Elementary: Evidence of Things Not Seen (4x02)

I'm going to be brief in this review, because I'm pressed for time. Let's take a quick look.

Cons:

The case itself was sort of incidental, and I'm not going to spend a lot of time talking about it. Essentially a team of scientists are murdered, and their research is stolen. Turns out they were working on manipulating brain waves in an attempt to create a way of effectively influencing people's opinions. In the end, the stolen research was a red herring, because it turns out that they hadn't been at all successful in their experiments. Sherlock ultimately solves the case because he notices that a pet lab rat was also dead a the scene of the crime, and he puts together that a machine was used to cause the victims to suffocate, so that the killer could shoot them easily without resistance. There were lots of twists and turns, such as Chinese businessmen and missing laptops, as well. Nothing about the case really grabbed my attention, and I think it's because they were trying a bit too hard. I didn't really like the fake out as to the way the victims were murdered. Sure, they were shot, but first they were suffocated so they couldn't resist. Why not just deprive them of air and not bother with the gun? And some of the red herrings and outlier suspects were just a complete waste of our time.

The Big Bang Theory: The Mystery Date Observation (9x08)

This was a pretty cute episode, actually. It focuses on Amy and Sheldon and their struggles to move on from each other, with humorous results. Let's get started.

Cons:

There are a few jokes in this episode about Penny and Leonard's marriage. Penny says that she was forced to bring Leonard along with her now that they're married, and jokes that she threw away all her high heels because she's married to him now. That wouldn't bother me except for the fact that at the beginning of this season it seemed like maybe they were going to address real issues in their relationship, and now it's clear that their relationship is only being used for humor. For all the jokes that this episode made, it didn't really push anything forward on a larger plot level.

The Vampire Diaries: Best Served Cold (7x06)

Oooooooookay then? What the what?! Things got weird this week, and there are some parts of this that I'm not actually all that thrilled about, to be honest. But in other ways, this episode certainly shook things up and got me very interested in where we're going next.

Cons:

Caroline is apparently pregnant with Alaric's twins. At the wedding, the Gemini Witches in attendance were chanting something to save the babies, apparently transferring them into Caroline. I have had my fill of creepy vampire babies from Twilight, thank you very much. And while I'm sure this will be quite different from that, I'm still more than a little annoyed, if I'm being honest. It's just... weird. Caroline didn't have any say over this, and it's creepy and weird that she's suddenly carrying Alaric's children.

Faux-Jo dying so quickly was also a bummer. Apparently, since Jo is human and the soul inside her was a vampire, Jo's body can't withstand life for very long. While the scene of Faux-Jo dying was quite touching, it was odd to me that they wouldn't try and drag this out a bit longer. I was excited to see an interesting sort of friendship develop between Alaric and this person. It could have been a continuing plot thread for sure, and it's odd that it was discarded so quickly.

Grey's Anatomy: Something Against You (12x07)

This was a pretty standard episode of Grey's Anatomy, meaning that we spent time with a lot of our key players. It's going to be difficult to remember all of the stuff going on here, but I'll do my best not to go on too long.

Cons:

Jackson and April. I know I'm a broken record, but these two just don't really interest me. I like them both individually as characters, but when the plot line focuses on their relationship, and all its ups and downs, I just lose interest. This week, Jackson asks April out to dinner. April is thrilled, thinking this is a sign they can start repairing their relationship, but Jackson is intending the dinner to serve as a platform to talk about divorce. At the dinner, April gets paged to the hospital before they can get to the serious talking. They agree to talk later, and then at the end of the episode it looks like they've fallen back into bed together. This is going to be tedious, I can tell. April will be all happy and think they can repair everything, while Jackson will feel regretful and guilty. The roller-coaster is exhausting. They are by far the least interesting relationship on the show right now.

Modern Family: The More You Ignore Me (7x06)

Kind of a mess of an episode, unfortunately. There were a few things to enjoy, though.

