Supernatural: Paper Moon (10x04)

Hmmm.... Okay I did not get the bromance I was looking for in this episode in the way that I was expecting, but what actually happened might be better. Let's look at the plot first, though.

Sam and Dean are taking a break to recuperate after the whole Demon!Dean ordeal. However, Dean is restless. He notices something that looks like a string of werewolf killings, and he tells Sam that he needs the hunt. Sam makes Dean promise to tell him if he starts to lose it, and Dean agrees.

They investigate the killings, and, using different witness accounts, they trace a woman back to her hideout, only to see that it's Kate, from "Bitten," a Season Eight episode. They tie her up and Dean prepares to kill her, but Sam says that maybe he should be the one to do it, because Dean's not ready. At this point, Sam gets a call saying that there's been another kill, very recently. So... Kate can't be the guilty party. Kate escapes, but Dean had grabbed her cellphone earlier, so they can use that to track her down.

As they try to find Kate again, Dean questions why Sam would try to stop him from killing Kate. Dean wonders if Sam is ready to be back on the hunt, because of what he did to Lester. Dean speculates that there might have been other people that Sam condemned to Hell, but Sam says Lester was the only one.

Castle: Meme is Murder (7x05)

Okay, so... social commentary. The pros and cons of social media in our growing technological world. Wow, this was not even subtle at all. To be honest, it got a bit cloying. But let's look at what actually happened first, and then I'll talk about this some more.

Castle and Beckett are put on a case involving an internet celebrity. This young girl was very popular on "snap-o-matic," where she would post pictures including one-sentence reviews of different establishments. She was murdered by someone who had been following her - just before her death, she was sent pictures of herself to her own phone. The killer, after the murder, takes pictures of the body and posts them to his own snap-o-matic account.

As Castle and Beckett investigate, they learn that the people at the snap-o-matic HQ can't help them, since the site is run on an interface that provides anonymity to its users. The killer sends the police messages through his snap-o-matic, and through these hints, Castle figures out that the killer is after another famous internet kid. They rush to protect her, but it's too late - she isn't killed, but another one of her internet friends is. The killer is getting bolder and bolder.

For a while, they suspect an ex-cop who worked in cyber-crime. But no - it turns out that the murderer was targeting this ex-cop as well. At first they look in his files for cyber criminals that could be responsible, but then they realize - they aren't looking for a criminal... they're looking for a former victim! After snagging a picture off a security camera, the pieces fall together, and the ex-cop is able to ID the murderer.

The Walking Dead: Four Walls and a Roof (5x03)

Okay, seriously? We waited all of the hiatus to get the group back together again, and now this? Ugh. My heart hurts. Shall we look at the plot?

We pick up right where we left off, with Gareth speaking to Bob, threatening the rest of the group, while he and his comrades munch away at Bob's leg. Bob then begins laughing, and reveals that he was bit on the shoulder, and that he's "tainted meat." Everyone freaks out, but Gareth assures them that since they cooked the meat, they should be fine. Gareth, angry at Bob for taunting him, knocks him out.

Back at the church, Rick and Sasha are really worried about Bob, Daryl, and Carol, all of whom are missing. As they angrily ask Father Gabriel if he had anything to do with this, Gabriel finally cracks and tells them the truth: when the apocalypse first began, he locked himself up in the church and he wouldn't let other human beings inside. He thinks Rick and the rest of them were sent to him as a punishment for that crime.

Hearing a sound, Sasha and the others go outside and find Bob, who has been deposited there by Gareth's people. Bob tells them about the cannibals, and also reveals the bite on his shoulder. At this point, Abraham says that they should leave immediately for DC. The group is divided, and so Abraham says he'll just continue on with Eugene and Rosita. However, things get tricky. Abraham wants to take the bus, but Rick says that he can't, since his group needs it, and they can't leave before Daryl and Carol are found. Glenn diffuses the situation by making an offer: if Abraham and his people will stay one more day, and help Rick with the Gareth situation, then they can leave, with Tara, Glenn, and Maggie along the way to help them out. Abraham accepts.

Once Upon a Time: Breaking Glass (4x05)

Okay! We're getting somewhere! Let's start with a summary of the flashback, and then get in to what's going on in Storybrooke.

We see Emma as a teenager in 1998. She is trying to steal food from a grocery store, but is nearly caught. Another young girl, Lily, shows up and helps her avoid detection. The two of them buy a bunch of food using a credit card that Lily says she has stolen. They must then run away from a man who is chasing them. Emma reveals her experiences in the foster system, and says that she ran away. She asks Lily if the man chasing her was from social services, and if she too is from the foster system. Lily says yes. The two of them decide to break in to a summer home and stay there. Lily tells Emma that they should always be friends, no matter what happens. At this point, the man who was chasing Lily earlier shows up. Turns out, it's her father. Lily says she's sorry for lying to Emma, but that she really does hate her home life and she wants to run away. Emma can't forgive her for lying, and so she walks away from Lily. Emma is taken back in by social services.

Back in Storybrooke, we see the Snow Queen create an ice monster. At the sheriff's station, Emma and Elsa are continuing their hunt for the Snow Queen, to no avail. Hook stops by to drop off some files. He tells Emma he's going to take Henry sailing, and after kissing her on the cheek, he departs. Will, still in the jail cell, witnesses the whole thing, and laments his situation - all he gets for dinner is a pop tart with a bite already taken out of it. Emma and Elsa look at some pictures in the police files, from back when Regina had Sidney spy on Emma. She sees pictures of herself with Henry, and then she finds a mysterious picture of herself talking to the Snow Queen, which she has no memory of.

Doctor Who: In the Forest of the Night (8x10)

I can't believe it! I learned things about Clara this week! I actually, honest to God, learned something about Clara that had nothing to do with the Doctor or with Danny Pink. I mean, granted, it was a pretty basic thing, not all that interesting, but still! Something!

Let's start with the plot, though.

In the middle of London, a young girl named Maebh stumbles across the TARDIS. The Doctor tries to figure out where she's come from, and he realizes that a forest has grown over the entirety of London. Clara and Danny, in London on a school trip, realize the same thing. They also realize that Maebh is missing from their group. Clara immediately calls the Doctor to tell him the exciting news about the forest, only to discover that he already knows. They all meet up and start to speculate about why the forest is there.

While inside the TARDIS, Danny notices some school papers, which prove that Clara has still been traveling with the Doctor. Then, the Doctor realizes that Maebh is missing. He and Clara go to find her. They talk about how the forest continues to grow, and the Doctor senses something sinister afoot - the forest is a generalized human fear. They find Maebh, but she appears to be having a panic attack of some sort. Apparently, her sister went missing, and she's been really unstable ever since. She's been taking medication. As the Doctor and Clara find Maebh, they also find some wolves and a tiger that have escaped from the zoo. The wolves run away from the tiger. The Doctor, Clara, and Maebh appear to be trapped!
 

The Legend of Korra: The Calling (4x04)

I loved this. It was like watching an episode of Avatar: The Last Airbender again. While still advancing the major plot of the season, we also got to see a typical travel episode, with three little kids on a journey to find something important! Just like the old days.

Jinora, Ikki, and Meelo set off on their journey to find Korra. Jinora cannot seem to find a connection to Korra, no matter how hard she tries. Little does she know, Korra is cut off from her Avatar State and thus her Spirit is inaccessible. And that's not the only obstacle to finding Korra: the three siblings seem to have a hard time getting along.

Meelo keeps trying to take charge, and acts impetuous. Ikki is constantly interrupting her siblings - she scares away the girl that Meelo is flirting with, and she interrupts Jinora's attempts to meditate. Ikki wanders off, annoyed at her siblings for not letting her help. She is captured by two Earth Empire soldiers, who are working for Kuvira. Turns out, they're pretty nice guys. When Ikki explains how she feels left out of the mission, the soldiers sympathize, because they've been given this post out of the way of everyone else, and they feel left out of the Earth Empire. They help Ikki try to figure out where Korra might be. Ikki sees the swamp on the map, and realizes that it might be a good place for someone to hide.

Meelo and Jinora find Ikki and "save" her from the soldiers, even though she didn't really need much saving. She says that the swamp is a good place to look for Korra. As they are flying overhead, Jinora and Meelo both say that they're not so sure, but Ikki is determined that Korra could be down there.

