The Legend of Vox Machina: Siege and Silence (3x08)

Oh boy oh boy. I'm hyped for episode nine, I must say.

Cons:

A couple of things in this episode made previous episode aspects in this season a little frustrating. The main one is how the Scanlan situation was handled... like, I don't mind him leaving and then coming back, conflicted about where he belongs - that makes sense as an adaptation change from what we saw in the campaign. But the solemnity with which he left, the silent goodbye to Pike, it felt so... charged, and specific, and then it led to nothing in this moment other than him not being around when Percy died. And there's no specific indication that he could have done anything to help in that instance, either. I think if I could go back into episode six and change something, it would be that Scanlan would tell the group straight out - I need to go and find my daughter and have a real talk with her. And then the group could be a little disappointed but tell him to go. And then when he turns up again and everything's gone to shit, it doesn't feel quite so pointless of a detour? Maybe I'm just a little annoyed at Scanlan's emotional arcs being siloed into scenes with just Pike or Kaylie, and none of the rest of Vox Machina getting involved at all.

The Legend of Vox Machina: Cloak and Dagger (3x07)

My heart hurts! I've been waiting to get here!

Cons:

Small thing: I feel like I haven't heard anyone calling Keyleth by her full name all season! It's like... always Kiki. I liked that better when it was an occasional thing.

Big thing: What was that song at the end, when Vex is running to Percy? Like... that is the first time the music on this show has missed hard, and it's such a bummer that it happened over such an intense moment. I was scratching my head wondering how they could have ended up with such a tonally awkward and lyrically basic song here. They've always been so good about the music in the past! The song felt symptomatic of something I was noticing throughout this episode, that the dialogue was a little too on the nose and didn't allow for the audience to come to its own conclusions. Everything with Ripley and her motivations, and Percy choosing mercy over vengeance, it just felt a little more one-note than I would have expected, and that song was the capstone to it all in the worst possible way. It may be the single thing in this entire show so far that I've liked the least. A big, big miss in my opinion.

Grey's Anatomy: I Can See Clearly Now (21x03)

Hey, happy to report that Catherine didn't bug me too much in this one! It's hard to be too annoyed with someone who's in such a vulnerable position, I suppose.

Cons:

Richard, on the other hand... dude, what gives! Him snapping at Meredith for... not breaking HIPAA was a weird look. I understand being hurt and conflicted, but his scolding attitude was way out of line. Shame on you, Richard, not shame on Meredith!

Lucas and Simone's relationship is just utterly boring to me, and the avenues for drama between them are icky and unoriginal. You've got Lucas angsting about repeating his intern year, then you've got Simone accusing him of getting surgeries through nepotism. It's just... ugh. I'm not really vibing with any of it. It's a shame, because once again I feel like Simone went from being a real favorite, to being kind of consumed by the romance plot line and not getting a ton else to chew on as a character.

The Legend of Vox Machina: The Coming Storm (3x06)

Oh boy... it's happening, y'all, we're going after Ripley...

Cons:

Okay. Okay. So, the Scanlan situation. I'm not angry, I'm just a little scared. This isn't a... "instead of Bard's Lament" situation, is it? Like, I hope he goes and talks with Kaylie, makes her the promise that he won't get killed and will always comes back, then goes and joins the gang in the final dragon fights? I don't know. Right now I'm feeling a little bit of anxiety and sadness at the thought that he might not be there for the Glintshore fight? There's a moment in that fight in the stream where I can just hear Sam's voice saying something and it's so powerful and such an intense moment and I will definitely miss it if he's not there. I guess I'm just biting my nails over future changes rather than actually addressing what happens in this episode, though. More specifically, I thought it was weird that Scanlan decided he needed to go find Kaylie, and then instead of just telling the group or figuring out the best way to approach his various responsibilities, he backed out without a word or moment with anybody but Pike, abandoning his friends.

The Legend of Vox Machina: The Frigid Wastes (3x05)

I might have a bit of a hot take about this one! Buckle up.

Cons:

This is a small thing, but shouldn't the episode be called "The Frigid Doom"? I loved that the Umbrasyl fight episode was called "The Hope Devourer." It feels like it's breaking the precedent. And I wonder if we'll have "The Cinder King" and "The Diseased Deceiver" as episode names coming up later? It doesn't matter, but I just wondered!

