The Vampire Diaries: Kill 'Em All (7x20)

Okay. I'm going to rapid-fire this one. Short version? I didn't like it.

Cons:

This episode continues the crusade to kill off the vampires released from the Phoenix Stone, while Bonnie and Rayna wait back at the safe house.

Let's start with Matt and Stefan. Despite the fact that Matt tried to have Stefan killed, I guess they can still work together. Matt tells the story of how Penny died in a car crash, but how he didn't quite believe it to be true. Stefan was in town the night Penny died, and Matt thinks Stefan killed her. Turns out, Matt found footage of Stefan compelling him, so Matt knows Stefan is hiding something. Turns out, Matt killed her accidentally, thinking he was shooting at a vampire.

First of all, the chemistry between Matt and Penny is pretty negligible. Also, I just don't feel enough of a connection to the characters to make this emotionally affecting. I wish that Matt's journey towards hating vampires could be a bit more nuanced than him simply seeking revenge for Penny's death. After a lot of nuanced buildup with Matt's character this season, the payoff is pretty weak. I can't believe Matt is stupid enough to let himself be compelled. He should be constantly protected with vervaine, shouldn't he? What a moron. The reveal that Matt killed Penny could have worked with a better buildup, but, again, I didn't really care about their relationship. And Matt still blaming Stefan is some next-level bullshit. Stefan isn't the reason for everything bad in the world, no more than Damon is. Stop scapegoating the Salvatores!

The Big Bang Theory: The Fermentation Bifurcation (9x22)

I really, really liked one of the plot threads here. And then the other one was so-so. In all, this is an improvement from the past couple of weeks.

Cons:

Claire and Raj. UGH. So done with Raj and his disgusting ways. Basically, Penny gets a free wine tasting from her work, and the gang (minus Bernadette and Sheldon) go along. Raj invites Claire, and the rest of the night turns in to everybody talking about their relationship. Penny's ex-boyfriend, Zach, also turns up to wreak havoc. My complaints about Raj stand: apparently he has told both Emily and Claire that they're not exclusive, but he hasn't definitively told them about each other. Also, Claire seems to be really interested in Raj, but I still don't understand why. What is their connection built on?

Also, Zach's appearance here was mostly wasted. He made a few decently funny jokes, I guess, but I expected a lot more. Or rather, if I trusted this show to turn out humorous content, I would have expected a lot more. As it was, Zach mainly stood around offering one-liners, and didn't really speak to Penny at all. The writers also made sure to remind us of Zach's past on the show by having Zach tell us the history of him and Penny breaking up, dating again briefly, and then ending things for good. It just didn't do much for me.

Grey's Anatomy: You're Gonna Need Someone on Your Side (12x21)

This is one of those classic Grey's Anatomy episodes with a million different story-lines going on at once. I'm sort of conflicted about how to grade this one, because I really loved some plot threads, really disliked others, and then there were a few things that I liked in execution but not in principle. There's a lot to talk about, so let's jump in.

Cons:

Amelia and Owen. I thought this back-and-forth nonsense was put to a rest, but this week they've fallen back in to old habits. They sleep together, then Amelia says they can't do it again, and the cycle repeats. The resolution here is that now they're going to try and be together for real, despite how messy and complicated it's bound to be. My question is - what happened to Amelia needing to look after herself and not get involved with someone? This couple just doesn't do it for me anymore, because of how many times they've gone back on it, then reunited, then broken up again, all in the span of one season. Also, the cheesy conversation at the end about how they were both scared? Ugh. Such a cliché.

Arizona and Callie's plot thread, as I've mentioned several times, does not make logical sense. This week, both of them went around asking people to side with them and testify in court. I was so annoyed with Meredith and Owen, who both immediately said they would back Callie. I get that Meredith is closer with Callie, but it still felt like a cold thing to do. Don't they see Arizona's side in this? Conversely, I was annoyed at Alex for not taking sides, because I feel like he's the only person who rightfully should be in Arizona's corner. Whenever I watch them both getting so worked up and upset over this, I keep going back to my original point about this plot arc: it's contrived. Within the scenario, I'm fine with the way the story is progressing... but the scenario itself is stupid!

Supernatural: The Chitters (11x19)

So! A perfectly serviceable C-plot episode with a gay couple, lots of Winchester bro parallels and maybe some Destiel material to boot, and a lot of ominous foreshadowing for the next few weeks? I'm pretty pleased with this one.

Cons:

This episode has the painful "we have no leads, so we should go on a hunt" conversation that so often starts Sam and Dean's story in C-plot episodes. It's getting so repetitive that I literally cringe whenever the formula repeats itself. Dean is researching frantically, Sam says that they have no new leads, and that they should keep moving forward. Dean reluctantly accepts, and they're off on a hunt. If we could find a more original way to do the establishing scene, that would be just dandy, thanks so much.

Another bit of tired writing comes at the very end, when our excellent guest characters Jessy and Cesar have this exchange: "You did it." "No, we did it." I think these phrases need to be retired from the English language. In an episode with a few bumpy writing moments, this one stood out the most to me.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: The Singularity (3x18)

Yes! What a good episode. Lots of interesting stuff going on as we ramp up to the finale. I'm pretty happy.

Cons:

My only real complaints about this episode are in what we didn't see.

After last week's focus on the Secret Warriors, we drop them out of the story again. I guess Elena and Joey went back home? Off-screen somewhere? Whenever these characters are around, I really like them and everything they're doing with them. But then they just get dropped unceremoniously!

