Brooklyn Nine-Nine: Debbie (7x05)

This was really fun - really invigorating. The kind of episode that's so fun that it actually makes the rest of this season seem less good by comparison. Not that I actually dislike the others, but I really, really enjoyed this!

Cons:

The subplot didn't pack much of a punch compared to the main story. I like Amy and Holt being in competition, but Terry had nothing to do except be vaguely incredulous of their behavior, and Charles was pretty sidelined as well. That's not really a big structural problem, but I did find myself less entranced whenever the subplot came around.

There could have been an opportunity for more fear from the rest of the Nine-Nine, once they realized Jake and Rosa were nowhere to be found. I wanted to see Holt, Amy, Charles, and Terry panicking a little bit!

Grey's Anatomy: Snowblind (16x15)

I don't know what to even think at this point?

Cons:

I've gone on record saying that Tom Koracick is better than Owen Hunt in every conceivable way, but especially as regards Teddy Altman. But come on. This whole love triangle/quadrangle/pentangle or whatever is getting seriously out of hand. You've got Teddy and Owen, and then Owen and Amelia, Amelia and Link, Teddy and Tom... it's a freakin' mess, and I wish all of these people would get over their bullshit and just sort out their lives. I know that this kind of thing is par for the course on a show like this, but it just goes to show that there's a right way and a wrong way to write trope-filled stories. I've enjoyed plenty of love triangles and messy situations on this show in the past, but this is one that I cannot abide. Teddy is going to feel guilty as shit, Owen is going to find out Amelia's baby might be his, Link is going to cry about it some more... I'm already so exhausted.

Nico has been deflecting with Levi, not addressing the issue about him not being out to his parents. I've got to say, I really like Levi, but I'm feeling frustrated about Nico. They haven't given him as much time to develop, so when he basically gives Levi an ultimatum, telling Levi to stop trying to change him by forcing him to talk about his feelings... it's really hard to see both sides here. I honestly think that's a writing issue. I like Nico. I want to keep liking him, and I want to learn more about him whether or not he and Levi stay together. I just wish their story was being handled with a bit more care, especially after so many great Levi-centric story-lines in recent weeks.

Schitt's Creek: The Presidential Suite (6x08)

Aww, that made my heart hurt a little bit!

Cons:

Moira is always hilarious, but I'll say that my least favorite story of the evening goes to Moira and Johnny, all the same. Basically it's some drama about upgrading their room at the motel. Roland and Jocelyn are also looking to get away from the chaos at home, since they are renting out an extra room and have a new baby as well. It was all... fine, but not the kind of thing I think I'll be remembering long-term.

The same can be said for Patrick and David's plot thread, although of course I could never get sick of watching the two of them. It's just... a person getting a spray-tan that goes wrong is kind of a played-out sitcom trope. I feel like I've seen it on several different comedies and it never offers more than just a single paltry visual gag. They didn't take it too far, since this show is quite restrained in most respects, but the whole concept had me shrugging my shoulders more than anything else.

Pros:

But even when a plot thread on Schitt's Creek is somewhat mediocre, there are always moments of brilliance.

Doctor Who: Ascension of the Cybermen (12x09)

I am intrigued!

Cons:

The start of this episode dropped us in with very little context. We're at the end of the Cyber-Wars, as the last of the humans and Cybermen are still duking it out. But where we left things last week, I didn't realize that their plan was to go and deal with the situation immediately. It goes back to the thing I've been struggling with all season - pacing. There is one more episode of the season. What happened to the other Doctor, who our Doctor can't remember? The Master has just now turned up again... do we really have time to unpack all of that, the return of Gallifrey, etc. etc. in one single hour? I think not! I hope not, in any case.

Pros:

I want Yaz and the Doctor to kiss, okay? Yeesh, these two are in love with each other. I love the tension between them here, as the Doctor tries to send her human friends away to safety, and Yaz is the one who immediately buckles down and says she doesn't want to leave her. Sure, the Doctor is worried about Graham and Ryan too, but the big confrontation goes to Yaz and the Doctor, and it is charged. When they hear each other's voice again, after being separated, they are both so incredibly delighted to hear from one another. So cute!

The Walking Dead: Squeeze (10x09)

I couldn't see anything in the damn cave... I get that they're in the dark, but my god, get some better lighting in there!

