Castle: In Plane Sight (7x21)

Yay Alexis! I'm pretty happy with Alexis. The rest of the episode? Well... let's go over what happened.

Castle and Alexis are on their way to London for Castle to attend a writing conference. Alexis announces that she has plans of her own when they get there, and Castle is upset that Alexis doesn't want to spend the whole trip together. After some turbulence, which makes Castle nervous, he notices that the flight attendants look nervous. He goes to ask them what's wrong. The pilot tells him that the air marshal aboard the plane seems to be missing. Since Castle works with the NYPD, he's the closest thing they have to law enforcement. Castle, along with the flight attendants and Alexis, sets out to solve the mystery.

First of all, they find the air marshal, dead, down in the cargo hold. Their first suspect is a man who has links to terrorism. However, this proves to be a false lead, as he only sneaked his way onto the plane so that he could get home to his ailing mother. He's on the no-fly list thanks to his cousin, who was involved in terrorist activity. Next, they track down the air marshal's phone and discover texts that lead them to another passenger. This woman seems to be the logical suspect- and sure enough, they find the air marshal's gun in her bag! Her story is that she was the air marshal's girlfriend, and she was convinced he was cheating on her. She disguised herself and got onto the plane to see what he was up to. However, when they tell her that the air marshal is dead, she seems completely shocked. Castle finds himself believing her.

Once Upon a Time: Lily (4x20)

Swan Queen road trip! Woo hoo! Let's dive right in to this one.

In the Enchanted Forest, we see the Apprentice talking to the Sorcerer, explaining that the Author has taken too much control for himself and has messed with fate when it comes to the savior and Maleficent's daughter. The Sorcerer (a disembodied voice) tells the Apprentice that it's too late to fix what Snow and Charming did. Emma and Lily's fates will be entwined forever more.

In our world, we see Emma as a teenager, getting ready to go on a camping trip with her foster family. She seems to really like the family, and is excited that she finally belongs. Then, Lily shows up at the house. She says she needs Emma's help. The foster family invites Lily to stay for dinner. Lily lies about how they met, saying they lived together in a group home. Emma pulls Lily into the kitchen to confront her, and then learns from a news report that Lily is a suspect in a robbery. Emma tells Lily she needs to leave now, but Lily says that she can't go without a necklace that her birth mother gave her. She left it at the house where her and her boyfriend were squatting. Emma agrees to go get the necklace. She does so, but when she comes back, Lily is gone. Her foster parents inform her that Lily ran off with their vacation money. Emma apologizes, but her foster parents are angry to discover that she knew Lily was a suspect in a robbery and didn't tell them. Emma runs out of the house. Lily finds her at a bus stop, and says that her parents kicked her out. She stole the money so the two of them could run off together. Emma says no, despite Lily's pleading that her life is a mess, and Emma makes it better.

Outlander: Lallybroch (1x12)

Jenny and Ian! Yay! Let's talk about this episode.

Jamie and Claire arrive at Lallybroch after a long journey. When they show up, Jamie sees that his sister Jenny has a little boy named Jamie, and is pregnant with another child. Jamie jumps to conclusions, thinking that the child is the bastard of Jack Randall. However, he quickly realizes that this is not the case. Both Young Jamie and the unborn child are the children of Ian, Jamie's childhood friend, and now Jenny's husband.

Jamie and Claire settle in uneasily to Lallybroch. Jenny does not seem welcoming of Claire, and Jamie doesn't make things easier by taking to his new role of Laird with arrogance and unbridled enthusiasm. He ignores the fact that Jenny and Ian have been running things all this time, taking over and making demands of everybody. When it's time to collect the rent from his tenants, he decides to give everybody a break, since times have been tough. When he discovers (via Claire) that a little boy is being beaten by his father, Jamie takes care of it by using his fists. Jenny is not impressed.

The next morning, Jamie learns that the mill is broken, and goes out to fix it. Claire goes with him. Just as Jamie is entering the water to swim under the mill, a group of redcoats show up. Jamie dives under the water to evade notice, barely making it. After the soldiers leave, Jamie emerges from the water. Jenny had come to find Jamie and warn him, so when he stands up, she sees the scars on his back for the first time.

The Vampire Diaries: Because (6x19)

Well. We've got Caroline back! This was really depressing. Let's take a look, shall we?

Stefan has a plan to get Caroline to switch her humanity back on. First, he'll pretend that he's still humanity-less. He'll track her down and lead her to a hotel. Then, Damon and the others will trap them, with Stefan playing the trapped victim. They will drain Caroline of her blood by not allowing her to feed, and then bombard her with memories of all the things that matter to her. Elena has a trump card - a letter from Caroline's mother that she had written so it arrived after Caroline was gone. Inside the room, Caroline is having none of it. Elena tries to give her the letter, but Caroline insists that Stefan burn it. Eventually, however, Stefan is able to show Caroline memories of her mother, and they help break through Caroline's hard outer shell. She turns her humanity back on, and is utterly devastated by all she has done. To top it all off, she's lost her chance to read the last words her mother ever wrote her.

Meanwhile, Damon and Elena talk about what they would do in five years if they were human. Damon is scared, hearing Elena's hypothetical plans for a future, because he knows that their relationship will never work if Elena is human again. Damon breaks the news to Bonnie that she gave the Ascendant to Lily. They concoct a plan to get it back so that Lily can't free her "witch-pire" friends from the prison world. Bonnie agrees to meet Lily for lunch at the bar, and then while Lily is waiting, Bonnie goes into the Salvatore house to track down the Ascendant. Bonnie asks Matt to stall Lily, making sure she stays put. That plan all goes to hell when Enzo shows up.

Elementary: Under My Skin (3x21)

An okay case of the week, and an excellent subplot. Let's take a look.

The episode opens with an ambulance getting pulled over. Everybody inside is shot, except for the patient inside, who is driven off with the murderers. Gregson and the team catch the killer pretty much immediately, and he tells them where the patient's body is. It looks like she's been gutted. Pretty quickly, they realize that this girl was an unknowing drug mule. She had what she thought was a bypass surgery to help with her weight, but in reality she was being stuffed full of drugs. They track the operation to a doctor, who at first claims that he was strong-armed by gang members into being involved. Eventually, however, they discover that he's the real culprit.

