendell at fire making but in retrospect, he should have done it; although why would you ever think an army vet would lose a fire making challenge)? He could have joined the girls when Kellyn when out. Actually the split tribals when he had immunity would have been the perfect time to strike.

But even with the split vote at the end, it was a boring finale with the only to look forward was the theme of the next season which is David vs. Goliath. The more I think about it the more offensive I think it is. If you are in the David Tribe you are probably there because you are weak or weird. Then if you are Goliath, well, he lost to loser and clearly by the name the producers want someone from the other Tribe to win. But hey, I did spot Mike White, who wrote and was Jack Black’s roommate in School of Rock, in the background of the promo. Which begs the question, which Tribe is he? He looks like someone who would be on the David Tribe, but his bank account will probably double or triple that of everyone on the Goliath Tribe.
You can download Survivor: Ghost Island on iTunes.

The Americans: So what did Stan searching for the Jennings accomplished? The Jennings did steal their identities but did Stan think that when he saw Philip was a twenty-three year old black dude from Florida or did he think, oh, there must be a bunch of Philip Jennings in America. I know someone who shares my name in my county. But once the surveillance phots come in, will Stan recognize Phillip? And since she grabbed Passports, does that mean the Jennings are leaving the country? After that blow up, will they take Paige? And what about the boy?
You can download The Americans on iTunes.

Krypton: I realized a couple episodes back there was only two ways the ends: Braniac succeeds or he does not. The writers chose to go with the bolder choice of changing the timeline. And boy it did. Superman’s cape did not actually disappear despite the change but the cape itself changed from a House of El seal to that of a House of Zod which makes me think that Zod still sends his nephew to Earth, not to save him from a dying planet but to conquer Earth. But the one confusing is what is going on with Adam Strange? Clearly he is in a city on Earth that Braniac bottled up. Except Braniac was sucked into the Phantom Zone. Is Adam in the Phanton Zone? Are whole cities in the Phantom Zone? Of course if Zod can escape the Phantom Zone so can a twelfth level intellect so this can be in current day on the darkest timeline.
You can download Krypton on iTunes.


And with the season finale of Survivor, the Spring season is pretty much over and we get our first summer premiere (that I have any interest in) next week. Here is what I will be watching while trying to avoid the heat.

Mondays
Nothing

Tuesdays
Casual (Hulu, July 31)
9:00 – The Bold Type (Freeform, June 12)

Wednesdays
The Handmaids Tale (Hulu, already started)
Harlots (Hulu, July 11)
Castle Rock (Hulu, July 25)
8:00 – Young and Hungry (Freeform, June 20)
10:00 – Reverie (NBC, May 30)

Thursdays
8:00 – Marvel’s Cloak and Dagger (Freeform, June 7)
9:00 – Nashville (June 7)
9:00 – Trial and Error: Lady, Killer (NBC, July 19)

Fridays
8:00 - Quantico (ABC, already started)

Saturdays
Nothing

Sundays
9:00 – Claws (TNT, June 10)
9:00 – The Affair (Showtime, June 17)
9:00 – Preacher (AMC, June 24)
10:00 – I’m Dying Up Here (Showtime, already started)


Sunday, May 20, 2018

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 5/20/2018



Billions: So the end of the last episode felt like series finale. A very sad series finale where the bad guys won and had depressing ways of celebrating. Which begged the question, what is next. At first I was thinking that Axe was also going to throw his hat into the ring for governor. Then Chuck got screwed over for a favor to take down Axe that Axe still escaped. But Wendy did make a very convincing argument about power. Politics does seem like a horrible way wield power. Then we end this episode where I still have no clue where the show is going. Unless everyone Chuck, Wendy, and Axe screwed over the last two episodes, Connerty, Taylor, Chuck’s dad, Jack Foley, Mafee, Lara, et al, team up to bring down the trio.

Fear the Walking Dead: Okay, why is Dharma always leaving? She left new guy, she tried to leave Alicia. Just do not give us a full episode explaining why. And I missed why exactly the zombies were attracted to the jeep that covered up the hole in the bridge. And really, that many zombies washed up on shore over night?
You can download Fear the Walking Dead on iTunes.

I’m Dying Up Here: Cassie has a kid? So do we know the father or just some random dude back home? And will we ever see the kid again or is this a Peggy Olsen situation where the kid goes to the sister and is never talked about again?

Timeless: After spending three years in the past, why is Jiya so dismissive of waiting a year for training a new pilot. And if Mason built the thing, how hard would it be for him to fly it. Of course none of that matters because future Lucy shows up to go get Rufus back even though they are not allowed to travel to times they lived in and did not travel with a pilot.
You can download Timeless on iTunes.

Supergirl: Why the fork did Saturn Girl go back to the future when Reign still had Pestilence’s power. That seemed stupid. 74% is still not 100% had just one Legionnaire stayed back. Ugg. We better be getting a Saturn Girl spin off soon. And if Lex Luther’s biggest enemy is a Kyrptonian, how does he not have a safe room that is Krptonian proof?
You can download Supergirl on iTunes.

Lucifer: I expressed last week that I would have been disappointed if Angel Charlotte show up last week. I never realized there would not be a next season. Oops. Oh, and Chloe finally saw Lucifer’s devil face, so at least they went out on a bang.
You can download Lucifer on iTunes.

Rise: Well Ted Mosby continued to be annoying to the end. Clearly he should have been fired for putting the musical back the way it was written. But instead the superintendent shuts down the dram department because of funding cuts? Aren’t most drama departments self-funded except for the maybe the teacher’s bonus? Most concession stands can make a mint. But maybe Ted Mosby should have kept grease as the musical. Maybe then the drama department would not have been shut down and maybe the show would have gotten enough eyeballs not to be canceled.
You can download Rise on iTunes.

The Challenge: Champs vs. Stars II: And we have yet another advantage that helps the Stars. Either they are really lucky or they are getting some divine intervention from the producers. And Devil is probably ruing Shane’s plan to use the save as a ploy to get the Stars to trust the Champs a couple episodes again.
You can download The Challenge: Vendettas on iTunes.

The Handmaid’s Tale: Well that was one of the creepiest marriage ceremonies I have ever witnessed. So is the driver and all those dudes future Commanders? Are they always going to be part of the working class with little upward mobility? The preacher talked about replenishing the Earth with children, are these women able to bare children? I would assume not because wouldn’t they make them Handmaid’s. And what is with all that blood? I do understand Offred not telling anyone because if that was a miscarriage, they may not have any more need for Offred. But with Offred talking to her belly, I guess she did not lose the baby. Or she went even more crazy.
You can stream The Handmaid’s Tale on Hulu.

Survivor: Ghost Island: Nothing more mind blowing than last week Laurel debating going with Wendell who she trusts but knows she cannot beat or the girls who she does not trusts but thinks she can beat and then voting with Laurel. Things got even more annoying this week and Laurel continued to hem and haw over turning on Wendell only decide against it because Wendell was too stupid to tell Probst he was done with puzzle and she thought it would be bad form to vote him off right after that. Laurel, that is except when you vote someone off: right when they do something historically stupid. Imagine if Parvati decided not to vote out for the Ice Cream Scooper because he stupidly gave up immunity. That is why Parvati won and why Laurel will not.
You can download Survivor: Ghost Island on iTunes.