This episode was mostly about finding a way to save Daisy from Hive's mind control, and we maintained focus there for the majority of the story. But did you know that Hydra was also defeated in this episode? Yeah. Just a small detail, I guess. In an odd moment, Coulson and May watch video footage of their operatives (led by Talbot) blowing up various Hydra bases and strongholds, thanks to information fed to them by Malick before he died. Okay... I'll admit the Hydra stuff hasn't been the most compelling thing lately, and I get that Hive is our main adversary for the last few episodes, but still. This is Hydra we're talking about. For such an intense villain, we're supposed to believe they can be taken care of basically as an afterthought? And how does this work? They're not really gone, are they? Is the Marvel Movie Universe going to acknowledge this? Or are we supposed to think that Hydra was only the small strange cultish pockets led by Malick, and now it's really all over? I feel like they wrote themselves into a corner with Hydra, and had to find a way to get them out of the way so Hive could take center-stage. A little sloppy.

Castle: Dead Again (8x19)

Every time the word "LokSat" is said in this damn show, I have a visceral reaction. I freakin' hate the A-plot of this season so much. What a way for Kate Beckett to go out. Yeesh. Let's dive in to a rather confusingly executed episode. I didn't hate it, actually. That being said...

Cons:

The main plot of the week was interesting, creative, and funny. It involved a guy who kept "dying" and then waking up, and the guest actor was great, Castle was great, lots of fun material here. Juxtaposed to that was some forward motion on the A-plot, something that we haven't seen in a long while. Caleb Brown shows up and tells Beckett she's going to end up dead if she doesn't stop poking around in LokSat's business. Caleb ends the episode by giving Beckett a phone that LokSat has been using to contact him for jobs. He hopes Beckett will be able to bring him down once and for all.

My main complaint is not necessarily with either of the two plots, but with the bewildering way in which they fit together. That is to say... they don't fit together at all. The tonal inconsistencies in this episode were off the wall. Alan, the guest character who kept surviving attempts on his life, took a sort of dry optimistic look at his life, and each time he didn't die, there was a lot of comedy through Lanie's exasperation, Alan's bland acceptance, Castle's excited belief that Alan is a superhero, and more. And yet in between these scenes, we've got Caleb making dark threats and Beckett contemplating the possible end of her life. These two things do not gel together. At all. And it showed.

Elementary: Turn It Upside Down (4x22)

Eeeek! This was awesome. Totally awesome. I mean in some ways I should have seen it coming, but in other ways it was so well done that I didn't realize what it was all leading up to until it happened. Let's dive in.

Cons:

I really have very little to complain about. The one thing I'll say is that in this episode, Sherlock finds out what Joan has been up to with Emil Kurtz, and he is not happy about it, understandably. He yells at Joan, but later the fight is brushed under the rug with just a little too much haste. I wish we could have gotten a better resolution to their conflict. It's so rare to see these two at odds, and it might have been fun to explore the tensions just a touch more. Honestly, though, this is a tiny nitpick.

Pros:

Where to even start? How about with the basic plot. Joan tells Sherlock that she believes Emil Kurtz was assassinated, and thus the two of them turn their suspicions on Morland. Sherlock fills Gregson in on what's going on. When Gregson talks to Morland, Morland deduces that the NYPD believes he is a suspect in ordering the hit on Kurtz. He thus helps in the investigation in order to clear his own name. Turns out, there's a psychological test that determines people's moralities. Somebody who was on the team to help develop the test was using the results to find people who might be willing to do heinous things - murder, primarily - for the right incentive. These people were then being sent as assassins to clean up various messes.

Once Upon a Time: Sisters (5x19)

Well... it wasn't bad. But it wasn't awesome.

Cons:

Our main story focused on Zelena and Regina. I really liked the stuff with the titular sisters, but unfortunately this also came with a rehashing of how evil Cora is. In flashbacks, we see that when Regina was just a child, she injured herself accidentally with her mother's wand. The only way to save her was to find a blood relative with magic who hadn't caused Regina harm. So, Cora goes to where Zelena is being verbally abused by her adoptive father, and takes her away to heal Regina. The two girls quickly become friends, and when Zelena accidentally undoes the blood magic on one of Regina's locked cases, the girls realize that Zelena must be related to Regina. Cora confirms that they're sisters. When Regina expresses a wish for them to all be together as a family, Cora says no, because Regina can't count on anybody but herself. If Zelena comes into their family, Regina will never get the chance to be queen.

Seriously - what was the logic in sending Zelena away? Somebody explain it to me, because I sure as hell don't understand it. Why not try and get both her daughters into positions of power? Instead, she uses a memory potion to wipe both girls' minds so that neither of them knows about the other. Why is Cora such a tyrant? I don't really get it. The lesson about love being weakness was rather lame.

Outlander: Useful Occupations and Deceptions (2x03)

Fergus! Yayyyyy! This was everything I could have hoped for, honestly. I'm beyond thrilled about his introduction. I'm pretty happy with everything in this episode, honestly. I have a few quips, but this season is shaping up to be just as impressive as the first.

Cons:

Claire and Jamie's main goal in France is to prevent the Jacobite rebellion, and we as the audience have got to hear them talking out loud about it so we can understand where they are in their goal. I get all that. But sometimes they just talk willy-nilly in front of the servants in their household, and I'm sitting here thinking - use discretion! They could let something slip that could get back to Jared, at the very least, or potentially a more important Jacobite who could hear that they're trying to undermine the effort. It seems like carelessness on the part of Jamie and Claire, all for the sake of streamlining the plot.

There's this moment where Claire goes to Master Raymond's shop, and she sees Raymond talking to Comte St. Germain about some shared venture. The Comte is openly hostile to Claire. Book readers know where this is leading, but honestly... the Comte is a little bit too obvious of a villain. They keep having him pop up to remind us of how evil he is and how much he hates Claire, and it's lacking in subtlety. (Wow, that it seriously my one consistent complaint about this show, isn't it? Too on the nose!)

The Vampire Diaries: Somebody That I Used to Know (7x19)

Well... I don't know, man. This episode just left me feeling kinda gross about some things, and generally "meh" about others. There were definitely some good elements, don't get me wrong, but it wasn't... it wasn't great.

