Castle: The Greater Good (6x19)

Wow, an episode focused on Captain Gates. Not something I would have expected, but I really, really, enjoyed it. Let's talk about the plot.

So, the case of the week was rather interesting. It was about a Wall Street broker.  He used to live in Venezuela, but he got out of a lower class situation and started making big money. Then, he got caught with drugs, and the Attorney's office offers him a deal – he starts spying on his boss so that he won't be turned in for drug charges.

Enter Elizabeth, Captain Gates' sister. She works for the Attorney's office and is planning this big case against the victim's boss. The death of the victim is really problematic for the case. Eventually, it turns out that Elizabeth's fellow Attorney's office worker had drugs planted on him, in order to force him to be their inside man. She was responsible for his death.

Along the way, we see tensions between Gates and her sister. Apparently, in a case years earlier, Gates had done her job and turned someone in, even though it compromised Elizabeth's case at the time. In this particular case, it seems like history is repeating itself, as Gates doesn't know how long she can keep information secret from the press or from the other brokers, as she looks in to this murder. However, it turns out that Gates and the team save Elizabeth from a huge failure by uncovering the truth of this case.

How I Met Your Mother: The End of the Aisle (9x22)

This is the last episode before the finale! It was... very sentimental. And it included Robin and Barney's actual wedding!

A mere half hour before the wedding, Barney and Robin are both freaking out. Robin insists that it's a bad sign that Barney couldn't magically give Robin her missing locket. So, Ted gives the locket to Barney and tells him to give it to Robin. He does so, but Robin talks with Ted privately, revealing that she knows he was the one who found it. Ted briefly tells Robin the whole story of how he got the locket, right down to diving into the river to get it back. Robin says that maybe she's supposed to be with Ted, since he got her the locket back. However, Ted refuses to run away with her.

Robin decides to run away by herself, but she runs headlong into The Mother on the way out. The Mother encourages Robin to take three deep breaths before making any rash decisions.

Once Upon a Time: The Tower (3x14)

Okie dokie. Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair. I've got to admit, there were parts of this episode that just downright confused me. As such, it was hard for me to really sink my teeth into this episode and enjoy it. Let's go through the plot, and then I'll explain further.

In Storybrooke, everyone is still trying to hunt down the Wicked Witch. Regina hangs out with Henry while Hook, Emma, and David look for evidence in Regina's office. David finds a berry that he recognizes from the forest, which gives them a place to start looking. At this point, David gets a text from Mary Margaret asking him to come over and meet their new midwife, Zelena.

Just before this, we see Zelena taunting Rumplestiltskin, who is still her prisoner. She takes some of his blood, and then goes into his shop. She freezes Belle to get her momentarily out of the way, and then uses Rumple's blood to procure some night root from Rumple's safe.

At Mary Margaret and David's place, David expresses some suspicion about Zelena, but Mary Margaret really likes her, and David agrees to give her a try for a while. Unbeknownst to them, Zelena spikes David's tea with some of the night root. David, going back to rejoin the search for the Wicked Witch, sees a hooded figure and thinks it might be the Witch. He leaves Emma a message to tell her this.

The Walking Dead: Us (4x15)

Ahhh yayayayayay Glenn and Maggie have been reunited! If I take nothing else from this episode, I can take that, and be happy. But actually, a lot of stuff was going on here, and I am very excited to talk about it. So, here goes.

We see Carl, Michonne, and Rick briefly, as they continue on their journey towards Terminus. All seems well with the three of them.

We also follow Daryl as he travels with the group that found him earlier. Joe, the leader, has a few simple rules that allows the group to live in harmony. If you want something, you just have to say "claimed" and it belongs to you. Daryl gets into an argument with another of the group, but in the end he wins the argument, and the rest of the group punishes the other other, and actually ends up killing him. Daryl is very unsettled by this group, but he does need the security of numbers. He also finds out that the group is tracking a man who killed one of their members back at a house earlier. (We of course know this man to be Rick, but Daryl doesn't know that yet).

Meanwhile, Glenn and Tara are still traveling with Abraham, Rosita, and Eugene. Glenn sees one of Maggie's messages pointing him towards Terminus, and he begins speeding up, eager to catch up with her. The rest of the group follows, but Abraham doesn't want them to go so fast, in case it leaves them too tired to protect themselves. Glenn is eager to power ahead. Eventually, the group decides to split up at a tunnel. Glenn insists on going through it, because that's what Maggie did, but Abraham says that the tunnel is not safe, and he leaves with Rosita and Eugene.

The Mentalist: White as the Driven Snow (6x15)

What an emotional episode. What great acting from everyone involved. I'm very sad that Rigsby and Van Pelt won't be a part of the show anymore, but I'm happy they got a proper sendoff.

So, Cho and Rigsby drive back to Rigsby's motel and they see that Grace has been abducted. The FBI already has their main suspect, of course. Richard turns up at the FBI HQ with a very good lawyer and an extremely tight alibi for the deaths of JJ and Ardiles, and the kidnapping of Van Pelt. Even after Fischer tries to convince the lawyer to let them keep Richard a bit longer, the FBI are forced to let Richard go, due to lack of evidence. Rigsby is livid, because he's sure that Richard is the one who kidnapped Grace.

So, Rigsby and Jane come up with a new plan: as Richard and his lawyer are driven away in their car, we learn that Jane is actually the driver, and now Rigsby and Jane have essentially kidnapped their prime suspect. They make Richard tell them where Grace is. At one point, they stop the car and Rigsby douses Richard with oil and threatens to burn him. Jane frantically tries to stop him. In the scuffle, Richard gets a gun and leads them back into the car. At gunpoint, Jane drives to the place where Grace was being kept, but it looks like she got out.

Parks and Recreation: Galentine's Day (6x17)

Ann! We saw Ann! But not Chris. Still, it was exciting! Besides that rather exciting little detail, this episode was somewhere in the middle for me. It had some pretty high moments and some pretty low ones, but mostly it sat comfortably in the so-so region, at least in my opinion. Let's get started.

Leslie is excited to talk with Ann on the phone, but something comes up and Ann can't make their phone date. Leslie realizes that she needs a new best friend who lives in Pawnee, although of course she'll keep Ann as her best friend as well. She throws a "Galentine's Day" brunch and asks survey questions, trying to rank her friends and figure out who's the best. Donna and April find out what she's doing and get upset with her. Leslie goes up to see Ann upon the birth of her baby boy, Oliver, and after talking with her best friend, Leslie realizes that it was wrong to try and replace her. She goes back to Pawnee and apologizes to Donna and April. She says that they're good friends just the way they are.

Parenthood: The Offer (5x18)

Jeez, this one was intense! Majorly! Two of the story lines in particular were quite dramatic this week. I'm going to go plot by plot, because unlike last week where everyone's stories really came together and intertwined, in this particular installment, the different family groups were pretty separate from one another.

