What We Do in the Shadows: The Railroad (6x04)

Sean Rinaldi, how I love you.

Cons:

There's this little moment at the start where it seems like Nandor is crushing on the Guide? Now, I'm always complaining that they don't know what to do with the Guide character, and this episode is no exception... so maybe this could be funny or interesting? Maybe it's just a continuation from the hypnosis. It just seems kind of random and uninspired to me, though. Honestly, that goes for Jerry as well - he's here at the start of the episode to continue the whole "taking over America" plan, but it doesn't really go much of anywhere and this character hasn't really had much to do since his introduction in the first episode of the season. I guess we'll see if it all pays off!

Bob's Burgers: For Whom the Doll Toes (15x04)

This was a fun one!

Cons:

I did like this episode, but I did think it was slightly lacking as a Halloween special - I like seeing the kids in their costumes and all the shenanigans that usually happen on Halloween night!

I also thought the Teddy subplot lacked a bit of pizzazz. I liked the setup for it - Teddy's been working on his grip strength with all these hand and wrist exercises, and when he sees that the restaurant is closed all morning, he decides to while away the time with a lot of his exercises so he can impress Bob. The part that was lacking from my perspective was the part after Teddy's hands cramp up. I feel like there could have been a few more jokes made around Teddy not being able to close his hands, other than just that he struggled to make a phone call.

Grey's Anatomy: You Make My Heart Explode (21x05)

Teddy and Owen are so annoyyyyyingggg...

Cons:

I'm sad for no Yasuda this week because I know we're losing her soon. I wonder if we're just phasing her out right now with not much more content to follow. It's a bummer.

Lucas and Simone have a romantic moment in this episode and while nothing was super annoying about their scene, I do just want to lodge my familiar statement that they bore me. Just so that's on the record.

Owen and Teddy are not fun to watch. In one sense they are realistically like an old married couple, but only in all the worst ways. Owen is such a whiner, and Teddy is so rude to him, and they both rather unprofessionally let it carry over into their working relationship, and then Richard has to do a Wise Old Man routine and talk to Teddy about it, and Owen has to remember how to be romantic and connect with her so they don't have to schedule sex... it's just so tedious. Better, I suppose, than the kind of melodrama that makes me hate the characters with a fiery passion, but worse than if they'd just fade quietly into the background and walk off of the show while nobody's watching. I can't believe these are the characters that are sticking around, and not Schmitt and Yasuda.

The Legend of Vox Machina: Souls in Darkness (3x12)

As a not-so-secret Percy/Vax enjoyer, even though I do ship the canon ships more... this episode made me very happy.

Cons:

Okay, remember when I did the big paragraph in episode nine about Pike's whole deal with the Everlight? In this episode we get this line: "sometimes you should go against the wishes of your deity. After all, the gods didn't create us to blindly obey them, right?" And that sentiment is fine with me, that makes a lot of sense as a conclusion a character could come to on her faith journey. But... why did she literally throw away the Everlight symbol when facing down Thordak? That moment doesn't seem to actually lead to this one! I'm really hoping that season four can give us a bit more clarity on how we're supposed to view Pike's relationship to the Everlight. I'm fine with them making strong choices, but right now it feels kind of directionless and unspecific.

The Legend of Vox Machina: Deadly Echoes (3x11)

Ah, yes, okay. So this is what I was kind of afraid of? Let's talk about it.

Cons:

I mentioned earlier in this season that there are always going to be Those Moments for each viewer that they feel especially attached to, and those ones are going to be harder to handle when they change in the stream. I've been really lucky up until now that most of what I was most excited to see, I did get to see in some form or other! But this episode was a two for one special of moments I loved from the stream not happening in the show. I actually understand both changes and I don't think they're flaws with the show, but they are personal disappointments for me specifically, so I do need to talk about them just a bit.

One is Scanlan's resurrection. They pivoted his death into a coma which I think was smart, but I just... man, I remember the whole gang gathered around doing a ritual to wake him up, and I remember Kaylie being there to help too by playing a song. And I especially remember the aftermath. They have really, really changed Scanlan's arc this season. It felt like they were leading up to a certain incident pretty heavy with the foreshadowing in the last two seasons, and then here the impetus for Bard's Lament exists but its emotional context has been altered significantly. I'm on record being totally fine with big changes, and I'm glad they didn't try and squeeze in Scanlan being angry with the group for getting Kaylie involved, since there's just not much time left in the season to delve into it. But overall, the animated series makes the characters... less messy. I miss seeing a version of this where Scanlan is in a really dark, fucked up place and it's not as simple as Kaylie telling him she wants a relationship with him. In the stream, it was a lot more convoluted than that, and I do miss that.

The Legend of Vox Machina: To the Ends of the World (3x10)

Wow, okay, interesting!

Cons:

Do we think this is the most the show has ever deviated from the stream? I don't mean in the sense of anything particularly major happening that is just straight-up new for the show, but in the sense that this episode isn't... based on a cohesive set of incidents that played out on stream, it's really a lot that's totally new! I am putting this under "Cons" not because I think it's bad in and of itself, but I did want to mention that this season is making me realize, for better or for worse, that a fair percentage of my enjoyment of this show is the adaptation aspect, seeing how they chose to move things around and still hit all the important moments. Up until this season, even with all they did change, I never felt like a core moment I really enjoyed from the stream got dropped entirely, even if it did move around. This episode makes me pretty trepidatious that the Ripley kill is going to the twins alone, and that will mark the first time a major moment I was looking forward to from the stream simply won't be in the show at all. But we shall see!

What We Do in the Shadows: Sleep Hypnosis (6x03)

This was delightfully chaotic!