The Blacklist: I spent the who season thinking there is no way what those bones in the duffel bag are going to be as important as Red is making them out to be. And then we learned the bones were Raymond Reddington. Wait, what the fork? So the first couple season Red kept on insisting that Lizzie was not his daughter only to finally admit later. And now we learn Raymond Reddington, Lizzzie’s father is dead. So what have we been watching?
You can download The Blacklist on iTunes.

The Americans: Is Elizabeth turning soft? First she almost does not burn the picture which can easily track her to someone she should not be around. Then she does not kill the Congressional aid when he clearly figure out she was not who she says she is? Then she does not kill the person her handler tells her to, and not only that, she had turned her back on the Center and teamed up with Philip to protect Gorbachev. Oh yeah, but most importantly, Stan has pretty much figured out who she is.
You can download The Americans on iTunes.

Krypton: So Zod is Seg’s son. Wait what?!? That is some Shakespearian shirt right there that I never saw coming. But why would I? Maybe there is a swerve coming up. Maybe you do not need Zod and El blood to open Doomsday’s lair. Maybe Seg as a brother. Oh, and I wonder when Chekov’s Doomsday would show up again. But will it go off in the third act? Will it get bottled up in Kandor? Can Zod and Seg save Kandor. I guess if Zod is Superman’s uncle, anything can happen on this show. And where (or when) is Adam Strange?
You can download Krypton on iTunes.

Gotham: Gotham is starting to look like Arkham City with each villain taking turf. Including a couple we have not seen before. Was that Man-Bat? And I have no clue who that mother-kid pair that looked to be in Joker masks were. But then you had Butch and Ras died for the second time each. Lee and The Riddler may have killed each other but their bodies are in the possession of Hugo Strange. Selina may be the best off of many of the main characters with just a damaged vertebra. I take it an experimental surgery will give her cat like reflexes?
You can download Gotham on iTunes.

Blindspot: So a side effect to her memory erasing drug is now Jane only has memory from before she was drugged and does not remember anything that happened after she came out of the duffel bag? And Zapata is evil now? Alrighty.
You can download Blindspot on iTunes.

Once Upon a Time: So The Evil Queen’s happy ending to have complete power. Silly me, I thought the big event they were taking her to was a wedding and maybe they found a way to resurrect Robin. But I guess it was a fine finale for show that has not been good for years.
You can download Once Upon a Time on iTunes.

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: When the characters started to think they were invincible because they know that are in the future I was convinced one would die. And Fitz seemed like the most likely candidate because he impregnate Simmons, then die before anyone knew she was carrying. And then he got crushed by debris… except he did not die? And he is in space? None of that sequence made sense. Well until I read someone else recap noting that future Fitz died and present day Fitz is in space waiting to go the future that is no longer happening. Yeah, that is only slightly less confusing. But I guess Zeke really did blink out of existence. Oh well.
You can download Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. on iTunes.

Sunday, May 13, 2018

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 5/13/2018



Billions: Wendy always seemed like the moral compass of the show, sure she had some issues, but after opening looking for a patsy and seducing Mafee into perjuring himself, that is no longer the case. Does that make Taylor the real moral compass? (S)he seemed very upset (or as upset as an emotionless person can be) about the Mafee situation, I wonder if she turns on Axe at any point. (S)he definitely could open up her own shop and even hire Mafee there too. Something has to happen. Obviously, we are just half way through the season. I cannot imagine the Chuck/Axe truce goes beyond this episode after they have been at each other for year. And really did not even get a tease, just Chuck’s sad victory party with Wendy and Axe somehow being even sadder.

Fear the Walking Dead: C’mon, why are you getting into a pool full of zombies? Are these people really that stupid not to lure all the zombies to the edge, kill them, and then not having to worry about zombie (except ones that are at the bottom).
You can download Fear the Walking Dead on iTunes.

Supergirl: So all the Worldkillers are dead except for Reign? And how was the black chick able to use her Worldkiller power as a human? And when Reign turned into Samantha in that one scene, it made me wonder: did Reign change her clothes after reigning terror or did Sam wake up in the Reign costume and never realized she was dressed up like the chick destroying the city when she was out. Oh yeah, but I guess the big news is Lena is making her own Kyptonite. That is not going to go over well with Kara.
You can download Supergirl on iTunes.

Lucifer: So Charlotte actually got into heaven? Cool, but if she shows up next week (or next season) as an angel, that will be lame. Maybe Mama Lucifer will return.
You can download Lucifer on iTunes.

Rise: I have never seen Spring Awakening before but now that they spell out all the questionable content, how did this show not get axed after the district read the script? And I was extremely disappointed there was no NBC synergy why trying to replace swear words. C’mon, why not sing “Totally Forked” or “The Bench of Living”?
You can download Rise on iTunes.

The Challenge: Vendettas: I thought it was pretty convenient that the tiebreaker helped gain the Stars majority. Then Hennessey quit making things even again making me wonder if they intestinally injured Anessa to keep the balance. But, oh my goodness, what Louisa did with her Power Play was more underhanded than any “Champ” has ever done. I thought they would swap Tori out with another Star or even poach CT to make their team strong, but to take back Smashley was cruel. I loved it.
You can download The Challenge: Vendettas on iTunes.

Legion: Did they seriously devote a whole episode to multiverse theory?
You can download Legion on iTunes.

The Handmaid’s Tale: So is Offred just content in being a Handmaid now? I thought for sure when the driver kept calling out to June, I thought she would turn around and said, “My name is Offred.” Instead she just ignored him and started chanting nonsense. Between her accomplice being hung and remembering Luke’s wife, it seems like she now believes she deserves to be punished. I wonder how long that lasts before she tries to escape again. Or maybe she won’t and Luke launched a rescue mission. But something needs to happen soon.
You can stream The Handmaid’s Tale on Hulu.

Survivor: Ghost Island: Laurel asked a really stupid question this week, should I go with the people I trust but cannot beat at the end or the people I do not trust but I think I can beat. You always go with the people you can beat. If you stay loyal, you are probably getting third. But that is best case scenario because Wendell and Dominick could turn on you to take the easier to beat SeaBass or Donathan to the finals. It may be harder to get to the finals by going with the girls, but not impossible because SeaBass could be used as a vote. But no, Laurel seems content to just let Wendell win. It is going to be a boring final three hours. No I am just mostly interested in next season’s stupid theme. It may be time for another “all-star” season. There was just two seasons in between Second Chances and Game Changers. I would not mind a public vote because that was probably the best “all-star” season. Or more appropriately the one that sucked the least.
You can download Survivor: Ghost Island on iTunes.

The Blacklist: How convenient Samar’s abductor was in very specific ways of killing and just did not put a bullet in her brain given the FBI time to find her. Why he did not just kill her when she stabbed him was just absurb.
You can download The Blacklist on iTunes.

The Americans: Stan broke into the Jennings’ garage in one of the first episodes of the series so I guess it id apropos that he does it again in one of the last. But has he figured out that a lot of their bigger travel agency emergencies coincide with big failures in his FBI cases.
You can download The Americans on iTunes.

Krypton: Should I know who that weird looking chick at the end was? I had to look up who the computer was.
You can download Krypton on iTunes.

