Doctor Who: The Church on Ruby Road (2023 Christmas Special)

Ahhh welcome Ncuti Gatwa to the role!!

Cons:

I'm not sure if I want to call this a "con" or not, more just something I noticed. We saw Ruby's life with her mom and grandma as being pretty perfect in terms of emotional fulfillment. Yes, they're poor and just barely scraping by, but it's the cheerful kind of poverty where the warmth of their connection sees them through and the house is full of love. We then see the version where Ruby was never taken in by her mom or adopted, and was instead captured by the goblins, and in that version, her foster mother is unhappy and kind of unfeeling, only taking in an occasional foster kid when she needs the extra money. So I guess my issue is more something I wish they could have done to add a bit of nuance. What if we saw some real hardship, some emotional friction, between Ruby and her family, instead of just good nature and teasing and joy? And what if the Ruby-less life was a little less 100% depressing? Like, maybe the foster mother does take in fewer kids, but she still puts them up on the fridge and has a connection to them? What if the lesson is that Ruby finding that family made things better, but not necessarily this enormous shift from totally depressing to totally wonderful? I like the idea that Ruby finding this family was the right thing for her and for her mom, but there's something a little over the top about her presence being that dramatic of a shift.

Bob's Burgers: The Nightmare 2 Days Before Christmas (14x10)

A very cute episode!

Cons:

I was having this weird experience of imagining a whole different episode that could have played out, but that didn't: where the Belchers have to stay at home in their freezing cold home without electricity for Christmas. There's almost a whole other episode concept there, of everyone trying to keep busy and have an unplugged Christmas while also dealing with the winter chill. I liked what we got, but I almost wish there had been time to play around with that concept more as well!

Pros:

Linda being the most sentimental about the tree, while Louise is worried about the practical consideration of Santa not being able to find them, was a great contrast. I think Bob was just trying to keep the family together, and Gene and Tina were mostly along for the ride! Another "what this episode could have been" moment was the family getting stuck in their car, and I was pleasantly surprised at the subversion there, where just as things looked really dire, they did in fact arrive at the cabin where Mr. Fischoeder had sent them. And, in another subversion of expectations, despite some creepy wall art and strange instructions for maintaining the property, nothing super spooky or dangerous happened to them once they were there!

Doctor Who: The Giggle (2023 Special 3)

Well... I'm having some feelings!

 Cons:

Last week's special was about as perfect an episode as I could have imagined, so some of my complaints about this one are just in how it compares with the last one. I thought the tension and threat to Donna and the Doctor was so expertly portrayed in the last episode, that in this one, when once again there's a beat where the bad guy separates them to subject them to separate psychological tortures, it felt like a less-good retread of what we saw last time.

In general, I think this episode might have been served better with an entirely original bad guy instead of a callback to old-school Doctor Who. Maybe that's not very in keeping with the spirit of things, I know this is a show with a long history and it's fun to do callbacks, but the episode had to sit there and explain why we should be afraid of the Toymaker, and that felt like it undercut the threat. I shouldn't need to have exposition explain to me that this bad guy is super bad, more bad than most of the badness we have to face. I should just be able to feel that. And I did, with the concept of the creepy doll with the arpeggio laugh. It's almost like the episode would have worked without a puppet master behind it at all?

Doctor Who: Wild Blue Yonder (2023 Special 2)

Well, that was about as perfect an episode of this TV show I've ever seen, if I'm being super honest!

Cons:

Hmm. Difficult to say. There were maybe a few things where I would have wished for more, like just an extra dash of something we already got. Like, the clues that the words were a countdown, and the robot was moving to initiate something? I guess the evidence was right there, but I think the counting down bit would have been more satisfying if there had been some way that it was possible for me to suss that out on my own before the Doctor realized it. Like what if there were numbers on a door somewhere and the Doctor does say one of the numbers out loud at some point because he figured out the translation, and it's the number six or something, and then later when we hear it, you might be able to grasp that you've heard that word before? Just a few more breadcrumbs to make the moment when the truth comes out feel really satisfying.

Bob's Burgers: Fraud of the Dead: Zombie-docu-pocalypse (14x09)

Okay... this had to have been an episode planned for closer to the end of October, right? So weird how the episodes have been scheduled!

Cons:

Nothing much to complain about, this was great spooky ridiculous fun! The one thing that was a little odd was that the conceit of this scenario is that Gene and Tina don't know Louise, that they are just a documentary crew, and then there were times later in the episode where they continued to reference that they don't know each other. Like, at the end, Tina calls Bob and Linda "your parents" when talking to Louise, as if she's still being the documentary crew and not herself. That feels like a bit of a muddled premise to me, I would have loved to do a bit more with it.

Doctor Who: The Star Beast (2023 Special 1)

I mean, I'm going to be emotional no matter what about seeing David Tennant and Catherine Tate back on my screen as the Doctor and Donna Noble. To be frank, this episode didn't have to be that good to draw me in and make me sentimental! Let's see how it went.

Cons:

I think the little prologue thing where we get reminded on the history of Donna and the Doctor as characters was a little strange. I almost would have rather just had a "previously on" with Tennant doing voiceover or something. Especially since the Doctor later explains the whole "Donna took in the mind of a time lord and had to have her memory erased" bit, on screen, to another character.

While I overall want to praise the way pronouns and gender were quite casually discussed in this episode, I did think the fact that Rose was the one to speak up and basically say "did you just assume this alien's gender" was a little clunky. I wish the Meep had just corrected the Doctor outright instead of the one trans person in the room needing to intervene? That's the smallest of nitpicks, though.

Bob's Burgers: Wharf, Me Worry? (14x08)

Aww, an episode about the kids' grandpa! That's a fun concept.

Cons:

I don't have a ton to say in the "con" category here, to be honest. The gift of this show is that if certain characters take the a backseat, we know we'll see a bigger focus on them soon enough. So the kids didn't have a TON of character moments in this episode, it was really mostly about Bob's feelings with his dad, but that's okay because we'll get back to the youngsters more in another episode!

Pros:

I guess I'll start with the subplot here: Linda helps Teddy back at the restaurant to take an actually good picture of himself to advertise his business online. I loved the comedy of both Bob and Linda grimacing in horror when they'd seen the pictures he'd taken so far. He's holding a hammer and it looks like he's a serial killer, not a handyman! This is deeply relatable to me as a person who is bad at getting my picture taken! The bit with the woman in the diner who was shown example pictures was funny too. She tried to push back against her instincts, but yeah, based on what she was seeing of Teddy, she wasn't about to let him into her house alone. In the end, the key to success proves to be to snap a picture of Teddy right after he's taken a bite of a burger! I thought that was sweet, a way of focusing in on the fact that Teddy is their most regular customer and really gets some true happiness out of the food and company.

Bob's Burgers: The (Raccoon) King and I (14x07)

This one was so fun! The return of Little King Trash-Mouth!

Cons:

I don't really have many complaints, other than that I thought the shenanigan-level could have been higher with the kids? When Louise realized her bid to sell a concert experience for candy wasn't going to work out as planned, I was sort of expecting her to go way more wild with it. I wanted those kids sneaking around backstage, tripping over wires, interrupting the concert, all that jazz. As it was, it was a dinky little subplot that was just fine, but nothing special or memorable.

Bob's Burgers: Escape from Which Island? (14x06)

This was a fun one! Whenever Mr. Fischoeder gets involved you know it's going to be a wild time.

Cons:

I did think that the subplot with Linda and the kids could have had a better punch line. There were lots of funny jokes within the scenario, but the conclusion was just, Tina is stressed out about how to be a proper adult, then realizes she's memorized all of Linda's advice, so she's set. That didn't really land for me.

Pros:

But starting with that subplot, I loved the comedy of Linda being self-aware about bad cocktail party etiquette because she definitely has been that bad guest many times in the past. At first I thought maybe the joke would be that she gives bad advice because she's no good at it, but actually it's that she gives good advice because of all the practice she has at being an inconsiderate guest.

Bob's Burgers: Bully-ieve It or Not (14x05)

Hey, I've been saying for the past four weeks that I wanted a school-centric episode and I got it. I'm happy!

Cons:

This is just a personal thing but the gross-out humor that this show sometimes employs is not my favorite. The pee stuff, fine, but then licking the booger wall and the idea that Zeke might throw up? I did have to look away from the screen during that part. Not a fan.

