This week, the Final Four went at it once again with two rounds of dancing in the Semi-Finals. Round One included either the Vietnamese Waltz, Contemporary, or Quickstep. Round Two was something the show has never done before, and something they should keep doing for sure: Judge’s Choice. Each judge chose which pair they wanted to work with for the whole week or rehearsals, and that judge took over creative control of the dance, coming up with the concept and theme, and then mentoring and coaching the pair all week-long. The judge working with the pair was not allowed to comment or judge on that pair’s dance, and so it became about the judges judging one another as well as each couple. It was an emotional week that was filled with some awesome moments, tugging at the heartstrings and making me cry like a loon. Let’s discuss what happened ……
Rumer / Val: In Round One, the pair danced the Vietnamese Waltz to a song from “50 Shades of Grey.” Rumer played the Anastasia role, and it was an awesome, beautiful dance. Julianne said “America is falling in love with you Rumer!” Bruno called it “steamy”, like the inside of his gym shorts after a sauna. Mom Demi Moore was backstage, being all proud of her daughter. Scores were 10/9/9/10.
In Round Two, Bruno was the judge that chose to work with this pair, and what he came up with was pretty freakin’ awesome. The theme was ballet, and Swan Lake. The dance had some unbelievable lifts and gorgeous choreography. The judges loved it, with Len calling it “brilliant dancing”, and Carrie Ann saying “that was genius. Grace, beauty, and lyricism.” Scores were perfect tens all the way across.
Sharna / Noah: Round One was the Vietnamese Waltz, and there was so much fog, I could barely see what was happening. Once the fog cleared, it became clear that Noah has turned into a really great dancer. Len thought it was his best all season long, and scores were 9 all the way across. Backstage, just as Erin Andrews began asking Noah about how he felt weeks ago when his girlfriend surprised him by showing up there when he thought she was still overseas, he started to say how much she means to him, and then he got down on one knee backstage, and asked her to marry him! By the look on the cast’s faces, who were all spread around the studio, it was obvious that this was NOT planned and that nobody on the show knew it was going to happen. Everyone was crying, including Tom Bergeron. It was such a beautiful moment and so genuine. By the way, she said yes.
Round Two was a Paso Doble , coached and conceptualized by Carrie Ann. It was powerful and told the amazing story of inspiration and overcoming obstacles. Julianne thought the story and passion were incredible, while Bruno said the execution and shaping was masterful. The pair received all ten scores.
Riker / Allison : Round One was contemporary, and although I hate to admit it because I’m not the biggest fan of Riker, this dance was fluid and quite gorgeous. Bruno called it hardcore, much like his Tuesday night sex romp parties. Horny Carrie Ann made weird animal noises and growled a lot – literally. She said “Rawrr!!!!” Down in the dirt! Rarr!!! Arrhhh!!!” Okay, then. Julianne said she was so blown away that she couldn’t tell who was the pro and who was the student. Scores were perfect 10’s all the way around.
Round Two was the Argentine Tango with Julianne was their mentor/coach. She decided to put herself in the dance as well, or they ask her to be part of it, and so the concept was the two women fighting over the man, and he chooses Allison so that it can evolve into a dance with just the pair. The moves were sharp and precise, and I don’t know what the piece of music was, but I absolutely loved it. Len called it fantastic, and all judges loved it too. They wrapped up their night with more perfect ten’s , giving them a perfect 10 night.
Nastia / Derek: Round One was the Quickstep, which Nastia danced with Sasha, as Derek was still injured. Horny Carrie Ann made more growling sounds and said “Grrrr!!!” Len called it terrific, and Julianne said “your guys’es connection was awesome!” Yes, and your grammar is horrid. Perfect tens for the dance – negative 3 for Julianne’s grasp of the english language.
Round Two was the Vietnamese Waltz, and their mentor and coach was Len. Derek was back and committed to doing this dance even with his injury, and Len’s concept was so touching. He told the pair how much it hurts sometimes to have grown older, and to have your body turn against you, and no longer be able to dance. His concept was for Derek to play sort of a younger version of him, and then at the end, Len himself danced the last few beats with Nastia. It was sort of about being young and being old, and the circle of life. So beautiful. Everyone was crying again, and Bruno loved the nostalgic warmth of the dance. They received perfect tens.
RESULTS SHOW: Tuesday night’s show was elimination night, and they killed lots of time first with many pro dance performances, cast interviews, clips, and even a chat with Noah and his new fiance about the surprise proposal the night before. When all was said and done, going home was NASTIA AND DEREK, which was quite surprising. However, it could have been anyone, because they really are all very good.
So next week’s final three will be Riker, Noah, and Rumer.
Not sure who will win, but I’m thinking Rumer has the best shot, and deservingly so.
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) Directed by: George Miller
Written by: George Miller, Brendan McCarthy, Nick Lathouris
Starring: Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult, Hugh Keays-Byrne
Mad Max: Fury Road is a finely-tuned engine of carefully choreographed chaos. Director George Miller returns to his seminal franchise after three decades with an incredible purity of vision. Savage and beautiful, the film roars out of the gate and pauses only briefly for the audience to catch its breath during its 120 thrilling minutes. Filmed with a heavy emphasis on using practical effects and real stunt work, it’s a genre-redefining action film that will leave you equally dumbfounded and electrified.
Tom Hardy stars as the titular Max, a lone wanderer in the post apocalyptic wasteland who is quickly taken prisoner by the minions of Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne). Immortan Joe commands a zealous following of War Boys, and together they control the Citadel, a vital water-pumping station and one of the few remaining bastions of humanity. He is soon betrayed by Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron), one of his greatest commanders, who smuggles out his collection of “breeder-wives” in search of a better life. Outraged, Immortan Joe mobilizes his war band in pursuit, calling in support from neighboring Gastown and The Bullet Farm.
The plot is lean and streamlined but not deficient–the film is still able to find the humanity beneath the madness. While Max maintains his lone wanderer stoicism, he’s haunted by those he’s lost. It plays out in very quick, abrupt flashbacks, and doesn’t really detract from the frenetic action on screen. Imperator Furiosa is the closest thing to a more traditional hero; her story is one of redemption, while Max typifies the sort of solitary drifter more common in Westerns. Nicholas Hoult provides a strong and surprisingly nuanced performance as Nux, a war boy on a quest for a glorious death.
The film provides an incredibly rich depiction of the post apocalypse. Shot in the Namib Desert, the film utilizes a small but vibrant palette of colors to incredible effect. The rich oranges of the desert to the deep blue of the sky are punctuated only by flashes of steel and fire. The world George Miller has painted is filled with fascinating details both beautiful and grotesque, from the various maladies afflicting the irradiated and likely inbred remnants of humanity to the endlessly creative war machines battling across the desert. Miller’s original brand of post apocalypse crazy is on full display here in all its glory, and the beautiful monstrosities aren’t just ornamental. The war machines are armed to the teeth and completely functional: the polecats utilized large, counterbalanced masts to assault vehicles from above, and at one point the war boys employ large rear-mounted rakes and plows as anchors on their trucks to slow down Furiosa’s freshly harpooned rig. There’s an amazing amount of thoughtfulness, creativity, and savage pragmatism here; at one point, Furiosa lowers the plow on the rig to kick up desert sand and extinguish an engine fire–it’s an elegant solution to a problem I know I’ll never encounter.
Mad Max: Fury Road is a relentless two hour long car chase that will redefine your expectations for what action films can be. Amazing action, beautiful cinematography, and a richly detailed world all combine into an engrossing high-octane fever dream that will stick with you for days.
Fox may have washed its hands of The Mindy Project when it announced the series’ cancellation last week, but the show has been revived like the beautiful phoenix it is.
Hulu has announced a 26-episode pickup for The Mindy Project‘s fourth season.
“Mindy has been a beloved member of the Hulu family, so this deal is a natural extension of our relationship,” said Craig Erwich, senior vice president and head of Content, Hulu. “With so many of her fans already catching up and tuning in to the series on Hulu, we know her millions of fans will be eager to find out what Mindy has in store for the next chapter.”
“I am thrilled ‘The Mindy Project’ has found a new home on Hulu, where so many of our fans are already watching the show. It’s such an exciting place to be,” said Kaling.
Universal Television’s Bela Bajaria stated: “We are proud of the fresh, hilarious, smart storytelling on ‘The Mindy Project.’ Mindy, along with the writers and actors, surprise us every week. They have made us laugh (a lot), cry and think. We are excited about our partnership with Hulu and look forward to sharing our amazing comedy with the show’s many loyal fans for seasons to come.”
No official date has been given for The Mindy Project‘s season four premiere.
This Saturday’s episode of Outlander promises to be an exciting one as Claire, Murtaugh, and the other Highlanders attempt to free Jamie from Wentworth Prison. To make matters more difficult, Black Jack makes a return appearance.
Even if you’ve never heard of Mad Max before, you’ve likely heard some reference to the Thunderdome, or perhaps the famous line, “two men enter, one man leaves.”
No? Still nothing? What about Tupac then?
Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome, released in 1985, is a bit of a departure for the series. Though it maintains much of the series’ signature style, the film carries a decidedly lighter tone and doesn’t contain nearly the same caliber of intense action its predecessors are known for. The scattered plot and uneven pacing make this a difficult film to recommend.
Even thirty years ago, people were complaining about Hollywood’s habit of ruining things, and it’s hard to refute after watching Beyond Thunderdome. Mel Gibson returns as Max Rockatansky, a lone wanderer in the post apocalyptic wasteland. The film starts with Max finding his way to Bartertown, a trading hub in the wasteland run by the glamorous Aunty Entity, played by a chainmail-clad Tina Turner. Yes, she has a servant regaling her with saxophone solos, and yes, this movie is very much a product of the eighties.
It’s difficult to explain this film in a coherent way without just giving a full synopsis, but the plot exists mostly just to loosely string together the various ridiculous characters and set pieces. There’s Master, a dwarf riding a developmentally challenged but hulking man named Blaster–together, of course, that are known as Master Blaster. Master Blaster runs the pig farm and methane production facility that powers the generators of Bartertown, and Aunty Entity recruits Max to challenge and kill Master Blaster in the Thunderdome to put an end to their power feud.
Max is exiled when he defeats, but refuses to kill, the child-like Blaster. Left for dead in the desert, he’s found and rescued by a young girl named Savannah Nix, who takes him back to a small community of children and teenagers in a sheltered oasis. The survivors of a plane crash, they were left behind by the adults who went to find help years ago. They now believe Max to be their savior, Captain Walker, who will take them back to the fabled “Tomorrow-morrow Land.” Max tries to tell the children that there’s nothing for them beyond the oasis, but the stubborn Savannah Nix and a small group of children sneak away in the middle of the night anyway. Max goes after them, and the group has no choice but to travel to Bartertown after running out of supplies.
A daring escape from the town on a methane-fueled train-truck pursued by Aunty Entity and her soldiers serves as the film’s big climactic finale, but it’s a neutered affair with none of the thrill or tension that made the previous films so iconic. The film leans too heavily on comic relief and broad appeal; the pursuing bad guys get frying pans to the face and flail comically as children saw through the bars they’re hanging from. It’s a farcical and ridiculous ending to a trilogy best known for its violence and action.
It’s been thirty years since Beyond Thunderdome was released, and the series is long overdue for a comeback. Mad Max: Fury Road looks like promising return to all the spectacle and brutality of its earlier forebears, and will hopefully learn a few important lessons about what to avoid from Beyond Thunderdome.
Get your first look at The CW’s upcoming new fall shows: Legends of Tomorrow, Containment, and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.
“DC’S LEGENDS OF TOMORROW”
When heroes alone are not enough… the world needs legends. Having seen the future, one he will desperately try to prevent from happening, time-traveling rogue Rip Hunter is tasked with assembling a disparate group of both heroes and villains to confront an unstoppable threat — one in which not only is the planet at stake, but all of time itself. Can this ragtag team defeat an immortal threat unlike anything they have ever known? DC’S LEGENDS OF TOMORROW stars Victor Garber (“The Flash,” “Alias”); Brandon Routh (“Arrow,” “Superman Returns”); Arthur Darvill (“Doctor Who”); Caity Lotz (“Arrow”); Ciarra Renee (“Pippin”); Franz Drameh (“Edge of Tomorrow”); with Dominic Purcell (“The Flash,” “Prison Break”); and Wentworth Miller (“The Flash,” “Prison Break”). Based on the characters from DC Comics, DC’S LEGENDS OF TOMORROW is from Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with Berlanti Productions and Warner Bros. Television, with executive producers Greg Berlanti (“Arrow,” “The Flash,” upcoming “Pan”), Marc Guggenheim (“Arrow,” “Eli Stone,” “Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters”), Andrew Kreisberg (“Arrow,” “The Flash,” “Eli Stone,” “Warehouse 13”) and Sarah Schechter (“Arrow,” “The Flash,” upcoming “Pan”).