Gotham: So Gordon survived because The Riddler was following him? Huh? Just how exactly did they get far away from that big explosion? And what is with this stupid Ra’s Al Gul storyline this season? He want Bruce to kill him, he dies, is brought back because Barbra was incompetent as the Demon’s Head, does not want to die anymore, and now is teaming up with Jerome’s brother to destroy Gotham. Just does not make any sense.
You can download Gotham on iTunes.

Blindspot: Wait, did Jane have an accent in the flashbacks? And does this secret federal task force really need two couples?
You can download Blindspot on iTunes.

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: So that is why YoYo said let Coulsen die. The Centipede serum can either save Coulsen or cure Talbot who will likely crack apart the Earth without it. But why not just save Talbot and take Coulsen to Tahiti.
You can download Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. on iTunes.

Sunday, May 06, 2018

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 5/6/2018




Homeland: The Vice President seemed like a guy who would do the right thing at the right time, but oh boy he went hard on the Russian Ambassador and the Senator. But I was totally surprised Saul got out of Russia within the first twenty minutes. Except poor Carrie got left behind. But I wonder why she did not have diplomatic immunity like Saul? I guess immunity does not extend to people who got caught spying.

Then you have Keene’s speech, at first I thought she was going to get killed by the opposition party for her hippy type speech, but halfway through, I realize, oh snap, this is a resignation speech. Kind of out of character after everything she did to hold on to power for the past two seasons. I wonder if the writers were trying to nudge real life counterpoints. But then they yada yada’ed how Carrie was released. I was thinking that was going to be what next season would be about. Yet seven months later, Saul finds the random Russian guy and Carrie was exchanged. Would have been nice if they explained who that Russian was and how Saul found him.

Fear the Walking Dead: Oh wow, Nick was killed by a little girl (who is a shockingly good shot). That was shocking. Mostly because there was no real lead up to why Nick killed the other guy first. I guess maybe we will see just how that escalated to murder in the flashbacks. The guy being a douche while getting to food they were going after first does not seem like a murderous deed. But Nick should have followed Morgan’s do not kill rule.
you can download Fear the Walking Dead on iTunes.

Billions: I started this season thinking that the end of the series would feature Chuck and Axe is adjourning prison cells, but is this possibly going to end with only Wendy in jail? Or are Chuck and Axe going to team up to take down Connerty? That was my takeaway from the break the stick metaphor. But I never thought Chuck and Axe would team up after spending two and a half seasons of mutually assured destruction to try to take each other down.

Timeless: So Wyatt’s wife is Rittenhouse? I guess that makes sense? If you are going to save her life, might as well indoctrinate her and use her as another sleeper agent. Might as well do the same for Lucy’s sister. But Rufus is learning the same thing as Gemma on SHEILD in that sure you may not die, but you can get really hurt in the process.
You can download Timeless on iTunes.

Supergirl: Okay, I am a bit confused with the Worldkillers, we saw Reign come from Krypton, but were the other two Worldkillers from Krypton too? Were they sent at the same time as Reign? Are they Earthlings that Reign infected. I feel like I missed something.
You can download Supergirl on iTunes.

Good Girls: What a horrible way to end an episode. I have not been this disappoint in a season one finale of a show I was enjoying since Lost.
You can download Good Girls on iTunes.

Rise: So pregnant chick showed up two weeks ago virtually out of nowhere and now am I supposed to know who the girl who made the video is? And I know you want to pretend to be a guy and all, but c’mon, you really do not need to tell the doctor the kid is not yours.
You can download Rise on iTunes.

The Challenge: Vendettas: Good riddance Hennessy, possibly the most annoying person to ever be featured on reality television. But do the Champs now have majority control of both teams? I guess The Miz could change how tiebreakers work next week, but it will be a boring slog if they let the Champs to roll the Stars. But Champs vs. mini seasons have all sucked so far. And why were Tony and Shane throwing whole bags of balls? You could not possibly break anything that way. I feel like I was missing something.
You can download The Challenge: Vendettas on iTunes.

Legion: Wait, what exactly just happened. What I got was the Farouk morphed David’s sister into Lenny, but then why does she have Lenny’s memories. And really has her everything except the sister’s eyes?
You can download Legion on iTunes.

The Handmaid’s Tale: I tried to be vague in my critic of the new season in my preview on account that Hulu forbid me from mentioning that June was recaptured in episode three. But that was kind of a big letdown. Is season two just going to be a retread of season one? But even before the capture, this was least interesting episode in the series to date. Really, the June scenes in the last episodes were mostly a bore too. Hopefully something big changes things soon, or at least give us more Rory Gilmore this season.
You can stream The Handmaid’s Tale on Hulu.

Survivor: Ghost Island: There are so many advantages in the game now that they are hiding real fake Immunity Idols now? Meh. But I do kind of like split Tribal twist. At least in theory. The two most likely to go home actually did. Sure there were almost fireworks, if only Donathan gave his Idol to the chick whose name I already forgotten. But she was kind of worthless. She goes to the jury and then had to have explained to her that someone had an extra vote advantage. Then we almost had some shenanigans in the other with everyone who could receive votes got one. But on the revote, Michael, the obvious one, was voted out unanimously.

So if only Michael voted for Laurel. That would have been wild. But what exactly was his play? Did he think Laurel was voting with him on Wendall and just hoped Kellyn flipped? And what is going on with Kellyn? She was the best thing about this season but has made to look really bad the last two weeks. First she tried to dictate a vote to Domanick last week, a big no-no on Survivor and this week she is big on Naviti sticking together even that just does not happen on this show in the past decade. And has not happened this season with already two Naviti on the jury and the first person voted out after the first swap was Naviti. I have a feeling Kellyn will be next.
You can download Survivor: Ghost Island on iTunes.

The Blacklist: So they took down the big bad last week and this week, Red sends the team on a wild goose chase which got Samar capture. So next week they have to find her. What a weird pacing for the last four episodes. But this whole season has been weirdly paced.
You can download The Blacklist on iTunes.

The Americans: Oh snap, Philip just went after Elizabeth over killing the couple and straight up told her he was not going to entrap Kimmie. Though by the end he is willing to go to Chicago to help her. Something is going to go wrong next week. But one thing that has been bothering me about the travel business is isn’t their extra curricular activities funded by that? And wouldn’t the Russian funnel money through the business to keep them afloat?
You can download The Americans on iTunes.

Krypton: Last week I wondered if Doomsday was a red herring or a Chekov’s Gun situation and then he appeared again in the “previously on” so I assumed it was the later. Except he was not shown in the actual episode or even mentioned. Are they just trolling us with that or did I just completely miss something? But I did like Adam Strange admitting he was a D-list superhero in his time. Very true.
You can download Krypton on iTunes.

Gotham: Well, I am sure Gordon survived that blast somehow because we know he will become commissioner eventually, but it is kind of silly, but there is no way that should be the case.
You can download Gotham on iTunes.

Blindspot: Wait, Patterson’s father is Bill Nye playing himself? How random. And now that he has brought it up, what is Patterson’s first name.
You can download Blindspot on iTunes.

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Nothing says evil like going with a goatee. I do have a feeling going after that gravitonium in the Earth is what cracks it apart. Though I do wonder if Talbot is the real Destroyer of World why does Daisy get blamed for it in the future? But maybe the bigger question is why didn’t future Yo-Yo tell current Yo-Yo do not let Talbot near the gravitonium instead of telling her to do not save Coulson. How is Coulson more important than Talbot becoming Destroyer of Worlds?
You can download Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. on iTunes.