Meanwhile, Sherlock notices a suspicious man at one of his anonymous meetings. He thinks he's being followed. When he confronts the man again, he learns that he wasn't being followed, but Alfredo is. Turns out, Alfredo got fired from his job working for a certain car security company. He's been breaking into cars protected by this security company in order to get his revenge. Now, they suspect him and have hired a private investigator to track him down. That was the man Sherlock saw at the meetings. Sherlock confronts Alfredo, but Alfredo rudely reminds him that they're not friends - Alfredo is Sherlock's sponsor, and they shouldn't blur the lines between that relationship and friendship. Sherlock is upset by this. He arranges a stunt wherein a lot of the company's cars get hacked and moved, which humiliates the company.

The Big Bang Theory: The Graduation Transmission (8x22)

One plot thread was really cute, and the other was sort of just run of the mill. Let's take a look.

Leonard is going to give a speech at the graduation of his alma mater high school. He and Penny are all set to take a trip to New Jersey, but bad weather forces the airlines to cancel the flight. Penny calls his old school and arranges for him to give the speech via Skype. Leonard gives his speech, but half way through realizes that he's being really boring. He decides to address the rest of his speech to those kids who felt invisible through high school. He assures them that even though people pick on them now, they're spending this time becoming interesting. When somebody finally does take notice, they will be appreciated.

So, this plot thread was really great for the most part. There were a couple of missed opportunities, though. First, they missed the chance to go out on location and have Leonard and Penny act in a new setting. I don't really understand the point of throwing in the whole flight being cancelled wrench. It sort of seemed like just an excuse to save some money on shooting on location. This show often cuts corners like that and therefore misses out on some cool opportunities. The other missed opportunity was that when Leonard was making his speech about the forgotten and invisible kids, I felt like he could have said something more specific about people who are ignored in the science and math departments because they're women, or people who are marginalized because of their race or whatever. Everything he was saying felt like it was catered towards white nerd boys like himself. Maybe I'm just overly sensitive to this stuff due to this show's track record.

Grey's Anatomy: How to Save a Life (11x21)

Okay - it's nobody's fault, but that was stupid. I guess if Patrick Dempsey needed to leave the show, that's all they could have done... and actually, within the scope of the terrible setup, this episode was really great. Let's just go over what happened.

Derek is on his way to the airport to go to DC. He talks on the phone with his sister in the OR, but he enters an area with patchy reception, and he gets cut off. A car races in front of him and collides with another car. Derek screeches to a halt and jumps out to help the people in both cars. He can't get his phone to work. In one car, the one that got hit, is a mother and her little girl. In the other are two high school students, one of whom was driving his dad's car. Derek helps them all. One of the cars explodes, which ends up being a very good thing, since the smoke alerts somebody to their location, and a firetruck arrives. The four people involved in the crash get packed up and sent off to the hospital.

Derek gets back in his car and continues on his way, when all of a sudden - BAM! A semi-truck comes out of nowhere and hits him. Derek is taken to the same hospital as the other four, but the hospital is not a trauma center, and they really don't have the adequate resources and training to take care of him.

Derek is unable to talk, but he is conscious as he sees the doctors around him scramble to save his life. He knows they should get a head CT, but they don't, and by the time they realize that his head injury is what's going to kill him, it's too late. They call the neuro-surgeon on call, but it takes him over an hour to get there. They operate on Derek, but no luck. Derek is brain dead.

Supernatural: The Werther Project (10x19)

Oh gosh. What is this show doing to me. First of all, if anybody is wondering, don't watch this episode if you're triggered by suicide or cutting. Because... like... wow. Second of all, I'm legitimately terrified for the rest of the season now. If they're getting this intense with three more episodes to go, then we're in for a nightmare finale. Let's talk about what happened.

Sam asks Rowena for help translating the Book of the Damned. Rowena says that she can't figure it out without a special codex that will help her interpret it. Sam is on a mission to find said codex. He also agrees to kill Crowley if Rowena helps him figure out how to get rid of the Mark. Sam goes to meet Dean, only to find that Dean has just taken on a vampire nest by himself. He says it's his way of "taking the edge off." Sam is annoyed at Dean for his reckless behavior.

Sam does some research and finds out that the Men of Letters were involved in keeping the codex hidden. Magnus had put the codex in a special box called the Werther Box, which caused anybody who tried to open it to commit suicide. The box is hidden in a house where, in the 1970's, an entire family had killed themselves, leaving just one daughter left. Now much older, this woman, Suzie, stays at the house and guards its secrets. She doesn't want to let the evil out of the Werther Box again.

Sam shows up to get the codex out of the box. Unbeknownst to him, Dean follows him. Dean apologizes to Sam for going off on his own before, and says he wants to work this case with his brother. Sam doesn't tell Dean what's inside the Werther Box, but merely explains that the box causes people a lot of hurt, and since Magnus, a Man of Letters, is the one who put it there, it's their responsibility to get rid of it. Inside the house, Dean distracts Suzie while Sam goes downstairs and tries to open the box. He sets free the magic that causes people to have suicidal thoughts.
 

Modern Family: Knock 'Em Down (6x20)

Not a standout winner of an episode, but not bad either. Let's go over what happened.

Cam asks Jay to fill in for somebody on his bowling team. Jay agrees, but Cam then tells him that it's an all-gay bowling league, so Jay will have to pretend to be gay. Jay reluctantly agrees. Cam's rival, the head of another team, suspects that Jay is straight, so Cam tells the guy (Martin) that the reason Jay is acting so weird is that he has a crush on Martin. Martin gets all flustered and decides he likes Jay too. The two of them flirt a bit, but when Martin asks Jay out, Jay turns him down kindly. This rejection causes Martin to become very flustered, and he loses the game. Jay and Cam's team wins! Jay then tells Martin the truth, because he doesn't think it's fair to let him go home feeling rejected. When Martin discovers Jay is straight, Cam loses his victory and the team is disqualified.