Cons:

I feel like I said this a lot in last season's reviews, but the Guide feels generally useless as a character. I hadn't even really noticed that she hadn't been around much in these first few episodes. I really wish they could give this character something cooler to do! The actress is so funny!

Pros:

This was my favorite of the three episodes so far. I just really loved the premise. It feels very classically sitcom-ish in that it has one central conceit and it runs wild with it. The subplot and main plot don't really have distinction, it's the whole gang all caught up in the hypnosis situation, but just coming at it from different angles. Colin as the instigator here really made me laugh! His wall where he's got everything all mapped out and shows how he's losing ground in the group dynamic was so silly. I love that he positions himself as the lone man out, because previously there were two united pairs in the house - Lazlo and Nadja, and then Nandor and Guillermo. Pretty insightful of you, Colin Robinson...

What We Do in the Shadows: Headhunting (6x02)

Poor Guillermo, what chaos!

Cons:

I was a little less locked into Lazlo and Colin's plot thread this week, which involves Lazlo rededicating himself to his project of creating life out of the dead. He refuses to acknowledge the Frankenstein comparison, but he is indeed successful in creating his own Cravensworth's monster. The comedy of Colin and Lazlo trying to deal with this situation was perfectly adequate, but nothing super special. I was mostly just wanting to go back to the other plot when we were in this one.

What We Do in the Shadows: The Return of Jerry (6x01)

I'm going to try and move super quickly since we've got three of these to go through!

Cons:

I kind of wish Guillermo wasn't starting off at such a low point, since I think it's sort of funnier if he has his life together and Nandor is just bewildered by his competence... but that may be a personal preference thing.

Colin being over-fed on misery and gaining weight just isn't that funny to me, I'm trying to think if I've ever found putting an actor in a fat suit amusing...

Bob's Burgers: Colon-ly the Dronely (15x03)

A very fun episode!

Cons:

I think the kids' plot thread was my least favorite, though it had some good things too! For me, there's maybe a bit of repetitiveness with Louise's character that has been grating on me in recent seasons. I've seen a lot of stories now where Louise has an idea, she's being selfish about it, and then she decides to concede for the good of the group, because she does actually have a heart after all. It's a cute story, but sometimes I want Louise to lean in and be a lot more chaotic than she ends up being.

Pros:

That said, I did like seeing more of the school gang, and it's cute how the other kids did all follow along with Louise's plan until she finally releases them from the obligation. They still accomplish their stated goal of messing with the drone footage of the school, but they also get to do the silly fun thing they want to do as kids. I loved the Belcher children coming home and immediately showing it to their parents, knowing they won't get in trouble even though they were messing with something they shouldn't have been.

Grey's Anatomy: This One's for the Girls (21x04)

This one's for the girls, is it? Which girls is this one supposed to be for? This girl is not particularly gripped.

Cons:

The amount of I Don't Give A Shit I was feeling when we get to that ending and Jo and Link are having twins? Godddd I don't care! I want to go back in time and make these two never fall in love, because it's putting me to sleep! Same with Teddy and Owen talking about how they need a chance to connect because work is keeping them so busy. It's not the most insufferable angst I've ever experienced from these two, but it's still not all that interesting.

Also... I didn't mind the story about Mika's sister in and of itself, but it's a bit hard to swallow when I know we'll be saying goodbye to this character soon. Is this what sunsets her off the show? She quits her job to take care of her sick sister? I mean... that's fine, I guess, but it's just a bummer to take up screen time with a new character here when we already know we have so little time left with Yasuda.

The Legend of Vox Machina: Thordak's Throne (3x09)

Oh shit, I can't believe they did that. And by that I mean... well, I'll talk about it in a bit.

Cons:

I have one small and one kind of medium-large complaint to lodge here before we go into how much I really did adore this episode.

Okay, obviously Travis broke my heart with his line delivery on "can you fix him? Please, you gotta fix him." But I do kind of miss his original improvised version that had more heat to it. The bellowed "FIX HIM" lives in my head rent free and we didn't get that here. Small nitpick, this version also tore out my heart, but thought I'd mention that. The thing about Grog is that he's our big lovable dummy, but the other thing about Grog is that he can be scary sometimes, even to the people he loves most.

Then there's the bigger thing. Pike's big moment was like... well, I'm not like, super angry, really, it's more of a "let's see where they're going with this thing", I guess. I have thoughts. Honestly, the stuff with Pike and the Everlight in this show has always been kind of muddy to me, and a plot progression where Pike finds strength in herself instead of in her goddess is totally fine with me in theory. But I thought in the past seasons the setup was more like... her faith as an anchor to her own strength. Or believing that she is deserving of the Everlight's favor and that thus the power she wields is her own, but the goddess is her supporter as much as Pike is a follower of her goddess? Like, does that make any sense? Pike having a complicated but ultimately loving relationship with her deity is what I was looking for here. That image of her actually throwing aside the Everlight's symbol was kind of... Not It, for me. I wish it had been more like "It's not just the Everlight's magic, and it's not just the Dawnfather's armor. It's me, who I am, being worthy to wield the powers they offer." That's the nuance I would have wanted here.

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

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

Cons:

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

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

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

Cons:

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

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

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

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

Cons:

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

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

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

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

Cons:

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

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

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

Cons:

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

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

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

Another great episode, turns out!

Cons:

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

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

This was a fun one!

Cons:

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

Pros:

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

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

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

Cons:

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

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

The Legend of Vox Machina: Vexations (3x03)

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

Cons:

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

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

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

Cons:

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

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

We're so back!!!!

Cons:

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