Pros:

I liked how both the subplot with the kids and the plot with Bob back at the diner had like, real life lessons to learn, but it never felt after school special-y. This show can sometimes decide to tackle a real issue in a way that still preserves the comedy and still remains broadly palatable and enjoyable.

Bob's Burgers: Running Down a Gene (14x04)

Cute episode! I love Tina and Louise getting some sister bonding time in the subplot.

Cons:

Still banging that drum and hoping we'll get a school episode soon. At least we got the library in this one! Also, and I don't mean to harp on things that this episode isn't, instead of appreciating what it is, but... why no Halloween episode? This came out on October 29th!

Pros:

Gene's music aspirations are always so fun to see, I love that he's a blend of genuine talent with silly little kid explorations. The support his family shows him is always touching to me. That's a general theme with this show, that Bob might be exasperated or overwhelmed by the antics of his children, but he never stifles their dreams, either.

Bob's Burgers: The Pickleorette (14x03)

Lots of fun shenanigans on this one!

Cons:

I feel like I've said this after the first two episodes of the season too, but I do hope we get a school-based episode soon so we can check in with the kids' friends. I miss that crowd.

Pros:

I love how Bob is just down for whatever Linda asks him to do. He's not thrilled about it, in fact he's completely petrified by the situation he's found himself in, but yeah, he'll do it. He'll drive a limo and he'll pretend to be a different guy with an accent and he'll call the strippers and he'll let stripping happen in the restaurant. It's just a funny trait to have this grumpy, overwhelmed man also be down for whatever shenanigans his wife gets him into at any point.

Bob's Burgers: The Amazing Rudy (14x02)

Aww, a Rudy episode! This was sweet.

Cons:

I really can't think of much I would change? Maybe as a nitpick, it was a little silly that the episode made the purpose of the dinner a "reveal" after an opening scene where Rudy and his dad don't directly mention where they're going and why. I'm not sure holding that card close to the chest added much of anything.

Pros:

I would love to see more episodes like this, filling out details of the rest of this community, where the Belcher family plays side characters who come into the story in a couple of pivotal moments! It was so effective to start with Rudy and then hear the kids' voices at the mall. And then when Rudy runs out of the restaurant, I knew he'd end up at Bob's Burgers and that he'd find safety and kindness there. I really felt the family as a refuge, somewhere you could go to feel better.

Bob's Burgers: Fight at the Not Okay Chore-ral (14x01)

A fun season opener!

Cons:

I wish even more of the townsfolk could have been cast inside the Western story the family was telling. It was cool to see Jimmy Jr. and Zeke, and Mr. Fischoeder, but I would have loved to see Teddy, and various other townsfolk more prominently featured.

I felt like the conclusion to this episode was a little wishy-washy, where Linda has to admit that she got a little worked up about the chores thing because of pressure from her own mother, but at the same time... Linda is right, and the fact that the kids don't do any chores around the house is weird. I wish there had been a little more of a button on the episode where maybe the kids had helped out with a task, working with their parents and making it a family activity.

What We Do in the Shadows: A Weekend at Morrigan Manor/Exit Interview (5x09/10)

Oh boy. Lots to discuss.

Cons:

The biggest con I have here is... well, if Guillermo was going to be made back into a human at the end of the season, I wish we'd gotten to see more of vampire Guillermo. I actually don't mind narratively this turn where he goes back to being human, but why couldn't we see a whole season of him getting to be a bat and go flying and do all the other vampire things, in full-swing? That way the fact that he's not ready would hit a little harder: he can't bring himself to drink human blood, which is the only way he can continue to be a vampire, even though he's experienced all the perks. I just think that would have been a more fun way to play it. Instead, we spent a whole season waiting and waiting to finally actually see vampire Guillermo, and we... never fully got that at all. He did look good with those fangs, though.

Pros:

The Morrigan Manor stuff was so charming and fresh and different. I truly had no idea where this episode was going to go, from the invitation, to the amazing fencing choreography with Lazlo and his large group of combatants... I even thought the Guide's role in the story added something fun.

All season I've been complaining that they haven't done enough with the whole vibe of her being an outsider, but in this episode, when she finally takes matters into her own hands, I did feel the weight of her relative insignificance all season, finally coming to bear. I realized pretty soon she had to be behind all the disappearances, but it was still fun to see it play out. And I like how she acts as a contrast to Guillermo, who now feels included in the group in various ways. One good moment is at the beginning, when the recording says "six of you" and they're confused about the number six, because they were forgetting to count the Guide. Which means they think of their family as being five people, and that includes Guillermo. So sweet!

What We Do in the Shadows: The Roast (5x08)

Oh my god, this was an AMAZING episode.

Cons:

I feel bad for continuing to harp on this, but The Guide continues to feel like such a wasted character! I like the performance, I don't think it has to be this way, there could be some really funny stuff here! But instead it's the same joke again and again. It's like she's the Jerry from Parks and Rec or the Toby from The Office. But this show didn't really need that, they're all a bunch of losers, and there's already the vampires treating Guillermo like he's disposable to fall back on as a joke? I don't know. She had plot relevance this week, but it feels like we could have done this without her.

Pros:

Lazlo's ennui was really funny, the way he keeps dismissing everyone's attempt to snap him out of it... one of the funniest exchanges was right at the top, when Nadja and Nandor were talking about Lazlo lacking interest in his old hobbies: Nadja - "We are down to like sixteen fucks a week." / Nandor - "We're down to three". And Nadja reaches out and puts a hand on Nandor's arm, in horror and sympathy to hear something so terrible! That really made me laugh.

What We Do in the Shadows: Hybrid Creatures (5x07)

Man, this show is a trip sometimes. This episode didn't quite click for me in a lot of ways.

Cons:

I will say, one of the things that I love so much about Guillermo as a character is that he's a bad-ass. He's a fool as well, don't get me wrong, but throughout the last couple of seasons, Guillermo being ridiculous is always balanced by big wins, something triumphant and comedically over-the-top cool that shows he is without a doubt the most competent character in the cast. This season... it's basically been all losses for our favorite half-vampire half-human guy. I hope he gets some ridiculous victory by the time the season ends, just for balance.

The grotesque animal hybrids were... okay, there were one or two funny moments in there, but by and large this humor just wasn't really making me smile. The thing where they all called Guillermo "daddy", and he was having to care for them like children, including bathroom stuff... I don't know, y'all. I get that this show is wacky and bizarre, but that just didn't work for me.

Outlander: Turning Points (7x08)

Big episode, lots to discuss. I'm going to try and be brief.

Cons:

I don't like Ian and Rachel again. I keep flip-flopping. But this episode adapted one of my least favorite book moments, where Ian suddenly gets all intense and passionate, and Rachel is all confused and torn about her feelings. It feels like the ramp-up for this romance is very sheepish and cute, and then suddenly it's this burning passion. It doesn't vibe right with me. Also, we end with Arch Bug showing up again and leering threateningly at Rachel, having identified her as someone Ian cares about so he can exact his revenge. Eh. I really could take or leave that whole plot thread, if I'm being honest.

This is a little hard to quantify, but there's a lot of over-explaining in this episode, I feel? Moments that were powerful on their own but then get just a bit too much in the way of belaboring, thus diluting their power. Benedict Arnold, for example. I wish we didn't have the moment where Claire is given an opportunity to sway his opinion away from resentment. The implication that she might have said something in that moment to alter the whole course of history is a little silly. I wish it could have been left more subtle and unsaid.

What We Do in the Shadows: Urgent Care (5x06)

Finally, Nadja knows! What a wild episode.

Cons:

I feel like this has been a Colin Robinson-heavy season so far. I'm not saying I dislike that character, but... let's be real. Not my #1 favorite part of the show or anything. I thought his story had promise but it took up maybe a bit more of the run time than I would have liked. I would have allocated more time to Nadja and Guillermo and Lazlo, and slightly less to Nandor and Colin.

Pros:

But starting with that Colin plot, I did love the conceit where he keeps being accidentally too interesting, and it slowly starts to kill him. As he tries to drain from people, he finds that his black eye looks too interesting. Then he gets hit by a car, and a TikTok is made of him, and he discovers the man who hit him is a famous actor (John Slattery - from Mad Men!), and then when he tries to go into a gas station, it's being held up at gunpoint... no matter what he does, he's too interesting to drain energy! That's pretty funny, as was the bit where Slattery finds Colin's accent so interesting that he's happy to listen to him talk all day.