This plot thread could have gone wrong about a million different ways. I was bracing myself to cringe at every joke, at every attempt that Jay made to "act gay." But you know what? They actually pulled it off quite well! Cam and Jay have an interesting father-and-son-in-law dynamic, and I always like how the more flamboyant of the Cam and Mitchell pairing is also the more athletic, and how Jay sometimes has an easier time getting along with Cam than with his own son. And Jay didn't pretend to be gay by talking with a lisp or walking around with a limp wrist or anything. He just acted like himself. The scenes with Martin were actually rather sweet. Jay was charming, and Martin fell for him, and Jay was not at all grossed out that a man had a crush on him. He was respectful and kind to him when he turned him down. I hate that I have to be pleasantly surprised that this plot thread wasn't horrifically offensive, but there you have it. I also liked the exploration of Jay's anxiety about his aging. He's obsessive about a picture on his Costco ID, where he thinks he looks worn out, and nothing like his real self. Cam notes that this behavior, wherein Jay is superficial and worried about his looks, is a good start in Jay's quest to play gay.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: The Frenemy of My Enemy (2x18)

Wow! Ahhh!!! Great episode. Everything about this season is making me so excited and nervous.

Fitz manages to meet up with Coulson, Hunter, and Deathlok. Their next step is to go make a deal with Ward. They find Ward and Agent 33, and Coulson asks Ward to get him close to Hydra. In exchange, Coulson will use the T.A.H.I.T.I. protocol to wipe Ward's memories and give him a fresh start. Ward agrees, and takes Coulson and the others to Bakshi. Bakshi has been brainwashed by Agent 33 and Ward. He goes in and meets with Doctor List, with Deathlok acting as his body guard. From this, we learn that Hydra is searching for Gordon. If Coulson can follow Hydra to Gordon, then he can find Skye, which was the whole point of this in the first place!

Meanwhile, Skye learns that Jiaying is planning on sending Cal away from Afterlife. Cal doesn't belong, because he's not a powered person. He makes people uncomfortable by being there. Skye realizes that Cal is going to freak out when he realizes he's been abandoned, and she decides to go with him to soften the blow and tell him that she'll visit. The two of them walk around Cal's old home town, as Cal talks about the life they could have had together. Skye calls May and tells her that she is with Cal, and she needs help keeping him calm.
 

Castle: Sleeper (7x20)

The A-plot is back! Finally! But... uh... I find myself a bit flummoxed by what we learned in this episode. Let's just go over what happened.

Castle has been having bad dreams about the two months when he was missing. Beckett suggests that Castle go talk to a psychiatrist, and Castle does. The man encourages him to think of his dreams as symbols, rather than as literal memories. But Castle is convinced that what he's seeing is going to lead him to the truth. His dreams involve him being involved in some sort of gun chase, with men trying to gun him down in a forest somewhere. He also remembers seeing a man die of a gunshot wound, while Castle tries to help.

All of the leads he gives to Beckett and the boys are a little off kilter. For example, he seems to remember seeing somebody who looked like Chuck Norris. Martha and Alexis are both worried that Castle is becoming obsessed, and even Beckett starts to waver, as Castle's "memories" lead him down some strange paths. However, eventually Castle ends up finding the guy who looks like Chuck Norris - and he's dead. Later, he finds the guy who he thought had died of a bullet wound in his dream. This guy turns out to be a friend of Castle's from high school. Castle doesn't remember him, because he had his memory wiped, and all mention of this guy was removed from his mind.

Once Upon a Time: Sympathy for the De Vil (4x19)

This episode has an awesome name. I just have to say that up front. It was also a pretty awesome episode! Let's take a look.

We get to see Cruella de Vil's back-story. In a world much like 1920's London, Cruella is being kept hostage by her mother, who is an expert dog trainer. Madeline (Cruella's mother) uses her dogs to keep Cruella in line, forcing her to live out her days in an attic. Years later, when Cruella is a young adult, a reporter by the name of Isaac (actually the Author) shows up looking for a good story to tell. He finds Cruella locked up in the attic, after Madeline sends him away. The Author frees Cruella and takes her out dancing. Cruella is overjoyed to be free. The Author reveals that he travels between realms and records stories with a magic pen and magic ink. He can also manipulate stories to say whatever he wants. He wants to help Cruella to escape from her terrible home life, so he writes her a gift: she will be able to control animals from now on.

Cruella says she has to go confront her mother one last time, now that she has the power to stand up to her. After that, Cruella and the Author can run away together! Madeline finds the Author, and reveals a horrifying truth - Cruella killed her father, and Madeline's next two husbands as well! She is a monster! The Author isn't sure which of the two stories to believe. Cruella uses her new power to turn Madeline's dogs against her, killing her gruesomely. Cruella then kills the dogs and makes her famous fur coat. It turns out that Cruella has stolen the Author's pen and ink. The Author goes to get them back from her. As they struggle over the ink, it spills on Cruella, transforming her to the iconic villain we have today, with the crazy black and white hair. Just as Cruella is about to kill the Author, the Author manages to write down that Cruella is unable to take another life. Thus, his life is spared.

Outlander: The Devil's Mark (1x11)

Wow! That was... WOW. My favorite episode of this show so far. Geillis Duncan... wow. I was looking forward to this moment the minute I heard they were making this show. The scene at Craig na Dun is one of my favorite moments in the whole book. Let's dive right in.

Claire and Geillis are kept locked up in an underground cellar to await their trial for witchcraft. Geillis seems confident that everything will work out, but when Claire tells her that Dougal and Jamie have both left Castle Leoch, Geillis realizes they might be in serious trouble. At the trial, it seems the entire community is thirsting for their blood. Ned Gowan arrives to be Claire and Geillis' lawyer. Ned is able to turn the crowd less hostile, and calm down some of the "witnesses." Laoghaire gives her own testimony, accusing Claire of taking a potion to make Jamie fall for her. The crowd gets more and more hostile, and Ned cannot stop it.

On the second day of the trial, Ned realizes there's only one thing to do. He can't save both women, but he can save Claire. If Claire renounces Geillis and claims to have been bewitched by her, then her life will likely be spared. Claire and Geillis are given a few moments to talk alone. Geillis demands that Claire tell her what she's doing here. Claire says that she has no reason - it was all an accident, and she just wants to go home. Geillis is terribly disappointed. Back in the court room, Claire decides at the last minute not to scapegoat Geillis, and die by her side. Geillis thinks she's crazy. As a struggle breaks out in the court room, Geillis tells Claire that she thinks it's possible for her to get home again. Then she says the words: "Nineteen sixty-eight!" A shot goes off. Ned was involved in the scuffle. Claire screams at everybody in the room, accusing them of being murderers and horrible people.