Cons:

The Dunphy's plot was sort of all over the place. We learn that Luke stole the car to go see a girl, and got caught driving without his license. Phil decides to crack down on the punishment, while Claire is actually relieved to see Luke participating in normal teenage rebellion. This plot thread could have been interesting, and I can certainly think of many avenues we could have gone down with the idea of Luke being arrested. In particular, we could have explored the switched roles of Phil as the enforcer and Claire as the "cool" parent. Or we could have addressed Luke's problematic behavior with women. But instead of doing any of that, we got Phil worrying about his masculinity. Is it just me, or have we done this before? It's getting old! Claire is constantly having to reassure her husband that she finds him manly enough. It's very annoying.

Supernatural: Our Little World (11x06)

Yikes. Things are gearing up in kind of a horrifying way. I actually have some big complaints about this episode, but I think the good stuff was good enough to sort of neutralize my criticisms. Let's jump in.

Cons:

In this episode, Cas finally finds Metatron. He gives us an important piece of relevant information: The Darkness is God's sister. But other than that, all the scenes with Metatron and Cas seemed to be just an excuse for a violent fight sequence, and a way to retread the same questions that we've already heard about Cas' place in the world. As Cas was bloodying Metatron to a pulp, Metatron kept going on about how Cas was everybody's puppet, and wasn't he tired of being used by his enemies and his friends? All of these points are totally important... but also totally obvious and rehashed. I guess what I'm saying is that Metatron's purpose in this episode could have been squished down to just a few seconds while he dropped his important plotty information.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Chaos Theory (3x07)

This was, no surprise, another great episode. I had a few things that I was a bit iffy about, but for the most part things are still going strong.

Cons:

Things come to a head in this episode, as Lincoln contacts Mack and tells S.H.I.E.L.D. what he knows about Lash - he's a S.H.I.E.L.D. employee. From there, they quickly put together that Lash is Andrew. By the end of the episode, he's been neutralized with ATCU's nifty suspended animation goo. All of this felt a little too hasty to me. Lash was a great mystery, and the revelation of his true identity was very impressive as well. For all of that buildup, the fallout of the truth was over so quickly. Obviously Andrew will come back into the story at some point... but why not explore this idea for a few more episodes before fridging him?

Castle: Cool Boys (8x06)

A Beckett-less episode. Strange. Still, this was pretty fun. I'm just going to get straight to it. I apologize for my brevity.

Cons:

Same complaint as always. Beckett and Castle's separation doesn't make any sense, so it's difficult to be emotionally invested.

This episode was so busy focusing on other things that it completely dropped the Ryan and Esposito tension that's been going on. That annoys me - these two were at serious odds over the results of the Sergeant's exam, and now there's no sign of any tension whatsoever.

The Walking Dead: Now (6x05)

This was exactly the episode I was hoping to get. We stuck around in Alexandria, and actually explored the fallout from the first few episodes of the season. And there's lot of fallout to deal with. Not sure how I'm going to remember all the little details of this episode, honestly. Let's jump in.

Cons:

Well... kind of what I just said. I loved that this episode brought us back to Alexandria, but I get a little bit overwhelmed with all of the characters that we're supposed to keep track of. The moment that got the most lost in the shuffle was when Aaron admitted that it was his fault that the Wolves found Alexandria. That could have been a powerful character moment, but it got lost. I liked Aaron in the rest of the episode, though. There were other little things like that. None of them were bad - but it just felt like we didn't have proper time to digest and process all of the development here. And so many characters were barely in the episode, or absent altogether - Michonne, Carol, Gabriel, Morgan, etc.

Once Upon a Time: Nimue (5x07)

This. Is. Awesome. Everything is falling into place excellently. I have a few little nitpicking complaints, but mostly I'm thrilled with the direction this is going. Things have to get worse for our heroes before they can get better, right?

Cons:

The back story about Merlin and Nimue was for the most part excellent, but the entire "shock" of the episode is built on the reveal that Nimue is the first Dark One. It was painfully obvious from the first moment, and so Merlin's constant elusive statements were a bit hokey. It would have been okay for us to know the whole time that Nimue was the Dark One. It wouldn't really have ruined the suspense at all.

Merlin and Emma go on a quest in this episode to get an ember from Prometheus' fire, with which Excalibur and the Dagger can be reunited. That's all well and good, but I never quite understood why the two of them needed to do this on their own. Wouldn't it have been better to have Hook or maybe Mary Margaret and David along? They might have helped Emma remember the goodness within her. Maybe she had to make the choice unfettered by her loved ones, but honestly I think Merlin was taking a rather silly and unnecessary risk.