So, my hot take. I really loved this episode, I think it holds up in quality with the season and the show in general, I think it's wonderful as per usual. BUT, I think this section, where we're having more and more significant changes from the original canon, is bringing up some question marks for me here and there. I was a little startled in the last third of this episode to realize that yes, we were killing Vorugal in this installment. I had sort of thought that maybe he'd harass them and get away, and we'd have the real death in episode six or something. The reason I thought this is that Vorugal being in a position to kill felt kind of too... random and lucky? I really missed the planning aspect. The goristro v. dragon showdown in the campaign was one of the most clever moments of forethought that Vox Machina ever had. Here, it was just sort of a happy accident, and that was a little bit of a letdown.

The Legend of Vox Machina: Hell to Pay (3x04)

Another great episode, turns out!

Cons:

This is going to be a bit difficult to articulate but it almost felt like we were missing a narrative beat somewhere before Pike and Zerxus began their card game. We know that there's a vestige, we know that the vestige is supposed to be instrumental in defeating Thordak, we know the stakes are high to get it... but it's also just a mostly abstract tool at this point. The others have powerful vestiges, is one more vestige worth the eternal damnation of not only Pike but also all her friends? I think I was missing a beat where the group seriously contemplates turning around and leaving, and then there's one more nudge as to why this is worth the astronomical price of failure. I also felt like it was a little silly that J'Mon apparently sent them down to Hell with absolutely no context or warning other than "this one dude has the armor, go get it." Wouldn't they have gone in a bit more prepared to have to offer something in return?

Bob's Burgers: Saving Favorite Drive-In (15x02)

This was a fun one!

Cons:

I expected there to be a punchline to Teddy bringing his sleeping mother: at fist I thought it wasn't actually her, just a doll he'd set up so it didn't seem like he was coming alone, or something. But then we find out that she woke up and Teddy runs off to avoid her. I don't know, could have used a bit more with this one.

Pros:

I thought all three Belcher family plots were excellent! It's always a joy to see Bob getting passionate and excited about something. The flashbacks to teenage Bob and the girl he had one magical might of talking to, were really sweet, and gave an emotional grounding to why he wants to save the drive-in. He then actually follows through with a plan and has a decent idea with the help of the kid running the concession stand. Sure, in the end it turns out that the owner of the drive-in doesn't want to save it, and that Bob's memories will have to live on after the drive-in is closed... but it's still sweet that he put in all the effort!

Grey's Anatomy: Take Me to Church (21x02)

You know how annoyed I have to be about a plot line for me to be on Teddy's side about something?

Cons:

Sometimes it just legitimately feels as if this show is punking me with the character of Catherine Fox. There was no real mention in this whole episode about her bullshit treatment of everyone else. Oh, Teddy and Owen are back at the hospital, and Amelia still has a job, and we're just kind of not talking about Meredith's research here... because Catherine is maybe dying. It's just so tedious! Do you want me to feel anger and frustration because Catherine is so fucking ridiculous and unreasonable, or do you want me to feel tender and sad about her health? Because I'm feeling the former, and I'm not feeling the latter, sorry!

Winston, I love you, but please stop trying to discourage Richard from stepping down. This dude needs to get out of the OR and away from this hospital! I love Richard, but my GOODNESS, they've run out of things to do with his character in a major way. I also just continue to not give a crap about Lucas Adams, and I find the actor kind of irritating? He's got that Disney Channel teenage-heartthrob vibe, and it's kind of cloying. I don't know if that makes any sense, but that's how I see it. He has that icky combination of being incredibly privileged but then also feeling constantly sorry for himself. I'm with Simone on this one; when she brought up the possibility of him being an intern again while the rest of them advance, and asking if it's going to cause issues, I think she's dead-on. I'm already dreading watching that play out. Please spare me.

The Legend of Vox Machina: Vexations (3x03)

I have a feeling people are going to have VERY strong opinions about a couple of things in this episode!

Cons:

I want to start with a small thing that I haven't seen people talking about, but that bothered me probably an unreasonable amount. When the gang is together in Draconia and they're discussing their trip to Hell, they decide to split up so that someone can be on the other side to guard the pathway back out. Kima, Allura, Vex, and Percy end up staying while the rest of Vox Machina go through the portal. And this moment of separation featured no significant looks or goodbyes or angst or worry at all, really! I can't believe Vax didn't have parting words for Vex, or anything. It was a strange moment because it's ultimately a small detail, but I really noticed the lack of ceremony given to it. It kind of downplayed the dangers of Hell, how casual they were about separating and going there.

The Legend of Vox Machina: Prisoners of Ank'Harel (3x02)

Shit, the Scanlan stuff that I assume is coming at the end of this season is going to fuck me up.