Cons:

The premise is basically that Rayna, who is trapped by Enzo, has agreed to die and put her essence into Bonnie, thus saving her. But there's one catch: first, Damon, Enzo, and Bonnie have got to go around killing the vampires that got released from the Phoenix Stone. Damon calls Stefan to help out, and Stefan teams up with Alaric to take down more of the vampires.

The premise is okay, or whatever... but I have a couple of major problems. First of all, Alaric and Stefan's whole thing in this episode was to fight over Caroline. They were both reasonable and level-headed for most of the time, but in the end Stefan makes some crack about how Alaric and Caroline have separate bedrooms, and Alaric snaps. I understand that Caroline hasn't been around due to Candice Accola's pregnancy. But at the same time, I find myself really uncomfortable with a whole episode dedicated to talking about her and what she would want, when she's not even there to speak for herself. And beyond that, the Alaric/Caroline thing freaks me out. I still think the age difference is prohibitive, and I hate that nobody is bringing it up.

The Big Bang Theory: The Viewing Party Combustion (9x21)

Ugh I hated this episode. I hated almost every single thing about it. This show can really get on my nerves sometimes. Let's take a look.

Cons:

The basic premise here is that everybody is supposed to gather to watch Game of Thrones, but various fights break out which separates the party into two. Leonard, Amy, and Howard stay over at Sheldon and Leonard's place, while Penny brings Sheldon, Raj, and later Stuart over to her place. This premise is actually quite solid, which is why it pisses me off that they fail to do anything good with it.

First of all, Leonard and Sheldon's fight is over the roommate agreement. Leonard doesn't want to go to a meeting, and he puts his foot down, despite the fact that the meetings are mandatory in the agreement. Penny takes Sheldon's side, because she knows how important it is to him, while Amy admits that she always hated the meetings that went along with their relationship agreement, and she takes Leonard's side.

This argument was founded on exactly nothing. Leonard has always been affably annoyed at Sheldon's quirkiness. They've had serious fights before when Sheldon went too far or seriously impeded Leonard's life in some way, but for the most part, Leonard goes along with Sheldon's idiosyncrasies. His entire reason for putting his foot down in this situation was "I don't wanna." But since he'd always been willing to go along before, what caused this abrupt switch? There was no justification whatsoever!

Grey's Anatomy: Trigger Happy (12x20)

Okay. I really liked this episode in a lot of ways, but there were a few big things that I'm just having trouble getting behind.

Cons:

This episode tackles the issue of gun control. Sort of. I rather liked the fact that they didn't tackle the bigger political issues of gun regulation and stuff like that, because I just don't think there's a way to convincingly cover the topic on a show like this. Instead, they kept it small, specifically looking at the dangers of having a gun in the house, as a kid accidentally shoots his friend with his mom's gun. The complaint I have about this is that the show didn't address the fact that all of these characters should have severe gun-related PTSD. Alex mentions that he got shot, but what about the fact that Amelia's father was killed via gunshot, and her brother Derek was once wounded severely as well? A lot of these people have lost loved ones or at least watched the people they care about suffer due to guns, and yet that wasn't really brought up or addressed.

Amelia does a good job of comforting the kid who shot his friend, which I'll get to in a second, but Owen uses Amelia's kindness and compassion to continue harping on the Riggs/Megan drama. Apparently Megan called Owen and told him that Nathan was cheating on her, and Owen told Megan to get on the chopper and get away. So now we find out that Owen told Megan to get on the helicopter that ended up "killing" her. My God, am I sick of this plot thread. It's moving at a freakin' snail's pace.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: The Team (3x17)

What a great episode! Seriously. This was awesome. I'll start, as I always do, with a few complaints, but for the most part this makes me seriously happy.

Cons:

My cons for this episode aren't actually complaints about this episode in and of itself. They are complaints about the pacing of the season overall. For example: Malick dies in this episode. The way he dies doesn't bother me, and it furthers the story in a meaningful way. But in the scope of all we could have done with him, Malick died too quickly. We were just starting to play with the idea of his turning on Hive, but that will never go anywhere now. Coulson didn't get his revenge, Hive didn't suffer retribution for killing Malick's daughter... it all just went nowhere.

Similarly, this episode sees the Secret Warriors come together for their very first real mission, and then by the end of the episode they've been torn apart. On its own, this episode kicks ass in terms of character building and teamwork, but it would have packed an even bigger punch if the Secret Warriors had been given a chance to go on missions before this episode. It's sort of like the big twist of Ward being Hydra in Season One. It was phenomenal when it happened, but it makes the lack of nuanced development leading up to it really disappointing.

Castle: Backstabber (8x18)

Ugh. Last week gave me such hope. And then this week is just... ugh. Plus there's the fact that ABC is in talks with Nathan Fillion for a Season Nine, but it's now confirmed that Stana Katic will not be returning. If there's another season of this show and Beckett isn't even on it, then I'm not sure how I'm going to keep pushing my way through. Let's just get started.

Cons:

This is a Hayley-centric episode. In short, the plot is that she inadvertently helps a terror attack that causes the lights to go out in London for a short time. She didn't know what she was involved with. Castle and the others all trust her, and she works with them to discover the truth. Apparently, her old partner from MI6, who she believed to be dead, was the one who caused the attack. He wants to run off with Hayley and the millions of dollars he got for the job. Hayley says no, and her former partner almost kills her. Hayley is forced to kill him instead. Hayley's name is cleared, and she decides to decline MI6's offer to return to work for them, instead staying on with Castle's PI business.

This plot thread has nothing terribly wrong with it, exactly, but... what the heck is Hayley doing in this show? Honestly, I like her just fine, but she makes no sense! In this episode, despite the fact that Hayley is implicated in a terror attack, Beckett is totally fine with covering for her and helping her hide from the FBI. I understand that our main four characters have earned this level of unprofessional loyalty... but Hayley? I mean, sure, we've seen her bonding with Castle and Alexis. But not Beckett! Not Ryan and Espo! There were lines in this about how Hayley had found her family and I was just like... what?

