The Vampire Diaries: I Carry Your Heart with Me (7x04)

I didn't like this episode. There was almost nothing about it that drew me in. I feel like we're moving farther and farther away from the key elements I was hoping to get out of this season. Namely, I was looking forward to Damon and Stefan's relationship, but there were other things too. Let's take a look at this episode, and its unfortunately large number of flaws.

Cons:

Stefan and Caroline. I really do like the idea of them together, but this week's plot thread was just too silly. Because Damon hasn't given up Oscar to Lily, the dynamic Heretic lesbian duo of Mary Louise and Nora show up to Whitmore to wreak havoc. They tell Damon and Stefan that they will kill one Whitmore student per hour until Oscar is delivered to them. This causes Stefan and Caroline to think up distractions - namely, a big Halloween party, with costumes included. For a show that does a lot of big dances and events, this was a flimsy excuse at best. Stefan and Caroline making flirty eyes with each other while so many people were in real danger was a little hard to swallow. Of course, the vervaine curse on Caroline's skin means that there's lots of mounting sexual tension. They can't touch until one of the Heretics syphons away the curse. They trick Mary Louis and Nora into doing so, and then immediately fall into bed together. Okay... like, I know that Stefan and Caroline are a thing and we're all happy about it, but do they honestly not care about all the other crap that's going on? What about all the dead folks in Mystic Falls? You'd think Stefan would at least want to confirm that Elena really had been returned to Damon, too. I don't know... to me, these two came across as really selfish in this episode, and that's not something I'd normally associate either one of them with. On top of that, Caroline's stupid insecurities about Stefan's old flame Valerie continue to irk me. That whole plot thread is stupid.

Supernatural: Baby (11x04)

Wow. I've seen the fan and critical reaction of this episode so far, and I should warn you that I'm not going to be saying anything new. This episode was awesome. I don't think I have a single complaint. I'm just... I'm so thrilled.

Cons:

Ummmm.... let me wrack my brain for a flaw. The one and only slightly imperfect thing that I can think of is that sometimes the humor and the violence of the episode didn't balance very well. Like they were mostly going for a comedic take on the monsters, what with Dean's silly names for them and the awkward fight sequences inside the car. But then you have frankly a quite brutal beheading with the door of the impala... it made me cringe, and I wasn't sure if that was the reaction they should have been going for. But seriously, this is a nitpick. How can I not love this episode?

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 4,722 Hours (3x05)

I was so excited for this episode. To my knowledge, this is the first bottle episode that Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has ever done, and it was with a focus on Jemma Simmons, arguably the most underutilized main character on the show. I was so, so excited. And for the most part, the execution of this episode was excellent. But... I'm seriously, seriously annoyed with a few things. Let's take a look.

Cons:

The plot is very basic - we finally get to see what Jemma was up to on the alien planet. She records her experiences on her unrealistically not-dead cellphone, and eventually she meets Will Daniels, an astronaut from NASA who has been trapped on the planet for fourteen years. Jemma figures out when the portal will open again, but unfortunately they miss their chance. Jemma gives up hope, and falls in love with Will, both of them thinking they will stay there forever. At the end of the episode, Fitz shows up. Jemma manages to reach him, but Will stays back to fend off the mysterious and unseen force that's been plaguing them the whole time - the same force that caused Will's fellow NASA members to die. Fitz, upon hearing about Will, decides to help Jemma get him back. That's the plot.

The Big Bang Theory: The Helium Insufficiency (9x06)

The premise of one of these subplots had disaster written all over it, but they seem to have dodged a bullet. Let's take a look.

Cons:

The subplot this week concerned Amy's dating life. It turns out that Stuart has gotten a couple of dates on a dating app (clearly meant to be Tinder, although they don't say it). Penny and Bernadette think it would be a good idea to set Amy up on the app as well. They all sit around and examine the different men, making fun of them and giving Amy advice. However, we then learn that Amy has already been on a couple of dates with men. She's putting herself out there. Her friends are shocked that they haven't been told. I was worried when this plot thread started that there were going to be some really icky jokes concerning dating culture and Amy's sex life. For the most part, they managed to avoid veering in to offensive territory, but they replaced it with a lackluster plot thread. It wasn't completely awful, but it didn't really have any jokes that hit the mark, and, like almost always, I felt that there were some missed opportunities.

Once Upon a Time: Dreamcatcher (5x05)

Yikes, Emma. You're breaking my heart here. Which is, I guess, the whole point. Let's just dive right in.

Cons:

The main plot in Camelot this week was hinged on the fact that Henry has a crush on this girl Violet. However, once he tries to court her, she reveals that she just wants to be friends. Okay, that's all fine. This, unsurprisingly, upsets Henry. Apparently it upsets him enough to break his heart, and this is what causes me some doubt. Regina, quite selfishly, uses the tear of his heartbreak to help break Merlin out of his tree prison. I guess I'm just thinking that Henry's heart being broken by a gentle rebuke from a young girl he barely knows is a little... silly. Emma actually refers to this as Henry's "first love." Yeesh.

