Bob's Burgers: It's a Stunterful Life (16x09)

This was such a cute and fun episode!

Cons:

My least favorite of the plot threads, which was still fine but just nothing special, was Linda trying to save the Christmas trees that were destined to be made into mulch. This is a plot thread from an episode of Friends like 30 years ago. It's not that there's anything bad about it, I just saw Linda getting weirdly sentimental over dead trees and thought, yeah, yeah, I get it. I know where this is going. And there was nothing more really going on to challenge that.

The Mighty Nein: Many Gifts (1x06)

Okay, I have some Things to Say.

Cons:

At this point I just feel so... frustrated and unhappy with all the Essek stuff. I've been trying to fight this feeling, but so much of what made him interesting, structurally, in the campaign has been thrown out entirely in order to give him more of a main character arc. I think it makes him seem more sympathetic and also way more stupid. Seeing Trent influence him so easily, seeing him do his magic math on the chalkboard and then leaving that work when he leaves the room, and the Beacon, in the hands of the Volstruckers? Like, here we are in the first season, still very far away from Essek meeting the rest of the gang, and Verrat has... discovered Essek is a traitor? So, I guess the entire way Essek gets integrated into the story is completely out the window at this point. We're not going to see the Mighty Nein realize he's a traitor, as he's not going to be assigned to them by the Bright Queen. Or at least I assume not. I don't know, this feels dangerously like someone griping because they don't like change, but I promise it's not that. I'm not going to complain about the Yasha changes, for example. Big drastic changes to story can be great. But this version of Essek seems like a naive little baby who just stumbles into war crimes, and that's... not Essek Thelyss, to me. He is the weakest part of this adaptation to animated form so far, and he was one of the things I was the most excited to see.

Bob's Burgers: Les Lizárdables (16x08)

The rare Gene-centric episode, I love it!

Cons: 

To be honest, I felt a little let down by the whole subplot in this one. Linda's sister Gayle comes to visit, and brings her cats, which makes Bob's allergies act up. Also, Gayle is using Tina's room for massages, and the family thinks she's a sex worker? But then she isn't? Obviously? It felt like the setups didn't have punchlines that actually landed in any sort of significant way. I usually love a visit from Gayle, but this one just maybe didn't go hard enough.

The Mighty Nein: Little Spark (1x05)

Caleb, the epitome of a poor little meow meow. A lot of stuff in this episode hurt my feelings in the best way.

Cons:

So, I did love this episode, but in a weird way I'm coming to the conclusion that this show is suffering from comparison with the stream more than TLOVM did. By that I don't mean it's worse than the other show, but that my preexisting knowledge of stuff is getting in the way of the experience in some moments, in a way I wasn't expecting. The main way I see this function is in how the "reveals" manifest. I complained already about the Essek thing in the show so far, how the big "holy shit" moment of revealing his treachery is blunted by following along with his story. Now, here, something a little different is going on. See, since we started off with SO much information and focus on Trent Ikithon and the Volstruckers, I thought, wow, this is going to be such an intense and interesting reveal when the other members of the group find out that Caleb is a Volstrucker. When the audience finds it out. I felt like I knew how it would go down. That in a combat moment when shit was going wild, some of the bandaging on Caleb's arm would slip, and we'd see it: scars in a telltale pattern, the same as what we see on Owelia, Astrid, and Eadwulf. Everyone will gasp, as the truth washes over them in a singular moment of understanding.

The Mighty Nein: The Mighty Nein (1x04)

The gang's all here, y'all! Well, not all, but we're getting there.

Cons:

I've seen a lot of people feeling upset or even just ambivalent about Essek's characterization so far, and I have to admit that, yeah, I do have some real concerns about how this is shaking out so far. For one thing, him spilling the beans to Trent about his mother is just like... how stupid are you? I could buy the idea that over a long period of time, Trent sort of tricks Essek into revealing hints about his mother, as Trent feeds on his loneliness. But this was just like... my dude, what part of Trent Ikithon's whole deal makes you think you can trust him? Why are you confiding in him like this?

Bob's Burgers: Tube for Tina (16x07)

Awww, look at Linda being so supportive of her daughter. We love to see it.

Cons:

I don't think I have anything to complain about other than that I would have loved to see some of the Boyz 4 Now movie, that would have been a hoot.

Pros:

The subplot on this one involves an unfortunate bird that slams into the window of the restaurant and dies shortly after. Louise, Gene, and Bob go to Teddy's to bury it in his backyard, and then they find out that the bird was someone's pet, so they have to go with her to dig up the remains. One thing I liked about this one was how relatively few twists there actually were in the story? Like, I kind of expected once the lady saw the dead bird she'd be like, "oh, that isn't Zeus" and the whole thing would be for naught, or that the guy who knows about birds would show up and cause shenanigans or try to claim that this rare bird deserved to be in a museum or I don't know what else. Sometimes full chaos levels are fun, other times it's nice when a story takes the trajectory you more or less expect from it. Poor Phyllis having her conversation with Zeus at the end... I know it's meant to be funny but I got genuinely sad thinking about dead pets. :(

The Mighty Nein: The Fletchling & Moondrop Traveling Carnival of Curiosities (1x03)

That was a lot of fun! And the gang is (almost) all together now!