Parenthood: The Scale of Affection is Fluid (6x05)

I found myself enjoying this story line quite a bit, although I still have some questions about Crosby. This week, however, we set aside the Hank, Ruby, and Sarah plot line, which I think was dragging things down quite a bit. Let's take this one thread at a time.

Max is observing Dylan to try to find out about her interests. He tells Kristina that Adam told him to strike up conversations based on common interests. Kristina is really disturbed by this development, because she thinks there's no way Dylan will like Max in return. At a family barbecue, Zeek and Crosby both encourage Max to pursue his crush, and Kristina gets angry. She and Adam go to talk to Max, to attempt to curb his enthusiasm. They say that how much people like one another can be put on a scale from 1 to 5, and that sometimes maybe one person likes another person as a 5, but the other person only likes that person back as a 2. Max seems to understand that, but Adam then says that the numbers can change over time. Max is interested to learn that the "scale of affection is fluid." He tells Dylan he likes her at a 5, and Dylan, upon learning what this means, says she likes Max at a 2. Max says he'll have to work to change her mind. Dylan, charmed, says maybe a 2.5.

One question: how old is Dylan supposed to be? She seems older than Max. Although maybe I'm wrong about that? I'm not sure. In any case, I enjoyed this story line. The best part was Kristina and Adam's coded conversation about numbers on the scale, and how Kristina, getting pissed at Adam, said that her number for him was slipping from a 5 to a 3.5. That was really hilarious. They also had a lovely conversation about Max's future. Adam really wants Dylan to like Max, because he wants to believe that it's possible for Max to have a future like that. Kristina is overly cautious, terrified of Max getting hurt. I can understand both sides of this so well. Max and Dylan's conversation was great, too. Even if Dylan is extremely obnoxious, she still understands about Max's aspergers, and she works to accommodate it. Instead of laughing it off when Max talked to her about the scale from 1 to 5, she answered the question honestly and treated it seriously. I love that.

Grey's Anatomy: Bend & Break (11x05)

You know you're in for a bad one when the very first words of the episode are "uncontrollable bleeding." I could feel the tears coming on already. Last week, I said that Grey's Anatomy offers its best material when it focuses on one primary story line instead of the whole ensemble. They did it last week with Maggie, Meredith, Richard and Ellis, and they do it this week with Callie and Arizona.

The two of them decide to go to marriage counseling. They don't seem to be making any progress, so the counselor suggests something rather extreme: a "break" from their relationship. Callie is resistant, but Arizona thinks it's a great idea. They have to go 30 days without talking except for emergencies, and without sex. Because of Sophia, they will continue living in the same house.

During the separation, Arizona tries to focus on her fellowship. However, she's finding it difficult to let go of her pediatric patients, which pisses Alex off. Finally, after a baby develops a complication, Alex angrily tells Arizona to butt out and let him handle it his own way. Arizona finds herself unprepared for a procedure in her fellowship, and Dr. Herman tells her that if she makes one more mistake, she's out of the fellowship.

The Vampire Diaries: Black Hole Sun (6x04)

Stefan and Damon finally had broments! Sort of! Yay!

Kai is keeping his mouth shut about how to get himself, Bonnie, and Damon out of the repeated 1994 loop. He says that he wants to hear Damon's story of what he did on that day, and why he thinks of this day as "Hell." Damon, reluctantly, tells the story.

In 1994, Damon came back to Mystic Falls to turn over a new leaf and be with his brother. He, Stefan, and Zach Salvatore are all living in the Salvatore boarding house. Zach has a pregnant girlfriend. At first, things seem to be going well, but then Stefan learns that Damon switched out Zach and his girlfriend's vervaine-laced coffee, and has been feeding on them and compelling them to forget. Stefan takes Damon's daylight ring and locks him away, telling him that he can't be trusted. Stefan was hoping that this time would be different, but it seems that whenever Damon shows up to make amends, he ends up ruining Stefan's life. In grief and anger, Damon manages to get free and kill the people in the boarding house. He gets his ring back from Stefan, and he then kills the pregnant girlfriend. Stefan compels Zach to forget about the girlfriend and the baby, and then he clears out, only to return 15 years later (where the show starts in Season One).

Back in 1994-Hell, Kai reveals that he has a special object that will help them get home, with the help of Bonnie's magic. It all has to do with harnessing the power of the eclipse. Based on a few things that Kai lets slip about his own past, and a newspaper article, Bonnie discovers that Kai has murdered his entire family. He tells them that he's a witch, sort of. He has the ability to suck people's powers away from them. Bonnie doesn't want to do the spell to get them out of there, because it will mean bringing Kai, a psychotic killer, along for the ride. Damon wants to go back anyway, because of course he wants to get back to Elena and Stefan. Kai says he'll take all of the magic out of Bonnie and kill her, unless they help him to get home.

Modern Family: Won't You Be Our Neighbor (6x05)

Three separate plot threads here. Let's talk about them one at a time.

First of all, we've got the thread that provides the title. Phil is getting ready to help sell the house right next to the Dunphy's, giving the family the rare opportunity to choose their own neighbors. They find a couple that they really like, and they're confident in their decision. However, another family of rowdy, unclean people shows up and makes a higher offer. Phil and Claire try to convince the original couple to up their offer, but in the process, they come on too strong and scare the couple away. The crazy family move in, and they proposition Phil and Claire for an orgy.

I'm not sure I liked this one all that much. The setup was rather cliche, what with Phil and Claire behaving like idiots to impress someone, and then having it backfire. The three kids barely had anything to do at all. That being said, there were a few individual moments of comedy that really hit their mark, such as Alex's adorable flustered attitude when the new neighbor kid flirted with her, or Phil's trip to the old neighbor's new bachelor pad, where the neighbors liked to take a nail gun to the adjoining wall. The best was when the new neighbor husband said he was basically a doctor, and the wife jumped in and said "don't be so modest!" Apparently he owns medical marijuana distribution centers. I'll have to see if they bring back in the new neighbor family, because I could definitely see some potential for further humor.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: A Hen in the Wolf House (2x05)

Okay then. Things are really picking up.

Raina only has 48 hours to get the Obelisk from Skye's father. When she goes to ask for it, he refuses, angrily saying that Raina was supposed to bring Skye to him, and has failed to do so. We see that Skye's dad has some... anger management issues, and some unnatural strength, to boot. He kills two people who were with him for an illegal surgery.

Raina discovers that Simmons is undercover at HYDRA, and she uses this information to her own advantage. She meets Coulson for dinner, promising to send an incriminating picture of Simmons communicating with S.H.I.E.L.D. to all of HYDRA, unless Coulson hands over Skye. Why? So that Skye can meet her father. If Coulson doesn't comply, the picture gets sent out, and Simmons dies. Skye, curious to meet her father and desperate to save Simmons, wants to take the deal, but Coulson says no. He has a plan. Raina is desperate - if she can't get Skye to her father, there's no way she can get the Obelisk for Whitehall!

The picture of Simmons gets sent to HYDRA, and Simmons tries desperately to run away. It looks hopeless, but we then discover another undercover S.H.I.E.L.D. agent has been hanging out in HYDRA: Bobbi Morse. Bobbi, a total bad ass, helps Simmons to escape.

Supernatural: Soul Survivor (10x03)

Where was my Winchester Bro hug?! I want it! I demand it! All I can say is, I want some angst and guilt from Dean in the next episode. It's necessary. But I should slow down and write out the plot first, yeah?

We see Sam dressed up as a doctor, procuring blessed blood to use in curing Dean. He injects Dean with blood in the bunker, but Dean is very resistant to being cured. He seems to be in a lot of pain as he's being cured, and he uses every trick in the book to get Sam to stop. He tells Sam that he might be killing his own big brother, and when that doesn't work, he tells Sam that he knows what he did when he was searching for him.

Turns out, Sam set up the crossroads deal with Lester, so that he could use Lester to track down Dean and Crowley. He never intended for Lester to truly sell his soul, but that's what happened. Dean gloatingly tells Sam that he killed Lester himself. Dean also says that he left Sam for a reason - he's tired of having to save him. Dean's mother would still be alive if it weren't for Sam. Sam tries not to let this stuff get to him. He continues injecting Dean with the blood. Sam goes into Dean's room in the bunker and looks at signs of his old life with Dean. When he comes back down to continue the cure, he sees that Dean has escaped from his bonds.