“CONTAINMENT”
When a mysterious and deadly epidemic breaks out in Atlanta, a vast urban quarantine is quickly enforced, forcing those stuck on the inside to fight for their lives while local and federal officials desperately search for a cure. Trying to keep the peace on the streets is police officer Lex Carnahan, who has quickly risen through the ranks of the Atlanta PD. But Lex’s job becomes even harder when he learns that his longtime girlfriend, Jana, and his best friend and fellow officer Jake, are trapped within the cordoned area. Also quarantined in viral ground zero is 17 year-old Teresa, who is eight months pregnant and now separated from her boyfriend on the other side; Katie Frank, an elementary school teacher now placed on lockdown with her entire class, including her young son; and CDC researcher Dr. Victor Cannerts, the doctor who initially made the controversial call to quarantine the area and is now racing to find a cure for the virus. On the outside, Dr. Sabine Lommers is leading the government efforts to contain the outbreak, and has asked for Lex’s help in enforcing the cordon – which grows increasingly difficult as the public trust deteriorates. And the public has reason to be wary, as journalist Leo begins unraveling a conspiracy, finding that something doesn’t add up in the official story being told. Torn apart from their loved ones, the survivors trapped within the cordon are fighting against not only fatal infection, but also isolation, fear, and the disintegration of society around them. But as they begin to gain each other’s trust, hope remains, and on either side of the cordon unlikely heroes will rise. CONTAINMENT stars David Gyasi (“Interstellar”); Christina Moses (“Starship: Apocalypse,” “Starship: Rising”); Chris Wood (“The Vampire Diaries”); Kristen Gutoskie (“Beaver Falls”); Claudia Black (“The Originals,” “Farscape”); George Young (“Casualty”); Hanna Mangan Lawrence (“Spartacus: War of the Damned”); and Trevor St. John (“One Life to Live”). Based on the original Belgian series created by Carl Joos for Eyeworks, CONTAINMENT is produced by My So-Called Company in association with Warner Bros. Television, with executive producers Julie Plec (“The Vampire Diaries,” “The Originals”) and David Nutter (“The Flash,” “Arrow”).
“CRAZY EX-GIRLFRIEND”
Rebecca Bunch (Rachel Bloom) is a successful, driven, and possibly crazy young woman who impulsively gives up everything – her partnership at a prestigious law firm and her upscale apartment in Manhattan – in a desperate attempt to find love and happiness in that exotic hotbed of romance and adventure: suburban West Covina, Calif. (it’s only two hours from the beach! Four in traffic). From CBS Television Studios, CRAZY EX-GIRLFRIEND stars Rachel Bloom (“Robot Chicken”), who also serves as executive producer along with Aline Brosh McKenna (“The Devil Wears Prada”); and Marc Webb (“500 Days of Summer,” “The Amazing Spider-Man” films).
Get your first look at FOX’s upcoming new seriesScream Queens starring Emma Roberts, Lea Michelle, Jamie Lee Curtis, Oliver Hudson, and Keke Palmer.
Award-winning executive producers Ryan Murphy (GLEE, “American Horror Story”), Brad Falchuk (GLEE, “American Horror Story”) and Ian Brennan (GLEE) meld comedy, mystery and horror in SCREAM QUEENS. All hell is about to break loose for the Kappa House sisters of Wallace University when a murder takes place, exactly 20 years after a mysterious death originally rocked their college campus. The super-charged anthology series is a modern take on the classic whodunit with a killer cast, including Emma Roberts (“American Horror Story: Freak Show,” “Scream 4”), Jamie Lee Curtis (“Halloween,” “A Fish Called Wanda,” “True Lies”), Lea Michele (GLEE), Oliver Hudson (“Nashville,” “Rules of Engagement”), Keke Palmer (“Akeela and the Bee,” “Masters of Sex”) and guest stars Ariana Grande and Nick Jonas (“Kingdom”), among others. With at least one casualty each week until the mystery is solved, anyone could be the next victim – or the murderer.
Scream Queens premieres this fall Tuesdays 9-10 pm on FOX.
If you could only watch one film to prepare for the premiere of Mad Max: Fury Road, make it Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior. Released in 1981 just two short years after the original, Road Warrior remains the most iconic film of the franchise. Though the sillier elements from Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome have been more persistent in the world of pop culture references, The Road Warrior represents Mad Max in its purest form and set the standard for post apocalyptic movies for decades to come.
Scarcity of fuel has driven nations to war and ruin, and the remnants of humanity have banded together into small tribes to fight and scavenge in the desolate wastelands of Australia. Mel Gibson returns as Max Rockatansky, former Main Force Patrol officer who now roams the desert in search of food and fuel. He’s the Australian, post apocalyptic answer to the stoic heroes in Western films or the wandering ronin of Japanese cinema.
The opening montage sets the stage and also recaps the first film.
Indeed, the film very much follows the archetypal “wandering hero” story. Max eventually comes across a gyro captain, who leads him to a small, still operational oil refinery. The occupants are besieged by a band of marauders led by Lord Humungus (anyone unfamiliar with the films will still likely recognize the lasting influence of costume designer Norma Moriceau’s work–punk-ish mohawks and armor cobbled together from bondage leather and sporting equipment). Max manages to make his way into the settlement and offers to help them recover a truck to haul their tanker in exchange for fuel and supplies. When he fulfills his end of the bargain but his own attempt to outrun the bandits fails, he instead volunteers to help the settlers break the siege and escape by driving the tanker.
The film is filled with great action sequences, but the final chase between Max’s tanker and the marauders is the most iconic. The fifteen minute finale is much more than a car chase–it’s a brutal, thrilling spectacle more reminiscent of classic film chariot battles or stagecoach heists.
The sequel improves upon the original in almost every regard. The script is more concise and cohesive, the action is tense and spectacular, and the characters are unique and memorable. The bleakness of the apocalypse is balanced, but not undermined, by a healthy dose of insanity and dry humor. It’s a vibrant, violent depiction of the world’s descent into madness.
As much as I adore the S.H.I.E.L.D.s and Agent Carters and Arrows of the world, Supergirl looks like everything fans have wanted out of a superhero TV show for years. It’s cheesy and gives you all those warm fuzzy feelings, but that’s why it looks amazing. It’s a smart return to the bright and colorful days of Christopher Reeve’s Superman. For many, the complaint about Superman as a hero is that he’s boring, overpowered, and well, perfect. Supergirl may have all of the same powers, but judging from the extended preview, she certainly isn’t lacking for internal and external struggles and I am so excited to watch her become a hero.
SUPERGIRL is an action-adventure drama based on the DC Comics character Kara Zor-El (Melissa Benoist), Superman’s (Kal-El) cousin who, after 12 years of keeping her powers a secret on Earth, decides to finally embrace her superhuman abilities and be the hero she was always meant to be. Twelve-year-old Kara escaped the doomed planet Krypton with her parents’ help at the same time as the infant Kal-El. Protected and raised on Earth by her foster family, the Danvers, Kara grew up in the shadow of her foster sister, Alex (Chyler Leigh), and learned to conceal the phenomenal powers she shares with her famous cousin in order to keep her identity a secret. Years later at 24, Kara lives in National City assisting media mogul and fierce taskmaster Cat Grant (Golden Globe Award winner Calista Flockhart), who just hired the Daily Planet’s former photographer, James Olsen (Mehcad Brooks), as her new art director. However, Kara’s days of keeping her talents a secret are over when Hank Henshaw (David Harewood), head of a super-secret agency where her sister also works, enlists her to help them protect the citizens of National City from sinister threats. Though Kara will need to find a way to manage her newfound empowerment with her very human relationships, her heart soars as she takes to the skies as Supergirl to fight crime. Greg Berlanti (“The Flash,” “Arrow”), Ali Adler, Sarah Schecter and Andrew Kreisberg are executive producers for Berlanti Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television. The pilot was directed by Glen Winter (“Arrow”).
Game of Thrones has a habit of letting people disappear on us. Benjen hasn’t been seen since the first half of season 1, Gendry is likely still rowing somewhere on the Narrow Sea, and Baby Rickon Stark is off somewhere in the north with the slightly unhinged Osha.
Thankfully, Moonrat Media has scoured the bitter cold parts of Westeros to keep us up to date on Rickon’s activities with their web series, “Meanwhile, Rickon.”
Early Wednesday CBS revealed their Fall 2015 television lineup which will house the newest superhero on broadcast television – Supergirl.
CBS’ schedule can be seen below along with the first details on Supergirl:
MONDAY
8:00-8:30 PM THE BIG BANG THEORY
8:30-9:00 PM LIFE IN PIECES (N)
8:00-9:00 PM SUPERGIRL (N) (Starting in November)
9:00-10:00 PM SCORPION
10:00-11:00 PM NCIS: LOS ANGELES
TUESDAY
8:00-9:00 PM NCIS
9:00-10:00 PM NCIS: NEW ORLEANS
10:00-11:00 PM LIMITLESS
WEDNESDAY
8:00-9:00 PM SURVIVOR
9:00-10:00 PM CRIMINAL MINDS
10:00-11:00 PM CODE BLACK
THURSDAY
8:00-11:00 PM, ET/ NFL THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL (Premieres Sept. 17)
8:00-8:30 PM THE BIG BANG THEORY (Starting in November)
8:30-9:00 PM LIFE IN PIECES (Starting in November)
9:00-9:30 PM MOM (Starting in November)
9:30-10:00 PM ANGEL FROM HELL (Starting in November)
10:00-11:00 PM ELEMENTARY (Starting in November)
FRIDAY
8:00-9:00 PM THE AMAZING RACE
9:00-10:00 PM HAWAII FIVE-0
10:00-11:00 PM BLUE BLOODS
SATURDAY
8:00-9:00 PM CRIMETIME SATURDAY
9:00-10:00 PM CRIMETIME SATURDAY
10:00-11:00 PM 48 HOURS
SUNDAY
7:00-8:00 PM 60 MINUTES
8:00-9:00 PM MADAM SECRETARY
9:00-10:00 PM THE GOOD WIFE
10:00-11:00 PM CSI: CYBER
SUPERGIRL is an action-adventure drama based on the DC Comics character Kara Zor-El (Melissa Benoist), Superman’s (Kal-El) cousin who, after 12 years of keeping her powers a secret on Earth, decides to finally embrace her superhuman abilities and be the hero she was always meant to be. Twelve-year-old Kara escaped the doomed planet Krypton with her parents’ help at the same time as the infant Kal-El. Protected and raised on Earth by her foster family, the Danvers, Kara grew up in the shadow of her foster sister, Alex (Chyler Leigh), and learned to conceal the phenomenal powers she shares with her famous cousin in order to keep her identity a secret. Years later at 24, Kara lives in National City assisting media mogul and fierce taskmaster Cat Grant (Golden Globe Award winner Calista Flockhart), who just hired the Daily Planet’s former photographer, James Olsen (Mehcad Brooks), as her new art director. However, Kara’s days of keeping her talents a secret are over when Hank Henshaw (David Harewood), head of a super-secret agency where her sister also works, enlists her to help them protect the citizens of National City from sinister threats. Though Kara will need to find a way to manage her newfound empowerment with her very human relationships, her heart soars as she takes to the skies as Supergirl to fight crime. Greg Berlanti (“The Flash,” “Arrow”), Ali Adler, Sarah Schecter and Andrew Kreisberg are executive producers for Berlanti Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television. The pilot was directed by Glen Winter (“Arrow”).
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s second season has come to an end…and what a crazy ride it’s been.
The finale tied up loose ends while also opening up new doors for our characters, though it wasn’t without betrayal, tears, and surprising twists. And because so much happened in these two hours, it might be best to break down the night’s moments in pieces. Lots and lots of pieces. (As they say, “it’s all connected.”)
In the Inhuman world, Jiaying does a pretty good job of turning SHIELD (and Skye) on her people. She walks out from her meeting bleeding, making everyone believe that Gonzales tried to attack her people. A few Inhumans break into a quinjet and fly it suicide-style into one of the afterlife buildings, which only fuels everyone’s belief more than SHIELD is the bad guy in this situation. It even leads to a showdown between Skye and her own people, as she fights May with her powers. Lincoln is upset with Skye and thinks she’s responsible for bringing war on her people, so Skye goes to Raina for help. Raina tries to warn her about Jiaying, and then adds “it’s you who were destined to lead,” but it’s hard for Skye to believe anything she says. I can’t blame her.