Sunday, April 29, 2018

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 4/29/2018


Homeland: Holy Dar Adal sighting? I have been wondering all season what he has been up to. Apparently it has just been walking in circles for six months. I wonder if President Bridges will pardon him. But this season has been a big lesson on the 25th Amendment. Good to know they can evoke the 25th on general incompetence. But I wonder if they will go back on it if Simone makes it to the US to corroborate her real story. I believe the 25th was invoked when Reagan got shot and when he was better, Reagan was reinstated as president. But how does one extract a Russian asset from Russia?

Fear the Walking Dead: Oh yeah, since most of them did not appear until the very end, I forgot season three ended in a pretty big cliffhanger where Nick blew up a dam he was standing on while Alicia and Strand were washed away. So I guess everyone made it out alive. Except for maybe the Salazar’s. I had to look it up, but, oh yeah Ophelia died, though I am unclear what exactly happened to Daniel who already escaped a fire, so maybe he is still around.

Then the flashbacks did not go back far enough. Everyone (sans Daniel) is safe living in a minor league baseball stadium with only brief flashbacks by Nick to the Dam. Nick still has not recover as he does not leave the stadium, but we do see him capture the SWAT truck in present day which is not too far in the future because the Vultures are still a thing. The writers are really playing fast and loose with the timeline just to get Morgan on the show.
You can download Fear the Walking Dead on iTunes.

Billions: So Taylor is a sexual person. And one who works pretty quickly. But I guess when you are that analytical, you see what you want and you just take it. As for someone who is not analytical, why is Dollar Bill ramming the car of someone who is very by the book? I guess it is lucky for Bill that Bobby gave the SEC guy the big family talk before that so I guess as long as Bill pays for the damages, SEC guy will not press charges. But what happens to the tainted sample? How does Chuck get that into evidence? Do Axe’s cleaners find it first? And when the gay widow was talking about how noble the doctor was, why did he only think the good will of the doctor was out of compassion and not out of guilt?

Timeless: Oh yeah, Lucy has a sister. They are doing a bad job reminding us that. Would it be too hard to go back in time and introduce her mother to the sister’s father?
You can download Timeless on iTunes.

Into the Badland: So where was the “previously on” segment. Didn’t the one chick die? That is pretty much all I remember from last season. And now there are more black eyed people, Sonny’s kid and the two new people. But MK does not anymore. That cannot be a coincidence.

Supergirl: Ugg, still no Saturn Girl, instead she is at some unseen arctic event? Boooo.
You can download Supergirl on iTunes.

Lucifer: So Cain lost his mark because Decker fell in love with him? I do not remember Decker being in love with Lucifer when he was getting hurt around her. I am pretty sure that was always the case.
You can download Lucifer on iTunes.

Rise: Just when I though Ted Mosby could not get any more annoying, dude just walks out on the production. And I found it weird when the pregnant chick showed up seemingly out of nowhere, but now she is, was, best friends with the chick who thinks she is a dude? Meh.
You can download Rise on iTunes.

The Challenge: Vendettas: How convenient for the Stars that the tie breaker was the winner of the last elimination is the tie breaker, not the other team in every other tie breaker scenario in Challenge history (that I can remember). But this is still going to be pretty boring is one team just puts up Stars and the other Champs all season. They may need to do a Survivor type tribe swap at some point.
You can download The Challenge: Vendettas on iTunes.

Legion: Wait did they completely change Sydney’s powers or was I not paying attention. Really, when has any body swapper in sci-fi history morphed their body, not swapped conscience? Seemed like they just did this for the creepy interaction with the boyfriend.
You can download Legion on iTunes.

Survivor: Ghost Island: Kellyn has been my favorite all season but that was a bad look on her this week. You never dictate vote to someone else because that person will turn on you the first chance they get. Even if you are right that you have done everything Domanick has asked and it is time for him to repay the loyalty. But how did we go from Kellyn demanding Michael goes next to Kellyn and everyone but Chelsea voting for Desi (I do wonder who Angela would have voted for). The irony or Kellyn adamantly targeting the stronger guy is that Chelsea makes the tenth straight woman to win Individual Immunity and Cole is the only guy in the last two seasons to win. This may be an anomaly and not a trend because before that, Not Dante Culpepper won five of the last six Immunities.
You can download Survivor: Ghost Island on iTunes.

The Blacklist: Wait, how was the guy not in the Mexican standoff able to get a shot off with two guns pointed at him?
You can download The Blacklist on iTunes.

The Americans: Poor Philip, having to have sex with a hot college chick for his country. Except he then blows his cover to warn her of danger. That is not going to end well for him I aassume.
You can download The Americans on iTunes.

Krypton: So is Doomsday going to be a Checkov’s gun situation or was that just an Easter Egg?
You can download Krypton on iTunes.

Blindspot: How disappointing that the weird conspiracy theory guy never ran into Rich Dot Com.
You can download Blindspot on iTunes.

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Wait no one bothered to destroy the pod that could create the Destroyer of Worlds? Not only that but they kept the Gravitonium still attracted to the pod? Sure, we are dealing with people who did not wait for the “alien attack” option, but c’mon.
You can download Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. on iTunes.

Sunday, April 22, 2018

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 4/22/2018




Homeland: Another round of electro-shock therapy for Carrie. Last time was at the end of season one. Though I do not remember her being all that much saner in season two. She did jeopardize Brody by accusing him early only to start boning him. Granted there was months, maybe years between those two seasons so maybe it will work for at least until the end of this season. But Carrie did change, actually gave up running an operation in Russia to win custody for Franny… which lasted almost a full day before giving up Franny and running back to Saul. But I do not understand how catching Simone would save Keane’s presidency. Even proving Russian meddling, I do not see how you can walk back firing your Cabinet.

The Walking Dead: Eugene certainly knows how to play the long game. Sure puking on Rosita was a bit much. But now that Negan was captured (and somehow not killed by slitting his throat during the middle of a zombie apocalypse and no modern medicine) are they really going to do a Maggie vs. Rick next season? Didn’t they already do a big showdown of to kill or not to kill with Carol and Morgan a couple seasons ago? Speaking of Morgan…
You can download The Walking Dead on iTunes.

Fear the Walking Dead: …he is on this show now? Isn’t the spin-off five to ten years behind the original? Did they just fast-forward that much? And just where are they now? The show was in southwest near the ocean but I am not sure that is where they were. I guess all those questions will be answered next week because we did not see any original cast member for more than five seconds this week. And I have to say I am not digging the Token Hot Chick from Lost’s new haircut.
You can download Fear the Walking Dead on iTunes.

Billions: There are fewer things I need to see than a naked old dude. And that is the second naked old naked dude on Showtime in as many months. But those Rhodes boys are messed up. So Papa Rhodes did not turn on his son because he squeezed out his casino land? But if he likes ruthless moves, shouldn’t the Ice Juice thing gain enough respect because that was pretty ruthless all around. Chuck screwed over his father, best friend, and his own back account just to spite Bobby Axelrod.

Supergirl: Did I take copious amounts of drugs or did I really see Kara do Beastie Boys karaoke? That was weird. But where was Saturn Girl? I feel any episode without Saturn Girl is not an episode worth watching.
You can download Supergirl on iTunes.