The Walking Dead: Thank You (6x03)

It's ironic that this episode is called "Thank You," because after watching it my reaction is "no thank you, take it back and bring something else instead, I refuse to accept what I just witnessed." I'm devastated. But I'm also a tad annoyed. Let's take a look.

Cons:

So... Glenn is dead. Now, this isn't a con in and of itself... I understand that people die on this show, and that just because something rips my heart out doesn't make it bad television. But here's the thing: they keep showing their cards. I suspected Glenn as a goner when he was only lightly present in the first episode this season, and then suspected it even stronger when he kept being all heroic, and then knew it for sure when he talked to Rick over the walkie talkie and called him "jackass," as an obvious call-back to Glenn's very first moment on the show. It was so obvious to me that they were going to kill Glenn that I started to wonder if maybe it was a reverse-psychology thing, and there was going to be a fake-out and somebody else would die. But no. It was Glenn. The buildup was so blatant that when it happened, I was half horrified and sad, and half angry that I'd been able to predict this so readily.

Doctor Who: The Woman Who Lived (9x06)

What a strange episode. But... I think I liked it, honestly. If you read my review last week you'll know that I was mighty annoyed about the introduction of yet another special mystery girl. However, due to  Maisie Williams' performance and an actually nuanced script, I'm eating my words. For once, it seems this idea was executed correctly.

Cons:

The action-y alien aspect of this episode was almost presented as a side-note, and it felt like a last minute tacked on scene. Essentially, Maisie Williams' character, going by the name "Me" for most of the episode, has an ally named Leandro, a lion-esque alien man who wants to open a portal to his world. Me is convinced that she will get to travel the galaxies, and she's all for the plan. Turns out, Leandro was tricking her, and his people start to invade. The whole thing was really only a set up so that we could come to the moment that Me, aka Ashildr, could realize that she still cares about the lives of humans. This could have been done in a simpler way, without the added element of a quick invasion.

The Vampire Diaries: Age of Innocence (7x03)

Okay, guys. I've got some bones to pick with this episode. I must be honest. It's painful to watch a show and understand exactly what they're trying to do, but watch them miss the mark so horribly.

Cons:

Valerie and Stefan's backstory took up a lot of the time this week, and it is a doozy. Apparently Lily wanted to send her "family" to check on Stefan and Damon and make sure they were okay before she turned her back on them for good. Damon got Oscar, which we'll get to later. Valerie, still only a witch and not a vampire, meets Stefan and falls for him. They have sex, she gets pregnant. Then, Lily's beau, a man named Julian, beats Valerie within an inch of her life and causes her to miscarry the child. Lily feeds Valerie her blood, Valerie tries to commit suicide, and consequently wakes up as the very first Heretic. Yikes. Nothing about this story was compelling. I think the goal was to recapture the days of star-crossed romance and adorable human!Stefan flashbacks, but we've already got the best we're going to get out of that idea, and her name was Katherine Pierce, and we should be RESPECTING THE DEAD, not introducing bland characters like Valerie to try and recreate something that was pretty close to perfect the first time around.

Grey's Anatomy: Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (12x05)

Amazing episode. Sort of different from what we've been seeing so far this season. I liked the fact that it was totally unrelated to the hospital. Most of the episode took place in Meredith's house, in fact. Let's take a look at the disastrous dinner party from Hell!

Cons:

There was one subplot that didn't work for me. Jo and Stephanie are at odds, as Jo now realizes that Stephanie was telling the truth about her childhood sickness. Jo tries to apologize, and eventually Stephanie agrees to listen to her. They seem to patch things up, but then Jo says she understands Stephanie better now, and feels a sense of closeness because of their shared hardships (Jo was poor, Steph was sick). Stephanie accuses Jo of being jealous, of needing to find an excuse as to why Stephanie is better than Jo at their job. Stephanie leaves, disgusted with Jo. I didn't really understand the direction this plot thread took. I liked it right up until the end. I wish there could have been a more complex handling of events. I was hoping that their "repaired" friendship would show signs of strain, but I was baffled by Stephanie's anger. It didn't really work for me in terms of the narrative.

Modern Family: The Verdict (7x05)

Lots of different plot threads here - pretty much every character had something to do. I'm not sure I was  a fan of a few of the plot threads, but others were pretty cute. Let's get started.

Cons:

Claire gets to be boss for the day, since Jay is out of the office. She brings Haley and Alex with her for "bring your daughter to work day." Predictably, her day is awful. Nobody at the office wants to have her as their boss. They all insist that they wait for Jay. Things come to a head when Claire tries to make a farewell speech to a retiring employee and inadvertently prepares the speech about the wrong person. This plot thread was... uninspired. It had a lot of slapstick humor with Claire getting more and more banged up throughout the day. I rarely enjoy slapstick. Then there's Haley and Alex, who had nothing to do the whole time but cringe and look worried about Claire's antics. I think the point of this plot thread was that Claire wanted to impress her daughters, and then later they tell her that she already impresses them all the time. This was sort of a shoe-horned lesson that didn't hit the mark for me. Everything about this plot thread was predictable, too. It was no surprise that Claire's day kept getting worse and worse, and there were no twists to keep me on my toes.