Jiaying, it turns out, heals pretty quickly – thanks to the random SHIELD agent that Gordon brings her, that she sucks the life out of. Skye’s a little wary about how she’s healed so quickly, but Jiaying kind of waves it off. Powers, right? Powers! Jiaying tells Skye she wants to take the battle to SHIELD, and gives her the gift that Gonzales tried to offer as a token of her trust – “bring this back if you want to fight,” she tells her daughter. The thing is, Skye does bring it back – just in time to see Jiaying kill Raina during a secret meeting, just after threatening her. (Turns out Raina telling Skye “we’ll never speak to each other again” was more loaded than we thought.) Yeah, this doesn’t make for good mother-daughter bonding. Jiaying tries to assure Skye she’s just planning for the future of their people, but she knows better – and knows that Skye will turn around and go back to SHIELD. So she knocks her out, and once again assumes her position as All Knowing Leader.
Mack’s still talking about leaving, but changes his tune when he finds out Gonzales is dead. While Simmons tries to figure out who fired the missile from the quinjet, Coulson and Weaver don’t buy that Gonzales would attack Jiaying the way he supposedly did. (Then again, he also believes Skye would never turn against them.) While Coulson eventually figures out Skye’s mother staged the whole thing (at least that didn’t take long), Hunter and Fitz have deduced that the person who left with Bobbi on the quinjet wasn’t May but Agent 33 wearing May’s face…again. Turns out Ward and Kara have taken Bobbi to a facility where she’s being held hostage, and then tortured because of the way she treated Kara and how she handed her over to Bakshi when she was hiding out in Hydra. I’m a little torn on how to react here – on the one hand, it’s kind of rewarding to see Ward care so much about someone he would go to any lengths to fix them. On the other hand, it’s a cruel and unnecessary turn of events to make Bobbi suffer in this way. He stuffs needles under her skin, knowing her weakness for that kind of pain, and tries to force Bobbi into telling Kara why she sold her out. Bobbi’s a champion and a true SHIELD agent – she doesn’t budge, even when she knows it would save her life. (Also, Bobbi’s line “the lives of many outweigh the lives of one”…that feels Avenger talk, no?) She calls Ward out for being a hypocrite and betraying his team, and just when she seems the most vulnerable…we find out why Bobbi Morse is Bobbi FREAKING Morse. She breaks free and starts fighting, putting up a really good battle with Ward and Kara as she tries to escape. Ward eventually gets the best of her, and lets Kara have the honor of shooting her…but Kara realizes she can’t do it. That’s okay. Ward has a better plan: he’ll tie Bobbi to a chair with a gun to her head, rigged to the door…so that the first person who tries to open it will cause Bobbi to get shot. In case anyone cares, I’m basically sitting here with my hands over my eyes trying not to freak out.
While Coulson goes to talk to Cal to try to reason with him, Simmons gives him information on the vials that Cal had. She said he took three doses, most likely to infuse himself with some sort of power that would make him similar to the Inhumans, and by all accounts he should be dead. The fact that he’s not is kind of unnerving. He’s alive, but he’s unstable…anyone see Mr. Hyde coming? Because that’s exactly what happens. Coulson tries to continue to convince Cal that Jiaying is a monster, before going crazy and passing out from the drugs he’s taken. Coulson and Simmons help revive him, which basically accelerates his transformation into Mr. Hyde and Cal goes completely wild. FitzSimmons and Coulson manage to subdue him by pinning him with a car, but only after a massive, insane fight.
Gordon, meanwhile, shows up on the boat to get the alien artifact, while Mack finds Gordon and the multiplying woman – just one of the Inhumans he’s brought along in his fight. While he tries to keep Gordon away, Jiaying takes over the ship fully…with a box of terrigan crystals. And it’s clear that she knows exactly how she wants to use them.
That brings us to the end of the first half of the finale, so let’s get right to the second half – which basically picks up right where we left Cal, still trapped by a car, and Coulson, trying to talk to him about Skye. He uses the family peg to try to get through to him, and interestingly enough, it actually seems to work. Cal breaks down and opens up about Jiaying and her actions, how everything he was doing was just to save his wife and daughter, and the two finally agree on the fact that they’ll do whatever it takes to save Skye. As Fitz and Simmons work together on getting Cal back to being stable, Hunter and May find where Bobbi’s being held, and breaks into the facility. Ward and Kara try to head them off, and Kara decides to change her face into May again in order to get the upper hand. Her plan backfires this time, though – in a fit of rage, Ward fatally shoots Kara while thinking she’s the real Agent May. At the same time, Hunter’s getting closer and closer to finding Bobbi, who is getting more and more desperate about her situation because she knows what will happen if Hunter opens the door. She manages to move herself enough so that she takes the brunt of the bullet for him, but it leaves her in critical condition – and as Ward holds Kara and begs her not to die, Hunter does the same for Bobbi, who is looking worse by the minute. It’s a really powerful parallel. The group gets Bobbi back to SHIELD, and it’s really, really not looking good. (More wine, anyone?) May calls Andrew, clearly shaken about the whole thing.
Mack manages to free Skye and tries to get her to use her hacking skills, since Jiaying wants to expand the beacon and invite all the remaining SHIELD agents to the ship…after dumping all the terrigan crystals into the air conditioning vents. It’s kind of a parallel with Hydra taking everyone hostage – to build a better world means tearing the old one down, and that’s exactly what Jiaying is trying to do with the Inhumans. Lincoln is a bit freaked out by Jiaying and her war ideas, but he’s still not ready to believe she’s a bad person – until Skye corners him. He attacks her, before Skye manages to tell him what really happened to Gonzales. Mack knocks him out, but not before Lincoln gives up what Jiaying is planning to do with the crystals.
Thanks to Fitz’ science, he’s figured out a way to shut down Gordon’s teleportation…kind of. It will at least contain him to one place, which will be somewhat helpful. Simmons tells Fitz to be careful on his mission, and the two have a moment where, after being shaken by Hunter and Bobbi, Simmons finally brings up their conversation from last year’s finale. She wants to talk about it, but Fitz wants to keep ignoring it, likely because he’s still scared. Simmons breaking down when he leaves is quite possibly one of the saddest things this show has done.
Jiaying soon realizes Skye’s the one hacking into the signal to let them know that it’s a trap, and decides to release the crystals right away. One problem: Coulson’s not going to let her. Mack and Coulson and Fitz find the boxes of crystals in the room with the vents, while Cal opts to take on his wife by himself. He attempts to talk to her the way Coulson reasoned with him, but Jiaying’s not so easy to get along with. While Coulson, Mack and Fitz fight Gordon, Skye ends up in a battle with the multiplying redhead – and does a pretty decent job of holding her own, until the fight gets to be too much. Enter, Lincoln! And May, who both come to save her. Lincoln removes the cuffs that have been put on Skye to keep her powers at bay, and Skye goes to find her mother. And now it’s Skye’s turn to try to reason with Jiaying. She seems receptive, at first, and then her greed takes over and she uses her abilities to start sucking the life out of Skye. But Skye’s more powerful than Jiaying realizes – she uses her powers to crash the quinjet into the ocean. Cal shows up and kills Jiaying himself, in order to save Skye, making good on his promise.
And while all THAT’S happening, Fitz manages to kill Gordon after trapping him in the room (“that’s science, BIATCH”), which means Gordon drops the crystals he’s holding. Knowing that the crystals shattering means sudden death for everyone, Coulson uses his softball skills and catches it safely…but not before it starts to destroy his hand. Mack takes care of that pretty easily – exactly the way you’d imagine he would. It’s not pretty. (Can we get Coulson a Bucky arm, now?)
A few weeks later, everything seems to be on the mend: Bobbi’s recovering okay, but she’s not sure she can do this job anymore. (We’re not sure what this means for Bobbi, but I hope it she returns next season.) Mack’s decided to stay, May’s attempting to reclaim her life, and Coulson is talking to Andrew about a new team and a new program. Cal is shipped off again, but his goodbye to Skye is much more normal and genuine this time. Turns out that Coulson has promised him the Tahiti program, which seems to work well enough when Skye goes to visit (she sees him happy, operating a veterinary shop.) Unfortunately, he has no idea who Skye is. That’s okay, though. It’s nice to close that chapter on Skye’s life, in a way that ties up both her family loyalties.
Where do we leave Ward, then? At a bar, looking at a picture of Kara, still upset. He meets with a guy who gives him a list of names from Hydra, and Ward’s not impressed. He wants more names. Is Ward the new head of Hydra now? And what does that mean for his story?
If you thought that we were leaving for the summer on good terms, think again, because the two endings of the show are enough to make you crazy. First, we’re shown that the ship Skye crashed into the ocean had crystals in it – crystals that broke, that fish ate, and that got packaged and distributed around the world. This can’t be good. Second, we finally get Fitz asking Simmons out on a date. The two are in the middle of doing science (clearly), working to figure out the artifact, and it’s the most adorable moment.
So it would figure that the last shot, after Simmons accepts Fitzs’ dinner plans, is of her getting eaten by the artifact, Little Shop of Horrors style.
It’s going to be a long summer.
Odds & Ends:
Loved Cal singing the daisy song, a nice throwback in an episode that dealt with Skye finding out who she was.
Ward brought up Buddy! For me, that was a nice easter egg.
It’s been nearly 30 years since the last Mad Max film was released, which means that most younger generations only have a fleeting awareness of who Mad Max is. It’s a series whose ridiculous characters and lasting impact on pop culture may have persisted longer than the films themselves. Released in 1979, the first film in particular has been eclipsed by its more iconic and fantastic sequels and faded somewhat from pop culture memory. Stark and violent, it’s a classic of Australian New Wave cinema that launched the careers of its creator and director George Miller as well as its star Mel Gibson.
Set “a few years from now” (relative to 1979, of course) after a major energy crisis cripples Australia, the sparsely populated outback slowly succumbs to roaming gangs of criminals and scavengers. Mel Gibson stars as Max Rockatansky, an officer of the beleaguered Main Force Patrol attempting to maintain the last vestiges of law and order. Max and the rest of the MFP are fighting a losing battle against the roving outlaws, and soon become the target of a gang known as the Acolytes, led by a biker named Toecutter. Things get personal when Max’s wife and child are run down by Toecutter and his gang, and Max finally gets mad. It’s a straightforward revenge film–Max doesn’t save anyone or adhere to any noble principles, but merely leaves a trail of dead bikers in his wake.
Things haven’t yet deteriorated to the apocalyptic wastelands of later films, but the film does a good job of depicting a crumbling society whose populace is slowly losing hope. There are still small communities of people mostly trying to go about their own business, but they are completely at the mercy of the outlaw gangs. The MFP can do little to stop them–its officers are outmatched and mostly broken. In the opening pursuit of the outlaw Nightrider, it’s clear that most of the MFP officers are discouraged, frustrated, and reckless. When they ultimately manage to arrest Toecutter’s protégé Johnny, the courts can’t prosecute because no one arrives to testify at the trial. This gradual breakdown of civilization can be traced directly through the sequels, and the original trilogy as a whole provides an interesting depiction of society going from bad to worse to crazy, a sort of “big picture” continuity that’s surprisingly uncommon in films.
It’s also worth noting that George Miller was a medical doctor and that this film was partially inspired by his own experiences in the emergency room and growing up in rural Australia. His experience has lent him a keen eye, and Mad Max contains depictions of violence and brutality that can still make you cringe some 35 desensitized years later. The action and stunt sequences still hold up well, and the marauding gangs evoke the sort of nihilistic sociopathy from films such as A Clockwork Orange.
The world is an ugly place filled with ugly people, and Max too was forged in the same crucible. When his quest for vengeance finally leads him to Johnny, the remaining member of the Acolytes, he handcuffs him to a wrecked truck with a fuel leak. He hands him a hacksaw and estimates that it’ll take about ten minutes to cut through the handcuffs, but if he’s lucky, he can hack through his ankle in five. It’s hard to overstate the films’ impact on modern pop culture, but just to give you an idea: you can thank the film’s final scene for inspiring the entire Saw franchise.
Hugh Keays-Byrne, who plays Toecutter, will be returning as Immortan Joe in Fury Road.
Long before Top Gun, Max Rockatansky had a partner named Goose.
The Muppets return to primetime with a contemporary, documentary-style show. For the first time ever, a series will explore the Muppets’ personal lives and relationships, both at home and at work, as well as romances, breakups, achievements, disappointments, wants and desires. This is a more adult Muppet show, for “kids” of all ages.