Lucifer: Wait, how did Cain lose his mark? Was it just by spending time with Decker?
You can download Lucifer on iTunes.

Good Girls: Why do they continue to pay off the blackmailer. Have they yet to realize if she turns them in, the blackmailer is implicating herself too?
You can download Good Girls on iTunes.

Rise: Ted Mosby just continues to be annoying. After just overtaking the orchestra practice from the conductor last week he does the exact same to the set designer this week. Get a grip dude.
You can download Rise on iTunes.

The Challenge: Champs vs. Stars: The first two seasons of Champs vs… sucked for many reason. One of which was that the non-Champs just are not ready for how crazy and stupid the game is. So a switch up was needed. But even that was ruined because the Champs are sticking together even when they are on different teams. Meh. Hopefully this is over quickly like the other Champ vs. seasons.
You can download The Challenge: Vendettas on iTunes.

The Looming Tower: Well, here is the problem with these true crime shows, you know how it ends. I guess there were some surprises, like Martin getting his job back. And that interrogation scene was fascinating after the fact. And I wonder if all the time spent on John’s personal life was simply because of that answering machine scene. But it was a little creepy that John called his mistress instead of his wife and children. But where was Bobby during the attack? He strolls up disheveled but not quite too coved in dust and debris completely out of nowhere just for that scene.
You can stream The Path Hulu.

Survivor: Ghost Island: Meh, I really did not need a return of the gross food challenge. But I am surprised that Gervise's uneaten grubs were not on Ghost Island Seriously, why even have a Ghost Island if half the people sent there do not get anything? Random Blonde #2 could have at least gotten her something that automatically put her in the second round or something.
You can download Survivor: Ghost Island on iTunes.

The Americans: Was I supposed to see anything in that warehouse scene because I felt like I should have been increasing the brightness on my screen because I had no clue what was going on.
You can download The Americans on iTunes.

Gotham: I wondered why they killed Ra’s Al Guil but now I am wondering why they killed him only to bring him back? And why does he no longer want to be dead?
You can download Gotham on iTunes.

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: So did they change the future? I am a bit confused at just what happened especially with Ruby. What was with that white burst? Was that just gavitonium dispersing out of her? And did they not destroy the chamber? If Daisy was to become the Destroyer of Worlds and Von Strucker was the only one that could build it, wouldn’t destroying that be smart?
You can download Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. on iTunes.

Sunday, April 08, 2018

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 4/8/2018



Homeland: Finally Carrie’s sister has put her foot down and started to get custody of Franny. Long overdue. I never knew how anyone could think Carrie could care for a child. Hopefully Carrie never gain full custody of her again. But the bigger news of the episode is that Saul and Carrie are back at a black site interrogating a possible terrorist that Carrie was banging. Very similar to Brody in season two. Except they did not almost kill Brody. But if Dante is dead and Simone is in the wind, what is next? A manhunt for Simone? Although that scene with Simone and the Senator was weird. Was he really just testing her or is there more? I think there may be more conspirators out there. Maybe the Senator. Maybe the Vice President. It would be weird to bring in Beau Bridges for just one scene

Billions: Kind of an unfortunate Mark Cuban cameo. He might be as toxic as Bobby at this point. That judge was pretty indignant for someone who asked a prosecutor to look the other way on his son’s indiscretion. Asking him to step aside is a pretty small ask compared to his.

Rise: Of course the best episode so far would be the one with the most football. Granted I do not remember Matt Sarasen having an embarrassing lose like that.
You can download Rise on iTunes.

The Challenge: Vendettas: They pulled that, find out who wins at the reunion crap last season and it is still annoying. If you are going to pull that crap, just do what Survivor does and put the reunion show on right after the finale. Almost as dumb was the Mercenaries brought in to play High / Low the easiest card game to win. And everyone but Cam did. Seriously, at least make it interesting and do Blackjack or something a little more challenging.
You can download The Challenge: Vendettas on iTunes.

Legion: Usually I need a lengthy “Previously On” montage to start every season, but I was not even mad we did not even get one for this show because I do not think anything even happened last season. I remember Aubrey Plaza turning out to be evil and David getting sucked into that orb, but was there anything else last season that was even important? And was David getting sucked into that orb really that important? He started in the company of his friends, albeit in a comatose state. Everyone was so interested what happened in the orb, which, yes was interesting, but what happened in that year outside that orb? Just how did they find David and get him out of the orb? And why do we need a dance sequence in every season premiere?
You can download Legion on iTunes.

The Looming Tower: It is really depressing watching the changeover in government because it looks so very similar to the most recent change. A new president who does the opposite out of spite and a new cabinet who has to treat the president like they are teaching a third grader. But I am surprised out how bad Secretary Rice looks. In eight months she does deliver the memo about Bin Laden wanting to strike America, but here she does not like talk of possibilities.
You can stream The Path Hulu.

Survivor: Ghost Island: One of the worst parts of maybe the last decade of Survivor seasons is everyone now knows you take the annoying people to the finals because they are easy to beat. So all of the likable people get booted early and more and more annoying people who would be out first in early season stay on television to annoy the viewers longer. Then this week it was extremely shocking that that the annoying dude was sent home, even by his own majority original Tribe, instead of the hot chick that everyone knows is a strategic threat. Horrible move but I applaud it because I would much rather have a hot chick than an annoying dude on my television screen.

And looking at the previews, it looks like the original Naviti will vote out another of their own as the Chris vs. Dominick feud will be reunited which will thankfully be another annoying dude gone. But I guess you are expendable if you go into merge eight-five. On the other hand, with three Hidden Immunity Idols, a Legacy Advantage, and Kellyn’s Extra Vote, and who knows what else at Ghost Island next week, you may want to have a vote splitting majority just in case. Speaking of Ghost Island (though neither were found there), why did the show burn two of the five best moments in Survivor history in one episode? But anyway, I cannot get enough of the Ice Cream Scooper and “It’s a forking stick!”
You can download Survivor: Ghost Island on iTunes.

The Blacklist: Yeah, I am kind of with the what the big deal about someone going around killing child rapists crowd. Give that girl a medal.
You can download The Blacklist on iTunes.

The Americans: Does Elizabeth running more jobs than usual this season? She got three this episode, the home nurse, infiltrating the summit, and getting back in touch with the general. I am guessing this is intentional without Philip any more But how does Philip no longer have time for clients now? Shouldn’t he have more time for the travel agency now that he is no longer moonlighting as a spy? And while Elizabeth was doing her nursing, I wonder how much preparation goes into get assignment. Did she go to nursing school? Read a couple books to pass as a nurse? Is she completely winging it?
You can download The Americans on iTunes.

Gotham: I have a sinking suspicion that Jerome’s brother will end up being The Joker. And I know he is not a Batman villain, but how can you have a bad guy brunch without Black Manta.
You can download Gotham on iTunes.

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: I am now convinced that one of the people who think they are invincible are going to die by the end of the season.
You can download Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. on iTunes.

Sunday, April 01, 2018

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 4/1/2018




Homeland: John McCain used to joke when there was speculation that John Kerry wanted him to be his vice president that the only job of the VP was to check on the president’s health daily. But I guess in these days and times the second in line has to check to see if the president will still be the president tomorrow. But anyway, Carrie has had sex with a lot enemy of the state (really, anything over zero should be considered a lot) but to do so while your child, a chick conceived by an enemy of the state was just even too crazy for Carrie. And what was Carrie going to say to Dante when he asked why she went to see his ex-wife? That she thought he was a spy? She had that exact moment with Brody. Well minus the sex but Saul did barge in right afterwards. Speaking of Brody, when Carrie took Frannie to the motel, I actually thought that Frannie might run into her half-sister. That last we saw of her was a maid for a motel.