Supernatural: The Bad Seed (11x03)

The number one thing I like about this season so far is that they're pushing the story forward. Quickly. I know we'll have some C-plot episodes to contend with in the coming weeks, but these first three episodes have done a lot more than simply establish a villain. They've already set up all our major players in interesting ways. We'll be adding Metatron to the mix soon, and then the real fun (read: nightmare) can begin. Let's take a look at this week's adventure!

Cons:

The script this week had some really clunky moments. The most awkward one was when Sam and Dean encounter a witch who had recently been with Rowena. They ask her to scry, and she pretends not to know what that is. Sam angrily says that she knows exactly what it is, and then angrily explains it to her anyway, obviously as a way to let the audience know what scrying is. There were also moments in the bunker when Sam told Dean that they were trying to find Metatron and Rowena. Obviously Sam was telling the audience, but there was no reason to say it out loud like this in-story, since Dean obviously already knew what they were doing. Very clunky.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Devils You Know (3x04)

Wow! Things are getting mighty intense... I love this show. Honestly, it's just so incredibly solid and amazing. Let's get started.

Cons:

The only con I can think of is that all of the stories were so excellent that it might have been nice to drag them out a little more. We've got all this stuff with Lash and Daisy and the ACTU, and then there's a bunch of stuff with Hunter, May, and Ward. Each one of these plot threads could have filled out an entire episode, with the Fitz, Simmons, and Bobbi stuff as a subplot. Doing all three stories in one episode did mean that there wasn't a lot of breathing room. But honestly, if they can keep delivering action-packed and interesting episodes, I'm okay with a little bit of crowding.

The Big Bang Theory: The Perspiration Implementation (9x05)

This one was fine. I was annoyed at some things, of course, but amused by others. As always, I felt there were missed opportunities. Let's take a quick look.

Cons:

The main plot seemed to revolve around the following well-thought-out premise: "lol nerds don't exercise!" That's super annoying. This show can be so insulting to nerd culture, even as it claims to be celebrating it. Aggravating, to say the least. I wasn't at all amused by the list of sports that they couldn't participate in because they were such big nerds. Also, as a big lover of the fitbit myself, I thought Howard's silly trick of making it look like he was moving around was rather stupid. I'm sure he would have gotten thousands of steps just from walking around at work!

Stuart had the beginnings of a real plot thread here, but it was sort of abandoned. He asks the girls why he can't attract more girl customers to his comic book shop. They talk about how creepy he is, and Stuart admits that he's bad at being comfortable around girls. This could have been a chance to explore Stuart's character a bit more, but as per usual they didn't stick the landing. I really wish this show had better follow-through.

Castle: The Nose (8x05)

This season of Castle has been enormously frustrating thus far. Each of these episodes seems to have moments and ideas that prove it still knows how to be a good product. But the whole thing is dragged down by a completely nonsensical and forced conflict between Castle and Beckett! This episode had quite a few problems, actually. There were a few great elements, though. It's confusing!

Cons:

Beckett and Castle's separation still makes no sense. I won't rant about this too much, I swear. Suffice it to say, all of the longing glances, and the sniffing of each other's clothes... it would be touching, if I thought there was any good reason for them to be separated in the first place. I'm not buying the whole wistful glances thing. Why the heck aren't you two just together, then, if you both so clearly love each other? Stupid.

Ryan and Esposito's story dovetailed into outright ridiculousness this week. We find out that Esposito passed his Sergeant's exam, but that Ryan did not. That part is fine - I actually find it interesting. But then later, while they're trying to track down a suspect, Ryan accidentally shoots Espo in the ass. This is played entirely for laughs, as the two continue to bicker about it. Eventually, Ryan even bends over and tells Espo to shoot him in the ass to make up for it. What the heck? This is so... weird! The slapstick humor thing is okay occasionally, but shouldn't this be a bit of a bigger deal? I would expect Ryan shooting Espo to be a cause for some serious angst and drama, not a couple of quick lackluster laughs. And shouldn't Ryan get into trouble? This just really bothered me.

The Walking Dead: JSS (6x02)

Well. All I can say right now is... that wasn't what I was expecting. Last week, we were left with a cliffhanger, as a large horde of Walkers were heading toward Alexandria. And this week, we didn't pick up where we left off. Instead, we saw what's been going on at Alexandria, and... yikes! Let's jump right in.

Cons:

A lot of stuff was going on. Like, a lot. We didn't even check in with Rick, Glenn, Daryl, and everybody else outside of the community, and yet there were still too many characters to keep track of. Some characters got little tiny snippets that seemed like they were going to turn into stories, but there wasn't room. Maggie, for example, was trying to help Deanna heal from the death of her husband. That got interrupted. Father Gabriel is still trying to make amends, but doesn't seem to be getting very far. I have no problem with these plot threads, but they didn't have room to breathe in this episode.