What We Do in the Shadows: Local News (5x05)

Okay, this was pretty hilarious.

Cons:

The thing about Guillermo's slow vampire transition this season is that it does blunt some of the comedy impact of him being a vampire in the first place. I sort of wish there had been a more dramatic contrast between human Guillermo and vampire Guillermo. It's almost like instead of setup and punchline, it's setup and then very long, meandering journey towards a destination we've already been told about. That's not to say I don't enjoy some of the things about said journey, but I don't know. I guess I'm just hoping we'll see Guillermo get his transformative moment to shine.

Oh, and, same note as always on the Guide: there's nothing wrong with her, but she seems like she could lift right out of the story without being missed at all. Sorry!

Outlander: A Practical Guide for Time-Travelers (7x07)

Dun dun dunnnn!

Cons:

I will say, I thought giving William a cheery, jokey bff in the army was a little transparent. The second this dude opened his mouth I was like "ah, he's about to die so William can learn the true horrors of war." I didn't dislike everything with William in this plot thread, but it's probably the least I've cared about adult William since we met him; he's more interesting to me as he relates to the interpersonal connections of Jamie, Claire, and Lord John. Big surprise there.

I feel like they made Rob Cameron just a little too pushy and sinister? In the books I think there was just a little more time to get to know him as a purely innocuous figure, so here it's like we barely know him and now he's pushing in for dinner invitations and asking questions about Roger's papers, like... it's pretty obvious pretty quickly that something's up. I don't know how I would have solved for this, but just thought I'd mention it. The pacing also kinda made the Buck thing a little less impactful, just because we go from "what the hell are you doing here" to "I forgive him, he's Cousin Buck" so immediately. It also made me miss Roger having a huge scar on his neck and difficulty speaking clearly. That's such an important character trait for him in the books, that he never fully recovers from his near death by hanging. I get why for practical reasons they cut it out, but I think it makes his relationship with his ancestor more compelling if the evidence of his close call is still there in every word he speaks.

What We Do in the Shadows: The Campaign (5x04)

I'm in a bit of a Good Omens coma at the moment so pardon me if this is rather a brief review!

Cons:

I guess I wanted a bit more of an understanding of where Lazlo was coming from with his behavior towards the people of Little Antipaxos. It seems like he's trying to impress them at first, but he belittles them and thinks they're all primitive idiots. Then, when they don't warm to him, he immediately goes hostile and tells them to fuck off. This from the man who refuses to set foot back in his homeland because they insulted his beautiful and perfect wife Nadja. I wish we could have seen this play out more from Lazlo's perspective, so we could see maybe that he's feeling insecure or strange about all the time Nadja is spending with these new friends, or something.

Pros:

That said, Lazlo and Nadja are still hilarious, and I did love the resolution, wherein Nadja's new friends think that Lazlo is a figure from their old folktales, a particularly foolish and mean-spirited oaf who brings good luck to those who are near him. That would be funny to see more stories about!

Outlander: Where the Waters Meet (7x06)

Lots of good stuff to talk about!

Cons:

I remember this from the books, that Jamie's time fighting for the rebels keeps kind of dragging on and getting addendums added onto it. Like, you think he's done, then he gets pulled in elsewhere, and keeps saying yes again and again... it felt a little messy in the book too, and here I find myself antsy to get to Scotland and all the stuff that happens in the aftermath of that.

Pros:

In the aftermath of fleeing from the fort, Jamie and Claire try and help sneak as many people away as they can. One woman, frantic and sure that the Indians are going to take her, ends up running off and when Claire goes to find her, she watches the woman take her own life, and is then captured by the British. When taken to their camp, she finds her patient Walter Woodcock, and she also finds... William. I loved Claire showing her compassion and strength as a medical professional again, and that William, even upon finding her to be a rebel, wants to help her out as best as he's able.

What We Do in the Shadows: Pride Parade (5x03)

What an episode, holy shit.

Cons:

I can't think of anything I'd change about this one! I guess I'll repeat my comment that the Guide doesn't have a ton to do. The joke seems to be that she's superfluous and ignored, but she does feel superfluous to me, so it's just not that funny.

Pros:

Where to start? The Nadja plot thread was hilarious. All of the physical comedy of the doll inside vampire-Nadja's body was a delight, I was laughing out loud at so much of this. And then the grotesqueness of Colin and Doll-Nadja both inhabiting vampire-Nadja's body? The duet they sang at the pride event? I don't even have anything coherent to say about any of this, it was just hilarious all the way through. The ending gag of Lazlo deflowering doll-Nadja who is possessing vampire-Nadja, along with Colin, with vampire-Nadja inside doll-Nadja egging them all on... I mean, what other show can you think of that would ever do something as batshit insane as this? It's incredible.

Outlander: Singapore (7x05)

Huh, interesting. A couple of significant changes I'm not sure how to feel about, but an otherwise solid episode!

Cons:

Now, as a caveat, it has been a minute since I read the books, but I'm almost sure the scene with Ian meeting Emily's son goes a lot differently. For one, Ian is the one to name the kid Swiftest of Lizards, and Emily actually asks Ian to name her daughter, but he feels a connection to the older boy, and names him instead. It's left incredibly ambiguous as to whether or not this really is Ian's biological son, although later events strongly suggest this to be the case. In the show, they cast a little white kid to play Swiftest of Lizards, so it seems pretty clear we're not supposed to have any doubt. And he already has his Mohawk name, and Ian gives him an English one: Ian James. I'm... not sure how to feel about this. I liked the subtlety, the ambiguity, in the book. And I liked that Ian claimed the right to name him in the Mohawk fashion, instead of being handed the opportunity by Emily. It makes Ian's connection to his Mohawk identity stronger, that he names this child of his spirit in the tradition of one of his chosen people, instead of the people of his birth. I don't know, it just felt a little too neat and tidy, the way this played out.

What We Do in the Shadows: A Night Out with the Guys (5x02)

The poor Guide lol.

Cons:

I will say, the Guide isn't really my favorite part of the show, as much as I love Kristen Schaal. So when the show seems to lampshade how superfluous she feels, making jokes about how the other vampires forgot about her, didn't notice she hadn't been around, I find myself sort of agreeing with that sentiment. She's great, but she doesn't seem to add much that we don't already have with the other characters, and I don't miss her when she's gone! Sorry!

Pros:

I did enjoy Nadja's plot thread even without caring much for the Guide, specifically her discovery of Little Antipaxos! It was so fun to see her connect back with her roots, while being completely and utterly oblivious to the poor way she's treating the people around her, specifically the Guide. Her enthusiasm about her original home is infectious and delightful.

What We Do in the Shadows: The Mall (5x01)

We're back!

Cons:

I will say, with this show being a pure comedy without a lot of significant character development for the most part, there are occasionally running plot elements that get dropped or shuffled off very unceremoniously that I wish could have been delved into more. The big example for me going into season five is Colin Robinson being his normal adult self again, with no apparent lasting impact from the time he spent growing up as a kid. I want Lazlo and Colin's relationship to have shifted in some way with the fact that Lazlo is basically Colin's dad now, and I worry that they won't take advantage of the comedic (and heartwarming) fodder that this scenario provides. So far, we don't have any hints of it.

Outlander: A Most Uncomfortable Woman (7x04)

Oh boy oh boy, things are a-happening!

Cons:

So, I honestly really liked Jamie and Claire's sex scene in this episode, but as a small note: I'm not a fan of the slow-pan away from them on the bed, over to the shot of them in the mirror; it's just so cheesy and feels played out. Isn't there a different way to do a sort of fade to black situation?

Ian and Rachel are just... bland nothingness to me, sorry. I don't really care for them much in the books either. I like Rachel as a character, but the romantic entanglements she finds herself in are always a bit of a snooze fest. The way they played up the connection of Ian and Rachel in the brief time they met just felt so forced, like, oh, a young single woman and two young single men! We've got to have romance blooming immediately! Kind of lazy, honestly.

I feel like Tom Christie's horrible abusive behavior is sort of ignored here? Like, we can feel some measure of sympathy or gratitude for the man, sure, he saved Claire's life after all. But he was an absolutely horrible father to his children and I feel like the show has come around on Tom too much, presenting him as more sympathetic than I think he's supposed to be.