Bill Prady (“The Big Bang Theory”) and Bob Kushell (“Anger Management”) are co-writers and executive producers. Randall Einhorn (“Wilfred”), Bill Barretta, Debbie McClellan and Kyle Laughlin are also executive producers. “The Muppets” is produced by ABC Studios and The Muppets Studio.
Nowadays, Assassin’s Creed has become more akin to Call of Duty; Ubisoft puts out a sequel almost yearly and it’s anyone’s guess if the game will be a success or not. The latest incarnation is Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate, announced earlier today, is to be set in Victorian England. You can watch the announcement below, starting at around the 14-minute mark.
If you don’t want to sit through the video, here are the big items discussed:
Battle is more of a brawl, with added hand-to-hand combat weapons, and faster response times.
Carriages and traffic have been implemented, to add a more dynamic way or travel (or way of fighting). You can kill someone on top of a train or you can recklessly race a carriage down London streets. Grand Theft Carriage, it seems.
A button to instantly activate stealth mode.
New gadgets and weapons: rope launcher to quickly reach the tops of building; hallucinogenic darts to turn enemies against one another
Ability to use the environment to take out enemies, such as cutting down barrels to fall on a guard’s head.
Your characters, siblings Evie and Jacob, fight for control of London slums, to gain domination for your gang while taking out rivals.
No Multiplayer mode.
It seems you will be able to play as female character Evie, likely as an attempt to quell frustrations about the lack of female characters in Assassin’s Creed games. However, according to rumors, the time split between Evie and Jacob is thought to be around 25% and 75%, respectively. Why they can’t have the player choose one or the other is beyond me, but I can’t imagine this will calm upset gamers. That aside, Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate looks to be a fun addition to the Ubisoft franchise.
Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate is expected to be released Fall of 2015.
A diverse group of recruits has arrived at the FBI Quantico Base for training. They are the best, the brightest and the most vetted, so it seems impossible that one of them is suspected of masterminding the biggest attack on New York City since 9/11.
“Quantico” stars Priyanka Chopra as Alex, Dougray Scott as Liam, Jake McLaughlin as Ryan, Aunjanue Ellis as Miranda, Yasmine Al Massri as Nimah, Johanna Braddy as Shelby, Tate Ellington as Simon and Graham Rogers as Caleb.
“Quantico” was written by Josh Safran. Executive producers are Josh Safran, Mark Gordon and Nick Pepper. “Quantico” is produced by ABC Studios.
Peggy Carter is shifting coasts when she returns to Marvel’s Agent Carter later this year.
Announced in ABC’s 2015-2016 Upfront press release, the series starring Hayley Atwell, will see the heroine headed off to the city of angels in the second season. What awaits her in the atomic age? New friends and possibly a new love!
From the press release:
“Marvel’s Agent Carter” returns for a second season of adventure and intrigue, starring Hayley Atwell in the titular role of the unstoppable secret agent for the SSR (Strategic Scientific Reserve). Dedicated to the fight against new atomic age threats in the wake of World War II, Peggy must now journey from New York City to Los Angeles for her most dangerous assignment yet. But even as she discovers new friends, a new home — and perhaps even a new love — she’s about to find out that the bright lights of the post-war Hollywood mask a more sinister threat to everyone she is sworn to protect.
Agent Carter will return in the Winter. ABC has confirmed that the second season will air during Agent’s of SHIELD‘s hiatus just like last year.
The effects of Gavin Belson’s lawsuit, Erlich’s shenanigans, Dinesh and Gilfoyle’s bickering, and the general presence of Russ Hanneman, combined with running a start-up are beginning to take a toll on Richard’s health. Each morning Richard awakes drenched in an obscene amount of sweat. After a visit to the doctor (whose medical opinion I’m believing less and less) Richard learns that his condition could be a precursor to a more juvenile malady: bed wetting. The very thought of this stresses Richard out more, thus becoming a catch-22 that can only end poorly the more he dwells on it.
But a bout of night sweats won’t stop Pied Piper as the company is beginning to gather momentum, finally moving on up, and out of Erlich’s house, to a swanky brick exposed office space replete with a modeling agency neighbor. Surprisingly Dinesh is eager for the parade of gorgeous females, a nice change of pace from last season where he fell into a predictable “scared of the opposite sex” nerd archetype. Additionally, this elegant and professional workplace could lower Richard’s mounting stress. But Pied Piper can’t have nice things; that’s their thing. Hooli has strong-armed all of Pied Piper’s server options from doing business with them, thereby trying to stop them even before they start. Gosh, doesn’t that sound familiar?
Gilfoyle poses the idea that they should build their own servers (on top of build their own wells and doomsday bunkers). This comes at the cost of the office – and models. Oh, and perhaps Richard’s sanity, health, and clean sheets. It shows the amount Richard is willing to sacrifice in order to make Pied Piper succeed. It’s my favorite moment in the episode, as this decision has the potential to be the factor that allows Pied Piper to compete not only with Nucleus but all of Hooli.
Speaking of the them, back at Hooli-land, Big Head (now firmly nicknamed Bag Head) is still clueless that he’s a pawn in Gavin Belson’s lawsuit game. He spends his days making potato-gun artillery, much to the dismay of his XYZ co-head, Professor Bannerchek. Because while Bag Head is using the brightest minds for the most useless and cheapest endeavors, Bannerchek falls on the other end of the spectrum – using the brightest minds and the most high-tech innovations for the noblest of endeavors – to give an armless monkey the gift to jack off and fling feces. Despite this scientific blunder, Professor Bannerchek threatens to resign if Belson doesn’t fire Big Head.
At Erlich’s ranch home, the group is prepping to convert the garage into the server room, when they learn that, for who knows how long, Jared has been squatting in the garage – another example of the sacrifices this group subjects themselves to. Additionally, the news of them moving out and then not doesn’t sit well with Noah, their neighbor, who was eager that a house full of renters would finally be moving out. As he sees them moving back in with more hardware, Erlich has to cut Richard short of divulging that they’re running a business out of the house as it violates zoning laws. This puts Richard on edge, especially when Gilfoyle is outside smoking and blasting music. Despite his previous estimate on how long it would take to build the server, Gilfoyle’s already a week behind schedule. It highlights the unique environment they’re all putting themselves through. While it doesn’t come close to the level of sacrifice Richard and Jared (now roommates) are experiencing, it is a burden in its own way. Imagine living with your boss, only to have him scrutinize any downtime if a deadline hasn’t been made yet.
While Richard and Gilfoyle are discussing the finer points of this confusing home-work work-home relationship the power goes out. Upon inspecting the server room they catch Dinesh red-handed. He wanted to work with the hardware so badly that he went behind Gilfoyle’s back. However, based on Gilfoyle’s set-up, his actions not only blew out the power of their house but of the entire block as well. Noah, fed up with their antics, informs them that he’s going to report them to the City Inspector. That night Jared’s particularly aggressive “night-Germaning” sends Richard searching for another place to sleep, but the entire place is packed to the rafters with people. Richard finds a spot outside, only to hear Noah talking on the other side of the fence. On further examination Richard see him handling a pet ferret – something we know to be illegal in the state of California thanks to Erlich’s earlier dismissal of a potential “incubee”. T march next door and blackmail Noah from calling the inspector, threatening to do the same on him and his beloved pets.
Back at Hooli, Gavin reveals that with Professor Bannerchek’s resignation “Bag Head” is now the sole visionary of Hooli XYZ. It’s only here that we see through a quizative squint that Big Head might finally realize something is amiss as Gavin routinely (albeit quickly) adds that he co-founded Pied Piper. Nevertheless, he receives the praise and sits down as Gavin makes his final announcement. Nucleus will be the exclusive provider of an upcoming UFC match next month. In the Nucleus test lab, head engineers inform an executive that they’re not ready and at least 6 weeks behind schedule. She skirts telling Gavin, giving them permission to offer him the news. This leads to a series of similar conversations down the companies hierarchy, illuminating they’re much further away from their goal than 6 weeks. And even though Pied Piper might be behind with having to build a new server room, it looks like Hooli might be even further back.
This episode was more plot focused than rife with jokes, it had the occasional gag but it lacked scenes that had either montages packed with jokes or sessions of seemingly improvised banter with the entire group. And that’s entirely okay with me; I’m a fan of the story Silicon Valley is telling on top of the humor they deliver. This episode wasn’t without its moments of brevity, but they personally didn’t resonate with me. Jared talking in his sleep in fluent German was funny. And the monkey gag at Hooli was a particularly nice jab at scientists as a whole. To quote Patton Oswalt, “we’re science, all about coulda not shoulda.” Unfortunately, I didn’t find the kimono gag between Richard and Erlich to be that great, and Erlich’s character is becoming more two-dimensional while everyone else seems to be breaking out of their tropes set in season one.
With us hitting the halfway point in the season, it will be interesting to see what happens between now and the finale, which will presumably take place at CES.
Louie Season 5, Episode 5 – “Untitled” Air date: May 7 (10:30pm e/p)
Who would’ve predicted that Louie would venture into horror? By now, audiences are probably familiar with Louie’s frequent use of absurdity and surrealism, but “Untitled” taps into that complacency to deliver a few scares rather than the usual bafflement. It makes perfect sense in retrospect–from the show’s predilection for playing with expectations to Louie’s countless modern fears and anxieties, the material is ripe for a horror take.
The episode starts off simply enough, with the sorts of mundane trials and tribulations Louie normally contends with. Louie takes Jane to the doctor, where she describes a “weird thing” in her head. She goes into an elaborate and somewhat fantastical description that includes phrases like “sweating on the inside of her head” and “seeing that everything is just electrons”. It’s pretty disconcerting for a parent to hear, and speaks to the episode’s exploration of the strange and often inexplicable things within our minds, but it just sounds like mild dehydration to the doctor.
I’ve really enjoyed the depiction of Jane and Lily’s growth and development.over the seasons. It’s nuanced and subtle, and doesn’t rely on the heavy-handed lessons and group hugs shown in more traditional family sitcoms. Rather, their growth has been gradual and almost imperceptible–the doctor speaks only to Jane and all but ignores Louie, while Louie finds himself confronted with his own ignorance of his daughter’s health. Later on, he’s surprised to learn that Jane doesn’t have many friends at school and is shocked when Lily reveals that they watched A Clockwork Orange at the sleepover. His general bafflement is that of a parent who’s being gradually outpaced by his daughters’ development into full-fledged individuals.
Louie ends up suffering from a series of bizarre nightmares that prevents him from sleeping. It’s not apparent at first, and the only warning we receive is Louie’s exasperated “oh no” after a knock on the door that opens up to only darkness. Dream sequences aren’t unusual for a show like Louie, but I don’t think anyone was ready for a greased up bogeyman with beady eyes to come leaping out of the darkness. Louie is haunted by these nightmares as he loses sleep and lines between reality and dreams start to blur. His attempts to seek help or find a cause prove futile, and the dreams only get more bizarre–that damned bogeyman also keeps showing up, and it’s horrible every time.
It’s hard to tell how much of the rest of the episode is real or part of Louie’s dream. The show’s signature surrealism is put to great effect here; there are fun little moments of ambiguity where the weirdness on display could still fit comfortably within the show’s wheelhouse without being a dream. Eventually, Louie remembers back to the day the dreams started, and to Barbara, the recently divorced mother of Lily’s friend. The dreams appear to be the result of his guilt over not helping her and awkwardly leaving after she breaks down in tears. He returns to help her with various household tasks, such as moving her fish tank and fixing the sink, and is ultimately able to sleep peacefully again.
We all have weird things in our head. It’s hard to know where they came from, what they mean, or how to fix them. As far as Louie goes, maybe it’s a manifestation of some personal anxiety, or perhaps all you need is a glass of water. Either way, I know where my next nightmare is coming from: that terrifying bogeyman leaping out of the darkness.
Jon Glaser guest stars as a joke-stealing comic, channeling some of that great “Councilman Jamm” sliminess. I miss Parks and Rec.
When Barbara breaks down, Louie doesn’t feel comfortable trying to console her–he reaches to put a blanket around her shoulders, but ends up just draping it over her completely.
The song that plays at the end of of the episode is great, and it too seemed completely innocuous until the bizarre lyrics catches your attention.