Cons:

If Connie and Magna are actually dead, I'm about to be really, really annoyed. For obvious reasons - this show needs to learn its damn lesson about killing off queer characters, for one. Also, setting Magna's sexuality aside, do you really thing The Walking Dead has enough women of color hanging out to be offing them like this? But maybe they're not dead - in that case, I guess I retract my criticism.

As I mentioned, the lighting was crap. I couldn't see what was going on for a good chunk of the episode, and that was really frustrating.

Negan and Alpha... ew? I didn't need to see that? I had no desire to witness that? What even is Negan's character right now? What is his end-goal? And why would he turn on Gamma like that? Just for the drama, or what? I'm not sure I care enough to be gripped by the potential complexities here.

Outlander: Between Two Fires (5x02)

Interesting! This episode is setting up a lot of the major plot arcs for the season, and it's doing so in a way that deviates from the books in several key respects.

Cons:

This is probably a nitpick, but I have to say it. In the books, whenever anyone wants to come to the Ridge, or leave the Ridge to go elsewhere, it's somewhat of a whole production. Travel is slow, being away from home is tricky. But in the show, people seem to be visiting Fraser's Ridge like it's the suburbs or something. This is especially the case with Fergus and Marsali. I thought they were living in Wilmington? Are they staying with Jamie and Claire right now? Or are they just frequent visitors? It feels like something the show really needs to nail down in a concrete sense, or else we run into problems with the whole Fergus and Marsali story-line.

It's odd to have Jamie away from the Ridge to "hunt Murtagh" along with Lieutenant Knox. It's one thing to have Murtagh alive in the TV show. It's another to have him such an important figure in the Regulator militia that he's worth a specific manhunt. The consequence of this is that Jamie wanders around with Knox, has an experience that tells him the Regulators mean business, and then leaves to go muster up a militia of his own. The whole excursion served only to motivate Jamie to action, but it seemed like in the first episode, he'd been pretty motivated to follow through on his promise to Tryon, no matter how much he didn't like it. So why go through all of this again?

Brooklyn Nine-Nine: The Jimmy Jab Games II (7x04)

This was an amazing episode, right in line with the greatness I've come to expect from this show!

Cons:

I did miss Terry. He could have added a lot of chaos to the Jimmy Jab Games! And Gina's absence was more keenly felt than usual... I hope she makes an appearance soon!

I didn't really think Boyle's musical numbers/costume changes were funny. I liked the continued narrative of him calling everyone else "freaks" and mixing up the metaphors, though. His whole routine was a bit of a mixed bag.

Pros:

Debbie is so funny! I was thrilled to see her again, and I hope we get lots more in the near future. She's the perfect kind of "sad sack" character because she's charming in her general sense of incompetence. Brooklyn Nine-Nine is ultimately a loving, welcoming sort of show, so of course Boyle would work to encourage Debbie to get out of her shell and participate in the fun, even though for her, having fun with friends is "high stakes." I feel ya, sister. My favorite moment was "I'm anti-dextrous... neither hand is good at anything."

And while Boyle was testing my patience a little bit, I do like to see his growing confidence, and like I said, his enthusiasm for the poorly thought out circus metaphors was a lot of fun.

Grey's Anatomy: A Diagnosis (16x14)

A bear attack? Really? Sometimes Grey's Anatomy likes to vehemently remind me that I'm watching a medical soap opera... I suppose I shouldn't complain!

Cons:

I have a lot of issues with this episode, truthfully, even though I didn't dislike watching it. I suppose I should just get right to it.

So Amelia, potentially spurred on by hormones more than anything else, decides to dump Link because she wants him to want to be with her, no matter who the father of the baby is. But poor Link has just been ghosted, and he's scared for her, and she's being entirely unfair. Also, did I mention I hate this whole entire plot thread so much? That scene where Owen is giving Link parenting advice in the elevator was just the worst kind of annoying. Owen should go away.

I don't dislike the idea of DeLuca potentially contending with possibly having his father's mania, but logistically I thought it was strange that Bailey and Meredith would go back on Dr. Riley's plan like that. Yes, DeLuca was acting erratically, but it was a plan that made sense from a diagnostic standpoint, so it felt silly of Meredith to just decide right away to put Suzanne back on meds. Maybe this is a nitpick, but whatever.

Modern Family: Spuds (11x14)

Did I just watch a clip show in the year 2020?

