Grey's Anatomy: Only the Strong Survive (22x01)

Welp. Sometimes I wonder what the hell I'm even still doing here.

Cons:

I had sort of willfully forgotten the sad state of the romance arcs in Grey's Anatomy these days, to the point where I really don't give a flying fuck about any romantic subplot, and in the cases where I do care, it's because I want them to break up because I think they're terrible together. Let's run these through really quick.

Jo and Link - I know they want me to care, I know they want me to feel something about Link's brush with death. And Jo is a character I have so much fondness for, I want the best for her, so for her sake I don't want her to suffer a terrible loss, but godddd are they boring. There's just no passion or chemistry between them. I had forgotten they were going through a bit of a tiff with Link being anxious about the new babies. There's this really telling moment where Jo says "he's been my best friend for twenty years" and also talks about him being her only family, and it just pinged to me as the show needing to remind the audience why the stakes are high for Jo here. This deep lifelong friendship between the two of them is something that we never saw, we just get told it exists over and over again in the vain hope that one day it will feel true. And it doesn't.

Bob's Burgers: Til Death Do Us Art (16x02)

This one was quite fun!

Cons:

I honestly could have used more shenanigans from the kids inside of the art show. It was funny to watch Louise play with the dart gun and miss the point of the art, but Gene and Tina just kind of wandered around and were weirded out by some of the odd displays. They could have gotten into some more mischief, I think!

Bob's Burgers: Grand Pre-Pre-Pre-Opening (16x01)

This was so freakin' cute!

Cons: 

I honestly have no complaints!

Pros:

This felt so old-school Bob's Burgers in this really fun meta way because obviously the kids on this show are in this perpetual state of being the ages they are, but the show itself started in 2011, 14 years ago, and then here we get this flashback episode about Bob and Linda opening the restaurant 14 years ago... so fun!

I'll confess I don't really remember what the lore has been in the show up to this point, about the origins of the restaurant, so if we've heard some of this stuff before in bits and pieces, or if this contradicts anything, I'm unaware of it. The story is basically that Linda decides to use her savings to help open the restaurant, even though she'd been saving to buy a condo, and that right around the same time they start things going, Linda also finds out she's pregnant with Tina. So despite the huge risk and all the chaos of life changing so rapidly, they decide to go ahead with opening the restaurant at the same time they're growing their family! Linda ends up going into labor on the day of their first grand opening, starting the tradition of chaos always coming for the family when they try to get the restaurant going.

Bob's Burgers: InsomniBob (15x22)

This was a really, really fun episode! I loved it.

Cons: 

Honestly can't think of any. This was a Bob-centric episode so we spent less time on the kids and Linda, but that was just as it should be. 

Pros: 

This is going to be a short review because honestly I think just listing things that made me smile is silly, and that's all this review is going to be.

Bob's Burgers: Mr. Safebody (15x21)

Another cute episode!

Cons:

I feel like I've been saying this a lot about the subplots on this show of late, but there always seems to be a lack of climactic joke... like, in this one, a car is blasting annoying loud music, Bob is annoyed, then he recognizes one of the songs, and gets annoyed when the police finally shut the music off just as he's getting into it. And then they put the music back on, and the plot thread ends? I was kind of hoping there would be more with whatever the crime was, or something. Nothing wrong with what we got, just wish there had been a bit more.

Pros:

That said, in the subplot I did really like the trajectory of sad sack Bob being turned around and getting into something that was previously bumming him out, that always makes me smile, when he winds up being enthusiastic.

Our main plot features Louise's classmate Arnold wanting to get into the body-guarding business now that he's a green belt who can smash wood boards with his feet. In typical Louise fashion, she takes his initial pitch of her helping him with promo and escalates it to an absurd degree, leading to her and her siblings, along with Arnold and Rudy, sneaking into an abandoned old high school and then getting into conflict with real scary high school boys.

I suppose this is one of those episodes where I don't have a ton to say; I had a fun time as always. Maybe my favorite comedy beat was Louise telling her folks that they were going to a safe location for school reasons, and Bob wondering why she felt the need to emphasize they were going somewhere safe... that whole exchange made me chuckle! Having Louise for a daughter would be a fun challenge, I think.

8/10 

Bob's Burgers: Dad-urday Kite Fever (15x20)

Not sure why two episodes aired in the same week, but I'm not complaining!