Zeek and Camille are shocked when an offer comes in on the house, because they weren't ready to sell so soon. Since the man isn't willing to pay asking price, they decide to wait a bit, and not sell until they're ready. However, this man really wants the house, and he raises his offer considerably. Camille and Zeek aren't sure what to do.

This was one of the less shocking and dramatic of the plot threads, but I quite enjoyed it. In particular, it was hilarious when Zeek told Camille that her favorite tree didn't have any type of disease, and that he just told her that so he could cut it down and build his barn. I do wonder, however, when Crosby and Jasmine are going to have a plot of their own. They haven't had much to do lately except for live in Zeek and Camille's house.

The Vampire Diaries: While You Were Sleeping (5x16)

Gahhhhh. I'm nearing the end of my patience with this show, to be honest. Why don't the writers understand that I only come for the Salvatore brother bromance? You'd think they'd be able to read my mind by now, honestly. Okay, okay. Not everything's about me. Let's look closer at this episode.

Elena is back in her own body, but she's trapped in the college dorms. Bonnie had Liv (the new witch) seal her in there so she won't attack anyone, now that she's all bloodthirsty and crazy. Damon is also trapped back at the Salvatore mansion. The two of them talk to each other about how excited they are to reunite once they're free of the virus. Things start going wrong for Elena as starts hallucinating her worst fears. Aaron keeps turning up in her hallucinations, and she comes to the erroneous conclusion that she must have killed him.

Stefan's hunt for the cure takes a step forward when Enzo turns up and says that the Travelers have the cure. The only problem is, Elena's strand of the virus is different from the one that Damon has, so the Travelers will need to make a new cure for Elena. In exchange, the Travelers need a favor from Stefan: they need to hunt down another doppelganger, and they want to link Stefan to his doppelganger in order to track him down.

Grey's Anatomy: We Gotta Get Out Of This Place (10x16)

I'm gonna complain again. These reviews take too long. Okay let's go go go.

It's Dr. Webber's birthday. He expects people to make a big deal, but nobody does. In fact, he gets paperwork from Owen that seems to be pushing him towards retirement! He is understandably upset by this, but there is one good thing about this birthday: Bailey has found a patient who had absorbed his twin in the womb! It's incredibly rare. At first, the patient doesn't want to remove the twin, because he knows it's rare and wants to keep it. Webber promises to give him the twin once it's removed. However, once it is out of him, the patient sees how disgusting it is and doesn't want anything to do with it. Webber talks with Catherine Avery about the fact that Owen is trying to push him towards retirement. Catherine tells Webber not to slow down now! Surprise, surprise, there was a party for Webber's birthday after all - Bailey and the rest of the hospital all get together to celebrate with him. Owen offers Webber a position as the head of the educational portion of the hospital. This will mean cutting back on surgeries, but it's actually a promotion, of sorts.

Christina and Shane are working on a clinical trial for their heart valve. Shane wants to help a seventeen-year-old patient who is pregnant, but Christina tells him that she doesn't meet the criteria. This girl gives birth to her baby, but sadly contemplates the fact that her daughter might have to grow up without a mother, since she'll die without a better heart. While dealing with the heart trial, Christina also tries to sign Owen up for dating sites. Owen seems completely uninterested. He finally describes his perfect girl to Christina, and it turns out that his perfect girl is Christina. Owen tells Christina that they should go home together after Webber's party.

Suits: Moot Point (3x13)

Thank God for this episode of Suits. This was classic, right out of Season One in terms of quippy-ness and exciting cases and inner-firm drama, but with the added emotional weight of the past three seasons of character development. I really like where this season is going. Let's talk about the plot!

Mike wants to give Harvey a gift for saving him from Louis, so he manages to procure a case against an attorney that beat Harvey back in law school, and that Harvey has wanted to go against ever since: A. Elliot Stemple. Harvey and Mike think they've caught him at first, but then it turns out that Stemple will be trickier to beat than they first thought. However, in the end they're able to defeat him. Harvey takes Mike out to dinner, but the celebration is short lived. Jessica tells Mike that this case is bringing a lot of attention to Harvey and Mike, but that Mike needs to step back and not take any credit for it. Mike realizes sadly that his entire career is going to be like this. He'll never be able to be in the spotlight, just in case people start digging around in his past.

Meanwhile, Scottie attempts to prove herself by going up against Louis for a case. Louis and Katrina try to beat Scottie, but they can't. Finally, Louis goes to Harvey, and asks him to interfere in his favor. He says that since he did Harvey a huge favor by letting Mike off the hook, Harvey should help him get his client back from Scottie. Harvey doesn't want to interfere, and he asks Louis if this is a favor for a friend, or him cashing in a chip. Louis, sadly, says he's cashing in a chip, and Harvey says Louis can't have it both ways. They can't be friends if Louis is going to use his actions to settle scores. Harvey tells Scottie that she has to give the client back to Louis. Harvey says that it's because of the favor Louis did for him, but when Scottie asks, Harvey won't tell her what it is.

Supernatural: Blade Runners (9x16)

Oh boy. Dean Winchester, honey, you're an idiot. I love you, but you're an idiot. Let's briefly talk about the plot, and then I'll get into more detail about the idiocy of the lovely elder Winchester brother.

Poor little Crowley is addicted to human blood now, and he's dependent on a demon woman who has been staying with him and taking care of him. Turns out, this woman is reporting back to Abaddon about Crowley's activities. Crowley finds out, and kills her. He then calls Dean, realizing that he needs help.

Sam, Dean, and Crowley try to locate the First Blade, now racing against Abaddon's people, who found out about it through Crowley. They track it to a Man of Letters named Cuthbert Sinclair. Once inside his hidden lair, Sam and Dean see that he collects rare artifacts and has a "zoo" of supernatural creatures. Magnus (Sinclair's preferred name) sees that Dean has the Mark of Cain, and traps him in his lair, wanting to keep him for his collection. Sam and Crowley break into the lair to get Dean back.

Sam gets captured by Magnus, but Crowley releases Dean from his bonds, and Dean chops Magnus's head off with the First Blade. There's a frightening moment where Sam sees how much this Blade thing is changing Dean, but Sam is able to talk Dean down. When they leave the bunker, they find the Impala vandalized by Abaddon's people. Carved into the car is a message in Enochian for Crowley, telling him that Abaddon is getting close. Crowley takes the Blade from Sam and Dean, because he doesn't trust them not to kill him. He agrees to give it back to them to use on Abaddon, once they find her.

Castle: The Way of the Ninja (6x18)

This episode was all about the case of the week, and not so much about the characters. That's normally not a good omen, and I suppose I wasn't such a big fan of this episode in the end. However, for what it was trying to be, I think this one was okay.