We are coming off of one of the better RAW shows in recent memory. The Payback main event is shaping up to be a nice one — featuring Dean Ambrose, a guy who should have been a part of this picture a long time ago if WWE hadn’t been booking him to job to Star Wars holograms and exploding TV sets. The tag team division has The New Day leading the way and is looking strong with Kidd and Cesaro and Lucha Dragons in the background. John Cena leads the mid-card (I can’t believe I’m saying that) while simultaneously dominating it. And Sami Zayn’s injured. And so is Hideo Itami. Despite this, the Giant Wrestling Company That Did chugs along on this, the “going home” show, despite the fact that we really, only, have two official Payback matches set up. So, I guess we’re gonna book the other 6 or 7 tonight and on Smackdown.
Let’s move…
We are LIVE(!!!) from Cincinnati, Ohio for Monday Night RAW!!!
JBL, Cole and Booker are the usual guys.
Triple H starts us off, declaring that “Daddy’s home”. He says that when he comes home to his kids and says “Daddy’s home”, (DANIELLE: They boo me!), they’re happy. But he’s not happy with Kane and his bullshit booking because he’s Triple H and there’s no way for him to stop his employees from doing stuff he doesn’t want done or reverse the main event booking. He tells Kane to come out here — but here comes Rollins instead.
Rollins rants about Kane and reviews all the bullshit Triple H just said and all the shit we’ve gone through in the past few weeks while the crowd chants Ambrose’s name in several different variations. Rollins tells Triple H that Kane isn’t the same person and it’s time to “take the old dog out back and put him out of his misery.”
That’s enough of that. Kane shows up — and actually gets a pop. Kane says that he’s older than Rollins and with age comes wisdom. He wants to strangle Rollins right the fuck now. They bicker back and forth and Triple H gets between them. Triple H says he respects Kane — but Kane needs to get on the same page as The Authority. He says that he knows Rollins is irritating and you just wanna punch him in the face…but you don’t. He says that Kane’s job is on the line. If Rollins doesn’t leave Payback as champion, his services won’t be needed.
Kane says that’s a shame…but it’s all worth it to eviscerate Rollins. Rollins argues again and Triple H tells him to shut up. Triple H says that Kane should speak up because this is the point where a break would be “amicable”. Kane is quiet. Triple H accepts the silence and says that the Fatal 4-Way will go on — and they’ll all see action tonight. So, tonight he wants to test Kane. Tonight, it’s Kane vs. Reigns. He orders Rollins to take on Randy Orton. Rollins is furious.
Then, Jamie Noble decides to get brave and criticizes Triple H, telling him that he’s just some rich guy who rides in limos and watches a big screen. Triple H mocks Noble and Mercury, saying that he “didn’t know they were still around”. He gets into Noble’s face, taking care to, mockingly, kneel down to match Noble’s height. He puts Noble and Mercury into a handicap match…against Dean Ambrose.
Triple H tells Kane and Rollins to come with him as Ambrose makes his way to the ring.
MATCH #1: Dean Ambrose vs. Jamie Noble & Joey Mercury in a 2-on-1 Handicap Match Ambrose manhandles Mercury who tags in Ambrose. Ambrose goes for Dirty Deeds but Noble escapes and the fight continues outside. Mercury and Noble double team Ambrose until Ambrose puts both guys over the announce table. Back in the ring, Ambrose tries to go top rope on Mercury but Mercury pulls him down. It’s a couple quick tags as Noble puts Ambrose in an armbar. Mercury comes in and hits a dropkick and headlock. Ambrose breaks and the two men collide and butt heads. Tag to Noble. Ambrose gets up and works him over, hitting a couple mean tackles. He goes for a bulldog but Mercury pulls Noble outside the ring. Ambrose hits the Flying Psycho and puts Noble back in the ring, hitting a flying clothesline. Mercury makes the save. The boys beat on Ambrose, who hits a Double Rebound Clothesline and Dirty Deeds to finish it at 5:17 as Booker, frustratingly, says “We have a new champion!” WINNER: Dean Ambrose via Dirty Deeds
RATING: *3/4. Better than expected, but big deal. Why are we wasting Dean Ambrose on these guys when Ambrose is main eventing Payback? Quick action and no commercial break for a change, so there’s that.
TONIGHT: Daniel Bryan is here.
When we come back from break, Ziggler is out here, dressed like what white 80’s TV Execs thought gang members looked like. Sheamus is at ringside with the guys, doing commentary. Cole welcomes Sheamus to commentary and, because he just can’t let it die,continues to berate him for not “kissing Ziggler’s arse” three weeks ago.
(WHYG Writer Jared: “Hey, folks, welcome to our third PPV, WEDGIEMANIA! John Cena will defend the United States Championship against Rusev again — but this time, in a No Holds Barred WEDGIE MATCH!” JBL: “A wedgie match?!” COLE: “That’s right, John! In order to win the match, you have to give your opponent a WEDGIE!”)
Barrett gets on the mic and gives a speech that just isn’t the same without the “bad news” gimmick. He tells the ref to ring the bell.
MATCH #2: Dolph Ziggler vs. King Barrett Ziggler hits a Superkick and nearly gets a pin. He hits an elbow drop for another two count and dropkicks Barrett outside. When we come back from one RAW’s much-needed commercial breaks, Barrett’s in control with a pin and a headlock. He elbows Ziggler on the back of the head but Ziggler charges up and hits the Fame-Asser for two. Ziggler goes for another Superkick but Barrett grabs his leg and goes for Wasteland. Ziggler breaks it but Barrett knocks him down with a knee to the gut. Barrett sets up the Bullhammer but misses. Sheamus gets involved, distracting Ziggler. Barrett hits the Bullhammer to finish up at 5:52. WINNER: Barrett via Bullhammer
RATING: **. Nothing going on here except to build up the Sheamus feud.
Post-match, Sheamus kicks at Ziggler. Ziggler fights back with a press but Sheamus hits a Brogue and leaves.
TONIGHT:
Kane vs. Roman Reigns
Randy Orton vs. Seth Rollins
MATCH #3: Erick Rowan (w/ Luke Harper) vs. Fandango It’s the Suddenly Evil Because Reasons Eric Rowan vs. The New and Improved Fandango You Know What Nevermind. JBL, Cole and Booker argue over how fast Rowan will win, guess 2 minutes or under because this is a thing now. Rowan destroys Fandango and hits a Full Nelson Slam for the win at around 36 seconds. WINNER: Erick Rowan
RATING: n/a – squash. I didn’t care about Rowan before. I don’t care for him now. As a tag team, Rowan and Harper can kick a whole lot of ass. Let’s do that instead of 15 straight solo squashes week after week. Anyhow, this whole match has an Island of Misfit Toys feel, starring a bunch of WWE’s failed experiments.
Post-match, it’s a Rowan/Harper beatdown.
NEXT: Cena will beat a mid-carder.
LAST WEEK: Bret Hart introduced Sami Zayn who lost to John Cena, got injured and won’t return to WWE for weeks to come.
Cena graces us with his presence and is thrilled because the arena seems to cheer for him. He talks up the Franklin Mint United States Commemorative Championship and lists all the people he’s beaten to keep it. The Cena U.S. Open is…uh…open…and the challenger is…
Neville. To almost no pop.
MATCH #4: John Cena (champion) vs. Neville (challenger) for the WWE United States Championship The two men exchange holds and wrist locks and armbars for the first couple of minutes. Cena hits a shoulderblock and side headlock as JBL says that Cena “could have anyone…like Harper and Rowan”. Neville breaks the hold and sends Cena outside. When we come back, NOBODY IS IN CONTROL! Cena hits Move #1 but Neville kicks out of #3 and sends Cena out of the ring, following with a nice Baseball Slide Kick. Neville follows that up with a beautiful Springboard 450 Splash. Back in the ring, Neville gets a two count. A few counters later and Cena hits #3 and goes for the 5KS, hitting it. He goes for the AA but Neville kicks free and kicks Cena in the face. Neville hits ANOTHER beautiful 450 Splash but only gets a near fall. The two men exchange punches and Neville hits some quick low kicks before Cena grabs Neville for a nice Michinoku Driver for two. Cena sets up the AA again but Neville counters into a pin for two. Cena puts Neville in the corner. Neville jumps over Cena and does some backflips. He hits a cross body but Cena counters into an AA which Neville counters. Neville hits an Enzuguri and NEARLY gets another fall. He goes for the Red Arrow but Cena counters into the STF. Neville counters that and nearly gets another fall. Cena gets to his feet and hits a quick clothesline and both men are weary. Cena rushes at Neville but Neville dodges and kicks Cena. Cena grabs Neville anyhow and hits an AA. 1…2…NO. Both men are on their backs and struggle to get up. Cena is on his feet first as Neville rolls outside the ropes. Cena grabs Neville and puts him on his shoulders, climbing to the second buckle…but Neville counters into a Falling Powerbomb! 1…2…NO. Neville gets up and goes for the Red Arrow and hits it…and Rusev fuck this entire thing up by interfering for the DQ finish at 14:42. Fuck this fucking show. WINNER: Neville via DQ
RATING: I’ll go ***3/4. I hate run-in finishes but that fit. This would have been an easy ***** on any PPV.
Post-match, Rusev stomps a mudhole in Cena and puts him in the Accolade and Neville doesn’t do a thing about it because he’s dead some place. Meanwhile, the crowd chants “WE WANT LANA”.
STILL TO COME:
Kane vs. Reigns
Orton vs. Rollins
Kane and Reigns make their way to the ring. Kane immediately attacks Reigns as he gets over the crowd barrier and just beats him up, slamming his head into the steel steps. When Kane tosses Reigns into the ring, Reigns hits a Sagat-like Tiger Uppercut and goes back outside to deal with Kane. Kane regroups and tosses Reigns between the edge of the mat and the crowd barrier. Reigns is left laying on the floor and starts taking apart the announce table. Reigns gets up and fights back, trying the Superman Punch, finally hitting it after a few counters. He hits a Spear that was obviously meant to break the announce table but it didn’t and Cole’s forced to hold his orgasm. Reigns awkwardly climbs the announce table…and does nothing. His music hits and Kane is still down, having proved…something to Triple H, I guess.
NEXT: Daniel Bryan is here to talk about his neck.
LAST WEEK: Tamin Snuka made an arbitrary return due to overwhelming demand. Her and Naomi beat up the Bellas, who are heels, kinda.
MATCH #5: Brie Bella (w/ Nikki Bella) vs. Tamina Snuka (w/ Naomi) Cole plugs the WWE App, telling us to tune in so we can see what the Bellas think about Naomi. Tamina gained some weight during her off-time and botches a punch to Brie’s gut. Tamina hits a clothesline and gets a one-count as Nikki says inspirational stuff like, “C’mon, Brie, fight”. Brie regains composure and hits a nice missile dropkick for two. Brie hits a running knee against the ropes but can’t hit a second one, which she always tries for. Tamina blocks her and hits a Superkick for the win at 3:34. WINNER: Tamina Snuka
RATING: 1/4*.
TONIGHT: Randy Orton vs. Seth Rollins
Curtis Axel is waiting for Damien Sandow. They’re fighting because Axel imitated Hulk Hogan and Damien Sandow imitated Randy Savage. It’s like two drag queens jockeying for stage time.
MATCH #6: Curtis Axel vs. Macho Mandow *Sigh*. Sandow is out with Savage’s theme music and costume — and Cole has a HASHTAG FOR IT. Sandow points like Savage. Axel rips off his shirt but Mandow hits shoulderblocks and goes top rope for the big elbow…but The Ascension shows up because why the fuck not? Viktor says that this isn’t entertaining. Konnor takes the ironic route and says that “dressing like a legend doesn’t make you a legend”. They rush the ring — but Sandow dumps Konnor and slams Viktor to the mat. Axel hits a Hogan Legdrop. And this is DOA. JBL, Cole and Booker sit there, stunned, saying, “Well…that was…something.” WINNERS: No contest
RATING: DUD. The Ascension was just buried by Curtis Axel and Damien Sandow imitating Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage while they, themselves, imitate the Legion of Doom. My brain is gonna short circuit.
Post-match, it’s a Pseudo Mega Powers handshake. Yay?
Daniel Bryan is out to speak and looks none too happy. He says that he’s had a bunch of doctor visits in the last two weeks. He is sick of that and wants some energy. He says that he needed to come out here and get his usual reaction. He recalls when Steph stripped him of the World Title last year…and she was right to do it. He says that the fans deserve a fighting champion — and that’s why he’s out here tonight. He says that he had an MRI and that the doctors are telling him that he’s out indefinitely. Despite that, he says the fans deserve somebody fighting for the IC Championship — and has to invoke the name of Dean Ambrose in order to get fans cheering. Tonight, he is giving up the Intercontinental Championship. He thanks the fans and leaves the belt in the center of the ring. The crowd chants “THANK YOU, DANIEL” and Bryan rewards them by leading a YES chant to finish that segment.