Meanwhile, Cas and Hannah are heading towards the bunker to help Sam out, but Cas is getting weaker and weaker because of his failing grace. On the way, Cas is sure to tell Hannah that they need to keep their priorities straight - getting to Sam and Dean has to be their focus, and there can be no distractions. Particularly not distractions of the "I have feelings for you" variety. When they stop for gas, they run into Adina, one of the angels who refused to go back to Heaven. She is out for revenge, because Cas killed her friend. Adina beats up Cas and threatens to kill Hannah.

Castle: Child's Play (7x04)

I'm going to apologize for my brevity in advance.

Basically, this week we get a case that starts off with a murder in an ice cream truck. Beckett, Ryan and Espo track down leads involving the Russian mob scene, while Castle follows a different lead. Inside the ice cream truck, the team find a permission slip from a 2nd grade classroom. Castle goes to talk to the kids, trying to figure out the witness.

While there, he butts heads with the teacher, who is protective of her students. Castle makes friends with a couple of kids who he think might be the witness, but once he gets them to open up, turns out they're not. One little girl asks for help with a bully, and when Castle tells her to stand up for herself, she punches him. Turns out, the bully was the one who knew something about the case. But he wasn't the witness - it was his older sister. This sister was connected with the first of the victims. From there, the rest of the case is solve-able.

Meanwhile, Alexis has been pampering Castle by making him food, checking in on him constantly, and even loading a locator app onto his phone. Castle is at first willing to let this continue, since he gets the perks, but eventually he and Beckett agree that it's weird. Castle talks to Alexis, telling her that part of being a grownup is knowing that you can't always protect the people that you love. Alexis reluctantly agrees to back down a bit.

The Big Bang Theory: The Expedition Approximation (8x06)

Let's do the two plot threads separately, shall we?

Raj and Sheldon learn of a new opportunity to get in on the ground floor of dark matter studies. It would involve them going into a salt mine, and staying there for hours at a time. Raj suggests that they try to simulate the environment to see if they would be able to handle it. They climb into an underground utility tunnel at the university, while Amy stays above to keep in contact with them via walkie-talkie. Sheldon has to battle his claustrophobia, among other fears, in order to stay down in the tunnel. The two of them talk about Hannah Montana, among other things, until Sheldon finally reveals his deepest fear - what if his research into dark matter doesn't lead anywhere? He was a respected member of the field when it came to string theory, and now he has to start all over! Raj commiserates with him, and tells him that fear is normal. He was terrified when he first left India to come to America. When Sheldon sees rats in the tunnel, he runs out, leaving Raj behind. Raj later yells at him for being a coward, and Sheldon doesn't deny it.

The Walking Dead: Strangers (5x02)

I'm just going to jump right in - sound good?

The group walk through the forest, regrouping after their ordeal at Terminus. Carol doesn't feel like talking about what happened before, at the prison and with Lizzie and Mika, but Daryl tells her it's okay to start over. Abraham is anxious to keep moving on towards DC, but Rick hasn't decided yet if they'll all come along.

They then encounter a priest, named Father Gabriel. They save him from being killed by Walkers, but Rick isn't sure what to make of him, especially when he says he's never killed any Walkers, or people. He takes them to his church, where he's been holed up this whole time, surviving on canned goods that had just been collected for a food drive when the disaster began. He tells them that he's recently ran out of food, but that there is one more place nearby with food. It's been overrun by Walkers, though.

Rick tells Carl to keep his guard up, and that he doesn't trust Gabriel. Then, Rick takes Michonne, Bob, and Sasha with him to get the food. He also drags along Gabriel, because he doesn't trust him enough to let him out of his sight. The group manage to get the food, but Bob has a close call with a Walker, only barely being saved by Sasha. Gabriel sees someone he knew when she was alive, which badly rattles him.

Once Upon a Time: The Apprentice (4x04)

I should have known they'd find a way to work Mickey Mouse into the story somehow! :) Let's start with a plot summary, and then we'll move on to what I thought.

So, remember that mysterious box thing that Rumple saw in the house where he and Belle honeymooned? Well, turns out it's pretty important. We start with the Apprentice, who is guarding a vault, when the Dark One enters. Not Rumple - a previous Dark One. This Dark One tries to get to a box, being guarded by the Apprentice. Turns out, there are wards around the box to prevent anyone from opening it if he or she has accepted darkness into his or her heart. No Dark One will ever be able to open the box.

We then flash forward to Anna, as she finds Rumplestiltskin. She has come to ask him about her parents. Rumple reveals that Anna and Elsa's parents did indeed come to see him, but he refuses to tell her why they had come, unless she agrees to a deal. Rumple tells her to slip the contents of a vial into the Apprentice's food. Anna goes to the Apprentice, but she can't bring herself to put the vial into the man's food, since of course she believes it's poison, and doesn't wish to harm a nice old man. Anna returns to Rumple and lies, saying that she's completed the task. Rumple then reveals that the vial actually contained an antidote to a poison that the Apprentice had already consumed. Since Anna didn't give the Apprentice the antidote, he turns into a mouse.

Doctor Who: Flatline (8x09)

Arrrrgggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Blah. Plot. Let's start there.

So, as the Doctor is trying to drop Clara off, something weird happens with the TARDIS. It's getting smaller on the outside! The Doctor stays inside while Clara wanders around to investigate. She finds a crew of people cleaning up graffiti, and there meets a member of the crew who is there for community service (he himself does graffiti and he got busted). His name is Rigsy, and he tells Clara about all of the people who have been disappearing lately. When she gets back to the TARDIS, she discovers that it has shrunk even more. The Doctor, still regularly sized inside, can no longer get out of the door.

Clara and Rigsy go to investigate the place where the last disappearance occurred. Clara talks to the Doctor through an earpiece, and with the Doctor's help, Clara and Rigsy try to solve the mystery. When a police officer goes missing on the premises while they're searching, things start to become more clear: creatures from a 2-Dimensional universe are making contact with our universe, and flattening things - and people - as they do so.

At first, the Doctor tries to make contact with them, hoping that they might be reasoned with. Perhaps they don't know that they're hurting people? But it turns out that's not the case. There's this graffiti of people standing with their backs facing away from the world. Rigsy thought it was a memorial for the missing people, but then the people in the graffiti start to turn around. The 2-D universe gets the power to go 3-D, and these people peel themselves off the wall and start chasing our heroes.

The Legend of Korra: The Coronation (4x03)

Okay, so in this installment, we've got a lot of things getting underway. Let's just jump right in.

It's Wu's coronation day in Republic City. He's upset because apparently a lot of the traditional ceremonial jewels and performances won't be possible, due to the problems and the raiding in the Earth Kingdom. Nevertheless, Wu sucks it up and gets ready for his coronation. At said coronation, Kuvira makes a speech declaring that she will continue to lead the Earth Kingdom, and she will crush anyone who stands in her way.

Bolin is a bit uncomfortable with this takeover, but Kuvira reminds him of all they've done for the Earth Kingdom. Mako, who still has to look after Wu, clashes with Bolin about this. The two of them fight over what Kuvira has done. The other world leaders, including Suyin, are very upset with Kuvira. Suyin tries to talk to Kuvira, but Kuvira insists that Suyin was too cowardly and lazy to help the Earth Kingdom when it needed it, and that now Kuvira will do the job.

Mako has to look after Wu, as supporters of Kuvira constantly attack him in the streets. The poor prince feels very dejected about his coronation and his future prospects. We also set up a few threads for later episodes here: Varrick appears to be doing experiments on Spirit Vines for Kuvira, for what purpose we don't know. Tenzin sends Jinora, Ikki, and Meelo on a special mission to find Korra.

Parenthood: A Potpourri of Freaks (6x04)

I'll just jump right in, and take this story by story.

Crosby admits to Jasmine and Jabbar that he got into a motorcycle crash, which causes Jasmine to insist that he not ride his bike anymore. Crosby therefore has to take the minivan to go track down Oliver Rome, who is at some sort of spiritual healing retreat. Crosby finds Oliver, and learns that he's already signed a deal with someone else. Turns out, the Luncheonette had a contract with Ashes of Rome, but not with Oliver Rome the solo artist. Crosby is furious, of course. He comes home and jumps on his bike, zooming off as Jasmine rushes outside to try and stop him.