Jade, a Japanese woman, is killed, and the team is sent to investigate. She was a ballet dancer, but as they look into her history, they discover all sorts of weird stuff about her. Her history seems to be erased, and she grew up in an orphanage. Turns out, she was trying to avenge her parent's deaths. Castle and Beckett track down the murder weapon, but it gets stolen - by a ninja!

Things get more and more complicated, until finally they realize that the victim's boyfriend's father is actually a member of the yakuza, and he was responsible for the deaths of Jade and her parents. Jade's sister gets involved, but instead of killing her family's murderer, she lets the police take him into custody.

Along the way, Beckett goes out to dinner with an old friend who used to be very exciting, but now is boring because she's married. Castle has to go undercover and allows a young woman (essentially a call girl) to kiss him. Beckett laments that this sort of place is filled with men who are bored with their wives, and now her friend has turned boring after marriage. Castle and Beckett agree to put something in their vows: they will never get bored with one another, and will always make time for romance.

How I Met Your Mother: Gary Blauman (9x21)

I'll admit, this episode got quite a few chuckles out of me. There were also some intensely sentimental moments, which kind of just makes me more nervous that The Mother is going to die. I guess we should take a look at what happens.

We have a very brief flash forward, three days after the wedding. We see Ted pick up The Mother for a date. As they talk about finding a restaurant without a reservation, Ted tells The Mother a story about Gary Blauman.

Back just before the wedding, Robin runs into Blauman. She acts happy to see him, but then freaks out because she didn't remember to put him in to the seating chart. Marshall promises to handle it. When he tries to recruit Ted, Ted says that he hates Blauman because they both went after the same girl once at a party, and Ted didn't win. Lily, on the other hand, loves Blauman for stopping her from getting a terrible tattoo.

The Mentalist: Grey Water (6x14)

Ahhh! Cliffhangers! Not even a bit okay. There were things about this episode that really impressed me, and others that annoyed me. Shall we get started?

Rigsby and Van Pelt are attacked in their home and nearly killed. They fly out to join the rest of their old team in the FBI. They are determined to catch this person, however they can. The FBI compiles a list of people that the CBI put in jail, and they narrow down their suspects by going with gut feelings, on Jane's suggestion. Most of their leads don't pan out, however, and by the end of the episode, they still don't know for sure who killed JJ and Ardiles, or who's targeting Rigsby and Van Pelt. The aforementioned cliffhanger comes when we see Van Pelt in bed at a hotel, and a dark figure hovers over her.

While all of this is going on, Jane and Fischer are working a case concerning oil fracking. A lot of people are making money off of this operation, but others are angry that their land is being used pretty much against their will. An anti-oil group is also involved. In the end, it turns out one of the victim's friends killed him, after the victim caught him stealing money from the oil company. While not the most interesting case in the world, it did have a few interesting details, such as the fact that the oil company's higher-ups were not all immoral and greedy. One of them was, and he got his comeuppance. Another high official was horrified by all the bribery that had been going on, and he fired the corrupt guy and vowed to try and make things better.

Once Upon a Time: Witch Hunt (3x13)

Let's dive in!

In Storybrooke, Hook tells Mary Margaret and David that he was with them in the Enchanted Forest for a while, but then he left. He says that while sailing, he was sent a message by bird with a note telling him to get Emma because a new curse had happened. It also included the memory potion. Hook had assumed that Snow had sent it, but of course Snow can't remember anything. Leroy/Grumpy shows up and says that Dwarves are disappearing left and right. Emma decides to get everyone's memories back, the first step being to discover who cursed them in the first place.

At the diner, Henry meets David and Mary Margaret. They say they're friends of Emma's from Phoenix. When Regina comes in, Emma pulls her aside and explains what's going on. Regina insists that she is not the one who cursed them all, and she points out that she would never have set up a scenario where Henry doesn't remember her. Little John gets taken, and they figure out it's because he crossed the town line. Hook and David search the woods, along with Robin Hood, while Emma calls a town meeting.

The Walking Dead: The Grove (4x14)

Holy... Shhhhh.... iiii.... Oh my God. I'm trying to remember if I've ever been more shocked and horrified by anything this show has ever done, and I'm having trouble. I mean, I was pretty surprised when Sophia walked out of the barn, when Hershel died, when Andrea died... but this one is just... worse.

We check in with Carol, Tyreese, baby Judith, Lizzie, and Mika. They are continuing along the railroad tracks, heading towards Terminus. Carol expresses worry that Mika is too soft to survive in this new world, and Lizzie is confused about the Walkers. She thinks they're just different, and doesn't want to kill them.

The group find a pecan grove, and decide to stay there for a while. Carol sees Lizzie playing with a Walker, and of course she intervenes, killing the Walker. Lizzie is enraged, insisting that Carol has killed her friend. Later, Mika finds Lizzie playing with a Walker that's caught in the railroad tracks. When a group of Walkers come out of the trees, the two girls run back to the grove. The two of them, along with Tyreese and Carol, are forced to shoot several of the Walkers. Lizzie tells Carol that she understands now what she has to do.

Parenthood: Limbo (5x17)

Ah, family drama. There's nothing like it. This was a wonderfully messy episode, with a nice big culminating scene, where the entire family got together to be very dramatic and angry. Let's break it down.

Jasmine's mother is insisting on holding a baptism for Aida over the weekend. She insists that Aida's soul is suffering without being baptized. Jasmine's mother also insists on holding the brunch. When Camille finds out, however, she wants to host it. Instead, she decides to hold a dinner the night before. Aida's baptism has turned into quite the weekend event!

Things are further complicated by the fact that Aida's godparents are supposed to be Julia and Joel. Crosby goes to talk to Joel, expressing that it might be awkward for him to be the godfather. Joel agrees to step down. Crosby asks Adam to do it instead. Before he can explain to Adam that he's a backup, Adam gets really emotional and excited about it, and Crosby can't bring himself to tell Adam the full truth. While at Zeek and Camille's, Crosby and Julia watch as Sydney, Victor, and Jabbar all help Zeek work on the car. Crosby mentions that he went and saw Joel, and Julia gets upset that Joel didn't fight to remain Aida's godfather. She doesn't understand why he's not working harder to be a part of the family. Julia calls Joel to ask him why he won't fight, but Joel says that it wasn't his place to interfere, and that it was Crosby's call.

Parks and Recreation: New Slogan (6x16)

I feel entirely apathetic about this episode. I know, that's not the most auspicious way to start one of these reviews, but it's true. I have no big problems, but also no big praise. Let's get going.

Ben revamps the Pawnee website, and the new site also includes a new vote, for a town slogan to commemorate the merger between Pawnee and Eagleton. When Leslie talks more about her new potential job in Chicago, she's disappointed to learn that she'll be doing more big picture stuff, and less hands-on, which is the part of Leslie's job that she's always really enjoyed. Leslie goes a bit crazy, and goes overboard on trying to promote voting for the new slogan. This plan backfires when she goes on a radio show and "The Douche," the host, gets his followers to do a write-in vote for the slogan to be about Douche Nation. When Leslie tries to fight it, the top slogan becomes about the "Stick Up Leslie's Butt."