The Vampire Diaries: I Could Never Love Like That (6x18)

Stefan's back! That was a short little detour... whatever. Let's go through what happened here.

Stefan and Caroline are still on their humanity-less rampage. They end up at a coffee shop, where Caroline annoys all of the studying students by singing karaoke. When Matt and Tyler show up, they're kept prisoner by Stefan and Caroline. Caroline quizzes them both on trivia about herself. She and Stefan then decide to have some fun and kill both of them. Tyler tries to fight back, but Caroline winds up grabbing Matt and using him as a shield, so Tyler inadvertently stabs and gravely injures Matt.

Meanwhile, Damon and Elena have an oddly pleasant morning with Lily Salvatore. She makes them breakfast and everything. However, Damon insists that he's done with his mother - she is only a tool to get Stefan's humanity back. Lily reveals that she doesn't feel anything for Damon and Stefan anymore, even though she's tried. Damon has to coach Lily through what to say to Stefan. She still seems hesitant, but Damon hands over the Ascendant so that she'll be able to get back into the prison world and free her vampire friends once she's finished helping Stefan. Damon and Lily show up and find Stefan and Caroline just in time to save Matt and Tyler. Tyler rushes Matt to the hospital. Lily makes a speech to Stefan, and Stefan turns his humanity back on. Now, Stefan has to go find Caroline, who ran off, and help her to flip her switch back.

At the hospital, Elena tries to offer Matt some of her blood so he can heal immediately, but he refuses. He lets Western medicine fix him up. Later, Elena asks him why he refused her help. He says that he's tired of almost dying at the hands of people who are supposed to be his friends. He hates vampires, and he can't say that and then accept their help when it's to his advantage. He refuses to be a hypocrite.
 

Grey's Anatomy: One Flight Down (11x20)

Okay, well at least Derek wasn't in another plane crash. That would be pushing things a little too far. Still, there were a few things about this episode that pushed my suspension of disbelief just a touch. Let's go over what happened.

A small plane crashes in the street, right behind Richard. He rushes to the hospital and tells everybody to prep for incoming injuries. Two people were on the private plane - a man and his date. This was their first date, and it was love at first sight for both of them.

Of course, the fact that there was a plane crash brings up a lot of unpleasant memories for a lot of the doctors. Meredith is freaking out because she hasn't heard from Derek all day. Callie tells her that she's only freaking out because of the plane crash, and that Derek is probably just fine. Bailey tells Meredith that she has to keep it together, but that if she doesn't hear anything by 5pm, she has permission to freak out. Arizona seems to be doing okay - the plane caused a lot of injuries in a prenatal yoga class, so she has her hands full with patients. Alex tries to help her, but he ends up hovering. Arizona tells him to knock it off, and Alex admits what's on his mind: he's been feeling guilty all day, because he was the one who cut Arizona's leg off. Callie made the call, but Alex cut the leg. Arizona asks Callie why she never told her, and Callie said that since Arizona was going to blame her, no matter what, she wanted to save Alex, and make sure that Arizona still had somebody to turn to.

Maggie learns about the horrible plane crash, and about Lexie and Mark. She tells Meredith that it's okay to be freaking out about Derek - she should go home. She's going to be too distracted, anyway. At home, Meredith is just about to call Derek or the police, as it is 5pm, when she sees lights from a police car outside the window.
 

Elementary: A Stitch in Time (3x20)

I'm going to be annoyingly brief about the case this week. Let's just dive right in.

A man who made his living by being a "professional doubter" winds up dead. Sherlock was a fan of the guy's blog. They end up checking with a cult leader for potential suspects, because they figure somebody was angry about being debunked. Turned out, the cult had nothing to do with it. But they find another suspect - a man who tried to buy an old lady's house, but she wouldn't sell. Later, this old lady started thinking that her house was haunted. Sherlock discovers that her house is connected via tunnel to the neighbor's house, and that there's a transatlantic data cable, called Ruby, in the crawl space.

Turns out, this real estate dude used to be a stock broker, but he got busted for insider trading. Now, he's messing with the data cable to make a microscopic delay in data that will slow down his competitor's ability to get numbers. He hired somebody, Nadim, to help him hide the evidence, but things got out of control when the "professional doubter" caught wind of what was going on. Murder was never supposed to be part of the plan. The bad guy is apprehended!

Meanwhile, Joan helps Hannah (Gregson's daughter) on a case. Hannah wants to help catch some drug thieves in her neighborhood. The detective on the case isn't getting much done, so Hannah wants Joan's help. Joan finds a way to ID the suspects, and she tells Hannah about it. Joan also tells Hannah to let the detective know, because they can follow these petty thieves up the chain and probably catch some bigger fish. Instead of doing that, Hannah apprehends the suspects, getting a good mark on her record. Joan confronts her, asking her why she didn't let somebody else handle it, and Hannah says that she did it to further her own career. Sherlock, who had warned Joan that Hannah was "middling," tells her that even he didn't see her conniving nature. Gregson tells Joan not to help Hannah again. He says that even though he loves his daughter, she needs to do better in the future.
 

The Big Bang Theory: The Communication Deterioration (8x21)

This episode wasn't great. It fell into the trap that this show often falls into - they set up some interesting scenarios with a lot of potential, and then failed to deliver. Let's take a look.

Raj gets the honor of working on a proposal for NASA about a message sent out to from Earth to potential aliens. Raj asks the other guys for suggestions. When Howard and Sheldon start bowling him over and making all of these decisions, Raj decides that he and Leonard will work on it alone. Sheldon and Howard are upset about being excluded. Raj and Leonard realize that since neither of them are natural leaders, they can't get anywhere without Sheldon and Howard. They ask them to come back in on the project. However, as they all work together, Raj, Howard, and Leonard slowly realize that Sheldon is the one who always gets his way. In the episode tag, we see aliens receive Sheldon's message and discuss how delicious he looks.

Meanwhile, Penny is torn about her future. She doesn't know if she should go audition for the part in the Kevin Smith movie, or just keep going with her sales career. She goes to Sheldon for advice, who at first insists he won't help her, since he's just learned that he tends to boss people around too much. Eventually, he caves and tells Penny that she should go to the audition and get more information, but there's no reason to make a decision yet. Penny goes to the audition, but she remembers how much she hates the competitive atmosphere, and she decides to stick with her job. She thanks Bernadette for getting her the job, and Bernadette pressures her to take her and Amy out to a thank you dinner.
 