Outlander: Death Be Not Proud (7x03)

Okay, so, there were bits and pieces of this episode I greatly enjoyed, but it felt sort of... odd, as a full story.

Cons:

The Bugs haven't been real characters in the show up until this exact moment, it felt so odd to have such an emphasis on the story of the gold, and Murdina's death, and all that. I think part of the issue is in adaptation, where there are just so many things that happen in these books, so many subplots and minor characters who end up having their own significant plot moments, that in order to do justice to them all, sometimes it feels like something is coming out of nowhere. That's how I felt big-time in this episode, with the story of the Bugs stealing the Stuart gold from Hector's crypt at River Run, and then the two of them trying to sneak off with it, and Ian shooting Murdina, thinking she was Arch... it all felt like a scene straight out of nowhere, and it really overshadowed the central thing that happens here, which is that the house burned down. I wanted to linger more on that, instead of on these extra new developments that connected so little to anything that has happened at all recently in the show.

I know this is lifted straight from the books, but I wish Jamie's dreams of the future were a little less literal and magical. It seems too neat and tidy that he literally has visions of things like telephones, therefore pretty much confirming that what he's seeing is true.

Outlander: The Happiest Place on Earth (7x02)

Dang, I'm honestly incredibly surprised about some stuff in this episode!

Cons:

As an overall note, this episode just felt incredibly crowded with incident. The fact that the episode in which we learn the end of the Christie storyline, with Allan telling his story and meeting his fateful end, is also the episode in which Brianna and Roger have a baby, discover Mandy's health problem, and leave, and is the episode where we meet adult William for the first time, and is the episode with the fire that's been built up for several seasons... it's just so much to happen all at once! I feel like especially the start of the episode with Allan, coupled with last week's revelations from Tom Christie, all belong to an earlier plot thread that really should have been resolved separately from the Brianna and Roger leaving story, and the Wendigo Donner/fire story.

Mainly, I'm surprised that Roger and Bree are actually going into the future at all, with their kids. That whole plot development in the books is incredibly important, but I thought after they hinted at it and then bailed back last season, they were just going to skip over it entirely. A lot of plot happens in these books, I wouldn't have been surprised if they'd given this whole thing a pass. I am excited to see how it plays out, I guess, but it does make the fact that they decided to go and then changed their minds before, kind of ridiculous.

Outlander: A Life Well Lost (7x01)

We're back! It feels like it's been forever since this show was on the air, but I guess it was May 2022 when we last left off, in quite a dramatic fashion, with Claire arrested for a murder she didn't commit, and Jamie separated from her, desperate to save her before it's too late!

Cons:

To start, I do not like the new vocals on the intro. Mostly they were okay, but that weird breathy whisper thing at the very end fading into the episode title card, was just bizarre.

The voiceover is still a weakness of the show. A holdover from a concept that wanted to use Claire's first person POV from the books. There's one instance of it early on from Claire where she's talking about how she knows how long the Revolutionary War will stretch on, and it just felt like an unnecessary emphasis on something we could have gotten just from looking at her face as the other prisoners spoke of the hardships they were facing.

Brianna is still the weak link as an actor. I think I've realized that she's no good at anything but the extremes. She has a really infectious sweetness when she's playing super hyped and excited, and I've seen her do despair and pain very well too. But when she just needs to have a normal conversation with her husband, it sounds super stilted and I feel like I can basically see her reading the lines off a script. It's too bad, I really wish I liked her more. Book Brianna is going to reign supreme, I'm afraid.

Barry: wow (4x08)

I mean... "wow" seems like a pretty good word for it.

Cons:

Footage not found, honestly? This was more or less perfect television. The only shot I didn't like was the fade up on the clapping audience towards the end with Sally directing a high school production of Our Town. I think because we'd had a few very iconic, in-your-face shots leading up to it, and that one felt like it pushed over the edge for me, in openly acknowledging, I guess, the theatre of the whole thing? But that's the tiniest of nitpicks.

Pros:

Where to even begin? I think what I'll do is just run down the ultimate fates of the characters we most care about.

Barry: a nice meal (4x07)

This is one of the funnier episodes of Barry that we've gotten in a while, which is always so weird to say when you think about the literal events going on here.

Cons:

Again, I think the times in this show when they go for the obvious meta stuff, like Gene saying "Barry is a complicated and sympathetic figure" and then the undercover actor agent guy being like "but he killed people though" is kinda like... yeah, okay, I get your point. I don't know. Usually when this show barrels down the camera and says the quiet part out loud, I like it. But every once in a while I wish they'd let us get there on our own, I suppose.

I also still think Jim is the character who makes the least amount of sense to me? That's probably okay, as far as things go, but I thought I'd mention it.

Bob's Burgers: Amelia (13x22)

Aww, this was cute, I liked it!

Cons:

I was waiting for some sort of plot beat to close up the Linda getting a massage story. The culmination of the episode was very much with Louise, as was appropriate, but it made the whole B-plot feel a little aimless by the end. I expected maybe Linda would say she preferred the kids' bad massages and manicures over a semi-professional surprise. Or the masseuse could have been more ridiculous, given us some bigger laughs. I didn't mind what we got, it just felt like there could have been more there.

Pros:

I think the reason Louise is such a stand-out character on this show is that she has this really ruthless, devil-may-care attitude, and it's always extremely effective when she decides to care, when she decides to put in the effort. So at first Louise just stumbles into Amelia Earhart as a topic for her "hero" presentation in class. Then she finds herself super engrossed. Then, upon learning the "twist", that Amelia failed and didn't make it all around the world, she wants to throw in the towel but is told she has to stick with her topic.

Grey's Anatomy: Wedding Bell Blues/Happily Ever After (19x19/20)

Oh goodness. There are a lot of things about this that I really goddamn hate, but... plenty I loved, too!

Cons:

Jo and Link. Look, I'd honestly love to feel differently about this. It sucks to have a character like Link, who I used to greatly enjoy, turn into someone that I just don't want to spend time with anymore. I liked Jo and Alex, and I liked Amelia and Link. I have never once thought these two worked as a romance. And when they had their big love confession and kiss in the rain moment, I honestly felt nothing. Total numbness and boredom. Plus, Link seemed like such an insensitive jerk about Jo flirting with her patient, Sam. Just grow up and get over yourself, dude.

Simone and Lucas is great and I'll compliment the drama later, but I still think Trey should have... existed as a character more leading up to this point. It was such a non-choice, such an obvious conclusion. I would have liked a bit more wedding shenanigans, and a bit more of an understanding of who Trey is as a person, in order to enjoy this more fully.

Bob's Burgers: Mother Author Laser Pointer (13x21)

This was such a cute episode!

Cons:

Honestly, I can't think of much of anything. Maybe I wish we'd seen the kids' school friends? We spent time at the school, but Mr. Frond was the only character we really interacted with. That's just a little thing, though.

Pros:

Starting with Linda's plot, I loved that when it ended, the author didn't soften towards Linda and suddenly realize how much her books meant to people. That was the ending I was expecting, and I do love it when this show goes for a more sentimental vibe sometimes. But it's also super funny and refreshing to have a plot where Linda behaves way out of line, and in the end, she doesn't exactly win any friends because of it. Her obsession with the author of some of her favorite kid's books makes sense, as thinking about her kids going off to college has suddenly made her contemplate a future where she and Bob are empty nesters. My favorite joke of this one is when Linda reacts with skepticism over the concept of "books for adults". That was hilarious!

Barry: the wizard (4x06)

I was legit terrified that kid was dead on the couch. Yikes.

Cons:

I think Jim, Janice's father, is one of the least rounded-out characters on the show. He kind of exists to be this ultimate threat, constantly hiding in the shadows. And that's... fine, I just always like it better when Barry's own actions directly lead him into danger. And I get that that's happening here, because he murdered Jim's daughter, but I still wish there was a tad more meat to his character and his motivations. A father wanting vengeance for his murdered child makes perfect sense, but what else does he have going on?

Pros:

Everything with Sally and John home alone was... pitch perfect in how insane and scary it was. First the chilling ennui of John's sadness at being left alone with his mother, and Sally's attempts at mothering quickly pivoting into drugging her child into a stupor so as to put them both out of their misery temporarily... God, it was just awful to watch. When Sally was trying to wake him up from the couch and he wasn't moving, I was super scared he was going to die of alcohol poisoning or something. Terrifying.