Elementary: The Hound of the Cancer Cells (2x18)

First of all, kudos to the writers on the name for this episode... it made me chuckle. There were two plots in this episode, both of which I actually found very interesting. Let's take a look at each of them.

The case of the week involved a new Breathalyzer, nicknamed "the hound," which could identify cancer in patients. The scientist working on the drug was found dead, in a staged suicide. There are a lot of suspects for the crime. At first they're suspicious of one of the other people working on the drug, but then they find out about an anonymous tipper who was trying to discredit "the hound." They track down a woman who says she used to be partnered with the victim. The two of them wrote anonymous messages to discredit illegitimate scientific advancements. However, the woman assures them that it wasn't her that wrote this latest message. Someone was impersonating the anonymous tipper. In the end, one of their first suspicions proves correct, and they arrest one of the people funding the drug for the murder of the first victim, and also of his own wife.

Meanwhile, Bell asks Joan to help track down a young girl who agreed to testify against a drug lord, but then backed out and disappeared. Joan tracks the girl to the house of a teacher who is known in the community for protecting these disadvantaged kids. The girl is unwilling to testify now because she discovered that she's pregnant, and she doesn't want the drug lord and his men to put her baby at risk. Bell talks to the teacher and says it's okay if the girl doesn't step forward, because he wants her to feel safe. The teacher, however, doesn't think that what he's done in the neighborhood is enough. He wants to take this drug dealer down. He does in fact do so, but he gets himself killed in the process.

Grey's Anatomy: Throwing it All Away (10x15)

I'm actually going to have a bit of a hard time summarizing this plot for you. It was very intricate, and a lot of the story lines wove together. I'll do my best!

First of all, Alex has been suspended from surgery for three days because of his outburst with the board about his relationship with Jo. Meredith tries to help out by suggesting that Alex and Jo sign a relationship contract, but Alex is afraid that this will freak Jo out, so soon after the whole proposal fiasco. Jo, for her part of the story, is startled to find a baby in the dumpster. She and Stephanie bring the baby into the hospital. Christina takes over the care, naming the baby Oscar. She and Shane work on the patient together. Christina talks with Shane, making sure that he didn't feel compromised by their relationship. Things between them seem to be repairing. Owen and Emma break up, and Christina is angry with Owen about it, questioning why he would throw away his dream girl. Owen says that Christina feels guilty, and wants to see him have what he wants, so that she can stop feeling responsible for his unhappiness.

Meanwhile, Stephanie is having a rather off day at the hospital. She accidentally hits Arizona with a gurney, causing her prosthetic leg to break. Later, she hits Jackson, too. While filing an accident report, Stephanie tells Jackson that he and April can stop feeling so guilty, and stop trying to apologize all the time. She says she no longer cares about Jackson.

The Big Bang Theory: The Mommy Observation (7x18)

No time for fluffy introductions. Plot plot plot!

Sheldon and Howard, still in Houston, go to surprise Sheldon's mother. Sheldon's the one who gets the surprise, however, when he looks in the window of his house and sees his mother having sex. After freaking out for a bit, Sheldon goes back to the house to confront his mother about what he saw. He is very disappointed in her and behaves rudely. Sheldon's mother sends him to his room. Howard comes in from the car and talks to Sheldon. He tells the story of how his mother started seeing someone after his dad left, and Howard gave her a bad time about it. Howard's mother broke up with him, and has been alone ever since. Maybe Sheldon should think about that, and try not to get in the way of his mother's happiness. Sheldon goes and talks to his mother again. He begrudgingly agrees to put on an outward appearance of acceptance, while judging her internally. Sheldon's mother tells him that this is a very Christian thing to do. Sheldon then starts lecturing his mother about safe sex.

Suits: Yesterday's Gone (3x12)

I am a squealing ball of happiness right now. I cannot even explain it. You know what I love most about Suits? Every single character has such an interesting relationship with all of the other characters. And yeah, I live and breathe for Harvey and Mike’s relationship. But Harvey and Jessica – super interesting! Harvey and Louis! Louis and Rachel! Louis and Mike! Mike and Jessica! Donna and Louis! Donna and Harvey! It's just a never-ending list of very fascinating and complicated relationship dynamics. I adore it. This episode really showcased these relationships, and all their messy complexities. Let's talk about the plot!

So, Jessica's ex-husband, Quentin, has passed away. He named Jessica and Harvey co-executors of his will. Lisa, Quentin's wife at the time of his death, has an understandably rocky relationship with Jessica. Lisa wants to sell Quentin's drug to a company, but Jessica says it's a terrible idea, and is betraying everything Quentin would have wanted. Harvey assures Jessica that he can handle things, if this situation is too personal for her.

The legal council for the company that wants to buy the drug is angry when Jessica sneaks in a proviso making them promise to finish developing the drug. They start to play dirty – turns out, Quentin may not have been entirely sound of mind when Jessica was signed on to manage the will. Jessica manages to convince the court that she’s doing what Quentin wanted her to do. Jessica and Lisa end up on the same page, even if their relationship will never be perfect.

Modern Family: Other People's Children (5x17)

Here we go! This is one of those episodes where the plots are all very isolated from one another. I actually really liked all but one of them. And even that one wasn't bad or anything. Let's go plot by plot.

Cam, Mitch, Manny, and Alex all go to an art museum. They comment that they’re the cultured ones in the family, so it's nice to be able to do something together, just the four of them. However, Cam feels like he's the dumbest of the four. He tried to do some research on one of the exhibits so that he could sound smart, but that part of the exhibit is gone when they get there, leaving him in the lurch. Cam eventually goes to wait outside. Now, Mitch panics, because he's the dumb one if Cam's not there. When he leaves to go talk to Cam, Manny panics, because now he's inadequate next to Alex. Alex suggests they all get something to eat, exhausted from dumbing everything down all day for her family members. When she gets mustard on her shirt, the other three all discuss the stain as if it's a work of modern art, causing Alex to grow frustrated and spray Cam with mustard.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Yes Men (1x15)

So... I enjoyed this episode. In fact, I think it might be the best one this show has managed to pull off, with the exception of the one with Simmons almost dying. This episode just... it did a lot of good work. It's still not soaring to new heights or anything, but I'll tell you one thing: Lady Sif helped matters a lot. Also, there's a shocking twist in this episode that actually made me gasp out loud. Let's take a look at the plot.

Lorelei enslaves a biker gang to her will, beginning to create her army. The team discovers a strange reading in the desert, which indicates Asgardian technology. While out in the desert, Lady Sif appears. She is there to find and imprison Lorelei. Turns out, Lorelei’s power comes through her voice, and if they can silence her with a special collar, they can stop her. The team, accompanied by Sif (but not Skye, who is still recovering from her near-death), finds Lorelei at a biker bar.