Elementary: Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing (4x21)

I loved this episode. I loved it more than the episode actually deserves. In many ways, it was nothing special, but it felt like it was written by a true fan of the show. Somebody who understands what the fans really want. Let's dive in.

Cons:

My love for this episode does not come from the A-plot, even though it was perfectly decent. I get sick of saying this, but the fact is, the character development and the subplot material is just so much more interesting than the murder-of-the-week stuff that I always find myself checking my watch when case work is going on. In this one, there's a double homicide that appears to be staged to look like the two men killed each other, when in reality it was a third shooter. Nothing wrong with this plot, but I do wish we could find better ways to incorporate character growth into the main plots of each week's episode.

Once Upon a Time: Ruby Slippers (5x18)

OH MY GOD YAY! Let's talk about it.

Cons:

There's a brief subplot in this episode where Belle goes to Zelena and asks her for help in getting out of Hades' deal. Belle does indeed come up with a plan - prick herself with a magic spinning wheel and enter into a sleeping spell. That will suspend her pregnancy until Rumple can find a way to save their child from Hades. Then, Belle wants Rumple to bring her to her father so that he can administer a True Love's Kiss. She knows Rumple isn't the man to do it.

Belle... what the Hell. You're being so stupid! I was just getting excited about this new take-charge version of Belle, but now her great plan is to literally sleep through the fight and trust that Rumple will find a way to save the kid? Ugh. What? So dumb.

Zelena/Hades still isn't doing anything for me. This week we got more with Zelena wanting to leave to spare her child pain, and more of Hades telling her to buck up and try and fight for her kids. I'm sorry, but none of this is grabbing my attention, and it didn't really propel the A-plot forward at all.

Outlander: Not in Scotland Anymore (2x02)

There is a lot to talk about in this episode. We are definitely not in Scotland anymore, that's for sure!

Cons:

One of the most consistent complaints I've had about this show is that it sometimes fails to trust its audience. This was particularly true in this week's episode. The plot is fairly basic - Claire and Jamie endeavor to start making contacts in the world of the Jacobites. Jamie meets with Charles Stuart in a brothel, and later Claire and Jamie attend the court, where they meet King Louis XV. The quickness of their progress into the center of court life might be a tad unrealistic, but more than that I felt like some of the dialogue was way too spot-on. Especially when Jamie and Murtagh go to meet Bonnie Prince Charlie in a brothel. They've been talking for literally two seconds when Charles tells Jamie that they need to get funding for the Jacobites and that they need to talk to the French Finance Minister, and that Jamie should go and do it because Charles is an unofficial guest in Paris. That's a lot of trust this guy is placing in Jamie, who he literally just met. I guess I understand the need to propel the plot forward and not waste time, but I think a lot of this information might have been presented to the audience with more subtlety.

This lack of subtlety is also apparent in the introduction of some of our new characters. We meet a lot of new people in this episode, and we got a few caricatures thrown in. Particularly, Louis XV and Bonnie Prince Charlie. Both of these two came across as bumbling comedic figures with no greater depth or substance. In the case of Louis XV, I think this more light-hearted take might work out wonderfully. In the case of Charles Stuart, I do hope that we add some complexity to his moronic countenance as the season continues. It's too early to judge too harshly.

The Vampire Diaries: One Way or Another (7x18)

I don't really understand the point of this episode. Or indeed the point of this season. I feel like this entire season has become nothing but buildup without a conclusion. What do I mean by that? Well, let's get to discussing.

Cons:

The main plot focuses on Damon trying to get Stefan reunited with his body. He recruits Alaric to help him. They learn that the sociopathic serial killer in Stefan's body will only turn over the body if Damon delivers Rayna to him. If Damon does that, the killer will vacate Stefan's body, and, with Valerie's help, will enter another body instead. Meanwhile, Enzo needs Rayna to help him figure out how to save Bonnie from the pills with Rayna's blood that she's been taking to suppress her magic and hide from the Armory. Since Damon can't get to Rayna, he despairs at getting Stefan's body back. The killer in Stefan's body goes to track down the body that Stefan is currently in, hoping to kill him and get Damon off his back. Damon and Alaric show up in time to save Stefan, and Valerie manages to complete the transfer spell.

I have numerous complaints with this main plot. First of all, it was all resolved way too quickly! We barely got to see Paul Wesley play with the evil character. I was expecting a lot more to come out of the whole frat party setup, too. This episode seemed like a waste of time when you get right down to it... clearly the various freed vampire souls from the Phoenix Stone are going to continue to cause havoc, and that's going to be our focus moving forward. So why even have this brief detour of Stefan being in danger?

Grey's Anatomy: There's a Fine, Fine Line/It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding) (12x18/19)

When I saw that this episode was going to focus on Ben and Miranda, I wasn't really looking forward to it. A two-parter about this weird forced Ben drama? Ugh. However, I'm happy to say that for the most part I was kept really entertained and drawn in to this messy and heartbreaking situation. While this might not have been the strongest episode in the world, it was nevertheless a very solid contribution to the season.

Cons:

I'm going to start with a nitpick: last week, we saw that Penny's decision to apply for the grant caused a rift between her and Jo and Stephanie. This week? That rift is totally ignored and they don't even bring up any resentments or weirdness. That was an uncharacteristically sloppy piece of writing for this show.

On a larger scale, the plot with Penny pissed me off for other reasons. I liked some things, and I'll talk about that in a moment, but here we go: this week, the second half of the two-parter brought in a lot of subplot material regarding Penny and Callie, and how their relationship will survive with Penny moving to New York. After a pep talk from Arizona about making things work, Callie decides that she should move to New York with Penny. Arizona, frightened that Callie will take Sofia with her, goes to a lawyer and prepares to sue for custody. Since there's also an ongoing custody subplot with Jackson and April, they do a fake-out where you think it's April deciding to sue Jackson, but instead it's Arizona deciding to sue Callie.