Cons:

The same aesthetic comments I made in the last review still stand, of course, but by and large I think this episode was my favorite of the first three!

Still in the category of questioning/wondering, I'm very curious as to what the implications will be for Caleb that this inciting incident that brings the group together was sort of caused by him? Like, he wanted to steal the bugs for magic, and that's what let the devil toad off leash, so to speak. Obviously Beau and Nott were also involved in things going bad, but I'm just curious about this as a character beat. I don't have strong positive or negative feelings about it yet, I just hope the implications are explored in a satisfying way.

The Mighty Nein: Who Will You Be (1x02)

Let's dive in! I'm still having a lot of fun but also I'm wondering about a few things... I wonder if I'm just being nitpicky or if other people agree with any of my comments in the "cons" section.

Cons:

I have a lot of... what I guess I'll call aesthetic objections? The show looks great, and a lot of this is a matter of preference, but there are a few things that I know aren't a big deal end of the day, and yet I definitely noticed them so I want to point them out.

The Mighty Nein: Mote of Possibility (1x01)

We're here! I'm going to start this review with the big caveat that my memory of campaign two of Critical Role is shaky as fuck. Like. With the Vox Machina stuff I was frequently making comparisons between the stream and the show, and here I'm going to try to do less of that because a) I don't remember what order shit is supposed to happen in, and b) I understand that this adaptation is going to be a lot looser about a lot of stuff. That said, same with Vox Machina, if there are particular moments or character beats that I remember and I have a comment about how they've adapted it, I'm going to say something! Let's dive into our first episode. I'm soooo hype for this, y'all.

Grey's Anatomy: When I Crash (22x06)

LET RICHARD RETIRE. Jesus Christ.

Cons:

A thing I don't like is how our broken up couples are in this stage of like... oh, we're not so angry anymore, we're starting to be wistful/fond about things. I was happy that Teddy said she and Owen were making the right decision breaking up, but I still don't trust that we won't have to get back on this merry-go-round. And with Lucas and Simone, I'm almost positive they're building to them being back together eventually. They're making Lucas nicer than usual and less annoying but it's not working on me because I feel like I know his true colors, and his true colors are whiny baby. ALSO in the romance department, Jules asked Winston out for a drink and to that I say boooooo. Stoppppp.

Bob's Burgers: Get Her to the Zeke (16x06)

Aww, I loved this one!

Cons:

I don't have an actual complaint about this episode, but I will say there was a brief moment when I thought that this episode would finally address the fact that Zeke and Jimmy Jr. have gay crushes on each other and then felt a little let down that that didn't happen lol. I'm mostly joking but only mostly.

Pros:

Let's start with the subplot with Bob, Linda, Louise and Gene - there's a big scary rat that has been seen out in the alley behind the restaurant, and Hugo and Ron show up with an exterminator named Roxy the Rat Queen to try and deal with the situation. The Belchers end up letting the rat go by the end of the episode, because they're too sad about the thought of Roxy killing him after they've spent several days invested in his fate. I love the moments where the whole family comes together and ends up doing something a little naughty but in collaboration, the kids and the adults all on the same page.

There was a fun dynamic in this subplot too, where Hugo does his normal thing of being mean to Bob, but at the same time he's playing really sycophantic to Roxy, so he keeps flip-flopping to agree with Roxy even if it means walking back his insults to Bob. That was fun! And the super rat was kinda cute, not gonna lie!

Grey's Anatomy: Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child (22x05)

There were a couple of things I liked about this episode, where my faves got lots of fun stuff to do, but I wouldn't be me if I didn't also have my complaints.

Cons:

The biggest "ugh" of this week to me was the Jo and Link story. They've done story-lines before where a romantic couple featured one religious person and one atheist, and really tried to grapple with it, but this was just... not it. Jo being a Christian who would want to baptize her kids is just nothing that's ever been addressed before. She didn't give a shit about having Luna baptized, did she? It came out of left field for me. It was also frustrating because I wanted Link to make the best and most undeniable argument against it for Jo: it's about consent. Let's teach our kids about different faith traditions and if when they're old enough to give it some thought they want to be baptized, then great, we'll be there to support them. It frustrated me that Link didn't lay it out for her like that, and it's annoying that things are so unsettled now as we go into Jo's Dramatique Giving Birth Episode next week. I find the topic tedious and Link, while annoying and bad at presenting his argument, is 100% in the right here.

Bob's Burgers: The Secret Guardin' (16x05)

This one was fun! 

Cons:

I don't think I have any complaints!

Pros:

The Teddy subplot was just the right amount of ridiculous. I like that Kathleen was understanding in the end and had the riff about picking up the wrong little old Irish lady herself in the past. The idea that Teddy could get all the way back from the airport without realizing his mistake is so funny and on point for him. He gets in his head and his single-minded focus can cause some problems for him.

I also liked how easy it was for Teddy to bond with the wrong old lady by uniting in a dislike of Bob; Teddy is very willing to use Bob for his own goals in whatever form that takes. Also shout-out to the joke about Teddy leaving with the coffee mug and insulting it as a bad to-go coffee cup. 