During the fight, Lorelei puts Ward under her enchantments, and escapes with him. They go to Las Vegas. Coulson and the team follow, but Lorelei and Ward are nowhere to be found.

Coulson asks May to think about what she would do, in a similar situation, because she and Ward have had such similar training. May realizes, too late, that Lorelei and Ward are planning to commandeer the Bus. Lorelei enchants Fitz, and Fitz locks Sif up, and imprisons Skye and Simmons as well.

How I Met Your Mother: Daisy (9x20)

Let's dive in.

Robin asks her mother how she flew to New York, since she's so afraid of airplanes. Apparently, Genevieve had to be restrained with duct tape, but she made it in the end! She asks Robin about Barney, and then starts talking about Robin's father, and all of the warning signs that she had before marrying him. Robin, horrified, starts to notice lots of similarities between her father and Barney.

Marshall admits to Ted, Barney, Ranjit, and Billy Zabka that he feels guilty that he and Lily won't be going to Rome. He's also suspicious of Lily's abrupt change of heart. After she stormed out during their fight, she seemed very willing to stay in New York. Ranjit tells Marshall that he saw Lily at a nearby convenience store, getting into The Captain's car. Marshall and the rest of the guys go to The Captain's house to figure out what happened. They learn that The Captain is now engaged to Becky (Boats, Boats, Boats!) Ted puts together a bunch of clues and decides that Lily has been secretly smoking lately. However, it is then revealed that Lily is pregnant. Ted had the clues right, but not the outcome.

The Walking Dead: Alone (4x13)

Another great episode. That makes two in a row that I thoroughly enjoyed. This time, we checked in with a lot of our characters, although we didn't see Rick at all. I'm guessing we've got to check in with him next week, right? This week, however, we followed two of our main groups. Let's take each in turn.

In flashback, we see Bob on his own. Glenn and Daryl find him, ask him the three questions, and invite him back to the prison with them. In present day, Maggie, Bob, and Sasha are traveling around, searching for Glenn. Bob has a close call with a Walker, but he only gets bit on his bandage. Maggie overhears Bob and Sasha talking about the fact that Glenn is most likely dead. Sasha wants to set up a permanent base when they next find a good building for it. Bob wants to help Maggie continue to look for Glenn. In the morning, Bob and Sasha discover that Maggie has left them a note and set off on her own, not wanting to burden Sasha with the choice.

Maggie continues to work her way towards Terminus, leaving notes for Glenn along the way. Bob insists on trying to catch up to Maggie, but Sasha wants to stay put. They separate. Bob moves on, while Sasha finds a building. However, she notices Maggie lying disguised among a pile of corpses, but inadvertently makes a loud noise and brings a crowd of Walkers to her. Sasha helps save Maggie from the Walkers, and the two of them catch up with Bob, deciding to travel together and attempt to find this sanctuary. In the tag to the episode, we see Glenn find one of the signs leading to Terminus.

Once Upon a Time: New York City Serenade (3x12)

Yay! We're back from hiatus! And we have an episode with lots of Hook! My dreams have all come true. Let's take a look.

Emma is in New York with Henry, and she's been dating a guy named Walsh for the past eight months. Walsh proposes, but Emma is unable to make a decision right away. Henry encourages her to do what makes her happy. Emma is preoccupied with something else going on in her life - Hook turns up again after showing up at her door and kissing her. He tells her to go to a specific address to prove what he's been saying about her parents. Emma goes to the address and finds out that it's Neal's apartment. She sees a camera in the apartment with Henry's name on it. Emma confronts Hook, who continually insists that her family is in mortal danger and she has to save them. He offers her a potion that will restore her memories, but Emma instead gets him arrested for assault.

However, when Emma gets the pictures on Henry's camera developed, she sees pictures of the two of them together in a place called Storybrooke. She pays Hook's bail and drinks the potion, thus causing her to remember everything. Back at Emma's apartment, Walsh turns up. Emma has to refuse his proposal, because she doesn't want to draw him in to her crazy life. Walsh doesn't take the news so well - in fact, he gets angry at her for mixing things up and reveals that he has been a flying monkey the whole time. Emma is forced to beat him off of her. She now knows that she can never truly escape her destiny as the Savior.

The Mentalist: Black Helicopters (6x13)

I'm going to dive straight in. Sorry in advance... this is a really short one.

A U.S. attorney turns up dead in Mexico, despite there being no record of her crossing the border. Jane works primarily with Fischer on the case, very quickly discovering a secret tunnel that crosses the border. He ends up pretending to join a commune so as to get to the murderer. The murderer, it turns out, was an eco-terrorist years ago. An old lawyer who used to represent her before she skipped bail turns up in her life again, and recognizes her after all of these years. The crazy commune lady is forced to kill the lawyer to stay hidden. All is for naught, of course, since Jane's mind tricks allow him to find the murderer.

Meanwhile, Lisbon is still working on the conspiracy stuff with Rigsby and Van Pelt. They call in J.J. LaRoche to help them. Someone is stalking the former members of the CBI, and our team wants to find out who! Tragedy strikes, however, when J.J. and Rigsby track down a warehouse connected to the conspiracy, and J.J. unwittingly sets off a tripwire. He dies before Rigsby can do anything, his last thoughts of his dog.

While Jane is working the case, he keeps getting all of the FBI members things they secretly want - a magic wand, toy robots, etc. Everybody is pleased with Jane's gifts. Fischer, who was angry at Jane for abandoning her earlier when working on the case, is happy once she sees Jane's thoughtful gift. Lisbon has a smile for Fischer as well. She knows what it's like to be on the receiving end of one of Jane's generous and thoughtful moods.

The Vampire Diaries: Gone Girl (5x15)

Yikes. Death happened. Real death. I sort of forgot that could even happen on this show, because it seems like people keep getting brought back to life or visiting from the other side or whatever. But yeah. Death and dying and such. Let's look at the plot.

Nadia is dying from Tyler's bite, and Katherine is determined to save her. She can't ask Klaus for help without outing herself, so she goes to Wes. Wes takes some of Nadia's blood and promises to try and find a solution. Meanwhile, the others try to figure out how to draw Katherine out without revealing that they know her secret. They try calling "Elena" and asking her to come over for various reasons, but of course Katherine is with Nadia and cannot leave. Katherine gets suspicious about why everyone's calling her, and so she tries calling Damon. When Damon tells her to come on over, Katherine's suspicions are confirmed: Damon wouldn't risk Elena's safety like that!

So, since their first plan didn't work out, the friends try something else. Bonnie and Jeremy track down Liv, the witch from Bonnie's school, to track down Elena using a locator spell. Liv does so, but also flirts with Jeremy, causing Bonnie to get jealous.