Once Upon a Time: The Broken Kingdom (5x04)

This episode was sort of underwhelming, but in a good way. I don't have a lot to really complain about, but it didn't keep me as excited and pumped as the first three episodes of the season did. Still, I'm looking forward to what comes next.

Cons:

Magic sand. In this episode, we see flashbacks of Camelot from when Arthur first became king. He is obsessed with finding the Dagger of the Dark One so he can fix Excalibur and be worthy of the Kingdom. Guinevere is lonely and scared, since Arthur never pays attention to her. She and Lancelot go to find the Dagger. Rumplestiltskin won't let them take the Dagger, but he does give them a vial of magic sand that can "fix anything." Guinevere plans on using it to "fix" Excalibur, so that Arthur will think his task is complete. But when Arthur figures this out, he pours the sand on Guinevere instead, and that "fixes" her doubts about him, and turns her into a loyal and supportive wife. Later, the king and queen use the magic sand to "fix" Camelot so that the kingdom is happy, and then years later, they "fix" Mary Margaret and David when they discover Arthur's treachery.

Doctor Who: The Girl Who Died (9x05)

I really liked this episode. It was great. But... God, I don't know. Am I being too picky? Too sensitive? There were still some things I really would have liked to see differently.

Cons:

In this episode, the Doctor and Clara end up with a village of Vikings. All of their warriors are kidnapped by aliens, and the remaining villagers must defeat these aliens with the odds stacked against them. How do they manage this? Well, the Doctor comes up with a brilliant plan, of course! I don't mind that the Doctor saves them, but it bothered me that Clara literally sat back and waited for him to come up with the answer. Her only contribution was to remind the Doctor that he needed to come up with a brilliant solution. For that matter, Clara is the damsel in distress twice in this episode. The first time, the Doctor saves her as she floats around in outer space. This is clearly the tale-end of an unseen adventure. Clara was totally helpless. Then later, Clara and Arya Stark (uhh... I mean Ashildr) get kidnapped, and they only survive because Ashildr challenges the aliens to a battle. I guess I just really miss the companions having a bigger role in saving the day.

The Vampire Diaries: Never Let Me Go (7x02)

Unfortunately, this episode had a lot of structural weaknesses. However, that being said, what it's setting up for the future is still really strong. I think both the premiere and this episode lack a lot in terms of being stand-alone episodes, but both did a good job of establishing some cool ideas for what I still believe might turn out to be a great season. Let's get started.

Cons:

The Heretics are not interesting as villains. They're not terrible, but their familial bonds feel a bit forced. It's sort of like a retread of the Originals, but I found Klaus, Elijah, and Rebekka much more interesting than Lily and her gang. We find out in this episode that one of the Heretics, Valerie, met Stefan years ago, and is still pining. That's... weird. And didn't we already have a crazy powerful pining vampire in love with Stefan Salvatore? There's no way Valerie can fill Katherine's shoes.

Enzo is still floating around being useless as a character. We do learn one new thing about him, and that is that apparently he has the hots for Mama Salvatore. What? No! I am 100% not okay with Enzo crushing on Lily. It's awkward and forced and it's coming out of nowhere. Enzo needs to go away now and never come back.

Grey's Anatomy: Old Time Rock and Roll (12x04)

A great episode. I mean there really aren't any episodes of this show that suck - they're all pretty much great. But I really liked this one. Lots of focus on Maggie, and on Stephanie, two of my faves! Let's jump right in.

Cons:

The main "catastrophe" of the episode is a bus crash with a bunch of senior citizens on it. The older doctors keep calling this a "silver flood," and the interns don't know what that means. I didn't like this little plot device. Rather silly way of trying to make a joke out of it.

In Stephanie and Amelia's plot, a controversial medical method causes the tension. I wish we could have had a bit more explanation as to why Amelia was so convinced that the method would work. I sort of agreed with Stephanie - it seemed too brutal to me!

Supernatural: Form and Void (11x02)

Damn, this season is awesome. Cas is a precious cinnamon roll and I want to hug him a lot. I have a lot of things to praise. But... unfortunately I have a few things to seriously complain about too.

Cons:

STOP KILLING ALL THE FEMALE CHARACTERS 2K15. For f**k's sake, Supernatural. Learn your damn lesson. There were four female characters in this episode, and three of them died. The grandma, Jenna, and Hannah. Hannah?! Are you for serious right now? As many people have said many times, it's fine to kill off a ton of characters, but when you kill off the very, very small part of the cast that's actually bringing some sort of representation of minorities, that's a big problem. There are so few women on this show. Jenna was new, and interesting, and they implied that she was queer. And Hannah was actually recurring. Now they're both gone?! I'm so frustrated!

Crowley had a lot of great moments in this episode, but at the end he pulls up in a van and offers a little girl candy. He has a bunch of other little kids in the back of the van. This seems... creepy beyond Crowley's usual creepiness. I don't know. He also makes a joke about altar boys while dressed up as a priest. Is it just me, or are these jokes crossing some sort of a line?