Cons:

Still slightly questioning the Vax/Keyleth angle here, I really kind of loved how in the campaign she was the one with all the doubts. But I'm trying to give it a chance this way, too! It's not like this is a bad story to tell about the two of them, it's just not the story I expected.

The Legend of Vox Machina: A Deadly Bargain (3x01)

We're so back!!!!

Cons:

Okay, it feels too early to be making any comments on bigger structural/adaptation changes, but I'm just noting things as I experience them. The biggest moment I questioned in this episode was Vax and Keyleth's moment at the tree. They kiss, which is so sweet! And then Vax has a vision of Keyleth being old and alone as all of her friends are dead. That moment had a kind of cognitive dissonance to it, because... shouldn't that be Keyleth's baggage, not Vax's? Or, at the very least, shouldn't they both be thinking about it? I get it, a champion of a death god and a druid who's going to live for centuries, there's inherent angst here. I love that shit. But I really thought the image of Keyleth living on while her friends all die was going to be something Keyleth experienced as part of her hesitation, rather than Vax getting that vision? I'm willing to see where they're going with this. It makes sense they need to tighten up some of the back and forth and nuance of the romance, it's just a little strange to me so far.

Bob's Burgers: The Tina Table: The Tables Have Tina-ed (15x01)

Fun to be back to school with the kids! This was a great episode to open up our fifteenth season.

Cons:

This isn't really a flaw of this episode, but a general note... one of the things I love about Louise is that she's an agent of chaos but she always comes through when it matters. I've noticed a trend recently of her being a little more... responsible, end of the day, than you would expect? It was interesting to me that her role in this episode was to convince Tina to do the right thing, even though the wrong thing was causing so much chaos and making people act so wacky. You'd think maybe Louise would be into that, at least at first? And then maybe have a turn a little later? But she immediately was against all these shenanigans, which I thought was a little odd. 

Grey's Anatomy: If Walls Could Talk (21x01)

Wow, I hate Catherine Fox so much! Kind of an uneven premiere in terms of the things I care about.

Cons:

Honestly there's kind of a cognitive dissonance to how much Catherine sucks as a character, and her marriage to Richard. How exactly is he managing to thread the line with all of his friends who his wife just fired? It's bizarre and it's irritating. She's so entitled and such a bully and she's so unambiguously wrong in this situation that it's hard to see the complexity of the situation. And I hate Jackson being on his mom's side here, against Meredith! No no no! I didn't hate the Meredith and Catherine scene about her health, but I just keep coming back to Catherine literally being the Big Business Baddie who is restricting access to life-saving knowledge. Yuck!

Lucas Adams is still the most uninteresting intern by a large measure, and I hate that so much of our time is wasted on his angst. When he shows up at the end to Simone's door and declares that he's not going to Chicago, I'm thinking... boooo. I wish you'd go, and I wish Yasuda would stay instead. She's a better character in every way.

Bob's Burgers: To Catch a Beef (14x16)

Delightfully chaotic!

Cons:

I honestly can't think of anything on this one I would have wanted to change? I guess as a very, very small note, I'll say that Teddy mentions Mort sitting in his seat, and it made me realize that we don't really see Mort anymore as a character on this show? They should have him swing by the restaurant more often.

Bob's Burgers: The Right Tough Stuff (14x15)

A cute episode!

Cons:

The meat grinder plot thread felt a little... half baked for me? Not to get too serious about it, but I don't know if I like the messaging that a new, more efficient method of doing work is actually somehow spiritually worse for Bob and the restaurant. It's kind of a luddite argument, if you think about it. Maybe a more nuanced version of this story is that Bob's obsession with the meat grinder eventually fades and it turns into another mundane tool of his job. He has a new flash of excitement and then it becomes a routine, and one day that electric meat grinder will seem as unremarkable as the old hand crank.  And now another part of his job is a little easier because he has more time, or something. Innovation isn't magical, but it often can be a good thing!

Bob's Burgers: The Big Stieblitzki (14x14)

A cute episode! It's nice to be back with these characters.

Cons:

Can't really think of anything to complain about... I guess the chaos level with the adults bowling was pretty low, I would have liked to see more from that. It feels like even more bowling shenanigans might have been possible.

Pros:

I really love Rudy episodes, and I love when Louise gets time to shine as a good person always looking to help others out, albeit in a chaotic and crazy way. She wants to cause maximum mayhem, but when she gets additional information about the relationship dynamic between Rudy's divorced parents, and the new guy his mom is dating, she does everything she can to put a stop to it for the good of all. That's our Louise!