Grey's Anatomy: You Got to Hide Your Love Away (10x14)

*Obligatory complaint about how long these gosh darn Grey's reviews take to write.* Let's dive right in.

Owen announces a non-fraternization policy in the hospital, and a lot of people are very upset. Jo freaks out and yells at Alex in front of everyone, and Alex very publicly breaks up with her. However, we immediately learn that this was planned between the two of them, so that nobody would expect that they were still together. Later, they make their way into a supply closet only to see that it is already occupied by April and Jackson. Webber walks in and sees Jo and Alex, and so calls a board meeting. While there, Jackson and April announce to everyone that they're married.

While I'm really happy for Jackson and April, I'll admit I'm a bit annoyed with this whole thing. It seems like yet another example of not letting Jo and Alex have any time to be in a normal relationship. We still have yet to see even one episode where everything is okay between them. I want that, so that I understand the foundation upon which all this drama rests. Setting that aside, though, it was really funny when Jo and Alex find Jackson and April in the closet. That made me chuckle. I also like Alex's anger at the perceived hypocrisy. I mean, honestly, all of the couples in the hospital happened because of inappropriate workplace shenanigans.

Parks and Recreation: The Wall (6x15)

Great episode. I am very pleased with the direction things are going. I still miss Ann and Chris a little bit, but the show is chugging on just fine without them. Let's take a quick look.

Leslie tries to get things under way with the Pawnee/Eagleton Unity Concert, but everyone is still so antagonistic to the idea of the merger. Leslie decides to try and host an announcement of the concert in the field that used to separate the two towns. She plans on ceremoniously tearing down the wall between them. When the Eagletonians take the first swing, a swarm of bees rushes out from the cracked wall. Everyone from Pawnee thinks that Leslie planned an elaborate bee prank, no matter how much she says otherwise. During an important meeting, Leslie is offered a job running a National Parks office in Chicago. After getting some advice from Ron, Leslie says she can't accept the offer right away. As much as Pawnee drives her crazy, she loves helping it.

Elementary: Ears to You (2x17)

Lestrade continues to mix things up in this latest episode of Elementary, and Sherlock and Joan help in solving a very mysterious case. Let's get straight into the story.

A man named Gordon Cushing receives a package containing two severed ears, with a note saying the ears belong to his wife. Several years ago, Gordon's wife disappeared, and everyone thought he had killed her. They had been unable to prove it, but the stigma of it all has been following him around for several years. Joan and Sherlock are on the case. Along the way are the typical twists and turns... Sarah Cushing turns up alive, and with both of her ears, to boot. A few twists later, and it turns out that Sarah had ears grown out of her own back with help from her new husband, a plastic surgeon. She was then able to try and extort ransom money out of her old husband.

In subplot news, Lestrade is still living at the bunker, and he's driving Sherlock crazy. Although Lestrade has been getting lots of offers, he doesn't have the confidence to take a new job, because he thinks he's hopeless without Sherlock. Joan tries to help him out. Lestrade goes out and gets drunk, and ends up getting mugged. Joan is angry that he's been drinking around Sherlock, but she gets him some files on the mugger and encourages him to work on the case. Lestrade does so, and actually manages to find the mugger very easily. So easily, in fact, that he believes Sherlock set the whole thing up to give him his confidence. He tells Sherlock that he didn't fall for his little trick, but Lestrade still takes a new job anyway. Sherlock tells Joan that he honestly didn't interfere, and has no idea what Lestrade is talking about.

Parenthood: The Enchanting Mr. Knight (5x16)

Plot, plot, plot! Let's do this.

Crosby can't understand why his mother wants to sell the house, and thinks his father is being steam rolled in the decision making. Crosby tells Camille that she's being selfish, and Camille gets very angry, and yells at Zeek for complaining about selling the house to Crosby. In the end, Jasmine and Crosby decide they have to leave, but when they offer to move out, Camille sees it for the peace offering that it is, and tells Crosby that the house is his home for as long as he needs it to be.

This was nice. Crosby made a big mistake calling Camille selfish, but Camille didn't stand for it. I'm loving how assertive she is, and how much she's willing to stand up for what she truly wants. Crosby got put in his place, and it was wonderful. Jasmine was a good supportive wife, and she and Crosby actually seemed to be on the same page.

The Big Bang Theory: The Friendship Turbulence (7x17)

Plot! Let's do this!

Penny gets offered a role in the sequel to the bad gorilla movie she made years ago, but decides to turn it down because she feels like it's a step backwards. However, her car breaks down and she has a crisis of faith in herself. She decides she has to go back to being a waitress to afford to fix the car. Leonard buys her a car to help her get to auditions, so she can continue pursuing her acting career.

Cute! Anything that's Penny-centric is adorable to me. I love the fact that Leonard still makes mistakes in their relationship - he's trying to be supportive, but he's not necessarily that great at it. However, when they do get in a fight, he is willing to accept that he's done wrong, and he supports Penny even though he could have pulled the "I told you so" card. The car was sweet, too. I do hope that Penny gets her big break soon, though. Pretty soon, I'll start to feel like we're getting repetitive with her constant inability to get out of her rut.

Suits: Buried Secrets (3x11)

My not-so-secret favorite part of this show is the Harvey/Mike bromance, and there wasn't a whole lot of that to enjoy in this first episode after hiatus. However, I watch the show for more than that, and we should go ahead and take a look at the plot over all. There were some lovely things about this episode, but also some problems.

Mike and Rachel are happy together and so are Harvey and Scottie. For the latter couple, however, things get a bit complicated. Jessica would be happy to have Scottie come work for the firm, but she's worried about the stability of Harvey and Scottie's relationship, so she asks Scottie to pay her buy-in up front. She doesn't want to, so she decides to try and bring in a big client on her own. She gets Michael Phelps, the one client Harvey couldn't land, but Jessica still won't let up about the buy-in. Harvey fronts Scottie's buy-in without telling her about it, but Scottie finds out. She's pissed at Harvey, and he tells her that he's bad at these relationship things and he's trying. The two of them agree to be honest with each other from now on.

Meanwhile, Mike is working on a case against the lawyer who represented the drunk driver who killed Mike's parents. Mike wants to tear this guy apart. However, throughout the case things become complicated. The lawyer reveals that Mike's father had been drinking the night he died, which is why Mike's Gran settled for such a small amount of money. Mike eventually decides not to tear apart this lawyer's client the way his family was torn apart, but he also doesn't allow his own client to suffer: he tells the lawyer to sue the company that made the medicine rather than the doctor, for the supposedly wrongful death of his client. Mike feels that he's done the best he can according to his principles and his job. Along the way, he and Rachel also decide to move in together, and Mike tells Rachel stories about his parents.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: T.A.H.I.T.I. (1x14)

I'm... impressed. This was a pretty good one. Still not up to the standards I might have wanted, but there was actually some good emotional weight and character moments here. Let us look at the plot.