Cons:

I did! This was a clip show! I didn't strictly hate the inclusion of old footage, and luckily they didn't go over the top, but still... there were moments when the clip segments stretched just to the point where I felt like rolling my eyes.

While this was a strong episode, I'll admit I was genuinely disappointed, from a story-telling standpoint, that Cam didn't get the coaching job. This show could have used a real status-quo shifter, and the idea of ending on Cam, Mitchell and Lily moving away would have added some real stakes to the series finale. Sure, it looks like Cam and Mitchell might be bringing a different sort of status quo shift into their lives by adopting another child, but think about it - Haley and Dylan just had twins, and they're off in a corner most of the time, doing nothing. I just wish I thought this show, a show that used to be so daring and innovative in certain ways, could actually take a chance and do something big at the end.

Pros:

That said, I did like the fact that Mitchell tried to shield Cam from the bad news. Cam of course thinks that Mitchell is chickening out about moving, but once he realizes, he's somewhat grateful that Mitchell was attempting to protect him. And despite wishing things had gone down differently, I do like the idea of them becoming fathers again, especially after such a specific and fun moment of Lily going on her first real date.

Schitt's Creek: Moira Rosé (6x07)

What a delightful episode!

Cons:

I don't really have any complaints to speak of! I only ever wish we got more of some things. More explorations of Alexis's decision not to join Ted, more checking in on Stevie's journey of self-discovery. But that's just hoping for things this episode isn't even about. Let's talk about all the greatness!

Pros:

Starting with the subplot, just for fun... Alexis takes Twyla, Stevie, Jocelyn, and Ronnie to a fitness class that she has been representing and promoting. It becomes clear pretty quickly that it's a cult, to Alexis's horror. The other women are all pulled in to varying degrees (Stevie is a skeptic from minute one, Ronnie seems all-in until told what's up, and Twyla knew it was a cult all along and was just trying to be supportive). I keep going back to the fact that Schitt's Creek doesn't go the obvious route with any of its comedy bits. Instead of Alexis being charmingly naive for the whole story, she is smart enough to realize what's going on as soon as she's given hard evidence of it, and then she endeavors to put a stop to her friends' enrollment right away. There are no hijinks where someone gets immediately brainwashed, no lying in order to get away with her mistake. It's "realistic" within the framework of the absurd setup, and that makes it more down to earth while still being no less funny.

Doctor Who: The Haunting of Villa Diodati (12x08)

Woah damn. I really, really liked this episode.

Cons:

Honestly, the only "con" I have is that Jack Harkness isn't going to be in the rest of the season, and that we didn't see the Master... going in to the next two weeks, it seems to me that there is simply way too much content still left to cover. Where is the focus going to be? Are some of these elements going to bleed over into the next season? Sometimes I feel like we're just getting started in exploring the 13th Doctor, and I get nervous that this will all be over too soon.

Pros:

So I may or may not have been an English major in undergrad, with a specific focus on the Romantic and Victorian eras of writing. This may or may not be entirely my jam.

I loved the creepy house, the gathering of literary giants of the era, the practically mythical origin story for Mary Shelley's genre-creating Frankenstein, Lord Byron being a total player. It was all so... familiar to me, like seeing old friends on the TV. A real treat.

Outlander: The Fiery Cross (5x01)

I know the episode is called "The Fiery Cross" because the book is called The Fiery Cross. I know it's a bit moment and everything. But honestly... yikes? A little bit?

Cons:

I did really like this episode over-all, but I do want to start with the big, obvious problem with having our white hero burn an actual cross on-screen. I know it's a symbol that has been tainted by later association. I know there's a rich cultural history there. But you could say the same damn thing about a swastika, and if you want to evoke that image, you can't avoid the obvious connotations. You just can't. This is a group of white men making a pledge while a giant cross burns in the center of a clearing. It evokes the KKK. It just does.

And also lest we forget, Jocasta is a slave owner, Ulysses is a slave. These things are there, and they're brushed over and accepted by our supposed heroes far too quickly. Bree and Roger's qualms about baby Jemmy inheriting River Run are not enough for them to cut an actual slave owner out of their lives, which is what they really should be doing. It's a lot. And I don't want to be a downer, I don't want to make this review just about that, but I'd be remiss if I didn't say it early and say it often.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine: Pimento (7x03)

This episode was so funny!