And then even more terrifying, we've got the figure all in black following Sally around, locking her in  her room... I love the way they shot that, because for a split second I thought the figure had slammed the door while inside the room, trapping Sally alone with the mystery person, but then instead it was locking her in. The circumstances of what exactly happened here are completely obscure to me. As John wakes up from his deep stupor on the couch, it's to hear his mother talking on the phone to Barry, leaving a message, asking him where he is. The mysterious assailant could be anything, from a crazy hallucination of Sally's, to vengeance from the guy she choked in the bathroom at the diner, to someone from Barry's past coming to haunt them... it's really not clear, and I love how messy it is. Frankly I was just relieved Sally was unable to figure out how to load a gun properly.

Grey's Anatomy: Ready to Run (19x18)

Man, that patient death got to me.

Cons:

The ADHD plot thread still seems pretty weak to me, very after-school special in the way it's being handled. I just wish there had been a more organic, less textbook path for Lucas to learn this about himself. Nick coming up to him after a patient has died to be like "because of your ADHD, you're going to feel this loss really hard" just felt like the epitome of inappropriate to me. Maybe I'm being sensitive because I would personally hate someone being so presumptuous with me about my mental health. I think Grey's is so great at raising awareness for all sorts of topics, and it's cool to have two main characters on the show with ADHD who can represent that perspective. Conceptually, I'm all for this. I just think the execution is very weak and feels very... rote, and unmotivated. Nick is still super boring so I don't care about his and Lucas's burgeoning mentor/mentee connection.

I actually think Jo and the patient with all the broken bones have cute vibes, and I thought it was interesting that she felt the need to confirm that Link was her "roommate" there at the end. But... I still find the Link/Jo romance plot just kind of tedious all around. I'm not looking forward to him being weird and jealous and hurting Jo's feelings, etc. It's already annoying to me.

Barry: tricky legacies (4x05)

This show makes me wish I was smarter and better at articulation so I could explain what I think is genius about it.

Cons:

I almost wish the episode hadn't included the intrusion from the past at the end, and had instead ended with Barry and Sally and their son just... living their strange lives together. The bit at the end with Cousineau returning from hiding and ready to tell Barry's story, and Barry saying he'd have to kill him, felt like more of a plot gimmick than anything, and I think it would have been cool from a pacing perspective if like... that happened at the start of the next episode, leaving this one in this strange unfamiliar space with nothing to latch onto from the past. It's a small thing, I just thought the very ending of the episode was the weakest part.

Grey's Anatomy: Come Fly With Me (19x17)

Okay, this was a solid middle-of-the-road episode, where some of the plot threads worked really well for me, and others were a miss.

Cons:

This Nick and Lucas thing was kind of baffling. We see that Nick is frustrated with Lucas for dropping the ball on some patient care matters, and he tells him to work out his ADHD meds so he can stay on top of his career. Lucas is baffled, having had no idea he had ADHD, but once he looks into it, he realizes that it fits. He and Nick talk, and Nick says that he does too, and that he thought it might derail his career, but he manages it now like every other part of his life. This is... fine, like, I don't have a problem doing a story around this, but for one thing it verged into after school special territory for me with the cheesiness and neatness of the story. This is the first we've known about this being an issue for Lucas, it just kind of came out of nowhere. And the utter inappropriateness of Nick, Lucas's boss, just... making an assumption about his mental health diagnosis and whether he's on meds or not? I was staggered by how clumsy and inappropriate that moment was, and it just felt very forced and unrealistic. So yeah, the concept seems cool to me; if Nick (the most boring character in the world) is really sticking around, might as well give him a mentorship role for Lucas. It just felt weird how they did it.

Bob's Burgers: Radio No You Didn't (13x20)

I love the storytelling episodes of Bob's Burgers!

Cons:

This isn't a problem with the episode, but I feel like I've been missing some stuff this season that I just hope we get to see again soon. Like, the school gang. Tina-focused episodes. Recently we've had stuff like the episode with the wrestling show, and the one where they all go to buy things at the Walmart-equivalent store, so we haven't had just... a school plot, or a restaurant plot, in a minute.

Pros:

Honestly, I don't really have any actual complaints about this episode, though! It was a lot of fun! The setup is simple. Linda comes across an old radio in the closet as she's cleaning it out, and Bob tells the story of his grandmother uncovering a Nazi spy ring in the '40s. I think what I like about the way the story unfolds is that it didn't have a joke/twist outcome? As I was watching, my initial thought was going to be that as Bob was telling the story, it was going to become obvious that his grandmother wasn't really a hero, the whole thing had been a misunderstanding. Or there would be some humorous reveal where Bob learned that the story had been made up entirely. But no! It really is a story about a mother with a new baby at home, noticing something strange and uncovering enemy spies! An actual piece of family history that a person might have, a small incident that carries great import in within a family, but doesn't make a huge historical splash. I was kind of into how simple it all was.

Barry: it takes a psycho (4x04)

Well. I am sad.

Cons:

One of the things about this show that always takes me just slightly out of the moment is when Sally is "acting". Because the woman playing Sally is a good actress, absolutely. But how good am I, the viewer, meant to think that Sally, the character, is as a performer? I find it frustratingly ambiguous, and maybe that's the point, but I always get taken out of the immediacy of the scene a bit. When Sally examples the monologue to try and help Kristen, am I supposed to be impressed? Or embarrassed for her? A little of both? When it comes to the commentary on Hollywood and acting in general, the show is clearly trying to say something, but I feel like I never quite know what that thing is.

Pros:

It's a brilliant move to keep Barry out of the majority of this episode. He's escaped from prison, we don't know where he is or when he'll pop up. It's like he's a slasher villain, in a way. Super effective way to build tension through every moment in all the scenes, whether with Hank, Cousineau, or Sally. And then when he does turn up, it's to find Sally ready to drop everything and run with him. Which I both did and did not expect to be how it happened. I find it fascinating that Sally's willingness to run with Barry is completely dependent on how poorly her own life is going at the moment. She's on the cusp of opportunities, but she's being overlooked in favor of the taller, more curvy acting student Kristen who doesn't actually have her talent. Then Barry is there, and you can basically see it take over her face: fuck it. Let's go. I loved Barry's reaction, that meek little "really"? As he kind of can't believe the thing he's been wanting but which seemed so improbable, is actually happening.

Barry: you're charming (4x03)

You know you've got something special when the sight of a man dangling dead from a bunch of cords out of the ceiling can make you... laugh? This show is fucking weird.

Cons:

I feel like the part of this show I've always had the hardest part connecting with is the part that's actually about acting and the world of Hollywood. There were a lot of things I liked about Sally's scenes as a teacher. I liked that she repeated Cousineau's tactics and seemingly got a genuine reaction out of an aspiring actor, only to be told by everyone else that her behavior was abusive and unnecessary. It was a good way to subvert expectations. But at the same time, the woman she screamed at ends up sticking around, claiming Sally's method actually worked. That felt a little cheap to me. Almost a validation of the thing the scene seemed to be trying to repudiate. The whole concept of getting to some deeper, truer place in the name of acting is sort of... farcical, right? What is the show trying to do with Sally's character, with the fact that she's here, back where she started, in some sort of position of authority but ultimately with nothing to show for all her hard work? Maybe I just need to keep watching to understand more.

Pros:

The stuff with the reporter, O'Neil, was so bizarre and hilarious. I loved Gene realizing what a fucking idiot he'd been, and trying to walk it back. The scene with Gene inside O'Neil's house, talking to his wife, was one of my favorites, just the utter absurdity of him having gotten away with something so brazen as breaking this woman's window and coming inside to smash up her husband's stuff. And later, we see that after some time with Moss, O'Neil is reduced to near catatonia, mysteriously speaking only in German, a language he apparently didn't speak before. That's just the kind of absurdity that makes this show so funny and great.

Bob's Burgers: Crab-solutely Fabulous (13x19)

A ridiculous and fun episode!

Cons:

Bob sometimes takes on the role of the "straight man" and is the least chaotic character on the screen. It's fine, it's just not as fun as when he gets all enthusiastic and caught up in something ridiculous. I just can't think of any funny Bob moments in this episode.

Pros:

At the core of all the goofy comedy of this show, is the gentle and affirming truth that this is a show about a family that really loves each other. Louise gets super enthusiastic about an idea, and Gene and Tina go along with it long after their own interest wanes. Teddy allows himself to get grievously injured, and both Bob and Linda end up entering the ring for the final fight, all because this is something Louise is passionate about. It's sweet, in an over-exaggerated, ridiculous way, how much this family all supports each other. (And Teddy too!)