Modern Family: Man Shouldn't Lie (7x19)

Ugh. This show is really disappointing sometimes. Mostly because I know how good it can be. And then you get an episode like this, and it's just kind of baffling. One of these plot threads had potential, there were a few good elements here and there, but mostly this was just bad. Nothing in this episode made a solid landing, unfortunately.

Cons:

Let's start with the worst one. Claire finds a dog in the street and brings it home, but she insists that she and the kids hide the dog, because if Phil sees it he'll get attached and want to keep it. In an effort to keep the dog a secret, Claire continuously has to make weird excuses for her behavior, which leads to Phil thinking that Claire is mad at him for not listening to her, and for letting himself go as a stay-at-home dad. Phil continually tries to apologize, until Claire finally admits the truth about the dog. Turns out, Phil knows who the dog belongs to, but he's excited that Claire might be willing to let him have a pet.

This plot thread veered away from funny and into terribleness very quickly. What kind of monster would Claire have to be to let Phil continue to think she was mad at him? She even fake-cried and got Phil to believe that she needed "space" from him. Phil seemed genuinely upset and worried, and it was just... unpleasant to watch. And the jokes about hiding the dog all veered very quickly into slapstick territory, such as when Claire made coughing and crying noises to cover up the dog under the blanket, or when Claire watched Phil eat dog food, since he believed it to be a protein snack. These jokes were just not funny at all.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Paradise Lost (3x16)

I liked everything about this one, but I didn't think it was a particularly outstanding episode. Let's take a look!

Cons:

I think the reason this episode didn't quite reach perfection for me was that it felt like setup. Next week, we're finally getting the promised Secret Warriors episode, and so there was a bit of a sense of marking time here, for me. This episode had so much information in it, but still somehow had the feeling of nothing happening until the very end, where we got the lead-in to next week. I don't know. Maybe I was just in a weird mood while watching.

The subplot was good for the most part, but it also had a moment of stupid in it. Lincoln and Daisy go to meet a guy who used to live in Afterlife with Lincoln, but never activated his powers. They promise this guy, James, that they will help him activate his powers if he tells them what he once stole from Afterlife's storage. He reveals a mysterious Kree orb of unknown import, that was apparently wielded by Hive at one point. I'm so, so tired of McGuffins. Particularly Kree ones. It's such a tired idea. I guess I'll have to wait and see what they do with it...

Castle: Death Wish (8x17)

Subplot is too cute!!!! Main plot also had lots of fun stuff. In all, this felt like an old episode of Castle, with silly antics and a fun team dynamic. A winner!

Cons:

Alexis popped into this episode a few times to help her dad with the case, but she wasn't really relevant, and I could have done with either a) more of her or b) none of her.

Similarly, Martha had the beginnings of a subplot where she asked Castle for her help in getting Oprah's endorsement for her new book. Castle tries to call in a favor, but the case distracts him, and the subplot is literally never brought up again. Maybe we're seeding this for a subplot down the line, but in any case... it didn't really work.

Elementary: Art Imitates Art (4x20)

This episode was meatier than the first one of the night, but I also had a bigger complaint about it. Let's dive in.

Cons:

So, the case this week involves an old murder being brought back into the limelight, as the convicted murderer is actually innocent. It all gets tied up with a guy who does appropriation art by taking people's selfies and re-contextualizing them as works of art. That sounded interesting to me, but Sherlock took on the snobbish attitude that selfies are an uncouth and narcissistic practice that one should stick one's nose up at. I hate this attitude. Usually when Sherlock gets all morally superior about something, it's about a big corporation stealing money from the helpless, or a practice that upholds elitism and stomps on the little guy. This time, Sherlock's snobbishness was turned towards selfie culture. My mini-rant on the subject is this: selfies are confidence-boosters, and the only reason they get dragged so hard is because they are a type of social media most often engaged in by young teenage girls, and must therefore be cultural sludge. The rich and powerful have been sitting for portraits of themselves for centuries. Aren't such portraits merely a more expensive and time-consuming form of the selfie? Now that this type of self love and self portrayal is available to the masses, must we deride it as a study in narcissism? Usually I agree with Sherlock when he shows distaste for something. Here, I was disappointed in the show for taking the party line on selfies and not doing anything to complicate the status quo.

Also, much like last week, the interesting character stuff far out-shadowed my interest in the actual case. By the time we had gone through exonerating the wrongfully accused guy, figuring out about the forgeries, discovering that the guilty party was having an affair, finding a scientist who was falsifying DNA evidence, and finally landing at the solution, I felt disconnected from the reality of the murder we were trying to solve. That can often happen when the case gets too convoluted.

Elementary: All In (4x19)

Since there are two reviews for Elementary this week, I'm going to try and rapid-fire these. We'll see how it goes. I'm bad at being brief.

Cons:

The main case involved an illegal high-stakes poker game, with a hidden spy, and the NSA gets involved, and Agent McNally is there, and a robbery that ended up just being a distraction. Since the other things going on in this episode were so much more interesting, I got sort of lost in the case. It wasn't that it was bad... I just didn't care that much.

Pros:

There were some great things about the case, though. I love Sherlock's not-at-all veiled distaste for the NSA, and the way he thwarts their attempts to spy on him within his own home. I also loved the fact that Bell solved a key part of the mystery by uncovering the spy equipment in a light in the apartment where the poker game was taking place. It was also interesting how all the players at this high-stakes poker game seemed to be involved somehow, but each had their own criminal motivations unconnected with the actual robbery.

Once Upon a Time: Her Handsome Hero (5x17)

I wasn't particularly happy with this one, although I do like some of the ideas it was setting up. And the subplot was good, so there's that.