Supernatural: Book of the Damned (10x18)

Oh nooooo. That was awesome! And terrible! I'm legitimately terrified for the finale. It's going to kick my ass with feelings. Let's dive right in!

Charlie is on the run from a group of men who seem determined to get the Book of the Damned from her. She gets shot, but luckily it's not a serious wound. She contacts Sam and Dean, who come to meet her at one of the safe houses Bobby had set up for hunters. Dean discovers the identity of the people who shot Charlie - the Styne family. They're an evil bunch that go back centuries. They've used the Book of the Damned for all sorts of heinous crimes. Dean has an encounter with the Stynes, and is barely able to get away. He tells Sam and Charlie that he can feel the Book calling out to the Mark. It's bad news, and they need to destroy it. As the Stynes show up to try and take the book, Dean implores Sam to burn it. Sam does so, and together Sam, Dean, and Charlie manage to defeat the Stynes.

However, we later see that Sam didn't really destroy the Book. He takes it to Rowena, because he's desperate for a way to remove the Mark from his brother. He figures that she'll know how to crack the book's indecipherable language.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Melinda (2x17)

Oh my GOD. We finally got the story of the Cavalry. That was... intense. This whole episode was... wow.

So. In the present day, we see May get put in charge of the base. Gonzales and the others seem willing to trust her, for now. Bobbi tells May that the reason they don't trust Coulson is that there's a secret project, Theta Protocal, that Coulson has been funneling all sorts of money into. May didn't know about this project. She turns to Simmons for help, and the two of them do their research. They discover that Coulson is indeed hiding something - he's been spending money on all sorts of weird stuff for a while now, and hasn't been honest about his whereabouts. Mack thinks that Coulson is planning some sort of facility for Inhumans.

At the very end of the episode, we see Fitz succeed in opening the toolbox. He uses it to contact Coulson and Hunter, who are still hiding out. Fitz informs them that he's being followed, but he wants their help in ditching the people tracking him so he can come hang out with Coulson and Hunter.

Skye is being trained in how to use her powers with Jiaying. She starts to discover the beautiful potential of her powers. She also learns the truth - Jiaying is her mother. Jiaying tells her that she has to be careful and not tell anybody the truth. Jiaying is in charge of Afterlife, and if people were to suspect her of playing favorites, her authority would be jeopardized. We hear a story about another Inhuman who stole Terrigen crystals to use on her daughter, so that her daughter could go through the transformation. Because of the horrible way this story ends, (I'll get there in a sec) Jiaying and Skye will have to keep their relationship a secret.

Once Upon a Time: Heart of Gold (4x18)

This was a good episode. Not the best, but good enough that I don't even care how stupid it is that Zelena is back. Or that we got virtually no Captain Swan. Let's dive in!

Back in Sherwood Forest, many years ago, we see Robin working in a tavern. He is newly married to Marian, and he's turned away from thievery. He doesn't have enough money to pay taxes to the Sheriff of Nottingham. Robin needs a way to get the money, and fast. Rumplestiltskin shows up and makes him an offer - he'll make sure Robin gets the money he needs, if Robin will travel to Oz to steal something for him. Robin goes into Oz and there meets Will, who is also searching for the item Robin is to steal. This elixir is capable of healing a broken heart. Will and Robin agree to look for it together. Robin tries to steal the elixir, but he is stopped by Zelena. However, he does manage to escape, and take some of the elixir with him.

Robin lies to Will and says that he wasn't able to get any of the elixir. Will then tells Robin the story of why he wants the elixir - he wants to cure his own broken heart after the tragic death of his sister. Robin, touched upon hearing this story, makes up his mind - he slips the vial of elixir into Will's pocket. Back in Sherwood, Robin decides not to pay taxes to the Sheriff. Instead, he takes on his new identity as Robin Hood, who will steal from the rich and give to the poor.

Outlander: By the Pricking of My Thumbs (1x10)

Oh man. Laoghaire you bitch. I mean, I knew that was coming, obviously. But it makes me so angry every time I read the book. Ugh. Let's go over what happened.

The Duke of Sandringham is visiting Castle Leoch, and Murtagh believes Jamie might be able to ask the Duke for his help in clearing Jamie's name. Claire informs Jamie that the Duke is working with Black Jack Randall, but of course she cannot say how she knows. Jamie believes her, but decides that he should still give it a try. Wtih Ned Gowan's help, Jamie produces a record of Jonathan Randall's heinous actions against Claire. This report, signed by both Jamie and Claire, should get the Duke to stop working with the man.

The Duke agrees to help Jamie, but only if Jamie agrees to be his second in a duel against the MacDonalds. Jamie agrees, despite the fact that there's animosity between the Frasers and the MacDonalds. Jamie ends up skirmishing with one of the other men, and he is slightly wounded. However, it may have been worth the trouble - the Duke agrees to try and remove the price on Jamie's head so he can be a free man once again.

While all of this is going on, Claire confronts Laoghaire about the "ill wish" that Claire found under her bed. Laoghaire insists that Jamie belongs to her, and that the marriage between Claire and Jamie must be a loveless one. Laoghaire also reveals that Geillis Duncan was the one to sell Laoghaire the ill wish. Claire finds Geillis in the middle of a witch ritual in the woods, and thus learns that Geillis is pregnant. Geillis tells Claire that she didn't know the ill wish was meant for her - she sold it to Laoghaire without knowing its purpose. She also tells Claire that the baby she is carrying belongs to Dougal MacKenzie.

Elementary: One Watson, One Holmes (3x19)

Aww. More great Joan/Sherlock friendship stuff! Let's jump in. I'm going to be brief.

The case this week involves Everyone, the hacker coalition. Sherlock gets a visit from one of its members, and learns that there's a civil war going on in the group. Some of them want to remain anarchists, helping and hurting people on a case-by-case basis as they see fit. Another faction wants to be a full-blown political movement, supporting the left and working against the right. Things get complicated when a member of Everyone winds up dead. It's up to Sherlock to figure out who killed him. This is made all the more difficult by the fact that he has to track down people's actual identities and match them to their online handles.

Eventually, after some twists and turns involving a hacker working undercover for the FBI, multiple real people using the same online handle, and sensitive government secrets, the case is solved.