Grey's Anatomy: Gunpowder and Lead (19x16)

Let's dive right in!

Cons:

This is a small thing but I thought I'd mention it because I noticed it: there's a scene where Addison and Bailey are walking down the hallway having a conversation, catching up on the harassment Bailey has been suffering, and you can see the actors walking super slowly to accommodate the dialogue in the scene. It was just so funny to watch them shuffle in slow-motion and pretend they were walking at a normal pace.

I've... seen Amelia go through this shit before. I've seen her hit her lowest of lows. I don't really want to watch her suffer anymore? I know that drama is inevitable on this show, but there's just something so draining and oppressive about seeing Amelia in this depressive state, and she's surly and snapping and people, and I'm just... already exhausted about it, I guess? Winston getting the brunt of Amelia's wrath because he "let" Maggie move? Like, girl, this was mostly Maggie's fault, let's be real.

The Mandalorian: The Return (3x08)

In all, this season of The Mandalorian was pretty baffling. I've chose to just sort of... go with it, accept what we've been given instead of trying to question the shape of things too much.

Cons:

I don't really care about powerful, special, one-of-a-kind weapons, but I did think it was very odd that the Dark Saber met such a strange, unceremonious end. Mostly because symbolically, it was this whole big deal that Bo-Katan had earned it, and her place as the head of Mandalore or whatever. I actually think a more powerful symbol would be her giving the weapon away at some point just like Din did with her, thus confirming that the Mandalorians don't need a specific gadget or tool in order to be honorable and fierce leaders. Instead, the bad guy just destroys it, and all that buildup around who gets the sword just felt like wasted time in retrospect? I don't know. Sort of odd.

So, I obviously love any scene where Grogu and Din Djarin are fighting side by side, desperately protecting one another at all costs... but in watching this finale, this long, drawn-out action sequence with Moff Gideon's Beskar-wearing storm troopers going toe-to-toe with the Mandalorians, I kept thinking about last season's finale. How the action was all tied up in Grogu specifically. How he had been taken, and Din was doing anything he possibly could to get him back. And how in the end, he had to let him go. This time, it's just... there are bad guys in the room, and they're trying to kill everybody in front of them because they want control of this planet. Grogu doesn't seem to have any special significance to them at all. It would have been easy enough to adjust this: play up the fact that Grogu is a Jedi, or at least a Jedi in training. Play up the fact that he represents the enemy of Moff Gideon on two different accounts, both as a Mandalorian and as a Jedi. There could have been something there, and instead the peril felt by our main characters felt rather incidental to the actual goal of the villains.

Bob's Burgers: Gift Card or Buy Trying (13x18)

This was fun, getting to hang out in a different setting than usual!

Cons:

As everyone's dreaming of the different stuff they want to buy, we see Bob wants cattle bell weights, and later he wants a headlight, and his little fantasies about these objects were fine, but probably just the least interesting/enjoyable character beats of the episode. Easily forgettable.

Pros:

I like how the whole family goes into the store, which is basically like a Walmart equivalent, a huge store with lots of different departments and things to buy, and immediately we've got different backdrops for our characters to interact with than usual. We see them exploring the toys and the home goods, we see them slipping in and out of fantasies of what they'll do with their new purchases. All very fun.

Barry: yikes/bestest place on the earth (4x01/02)

We're back for the final season!

Cons:

When there's a show this good, I feel myself unequal to really talking about it or explaining the ways in which it's brilliant. If I had to delve into what isn't working for me so far in these first two episodes, the first thing I'd say is that Sally running home and then immediately coming back to LA was sort of odd. I guess I expected her to stay put with her awful mother for a bit longer. Would have been interesting to see how that played out.

I also think that Barry can go a little too hard on the meta stuff for my taste, and I know that's what the show is going for, I'm not saying it's bad, it's just... personal preference means that watching Cousineau play out his history with Barry in the form of a one man show felt a little more time-wasting than it did comedic to me personally.

Grey's Anatomy: Shadow of Your Love/Mama Who Bore Me (19x14/15)

Lots to talk about, in these two episodes!

Cons:

So, I'm going to keep a close eye on how this story goes with Jo and Link and Luna. The thing is, so far technically speaking nothing about it makes me angry. It is totally fair and reasonable that a mother would have a hard time processing a big and scary change for her young daughter. And Grey's is usually good about this kind of thing, so... I just hope they have an actual Deaf consultant come on to coach about this story-line? I hope they go into the controversies and dangers around a CI if that becomes something Jo considers for her kid? I hope we get an awesome story of Jo and Luna and Link and Scout learning ASL so they can all communicate better. I just... don't want this to turn into an abject tragedy where Luna losing her hearing is the same as if she'd gotten cancer or something. There's a lot to celebrate from becoming Deaf, and it would be cool if the show could explore that aspect of things! We'll see how it goes. (Also, repeating my constant critique that Jo and Link bore and annoy me as a potential couple, I just really wish we'd never gone that route at all.)

Amelia and Kai... I don't know. Does this just feel a little lazy, a little proscribed, to anybody else? Amelia correctly identifies that she tends to lash out and behave poorly when she feels she's being abandoned, then she learns Kai is leaving to go to London, and she immediately starts behaving poorly. I was on Kai's side in the sense that they pointed out that Amelia hadn't even stopped to congratulate them on this big job opportunity. That's some bullshit. But also, this episode reminded us why this relationship was always going to be doomed... Amelia has a kid. Amelia is a mother. Kai wants nothing to do with that. What sort of future were they supposed to have if Amelia is literally supposed to be splitting her time between her partner and her child? It's ridiculous.

The Mandalorian: The Spies (3x07)

Okay, all of the twiddling of thumbs and weird pacing issues this season, and now suddenly the bad guy shows up and he's not messin' around. Let's talk about it.

Cons:

I still think it's odd how much this story has become Bo-Katan's, instead of Din's. There's this moment that I liked well enough, where Din is talking about why he's loyal to Bo-Katan, and it felt like a growth moment for her, but not really for him. He doesn't have an ego problem, he didn't want to rule. Even the fact that Bo-Katan and her people take their helmets off and don't follow "the Way" doesn't seem to bug him that much. He doesn't have to go on a journey of self-discovery and realize that his method of practicing his faith isn't the only valuable one. There's just no growth opportunity here. Nothing that's happening feels rooted in his character at the center of this show.

Grey's Anatomy: Cowgirls Don't Cry (19x13)

I'm just... I don't know. I'm frustrated.

Cons:

I've been so uncertain on how to come down on the Winston and Maggie debate this whole time, because honestly I thought it was an interesting premise for marital conflict, and I was really willing to see where they took it. But here, we get some things coming to a head, and it turns out we're pinning the majority of the blame on Winston for always running away when things get tough. Yeah, honestly, Maggie is sort of right, but one thing this episode fails to fully address is that while being too conflict-averse can be a bad thing, being too ambitious/ready for a challenge isn't always a good thing either. There's this sort of clumsy metaphor about following one's passion. Maggie sees herself in a patient, a girl who won't stop bull riding even though it might end up killing her. Maggie says it must be so painful for her to be told she's selfish and wrong for wanting to pursue her dream.

But like... Maggie, come on. Pursuing dreams is good, it's a wonderful value to have, but pursuing harmonious married life is also a good goal, and acting like everyone else is unreasonable for having some qualms about your ambition isn't doing anyone any favors! Maggie steamrolls people. She sees what she wants and she goes for it without examining the consequences. She holds to her opinion so tightly that it erodes all the relationships around her. It happened with her ill-fated romance with Jackson, it happened with her ailing mother. I'm completely on board with Maggie's critique of Winston. I think it's right on and should be further explored. But to act like at the end of the day Maggie is the victim here, that she's the one being abandoned? That's a stretch. I wish this was going to get to play out more thoroughly, that we got to explore it in a nuanced way with a reasonably balanced ending. Instead, it seems that Maggie will be leaving us next week, and the only question is whether Winston is going with her. Frankly, I hope not, I liked Winston a lot and would be down to see more of him. But at the same time, what an annoying and lackluster conclusion for Maggie on the show. Really frustrating.