Modern Family: She Crazy (7x04)

Pretty cute episode! A few things in here felt like re-tread, but it's okay to go back to simpler concepts sometimes. Let's take a look.

Cons:

Manny and Gloria's plot thread was about how they both had crushes on people but couldn't talk to them. Manny's crush was on a barista, and Gloria's was on a Spanish soap opera star who was in the city. She couldn't bring herself to talk to her, even when she approaches her in the lobby of a hotel. Both Manny and Gloria are confounded by their lack of confidence, but they give each other pep talks. Gloria continues to make a fool of herself in front of her celebrity crush, but Manny bravely calls the barista and asks her out. She says yes. I didn't really like this plot thread because it didn't offer anything new or creative. The jokes were all stale. Manny has a crush on a girl, and his sophistication surprisingly wins her over? We've been there. Gloria loses her confidence briefly? We've done that too. It felt like we could have had something a bit more solid with this concept. It wasn't horrible by any means, but it didn't much grab my attention either.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: A Wanted (Inhu)man (3x03)

Really solid episode. Gosh, this season has me so pumped! I guess I'll start with a few things that didn't work so well for me, but for the most part I'm happy. And intrigued!

Cons:

Lincoln and Daisy kiss. I'm totally fine with the two of them having a romance, but when they started locking lips I rolled my eyes. It's not really the time for that, is it? And it seemed to come out of nowhere - the kiss would have felt more convincing if it weren't for the fact that they haven't actually spent any real time together in months. The situation is pretty serious - members of ATCU and S.H.I.E.L.D. are vying for Lincoln, and Daisy thinks a smooch is the way to win her case? Bad timing, girl.

I'll talk more in a minute about Hunter and May's plot thread. I liked it for the most part, but there was this one little detour where May was pulled out of the room by three rape-y dudes, and May (predictably) kicked their asses. It's always cool to see May pull the bad-ass fighter routine, but this little fight seemed to have nothing to do with Hunter's struggles to infiltrate Hydra. Why include it at all?

The Big Bang Theory: The 2003 Approximation (9x04)

This was a surprisingly enjoyable episode. It actually got a lot of laughs out of me. I'll start with a few problems, but surprisingly I really don't have a lot to complain about.

Cons:

Emily is back. Which is great, but where the heck has she been? I get annoyed with the long gaps between her appearances, because it means I literally can't remember what happened last time she was on the show. Did she and Raj ever break up, or did that go away? I honestly can't remember, and that bothers me.

The main focus of the episode is on Leonard finally moving out of Sheldon's apartment and into Penny's. The only problem is, after a lot of really great material about how hard it's going to be, and how it will be a big adjustment, Penny and Leonard cave and decide to keep things how they are. They'll spend some nights in one apartment, and others in the other. This is annoying because it's another example of this show refusing to take risks. I wish we could have some real change to shake things up!

Castle: What Lies Beneath... (8x04)

I wanted to like this episode. In fact, I did like this episode in many ways. But I'm still pretty annoyed by one big thing, and it definitely influences my opinion of the whole episode. Let's take a look.

Cons:

Beckett and Castle's separation still makes no sense. I know I already talked about this in last week's review, so I'll try not to go overboard. But honestly - if Beckett's enemies were going to target Castle because they were married, wouldn't they still target him if he's constantly around? And if that's not the reason for the separation, then what is? It's so stupid!

Beckett's search for Vulcan Simmons - I'm fine with this in principle (although I still don't understand why she left Castle). There was a really awkward scene here, though. She calls in a narcotics specialist to ask about testing heroin samples against one another. The guy explains the process to her, and then Beckett repeats pretty much his exact words to get clarification, and then he leaves. It was super stilted and strange, and obviously the scene was only in there so that Ryan and Espo could walk in and notice that she was up to something mysterious. It felt very sloppy.

The Walking Dead: First Time Again (6x01)

This was a very solid opening episode. It managed to pick up where we left off, but also skip forward into something new and invigorating. I'll start with a few concerns, but for the most part I'm happy!

Cons:

There are a lot of characters in this show, and this premiere added even more. There's a group of people who belong to the Alexandria community that come back from a scouting trip. They've been absent since before Rick and his group arrived, so they are strangers to our main cast of characters. That's a totally fine idea, but I still feel like I'm reeling from all the new characters from last season, so it's a little difficult to keep track of yet more newbies. Hopefully things will slow down at some point soon, so we can spend some time with all of these new characters.

On a similar note, the overcrowding means that we got pretty much no Carl, and very little of Michonne, Carol, Maggie, etc. It's frustrating to come back after such a long time away and not get to spend time with many of my faves.

Once Upon a Time: Siege Perilous (5x03)

Well... my heart is broken, let me tell ya. That was some serious angst, and some excellent plot twists. I'm beyond excited for whatever comes next. That being said, there were a few things that didn't live up to my exacting standards.