Meanwhile, Sherlock notices that Joan seems to be pulling into her shell, and is not getting out and socializing nearly as much as she used to. She is invited to hang out with her friends and plan a bachelorette party, but she ducks out early and makes excuses. Sherlock talks to her, concerned. He believes she is turning inward and becoming antisocial as a way to cope with the traumatic loss of Andrew. He tells her that their friendship is a give and take - that they should both work towards the best aspects of each other. Sherlock admits that his antisocial tendencies are not his strongest quality, and he believes Joan should avoid emulating them. Their relationship works best with one Holmes and one Watson. Not two Holmes. Later, Joan goes out to spend time with her friends, realizing that she needs to maintain her social life.

The Big Bang Theory: The Fortification Implementation (8x20)

Kind of a lackluster episode in certain regards, but there was one plot thread that cracked me up, and a few funny moments besides. Let's dive in.

Sheldon is grumpy because he was not invited to a symposium at Richard Feynman's house with a bunch of his colleagues. He is moody and morose during his date night with Amy, which breaks the rules of their relationship agreement. Sheldon remembers what it was like to be left out as a child, when his siblings would build forts and not let him come inside. Amy offers to build a fort with Sheldon. They make a really cool fort, and Sheldon is having so much fun with Amy that he agrees to a sleepover so she won't have to leave. He is then disturbed to find that Amy had stashed sleepover supplies such as pajamas and a toothbrush in the apartment several years ago, just in case.

This plot thread was okay, but it didn't offer a ton of surprises or anything particularly special. I did enjoy Sheldon's obvious delight at the fort, and his loophole in their relationship agreement made me chuckle. (He holds up a picture of himself smiling to cover up his bad mood). Also, Amy and Sheldon play march madness with different forts, comparing their own creation to other famous forts such as Fort Knox. That was pretty cute. I wish we could have learned more about why Sheldon had been excluded, because I felt like there was a good opportunity for some reflection on Sheldon's social isolation.

Grey's Anatomy: Crazy Love (11x19)

I love Maggie. Her entrance into this show may have been rather silly, but I love her character. And are we starting to see some love triangle-y thing going on with her, Jo, and Alex? Uh oh! Interesting! Let's dive in to the plot.

The central case this week involves a chef whose wife cut off his penis when she discovered him having an affair with his sous chef. April calls in Catherine Avery to assist, because she is a very skilled urologist. Richard expressly told April not to call Catherine, because of their lingering issues, but she really is the best for the job. Catherine successfully reattaches the penis with Stephanie's assistance. Catherine is impressed by Stephanie's skill. Later, the man forgives his wife for cutting off his penis, proving that they're both a little crazy. The sous chef, furious at what she considers a betrayal, cuts off the newly reattached penis. Stephanie manages to retrieve it from the jilted lover. Catherine Avery offers Stephanie a fellowship with her, but Stephanie realizes that urology is not the specialty for her. She still hasn't found the right thing. Richard and Catherine talk about their issues. They both acknowledge that they'll probably keep hurting each other, but they decide to get back together.

Meanwhile, Amelia and Callie both work on a patient who has a spinal injury. This teenage girl is a golf prodigy, so maintaining mobility is very important to her. Callie wants to take a more conservative approach, but Amelia has an idea that will hopefully allow the girl a better chance of getting back to golfing. Owen weighs in and agrees that Amelia's approach is best. However, during the surgery Amelia realizes that the damage is worse than she thought. Ben has to rush and get Callie. They save the girl, and she'll be able to walk again after physical therapy... but her golfing days are over. Callie tries to reassure Amelia that they did their best, but Amelia is distraught. She tells Owen that being with him is a bad idea. She thinks his interference was based on their personal relationship, and as such they should cut things off. Meredith had earlier confronted Amelia about her relationship with Owen, saying that she told Cristina she would look after Owen. Amelia tells Meredith that it's none of her business how she tries to rebuild her life after losing the person she loved most in the world.
 

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Afterlife (2x16)

Yikes! This is getting crazy. I'm so excited that we got to see J. August Richards back as Deathlok! Let's dive in to the plot.

Coulson and Hunter hide themselves in the Retreat, the same place where both Skye and Bruce Banner hid away from their powers. They are able to watch surveillance footage which shows them Skye using her powers to rebuff the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who were trying to take her. They also see Gordon take her away. Coulson triggers the alarm at the Retreat, in order to lure S.H.I.E.L.D. to their location. He plans on stealing their quinjet so they have a chance of taking S.H.I.E.L.D. back for themselves. At first it looks like they are grossly outnumbered and doomed to fail, but Coulson assures Hunter that backup is on the way. The backup turns out to be Deathlok, also known as Mike Peterson. With Deathlok's help, Coulson and Hunter are able to get control of the quinjet. The next step is to find Skye. Coulson knows that he only has one option to do that: he needs find Grant Ward.

Meanwhile, Skye wakes up in a place with Chinese aesthetics called "Afterlife." She meets Lincoln Campbell, a man who is tasked with helping her come to terms with her powers. The two of them bond over their powers and their experiences, but then Lincoln accidentally lets slip that Raina is also there. Skye is furious that they would be trying to help Raina, after all she has done. Skye goes to confront Raina, but before things can get out of hand, Jiaying (Skye's mother!) shows up and diffuses the situation. She asks Skye to stay and explore their connection. Skye also wants to get a message to her friends to see if they're alright, but Gordon says he'll have to get permission from the elders. Gordon also visits Cal, who is imprisoned and not allowed to see his daughter.

Outlander: The Reckoning (1x09)

When I first heard they were going to do make this TV show, I wondered about a lot of different things. Sure, there's a lot of sex and violence in this show - but then again I watch Game of Thrones, so I figured that wouldn't be too tricky. My biggest concern was in how the relationship between Jamie and Claire would translate to the small screen. It's a hard sell - a 20th century woman and an 18th century man? There are just so many potential pitfalls right there. How can you tell a story about two equals who fall in love, when there's so much historical sexism weighing everything down? It works in the books because there are hundreds upon hundreds of pages with which to sell the romance. In the show? Well, I was nervous. And one of the things I was most nervous about was the whole spanking incident. Let's dive into the plot, and then I'll tell you what I thought!