Cons:

Today's episode was Belle-centric, which I don't have a problem with in theory, but I'm getting really, really annoyed with the Rumple/Belle situation, so... yeah. In the backstory, we learn that Gaston was actually infatuated with Belle, but when he tried to torture a young ogre to learn information about the ogre's position in the coming war, Belle loses respect for him. Still, in order to save her kingdom, Belle agrees to marry Gaston so that Gaston's people will help her father's people win the war. From there, as we know, Belle is kidnapped by Rumple, and Rumple kills Gaston. This plot thread wasn't terrible or anything, but I felt like it lacked complexity.

Gaston actually seems like a mostly okay guy, but then abruptly we're supposed to hate him for hurting the young and innocent ogre. And yeah, sure, Gaston should have waited for Belle to turn up with a magic mirror that would reveal if the ogre's intentions were good or bad. That would have been the kind, heroic thing to do. But Gaston is under the yoke of the same standard xenophobia and general brutishness that most other people would have fallen into as well. His position, that they should use the young ogre to find out the truth about the upcoming war, wasn't actually as evil as it might sound at first glance. I wish we could have seen a bit more moral ambiguity here, instead of making Belle the paragon of virtue, and then having Gaston's one big mistake totally erase his good qualities.

Outlander: Through a Glass, Darkly (2x01)

This show is a thing of beauty. Honestly I just love it so much. I cannot wait to see what they do with my favorite characters, many of whom have not been introduced yet. Given how much I love this version of Claire, Jamie, and the others, I have high hopes for what's to come. I'm so happy to have this show back.

Cons:

Nothing too bad to report, really. I guess if I had to say something I'd point out that the smallpox incident towards the end of the episode felt a bit rushed. Essentially, Claire and Jamie are in France by the end of the episode, and as Claire is walking along the docks, she sees some severely weakened and sickly men being carried off the ship. She diagnoses the dead and dying men with smallpox, which infuriates the owner of the ship, since his ship and all its cargo must now be burned to try and eliminate the spread of the disease, which will cost him a lot of money. The owner of said ship is the Comte St. Germain. This character, as anybody who has read the books will know, is of vital importance moving forward. I thought his introduction was a little too sudden, and perhaps a little too on-the-nose. He gets to make quite the grand entrance, which clues everybody in to his vital importance without much subtlety. It's a small thing. I don't know... the whole smallpox scene at the end seemed to happen in the blink of an eye.

The Vampire Diaries: I Went to the Woods (7x17)

This was a pretty great episode, with one annoying thing that keeps me wondering where the hell they're trying to lead us this season. Let's dive right in.

Cons:

I'll start with a few housekeeping things - small complaints that don't ruin the episode, but nevertheless grate on my nerves:

Caroline and Alaric are creepy together. We don't see Caroline this week, which is also dumb, since she hasn't been around in a while, but we do learn that Alaric has fallen in love with her, while she just said yes to his proposal because it made sense for the kids. I'm sorry, but doesn't anybody else remember that Alaric used to be a father-figure for Elena? Elena, who is the same age as Caroline? And yeah, I know Caroline isn't really seventeen anymore, but her vampire body is frozen at that age, and Alaric is just going to keep getting older. In no time at all, this is going to start looking realllllly strange from the outside.

Still no Bonnie, and no explanation of what Enzo has been up to. And we did see Matt briefly, but that was just so he could clue Alaric in to what was going on, just before Valerie and Rayna showed up to mess up his domestic world. We still don't know the story behind Matt losing his girlfriend. I'm starting to get a bit frustrated with all these loose ends.

The Big Bang Theory: The Big Bear Precipitation (9x20)

Eh... not so great.

Cons:

With this show, I'm always lamenting wasted opportunities. Sheldon, Amy, Leonard and Penny all go out to a cabin in the woods for a couple's vacation, but instead of exploring the great outdoors, they end up inside playing "never have I ever." Is there any reason why they couldn't be doing that back home? I wish they could have mined the scenario for a few more comedic possibilities. Other than a joke about how Penny and Amy started a fire while the guys were discussing the scientific possibilities for the task, we didn't really get any jokes based on the fact that they were away on a vacation.

Grey's Anatomy: I Wear the Face (12x17)

I didn't dislike this episode, but I also didn't like it. There were only a few details that made me happy, and quite a few things that annoyed me a little bit. Let's talk it over. Maybe I'll work my way towards my feelings by typing out all the different things going on here. And I'm going to do it quickly.

Cons:

Owen, Riggs, and Meredith go on a rather pointless expedition to retrieve a heart. They get stuck in traffic and the heart is not viable by the time they get there. Owen learns that Riggs bought Amelia the drink that triggered her relapse, and adds that to the reasons he hates him. Owen reveals to Meredith that Megan (his sister) got on the helicopter in part to get away from Riggs, who was cheating on her. That's part of the reason he blames him for Megan's death. This plot thread made me roll my eyes a lot. I'm getting really sick of the protracted conflict between these two. And what a pointless expedition for the three of them to take! There was no real medical angle here at all! And I'm sorry, Owen, just because Riggs cheated on Megan doesn't make him responsible for her death. Get a grip. I guess things will be set to rights when Megan miraculously shows up some time soon...

Jo, Stephanie, and Penny are all trying to go for this special grant that the residents are eligible for. I liked a lot of stuff about this plot thread, but I'm also annoyed... see, Jo and Stephanie end up being quite cruel to Penny when they find out that she applied, after she told them she wasn't going to. Get a grip, girls. You're all supposed to be friends. Also, Penny getting the grant in the end is all well and good, except for the fact that it's causing unnecessary drama in the Penny/Callie relationship. Penny will now have to move away for a year. Last week's episode just took them to the next level of their relationship. It's too soon to throw another wrench in. Also, I was annoyed at Stephanie for being so angry at Amelia for not having her back in recommending her for the grant. Turns out, Amelia did recommend Stephanie, but she also told the truth about her opinions on Penny, and the other attendings came together to choose Penny in the end. Amelia didn't betray Stephanie! I wish she wouldn't be so whiny and childish about it all.

Modern Family: The Party (7x18)

This was a pretty decent episode! It knew what it wanted to be, and it accomplished its goals admirably. Let's dive in.