Grey's Anatomy: Goodbye Horses (22x04)

Even when Jackson's being a bit of a jerk it's good to see him.

Cons:

I'd love to be able to say "get it, girl, we love to see it" about Teddy and Cass having a steamy love affair but the issue is this: Teddy still sucks. I'm not mad at her on Owen's behalf, because Owen also sucks, and that's what makes them so frustrating as a couple. With Jo and Link, a couple I also hate, at least I still love Jo so I can grudgingly accept that seeing her happy is nice. With Owen and Teddy, it's just this big mess of crap. I don't want there to be more relationship drama, but now both the people that Owen and Teddy used to test out an open marriage are back in the picture, and I can't imagine they're just going to quietly separate and move on with their lives. It's going to be more angst, more back-and-forth, and I so, so, so don't want to see it. If I'm supposed to root for these two and want them to move on and find happiness elsewhere, then the show is doing a bad job of that as well. I don't think going to dinner with Nora when you're in the early stages of a painful divorce is like... the smartest move, there, Owen Hunt. But what else is new.

Bob's Burgers: The Skids in the Hall (16x04)

I love episodes where the kids are in school!

Cons:

It is weird scheduling-wise that this isn't the Halloween episode, though. I feel like they deployed that one a week too early for some reason.

The subplot with Bob's mustache shenanigans didn't really do much for me, to be honest. I was expecting wackier shenanigans, maybe Bob having some sort of identity crisis as he doesn't know who he is when his mustache looks so different. Or just wilder designs as the modeling continued. There was nothing wrong here, but it didn't really get a chuckle out of me either.

Grey's Anatomy: Between Two Lungs (22x03)

Lucas Adams is the worst, y'all.

Cons:

Okay, let's start there: I feel like one of the things that bothers me about this character is that at every turn, the writing is making the least interesting possible choices about him. It would have been better and more nuanced if perhaps he hadn't been a dick to the intern dude, had actually behaved really well, and maybe then it's a thing where Simone assumes he's going to be a big baby about it but actually sees him being the bigger man. But no, he's a total whiny bitch about it, the poor intern dude (who also seems really annoying not gonna lie) has no recourse, this is his career, he's trying to learn how to save lives here, and Lucas is just so shitty about it. Bailey has to put him in his place, and it's like... are we in kindergarten, dude? What gives? Grow the hell up. The problem of course is broader than just the incidences of this episode, because ultimately I don't believe in the relationship between Lucas and Simone to begin with. I don't want more drama, I don't want there to be back and forth. I want them to leave each other alone, please.

Bob's Burgers: The Twinnening (16x03)

A cute Halloween-themed episode!

Cons:

I know the premise of the subplot was that Bob and Linda couldn't get into the "Cakes" show but I still would have loved to see a bit of the performance of it. I think it's so funny, this concept of a touring Patty-Cake based act that is wildly popular and hard to get into. I want to go to one in real life, tbh.

Pros:

Sticking with the subplot for a moment, I liked seeing Bob at his enthusiastic best. It's always fun to see him getting swept up in a fandom or genuine love of something strange and specific. It's the counterpoint to his sort of mopey demeanor and saves him from being just this one-note miserable put-upon character type. There's this specific type of excited that Bob can get, where he's just overwhelmed to be in the presence of someone from this show, and the comedy comes in part from the fact that this is objectively not that big of a deal and Bob is acting like he's meeting an angel or something. And Linda reporting to us that Bob failed on the high five was really funny too! They didn't get to see the show, but I still think the Belchers had a lovely date night.

Grey's Anatomy: We Built This City (22x02)

I oddly enjoyed many different pieces of this episode, while still being frustrated as fuck by the same stuff that's been frustrating me for years now. Let's hop in.

Cons:

So... I don't want to be rude about Monica, I don't, but she really wasn't much of a character on this show! She had endless potential, I really liked her, which is why I'm so frustrated by her death. But the way Amelia reacted to it feels wildly out of scope. She wasn't uniquely close to Monica. They like... flirted a couple times. We didn't understand them as close friends. I like the idea of Amelia finding herself in a depression and taking real steps to get out of it, but the stakes here just felt off. I don't find the argument that she's to blame for the explosion particularly compelling, either. Sorry. Also, ugh, how long is Amelia going to be on sabbatical for? She's one of the only tolerable characters left on this show.

Link's angst is also not particularly interesting to me, nor is Owen and Teddy's relationship strain. Still rooting for them to stay broken up, fingers fucking crossed. Lucas needs to knock it off, the way he's treating Simone is beyond inappropriate. And Richard's going to be interim chief? Again? My god, let this man retire! Or rather, at this point, force him to retire. I'm sorry, but when he was giving the first day spiel to the new interns he sounded so tired and checked out. It's too much. It's been going on for too long. This man has been at the end of his career for like a decade at this point. And I must keep banging this drum: Winston, stay away from Jules. Please.

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

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

Cons:

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

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

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

This one was quite fun!

Cons:

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