Cons:

Well, the main plot line was funny. I didn't dislike the subplot, where Amy, Holt, Rosa, Terry, Hitchcock, and Scully, along with other nameless Nine-Nine members, are forced to undergo mandated sensitivity training. There were some individually funny moments here, but I'll admit that the overall premise left me wanting.

Amy puts a lampshade on the fact that her dreading a seminar is wildly out of character, claiming that this particular seminar is so boring that even she hates it. But let's take a look at the optics here. This is a seminar about how to be sensitive to diversity of experience in the workplace. Is it an odd take, to have the characters roll their eyes and hate the whole thing before it even started? I could have been down with it if Amy were actually excited and tried to impart the importance, only to be let down by a white guy with super generic talking points, when she wanted a robust discussion. That feels more in character for Amy.

Grey's Anatomy: Save the Last Dance for Me (16x13)

So then... was this whole detour with the other hospital really just a time-waster, since all our core doctors are back at Grey Sloan memorial? Ugh.

Cons:

Catherine wasn't here this week, and I still got really frustrated with her. She bought PacWest hospital and then had Koracick interview all of the old Grey Sloan physicians to get their job back. Koracick predictably used it as a chance to mess with Owen, giving Maggie and Richard their jobs back as a matter of course, but leaving him hanging. In the end, all of the board members gang up to basically tell Koracick to knock it off, or else they will quit en masse.

I really hated the framing of this, like Koracick was some sort of recurring villain and the good guys had finally gotten together to defeat the beast. I really feel like Tom has been done dirty this season, in terms of inconsistent writing, and that's a bummer.

Modern Family: Paris (11x13)

There was nothing about this episode that sucked, really, it just... passed me by without much to grab my attention.

Cons:

That's kind of been true of the whole season, if we're being honest. Where is the emotional resonance supposed to be, here? Am I meant to be moved by Jay realizing that the true purpose of his life is family? I mean sure, that's sweet, but it's the kind of lesson you really hope he's already internalized.

And the other plot threads had some chuckles here and there, but nothing that's going to make me remember this episode in the long-run, you know? I haven't seen an episode of Modern Family that's really stuck in my head like that, in a very long time.

Pros:

But instead of demanding something of this episode that it was never going to give, let's dive in to the stuff that did work.

Schitt's Creek: The Wingman (6x06)

This episode was a lot of fun, and very silly. There was also a more emotionally resonant aspect with Alexis's story-line, which I greatly enjoyed!

Cons:

I guess I thought Patrick and David's story-line was going to... go somewhere? Not necessarily like I thought they'd actually have a threesome, but I was thinking maybe the experience would prompt them to have a conversation about their relationship and their future. But no, it just sort of... ended with them awkwardly leaving and there was no payoff there.

I liked Johnny teaming up with Roland and Ronnie to try and cheer Bob up, but I can't help but notice that Johnny is the least involved in the rest of the family's story-lines. He's often off in his own little universe, and I'd like to see him interact more with his wife and kids in the near future!

Pros:

But like I said, Johnny's plot thread was a lot of fun. Bob is not doing well after Gwen left him, so he relies on his friends Johnny, Roland, and Ronnie to get him out of his slump. Predictably it doesn't go well, but Ronnie does end up finding a hot date! I just love any story that shows how much Johnny has truly grown into a part of this community. Not only is he in partnership with Roland, not only does he care about the town in a general sense... he's also willing to go the extra mile to cheer up Bob, which I think is really sweet!

Doctor Who: Can You Hear Me? (12x07)

Wow, this episode gave me some feels.

Cons:

So there's this part where Ryan wonders aloud to Yaz how long they're going to keep traveling with the Doctor, and if this is their lives now, growing and changing and leaving their old lives and loved ones behind. I really liked the way this episode examined the fears that each of the companions feel... but something about Ryan's question here pinged wrong for me. I think the problem is that in this episode, like in so many this season, the "fam" has been divided, off on their own journeys. If Ryan's worry/fear has to do with abandoning his loved ones back home, I think his possible dilemma about whether or not to stay with the Doctor would work better if we saw him interacting more with the Doctor. As it is, it kind of feels like being true companions is the stuff that happens in between the episodes. Like we know they're going on these grand adventures, but the stuff we see is almost all on Earth, and the Doctor herself is very much caught up in her own drama.