Cons:

There was just one moment that made me really annoyed and twitchy. Mitchell and Phil are going together to a sci fi movie, and they ask Lily if she wants to come along. Claire says she shouldn't go, because "you'll be the only girl there." I hate that. Girls are nerds too. Girls like science fiction. Science fiction wouldn't exist if it weren't for women, and many of the most famous science fiction franchises would have fizzled out if it weren't for female fandom. Gah. These kinds of jokes are old and tired and nine years of The Big Bang Theory has made me particularly sensitive to it. GIRLS LIKE NERDY THINGS TOO.

Pros:

That small (yet undeniably annoying) quibble aside, this episode was successful because it paired some unusual characters together and really explored the full comedic potential of these pairings.

Supernatural: Hell's Angel (11x18)

Lots of big players in this one! Pretty much all of our main cast came out to play and cause havoc, and the result was a lot of fun, and pretty intense to boot. We're going in to a mini-hiatus, with the next episode coming back at the end of the month. I'm glad to get some good A-plot stuff thrown in before the break.

Cons:

That all being said, I will admit a certain amount of frustration with this episode's main story. After everything was said and done, we got no closer to solving the Amara problem here. The only thing we learned is that Lucifer, armed with a Hand of God, is not enough to take Amara out by himself. And didn't we already know that? Since everybody was here and ready to rumble, I might have expected a bit more progress to be made. At the very least, it might have been nice if we'd gotten one more piece of the puzzle in terms of how to actually take Amara down.

On a more nit-picking note, there was one line of Dean's that I really, really hated. As I'll mention towards the end of this review, this episode was very Destiel-ish. I've noticed this really gross tendency to include awkward out of place reminders of Dean's heterosexuality whenever we're getting too close to Dean getting emotional over Cas. In this one, Sam points out that Cas wanted Lucifer to posses him, and maybe they should respect his wishes. Dean says that sometimes he wants a girl wearing a Zorro mask to slap him when they're in bed, but that doesn't make it a good idea. It was just such a weirdly crass line that it stood out to me. A sloppy piece of writing to make it into the final cut. I would love to see more examples of Dean having a healthy emotional/sexual response to women. That would be fine with me. Great, even. I want to see Dean branch away from having Sam be his only emotional anchor. On a personal level, I'd love for him to turn to Cas. But if it's somebody else, cool. Just maybe round it out and make it a more interesting part of his character, instead of periodically shoving a reminder down our throats that Dean likes having sex with women.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Spacetime (3x15)

Wow, this was a seriously powerful and impactful episode. It had a few little things that didn't quite hit their marks, but for the most part it was stellar. Let's get started.

Cons:

I'll talk about the main plot in a moment, but the basic premise involves Daisy seeing the future. To try and stop that future from happening, Coulson suggests that Daisy stay put at base and have May go and do the things that Daisy was doing in her vision. This plan is circumvented when Andrew shows up to turn himself in. He says he can feel his final transformation into Lash coming on, and he wants a chance to say goodbye. He also wants to make sure that S.H.I.E.L.D. is the one who has custody of Lash once Andrew is no longer in control at all.

The scenes with May and Andrew were... well, they were okay, mostly resting on the strength of the acting. But they still came across as rather cheesy: they even had a moment where they each put their hand to a pane of glass separating them and it just didn't feel earned. Also, I get that there had to be a reason for May to stay behind so that the future would play out just like Daisy saw, but this wasn't quite strong enough of an excuse. I feel as if May still would have wanted to go on the mission. From what they knew at the time, Daisy, Lincoln, and a new Inhuman named Charles were all potentially going to die on this assignment. I feel like May would have made the tough sacrifice and left Andrew alone in that case.

Castle: Heartbreaker (8x16)

This was the best episode of the whole season. It was Espo-centric and it made me so happy. If only more of this season could have been like this.

Cons:

There was a subplot with Beckett and Castle that I didn't care for. Basically, Beckett has now officially moved back in with Castle, and she finds that Lucy, Castle's weird AI thing, seems to be jealous. Beckett switches the program to a male's voice, named "Linus," at the end, and Linus seems to not like Castle. I guess this plot thread could have been cute, but it detracted from all the much better stuff going on in this episode. I'm super annoyed that Alexis, Martha, Ryan, and Espo all took the news of Beckett and Castle's reconciliation without more than a shrug. I wanted them to get pissed! All the lies, all the weird deceit... I'd be livid if my friends or family members pulled something like that on me. As glad as I am that we can put the stupid separation plot line behind us, it's aggravating how quickly everybody forgot about all the months of idiocy preceding this reunion. This blasé return to the status quo really illustrates how weak and pointless the whole of this season's main storyline has been up to this point.

The Walking Dead: Last Day on Earth (6x16)

Well that was dumb.

Cons:

Seriously, it was just dumb. One of the worst episodes this show has ever produced. What a letdown after such a great half of the season. I could go on and on about this, but I'm going to try and keep things concise.

First of all, the entire episode was one long, drawn out setup for the last fifteen minutes. Just like this season was building up to Negan, this episode was building to him too. Now that would be just fine, if it weren't for the fact that the characters themselves seemed to just be marking time until the final showdown. Nothing that happened before the last fifteen minutes or so felt important or significant at all.

The basic setup is this: Rick, Carl, Abraham, Sasha, Aaron, Eugene and a very sick Maggie all take the RV to try and get Maggie to the doctor at Hilltop, but they are continually stalled by groups of Saviors blocking their way. They are essentially herded into the woods, where they are ambushed by the biggest collection of Saviors yet. Daryl, Rosita, Michonne, and Glenn are added to the mix, and this entire group is lined up kneeling on the ground. Negan emerges at last, and says he wants these people to work for him - but first he's going to kill one of them with his bat, Lucille, to teach them a lesson. He ruminates over who will be his victim, and then as the episode ends he brings the bat down hard on an unknown victim, as the others scream and cry.