Cons:

In Camelot, we spend most of our time with Arthur and David, as the two of them go on a quest to find a toadstool that will help them communicate with Merlin, who is still trapped in a tree (or as a tree, I'm not really sure which). The chemistry between Arthur and David was pretty much non-existent. I think they were trying to set up some bromance vibes, but it didn't really work. It would have made Arthur's betrayal a lot more poignant if we could have felt some real sense of camaraderie between these two.

Belle spends the episode angsting away about Rumple's fate, but at the very end she sees that the rose's petals have reconnected with the flower. Rumple is awake! Too bad he's not where she left him. The truth of Rumple's location is awesome, but Belle's quiet waiting around is not. I wish I could feel invested in Belle/Rumple, but I just can't.

Doctor Who: Before the Flood (9x04)

Unfortunately, this episode wasn't as good as the first part. Part of my disappointment is coming from my very high expectations - I should remember never to get my hopes up. It wasn't awful by any means - it was actually still very good. But it didn't have the polished excellence of the first half. Let's talk about some of the problems.

Cons:

Convoluted plot resolution. Last week's episode stuck with a very simple premise, with enough mystery and intrigue to keep it interesting, without weird details overwhelming the narrative. This week, things got very twisty very quickly. I was particularly annoyed by the time-loop that the Doctor got stuck in, and the reveal that the ghost of the Doctor was actually a projection that the Doctor set up himself. I don't know... sometimes I wish the Doctor didn't have such brilliant plans all the time. It gets dull.

In this half of the episode, we learned that the four remaining guest characters are all love interests. Cass, the Deaf woman, and her interpreter are apparently in love, and the other guy had feelings for the other girl (O'Donnell), before she was tragically killed. Was that really necessary? I don't mind a little romance, but I was actually enjoying the strong bonds between these characters as bonds of friendship. I just thought it was a little annoying and too convenient to pair everybody up like that.

The Vampire Diaries: Day One of Twenty-Two Thousand, Give or Take (7x01)

A pretty solid opening. Obviously it's going to be difficult for this show to maintain itself without its leading lady, but this premiere gave me some stuff to look forward to. It wasn't great, but it was good enough that I think they can still improve from here. Let's go ahead and look at what happened.

Cons:

Enzo. At one point in this episode, Caroline asks Enzo to "pick a side." There's a lot of chaos between Lily and her vampire-witch friends, and the rest of the town, and Enzo is stuck in the middle. When Caroline said that to him, I couldn't help but feel like she was speaking for the whole audience. And then Enzo does pick a side... and he picks Lily? Ugh. Enzo has never been as interesting as the show wanted him to be. It feels like he's this errant character with no real place. He doesn't fit in anywhere, and it's exhausting to watch them try to make him function in the story.

Alaric. He wants to bring Jo back from the dead. Most of his plot thread in this episode was completely divorced from the rest of the action, as he talked to psychics in an attempt to communicate with his dead wife. At the end, we see him in the morgue, where Jo's body is apparently still being kept cold, against hospital policy. He wants to bring her back. Ugh. No. I'm sorry, but there's only so many times a character on this show can cheat death. It gets really exhausting and repetitive. I feel like this plot thread was just proving a point that I really didn't want reinforced - Alaric doesn't really have a place on this show anymore, either. All the stuff with Jo and the Gemini Coven has been pushed aside, in favor of Lily and her gang. Alaric was so tied up in last season's plot thread that I'm not really sure what they're going to do with him moving forward. I don't want anymore rehashing of old material.

Grey's Anatomy: I Choose You (12x03)

Alex Karev! If Jo doesn't want to have his babies, then I will! I love him. I also love Maggie. And Arizona. And pretty much everything that happened in this episode. I honestly can't think of much to complain about.

Cons:

April and Jackson. Their plot thread this week focused on April refusing to leave the house, and Jackson continually asking her to leave. April says she'll keep fighting, but in the end, Jackson packs up his stuff and crashes on Bailey and Ben's couch. I really don't mind some focus on the relationship woes of Jackson and April, but there was nothing really gripping here. I was totally on Jackson's side. April is completely out of line, and I guess I was just hoping for a bit more nuance.

Pros:

Alex Karev stole this whole episode. He is amazing. There are so many things to talk about here. The main case of the week involves a woman who gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl. Both of the twins need a liver transplant, or they will die. The father of the babies is a match, but only one baby can be saved. Alex says he will decide, based on which twin is healthier. Alex gets more and more upset when forced to make such an impossible choice. Just as he's about to pass the decision off to somebody else, Arizona steps in and gives him this amazing speech about what kind of Doctor he is, and how proud of him she is. Alex saves the girl, Emma, and tries to save the boy too, but it's no good. Daniel, the little boy, dies. Arizona and Alex's relationship makes my heart sing. I love the mentor/student dynamic, and I loved the throwback to the first time they ever really talked. Arizona knew from the very beginning that Alex could go the distance. Alex isn't used to people being proud of him, and I loved getting to see him accept that praise. I'm proud of Alex, too!