The Alienist: Poor Lazlo, finally catches his man but dies just before he can learn why the murderer did what he did. But a very interesting scene at the end with Lazlo chatting with father. That should make for an interesting flashback for a second season. I just hope they do not retread a season long murder mystery again.
You can download The Alienist on iTunes.

Good Girls: Um, wouldn’t it just been easier to blackmail the sleeze ball into returning the television that digging through the trash to look for the receipt?
You can download Good Girls on iTunes.

Rise: Some weird happenstances this week. Lou’s wife wants the foster kid gone, he puts up the deck lighting (which looked pretty tacky), now she is fine with him staying indefinitely. Simon’s mom does not want Simon in a heathens musical to the point she is going to pull him from the school, her daughter is sad at him leaving the school, Simon can not only stay at the school but stay in the heathen musical. But hey, there was a well-placed Iron and Wine song. And I did enjoy the coach’s saying he is not going to do some touchy feely speech with the drunk. And just how long does the coach’s daughter hooks up with the drunk?
You can download Rise on iTunes.

The Challenge: Vendettas: So at the beginning of the season they announced there would only be one winner, no gender specific winners like in many recent seasons. Yet they still do gender specific eliminations every week and here in the last challenge they did not eliminate any women because there were two more guys and had to go into the finale even. Lame. And why are there eight finalist this season? Hopefully the finale is only one episode because I am ready for this to end.
You can download The Challenge: Vendettas on iTunes.

The Path: I thought that if Vera’s mom believed the end and rebirth was triggered by Eddie’s death that she may try to hasten it, I just never thought Vera would be caught in the middle. Once I saw the hole in her chest, it did cross my mind that there would be a Resurrection. The episode did air the week of Easter. But I have to wonder if that was really Steve Myer visiting the mom or just a delusion? And was that his corpse that they were digging at the end? As for next season, I have a feeling it may be Pete Campbell with Mary by his side vs. the Myerists.
You can stream The Path Hulu.

The Looming Tower: So not only was the FBI feuding with the CIA back in the nineties, they did not have a particular good relations with the State Department as that trip to Africa got pretty prickly with the Ambassador.
You can stream The Path Hulu.

Survivor: Ghost Island: Um, so no one went to Ghost Island on this episode of Ghost Island? Just when I thought not having any advantage there three of four weeks was lame.
You can download Survivor: Ghost Island on iTunes.

The Americans: So the Soviets are just fine with Philip retiring, Elizabeth is just not allowed to talk to him. But I guess it eases things that there are still two Jennings spies in America. At least for now, Paige already apparently failed an easy assignment of staking out a building because Elizabeth had to kill a dude. But seriously dude, stealing someone’s ID and blackmailing them for a date was a horrible way to pick up a chick.
You can download The Americans on iTunes.

Gotham: It seemed like since season two the show was making Barbara Harley Quinn, but no, she is now apparently the new Demon’s Head, lead of the League of Assassins. Wait, what?
You can download Gotham on iTunes.

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Who knew we really need a General Hale flashback episode? It did not dawn on me until this episode when they flashed back to the early nineties that Hale could have possibly ran into Carol Danvers (aka Captain Marvel aka Brie Larson in the March 2019 movie). I stupidly thought for a second we would get a cameo. But hey, we did get cameos by young Sitwell and Von Strucker as well as the German from Agent Carter. I was a little surprised that Ruby turned out to be Hale’s real daughter though she turns out to be not a normal daughter but one engineered by Hydra to be the Destroyer of Worlds, of course the name Deke calls Daisy in the future as she is the one accused of cracking the Earth in two.

We did get a small but interesting segment without Hale. I am a bit surprised that Simmons’s big take away from seeing herself in the future is that she is invincible. My big take away is that she lost her arms. Yeah, Fitz-Simmons may make it to the Lighthouse, but that does not mean they will get there is one piece. And Fitz does not even need to make it, just his DNA. But saying you are invincible seems like famous last words to me.
You can download Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. on iTunes.

Saturday, June 03, 2017

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 6/3/2017



Gotham: Is it wrong that I found Evil Leigh with way too much eyeliner significantly more attractive? But anyway. Wow, they actually set off the bomb. That should provide even more supervillains than the escaped Indian Hill experiments. Of yeah, and Ra’s al Ghul is coming.
You can download Gotham on iTunes.

Lucifer: Meh, pretty bland ending to the mother storyline and not a very compelling cliffhanger either. Someone knocked out Lucifer and dropped him in the desert. I guess it is kind of interesting that he got his wings back after he set them aflame a while ago.
You can download Lucifer on iTunes.

The Challenge: Champs vs. Pros: Lolo is going to turn down Lindsey’s challenge right? When picking between Tia and Louis, Lolo picked the smaller girl so I am guessing she stick with it. Granted it would be funny if Tia ends up winning.
You can download The Challenge: Invasion of the Champions on iTunes.

The Americans: Wait, that was the season finale? Had I not seen a post mordum article about it, I may have looked for a new episode next week. Kind of anticlimactic. Usually each season build to something but all we had was the Jennings decide to stay and maybe Phillip will “retire” and just run their travel business. We do not even get confirmation of Stan’s new girl being a spy, but c’mon, she has tto be now, right? A pipe breaks? Either she is a spy or thiss is a Fatal Attraction situation.

The Handmaid’s Tale: So is this now Lost with each character getting its own flashback every episode. Well at least we got confirmation that Nick is part of the overseeing Eye. Interesting that The Eye did their recruiting from the unemployment line. Now that question is will Nick turn the Commander in who already had unsanctioned sex with his previous Handmaid who killed herself. Oh hey, and there is Offred’s black buddy who now is a Jezebel. I take her flashback will be next but I am still waiting to learn what happened to Rory Gilmore.
You can stream The Handmaid's Tale on Hulu.


Well y the lack of shows to talk about this week, that means Spring television is pretty much over. Looking at summer, there does not seem to be much on even though previous summer seemed to be where the best shows were (although, where is the Mr. Robot premiere date?). I may have t catch up on movies this year or finally burn my free first month of Netflix so I can binge G.L.O.W. But here are the few show I will watching while trying to beat the heat.