The Mandalorian: Guns for Hire (3x06)

I just realized there are only two episodes left of this season. That feels... kind of strange.

Cons:

Pacing-wise, this season hasn't really felt like it was building to anything in particular, and if it is, it's not anything to do with Din or Grogu. I'm of two minds about this whole thing. It's kind of fun and almost charming to have Mando and Baby Yoda take on the role of side characters this season. They're just vibin', father and son, doing their thing. But this is still supposed to be Din's show, isn't it? I wonder if they really are just out of plans for this character already, and what that bodes for the future of the show. I don't have a bad time watching them just hanging out on the periphery of other people's stories, but I don't really understand the decision to structure things this way.

After all that, Din just... gives Bo-Katan the Dark Saber? Talk about an anti-climax. Maybe that's my overall critique of this season. The driving force of seasons one and two are over, and now we just have Din sorta... hopping around, cleaning up messes, with Grogu happily along for the ride. This whole thing about the fate of Mandalore was one of the last big dangling threads we had that connected specifically to Din's character, and now that's resolved with him basically saying "no I don't wanna", and handing the sword off? To be clear, I'm very on board with Bo-Katan getting the sword and leading their people. Seems like very much the appropriate move to make. I just wish there could have been something more momentous surrounding this great moment of destiny.

Grey's Anatomy: Pick Yourself Up (19x12)

I'm not sure I've ever had such a tumultuous opinion of a Grey's Anatomy character as I have with Maggie Pierce. Next week is going to be very interesting.

Cons:

I guess I'm a little insulted that they tried to trick us/fake us out with the thought that Addison's life was going to be seriously imperiled. Instead, it's all about Tia and her baby, who they are forced to deliver due to the trauma from getting hit by a car outside the hospital. Addison just has a dislocated shoulder and she gets back to work, powering through like the bad-ass she is. This is all fine, I'm just a little insulted that they tried to up the ante by pretending Addison might be on death's door with the cliffhanger and the promotional materials.

I don't watch Station 19 and I never will, so when Carina's wife, I think her name is Maya, has emotional beats within an episode of Grey's, I mostly just get annoyed that the focus is on a character who has never been introduced to me or explained within the bounds of the show I'm actually watching.

The Mandalorian: The Pirate (3x05)

I thought this was a fun outing, with some interesting implications for the future!

Cons:

I continue to lodge my complaint that Din and Grogu don't really have anything to do in the center of the plot. Which is fine for now, it's just sort of weird. We're expanding the world in different directions, and their involvement seems tangential at best.

Also just have to say that it's hilarious in a kind of bad way that Bo-Katan gets to take her helmet off. Din's just standing there like "wtf guys". I get what they're going for, but one thing I admire about this show is that it's sticking with its guns of not showing Pedro Pascal's handsome face on camera, and this feels like kind of a cheap new ruling so that we get to see Katee Sackhoff. Ah well.

Grey's Anatomy: Training Day (19x11)

Addison! Oh goodness!

Cons:

Jesus Christ, I can't believe the Nick and Meredith drama is going to continue even though Meredith isn't even on the show anymore. The one good thing about Mer leaving was that maybe Nick would go with her and they'd sort their shit out somewhere offscreen where I didn't have to look at them. Yeesh. I was so annoyed when he and Maggie were talking about it, and later when Lucas and Nick had a chat about Meredith being gone. I can't believe we're in a situation where this boring dude is supposed to be our strongest link to Meredith left on the show, the lingering point of unresolved drama. If Meredith comes back in the finale or in later seasons and it's so she can have her big reconciliation with Nick, I'll be annoyed as hell.

The subplot about a woman who needs a lung transplant, and then her boyfriend on his way to donate a lung gets into an accident that damages the lungs... I mean, it was fine, it just seemed very thematically divorced from the rest of the story in a way I found strange. Maybe we'll continue to follow up with these characters next week.

The Mandalorian: The Foundling (3x04)

It's funny, I think my brain isn't used to genuine "adventure of the week" format in TV anymore. It's refreshing, for the most part!

Cons:

Bo-Katan is a perfectly fine character who I have no problem exploring more, but it does sort of feel like Din and Grogu don't have plot stuff to do other than just... hang out with the other Mandalorians, do some training, go on little rescue missions or whatever. It's Bo-Katan who has this more complicated relationship with her history and her people, who thinks she's seen something on Mandalore that might change their understanding of their past. It's got me wondering if they're setting her up for a spinoff, or what. And that's fine if they are, it's just sort of weird to think of Din and Grogu as like... settled. They've achieved their stated goals. I'm wondering what's going to happen from here.

I feel a little mean saying this, but sometimes the action on this show just leaves me feeling kind of bored and cold? There's nothing wrong with it, but my eyes just kind of glaze over as I wait for the character beats underpinning the action. This week it's all about saving a foundling, Ragnar, who has been kidnapped by a large dragon-type of creature. And this is good, I like seeing the Mandalorians team up to rescue a kid, but the actual travel and action is just kind of same-y to me. I'm sure people put a lot of hard work into it, and yet it didn't really make an impact on me.

Bob's Burgers: Crows Encounters of the Bird Kind (13x17)

I love a good Tina and Bob bonding session!

Cons:

The prank shenanigans back at the diner were a little tame and not particularly vibrant, I guess. Like at first I saw that Gene and Louise were going to be daring each other to do things, and that seemed fun. And then Linda got involved, and I expected a bit more escalation. It was all cute, there just wasn't a lot going on. I realize from the last two episodes that I'm eager for some Louise chaos, that's always some of my favorite stuff on the show.

Pros:

But that being said, I enjoy a quieter, fun family vibes subplot too, and it was cute to see Linda play along with her kids and even try to out-dare them.

Bob's Burgers: What a (April) Fool Believes (13x16)

Double episode day! I'll be brief.

Cons:

Not really much to report here! I guess the one thing the episode felt like it was missing was more chaos from Louise? She was more into the idea of April Fool's Day than anybody else, which I expected, but she didn't really cause mayhem the way I was anticipating.

Pros:

I like a good family affair, where there aren't really full subplots but more just smaller moments that connect to a central story. Gene's thing this week is that he doesn't "get" pranks, and keeps suggesting things that are really tame and not at all hurtful. He can't seem to go through with the part of pranks where people are confused and alarmed. That was a sweet little characterization that feels so true to what we know of Gene as a kind-hearted, simple sort of boy.

Grey's Anatomy: Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves (19x10)

Oyyyy vey. I have some spicy thoughts.

Cons:

I sound so heartless saying this but Natalia's death didn't really move me the way the episode wanted it to. I think the quiet grief of her husband was pretty effective, but part of the problem is that her characterization was so... inspiration-porn-y? Like, she's this young woman dying of cancer who is supernaturally positive and full of manic-pixie-like wonder and enthusiasm for the world. I don't know anybody like that. I would have liked to see her get angry or mad. See her be a real person struggling with her sickness in some real way. That would have made the death hit much harder for me.

Also if you've read any of my prior Grey's reviews you know how much Teddy and Owen annoy me, so on the one hand I feel like I should be happy that they had a mature conversation about the conflict between them and got back into a good place, but on the other hand I don't trust it and these two are so poisonous to each other that nothing about their marriage feels satisfying or worthy of protecting. So there's that. I guess maybe now Owen will stop being so whiny, now that he has his medical license back and is Chief of Trauma once more?

The Mandalorian: The Convert (3x03)

I liked this episode, but I do wonder about the pacing in some spots?

Cons:

It's odd to me that Din's stated purpose at the start of the season was to accepted into the Mandalorian clan again, and by end of episode three, he has achieved this. I have a theory based on absolutely no real proof that maybe original versions of season three had all of this early-season stuff happening before Din and Grogu were reunited. Like, imagine he's on this quest alone, he connects with Bo Katan, whatever. And once he is once again walking the Way, he can't get his son out of his head and he goes to check on him. I feel like pacing-wise that would make more sense in terms of this show. It's a little exciting/cool to have no idea what's going to happen with Din from here, but it's also sort of weird, not gonna lie.

I also thought the little action sequence chase at the start of this episode felt like it was there only to pad time and introduce some adrenaline. It could have been cut, unless it's leading to something bigger.

Bob's Burgers: The Show (And Tell) Must Go On (13x15)

A cute installment, for sure!