Supernatural: Out of the Darkness, Into the Fire (11x01)

After last season's rather disappointing finale, I was approaching this premiere with skepticism. Could Supernatural really give me a premiere that would reinvigorate the show? Put it back on track? Get me interested? I'm happy to say that the answer is YES. I have a few questions/concerns, but for the most part I think this premiere bodes very well for the season.

Cons:

We learn in this episode that the Darkness, newly released, is a woman. Now, this is totally fine in theory - I've always liked the bad-ass female villains on this show. Lilith, Ruby, Abaddon, and now Rowena. But if they're going for an "Original Sin" angle, or, even worse, trying to do a twisted love interest thing with Dean, I'll be really annoyed. I guess what I'm saying is - they haven't done anything to piss me off with this yet, but I'm keeping a close eye on the situation.

This other complaint is... well, it's complicated. I really do ship Destiel, truly, but this episode reinforced a really uncomfortable trend in the relationship between Dean and Cas. I loved their phone conversation, and I'll talk about it in a minute, but I also hate the fact that Dean knows Cas is in trouble, but instead of telling him to meet them somewhere, he just immediately starts asking him questions, and using him for information once again. Cas is a great plot device when it comes to information about ancient powers, but I really wish Dean didn't jump right past Cas being in trouble, and straight to how he could help them out. I don't know... am I being too sensitive?

Modern Family: The Closet Case (7x03)

There were four plot threads in this episode, and I really enjoyed three of them. Let's get to it.

Cons:

The one plot thread that I didn't enjoy very much was the Alex, Luke, and Manny plot thread. Alex Skypes Luke to talk about her relationship with Sanjay. Luke notices a hot girl changing in the background, and encourages Alex to keep talking so he can watch her undress. Luke is then inspired to go visit Alex at college, and brings Manny along. The two of them hang out with two college girls, who give them their consent to kiss them. Luke goes back to Alex's room to get some gum, but finds Alex in distress. Sanjay has broken up with her. Luke decides to stay with his sister instead of going back to the girls, but Manny stays with the hot girls. Okay... is it just me, or was Luke totally pervy in this episode? I mean, he was trying to see a girl undressing without her consent. I didn't feel like there was any good addressing of that really gross behavior.

Also, why did Sanjay and Alex break up so quickly? What was the point of having them try to work it out if it was going to end so soon? I don't know... maybe we'll get more with Sanjay later, but it seemed really strange to do all that stuff with Sanjay in the premiere, and then just cast it aside now.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Purpose in the Machine (3x02)

!!!! I was not expected this to happen so soon! For the most part, I loved this episode. Truly loved it. My fangirl heart is very happy. But my critic's brain does have a few things to talk about before the gushing begins. Let's get to it.

Cons:

I can't believe I'm saying this, but there's a part of me that's disappointed that Simmons is back already. I was thrilled to see her, but in a sick, masochistic way I was looking forward to the buildup, and the angst, and Fitz's deteriorating mental state as he continued to desperately search for his lost love. As amazing as it was to see the daring rescue, I'm starting to wonder why we even had that detour in the first place, if Simmons was destined to return so quickly. I guess we'll have to wait and see how the Monolith fits in with the rest of the season. If it doesn't play a role, then I'll be a tad disappointed.

Castle: PhDead (8x03)

Not as strong as the two-part opener. I think I'm already seeing some problems with mixing this whole Castle and Beckett separation in with the usually somewhat humorous tone of the show. I was pretty disappointed in some parts of this episode. Let's take a look.

Cons:

Both Castle and Beckett seem to have faulty logic when it comes to their relationship. Beckett is staying away from Castle because she can't "let it go," and has to keep hunting down leads on the people who killed her FBI teammates. But if these guys are really so evil, won't Castle be in danger no matter what? Even if he sits passively on the sidelines, which Beckett knows he won't do, he'll still be a target if Beckett keeps digging. The bad guys aren't going to leave Castle alone just because Beckett left to "protect" him or whatever. That's a load of crap.

Then there's Castle, who continually insinuates himself into the precinct's case this week, in order to try and impress Beckett. His logic is that since solving cases was what made her fall in love with him, he needs to solve more cases to impress her! What the hell? Obviously a screw has come loose in Castle's head. Beckett still loves him - he doesn't need to impress her with his smarts. She knows who he is, and she loves him. What he needs to do is respect her desire for space, if he wants a chance of really working things out. Castle's quest to impress his wife felt like a very desperate excuse to get Castle working with the NYPD again. Very weak.

The Big Bang Theory: The Bachelor Party Corrosion (9x03)

Eh. It seems the early-season excitement is wearing off, and I'm remembering why this show pisses me off so much. Let's get started.

 

Cons:

 

Howard and Raj kidnap Leonard to take him to Mexico for a belated bachelor party, and they drag an unwilling Sheldon along. I was hoping for a lot of hilarity, but as often happens with this show, they wasted the opportunity. Instead of seeing a hilarious bachelor party, most of this plot thread was spent driving in a van, and then trying to take a flat tire off of the van, with no success. In the end, they end up setting fire to it, which is even a bigger deal than it seems, because this van belonged to Richard Feynman. While we could have been spending time seeing what these boys would do for Leonard for a bachelor party, we instead got a basic "stranded by the side of the road" plot thread.