Once Upon a Time: Our Decay (5x16)

Eh... I care very little about Zelena even on the best of days, so a Zelena-centric episode wasn't something I was looking forward to. And this one wasn't terrible or anything... but it wasn't great either. Let's get started.

Cons:

This episode primarily focused on Zelena and Hades and their strange past romance. In short, Hades traveled to Oz years ago to help Zelena figure out her time travel spell. He wanted to use the spell to go back in time and make sure that he bested his brother Zeus, instead of getting trapped ruling the Underworld. As Zelena and Hades work together to get the ingredients they needed for the spell, Hades falls in love with Zelena. He claims that only True Love's Kiss can free him from the Underworld, but before he can seal the deal, Zelena gets paranoid - what if Hades is just trying to free himself from the Underworld so he can take the time travel spell for his own gain, leaving her behind?

Years later, Hades forces Rumple to help him open a portal to Storybrooke to fetch Zelena's daughter. Belle and Zelena come with the baby and end up in the Underworld as well. Zelena realizes that she cannot protect her child from Hades, so she tearfully gives her over to Robin and Regina's care. Then, Hades shows up and tells her that he had no plans to use her child for a spell or indeed harm her in any way. Hades was trying to take the child for Zelena, so that the infant would be protected from Zelena's heroic enemies. Zelena vows to get her daughter back now that she knows Hades is not  a threat, but she still doesn't take Hades up on his offer of being with him. It's all too much - she can't find it in her heart to truly believe in Hades' love for her.

The Vampire Diaries: Days of Future Past (7x16)

At this point I'm just kind of dead inside. I want to be surprised but I'm just not. As if what happened the other week on The 100 wasn't bad enough. As if The Walking Dead didn't just kill off one half of a female pairing. Oh no. We need more women who love women to die. In this very special episode of The Vampire Diaries, we get two for the price of one. For God's sake.

Cons:

Mary Louise and Nora die. In principle, I'm annoyed. And in execution, I'm also annoyed. I guess there are a few things I like about the death, sort of... like I do enjoy the fact that at least they decide to sacrifice themselves for love and for the potential greater good and all that... But even though they got to go out in a blaze of glory, it's still not working for me on the bigger level. STOP KILLING LESBIANS. SERIOUSLY. But more than that, their deaths were tied up in the Armory plot, which has got to be the most boring and inane thing this show has done since... I don't know, the last time there was some dumbass organization with secret motives, which was like two seconds ago now that I think about it.

In any case, let's talk about the Armory plot here - we're in the "three years later" zone, which has now become the present day, and we see that Mary Louise and Nora have been in captivity at the Armory this whole time, along with Rayna who has just been freed by Matt to go kidnap Caroline and do all that other fun stuff that we've already seen. Alex is looking for Enzo, who she believes is the one to have freed Rayna. She makes a deal with Nora, promising to let her and Mary Louise go if she goes and brings Enzo back to her. The catch? The Armory has been running experiments on Mary Lou this whole time, by injecting her with Rayna's blood. It appears to be killing her. Nora is thus very incentivized. She finds Enzo, but it turns out that Enzo is somewhat on Nora's side, since he has been inadvertently feeding these Rayna blood pills to Bonnie for some reason, and the news that they are poisonous to witches is a serious blow to him.

The Big Bang Theory: The Solder Excursion Diversion (9x19)

I think people liked this episode because it was showing a deeper side to Sheldon and Amy's relationship (supposedly), but I wasn't a big fan. Let's take a look.

Cons:

We'll start with the subplot, which was one of those classic situations where this show wastes its setups on throwaway jokes. Basically, Bernadette and Penny stop by to help Howard and Leonard with putting together their navigation system. They help assemble these coil things, and Howard and Leonard step out at one point to get some supplies that they ran out of. While the guys are gone, they get offered a free early screening of Suicide Squad, and they decide to lie and say they got a flat tire so the girls won't be mad. However, Howard texts Raj to brag about getting to see the movie, and Raj is with the girls in the lab at the time. They decide to pull a prank on the guys by hiding Raj in a closet and having him come out and yell "busted." However, when the guys come back they have flowers for their wives. They tell the truth and apologize for lying, and all go out to dinner, leaving Raj behind.

I couldn't believe how many missed opportunities this plot thread had. At first I thought Penny or Bernadette was going to mess something up with the project, or maybe when they wanted to pull a prank on the guys, they would pretend something terrible had happened to all of their work, just to freak them out. What kind of lame prank involves nothing more than somebody hiding in a closet? They kept making stupid "Raj is in the closet" jokes too, and I feel like that stopped being funny years ago. Then there's the fact that Howard and Leonard go to see Suicide Squad, but there are no funny jokes related to the franchise. Not one real reference to the contents of the movie was made. I thought this setup showed promise, but they didn't go far enough with the stuff in the lab, or the stuff with the free movie screening.

Grey's Anatomy: When It Hurts So Bad (12x16)

This episode was all about the romances, and for the most part I really enjoyed it. I have one big complaint and one nitpick-y complaint, but in all, I think we're getting a really nice solid establishing episode that's going to help us ramp up to the end of the season and catapult us to a successful Season Thirteen (man, Shonda is unstoppable).

Cons:

Catherine Avery is suddenly super evil or something. I don't like it. Basically, Catherine comes into town and, despite Jackson telling her to stay out of it, she immediately goes to talk to April. The two have a lovely conversation and it makes April feel better about everything. She even goes to Jackson and asks him if they can find a time to talk just the two of them. Everything is good so far. But then... Catherine reveals to Jackson that she was just faking being nice to April so she could get solid evidence that April knew about the pregnancy before the divorce. Since she's admitted to what amounts to fraud, now Catherine and Jackson can go after her. Okay, hold the phone! The only good thing about this twist is that it was such a twist. I didn't see it coming at all, so there was that heart-rate accelerating excitement of being thrown for a loop. But other than that, this is stupid.