Doctor Who: The Zygon Inversion (9x08)

So... this double episode has definitely been a weak point in the season thus far. There were a lot of elements that I felt were very successful, but I never felt like things clicked into a coherent and masterful whole. Let's take a look at part two of this Zygon-based adventure.

Cons:

I'll start with the big one. The entire episode hinges on a scene at the very end when Kate (human) and Bonnie (Zygon) face off and contemplate pushing a button that will destroy the ceasefire between humans and Zygons. Kate wants to push the button that will kill all the Zygons, while Bonnie wants to push the button that will force all the Zygons out of hiding, and cause panic and destruction. The Doctor is the only thing stopping them from pushing these buttons - he talks to them, trying to get them to see that war is an endless cycle, and that the only way to get off the crazy rollercoaster is to forgive. The Doctor also draws on his own experience with war to convince these two women not to push the buttons. They both back off, swayed by the Doctor's rhetoric. Bonnie actually realizes that both boxes are empty, and that the whole thing is there to keep the political balance safe.

The Vampire Diaries: Live Through This (7x05)

Ah, yes. Damon and Stefan glorious bromance. This is what I was waiting for. However, my personal preferences don't mean I can ignore some of this episode's flaws, either. Let's take a look!

Cons:

In this episode, Damon and Stefan team up with Valerie to find Julian and stop him from being reunited with Lily. Caroline stays at home and worries about Stefan going off with his first love. This plot thread has just become insulting to Caroline's character. I hate her constant insecurity about Stefan and Valerie. I also find Valerie uninteresting as a character, and the entire concept of their star-crossed past to be silly and overdone.

The Big Bang Theory: The Spock Resonance (9x07)

This episode made me miss Leonard Nimoy again. Seriously, I loved that man and I love Spock so much. In many ways I was hoping for more with this setup, but it also makes sense that they would want to focus on the characters rather than on making a full-episode tribute to a dearly missed man. Let’s dive in.

Cons:

Leonard, Penny, and Raj all felt like distractions in this episode. Raj was there to say a couple of one-liners about Howard and Bernadette’s situation, while Leonard and Penny just sat on the sidelines and reacted to what was going on with Sheldon. In Raj’s case, I almost wish they had left him out entirely. With Leonard and Penny, I wish they could have integrated into the story a little more strongly.

Pros:

Elementary: The Past Is Parent (4x01)

This episode didn’t really feel like a season opener, but it was a solid installment nonetheless. I’m thrilled to have this show back on the air after such a long wait, and I’m excited to see how these new developments play out.

Cons:

Like I said, this didn’t feel like a premiere. It wasn’t… epic enough. It was a fallout episode from last year’s finale, honestly. And while that’s fine in many respects, it was a little off-putting to start the season so slowly.

Also, Bell didn’t have enough screen time. I’m a broken record, I know. Gregson got his scene with Sherlock, and Bell had a brief moment with Joan, but I always want more of these two, Bell in particular. Hopefully we’ll get more of them this season.

Grey's Anatomy: The Me Nobody Knows (12x06)

I think we'll just jump right in with this one. I'm generally pretty happy.

Cons:

The main story this week, which I quite liked, centered on Penny starting work at the hospital. She's on Meredith's service, so awkwardness ensues. I did like this plot thread over all, but there's one significant thing I need to mention... Penny is boring. Grey's Anatomy is amazing at creating nuanced and complex characters. Penny is still new, but in the three episodes she's appeared in, I've gotten the sense of a timid girl in an impossible situation, and nothing else. I don't feel like I know her. That could be an intentional thing, as she's definitely supposed to be an outsider, but at the same time I do hope that she gets more distinct and interesting soon. It's difficult for me to understand Callie's attraction to her as of right now. I'll need to see more.

Supernatural: Thin Lizzie (11x05)

Surprise A-plot episode! No way! In some ways I wish this had just been a standard ghost episode, but in other ways I'm thrilled that we're pushing the main story forward with such alacrity. Let's get started.