Cons:

I feel like I say this a lot on this show, but could have used a bit of resolution on the subplot! Teddy figures out a way to say "lawnmower" by imitating Linda's voice, which was funny, but I wanted to hear him actually say it for the play!

Pros:

This was a Bob episode, and we got to dive into a bit of his psyche here. His father shows up with a kite that was bought after Bob's mom died, but that they never actually flew together. Time to correct that record with the kids! But when they go out to fly a kite, it gets away from Bob and sends him on a grand adventure, where he ends up teaming up with various bikers from the community that are helping him on his journey.

Bob's Burgers: The Dead Bo-ats Society (15x19)

This was a super fun and inventive episode!

Cons:

I can't think of anything to complain about, honestly, I just want more of the vibes this episode was giving!

Pros:

Starting with the subplot briefly, we see Teddy taking care of butterflies in their chrysalises. He misses their hatching because he's in the bathroom, and then has a really hard time saying goodbye and letting them go. He eventually lets them fly free! This was just some good old fashioned Teddy goofiness. He gets weirdly invested in some bizarre thing, brings his personal life into the restaurant, ropes Bob and Linda into paying attention to it too. I liked that the drama/conflict of this subplot was focused entirely on Teddy's emotional turmoil. The butterflies were fine, nothing dramatic happened, but Teddy was Going Through It.

Bob's Burgers: Don't Worry, Be Hoopy (15x18)

Another Tina-centric episode! Interesting to have two in a row.

Cons:

I could have used a punchline to Teddy's involvement in the episode. He's afraid of how steep and high up the bleachers are, and I kept waiting for him to fall, or for him to bravely descend the steps and make a big deal about not falling, or something. But instead, nothing really came of it? He stood up to wave his foam finger and then sat down because he was too scared. Not much going on there.

Pros:

I love the episodes where we go into each of the character's minds and get a different version of the story, they're always so fun. This one's theme was anxiety, about parenting and about doing hard things and being brave. It felt very realistic to me that while Bob and Linda were both stressing out that their bad pep talks had gotten into Tina's head, the reality was that she hadn't even really been listening to them at all, and her own stresses tied back to an earlier instance with ballet from when she was little.

Bob's Burgers: Wild Steal-ions (15x17)

Poor Tina! This was a really fun one.

Cons:

This so sort of random but is there... "discourse" about this show and how the Belchers used their children for unpaid labor? Like is it a little fucked up that they can't operate the restaurant without their three kids helping? I mean, I'm not actually mad at it or anything but it did occur to me that it's a little wild that these kids have to volunteer their time to the family business seemingly against their will. I think we think of that family business aspect when it comes to working on a farm or something but when it's a restaurant business it feels stranger to me, especially considering just how young they all are - Tina isn't even in high school!

Pros:

I did really love the joke where Bob and Linda debated having more kids so they could have some help running the restaurant. "Did they graduate? Are they in college? No... we can't afford that, right?" lol. I also liked Teddy roasting the restaurant by saying that things were starting to fall apart without the kids there to clean the menus and fill up the ketchups. Teddy is such a funny regular to have at the diner, he's so rude but you know he'd never ever consider going elsewhere.

Bob's Burgers: The Shell Game (15x16)

Aww poor Bob lol.

Cons:

As always I find myself noticing the things that I wish the episode had, more than having problems with what was there - I feel like we haven't had something Gene-centric in a while and I was noticing that he didn't have a ton to do here!

Pros:

Whenever Mr. Fischoeder shows up you know it's going to be a truly weird time for everybody, and this episode was the epitome of that. There's a tortoise, it needs an official guardian, for some reason Bob is in the running along with a bunch of other strange figures from Fischoeder's social circle. There's something almost... sweet? About Fischoeder wanting to choose Bob for this task and give him $10,000 a year, and we never really get a punchline where it turns out Bob was the choice for some degrading reason or anything. It's kind of nice and seems genuine, as much as Fischoeder is capable of that.

Bob's Burgers: The Lost City of Atlantic (15x15)

Fun new setting, lots of intrigue!

Cons:

I honestly don't have anything to complain about in this one! I hope Linda's newfound half-aunt recurs in the show later on, that was fun!