Skye is dying, and it looks like even S.H.I.E.L.D.'s top doctors can't do anything to save her. Coulson decides to find the people who brought him back to life, in order to save Skye. The team still have Ian Quinn on board as their prisoner, and it seems S.H.I.E.L.D. wants to bring him in. When the team disobeys orders and keeps Quinn on board, the Bus is boarded by Agents John Garrett and Antoine Triplett. Garrett, an old friend of Coulson and Ward's former handler, decides to allow Quinn to remain on board just until the team finds a way to save Skye.

While being interrogated, Quinn reveals that he shot Skye because the Clairvoyant told him to. That way, Coulson would try and find the people who revived him, and thus the Clairvoyant would finally find out how Coulson survived. Fitz and Simmons discover, in looking over Coulson's medical files, that he was treated at a place called the Guest House. When they arrive there, Coulson, Ward, Fitz, and Garrett break in, taking down the guards as they go. Once inside, they realize that the entire place is rigged to explode. Working quickly, Fitz finds the drug they've been looking for while Coulson finds a room marked T.A.H.I.T.I.

Supernatural: #THINMAN (9x15)

I've heard people complain that this was a filler episode. And yeah, okay, technically, but it expanded on so many of the important themes of the current plot arcs, namely: Dean and Sam's relationship. Also, I think there's a very strong argument to be made that the Mark of Cain is doing something strange to Dean... let's look at the plot.

Dean and Sam go to work a case where a creepy looking figure appeared in the back of a girl's selfie just before she was murdered inside her locked house. When they arrive on the scene, they find that the Ghostfacers have beaten them to the punch. The Winchesters tell Harry and Ed to scram, but they don't listen. Harry and Ed reveal that they think they're hunting "Thin Man," a monster that has been trending in online forums recently. Dean thinks it's just a ghost, but Sam thinks there might be something to this whole Thin Man theory.

Then, Ed reveals something to the Winchesters: he invented Thin Man, because Ed wanted to keep Harry in the business, instead of letting him move on with his life and get married. When Sam and Dean go to try to find out what's going on, they get tasered and tied up. Turns out, there is no Thin Man, nor any supernatural creature of any kind. It's just two human beings, orchestrating the whole thing so they can be famous online. Dean is almost killed, but Harry and Ed turn up and they all manage to get out alive. However, Dean kills one of the two Thin Man impersonators, and Harry kills the other.

Modern Family: Spring-a-Ding-Fling (5x16)

Diving straight in!

Phil is hosting a realtor's banquet, and he brings Haley along. During Phil's hilarious routine, he notices Haley texting, and it distracts him. He falls down and hurts himself, and is unable to finish his hosting duties. However, Phil wins the biggest award of the night, and when Haley gets up to accept it on his behalf, she starts telling some of the jokes he had prepared, to raucous laughter. Phil is happy that his daughter supports him after all.

This was really cute. Haley and Phil's relationship is not one that gets the most attention, so I was happy to see it showcased here. Phil's jokes are actually pretty funny. And Haley was so sweet, when she told everyone that Phil was the best dad.

Castle: In the Belly of the Beast (6x17)

Wow. Uh... wow. This was a big one. Stana Katic... wow. Okay, let's just... do the plot thing, shall we?

Beckett has a rare day off, and she's enjoying it with Castle, when all of a sudden she gets a call from work. When she goes into the office, she is asked to go undercover to help bring down a drug ring. She specifically is suited for the task because she matches the approximate physical description of someone who has been in contact with the higher ups, and she speaks fluent Russian. Beckett goes under cover, but instead of just going to a meeting as was planned, she is kidnapped. Quickly, it becomes clear that Elena, the girl she's impersonating, is not just a low-level package mover. Instead, she is an assassin. In order to stay under cover, she has to play the part.

Castle, Espo, Ryan, and Gates are all obviously very worried about Beckett, and doing everything they can to find her. Beckett manages to make fleeting contact a few times, but it doesn't help them much. Eventually, Beckett has to pretend to assassinate someone. She fakes the death with the guy, who then is able to run to the police once Beckett is gone. 

How I Met Your Mother: Vesuvius (9x19)

Several months ago, before Season Nine began, my mother and I were in the car on the way home from the grocery store and we had a conversation about How I Met Your Mother. We speculated that perhaps the reason Ted is telling his kids these stories is that The Mother is dead, and he wants them to know how they met, since it's such a great love story and all that. It was sort of just a silly theory, not one that either of us took very seriously. And still, I don't think this show is going to have the guts to pull it off. But... after tonight's episode, wouldn't it be an awesomely dark way to end things? Let's look at the plot, and then I'll explain what I mean.

Ted and The Mother are on vacation at the Farhampton Inn. The two of them start to tell each other stories, but they realize that they've heard all of each other's stories, meaning they are officially an "old married couple." Curtis, the desk clerk, reminds Ted of the time Robin broke a lamp, and The Mother says she hasn't heard this story. Ted dives in.

The Walking Dead: Still (4x12)

Remember how I've been complaining that there's not enough central action in this show lately? And how we're basically just watching characters walk around? Well, this episode proves me wrong, in a way. All that happens, technically, is that Daryl and Beth walk around aimlessly. But damn. This was my favorite episode since we've gotten back from hiatus. By a long shot. It was a character development goldmine, and I now want to see more Daryl and Beth, no matter what the plot.

Daryl and Beth are going from camp to camp, keeping on the move. At one point they are forced to spend the night in the trunk of a car to avoid a hoard of Walkers. Beth decides she wants to have a drink, as in, alcohol, and Daryl can't convince her otherwise. The two of them make their way to a country club, where they are almost overrun by Walkers, but when Beth finds some peach schnapps, she seems unable to bring herself to drink it. Daryl, noticing her distress, declares that she needs something better for her first drink.

Daryl makes his way to a rundown shack that he says he tracked down with Michonne. He gives Beth some moonshine. The two play "never have I ever," but Daryl ends up getting angry at Beth, basically accusing her of being a spoiled little brat. He becomes incensed, shooting his crossbow at a Walker and pinning it, without killing it, to the house. Beth and Daryl end up screaming at each other, and Daryl finally admits that he blames himself for what happened with the Governor, and for the deaths of all of their friends. The two of them cry and hug it out.

Grey's Anatomy: Take It Back (10x13)

Grey's Anatomy reviews make me tired... they're so long and full of so much plot. Ugh. Okay, let's dive straight in.