Cons:

Not much utilization of the Lizzie Borden idea. I really loved what this episode ended up being about, but I can't help but be slightly disappointed in all we didn't get to see. I think this show might have done some cool things with Lizzie Borden, and all the mystery and horror surrounding that. But we barely got any of it before the Amara plot line swept in and took over. Like I said - I enjoyed the plot line that we did get, but still think I might have liked a Borden-based ghost story as well.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Among Us Hide... (3x06)

Woah! What?! I can't believe I didn't see that coming. I'm feeling a little off my game, to be honest. Usually things like this don't catch me off guard. Was this a really obvious twist and I just totally missed it, or did they do a good job of keeping the truth hidden? Let's get started.

Cons:

Uh... I don't really have anything to complain about! Actually, if I were to lodge a tiny little nitpick, it would be that the Fitz and Simmons stuff could have been taken out of the episode and it wouldn't have hurt the overall flow at all. This show has a lot of plot threads and sometimes I think it's okay to cut one out of the story. Simmons got the whole episode last week - if we hadn't seen her or Fitz this week it would have been okay. I liked seeing them, but it wasn't necessary and might have messed with the pacing of the episode just a tiny bit.

Oh! One other thing. In this episode, Werner Von Strucker gets one moment to shine, as he reveals the big secret of Lash's identity. And then he dies. Von Struckers seem to be dropping like flies, and that's a little lame. That character didn't even get a chance to do anything before he was dispatched.

The Walking Dead: Here's Not Here (6x04)

As an individual episode, this was great. But I do have a complaint. Let's take a look.

Cons:

This season is enormously frustrating because so far it's had zero continuity. Episode One was about Rick and the others trying to get the Walkers away from Alexandria. Episode Two was about the Alexandrians fighting off the Wolves. Episode Three was back to Rick, et. al. And then this episode, Episode Four, was a flashback episode about Morgan. I find it enormously difficult to settle in to the season when there's no consistency. As much as I think this episode was amazing, I found myself resenting all the screen time that Morgan was getting, when I just wanted to know what was going on with Rick and the rest of our group.

Once Upon a Time: The Bear and the Bow (5x06)

This episode had a focus on Merida, Belle, and Rumple. Because of that, I'm actually rather surprised that I liked it as much as I did. It's not like I have a problem with Merida or Belle, but I wouldn't have been surprised if this episode had bored me. But it didn't! I have some complaints, but I'm generally pretty pleased!

Cons:

In Storybrooke, Emma is still on a quest to pull Excalibur from the stone, and she still believes Rumple is the one who should do this. Rumple escapes Merida and runs to Belle, so Emma forces Merida to try and kill Belle so that Rumple will be a hero to defend her. In the end Rumple ends up pulling Excalibur from the stone. Rumple declares that Emma has made a mistake - now Emma has the sword, sure, but she's also made Rumple into a powerful enemy. So... this bothers me. It feels like a bit of a letdown, to have the sword out of the stone so quickly. I wanted more drama and buildup with that! Also, I don't believe for a second that Rumple is suddenly a hero. He did the bare minimum (unintentional pun lol) in defeating Merida, and suddenly he's gained all his confidence? I think this show is more complex than that, and I'm hoping we'll see that it's not as easy as all that. As it stands, I think Rumple got let off rather easy.

Doctor Who: The Zygon Invasion (9x07)

For the most part this episode felt like setup for whatever happens next week, but I still quite enjoyed it. I'm going to be a bit brief, since like I said, this feels like mostly setup.

Cons:

What I just said. There were some pacing issues in this episode such that I didn't feel like we were really keyed into the story until almost the very end. Choppy transitions and no real screen time between Clara and the Doctor made this feel like a long, drawn-out prologue to a good story, but without the good story to follow.

There were also parts of this episode that had me rolling my eyes - namely, how stupid is UNIT? I can't believe this organization actually let a population of volatile aliens disperse among the humans of the Earth with no real safety protocol in place for when something inevitably went wrong. I'm sorry, but there's only so far you should go in your trust and benevolence. I'm all for incorporating the Zygons into Earth, but when you know almost nothing about another species, shouldn't there be more safety protocols in place? Yeesh.