Cole, JBL and Booker are depressed and discuss WHAT JUST HAPPENED.
The New Day’s music hits but the crowd is dead. Eventually, it’s a “NEW DAY SUCKS” chant that brings them back. The three men talk about the tag teams in contention for the titles and try another “NEW DAY ROCKS” chant. It doesn’t work and Cesaro and Kidd interrupt with Nattie’s Giant Bewbz already having been there for 20 minutes.
MATCH #7: Big E (w/ Xavier Woods & Kofi Kingston) vs. Cesaro (w/ Tyson Kidd & Natalya) JBL continues calling Cesaro and Tyson “Tyson & Kidd” as Cesaro hits a HUGE slam to start things off. Cesaro hits an uppercut and huge crossbody off the top rope for two. Cesaro beats E in the corner with kicks, then clotheslines him from the ring. After a commercial break, Cesaro fights out of an Abdominal Stretch only to fall victim to another one. Cesaro counters with a Gut Wrench Suplex but E hits a Spinebuster. He misses a Warrior Splash but hits ANOTHER Warrior Splash and gets two. E hits a shoulder tackle for two. Cesaro comes back with a Springboard Uppercut and two German Suplexes, followed by a dangerous looking Belly to Belly that sees Big E landing on the back of his neck. Cesaro goes for a Spin. Woods jumps on the mat and him and Tyson Kidd fight each other. Finally, Woods trips Kidd and taunts Cesaro. E tries to clothesline Cesaro but Cesaro counters an hits a neat cradle pin for the three count at 8:54. WINNER: Cesaro
RATING: **. Good power match here. Cesaro just continues to look impressive, even if you think you’ve seen everything he’s had to offer.
WWE Network is free for the month of May…so tune in to see Macho Mandow and Curtis Axel take on The Ascension.
If you think that’s fucked, OMG, another PPV has been added this month: Elimination Chamber, live from Texas on Sunday, May 31st. Shouldn’t that have been Fastlane? Yeah. This isn’t desperate at all.
THIS THURSDAY: Roman Reigns vs. Kane because the match nobody wanted to see in the first place MUST HAPPEN.
The Prime Time Players imitate D-X because we haven’t had enough of this tonight. Parts of the crowd sadly chant along with the old D-X shit.
Bray Wyatt time. Wyatt comes to the ring and goes Alex Jones nuts, talking about Climate Change and economic collapse and global war. When he’s done with the Coast 2 Coast nonsense, he trashes Ryback for reading The Secret and fighting against injury to “come back”. But Ryback has never seen anything like Bray Wyatt. He says that, sometimes, the bad guy wins. He does the Raven…until Ryback shows up and heads to the ring. Ryback hits a Spinebuster and clothesline and Wyatt is dispatched outside. We go to break with Ryback standing tall.
MATCH #8: Randy Orton vs. WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins (non-title) No J&J “flank” for this match. After some back and forth, Rollins hits some shots to Orton’s head and gut. Orton responds, tossing Rollins to the mat and into the corner. Orton knocks him down and drops a knee for two. He misses the next one but hits a backbreaker. He rushes Rollins but Rollins trips him and sends him outside. When we come back, Rollins is in control while Cole recaps what might happen in a Fatal 4-Way in case you haven’t watched wrestling since the late 90’s. Rollins tosses Orton into the corner and runs but Orton dumps Rollins over the ropes. Rollins recovers and goes top rope but Orton trips him up. Orton hits a Superplex but both men are hurt. When they get to their feet, it’s “boo/yay” shots. Orton tries a Powerslam in stride but Rollins holds the ropes. Rollins leaps at Orton from the top rope and Orton hits the Powerslam anyhow. Two count. Rollins dazes Orton and hits a flying knee from the top rope. Two count. Rollins tries the Buckle Bomb but Orton counters it. There’s a series of counters and Orton finally hits a Fisherman’s Suplex throw. Orton goes after Rollins but Rollins kicks Orton and hits a Suicide Dive to the outside. For some reason, eight guys in the crowd chant, “THIS IS AWESOME”. Back in the ring, Rollins tries to splash Orton in the corner but misses. Orton misses an RKO. Rollins rolls him up for two, then hits a low Superkick for two. Both men struggle to theri feet. Rollins gets to feet first. He rushes Orton but Orton sends Rollins outside the ropes for a Vintage DDT. He sets up for the RKO but J&J Security are here to fuck this up at 15:19. WINNER: Randy Orton via DQ
RATING: **. Just have J&J at ringside if you’re gonna end it like that.
Post-match, Rollins and J&J put Orton to the mat. Kane’s music hits. He goes for a chair. Rollins & J&J stomp a mudhole in Orton. Ambrose and Reigns show up, tossing J&J from the ring. They surround Rollins. Ambrose hits Dirty Deeds. The three Fatal 4-Way competitors turn to face Kane. Kane does nothing. Ambrose picks up Rollins and holds him for Reigns. Reigns hits a Spear. Kane still stands there, watching. Ambrose and Reigns pick Rollins up for Orton who hits an RKO. Kane still doesn’t move…so Reigns hits a Spear on Orton. That means Ambrose gets to hit Dirty Deeds on Reigns and Ambrose stands tall as we go off the air.
OVERALL: **. Blah for a “going home” show. Nowhere near as good as last week with a bunch of shit matches and a brilliant Cena/Neville match. That one match does not, a good show, make.
And, of course, it’s the best of the Internet Water Cooler…
Veep Season 4, Episode 05 “Convention” Air date: May 10, 2015 10:30 e/p
Veep continues its streak of major character shakeups this season with the surprise resignation of Amy. When Senator O’Brien announces a strong running mate in New Mexico senator Laura Montez, Selina and her team scrambles to find a suitable contender of their own in the midst of the National Convention. Meanwhile, Amy is fed up with her role as manager for Selina’s struggling campaign and Dan desperately tries to impress a client in his new role as a lobbyist.
Selina’s presidency has raised the stakes quite a bit, and has brought many relationships to a head. Gary and Selina had a major argument back in “East Wing”, while Dan was later fired as a scapegoat for the data breach. Amy’s epic meltdown this episode was a long time coming: tasked with managing Selina’s fumbling campaign, her job has only grown more frustrating since Selina ascended to the presidency and other priorities (and people) continue to crowd her out. Selina’s new advisor (read: sycophant) Karen pushes all of Amy’s buttons without contributing anything meaningful of her own, but Amy is finally pushed over the edge when Selina refuses to consider her recommendation of Tom James as a running mate.
Angry Amy is my favorite Amy; in a show full of venomous tongues and withering glares, few moments could ever compete with Amy’s all-consuming rage this episode. Her meltdown and resignation is suitably epic–she tears into Karen and Selina with the pent-up rage of everything she’s endured over the seasons. Although Karen’s tendency to speak only in vague, non-committal statements pushes Amy past the breaking point, Selina ultimately receives the brunt of Amy’s fury:
I wouldn’t let you run a bath without having the coast guard and fire department standing by, and here you are running the country. You are the worst thing to happen to this country since food in buckets, and maybe slavery… You have achieved nothing, apart from one thing: The fact that you are a woman means that we will have no more women presidents because we tried one and she fucking sucks.
It’s a shocking, cathartic, hilarious scene that leaves the team dumbfounded. What’s really great, however, is Selina’s reaction–she sees the truth in Amy’s statements and respects her opinion enough to go with Tom James. By the end of the episode, she even has Ben fire Karen. It’s the sort of wise, mature, and considered reaction we would expect from the president of the United States. Veep is a comedy that largely just documents the various fumbling and failures of Selina and her inept team, but we only ever catch glimpses of the skilled politician Selina needs to be in order to have gotten as far as she has. Her reaction to Amy’s outburst is an important reminder that she’s still good at what she does and she’s president for a reason. Ultimately, it’s also a rather touching victory for Amy; although it didn’t come soon enough to prevent her from leaving, she finally receives the trust and acknowledgement she deserved.
Everyone else has their own great little moments, from Catherine’s continued struggle under the intense scrutiny and micromanagement of Selina to Dan’s attempt to please his first client as a lobbyist. The pairing of Richard with Jonah continues to pay dividends–Sam Richardson’s unique blend of idiocy has been a great addition since he was promoted to series regular this season. This episode also has a few brief but funny appearances from both George Maddox and Danny Chung, who are briefly considered as running mates. The episode is a little overcrowded at times, but Amy’s meltdown really clears the air and the introduction of Hugh Laurie as Selina’s old flame and new running mate Tom James is an exciting set up for the second half of the season.
I cannot properly express how excited I am to see Hugh Laurie on this show.
“All sciences are precise. That’s what science means.” “That’s open to interpretation.” “Extraordinary.”
“Chung’s our answer–he can be our minority retort!”
“I call her Ames for short–wait actually it’s long for Amy.”
“I remember being so excited to have a mania named after me.”
Teddy Sykes was fired for fondling Jonah–Patton Oswalt’s great, but unfortunately I don’t think his character added much to a season already filled with great characters.
THE GRINDER, starring Emmy Award nominee Rob Lowe (“Parks and Recreation,” “The West Wing”) and Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award nominee Fred Savage (“The Wonder Years”), follows a famous TV lawyer (Lowe) who, after his hit series, “The Grinder,” is canceled, moves back home and joins his brother (Savage) at their family’s real-life law firm – despite having no formal education, no bar certification, no license to practice and no experience in an actual courtroom.
Based on Steven Spielberg’s international blockbuster film and the first of his films to be adapted for television, MINORITY REPORT follows the partnership between a man (Stark Sands, “Inside Llewyn Davis”) haunted by the future and a cop (Meagan Good, “Think Like A Man” franchise, “Californication”) haunted by her past, as they race to stop the worst crimes before they happen.
From executive producer Todd Harthan (“Psych,” “Dominion”), ROSEWOOD stars Morris Chestnut (“Nurse Jackie,” “The Best Man” franchise) as DR. BEAUMONT ROSEWOOD, JR., a brilliant private pathologist who uses wildly sophisticated technology and his drive to live life to the fullest to help a tough-as-nails detective (Jaina Lee Ortiz, “The After”) and the Miami PD uncover clues no one else can see.
Based on characters from DC Entertainment’s Vertigo imprint, LUCIFER stars Tom Ellis (“Merlin”) as the charming, charismatic and handsome-as-hell original fallen angel, who, bored and unhappy in Hell, takes refuge in Los Angeles, where he uses his gift of persuasion to punish bad guys. But the longer he’s away from the underworld, the greater the threat that the worst of humanity could escape.
In THE FRANKENSTEIN CODE, from executive producer/writer Rand Ravich (“Life,” “Crisis”) and executive producer Howard Gordon (“Homeland,” “24”), a disgraced, 75-year-old ex-sheriff, whose life ends at the hands of corrupt cops, is brought back to life and given a second chance by a pair of young tech scientists, as a 35-year-old (Rob Kazinsky, “True Blood”) with unpredictable near-superhuman abilities.
GRANDFATHERED stars John Stamos (“Full House,” “ER”) as the ultimate bachelor whose life is turned upside down when he discovers he’s not only a father, but a grandfather.
It took us until the fifth episode, but we finally have a solid Game of Thrones episode in “Kill the Boy.” I attribute that almost entirely to lack of jumping from place to place every two minutes. Each plot was given enough time to grow so that we could savor (or loathe) every characters’ presence.
The Wall
At Castle Black, Stannis continues to grow on me. Last week he made Shireen (most adorable character on the show) happy and this week he corrected a Crow’s grammar. Oh, Stannis. You can be my King of Westeros; though, now you’re dead because I like you.
Stannis has been making his way around Castle Black, taking inventory of the men around him. Unlike many leaders who only expect soldiers in a time of war, Stannis knows to look for the strengths in each person, especially when it comes Samwell Tarly. Sam may have slain a White Walker, but he’s never going to beat back an army and Stannis knows this, so he instructs Sam to stay in school and keep reading about dragonglass so they can arm themselves against winter. Stannis, thus far, has been the only leader to even recognize the growing troubles North of the Wall and that earns him respect from me. However, he also knows that because of the encroaching winter, now is the time to strike at Winterfell; and with that, the Baratheons leave Castle Black. I’m not really sure I’d want to take Selyse on a road trip, though. “Fetus in a jar, anyone? No? Fine, you’ll all burn.”
Meanwhile, Jon Snow is off being an awesome Lord Commander, holding his own against crazy eyes Tormund, and making hard decisions about the Night’s Watch’s future. He knows saving the wildlings in Hardhome will divide the watch, but it’s something he feels honor bound to do and we all know how those Starks are with their honor. I can’t believe all of those words came from my fingertips but leadership suits Jon and it helps that Kit’s acting has improved over the years.