This was probably the weakest plot thread. I wasn't very amused by Crosby interrupting the spiritual retreat. I think I was supposed to think it was funny, and I just didn't. I'm not quite sure I understand what we're supposed to make of Crosby's behavior here, especially his zooming away on a motorcycle with no helmet there at the end. Obviously he's got some anger issues going on... but what are they stemming from? I didn't find much to enjoy or get excited about in this plot thread, but I swear to God if Crosby crashes that bike and dies, there will be Hell to pay.

At Chambers Academy, Kristina is frustrated with a new student, a girl named Dylan. Dylan and Max immediately start hanging out. Dylan calls Max "aspergers" instead of calling him by his name, and starts putting all sorts of ideas in to Max's head. Kristina is angry, and wants Adam to talk to Max. She talks to Dylan, telling her to not call people names. Dylan is disrespectful and doesn't seem to grasp anything Kristina is saying. When Adam asks Max about Dylan, Max asks his dad what he's supposed to do if he likes a girl.

Grey's Anatomy: Only Mama Knows (11x04)

Great episode. I really enjoyed it.

We spend most of the episode with Meredith and Richard, as they have flashbacks to the time when Ellis would have gotten pregnant with Maggie. Turns out, the story goes something like this: Ellis and Richard had made a pact to run away together and leave their spouses. Just before they were set to leave, however, Ellis learns that she's up for a Harper Avery. Richard feels jealous of Ellis' accomplishments, and realizes that he'll spend the rest of his life feeling like second best if he goes with Ellis. That day at the carousel, Richard tells Ellis that he can't leave with her. Just after this, Ellis tries to kill herself. She finds out about her pregnancy while at the hospital.

She and Meredith move to Boston and stay hidden way during Ellis' pregnancy. Ellis gives up the baby for adoption, and Meredith starts the first grade. Everything goes back to normal.

In the present day, Meredith's memories of these events are jogged by reading her mother's diary. Richard feels guilty for not following through on the plan, and he tells Meredith how sorry he is for ruining everything. Meredith also spends time with a patient: a young girl with a giant tumor. She had been abandoned outside of the hospital, in really bad shape. Meredith eventually learns that the patient and the patient's mother are illegal immigrants, and that the mother was afraid of losing her daughter. Meredith gets them some help, promising that they won't take the child away from her mother.

The Vampire Diaries: Welcome to Paradise (6x03)

The Vampire Diaries is an enormously flawed show, as I think its fan-base can attest. Does anyone actually hate The Vampire Diaries as much as its fans? In any case, for all its flaws, this show does a couple of things really well. For one, it never lets itself get complacent. We're always trying new things, and new iterations of these characters. For another, Elena is a nice solid moral center for the show. Even when she turned her humanity off, we knew it wasn't really her choice. But now... the Elena that we see in this episode is a horse of a different color. Let's go through the plot and then discuss this a bit more.

Elena is now without her memories of loving Damon, and is seemingly very happy. Caroline is a bit weirded out by this, but she and everyone else have agreed to hide the truth from Elena so she can continue living in her delusional world. Stefan shows up in Mystic Falls, on a mission to kill Enzo in revenge for killing Ivy. Stefan meets up with Elena, and is nonplussed to see that she's doing so well, and doesn't seem to be missing Damon at all. Elena invites Stefan to a lake party, and Stefan accepts, because he hears that Enzo will be there.

Elena wants to get the whole gang back together for some fun, but nobody else seems interested. Caroline is mad that she's hiding from her pain, Stefan is just there for revenge, Tyler isn't drinking so he can work on his anger management, Matt is the designated driver for one of his Mystic Falls friends, Jeremy his busy making out with Sarah to hide from his grief over Bonnie.

Modern Family: Marco Polo (6x04)

Actually... not that big of a fan. Usually, Modern Family has at least one plot line that I enjoy, but this week, not so much.

The Dunphy family's house has mold, so they have to move into a hotel room. The five of them are very cramped in the one room, and chaos quickly ensues, as they're forced to stay there for several days. Phil keeps a positive attitude, but everyone else is miserable. Eventually, Phil catches Claire opening the door to another hotel room, and learns that she's been sneaking off to stay by herself and get away from the chaos. Phil is very upset. The children, however, are just relieved to have two rooms to spread out in. Then, Alex, Haley, and Luke learn that the hotel had had vacancies all week, and that Phil made them all stay in one room like that on purpose. At first they're angry, but then they realize that Phil just wanted to spend time with them. Phil, who has been hanging out with a group of Nigerians and mourning the temporary loss of his family, is very happy to see his family embrace their time together at last, as they finally play Marco Polo with him in the hotel's pool. In the episode tag, the Nigerians show up at the door, apparently misinterpreting Phil's invitation that they should drop by sometime.

Cam is on a winning streak with the high school football team, but Mitch just can't get into it. Cam insists on all sorts of patterns and superstitions: he wears the same hat, makes sure to trip over a coffee table, purposefully forgets his keys in the house, etc. all because those things happened the first game of the season, which they won. They're now 5 and 0, and going for 6. At the game, things are going well until Mitch decides that he's going to come and watch, to support his husband. The minute Mitch turns up, Cam's team starts to lose. However, they pull off a miraculous win at the last second... only after Mitch leaves. He and Cam have a talk, and Mitch says that he knows he brings bad energy to football, because he never had good experiences with sports when he was a kid. He and Cam agree that it's okay if one of them likes football and the other one doesn't.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Face My Enemy (2x04)

Damn, this show is good now. It's just so... good! No Simmons this week, which was a bummer. But I hardly missed her, because there were so many other good things going on.

We start with a mysterious old painting, that happens to contain the same strange symbols on the back that Coulson has been writing. The painting ends up in a private man's home, so Coulson and May go under cover as guests at a big party, in order to track down the painting and figure out its mystery. While there, they see Talbot, and figure their cover is blown. Coulson asks Talbot to let them complete their mission. At first it seems as if Talbot will comply, but later he tells on them. May and Coulson quickly try to find the painting, but they learn that it's not there - Talbot has already taken the painting.

Talbot then makes an odd offer - he says he'll let Coulson take a look at the painting, and the weird symbols on the back, since Coulson might be the only person who can figure them out. May is suspicious. She goes to spy on Talbot ahead of time, to see what the deal was. Turns out, she was right to be suspicious - Talbot isn't Talbot at all, but an undercover member of HYDRA, using tech that alters people's faces.

May has to fight against the Talbot impersonator, but she is taken down by another HYDRA person, the young woman, 33, who we saw being mind controlled last week. 33 then impersonates May. Fake May finds Coulson and says that Talbot's deal is legit, and Coulson goes off with Fake May to see about the painting. Before Fake May leaves, she sabotages the plane, where the rest of the team have been waiting and monitoring the mission.

Supernatural: Reichenbach (10x02)

Even better than the premiere! This season has me so pumped!

So. Cole, the mysterious man who kidnapped Sam last episode, tells Sam (and the audience) about how, thirteen years ago, Dean Winchester killed his father. Cole has vowed revenge, searching for Dean his whole life. However, Sam won't tell him where Dean is. Cole takes a phone call from his family, leaving a knife within Sam's reach. Sam, predictably, escapes. However, we later find out that Cole set him free on purpose, figuring that he could just follow him to Dean, instead of trying to force an answer out of him.

Dean, meanwhile, is busy touching strippers without their consent, and beating up security guards for very reasonably trying to stop him from this sleazy behavior. Crowley tracks him down and says that because of the Mark of Cain, Dean needs to kill. He tells Dean about a deal - a man caught his wife cheating on him, and she's going to get half the money in the divorce. The guy made a deal to get his wife out of the way so he doesn't have to give up his stuff. Crowley suggests that Dean be the one to kill the woman, so he can help Crowley out and also appease that murderous impulse. Dean goes to do that, but he ends up running into the husband, who is there to watch the murder go down. The guy is a sexist pig, and when he says that it's okay for men to cheat but not for women, Dean decides this guy is too odious to continue living, and so he kills him.