Mondays
8:00 – Shadowhunters (Freeform, June 5)
9:00 – Stitchers (Freeform, June 5)
10:00 – Midnight, Texas (NBC, July 24)

Tuesdays
Casual (Hulu, May 23)
8:00 - Downward Dog (ABC, May 23)
10:00 – Wrecked (TBS, June 20)

Wednesdays
9:00 – The Carmichael Show (NBC, May 31)

Thursdays
9:00 – Nashville (CMT, June 1)
9:00 - Saturday Night Live: Weekend Update (NBC, August 10)

Saturdays
10:00 – Orphan Black (June 10)

Sundays
9:00 – Fear the Walking Dead (June 4)
9:00 - Claws (TNT, June 11)
9:00 – Ray Donovan (Showtime, August 6)
9:00 – The Last Ship (TNT, August 20)
10:00 – I’m Dying Up Here (Showtime, June 4)
10:00 – Preacher (AMC, June 25)
10:00 – Episodes (Showtime, August 20)


Sunday, May 21, 2017

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 5/21/2017




Once Upon a Time: I knew a soft reboot was coming because they announced a couple of weeks ago if there was a new season only Mr. Gold, Regina, and Captain Hook would return (Emma was also on that list but Jennifer Morrison later announced she was not returning). Which was weird because Henry was kind of a big part of the show. But as it turns out Henry is actually still going to be on the show, just not the same actor, as they aged him twenty years. I guess the other three will have not aged in the Enchanted Forrest. Oh course the big question going into the next season is who is his baby momma? The girl does look a lot more tan than Henry who is pale as a ghost, she did have a scene with Tigerlily. That seems like a good guess for now.
You can download Once Upon a Time on iTunes.

Into the Badlands: Wait, they they really just kill off another main character? Man, these Barons are ruthless. Quinn kills his son and the Widow kills her surrogate daughter in kind of similar scenes.
You can download Into the Badlands on iTunes.

Gotham: Okay, fine, I am actually starting to enjoy Ivy and her weird performance.
You can download Gotham on iTunes.

Supergirl: Welcome back Kat Grant, the show has been much less entertaining without you. But we finally learned a little more about the alien president. Though it was weird that she made Martian Manhunter not engage with the Daxumites and not orders Alex to blow them out of the sky.
You can download Supergirl on iTunes.

Lucifer: Oh hey, the king from Galavant is God. Or I guess not. But what exactly went on there, was he actually possessed by God or was he just delusional while wearing that heavily belt?
You can download Lucifer on iTunes.

Harlots: So no one is going to end up punished for the death of a nobleman as they blackmailed and killed off the judge. Alrighty. But season two should be interesting as Charlotte going undercover in her mother’s enemy establishment.
You can stream Harlots on Hulu.

The Challenge: Champs vs. Pros: Poor Veronica, the most veteran of them all gets treated like a rookie. But just as I expected, the Pros are just going to dominate the Champs… unless they end up having to compete drunk in future challenges.
You can download The Challenge: Invasion of the Champs vs. Pros on iTunes.

The Americans: So Elizabeth wants to go back to Russia. But what does Philip want? I have to believe Paige and Henry would rather stay in America. Henry’s tour of the FBI. Nice shout out to the mail robot. And the Jennings learning about the safe room inside the FBI has to come up at some point. Will they try to bug it?

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Wait, didn’t robot Daisy shoot Talbot right between the eyes? I know this is a comic book show but how could a human possibly survive that? Unless he is not human. Then we have a tease for next season except much more vague than the LMD from the finale last season. I believe the Royal Family of Inhumans have a secret base on the moon so maybe that is why he is in space. Or maybe it had to with the deal he made with the Ghost Rider. I assumed when the organization that grabbed them in the diner was Talbot’s guys but maybe they are part of the Ghost Rider deal and that is why Coulson was business as usual when he looked out his space window.
Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. on iTunes.

The Handmaid’s Tale: The Commander’s wife just got interesting: a sex pot, writer who got arrested for civil disobedience before the war. It is also interesting that the religious zealots seem to be the environmentalist when those who claim to be the most religious in our society or okay with the destruction of the environment when you would think the most faithful would want to protect God’s creation. Then we had another big cliffhanger with the Mexican aide somehow knowing Offred’s real name and that of her husbands who he claims is alive. So who is this guy? Is he really part of the resistance in cahoots with Offred’s husband or is this a trap set by “The Eye”?

Survivor: Game Changers: Boooooooooo. Ever since Zeke threw out her name, you kind of had to know Andrea was not making the finals. Weird thing is, she kept on being brought up as a big threat (weirdly Sierra had this problem too) but both Aubrey and Cirie have been to the finals before, Sarah hs been playing very hard which recent jury members appreciate, and Not Dante Culpeper is a former NFL play who could go on an Idol run (and lo and behold, won the very next Immunity Challenge). Oh yeah, and speaking of Idols, Tai has proven to be very good at finding them.

But you could see that vote coming as soon as Andrea lost Immunity. The next Tribal was not as clear. And still is not very clear. Andrea was a treat, not someone you want to sit at Final Tribal with. But do you know who I want to sit next to: Michaela (or Tai or Troyzan). So why vote her out. I wonder what exactly the plan was going in. Sarah seemly changed her mind and went with the boys to get out Cirie, but what went down to keep Tai from playing his Idol? Isn’t six the last time he can play it? Why not play one at that Tribal, especially after Sarah steals his vote, and he still has one for six. Speaking of six, we could have all but one person safe with an Idol. Tai, Troyzan, and Sarah all have one. If someone else wins Immunity and Tai gives one away, that just leaves one person who is not safe.

But in retrospect, really horrible episode for Cirie. First she turns on her biggest ally, and then does not read the fine print resulting in her next biggest ally going home. She could have been sitting pretty had she just stuck with Andrea in the first vote and went for Brad or turning on Sarah instead. She could have had four strong with Aubrey also with her, and now she is kind of on an island and probably next out. Crap, we are going to get a Final Tribal of Sarah, Not-Dante, and Troyzan aren’t we. This is why you do not turn on Andrea.
You can download Survivor: Game Changers on iTunes.

Blindplot: So what happened in those two years? And Roman had to be the one who kidnapped the team, right?
You can download Blindspot on iTunes.

The Blacklist: Well that was an anticlimactic end to the Mr. Kaplan saga. Then we get the big bombshell that everyone assumed for episode one yet they spent four seasons pretending it was not the case, Red is really Lizzy father. At least we do not have to see them tease and then prtetend it is a red herring again.
You can download The Blacklist on iTunes.

Sunday, May 14, 2017

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 5/14/2017


Once Upon a Time: So did they made the weeding episode a musical just to distract from how basically no one showed up? No Red Riding Hood, no Cinderella, really none of the Disney princesses. The Blue Fairy was in the episode yet did not make an appearance at the ceremony. It was basically just those in the main cast (except Belle and Gold were absent) then the Seven Dwarfs, Granny, and Pinocchio’s father. Even Pinocchio skipped the festivities. But really, this episode made me miss Galavant.
You can download Once Upon a Time on iTunes.

Billions: For two seasons I thought this show was about a game of cat and mouse. I was wrong, it is about mutual assured destructions. Chuck just lost his trust, lost millions of dollars for his father and childhood friend just to get Axe. Then when they met face to face, Axe said he would spend te times that to make sure Chuck goes down with him just for Chuck to basically respond, so be it. I just hope that season is a trail and not Axe get out from under his prosecution in the first episode and we are back to cat and mouse.

Gotham: Really, Ivy was going to make an army of freaks and all they could come up with is Mr. Fries and Firefly? Sure I enjoy the irony of fire and ice, but c’mon, there seemed to be hundreds of freaks that escaped from Indian Hill.
You can download Gotham on iTunes.

Supergirl: The N’SYNC reference just made me hate this show more. Can it please be promoted back to CBS please?
You can download Supergirl on iTunes.

Harlots: Charlotte may be in custody, but who is going to take the fall for the murder. The obvious answer is her new bot toy, but you know Mrs. Wells will try to get Mrs. Quigley to take the fall.
You can stream Harlots on Hulu.