Cons:

I get that potty humor is central to Gene's character, but a plot line about how he ate a bunch of cheese and now he's backed up is just never going to be the funniest thing to me. There wasn't anything unique or clever about Gene's plot this week, I feel like I've seen it before and will see it again. Not bad, just not great either.

Pros:

Teddy is a character that has the power to really annoy me but also make me smile. This week was the latter experience. I love how earnest and intense he is about making his relationship work, but he's also got the attitude of like "wow this is boring and I don't like it" which is deeply relatable to me. Trying to force yourself to be interested in a type of content or entertainment for the sake of someone you care about almost never works. I like the way this was articulated, where it's okay for them to have different interests. And it can be exciting to learn about what your loved one loves, but you don't have to force an affinity for it if it's just not there.

Grey's Anatomy: Love Don't Cost a Thing (19x09)

Ughh... Teddy and Owen are the worst.

Cons:

The thing is, I like drama. I like melodrama. I also like realistic depictions of marital troubles, that's fine. But there's something just oppressively, overwhelmingly negative and exhausting about Owen and Teddy. Especially since we've got the Maggie and Winston drama, then all the shit going on with Simone and Lucas and her boyfriend back in town. There's just too much of everyone being unhappy and in distress and Owen and Teddy take the cake for being the most annoying about it. Grey's has famously funny and enjoyable dinner party episodes, but this one was just insufferable to watch, as Ben and Bailey are forced to witness Owen and Teddy's constant bickering over the Chief of Trauma position.

And not only do we see them snipping about work stuff, we then we see Ben and Bailey snipping about work/family stuff too. Like: leave them out of this! Can't we have one married couple who I don't want to strangle? Ben was the worst for saying he resented Bailey for going back to work! Like, dude, how dare you!

The Mandalorian: The Mines of Mandalore (3x02)

I don't really care where this show falls in terms of objective quality, I'm having so much fun with it!

Cons:

R5 sort of confused me as a concept. I thought we were doing a fetch quest to get parts for IG-11, and that was necessary before going to Mandalore. And then here Din just shrugs his shoulders and takes another droid? That's fine, I guess, it just surprises me given that we're only on the second episode, and I figured we'd build up to Mandalore a little more? It's not really a problem except that I hope we do loop back around to IG-11 at some point, otherwise it feels like a weird little detour.

Bob's Burgers: These Boots Are Made for Stalking (13x14)

We get a nice classic Tina-centric outing this week. Let's dive in!

Cons:

I don't really have much to say in the way of negativity. This wasn't an episode that's going to go down in history or anything, but nor is it an episode I have any complaints about.

Pros:

Gene and Louise spend the episode trying to outlast each other on a ridiculous point of pride: wearing dirty socks around their necks. It all starts because Louise wants to humiliate Gene for leaving his dirty laundry in her room, but Gene pretends not to mind, challenging Louise to try it as well. This feels like real sibling shenanigans, and I always love to see that. I also love that in the end, Louise realizes it's ridiculous, and they decide to give up their dirty sock necklaces at the same time, to spare themselves and everyone around them. Louise is a character who will always go the extra mile just to say she won, so it's nice that she's sometimes able to come to the rational conclusion and back down when her quest isn't serving anybody's interests, including her own.

Grey's Anatomy: All Star (19x08)

Oh man, this one was a tear-jerker! Poor Link.

Cons:

So I gotta say, Jo's characterization is a little puzzling to me lately. I feel like they're still going the Link/Jo romance route which I hate, but this week she really felt like she was relegated to a character being there to emotionally support Link on his journey. It's like... she got left by her husband, which I'm still furious about, had a baby, and now she's all settled into single motherhood and content with her career, which means that all that's left is for her to sit around and wait for Link to sort his shit out, and then they'll be together? That's the vibe I'm getting and I disapprove of it, let's just say.

I like the intern stuff overall but I'll admit I got a little exhausted the second Simone's secret boyfriend came in the door to greet her... like, can't we just let Simone and Lucas have a little sprinkle of happiness, here? I get that this is a soap opera and there's always more drama around the corner, but sometimes my brain just doesn't want to deal with more of it.

The Mandalorian: The Apostate (3x01)

Baby Grogu!!! My favorite father and son have returned to the screen.

Cons:

It's ridiculously stupid that the emotional payoff of Grogu and Din being separated was payed off in The Book of Boba Fett, instead of here in the show where it belonged. They don't even bother recapping it, really. They just have Grogu being there and Din being like "yep, he's back." It's kinda ballsy in a way I like, but mostly it's just really dumb and we have to acknowledge that.

Pros:

For the most part, I really like that this episode feels like a back to ground zero re-set. All the political machinations are still going on in the background, there are still things Mando is going to have to deal with sooner or later, but really we're setting up a simple quest here. Din wants to regain his place among the Mandalorians by making a pilgrimage and washing himself clean of his sins, essentially. So he goes on a fetch quest to find the things he needs, running into obstacles and building up tasks he must complete as he goes. IG-11 needs to be rebuilt, because Mando needs someone he can trust on Mandalore, which is sure to be dangerous. But there's a missing part he has to go find. It's very... standard side-quest kind of stuff, and frankly, I'm thrilled.

Bob's Burgers: Stop! Or My Mom Will Sleuth! (13x13)

This was a cute one! I love when the family all gets in on shenanigans.

Cons:

Teddy's subplots have never been my favorite part of the show. I liked Bob sneaking around trying to gather intel about the Louise situation, but his scenes with Teddy working on a new business card were just okay. Even the song felt a little low-effort and energy. Not anything wrong with this plot, but nothing I'm really going to remember, either.

Pros:

I love when this show reminds us how much this family just straight-up likes each other. Louise and Linda had the bulk of the screen-time here, but I loved that Tina and Gene were both so happy to have their mom at school, planning ways to "secretly" wave hello to her, and saving her a seat at the lunch table. I get that it's a common experience for kids, especially someone Tina's age, to start being embarrassed by their parents, but it's nice to see an example on TV where for the most part that's not the case. None of the Belcher children are annoyed or worried about Linda being around. Even Louise is happy to jump in on conspiring in order to clear her name.

Grey's Anatomy: I'll Follow the Sun (19x07)

I'm not angry, I'm not even surprised, I'm just... disappointed?

Cons:

It feels like Grey's has been equivocating about Meredith's exit for a season and a half now. Is she moving away? No. Yes. No. And now, definitively, yes. And yet Meredith undercuts the solemnity of her own exit during the goodbye party, saying she's sure to be back from Boston soon anyway. That's the vibe I get from this. It's not that Meredith is really gone, gone. I have a strong suspicion that when it comes time for Grey's to hang up its hat for good, Ellen Pompeo will pop up for a final send-off in style. It's just... it's annoying that this is supposed to be a semi-permanent goodbye, it is the ending of Meredith Grey as main character of this show, and it's so... unceremonious. So little time is spent on her. The episode is full of other subplots, mundane and profound alike, and Meredith really didn't have a lot of time dedicated to her. People's exit episodes usually get a lot more gravitas to them, and it feels really cheap and disappointing and just... underwhelming in the extreme, that this is all Meredith gets for hers.

The biggest problem is that Nick fucking sucks, I hate him, I hate that this is the note we go off on, Meredith leaving with her kids, Nick trying to run frantically to the airport to tell her he loves her... like, I hope she says no. I hope she stays in Boston and Nick goes the fuck away and doesn't bother her anymore. The end of that. My blood was boiling during the scene where he was snapping at her about how she thought he was to blame for everything because he didn't say what he was supposed to say on her timetable. Shut the hell up, dude. That's Meredith Grey you're talking to, you're not worthy to be in her company!

Bob's Burgers: Oh Row You Didn't (13x12)

This is going to be a short one, apologies!

Cons:

I liked the story we did have, but I didn't find Gene's subplot about quitting origami club to be particularly funny. It tied into the main theme very well, but didn't offer many laughs of its own, if that makes sense.

The Legend of Vox Machina: The Hope Devourer (2x12)

I don't want to wait for more!!!

Cons:

Okay, to start, didn't really need the second shot of the dragon's innards and asshole. Like, we just saw it in the last episode, not sure what was added by showing it again. I'm not being a prude, it's just not a funny gag to me when we have to belabor the point! We get it, it's gross!

I have two "big" complaints here, and by "big" I mean that I absolutely adored this episode so, so, much and will be giving it high marks but these were just two things that kind of made me go "huh".