Crowley is furious that Dean killed the client, and when Dean announces that he's going to do whatever he wants, Crowley demands that Dean "pick a side." He seemed to feel sorry for the woman he was supposed to kill - does that mean he's actually more human than demon? Dean and Crowley "break up," essentially, and Crowley knows that something must be done. So... he goes to find Sam. Crowley tells Sam that he's done with Dean, and wants to hand him over to be Sam's responsibility.

Castle: Clear and Present Danger (7x03)

So much fun. A weird case with interesting twists, Castle and Beckett working together, having their "mind meld" moments, a silly subplot with Ryan and Espo... this felt like it could have been an episode from the first season or something, albeit with a Castle and Beckett who are in love, instead of a Castle and Beckett who are in denial. Last week, I said I hoped they didn't drop the A-plot and just give us case-of-the-week stuff to fill the time, but now I'm sort of eating my words. Because this is just a case-of-the-week. But it's done in such a way that it feels like we're really getting back our footing after a few episodes of crazy uncertainty.

I won't go into too much detail about the plot, since it gets a bit confusing and it's not all that important to talk about all the plot twists. The basic idea is that this guy named Will Fairwick is found dead inside his home, stabbed through with a pool stick. Footage of the door to his apartment reveals that the door opens and closes on its own. They discover that Will was a pool shark, and after they talk to some people about him, a very weird story becomes clear. Apparently he was extremely gifted at his trickery, and he used to say that he had made a deal with the devil for his skills.

Eventually, after Castle and Beckett get attacked by an invisible assailant, they put together more of the story. Will was working for a secret government agency that was working on cloaking technology - i.e., a suit that can turn you invisible (or nearly so) to the naked eye. They discover the culprit - Will's girlfriend, who is angry that Will stepped out on her twice. She used the invisibility suit to kill Will, and she uses it again in a tense climactic scene with Castle and Beckett, as they try to apprehend their invisible foe.

The Big Bang Theory: The Focus Attenuation (8x05)

Cute episode. Funny jokes. Nothing too offensive, which is always a plus with this show.

The guys realize that they haven't tried to invent anything in a while, since they've all been distracted by their girlfriends. They decide to do something of a science retreat. However, they continually get distracted by movies, videos, pointless conversations... Leonard tries to lay down the law, but their efforts to invent something out of Back to the Future II come to nothing, as they end up watching the movie, later watching Ghostbusters, too.

The girls, due to their boys deciding to have a distraction-free weekend in which to come up with an invention, decide to go to Vegas for the weekend. When they get there, Penny gets the news that she has to study for work. Bernadette and Amy go out and get drunk without her, while she stays in and works hard. The next morning, she is perfectly fine, while the other two girls are severely hung over.

The two plots both match the theme of the title, since both involve a need to focus. In the boys' case, they can't, no matter what drastic measures they take to stay on track. In Penny's case, she's able to successfully stay focused, which shows a lot of growth and maturity in her character.

There were a lot of funny jokes in the boys' plots. I liked the attempt at enforcing their focus through duct tape on their arms, and the ways in which Sheldon continually derailed everyone, even while Leonard tried his hardest to stay on track. The funniest bit was when they analyzed Back to the Future, trying to make sense of the multiple timelines caused by the time travel.

Once Upon a Time: Rocky Road (4x03)

Hmmmm. Things are getting veeeerrrry interesting. Not sure what to think right now, to be honest.

In Arendelle's past, Elsa is worried about Anna, but Kristoff tells her to relax. When news comes of a new attack from Hans, Kristoff disobeys Elsa and goes to spy, learning about a special urn that will be able to trap Elsa, getting her out of the way so Hans can take over. Kristoff and Elsa go to a cave where the urn is being kept, but Elsa won't destroy it, too curious about the writing on it. She wants to know if there's anyone else like her out there. She hesitates too long, and Hans shows up with his brothers. Hans threatens to kill Kristoff unless Elsa surrenders the urn. She does so, but when the urn is open, Hans is unable to put Elsa into it - because the Snow Queen comes out! She freezes Hans, and then leaves the caves with Elsa and Kristoff. The Snow Queen reveals that she is Elsa's mother's sister - aka, Elsa's aunt. She promises to help Elsa find Anna.

In Storybrooke, the Snow Queen masquerades as the owner of an ice cream parlor. She puts a spell on Marian to freeze her, in order to frame Elsa. Robin's true love's kiss is unable to wake up Marian, so Regina says she has another plan. She asks Henry to fetch something from her vault. Robin tells Regina that he's still in love with her, which is why kissing Marian didn't work. But, of course, he has to stay with his wife. Regina pulls Marian's heart out to avoid letting it get frozen, and she promises Robin that she'll find a cure for Marian. Regina also talks with Henry and says she wants to find the author of the book of fairy tales, so she can get a happy ending. Henry agrees to help her with a new mission: Operation Mongoose.

The Walking Dead: No Sanctuary (5x01)

Yay I'm so happy this show is back! My mother is especially obsessed with The Walking Dead, and it's always fun to discuss it with her when it's on the air. Let's take a look at the plot.

Rick, Carl, Maggie, Glenn, and the rest of the gang are in the train car, preparing weapons so they can attack their captors. However, the top of the car comes off, and they are tear gassed from above, which they obviously weren't expecting. Rick, Glenn, Daryl, and Bob are all taken, along with four strangers. They are lined up in front of a trough. The first four men have their throats slit. Just before Glenn is about to be killed, Gareth comes in to talk about procedure with the two butchers. Gareth asks Rick about the bag he hid in the woods, full of weapons. Again, just as Glenn is about to be killed, an explosion knocks everyone over.

Meanwhile, we see Carol, Tyreese and Judith traveling towards Terminus. They see a herd of Walkers heading towards Terminus. They then encounter Martin, one of the Terminus men, and overhear him talking about Carl and Michonne. Tyreese stays to guard Martin while Carol goes to help the group at Terminus. She causes the explosion, and sneaks in to the camp among the Walkers.

Rick uses the explosion as an opportunity to get free and kill the butchers. The group arm themselves and make their way through the chaos to the train car, where they get the rest of their group. The rest of the group had been trying to make their own weapons to get ready for whatever was coming. Eugene tells the group that he thinks there's a way to kill all the Walkers, using technology that was meant to take down living human targets, with bio warfare.

Doctor Who: Mummy on the Orient Express (8x08)

Ugh I hate it when an episode is almost totally awesome, and you almost have no complaints about it, but then there's just one or two tiny moments that don't work, and it pulls you entirely out of the moment. That's what this episode did. The parts that were good were too good, because they make the flaws stick out like sore thumbs.

Clara and the Doctor are going on one last trip together, since Clara has decided that while she could never really hate the Doctor, she can't keep traveling like he does. They arrive on the Orient Express, or, rather, a train named after it, traveling through space. The entire train is historically accurate. While on the train, Clara and the Doctor realize there might be a mystery afoot.

The Doctor investigates without telling Clara, learning quickly that there is a mummy aboard, that can only be seen by the people it is about to kill. Clara finds a woman named Maisie, whose grandmother was the first victim of the Foretold (that's the mummy). The Doctor finds out that everyone on the train is in some way specialized with knowledge that should be able to help them find out what the Foretold is doing - they were brought here for a reason. Gus, the computerized system on the train, informs them all that they are here to learn what the Foretold is supposed to be, and that they have all basically been kidnapped for this purpose.

The Doctor and Perkins, an engineer, work out that the Foretold is going for people with weaknesses - physical and mental illnesses. After it takes out a number of the passengers, the Doctor realizes that Maisie will be next, because of the trauma of her grandmother dying, and because Maisie feels guilty for never getting along with her grandmother. The Doctor tells Clara to bring Maisie to him, so that she can describe the mummy before dying. Clara is angry that he doesn't have a plan to save her, and even angrier that the Doctor tells her to lie to Maisie, and say that the Doctor can save her. But, for the good of the many, Clara does just that.

The Legend of Korra: Korra Alone (4x02)

Okay, wow. They are really not pulling any punches here, are they? I'm impressed by how dark this episode was. Korra is really messed up. And they are not afraid to show it.

 

In this episode, we see flashbacks to Korra leaving Republic City to head for the South Pole. She says goodbye to Asami, Mako, Bolin, and Tenzin and his family. In the South Pole, she continues to have nightmares and flashbacks to her fight with Zaheer. Her mother encourages her to see Katara, who might be able to help her.