Doctor Who: Empire of Death (14x08)

This season flew by so quickly, I can't believe we have to wait until the end of the year for more of Ncuti Gatwa's Doctor! Let's dive in.

Cons:

Unfortunately, my big complaint from last week's episode does still hold true for me here. Sutekh as our villain to finish off the season doesn't really do anything for me. I don't know him, I don't know the lore, and "death" is kind of a generic villain, is he not? I mean, sure, I love that the Doctor takes on the mantle of Life, and defeats Death by turning Death on himself, that's a cool enough concept. But really this is some Marvel-esque drama, isn't it? Everyone in the world gets turned to dust, then the Doctor fixes it and everyone comes back. It's just sort of a generic bad guy to cap off the season.

And look - I liked the stuff with Ruby and finding her mom, I really did, but I do feel like several questions remained unanswered that had to do with Ruby specifically. Namely, what did old Ruby say to people to get them to run away in "73 Yards"? I really thought we'd get the answer here, but we didn't, really. Also, Ruby made it snow with the power of memories or something, so like... was that a Sutekh thing, or is there something more going on with Ruby? I don't need this show to "make sense", honestly, but when they seed little hints of things and they don't pay off, it does sort of chafe.

Doctor Who: The Legend of Ruby Sunday (14x07)

This is an undeniably excellent season of this show, wow!

Cons:

So, the big thing is, I don't know who Sutekh is within the lore of this show. I went and did a google, and he's a figure who appeared in one episode and then a bunch of tie-in stuff. There was a lot about this "reveal" that was effective, and I'm not saying knowing the deep lore is a requirement to get the significance of the twist, but it's like... I don't know. Ideally, you spend all season with the mystery of this recurring woman, and you hear people talking about "The One Who Waits," and then the moment of truth hits and you go "oh shit! I can't believe it was [blank] the whole time!" Sutekh could have been "Bob the Scary Demon Man" and it would have made no difference to me or, I would wager, to the majority of the audience.

I also think I could have used a bit more buildup of "The One Who Waits" just as a concept. Could have used one or two additional drops of that phrase. There's something a little clunky about the reveal being a god of Death, because it's like... hmm. Isn't the saying "time waits for no man," like, Death is going to get you, you can't run from it? So the idea of a death god "waiting" and then deciding to "stop waiting" is a little off for me. My favorite depictions of Death in fiction are always Death as Inevitability. Not cruel, not actively violent, just... it's coming for us all. This dude by contrast seems to be more of a god of destruction, an active force that wants to kill the universe. I'm down for it, I'm just saying maybe the "waiting" aspect is a little muddy.

Doctor Who: Rogue (14x06)

Mr. Groff! Sir! Excuse you!

Cons:

Honestly, I don't know if I can think of anything I'd change! Just that I wish Groff was coming on the show to stay, no matter how unrealistic that is.

Also - this isn't really a "con" so much as it is a "concern" or even just a question: last week's episode ending on such a stark scene of the Doctor forced to confront racism, it felt strange to set the next episode in the 19th century and have the Doctor's race entirely unremarked upon. Not bad, honestly, I kind of prefer just hand-waving that kind of thing for the sake of the story here, but it had the phantom bad taste of a show like Bridgerton that decided to do racial diversity by painting on a historical reason that racism isn't a thing anymore in Regency England and then just trotting along with a story entrenched in the restrictive systems that allowed for racism to exist in the first place. I'm being too serious here, but I just wanted to mention it.

Doctor Who: Dot and Bubble (14x05)

Wow, holy shit. This season keeps getting better and better.

Cons:

I really only have one tiny complaint, and it's that I wish the walking thing had been done a little differently? I think, allegorically, the idea that they all need arrows and instruction to be able to walk around when they have their bubbles up all the time is a good idea. Like, often when I'm driving somewhere I should know how to get to on my own, I still pull up the map on my phone just as an extra sense of security, or because I never bothered to fully memorize which side street to turn down or what have you. So it makes sense on that level. But the part where Lindy is literally running into poles and desks and stuff read as a little too ridiculous. I wish it had been a little less literal? Like what if instead of running into stuff, it's that Lindy is overwhelmed by the variety of things she's looking at around her, constantly distracted and overwhelmed, and she needs to mutter instructions to herself in order to force herself to walk, and she still takes the sharp 90 degree turns everywhere because that's what she's used to. And then when faced with a monster right in front of her that's blocking her most natural path towards the exit, she freezes up and can't figure out how to make herself find an alternative route right away. That would work better than the scene where she's literally just running into a pole multiple times.