 

On top of being lazy, Sheldon's racism was really grating. He's afraid of Mexico because of "banditos" and "scorpions" and worries that they'll be kidnapped and forced to work in a factory manufacturing items for Americans. In another show, I'd almost believe this was meant to be satirical, and if we could have seen the other guys react negatively to Sheldon's racism, then this could be played a little more complexly. But as it stands, it felt like a cheap way to get laughs, and I didn't appreciate it at all.
 

Once Upon a Time: The Price (5x02)

Another very solid installment! This season is really, really awesome so far. The strongest stuff we've had out of this show in quite some time, maybe since the first season, even. Let's jump right in.

Cons:

There were a few disingenuous character moments here and there. Mostly, they were minor, but I do feel I have to say something. I thought Zelena's presence in this episode was awkward and contrived, especially when Regina had her pose as a serving wench during the stay in Camelot. Come on. Really? It's one thing to see a defeated enemy, it's another to turn a formerly formidable foe into comic relief.

I watched this episode with a friend of mine, and the two of us were rather giggly about the continual talk of "Merlin's prophecy." It sort of felt like Arthur had been given a very specific prophecy that mapped out exactly what was supposed to happen. That's a little silly. This show never does a very good job of determining the rules of magic. Merlin is obviously very powerful - so who trapped him in the tree? Oh well. Probably not the right thing to be focusing on, but it did annoy me a bit.

Doctor Who: Under the Lake (9x03)

Wow! This is going to sound unbelievable coming from me, but I wasn't annoyed by a single thing in this episode. It was really, really amazing! Let's dive in to a few little nitpicks, and then I'll just sing the praises of everybody who worked on this.

Cons:

A few little things that the Doctor said rubbed me the wrong way... I just hate it when he's a total jerk. I miss the Doctor who saw the wonder and goodness in all humans. This one is disdainful of anybody who isn't as smart as him - which, by the way, is everybody. I wish we could see some more nuance with this. Even the little joke about the notecards, where the Doctor apologized for his callousness by reading off of cue cards that Clara had prepared for him, didn't really hit the spot.

There was a conversation where the Doctor warned Clara not to become too much like him. He says this because Clara is thirsting for adventure. I'm not sure what they were trying to get at here, but it didn't quite work, because Clara has always been interested in adventure. I don't really see that as being part of the Doctor's corrupting influence.

Grey's Anatomy: Walking Tall (12x02)

Another solid episode! Not as strong as the first one, but still... a lot of good stuff is going on here. Let's start with some cons.

Cons:

The main plot centers around Bailey's first day as chief, and the remarkable patient she wishes to save. This woman is over seven feet tall, and they discover that this rapid growth is caused by a tumor on her pituitary gland. I've got to say, the woman who played the patient was not a very good actor. I hate to be mean to the guest stars, but there you have it.

This plot thread was meant to showcase Bailey's struggle to be a good chief. She ends up yelling at everybody a lot, and not treating them with respect. While I liked this in theory, I felt that maybe some of it came across as a bit extreme. There was no subtlety to Bailey's behavior. She acted horribly the whole time, then apologized. I wish we could have seen more layers.

Modern Family: The Day Alex Left for College (7x02)

I don't know if I liked this episode all that much. It wasn't in-your-face horrible or anything, but I felt like the themes were all over the place. Too many plot threads to juggle, not enough focus on what should have mattered. Let's get started.

Cons:

I'm going to briefly mention the list of the different plot threads here, so you can see my main complaint: this episode was too crowded, and too disconnected.

- Alex leaves for college a day early so she can avoid the hassle of messy goodbyes. Phil and Claire are shocked and sad. Haley drives Alex, where they meet her annoying roommate. Haley tells Alex that she should give her roommate a chance, because sometimes it's nice to have somebody be your cheerleader.

- Phil tries to get Luke interested in showing a house, but Luke seems more interested in hanging out with his hipster friends. In the end, Phil lets him go off with his friends. Luke proves he still cares by rescuing some duck eggs for he and his dad to look after. Claire uses this as an excuse to call Alex and ask her all about caring for duck eggs.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Laws of Nature (3x01)

I'm so happy that this show is back. Honestly. So, so happy. I literally just watched the episode, and I'm already impatient for more. Let's get started.

Cons:

No May! This isn't really a serious flaw in the episode, since I know she'll be back soon, but still. It was sad not seeing her.

I think I was missing May so much because I don't find myself particularly interested in Bobbi or Hunter at the moment. Maybe their little romance was just distracting me from the better stuff in this episode. It wasn't awful by any means, but it wasn't holding my attention like everything else was. I'm curious about where Hunter is about to run off to, as we didn't get a lot of answers about that here. But other than that, I could have done without these two.