 

Korra's time with Katara proves frustrating, as it seems she is making very little progress. However, after Katara reminds her that past Avatars have gone through hard times as well, Korra gets the burst of energy she needs to start making progress. By the time Tenzin comes for a visit, she feels much better. However, when trying to hold off three Fire Benders in a sparring match, she has a flashback of Zaheer and she falls back.

Discouraged, Korra writes to Asami to tell her that even though she's gotten much better, she's still cut off from the Avatar State, which makes her feel useless. Korra finally tells her parents that she wants to go back to Republic City. She feels that she has hit a road block, and being back among her friends will help her get better. She takes off on her own, but as we know, she does not go to Republic City. She cuts her hair and changes her clothes, and heads to the Tree of Time, hoping this will help her reconnect with Raava. She meets some Spirits there, who offer to help her, but Korra says no.
 

Parenthood: The Waiting Room (6x03)

Aw man. Way to tug at the heartstrings. This episode centers around Zeek's heart surgery, so we get a lot of family feelings as they all nervously hope for the best in the waiting room. Let's take a look at some of the other things also going on in this episode.

Zeek accidentally spills the beans to the family that Amber is pregnant, which makes Amber think it's really time for her to tell Ryan. She goes to Drew and says she's going to drive to Wyoming to tell him in person. Drew insists on coming with her. When Amber tells Ryan about the baby, he immediately declares his intent to be there for her every step of the way. Drew insists that Amber can't raise a baby with Ryan, because he's a mess, and won't truly be there for her. Amber tells Ryan that she believes in him, and that she wants him to be a part of the baby's life, but that he's not ready, and he has a lot of work to do before he can really be a father.

Julia is still seeing that guy from her work, Chris. They're getting closer, and he comforts her about her father's surgery, even sending her a box of twizzlers to eat in the waiting room, in reference to a story about Zeek the two had shared earlier. Joel is trying to be there for Julia, offering to talk to her if she needs it, and constantly checking up on Zeek. Julia tells Joel that it's too hard for her to have him always around trying to help her, and she reveals to him that she's seeing someone. Joel seems shocked and hurt.

The Vampire Diaries: Yellow Ledbetter (6x02)

Oh yeah! Enzo! I sort of forgot about him. But not because I didn't like him. He's enjoyable! Let's take a look at the plot of this one, which gave me all sorts of feelings but also made me furious but also made me happy but also made me sad. This was a bit of an emotional roller coaster, actually.

Elena and Alaric start going through Elena's memories, altering them so she can forget about her love for Damon. Alaric can't get her to stop loving him until she admits the moment when she first loved him. She doesn't want to, because it was when she was still with Stefan. Finally, she is able to admit the moment. She also remembers that Damon killed Jeremy in front of her. This finally gets her to let go of Damon, forgetting about her love for him.

Meanwhile, Caroline is furious to find out from Alaric that Stefan hasn't been working on a way to get Damon and Bonnie back. Turns out, the only person following up leads now is Enzo. Enzo and Caroline track down Stefan and meet Stefan's new girlfriend. Caroline is incensed that Stefan never listened to any of her messages, and just abandoned them all. Enzo is likewise furious that Stefan has given up on his own brother. Stefan insists that he tried to find a lead to bring Damon and Bonnie back, but he eventually realized that it wasn't possible, and he had to move on, and get away from anything that reminded him of his dead brother. Enzo kills Stefan's girlfriend Ivy and tells him that he'll be giving him the lifetime of misery that Damon once promised him.

Grey's Anatomy: Got to Be Real (11x03)

I don't know what to feel right now... well, yes, actually I do. I'm kind of pissed off. By two things in this episode in particular. But let's do the plot first.

Alex and Bailey are getting ready to present to the board, who will vote on which of them will take Cristina's vacant seat. Stephanie Edwards continually tries to express to Bailey the dangers of Alex Karev's friendships with the board members, but Bailey remains calm and outwardly confident that she deserves the seat.

Meanwhile, Meredith distracts Alex from preparing his speech to the board. She stays home, claiming to be sick, and gripes to Alex about Maggie's confession. Alex and Meredith do some digging, and find out that Ellis Grey was indeed pregnant when she was admitted to the hospital for attempted suicide. It's true - Maggie really is Meredith's sister. Meredith hasn't talked to Derek about any of this, since she's resentful of him for turning down the DC job. She thinks that he wants her to feel grateful, but of course she feels that her career is just as important as his, and that he didn't have to turn down the job.

Meredith has Richard come over, and the two of them discuss Maggie. Richard promises Meredith that he didn't know about Maggie until Maggie showed up at the hospital and said that her biological mother was Ellis Grey. He's furious with Ellis for taking away his chance to be a father. Meredith encourages Richard to tell Maggie the truth, since he shouldn't take away Maggie's choice, the way that Ellis took away Richard's.

Modern Family: The Cold (6x03)

This episode had three separate story lines, but there was a culminating scene at the end where the entire family got to be together. I always love episodes that do this, because I often think the family is at its best comedic effect when we can see the whole big group play off of each other. Let's take a look at the plot very briefly.

Cam, who is Manny's football coach, must make the hard decision of showing family loyalty, or benching Manny to help win the game. He chooses to bench Manny, and although the game is a success, Gloria and Jay are furious. Eventually, Manny tells Gloria that she makes him nervous by always telling him that he's perfect - he's nervous about letting her down.

Mitchell is excited about Lily's new friend Sydney. He thinks that Lily is smarter than most of her other friends, so he's excited for her to have a friend that challenges her. However, Sydney proves to be something of a genius, which makes Mitch embarrassed and jealous on Lily's behalf. He calls Sydney a "know-it-all," and then accidentally spills something on her painting, and gets his watch stuck in her hair. Lily, who had had no problem with Sydney's intelligence, is mad at her father for making her friend cry.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Making Friends and Influencing People (2x03)

Okay, I knew something else was going on. I'm not sure why I didn't guess this from the start. I feel kind of silly for not figuring it out... but anyways, let's dive in.

After a cold open wherein we see an evil HYDRA agent using brainwashing to win over assets, we switch to Jemma Simmons. We see Simmons go through a cheerful morning routine and then arrive at work, entering a high-tech science lab. However, we now get the truth: she's working for HYDRA!

We're not given long to despair, however, as we see Coulson meet up with her. Turns out, she's on assignment, working undercover and passing information back to Coulson. She is able to tell Coulson that HYDRA is after Donnie Gill, the kid who Fitzsimmons had helped at the S.H.I.E.L.D. academy back in the first season.

Skye talks to Ward, who reveals that HYDRA brainwashes high-profile assets sometimes, but he also admits that he did everything out of loyalty to Garret, and that he was never brainwashed.

As S.H.I.E.L.D. tracks down Donnie Gill, it looks like HYDRA is getting there first - and Simmons has been asked by HYDRA to go along, since she knew Donnie. As the two teams converge, Simmons is able to get near to Donnie and try to talk to him. May, Lance, and Skye are in position to try to get to Donnie.

Supernatural: Black (10x01)

This is how you start a season. I'm pretty happy with everything that's being set up here. It was a smart move to keep us in suspense - you realize we still haven't seen Sam and Dean on screen together yet? And after those months and months of waiting! The anticipation is building, and with all of these interesting tensions and story lines being put into play, it seems like we're in for an intense season.

We see Sam on a desperate search for his brother. He spends day after day making calls, doing research, trying to find Crowley and/or Dean. He finds a possible lead, and calls Cas to tell him about it. Cas, who is very sick, tries to convince Sam that he can help him track down Dean, but Sam tells him that he needs to be focused on himself for now. The two of them wonder if there's any chance that Dean is still himself.

Meanwhile, Hannah shows up to ask Castiel for some help. Heaven has been doing pretty good at rebuilding itself without a ringleader, but there are a few angels who refuse to come back to Heaven. Two of them actually killed other angels, who were trying to get them to come home. Hannah asks Cas to help her find them to bring them in for punishment. They do indeed find these angels, but Cas is sympathetic to their cause - they see the beauty in free will, and living in the human world, and they only want to be left alone. However, things get tense, and Cas is forced to kill one of these angels to save Hannah. Hannah tells Cas that he needs to get more grace if he doesn't want to die, but of course Cas can't justify killing another angel to get the grace he needs.