Winterfell
The last time Sansa Stark was in Winterfell she was a naive young girl who dreamed of marrying a prince and being a kind Lady who would bear her husband lots of children. After surviving the Lannisters, Lysa Arryn, Littlefinger, and now being cast off on to the Boltons, any notion of heroes in Sansa’s mind has gone out the window like Bran. (Sorry, not sorry.) If it’s possible, Ramsay Bolton is a worse fiancé than Joffrey. Joffrey was at least easily manipulated and it was kind of easy to predict when he’d go off the rails. Ramsay is epitome of “batshit insane.” So much so that when he makes Theon kneel before him, his possible moves could have to: force sex on Theon, break his fingers, or gouge out his eyes. None of which would surprise a single viewer. Instead, he forgave Theon and that is the more terrifying outcome. Myranda, also unpredictable and insane, introduced herself to Sansa and she’s the worst.
Dinner at Winterfell is more uncomfortable than dinner with the Lannisters. Ramsay’s underhanded sadism is worse than anything Cersei could drunkenly utter and Sansa, polite as she is, has a hard time disguising her fear. A fear mirrored in Theon’s eyes when he’s told to apologize to Lady Stark. Tired of Ramsay’s shenanigans, Roose slams a What to Expect book down the table and informs everyone that Walda is pregnant and it’s likely a son. Ramsay and Sansa’s faces trade places as the former cannot hide his anger, and the latter is so gleeful she rubs it in his face.
Later, Roose gives Ramsay the birds and the bees talk, divulging to him how he met/raped Ramsay’s mother. It’s the barbaric version of Stannis’ story to Shireen last week, which I guess is kind of sweet that Roose knew baby Psycho was his blood? Papa Bolton certainly knows how to put Ramsay in his place, reminding us that both Bolton men are to be feared. And that’s enough Bolton for this week.
Meereen
It looks like last week’s ending wasn’t just a cliffhanger; Ser Barristan is really gone and I’m not sure how to feel. I should have seen it coming, what with all the sentimental moments between him and Dany of late, but I’ll admit, I thought he was safe. Stupid me. Never get think anyone is safe in Game of Thrones.
Dany, enraged by the attacks on her people by the Sons of the Harpy, wants vengeance, even if it means killing those who are innocent. She takes her house words–Fire and Blood–seriously, as evidenced when she brings all the old family masters to meet her children. In a beautifully disturbing CGI scene, we watch Rhaegal and Viserion burn and then rip a man in two, and Dany lets a smile slip. But Dany cannot go full rampage, as Barristan would not have wanted such, so she puts the masters in cells instead.
Fortunately, Grey Worm survives the massacre in the alley, and he expresses to a grief-stricken Missandei that he’s feeling guilt not over having lived, but for being afraid. Unsullied aren’t supposed to know fear, but Grey Worm does, and after nearly three seasons, Missandei kisses him and the pair solidifies themselves as the most adorable couple in Game of Thrones. (Are they the only couple at the moment? Crap.)
Dany then turns to Missandei for advice and this is one of those things we’ve seen in good leaders throughout the show, especially in this episode: Dany is not afraid to hear others’ opinions, the same with Jon Snow and Stannis Baratheon. Ultimately, they all know the power resides in their hands, but it doesn’t mean they can’t gather as much information as possible. Much like Aemon earlier in the episode when talking to Lord Commander Snow, Missandei tells Daenerys to trust her feelings, as she usually winds up at the best possible solution. Dany does so and concedes that now is not the time for revenge, but for compromise. She approaches a still horrified Hizdahr and says she will open the fighting pits to free men and she will marry him to bring peace to her people. Things are looking less fiery for ol’ Hizdahr zo Loraq, though I can’t imagine boy-toy Daario is going to quietly accept Dany’s new compromise and pending nuptials.
Somewhere near the ruins of Valyria
Jorah the Explorer and Tyrion continue their exhilarating sail to Meereen, taking the scenic route through old Valyria. They share some poetry and Tyrion reminds us he’s an alcoholic; then the pair goes dragon watching. It’s a romantic date and I, for one, cannot wait for these two crazy kids to announce their feelings for one another. Varys is going to be so jealous. Anyway, the mood is soon ruined by a couple of party crashers cosplaying Fantastic Four’s, Thing.
Thankfully, Tyrion survives the near-death experience and doesn’t get any of that yucky greyscale on him. (I don’t know why he’s worried; it looks cute on Shireen!) Jorah, however, is playing the Zombie Apocalypse card because nothing bad has ever happened from keeping his super infectious disease a secret.
Random Thoughts
I’m still uncomfortable with these new, positive feelings toward Jon Snow.
Hating Ramsay is WAY more satisfying that hating Joffrey. I want Sansa to gut him on their wedding night, but after all the rumors about a horrifying Sansa scene, I doubt that wish will come true. Hooray. Westeros wedding are the best.
I find it odd that Sansa isn’t a little better at disguising her feelings when dealing with the Boltons. Manipulation was the name of Littlefinger’s game and Sansa seems to have forgotten every lesson. Except when she congratulates Walda on her pregnancy. That was class.
Walda’s dead, right? I mean, Ramsay is going to kill her the way Talisa was murdered, right?
Brienne was also in this episode for like two seconds, being completely subtle about her intentions. A spy, Brienne of Tarth is not.
FOX has released their 2015 fall lineup, but really the most important news is that The X-Files is set to return as a mini-series on January 24, 2016 (10:00-11:00 PM ET/7:00-8:00 PM PT) in a special two-night event after the NFC Championships. It’s regular spot will be Monday nights (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) and will run for six episodes (which is not nearly enough Mulder and Scully).
SATURDAY
7:00-10:30 PM FOX SPORTS SATURDAY: FOX COLLEGE FOOTBALL
SUNDAY
7:00-7:30 PM NFL ON FOX
7:30-8:00 PM THE OT
8:00-8:30 PM THE SIMPSONS
8:30-9:00 PM BROOKLYN NINE-NINE
9:00-9:30 PM FAMILY GUY
9:30-10:00 PM THE LAST MAN ON EARTH
BORDERTOWN (new), THE FRANKENSTEIN CODE (new), THE GUIDE TO SURVIVING LIFE (new), LUCIFER (new) and THE X-FILES (new) join the schedule in 2016, as do returning series AMERICAN IDOL XV, BOB’S BURGERS, HELL’S KITCHEN and NEW GIRL, among others.
“Building on the phenomenal momentum created by GOTHAM, THE LAST MAN ON EARTH and, of course, EMPIRE, we’re infusing next season’s schedule with new ambitious dramas, smart comedies, aspirational unscripted series and big live events and specials – all from the best creators in the business,” said Walden and Newman. “And our strategy with these bold creative swings is simple: schedule them strategically, market them relentlessly and create events that break through and captivate viewers across every platform.”
Tuesdays are all-new this fall on FOX, with new comedies GRANDFATHERED and THE GRINDER, followed by killer comedy-horror series SCREAM QUEENS. The new comedies kicking off an all-new Tuesday are GRANDFATHERED and THE GRINDER. A comedy about coming of age – at any age – GRANDFATHERED stars John Stamos (“Full House,” “ER”) as the ultimate bachelor whose life is turned upside down when he discovers he’s not only a father, but a grandfather.
THE GRINDER, starring Emmy Award nominee Rob Lowe (“Parks and Recreation,” “The West Wing”) and Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award nominee Fred Savage (“The Wonder Years”), follows a famous TV lawyer (Lowe) who, after his hit series, “The Grinder,” is canceled, moves back home and joins his brother (Savage) at their family’s real-life law firm – despite having no formal education, no bar certification, no license to practice and no experience in an actual courtroom.
Award-winning executive producers Ryan Murphy (GLEE, “American Horror Story”), Brad Falchuk (GLEE, “American Horror Story”) and Ian Brennan (GLEE) meld comedy, mystery and horror in SCREAM QUEENS. All hell is about to break loose for the Kappa House sisters of Wallace University when a murder takes place, exactly 20 years after a mysterious death originally rocked their college campus. The super-charged anthology series is a modern take on the classic whodunit with a killer cast, including Emma Roberts (“American Horror Story: Freak Show,” “Scream 4”), Jamie Lee Curtis (“Halloween,” “A Fish Called Wanda,” “True Lies”), Lea Michele (GLEE), Oliver Hudson (“Nashville,” “Rules of Engagement”), Keke Palmer (“Akeela and the Bee,” “Masters of Sex”) and guest stars Ariana Grande and Nick Jonas (“Kingdom”), among others. With at least one casualty each week until the mystery is solved, anyone could be the next victim – or the murderer.
Two new dramas – the futuristic MINORITY REPORT and the Miami-set ROSEWOOD – debut this fall. Based on Steven Spielberg’s international blockbuster film and the first of his films to be adapted for television, MINORITY REPORT follows the partnership between a man (Stark Sands, “Inside Llewyn Davis”) haunted by the future and a cop (Meagan Good, “Think Like A Man” franchise, “Californication”) haunted by her past, as they race to stop the worst crimes before they happen.
Also joining the schedule this fall is ROSEWOOD. From executive producer Todd Harthan (“Psych,” “Dominion”), ROSEWOOD stars Morris Chestnut (“Nurse Jackie,” “The Best Man” franchise) as DR. BEAUMONT ROSEWOOD, JR., a brilliant private pathologist who uses wildly sophisticated technology and his drive to live life to the fullest to help a tough-as-nails detective (Jaina Lee Ortiz, “The After”) and the Miami PD uncover clues no one else can see. – See more at: http://www.fox.com/article/fox-announces-new-primetime-series-for-2015-2016-season#sthash.hgzItQqZ.dpuf
In 2016, additional new series joining the schedule include devilish drama LUCIFER and modern gothic action series THE FRANKENSTEIN CODE; and two comedies, THE GUIDE TO SURVIVING LIFE and animated BORDERTOWN.
Based on characters from DC Entertainment’s Vertigo imprint, LUCIFER stars Tom Ellis (“Merlin”) as the charming, charismatic and handsome-as-hell original fallen angel, who, bored and unhappy in Hell, takes refuge in Los Angeles, where he uses his gift of persuasion to punish bad guys. But the longer he’s away from the underworld, the greater the threat that the worst of humanity could escape.
In THE FRANKENSTEIN CODE, from executive producer/writer Rand Ravich (“Life,” “Crisis”) and executive producer Howard Gordon (“Homeland,” “24”), a disgraced, 75-year-old ex-sheriff, whose life ends at the hands of corrupt cops, is brought back to life and given a second chance by a pair of young tech scientists, as a 35-year-old (Rob Kazinsky, “True Blood”) with unpredictable near-superhuman abilities.
THE GUIDE TO SURVIVING LIFE is a new young ensemble comedy about a group of friends living together for the first time. Each episode is told from the perspective of COOPER BARRETT (Jack Cutmore-Scott, “Kingsman: The Secret Service”), a wickedly charming and deeply flawed recent college grad whose life is filled with terrible choices, excellent mistakes and fantastic misadventures.
A new animated comedy from FAMILY GUY’s Mark Hentemann and Seth MacFarlane, BORDERTOWN is a satirical look at the cultural shifts taking place in America. Exploring family, politics and everything in between with a cross-cultural wink, the series centers on two very different families living in a fictional Southwest desert town on the U.S. – Mexico border.
AMERICAN IDOL will begin its 15th – and final – season this January on FOX. A season-long celebratory event, AMERICAN IDOL XV will feature host Ryan Seacrest and judges Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban and Harry Connick, Jr., as they search for the final IDOL superstar and pay tribute to the past 14 seasons of amazingly talented contestants and the millions of fans who tweeted, texted and championed their IDOLs.
NEW GIRL returns to the Tuesday comedy block in January with a season of uninterrupted episodes.
As previously announced, GREASE: LIVE, a three-hour production of the massively popular crossover musical “Grease,” starring superstar singers, dancers and actresses Julianne Hough (“Safe Haven,” “Rock of Ages”) and Vanessa Hudgens (Broadway’s “Gigi,” “Spring Breakers”), will air LIVE Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016 on FOX. With Hough as the angelic “Sandy” – Rydell High’s most talked-about newcomer – and Hudgens as iconic bad girl “Rizzo,” this first-ever live television production of “Grease” will re-imagine the hit musical for an entirely new generation. –
Once upon a time, we ran a feature called “Small Game Saturdays”, where we would do a quick take on a small downloadable title. Well that feature has been reborn as a shiny new video series called “Small Game Sample.” I mean… Why should Saturday’s have all the fun? (see* I need a less rigid schedule in order to pump these out)
In this episode, Rob is joined by fellow Brotherhood member Jesse in taking a look at Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: China.