Pros:

The kids and Bob had the subplots this week, and both were pretty fun! I loved that once again Tina is not being a spoil-sport about Louise's shenanigans, she also seems to understand that wandering around the slot machines is probably mostly harmless fun. And I loved that they "won" twelve dollars and had to get into negotiations with the old man who pulled the lever for them. They have this real kid energy of being genuinely enthused over things that really aren't that big or exciting.

Bob's Burgers: The Place Beyond the Pinecones (15x14)

A good summer vibes episode as things start heating up!

Cons: 

I wish Tina had gotten to spend a bit more time with the people in her troop, I feel like she splintered off so quickly and was only with the two girls from the rival troop! That's a small detail, it's just that since we're in this environment with these characters, I could have used even more!

Bob's Burgers: Snackface (15x13)

I was just asking for a school-based episode, so it was fun to see this one!

Cons:

I don't have complaints about this show usually, more like... potential missed opportunities. I thought the little through-line about Tina wanting a specific pencil holder could have had a funnier punchline than her just telling us that she broke it immediately. I wish we'd seen her using it or showing it off and then it had broken. Similarly in Bob and Linda's story, could have used a comedy beat about them having to re-do the spreadsheets or getting chastised by their accountant or something, just to round it up!

Doctor Who: The Reality War (15x08)

I'm trying to remember the last time I was this bummed out after watching an episode of TV. I mean, I watch bad TV sometimes, but this wasn't just a case of "that was not a good episode," this was... watching this just made me so, so sad. Let's... dive in.

Cons:

I'm going to start small and work my way up, here. The Avengers Assemble of it all was fun, but it really sidelined Belinda and it even sidelined the Doctor in a weird way, where I wish there had been a bit less spaghetti thrown at the wall here? I remember feeling this way about last season's finale too, that there was just too much going on, and too much of it was connected to old lore that I don't understand or care about. I stand by that the bi-generation thing with the two Ranis was pointless and it should have just been a straightforward "Mrs. Flood is a Time Lady" twist without that added element tossed in.

The thing about Poppy is that I wanted to like this concept, I honestly don't mind the idea of the Time Lords being an infertile species and the Doctor "wishing" himself this miracle chance to be a parent, but it was too confusing and the stakes were therefore difficult to grasp. I think the plot cul de sac of "yay, Poppy was okay inside the box!" and then she vanishes from the TARDIS and now the Doctor has to do a big sacrifice, all should have been squished and curtailed. Like, what if it was just shortened so that the box is opened, Belinda is in there, but Poppy isn't, and everyone else has forgotten Poppy, but Belinda remembers, and then because of weird shenanigans, so does Ruby, and then it's Ruby and Belinda together making a case for this world missing one person and how that's wrong? That would have given Belinda more to do (more on that later), and cut through some of the weird pacing in the end of this episode.

Bob's Burgers: Like a Candle in the Gym (15x12)

A cute episode! Not sure I'll have a ton to say...

Cons:

I feel like I say this every once in a while with this show, and we're just getting back after such a long hiatus, but I miss the school characters. We get this one sorta-friend of Louise's here, but I kept thinking of how fun it would be of the rest of the gang got pulled into the shenanigans and conspiracies. I hope we have an episode soon that's set during school.

Pros:

Linda and Bob are a good couple. The joke of Bob's character is that he's a bit of a sad sack but what I love about this show is that he's genuinely a goofy dad, too. I loved the bit at the beginning when the kids are like "wtf" about Bob consenting to the walk, and he's apologizing to his children for betraying them by going along with Linda's plan. And then when they're on the walk, when Linda is in pain because of her new shoes, he problem-solves at the expense of his own back, and then finds a cart and does a Mrs. Doubtfire impression to make Linda laugh. Their little banter about Bob leaving Linda for a new wife with better feet was so sweet too.

The Handmaid's Tale: The Handmaid's Tale (6x10)

lol. lmao, even.

Cons:

Well, at least it's all over! Man. What a bummer that this is what we're left with at the end of all of this. This show has always been so uneven, but it used to have writing that felt internally consistent with the characters it had created? I don't even really know where to start here.