Castle: Montreal (7x02)

I really liked one thread of this episode, and really couldn't care less about the other one. Let's take a look.

Castle is looking for answers about his disappearance. He goes on TV to promote his new books, and while on the air says he'll offer a $250,000 prize to anyone who has concrete information about where he was during his missing months.

A case pops up, and Castle is relieved to be working on something he might be able to actually solve. The case involves a toy company executive who disguised himself as a janitor to learn about his company, and uncover a secret drug ring within it. All of this was made possible when his dog chewed on one of the company's toys and died, due to being poisoned with the drugs hidden inside.

While Beckett works on the case, Castle and Alexis continue trying to solve the mystery of Castle's disappearance. Most people calling in with information don't have anything useful - one guy even has an alien abduction theory. However, Castle and Alexis are able to follow a lead up to Montreal, where Castle is able to find a safe deposit box in a bank, to match the key that was found on his person when he reappeared. Inside the deposit box are three memory cards with videos on them, one each for Beckett, Martha, and Alexis. Each contains a similar video - Castle, telling them that he loves them and he's sorry he can't tell them more.

The Big Bang Theory: The Hook-Up Reverberation (8x04)

Not sure what to make of this episode. I thought one of the plot threads had promise, which it then squandered. Another of the threads was somewhat enjoyable, but also had some questionable moments in it. Let's take a look.

Raj is ready to introduce his girlfriend Emily to the group. She seems to get along with everyone, but Penny worries that Emily doesn't like her. When she goes to Emily's office to practice a sales pitch for the pharmaceutical company on her, Penny continues to notice that Emily is cold to her. She asks Emily why, and Emily says it's because Penny and Raj hooked up. Penny is mad at Raj for telling Emily. She invites Emily and Raj over to clear the air. While it seems that things will be fine, the minute Emily leaves the apartment, we see both Emily and Penny saying "I hate her" about each other.

So, I wanted to like this plot, because I like Emily. But Raj is just so sexist! They try to play it off as if it's just his lack of experience with women, but he's so disrespectful to Penny and to Emily both in this episode. It's hard for me to find any of this funny, when I'm so uncomfortable with Raj' behavior.

That being said, this thread did have one of the funniest jokes in the episode. When Amy and Bernadette are over at Penny's talking over the problem with her, Amy suggests that Penny just keep acting like Emily's friend until she worms her way in. Penny says that won't ever work, but then she realizes, slowly, that Amy has done the same thing to her: "Oh my God, I didn't used to like you!" That made me laugh quite a bit. I hope that they continue the thread of Penny and Emily not liking each other, so that this episode leads to something more.

Once Upon a Time: White Out (4x02)

Be still my Captain Swan-loving heart. This was delightful. Obviously everyone has been talking about the Emma/Hook stuff of this episode, but in my opinion, there were a lot of other things to love as well. Let's start with the plot - this week, we get something very simple and straightforward, which is a nice change from the occasionally convoluted plot lines this show likes to give us.

Elsa, who has just found Anna's necklace in Gold's shop, decides to put an ice wall around all of Storybrooke, to prevent anyone from leaving until she gets her sister back. Henry is upset because Regina doesn't want to see him right now. She says she's sorting out her own stuff after the breakup. While Emma is comforting Henry about this, the entire town experiences a blackout. Emma and David go to investigate, and Hook tags along. They find the ice wall around the town, along with some toppled over electrical wires.

Emma goes closer to the wall to investigate, and finds Elsa. Elsa seems tense, but Emma is able to partially calm her down. However, when Hook and David rush forward, Elsa gets scared and causes more ice to appear, trapping herself and Emma inside, while David and Hook are on the outside, trying to get to Emma.

Elsa says she needs Anna, in order to control her powers and melt the ice. Hook and David go to Gold's shop, to try and figure out who Anna is. Belle has a picture of the necklace, which went missing in the store. David sees it, and he realizes that he once knew Anna.

Doctor Who: Kill the Moon (8x07)

Yeah! You go, Clara! Thank you, thank you, thank you for saying that! I was so annoyed with the Doctor in this episode. And I was hoping, praying, that Clara would call him out on his crap. And not just in the generic, "I'm your sassy put-you-in-your-place companion" way that Moffat does so well. In a real way. In a way that would actually chastise the Doctor and get him to realize his mistake. Yesss!

Okay, I'm obviously getting ahead of myself. Let's go back and look at the plot. 

Courtney Woods, the curious girl from last week's episode, is upset because the Doctor apparently told her that she's not special. She insists on coming on a trip to the TARDIS. The Doctor won't tell her that she's special, but he does agree to take her to the moon!

When they arrive, they end up on a Space Shuttle, in the year 2049, heading for the moon in order to destroy it with nuclear bombs. Apparently, the moon has gone a bit wacky lately, which has been messing with the tides and causing a lot of mayhem and destruction on Earth. Some of the crew are killed by giant spider-like things, until it's just Clara, the Doctor, Courtney Woods, and a woman named Lundvik.

The Legend of Korra: After All These Years (4x01)

Wooo!! We're back! And with a strong opening episode! I really don't understand why there was such a short hiatus between the third and fourth seasons... but I suppose I shouldn't complain. I'll be sad to see this show end, though, that's for sure.

Three years have passed since the end of Season Three. In Republic City, we see a young and vain Prince Wu, about ready to re-enter the Earth Kingdom and take his place as king. He is under the protection of Mako, who acts as his bodyguard to protect him from those who might wish him harm. (Especially given what happened to his grandmother three years ago). Mako hates being Wu's bodyguard. Lin gives him the bad news that he will be accompanying Wu back to the Earth Kingdom to continue watching over him.

In the Earth Kingdom, we see Kai and Opal trying to help out a small community that has been overrun by bandits. The Air Benders have been doing this sort of thing all over the Earth Kingdom for the past few years, but they are spread pretty thin. Kuvira, who used to live in the Metal City and work as a soldier for Su Yin, is now trying to unite the Earth Kingdom. She styles herself the "Great Uniter," and has, among her helpers, Bolin, Varrick, Zhu Li, and one of Su Yin's sons. Kuvira tells the governor of the community that she will protect him from bandits, but only if he agrees to fall under Kuvira's command. At first, he refuses, but when Opal and Kai are unable to help bring the community much needed food and supplies, he has no choice but to concede. Opal is furious with Bolin, and with her brother, for working with Kuvira. Kai, on the other hand, says things are going great between him and Jinora.

Grey's Anatomy: Puzzle With a Piece Missing (11x02)

This week, we get a Maggie-centric episode! Yay! As I mentioned in the last review, I really like her so far, and now that we've gotten a chance to explore her character a bit more, I'm still enjoying her a lot.

Maggie is trying to fit in at the hospital, but she's not sure if she does. She has long conversations with her parents on the phone. She misses them. At one point, her parents send her a present: a man comes in to the hospital and sings a song about how proud Maggie's parents are of her new job! It's a bit embarrassing for Maggie.

Jo is Maggie's intern, and the two of them seem to get along great. That is, until Jo tells Maggie that Alex is getting a spot on the board, and Maggie accidentally lets it slip to Alex's private practice boss. As a result, Alex gets fired from the practice. Maggie, furious, insists that Jo is off her service. However, Jo refuses to leave, saying that she deserves a second chance. Eventually, Maggie decides to give it to her.

While still getting a cold reception from Meredith, Maggie does manage to make friends with Amy Shepherd, who tells her that Meredith is a great sister, once you get to know her. (Of course, Amy knows the truth about Maggie's identity, but she doesn't tell Maggie that).

Parenthood: Happy Birthday, Zeek (6x02)

Awww this episode made me tear up! Let's start with the plot.

It's Zeek's birthday, but things are complicated by the fact that Zeek refuses to get an open heart surgery that could help him. Crosby goes to talk to him, but Zeek convinces him that the surgery is not necessary. Of course, this makes Adam mad.

Adam couldn't make it to talk to Zeek because he was dealing with a catastrophe at the new school - apparently, the food people have quit due to the insane requests for specific diets. Adam has to go pick up food for everyone, but they need a long term solution. Adam suggests adding a new art elective: culinary arts. He can have the kids help him make food. This angers Max, who wanted photography as an art elective. Although it's difficult to work with the kids in the kitchen, it turns out at least one of the kids had a great time. His mom calls Kristina to thank her.