We pick up where we left off, this time getting a glimpse into Jamie's head. He meets with a British deserter who has information that might lead to his getting his name cleared. The information is that Jack Randall is responsible for killing one of his own men. Jamie knows he can't use Randall to clear his own name. At this point, the kid who was supposed to be guarding Claire rides up and informs everybody that Claire has been taken hostage.

Jamie, along with help from the others, gets into Fort William. He confronts Randall and Claire with an empty pistol, and manages to bluff his way close enough to knock Randall out. He and Claire escape, with the aid of the others causing an explosion as a distraction. Jamie wants an apology from Claire for wandering off and getting herself into trouble. He says that Claire is his wife, and thus should have obeyed his orders. Claire is incensed by being treated like property. The two get into a screaming match, but ultimately they apologize to one another and reconcile.

Grey's Anatomy: When I Grow Up (11x18)

Derek is properly back, and he's making amends. Yay! I enjoyed this episode. Let's dive in.

The main case of the week involves a bank robbery gone terribly, terribly wrong. Two cops, who also happen to be brothers, are brought in with severe injuries from gunshot wounds. Although it looks at first like they might live, unfortunately both brothers die. A young man who was driving the getaway car is also injured. It turns out that he needs a new liver, and that the dead police officers are a match. Meredith and Bailey argue over what to do. Bailey, the one treating the 15-year-old criminal, knows that she has to ask. At first, the mother of the two deceased cops is incensed, and refuses to consider giving her sons' organs to one of the people she views as responsible for their deaths.

Callie is working with another one of the victims of the shooting: the commanding officer of the two dead brothers. He was shot in the leg. He continually asks after the boy, wondering if he'll live. Callie thinks that he's hoping the boy will die, out of a need for revenge, but it turns out that he knew the kid. He was in the foster system, and he was an okay kid who got in with the wrong crowd. Meredith has the idea to have the officer talk to the mother of the deceased, and tell her the same thing. With this new information, the mother consents to letting her sons be organ donors. The boy, and countless others, are saved due to their organs.

The Big Bang Theory: The Skywalker Incursion (8x19)

Another really fun episode that utilized all of the characters in interesting ways, and continued A-plot threads as well. Let's do each plot separately.

Leonard and Sheldon are on their way to Berkeley to give a talk on their recently published paper. Since they have some extra time, they decide to try and stop by at Skywalker Ranch to see if they can get in and meet George Lucas. Of course they can't - the security guard won't let them in. Sheldon tries to make a break for it and get inside, but he is caught and tased by security guards. Sheldon and Leonard are both put in a holding room for a while, but they are released with a warning never to come back. Leonard is angry at Sheldon for getting them into trouble and forcing them to miss their lecture, but Sheldon reminds Leonard that it was still a cool adventure, and Leonard admits that it was fun to see Sheldon getting tased.

So... this was fun. I do think it would have been cool if we could have actually seen something of Skywalker Ranch, so I felt like there were some missed opportunities there. However, I enjoyed the special attention paid to Leonard and Sheldon's friendship. Their conversation about music in the car was particularly hilarious. Sheldon analyzes "Play that Funky Music," wondering if the song is the music that the "white boy" eventually plays. He then declares that he doesn't like it, because music should just be fun, it shouldn't be so complicated. I also liked the way Sheldon tried to cheer Leonard up by reminding him that he'd gotten to see him tased. Sheldon knew that Leonard would find that entertaining!

Elementary: The View From Olympus (3x18)

Awww. Joan and Sherlock are just the bestest of friends, aren't they? I love it. Let's talk about the plot.

The case this week involves a Rideshare driver getting run over by a cab. Just as Sherlock and the rest of the team are thinking that this has something to do with Rideshare drivers vs. cab drivers, and the whole debate surrounding that, it turns out that it was actually something quite different. The man who killed the driver was blackmailed into doing so. He was a pedophile, and somebody has photographic evidence of him breaking his parole. Later, things get even more complicated when we find out that another unsolved murder happened a while back, and appears to also be connected to the Rideshare company, called "Zooss." (A bastardization of "Zeus," the Greek God).

Sherlock eventually discovers that two of Zooss' employees were using the companies advanced tracking software for their own nefarious purposes. One of them was blackmailing people to help pay off gambling debts, and the other was using the software to stalk somebody.

Much more interesting (as always with procedural shows for me) was the subplot. Sherlock has somebody coming to visit - a woman by the name of Agatha Sparrow. She's one of Sherlock's Irregulars but also one of his lovers. Sherlock, in anticipation of a lot of hot sex, relocates Joan to a fancy hotel - his treat. Joan goes along with it, but when the case breaks, she has to come to the Brownstone to work with Sherlock. She meets Agatha, and then finds out that Sherlock is hiding downstairs in Joan's office. Sherlock admits that he is hiding, because Agatha has asked him for something: his sperm. She wants to have a child, and she wants him to be the father.

Supernatural: Inside Man (10x17)

My heart. Oh my. This was... just excellent. And funny. And sweet. And intense. My poor babies. Let's jump right in to a plot summary!

Sam hears Dean calling out in his sleep, and rushes to his brother, only to find him in the throws of a nightmare about the Mark of Cain. Sam decides to team up with Castiel to try and help Dean. He tells Dean he's going to go see a French film, leaving Dean on his own. Sam meets up with Cas, and they both agree that there's only one choice remaining to them - they need to go to Metatron for help. However, when they try, Cas is informed by a regretful Hannah that he's not allowed up in Heaven, and that they cannot risk releasing Metatron again.

So, it's plan B - they'll break Metatron out. Cas and Sam go to a psychic who connects them to Bobby up in Heaven. Bobby breaks out of his personal Heaven and breaks out a bunch of other people too. In the chaos, Bobby is able to open a portal to Earth. Cas gets into Heaven, and the two go to get Metatron out. Metatron and Cas escape from Heaven, but Bobby is last seen being cornered by other angels.

Cas removes Metatron's Grace, giving him incentive to tell them all he knows about the Mark. Metatron admits that he doesn't know how to remove the Mark - he was just saying that to buy some time. He does, however, know how to get Cas some of his Grace back. Cas drives off with Metatron to go get it, leaving Sam with a letter from Bobby. The letter expresses that Sam is a good man, and that Bobby is proud of him. Bobby also suggests that Sam be honest with Dean about what he's been trying to do.