April leaves Matthew at the altar and runs off with Jackson. She freaks out about it and seems to possibly regret her rash actions, since she knows that Matthew and Stephanie did not deserve it. At the hospital, nobody is sure what's going on with Jackson and April, because they are avoiding each other, and avoiding Stephanie as well. Stephanie is obviously distraught. In the end, with Leah's urging, Stephanie actually files a complaint, which causes Owen to suggest to the board that they implement a zero tolerance policy for employee fraternization. We see that Jackson and April eloped after April ran out on her wedding, and are happily living together. However, they're keeping their relationship a secret for now.

Derek takes the offer from the President to work on the brain scan thing, and Meredith is angry, because this means he's going back on his word to take time off and let Meredith take on more work. However, Derek insists that he really had no choice. How do you turn down the President of the United States? Derek has to get a background check, and the investigation turns up a detail from his past - apparently he caused a brain bleed in a student back in high school, during a wrestling match. He sends money to this boy's family every year. He tells Meredith the story, and even though she's pissed that he said yes to the President, she understands.

The Vampire Diaries: No Exit (5x14)

Stefan and Damon Salvatore. You two are going to melt my heart. And Katherine. My hatred for you grows ever stronger. And Nadia! Matt! What the hell! Enzo, I'm really starting to enjoy you as a character. This episode was a good one, and I'm glad to see that we're moving closer to getting Elena back. I love Katherine as a villain, but my goodness she is horrible. Alright! The plot!

Damon and Enzo are on a rampage. Since Damon drinks vampire blood now, Enzo has been drinking and killing humans, but he's transforming them into vampires instead of just leaving them dead, so that Damon has something to snack on. Stefan, regretful over telling Damon to leave, decides to track down his brother. "Elena," excited for a chance to spend with Stefan, decides to go with him.

Wes and some Travelers turn up at a house in which Damon and Enzo have just finished feeding. Using the Travelers, Wes traps the two friends in the house, wanting to test how long Damon can resist killing his best friend. Enzo wants to call Stefan and Elena to tell them to come over and help, but Damon desperately begs him not to - Stefan and Elena are both vampires, after all, and Damon is afraid of hurting them. Enzo calls anyway, because he is of course afraid for his own life. Eventually, Damon's hunger becomes so extreme that he begins to feed on Enzo. Enzo pleads for Damon to stop, and Damon does, but only because the Travelers raised the acidity of Enzo's blood. Enzo is allowed to leave the house. Damon tells him to run, and Enzo, reluctant, goes.

Parks and Recreation: Anniversaries (6x14)

This is our first Parks and Recreation episode after Ann and Chris's departure. It was a decent episode... cute, fluffy, with a few great jokes. However, one of the plot lines was pretty shrug-worthy, and this isn't the type of episode I feel like I'll ever re-watch. Let us dive in.

It's Leslie and Ben's one year anniversary, and Ben is determined to get Leslie a great gift. Usually, for all gift-giving holidays, Leslie totally beats Ben, but this time, Ben want it to be different. He decides he'll surprise Leslie by giving her surprise gifts all day the day before the actual anniversary. He plans a couples massage, a carriage ride, ballroom dancing, and more. The only trouble is, Leslie ends up too busy working to participate, so Ben ends up going on all the dates with Gary/Jerry/Larry. Ben presents a scrapbook to Leslie that chronicles his adventures with Larry. Leslie is touched by the gift, even if she didn't get to enjoy it firsthand. However, her gift still wins: she presents Ben with a replica of the iron throne from Game of Thrones.

Parenthood: Just Like at Home (5x15)

Yay! Back from hiatus! I missed this show. It always gives me warm fuzzy feelings. And this one was no exception. As is often very rare in this show, this episode was pretty much entirely about healing, not about creating new problems. Things aren't great for a lot of our beloved characters, but everyone is trying their hardest to be there for one another, and it's a beautiful thing. Let us take a look at each plot!

Crosby, Jasmine, Jabbar, and Aida are staying with Zeek and Camille, when Crosby discovers that the house is about to be put on the market. He is upset by this, but when he confronts his father, Zeek says that he loves Camille more than he loves the house, and he wants to make her happy. At the end of the episode, all of the grandchildren hang out at the house together, making s'mores, while Crosby goes over to Julia's house to take care of his sister.

Sarah and Hank are working together on editing the photos from the surfing shoot, and Hank thinks that they need to cut the taco truck out of the pictures. Sarah disagrees. Sarah goes out to dinner with Carl, and the two of them have a fun time. Carl admits he might be falling for Sarah. Hank edits the pictures without Sarah's permission, and she is upset. Hank goes to Dr. Pelikan to figure out how to apologize. The doctor gives him some advice, and Hank tries to apologize to Sarah. He says that he knows he hasn't been good with her, but he's trying to be better. Sarah, in the end, goes over to Julia's house to help cheer her up from her separation with Joel.

Elementary: The One Percent Solution (2x16)

Lestrade is back for an encore performance, and I enjoyed his character just as much this time around as I did the last. While there were some bits here and there that I didn't love about the episode, over all I think it was a real winner. The plot!

A bomb goes off in a restaurant where an important meeting it taking place. The private security guy in charge of the company is... Gareth Lestrade. Sherlock is not happy to see him, because the last time they worked a case together he took all the credit for Sherlock's work. The case itself involves Lestrade's boss, and at one point Lestrade himself comes close to being implicated as a suspect. Joan even steals his phone to take a look at his personal information and see what he's been up to. Also suspected is a serial bomber.

Eventually, we learn that Lestrade's boss had nothing to do with the bombing - the reason for all of his suspicious activity (and the suspicious activity of Lestrade, as his employee) is quite different. Apparently, Lestrade's boss continually offers money and certain prizes to people in exchange for sex. Essentially, he views everyone as a potential prostitute, and he has the resources to make a lot of lavish promises. Lestrade was embarrassed to be involved in such a slimy scheme, since he often made the offers to these potential sex buddies of his boss. Lestrade's shame is what prevented him from telling Sherlock straight away.

The Big Bang Theory: The Table Polarization (7x16)

Okay! Two plots. Let's dive right in.

Leonard and Penny want to get a dining room table so that they don't all have to eat in the living room and force someone to sit on the floor. Sheldon is distressed by this possible change, and he declares that it's all because of Penny. Penny has changed Leonard, made him more assertive, and it makes it more difficult for Sheldon to always get what he wants. When Penny points out that Amy has changed Sheldon, too, Sheldon decides he must break up with her straight away. He goes over to her apartment to do so, but Amy manages to manipulate him into staying in a relationship with her by saying that Leonard is only trying to ruin their relationship to make him forget about the table. Sheldon and Amy accuse Leonard of just that, but when Amy pushes too far and suggests that Sheldon move in with her so he doesn't have to put up with Leonard, Sheldon concedes that the table can stay. When the group all try to have a meal around it, Sheldon and Amy stay over by the couches. Feeling bad, the rest of the group goes over to join them, thus reinstating their normal seating arrangement. Sheldon gleefully exclaims that even if he is acting like a baby, sometimes the baby wins.