The Challenge: Invasion of the Champions: Boring finale. But this show does have a format problem where it just loses steam halfway through. It did not help this season the pre-finale episode was just complete filler. They need to speed up the game at that point, not slow it down. Hopefully the six episode special fixes that problem.
You can download The Challenge: Invasion of the Champions on iTunes.

The Americans: Is it just me or was Elizabeth not that into that wedding? But it always has been Phillip who has been more the romantic while she has been more jobs oriented. And that was a rough scene at the end as Paige and her parents read the harsh assessment in Pastor Tim’s diary. Now I wonder if he will make it to his dream job.

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: So Adia becomes a real boy and we learned how the Russian survived being crushed by a falling building in that he did not, she just turned him into a robot and mass produced him. Irony? So just how do you kill a former robot who can absorb bullets along with other Inhuman abilities. Chop off her head again?
Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. on iTunes.

The Handmaid’s Tale: Interesting that Mrs. Waterford suggested the driver try to impregnate Offred. I guess once pregnant she no longer has to see her husband have sex with another woman. But the she would be raising a kid that is neither hers’ nor her husband. But still creepy she felt she had to stay in the room. At least she did not do the hand holding thing in her lap. And it was a little weird that she went and had sex with a guy who pretty much raped her earlier that day. Maybe that was taking back control. And Rory Gilmore is back. And even though Offred said she knew what happened to her (even though the Commander was vague) I am still not entirely sure. But Rory has got to be sent away after that.

Survivor: Game Changers: I have been watching this show since the beginning so I pick up on a few cues that usually tell you where things are going but they had me fooled twice this week. The second best way to tell if someone is not going home (after winning Immunity obviously) is if their name comes up in the post Immunity Challenge / pre commercial break confessional. So when Michael was talking about should she vote for Sierra or Andrea, the over thinker thought, oh this is a rare target two people situation, maybe Michaela is getting blindsided. Nope, it ended coming down to Sierra and Andrea. And when the votes are read with just two targets, Probst almost always reads just one name first (the one who is not getting voted out first) then the other in succession. Or he alternates back and forth as long as he can. So when he read two Andrea’s in a row after starting out alternating, I thought oh no!!! Andrea is in trouble. Except the rest of the votes ended up being for Sierra. Whew.

But now we are down to eight with only one episode until the finale. That is a lot. Usually only six go to the finale, so what happens next week? A double elimination next week? Will there be a medical elimination? There was no clue in the promo and you would think they would tease either, unless the latter actually happens in the finale. Interesting enough the last time Andrea played (she went out at seven), there was a medical elimination during the finale, even then, just five made that finale.
You can download Survivor: Game Changers on iTunes.

Blindplot: So just what is Sheppard’s end game? She was a soldier (or at least pretend to be) said she did not want to kill anyone at the FBI but would if she did not get the codes (granted she still killed the boss even after saying she would not kill him if anyone gave her the code; but at least after being mostly annoying he went out like a G). I get she is going after some sort of Deep State but I still feel like I am missing something.
You can download Blindspot on iTunes.


Sunday, May 07, 2017

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 5/7/2017


Once Upon a Time: Tigerlily is a fairy godmother? What?!?
You can download Once Upon a Time on iTunes.

Billions: “We didn’t have computers.” God bless Dollar Bill. But usually much of the money stuff goes over my head, but I think I actually followed what happened this week. Well mostly because it in involved old school sabotage with Axe bribing people to get sick on the new product Chuck invested in. But what I do not understand is does Chuck want Axe so bad he was willing to lose his entire trust (along with his father and buddy’s savings too) or does he have a plan for that? Did he know Wendy would bet against him? I am thinking she may go down with Axe on this. I do hope Axe does go down for this and we get a season on his trail because I am not sure if they can continue to do this cat and mouse game between Axe and Chuck for very much longer.

Into the Badlands: I hate dream sequences. The only thing worse than dream sequences are dream sequences with bad Japanese horror rip offs.
You can download Into the Badlands on iTunes.

Gotham: Wasn’t Poison Ivy a sex pot earlier this season? Now she is back to acting like a tn year old. Her scenes were just really weird.
You can download Gotham on iTunes.

Supergirl: Can we please get rid of the lady cop for next season please? She is ruining the show worse than Mon-El.
You can download Supergirl on iTunes.

Harlots: “You always tell mama the truth in the end.” Wait, was that literal? Or was that just an allusion what Mrs. Wells just used to work for her. But poor Lucy, she was just not made for this profession. When does she just run away?
You can stream Harlots on Hulu.

The Challenge: Invasion of the Champions: A two part finale after last week they basically just wasted an hour on nothing? Ugg, I have been waiting for the season to be over for about a month now.
You can download The Challenge: Invasion of the Champions on iTunes.

The Americans: Oh hey, Martha still exists. When they shipped her off to Russia I figured she would have a Nina type storyline but I do not think we have seen her since. And after kicking out Gabriel I wonder if we will ever see her again after this.

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: So they just left Mac in the Framework? Um, how about forcing him into the back door? Or just lie to him that his daughter was still alive. If he forgot his daughter was no longer around in the framework, maybe he will not remember anything in the framework when he is out. Won’t he die when they shut down the framework, or is just going to be in a state of animation for the rest of his life?
Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. on iTunes.

The Handmaid’s Tale: So now we know the reason behind the creepy Ceremony Night, granted it does not make it any less creepy. Also creepy, how these people do not even let the doctors see the faces of the patients when they treat them. Not that it stopped Donnie from Orphan Black from looking. Always a weido that guy. But what happened to Rory Gilmore? I thought maybe she would be back to great Offred at the end of the episode to great her like before. Is her storyline over or will she be back in her house eventually?

Survivor: Game Changers: Last week a calm came over me when Sierra said it was time for Andrea to go, but nothing is more calming than Andrea actually winning Immunity. Then I can just sit back and enjoy the show. And what a weird show. When they did not show Andrea vote for Zeke, giver her hope to see you never speech a second try, I figure, oh, Sarah won the argument and the six is voting for Sierra. Then Tai got a couple. Then Zeke got a couple. Then Probst told Zeke the tribe had spoken leaving me to wonder just how did that vote go down?

So the six minus Zeke voted for Zeke but the bizarre thing was the four (plus Zeke) voted for each other. Andrea has never gotten her just due, but that was just a masterclass of Survivor. She wins Immunity, gets her alliance to turn on the person who tried to turn on her two episodes ago, and got the opposing alliance to turn on each other.

It will be a shame if Brad, Sierra, Tai, or Troyzan win this season because that was just embarrassing this week; I am talking near ice crème scooper level of bad play. Seriously, you four have three Idols amongst you and at the very least think you know who the other alliance is voting for. If Brad, Sierra, and Troyzan just tell Tai he is being targeted, or Tai tells them he was told to vote for Sierra, they could have figured out how to ply their Idols correctly. I bet Tai would have played his Idol and maybe even given the other to Sierra just in case had they just talked to each other. Now Tai and his Idols may be a free agent for the other alliance. Now if only Andrea can convince Tai to give her one ice crème scooper style.
You can download Survivor: Game Changers on iTunes.

Blindplot: I understand going undercover, but I do not see why not letting the prison staff know what is up. Certainly that would have been beneficial during the breakout.
You can download Blindspot on iTunes.