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.