For one thing, "you should write a book, June." Oh, give me a break! Like this June Osborne would write the book that Margaret Atwood wrote in 1985. Like it would bear any resemblance. I feel like it's an insult to the original text. Let this be its own thing, you don't have to do a whole "what's more powerful than stories" ending to this story. It's self-aggrandizing in the worst way. Gave me Tyrion Lannister putting Bran Stark on the Iron Throne flashbacks. Yuck. Holly says it, then Luke says it... it's just so trite and goofy, honestly. And then to go so far as to have June start to "write" the novel at the end... this isn't a full circle moment, buddy. This show broke containment from the original (completely brilliant and almost flawless) novel in a big, big way. You don't get to have this one, it doesn't goddamn work.

Doctor Who: Wish World (15x07)

I can't believe we're already so close to the end of this season...

Cons:

So, I did like this episode, but same complaint as last week about the Rani, and now the reveal of Omega or whatever. These are staged and presented as giant reveals, but I don't know them, ya know? I also think the bi-generation of the Rani is still pointless, it honestly would have been kind of fun and wild to have the little old lady be the one speechifying and dancing with the Doctor and reminiscing about how they may or may not once have been lovers. Why add another person into the mix? As far as I'm able to tell, it doesn't enhance the twist in any way.

This isn't a "con" so much as it is... a note, something to look out for: it was fun seeing Ruby in this episode for sure, but I wish that Belinda had had more to do. I'm hoping that somehow next week she'll have some big moments to shine, because I kind of wanted her and the Doctor to be united in their "doubts" stuff instead of her turning him in and then just apologizing for it immediately? It's a small thing, but I do want Belinda to have more agency here. 

The Handmaid's Tale: Execution (6x09)

Well, I was right. I wish I hadn't been right, but I was right. Honestly, it was even worse than I'd expected, somehow. Jesus Christ. Let's dive right the fuck in, shall we?

Cons:

Like. I don't actually have the energy to do a big long rant about Nick but I'm sure that I'll end up doing a big long rant about Nick anyway. If this is the story you wanted to tell about this guy, then you needed to explain to me WHY he's actually bad, why he's actually corrupt, at what point he actually stopped being an undercover resistance fighter... like, it's so unmotivated and stupid! Right there at the end, he says to Lawrence that "she tried to tell me to give it all up" and I was like... and why didn't you, Nick? What were your reasons for not running off and leaving Gilead? Is it just that you're a coward? Is it just that you secretly covet the power? Both potential stories that could have been told with this character, but they never were told with this character. Up until this last season it's been pretty clear that he hates Gilead and loves June. My prediction was that Nick would die by the end of the season, but I thought he'd get the big hero's death that Lawrence is getting, I thought his death would be a redemptive moment for him.

Bob's Burgers: Mr. Fischoeder's Opus (15x11)

Eyyy we're back!

Cons: 

I sort of wish the part of the episode actually at the symphony had been longer? Like, why not have the party be a reception directly before the orchestra is going to play, they've rehearsed it the "slow" way and Fischoeder is going to surprise them during the performance with the faster conducting, but then shenanigans occur... it just felt sort of weird pacing-wise to have the big scene be at the Fischoeder residence, and then cut to a different setting for the payoff of those plot points.

Doctor Who: The Interstellar Song Contest (15x06)

This episode kind of felt like it had too many moving parts, but overall I liked a lot of it!

Cons:

The big letdown for me is that like... I don't know who "the Rani" is. This is my own fault, I suppose. I could get into Classic Who so these multi-decade-spanning surprise returns actually impact me, but... I think a lot of the audience probably doesn't know who this character is. And the Mrs. Flood twist has been built up for so long, that getting an answer that means absolutely nothing to me did hit as a real letdown. I also thought having her bi-generate was a little odd, what's the narrative function of it not just continuing to be the same person playing the role for the rest of the season? Maybe I'll eat my words after seeing next week, but that just feels a little unmotivated at this point.

While overall I like the idea of the Doctor being triggered by the loss of Gallifrey into acting uncharacteristically, I do kind of wish that it hadn't felt so abrupt. It was a little too perfectly convenient, Belinda tuning in just in time to see him threatening Kid and then being like "that's not him." Maybe the Doctor tries at first to find compassion and understanding but just can't manage it, or maybe he comes out of the trance of that violence a little less easily when Belinda returns... something needed to be slightly finessed here, the pacing or arc of it just felt off to me in a way I can't quite define.