I also thought the tie-in with the past was a little weird... did we really need a random person from centuries ago to tie in with the dream theme? Enough was going on with the main characters without introducing this element.

Grey's Anatomy: The Last Supper (16x12)

Okay, this episode was interesting. I want to get into the specifics right away.

Cons:

Say it with me: I don't like Catherine Fox. I find her story-line with Richard to be beyond tedious. I also find Maggie and Jackson at their absolute worst when they're in a story together. So the main plot thread of this episode was destined to piss me off. Honestly, if you look at it in a vacuum, there were plenty of solid acting moments and even a few genuinely moving parts. But that's only the case if I look at it like a one-act play, divorced from the context of season upon season of bullshit leading up to this moment. Let's look at the situation, here:

Richard and Catherine are falling apart, and have been for a long time. Richard is acting like a sanctimonious prick, practically gas-lighting Catherine about his relationship with his friend, who has a stated romantic interest in him. And Catherine is being pig-headed and jaded, refusing to take Richard at his word. If Richard were honest, and says that there are maybe feelings there but nothing happened, and if Catherine would choose to believe him... but no.

And then there's the fact that Catherine allowed Bailey to fire Richard. Richard is crushed and hurt by this, fair enough, but he's forgiven Miranda for it, and can't forgive Catherine? Apparently he's just waiting for a sincere apology. But come on, dude, is he seriously not going to admit his own fault, here? He covered up insurance fraud! He put the reputation of the entire hospital at risk. Sure, I agree morally with what Richard, Meredith, and Alex decided to do... but can Richard really sit there and act like it's that cut and dry?

Brooklyn Nine-Nine: Manhunter/Captain Kim (7x01/02)

This really should be split into two different reviews, but I am lazy so here we are. Let's dive in!

Cons:

The first episode this week featured a subplot where Amy thought she might be pregnant. I know it's just a one-off thing in terms of episode composition, but it bothered me that in the premiere of the season, Rosa and Amy's plot thread was them standing around and talking about pregnancy. They didn't really have much else to do, which was a bummer and a slightly weak opening for these two characters.

Terry had the least to do of any character, in both of these episodes. In the first, he's paranoid that other people are talking about him, and in the second, he's talking up his daughters to someone involved in a good school he wants to get them into, and then avoiding a caterer who he thinks is trying to poison him for putting him in prison years ago. Even this slightly more exciting plot thread didn't really provide much for him to do. This is just the start of the season; I'm sure he'll have plenty in the coming weeks... but I thought I'd point it out!

The first episode, "Manhunter," started with the news that there was an attempted assassination, but despite the supposedly high stakes, the whole thing devolves into a story about Holt and Jake finding a new balance after Holt's demotion. That's a lovely story to tell, but it kind of sucked the urgency out of the whole "assassination" thing.

Schitt's Creek: Crows Premiere (6x05)

You know what's weird? I can't figure out if this episode is called "Crows Premiere" or "The Premiere"! It seems to be listed differently on different sites. Oh well, I'll leave it as is for now. Let's dive in!

Cons:

So... Stevie is back with the motel business? I can't tell if this is 'endgame' status for Stevie, or if there's more to come. I really liked the idea of her exploring what else is out there. She gets a job at a sketchy airline, and then... that's it? She's back to what she was doing before? I think I just need more data before I can understand their reasoning here.

Pros:

Despite what I said above, I do like Stevie and Johnny's relationship, and it was cute that Johnny was being so supportive of her dreams... and that he was also genuinely happy to have her back in the fold. They are very sweet.

Doctor Who: Praxeus (12x06)

This episode was kind of crowded, but in a way that upped the tension and made for an exciting hour!

Cons:

My main complaint about this episode is actually not about the episode itself. It's rather the fact that we didn't get any further answers on any of the A-plot stuff! There's a new Doctor around, there's the Master, Gallifrey has been destroyed, apparently the Cybermen are back... and this episode didn't even mention any of those things! I'm dying for answers! I also heard that John Barrowman isn't coming back this season, so I'm bummed that we missed the chance for Jack and this new regeneration of the Doctor to meet.

If I'm nitpicking, I'll say that Ryan got the least to do this week. Everyone went off on little side-quests at various points in the episode, but his was the least character-driven and he really only served as a vehicle for exposition. It all balances out when you look at the season as a whole... but I still thought I'd mention it.