Modern Family: Grill, Interrupted (6x19)

There were some really funny and great things about this episode, but oddly the thing that gave the episode its title fell sort of flat. Let's jump in to the plot.

The entire plot centers around Jay's birthday party. The whole family comes over, and shenanigans ensue.

Phil has given Jay a new grill for his birthday, bu the thing is way too high-tech and confusing. Phil can't figure out how to use it, and Jay is happy with his old grill instead.

Cam receives an inheritance from a distant uncle, and Cam and Mitch decide to spend it on the unit upstairs from their house. However, Cam already bought expensive fur coats for himself and Lily. He needs to take them back, but the store won't let Cam return his, since he's already worn it. Guiltily, Cam realizes he'll have to come clean to Mitchell.

However, Mitchell and Claire talk about how Jay had helped pay for the down payment on their houses, and how they'd never paid back. Claire decides it would be the right thing to do, to offer to pay him back. Mitchell does so, and is thrown off when Jay accepts the money. Now, he's spent Cam's inheritance! When Phil finds out that they had borrowed money from Jay all those years ago, he decides that this is the reason for all the distance between them. He pays Jay back, using the money that Claire had just gotten as a bonus from work.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: One Door Closes (2x15)

Woah. This episode was intense! Just last week I was complaining that most of this second half of the season had felt like really slow buildup. Well... that buildup just started paying off in a big way. Let's jump in.

Gordon (the eyeless guy) shows up at the safe house where Skye is staying, telling her that he can help her control her powers. Skye, who has been bored and alone, is intrigued by what Gordon has to say. Simmons had given her gloves to wear that are supposed to restrain her powers, but Gordon points out that maybe this is a way of protecting others from her, even more than it's about protecting Skye herself.

Meanwhile, Coulson finally confronts Mack about what's been going on. Mack doesn't admit to anything, firmly saying that he "works for S.H.I.E.L.D." Coulson realizes that Bobbi is in on it, and manages to call May. As May confronts Bobbi and Coulson has other team members train guns on Mack, Bobbi does something to short out the power on the base, plunging everything into darkness and allowing Bobbi and Mack to escape. Even worse? Bobbi has Fury's toolbox, the thing that he gave Coulson to help him rebuild S.H.I.E.L.D.

Simmons is able to take down Bobbi by pretending that she doesn't know about Bobbi's betrayal, and then casually handing her something that shocks her into unconsciousness. She regroups with Coulson and May. Unfortunately, Mack runs in to Fitz, who is trying to get the power grid back online. Mack tries to explain, but Fitz is having none of it. At that point, the rest of Mack and Bobbi's "real" S.H.I.E.L.D. team shows up and takes over.

Castle: Habeas Corpse (7x19)

I'm going to be ridiculously brief in my plot summary. Apologies in advance.

A personal injury lawyer winds up dead, and this takes the team into the world of seedy, corrupt lawyers looking to score a quick buck off of somebody else's misery. In the end, Castle and Beckett wind up finding a body buried in the woods - only it's not a body, but a crash test dummy that would have led to big money for another lawyer if it had been examined.

Much more importantly, there's a talent show going on in the police department! Esposito and Ryan are the reigning champs for the past two years, and they are ready for a third. Castle isn't allowed to compete, since he's not a cop. However, when the celebrity guest falls through, Gates asks Castle to step in. Castle agrees, but only if he and Beckett are allowed to compete together. Castle bets Ryan and Espo that he and Beckett will beat them in the competition. Esposito fakes an injury to make it seem like Castle will have an easy time of winning, so they up the stakes. Then, Beckett and Castle see Espo and Ryan practicing their routine and learn that Espo isn't really hurt.

Once Upon a Time: Best Laid Plans (4x17)

In this episode, we finally get some answers to the whole secret evil thing that Snow and Charming did. Let's dive right in to a plot summary and then I'll talk about some of the brilliant things this episode did.

Snow and Charming find a unicorn in the woods, and touch its horn to get a glimpse at their child's future. They're worried about the potential for darkness in their child. Charming sees a happy and beautiful baby, but Snow sees a different vision - she sees a teenage Emma rip her heart from her chest and crush it. Snow and Charming know they need to find a way to protect their child. They run into a peddler who tells them that Maleficent, in dragon form, has laid an egg. The peddler advises them to go through the forest to avoid Maleficent. They do so, and find themselves at the Apprentice's cottage.

The Apprentice says that he can take the potential for darkness away from their child, but only if they find an equally unformed and innocent vessel to put it into. They are appalled at the idea of harming another unborn child, but then Snow gets an idea - what about Maleficent's egg? Snow and Charming go to take the egg. Maleficent begs them not to take her child, and Snow promises that they will bring the egg back. The Apprentice transfers the potential darkness of Emma into the egg, but then starts to send the egg into another world. Cruella and Ursula show up to try and rescue the egg, but they are also sucked into the portal.

The Walking Dead: Conquer (5x16)

Yikes. There were a lot of things going on in this finale. At some points I worried that it was going to seem overcrowded or convoluted. There were so many plot threads, and they all came together at roughly the same time. But they lacked connection. Sort of a weird formula for a season finale, but I think it worked. Let's talk about everything that happened.

First of all, we check in with Morgan Jones, who is out in the wilderness. He is approached by a strange man with a "W" carved into his forehead. This man identifies himself as part of a group of "Wolves," and he demands that Morgan hand over all of his supplies. The man also says that he'll be killing Morgan. Morgan strikes back to prevent this from happening, and manages to kill both the man and his companion.

Daryl and Aaron are still out looking for possible recruits. Aaron tells Daryl about a time earlier when people were exiled from Alexandria. Daryl and Aaron find someone out in the middle of a field, but they lose track of him when they try to follow him. When they find some food trucks, they decide to abandon the search for the guy and stock up on supplies. Turns out, the food trucks are full of Walkers - it was a trap! Daryl and Aaron lock themselves in a car as the Walkers pound on the glass from the outside. Daryl offers to try and fend them off so Aaron can make a run for it, but Aaron insists that they try to escape together. Just as they are about to try, Morgan shows up and gets the Walkers away from the car, saving Daryl and Aaron. Aaron offers to bring Morgan back to Alexandria, but Morgan says he has other plans - he then shows Daryl and Aaron the map that he's been following. Daryl realizes that this map is from the church.