Joel and Julia are called in to deal with a problem at the kids' school - Sydney has been bullying a new kid. Joel says that he and Julia should talk about their relationship, because he thinks this is why Sydney is going through something. Julia tells him no - she's been waiting for him to be ready to talk, but she's done waiting now and is trying to move on. When Julia and Joel try to talk to Sydney about the bullying, she screams at them that she hates them both. She's also rude at Zeek's birthday party. In the end, we see Joel and Julia on the phone, trying to figure out what to do about Sydney.

The Vampire Diaries: I'll Remember (6x01)

And we're back. This episode is basically just setup for the season to come. It lets us check in with all of our characters in the aftermath of last season's traumatic finale. Let's take a look at where everyone is.

Elena is back at school for her sophomore year. She seems to be doing okay, but Caroline and the others worry that maybe she's doing a bit too okay, since she hasn't cried over Damon very much. Soon, we learn that Luke has been giving Elena magic herbs that help her to hallucinate Damon. They seem to have side effects, however. She is thirstier than ever. Since supernatural beings aren't allowed inside of Mystic Falls anymore, Elena takes to lurking near the border of town and drinking from humans, before compelling them to forget. Luke tells her that he's going to stop giving her the herbs, and she freaks out.

Luckily, Caroline finds her as she's about to kill a girl by drinking too much from her. When Elena's victim runs across the border back into Mystic Falls before being compelled, they know they're in serious trouble. Matt, who has joined a neighborhood watch, keeps the girl from talking about what happened to her. He rushes her out of the town, where Caroline compels her to forget.

Modern Family: Do Not Push (6x02)

Okay. Three plots. Let's take them once at a time.

The Dunphys visit Caltech to take a tour for Alex. Alex tells her mother that she doesn't want to go there, because it's too close to home and she wants to get away from her family. However, she meets a cute boy on her tour, and reconsiders the school. Meanwhile, Phil, Luke, and Haley go to take a psych test. They see a button that says "do not push," and they think that the button is the test. As they try to decide whether to press it or not, Haley reveals that she's feeling like a failure for not going to school and accomplishing anything. Luke, who had skipped class to work on his movie, talks with his dad about his passions. Finally, the three of them decide to push the button. When they do, it turns the air conditioning on. At this point, someone comes in, all annoyed that they pushed the button, because the system is broken. He then gives them a form to fill out, which it turns out is the actual psych test.

I liked this plot, for the most part. All of the stuff with Alex, Claire, and the cute boy was really funny. I'm excited to see Alex go to college and explore her future. The psych test plot had one serious flaw, in that it was absolutely predictable that the button wouldn't be the real test. I saw that coming from a mile away. However, even with the premise itself being flawed, I really liked what came out of it. In particular, we got to see some more dramatic moments as Haley revealed her true feelings. I can sympathize with having no direction in life, so I enjoyed that part a lot.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Heavy Is The Head (2x02)

I don't know what to do about this show anymore. It's just ridiculous how much I love it. But at the same time, I feel like throwing something at my computer screen whenever it's on. I mean, what the hell is even happening?!

So, the plot.

Skye reports to Coulson that the Obelisk had some weird symbols on it, the same ones that she has been investigating. Coulson is pretty dismissive of this, which annoys Skye. However, we learn that Coulson has continued to have these weird episodes where he writes the same symbols on the walls. He has confided in May about them, and May helps him to document what's going on.

Creel is still on the loose, and in their efforts to bring him down, Coulson depends on his field agents: May, Skye, and also Lance Hunter. Earlier, Lance had been bribed by Talbot to hand over Coulson. He tells Coulson about it, though, and seems to be on the right side. However, while the team is tracking Creel, Lance shoots May and Skye and tries to take out Creel on his own. It doesn't work.

Castle: Driven (7x01)

This entire episode was just a series of plot twists. Seriously. One right after the other. I kept gasping out loud. Seriously. What is even happening right now?!

So, we pick up right where we left off. Beckett sees the burning car and rushes towards it. However, it looks like Castle isn't inside! With the help of Ryan and Espo, she is able to find a man who might have connections to Castle's disappearance. However, this proves to be a dead end. There seems to be evidence that Castle is responsible for his own abduction - there's a video of him dropping off money to pay for a car being totaled.

Two months later, Beckett has still not given up, when Castle shows up on a boat, unconscious and badly dehydrated. When he wakes, he has no memory of the past two months. The last thing he remembers is driving to the wedding. Beckett isn't sure if she can believe Castle, because it seems like he was acting under his own volition. However, she and Castle start investigating to figure out the truth.

The Big Bang Theory: The First Pitch Insufficiency (8x03)

Cute episode, nothing special, with a dash of more serious concerns thrown in. I think they sort of blew it on one of the punchlines, but it was an okay episode over all. Let's talk about it.

Howard is asked to throw the first pitch at a baseball game. He tries to practice, but eventually decides that he's not going to be successful. So, he decides to let a model of the Mars rover deliver the pitch. However, it moves so slowly that people in the stadium start booing him.

Since Sheldon missed a lot of contractually obligated dates with Amy while he was away, he has been going on tons of dates since his return. He invites Leonard and Penny to join them for a double date. While there, Penny and Leonard are shocked to discover that Sheldon and Amy believe they are a stronger couple. Apparently, there's a compatibility test that has very accurate results, and Sheldon and Amy scored very high on it. Penny doesn't want to take the test, however. These leads Leonard and Penny to have a frank discussion about their relationship. They are both scared about getting married, because they have very little in common. However, Leonard eventually says that it's okay to be scared, and he wants to go through this journey by her side.

Once Upon a Time: A Tale of Two Sisters (4x01)

Sassy Regina is my favorite. I love her so much. But before I talk more about that, let's talk about this episode, shall we? Overall, I'm happy with it.

Elsa and Anna's parents are about to drown in a shipwreck. Before they die, they put a message in a bottle and cast it out to sea, hoping that their daughters will find it and learn the truth.We then see Elsa and Anna's past in Arendelle, as Anna gets ready for her marriage to Kristoff. Elsa brings Anna up to the attic, to give her their mother's wedding dress. However, when they're up there, Elsa finds her mother's diary, and finds out that her parents left Arendelle because of Elsa. However, Anna is convinced that this is not the whole story. She decides to go to where her parents were going, to learn more about what happened to them. Elsa doesn't want her to go, but Kristoff helps Anna get away without Elsa knowing it. As Anna heads out, we learn that her destination is the Forbidden Forest, where her parents were heading when they died.

In Storybrooke, Elsa is set loose, trying to figure out where she is. After she uses her ice powers on Grumpy and Sleepy's car, the two Dwarves come to tell the others that someone with strong magic is in Storybrooke. As Emma and Hook try to figure out what's going on, Elsa creates a giant ice monster. It seems to get even angrier when people attempt to attack it.

Doctor Who: The Caretaker (8x06)

This is a good one! Funny. Although it is a lot more about Danny and the Doctor than it is about Clara, and you know how that irks me. Still, let's jump right in.

We start with a montage of Clara, struggling to live two lives - one with the Doctor, going on adventures, and one with Danny, as the two become closer and closer. One day, the Doctor declines to take Clara on an adventure, saying he must go deep undercover. He then shows up at Clara's school, Coal Hill, as John Smith - the new Caretaker.

He is tracking a dangerous creature: a Skovox Blitzer. He plans on using devices to propel it billions of years into the future where it won't cause a problem for anyone. He meets Danny, but doesn't know that he's Clara's boyfriend. He doesn't like Danny because he used to be a soldier. He meets another young man, and assumes this must be Clara's beau. He tells Clara that he approves.

Danny, who is suspicious of the Doctor's strange activities, sneaks around to see what he's up to. He inadvertently tampers with the Doctor's plans, so that when the creature turns up, it is only propelled three days into the future. Clara now has the tricky task of explaining the Doctor to Danny, and Danny to the Doctor. Although they all argue, they end up coming together to defeat the Skovox. They trick it into deactivating itself, rather than blowing up the whole planet. The Doctor grudgingly admits that Danny was helpful, and Danny tells Clara to let him know if the Doctor ever pushes her too hard.