NBC has released the first three images from Heroes Reborn, the reboot of the network’s once great drama. The images come from the first episode, titled Awakening, and feature Zachary Levi as Luke Collins, Kiki Sukezane as Miko Otomo, and Jack Coleman in his old role as HRG/Noah Bennett.
“HEROES REBORN”
From original creator Tim Kring, the Supernatural phenomenon begins again with a fresh crop of inspiring heroes who take on the ultimate struggle between those with extraordinary abilities and those with nefarious motives to hunt and harness their powers. Epic adventures await these newly empowered allies as they cross paths with some of the original characters (such as the beloved “HRG” and fan-favorite time-traveler Hiro Nakamura), unlocking the mysterious fate of the universe and their place within it.
The cast of “Heroes Reborn” includes Jack Coleman, Zachary Levi, Masi Oka, Judith Shekoni, Robbie Kay, Henry Zebrowski, Kiki Sukezane, Ryan Guzman, Danika Yarosh, Toru Uchikado, Eve Harlow and Gatlin Green.
Tim Kring serves as writer and executive producer. Peter Elkoff and James Middleton also executive produce. “Heroes Reborn” is produced by Universal Television, Imperative Entertainment and Tailwind Productions.
Heroes Reborn premieres Thursdays this Fall on NBC.
NBC has released their Fall TV Schedule for 2015 and the comedies are lacking. Thursday nights, once home to some of the best comedies on television is now full of dramas, notably Heroes Reborn – the reboot of the network’s big hit.
It doesn’t take a detective to realize that NBC has been struggling with their comedy lineup for a few years now. With the ends of their big hits like 30 Rock, The Office, and Parks and Recreation the network has failed to gain traction on any of their new comedies.
Instead the network has thrown their hat in with dramas as you can see in the schedule below.
NBC’s 2015 Fall TV Schedule
MONDAY
8 pm The Voice
10 pm BLINDSPOT
TUESDAY
8 pm The Voice
9 pm HEARTBREAKER
10 pm BEST TIME EVER WITH NEIL PATRICK HARRIS
10 pm Chicago Fire (November)
WEDNESDAY
8 pm The Mysteries of Laura
9 pm Law & Order: SVU
10 pm Chicago P.D.
THURSDAY
8 pm HEROES REBORN
9 pm The Blacklist
10 pm THE PLAYER
FRIDAY
8 pm Undateable
8:30 pm PEOPLE ARE TALKING
9 pm Grimm
10 pm Dateline
SATURDAY Dateline Saturday Night Mystery
SUNDAY
7 pm Football Night in America
8:20 pm NBC Sunday Night Football
When we left off last week, our favorite red-headed Scot had been ambushed by the redcoats, possibly captured or killed. A devastating prospect for Outlander fans, I know. This week in “The Search”, the episode follows, well, Claire’s search for her husband. It sounds like it would be a somewhat dreary episode, and in the beginning, it is. However, as the episode continues, it becomes something a bit more light-hearted, which was sorely needed given the dramatic events of late.
Claire and Jenny, despite protests from Ian, go on the search for Jamie using Jenny’s skills as a tracker. I like the idea of two women setting out as the heroes. Armed with only two pistols, a crude map of the area, and a still recuperating Jenny, the two made an unlikely rescue party. (As an aside: Jenny gave birth and then days later hopped on a horse to ride through the woods? She is a brave, brave woman.) Even in such a bleak situation, Claire retains her usual tenacity and dry banter. When Jenny informs her that the redcoats are using a wagon that should be easy to track, the sassenach responds, “Hopefully because there’s a rather large, red-headed Scot weighing it down.”
One of the things I enjoy about Outlander is the way it depicts war. As Claire so aptly puts, “The victors carry their dead from the field and bury them; the losers are left to slowly decay back into the soil.” It’s certainly something she’s witnessed as a medic, and in the world of Outlander, there is no glory in battle, only survival for another day. Claire knows there aren’t heroes in war and the victims are always the innocent parties. A fact Claire is fully aware of as the pair holds a redcoat courier at gunpoint. They learn that Jamie has escaped the redcoat capture is hiding somewhere in the Scottish highlands. Claire doesn’t want to kill the redcoat after, as there has been enough death already, but she also knows that should he live, it puts everyone else’s lives at risk.
The decision to kill is taken from Claire’s hands when Murtaugh Fraser shows up and does the job for her. Murtaugh’s appearance allows Jenny, sore and bursting with breast milk, to return home to her newborn baby. Before she leaves, Claire implores Jenny to prepare for the future, to plant potatoes instead of wheat, as times ahead will be disastrous for the Scots. Jenny doesn’t bat an eyelash at Claire’s prophet abilities and instead agrees to do as she says because she trusts Jamie.
Claire and Murtaugh decide that scouring the countryside for Jamie as he hides from the redcoats is an asinine plan, so instead Murtaugh suggests bringing Jamie to them. At first he uses Claire’s abilities as a healer to attract attention. A sassenach healer and fortune teller traveling the highlands would be a hot commodity, sure to catch Jamie’s ears as he jumps from place to place. Still, Murtaugh doesn’t think it is large enough news to travel fast enough, so he comes up with another plan: a singing and dancing sassenach.
Claire is hesitant at first, but she warms to the idea of becoming the “Sassenach Sensation” rather quickly as she sees the crowds drawn in to watch the act. Naturally, such attention would catch the eye of anyone looking to make some gold, and that’s the case with a gypsy who copies the concept, even using the same name. It presents a problem because now Jamie won’t know which sassenach to follow, so Claire approaches the gypsy with all the gold in her possession to silence his sassenach copy. Murtaugh thinks her a fool to trust a gypsy, but Claire knows she has no other choice. She isn’t just traveling the countryside with Murtaugh to go sight-seeing; she has to find Jamie.
I appreciate the relationship between Claire and Murtaugh. It was he who saved her in the first place and I always adore any situation where a male and female become friends without the need for romance. Nevertheless, the subject of romance does come up when in the middle of an argument Murtaugh reveals to her that he was the one who gifted Jamie’s mother with the boar tusk bracelets. Because of his feelings, he’s felt the need to protect Jamie as a son and the heartbreak brings the pair closer, now with renewed spirit. It was a much needed scene in an episode that was clearly dragged out to fill the hour, as it spent far too much time on horseback and traveling from town to town.
It doesn’t take long for them to happen upon the gypsy once more, only this time, he validates Claire’s trust in him by giving her a note about the whereabouts of Jamie. Unfortunately, instead of Jamie, the pair finds Dougal, and I can’t say anyone is glad to see him. He tells them that Jamie was caught trying to follow Claire’s dancing act and sent to Wentworth prison where he was sentenced to hang. Immediately, Claire plans to rescue her husband, but Dougal, in an increasingly creepy fashion proposes to her as he thinks Jamie is a dead man, and he only thinks of Claire’s protection. As if anyone in the highlands would buy that line. But Dougal doesn’t stop Claire from going on an insane rescue mission, nor does he stop her when she enlists the help of a few MacKenzies. God, I love Claire’s determination. Next week, “Wentworth Prison.”
Outlander airs on Saturdays at 9PM ET/PT on Starz. Photos courtesy of Starz.
Lost Girl Season 5, Episode 4: “When God Opens A Window″ Air date: May 8, 2015 Grade: B+
This week’s episode of Lost Girl was full of unexpected moments that left me feeling disconcerted. Why, you might ask? Well, because of one major Bo event that’s basically shattered my hopes for Team Dyson, that’s why.
A new character, Mark, is introduced as a young runaway who’s being chased by a hunter everywhere he goes. He seems a little reminiscent of Bo and Kenzi, a street-smart grifter who’s had to survive on his own with no family. He shows up at Bo and Tamsin’s doorstep and explains that he doesn’t know what kind of fae he is and that he’s being hunted by the same person that killed his mom when he was six years old. Poor lamb. Bo is falls for his sob story but they soon find out that Mark’s robbed them.
Bo and Tamsin try to work out their roommate issues.
When the duo manages to confront him, Bo gets shot with an arrow and Mark takes off again. This is no ordinary arrow though as Tamsin kisses Bo to help heal her but it doesn’t work and the wound keeps re-opening. An awkward moment ensues when Lauren walks in and catches them mid-kiss. But good timing on the doctor’s part because she’s finds the equivalent of fae kryptonite in Bo’s wound, a parasite that also acts as a tracker.
They find Mark at The Dal where he’s trying to swindle some people out of their money. This time though, they work together and lay out a trap to snare the hunter themselves, which actually works. Lauren’s new self-defense skills are put to use when she pumps the hunter with tranquilizer shots and then does the same to Mark after the younger fae tried to kill the other man. When the hunter comes wakes up, Bo asks him to explain himself and he tells her that Mark and his kind massacred his family and that’s why he’s been chasing the kid. The succubus then goes back her place and tells Mark what the hunter had said and he admits to biting the guy’s ear off but he it happened right after the man murdered his mom. He was so scared that was all he could do and then flee for his life. Bo this entire time has been feeling drawn to him and she finally acts on it.
When she wakes up though he’s gone again and she realizes that he must have gone to Lauren’s lab to kill the hunter for good. He’s stopped though by Dyson who bursts in and says that Mark is a shifter who hasn’t shifted yet. He tells the hunter to go while he stops the younger man from going after him because the cycle of violence needs to end. The hunter may have killed Mark’s mom but their kind slaughtered his family.
What’s Dyson been up to this whole time? Working a case with a returned Vex, of course! They’re investigating the murders of three people with strange markings on them. Dyson thinks that it must be related to the three bodies that disappeared from Lauren’s lab in the last episode and of course he’s right! The killings turn out to be some kind of ritual sacrifice for purification that sprung from ancient Greek paganism. Which is another big clue that we’re dealing with some fae that must have been worshiped as Greek gods in the past.
Dyson and Vex are on the case!
With Vex back in town, there is a powerful scene between him and Dyson where the shifter is naturally livid over Vex’s relationship with Massimo, the man who killed Hale last season. Vex actually seems sorry for the whole thing but he loved Massimo like a son and regardless of what happened it didn’t change his parental love for the guy. Who would have guessed that Vex was more capable of selfless love than Evony, Massimo’s real mom. This exchange will bite Dyson in the ass since soon after he realizes that Mark is in fact his son.
And that my friends is the big what-the-hell-is-going-on moment because that means Bo slept with both father and son. I’m cringing so hard for the succubus because while she’s already made out with her stepmom, this is the kind of thing that will forever change the nature of Bo and Dyson’s relationship. While it was accidental, it hits her that the reason she was so drawn to Mark was because he reminded her of Dyson. I don’t know if they could ever come back from that. Sigh. Bo makes Tamsin promise never to tell Dyson what happened and she admits that she thought she and the shifter would (possibly end up together)? She doesn’t finish her sentence and the valkyrie adds that she thought so too but they were good as friends though. Noooooooooooooooo!!!! Dammit Bo and her urges!
Dyson tries to get Mark to stay but understandably he’s pissed off that his dad was never there for him or his mom. The werewolf says that Piper (Mark’s mom) never told him that she was pregnant and so he didn’t know. His pleas fall on deaf ears though and Mark takes off. Dyson drowns his feelings by drinking and the hunter returns, appearing outside The Dal. Amazingly, Vex shows up and we get the sense the two have found some common ground and are actually working together. The Mesmer holds the hunter still while Dyson gives into his dark urges and rips the guy apart.
Lastly, poor Evony is still waiting for her serum to change her back to her glorious Morrigan self and puts some added pressure on Lauren by leaving a dangerous old fae in the lab like her own personal storage unit.
This was an interesting turn of events as Tamsin and Bo seem to be finally learning to live and work with each other, Dyson and Vex finding something in common, and Lauren continuing to be a badass in her science-y ways. I definitely wasn’t expecting to find out that Dyson was a dad, but it was nice to see his character change from the experience. However, him thanking Bo for watching out for Mark and that he could use a big sister just added another nail in the coffin of Team Dyson. Sigh. I’m sure we’ll see Mark again at some point this season…or not, hopefully.
I know, I know. How many more TV shows can be cancelled before peace returns to our time? Just a few more.
CBS has announced they will be canceling Vince Gilligan’s Battle Creek, Kevin Williamson’s Stalker, and comedy series The McCarthys due to low ratings.
The only shows left to make a decision on for CBS at this point are CSI, CSI: Cyber, and Hawaii Five-0.
