Barry: candy asses (3x07)

Well then. Just one more episode and the season is over? What is this nonsense, time is fake!

Cons:

This was probably my least favorite episode of the season? The pacing has been so frenetic and then this one really felt like a held breath, like a pause, in the midst of the chaos. While I expected that to be a good thing, it didn't quite come together for me.

Barry's only role this episode is to almost die and to hallucinate the people he's killed. I get that there were other things to focus on, but I'm not sure I learned anything new about Barry from this. He's dying, he feels guilt about the things he's done... this is not new information.

Meanwhile a lot of this episode was taken up with the investigation stuff over who killed Janice. I understand that for the purpose of propelling the plot forward, you need all of this. But Fuches telling Barry's big secret to yet another person, everyone getting rattled and angry at Barry for what he's done... there's really nothing new here, it's just turning the dial ever-so-slightly on stuff we've been watching all season. It's not that any of this is bad, it's just not quite as invigorating as I know this show can be.

Barry: 710N (3x06)

Well dang! As always, I never have any idea where an episode of this show is going to take me.

Cons:

As I've been saying all season, Fuches is definitely the character that I feel the least interested in. His stuff isn't bad, it's just never as gripping as everything else going on in a given episode. I was shocked when he got shot right at the start of this episode, but then his journey for the rest of it was just kind of boring to me. He's staying with a kind family who cares for him, at one point it looks like he's giving up on revenge on Barry, but then he decides he's not done yet, and contacts Detective Moss's father to speak about her death. So ultimately, Fuches ends this episode on the same crusade as he started it on, with very little to speak for after his detour.

We didn't see much of Noho Hank this week, which makes me sad, and time spent with the police detectives also feels like it's pulling focus from the most riveting stuff the show has to offer. Like I said, none of it's bad, it's just not where I feel the most glued to my seat.

Grey's Anatomy: Out for Blood/You Are the Blood (18x19/20)

Owen went back to annoying so quickly!! Okay, this is the finale, so a lot happens, but I'm going to do my best (ha) to be brief about it all...

Cons:

It just feels like they haven't properly examined the logistics of Owen's whole scandal with helping veterans to death with dignity. Washington allows physician assisted suicide. I get that some of the patients are from other states, okay, fine. But this just feels so contrived and it reintroduces the angst into Owen and Teddy's relationship that I find so truly insufferable to witness. Owen wants to help a man with his dying wife who's in pain, and Teddy says no, and then the man turns Owen in and Bailey finds out and the whole time I just felt like... "ughhh we don't have time for this, there are so many other stories and characters I care about more!" I'm not nervous about Owen's fate, send him to jail for all I care. I'm sorry, but it's just Owen. He's annoying anyway. And what exactly is the plan now? Owen and Teddy, two young kids in tow... what are they supposed to do? Are they going off the grid? Fleeing the country? Jeez.

Meredith spends a lot of time with Nick in this episode, which annoyed me mostly because he's boring, but also because I want to see her interact with the other characters on the show. She's felt so isolated this season, which would make sense if she's leaving Washington, but it's just not satisfying to see as a viewer. The big surgery felt like drama for drama's sake. We've never met this patient and her elderly aunt with dementia before. I don't feel connected to them, to be honest! So when things go wrong with the blood, my heart wasn't in my throat the way it might have been with other patients and other stories, like Simon and his pregnant wife. I did find the ending moving, but more because of Meredith's personal baggage. The idea of Nick being this thing she's afraid to lose just does not sit right with me.

Barry: crazytimeshitshow (3x05)

Oh my god... that kid at the end...

Cons:

We saw a brief glance of Fuches continuing on his quest to turn the families of people Barry has killed against him. Since we have the story of the mother and the son, further Fuches material in this vein seems kind of unnecessary? It's not bad, it just doesn't seem to add an awful lot.

We also see that an FBI agent has shown up to try and help solve Moss's murder. Again, I don't have a huge problem with this, but spending time with these characters is far less interesting to me than everything else that's on the table, so I was always hoping we'd switch back to one of the more pivotal characters soon.

Grey's Anatomy: Stronger Than Hate (18x18)

Ah, a classic dinner party episode of Grey's Anatomy. I love the gentle chaos.

Cons:

A full episode built around the premise of "everyone getting to know Nick" is bound to be irritating to me, because Nick is still the boringest boring to me. Like he's helping out with the cooking and cleaning, which is meant to be charming, but just seems bland. He talks to Maggie about his own difficulties with a sibling who is troubled and takes advantage, and that's meant to teach Maggie something about Winston's struggles with his brother. But instead I'm just thinking I'd rather spend that time with Winston, exploring how he's feeling about all this. When Amelia is talking to Nick about Kai, and about Meredith possibly leaving, I was struck by the contrast between all of Meredith's interesting friends and family in Seattle, and the boring guy she might be leaving them all behind for. I don't want to feel this way. This show has gotten me to appreciate and admire so many new characters over the years, but Nick is still not clicking with me at all.

There were some tonal problems with this episode that stopped it from being one of the more iconic Grey's episodes... I like the big group scenes where we see the characters hanging out socially, but we kept cutting from that, over to the hospital where we were dealing with a) Richard learning to accept that Catherine might be dying, and b) a hate crime against an Asian woman, and the Asian staff at the hospital responding to it. So the tonal stuff there was a bit odd to me.

Barry: all the sauces (3x04)

Soooo much good stuff to get into here!

Cons:

I'm not 100% clear on why Barry decided to let Mr. Cousineau off the hook here. Maybe I missed something, but so far this season I've been able to follow Barry's completely twisted and bizarre logic. He's trying to make it up to Gene for killing his girlfriend. I suppose he thinks he's succeeded now that Gene has a bigger part on the show? So why was he motivated to take the job from Hank? Because Fuches got under his skin? I'm fine with not being completely clear on every step in Barry's thought process, but I thought I'd mention that I was a little fuzzy on why he'd relax his hyper-fixation on Gene so quickly.

Pros:

Where to even start? I've mentioned that I don't really enjoy Sally as a character all that much, but mostly in a way that I think the show intends for me not to like her. This episode was the perfect encapsulation of that. Her utter delight at her success grates on my nerves, even as I try to push back against that instinctive irritation. Why shouldn't she be pleased about what she's accomplished? On the other hand, could she be nicer to the people around her while she's accomplishing it? I loved her breaking down in tears as she was speaking at the premiere, that was the perfect blend of stressful and funny and genuinely moving to watch.

Grey's Anatomy: I'll Cover You (18x17)

Lots of development!

Cons:

There's this moment when Bailey is grudgingly complimenting Nick and she says "he seems like a good teacher." Literally after she said "he seems..." I thought she was going to say, "like a person who exists, I guess." Like, Nick is still SO uninteresting to me! I don't want to feel this way, but I do. I guess I liked the moment where he helped Levi through a tough spot in surgery, but I liked that moment because of Levi, not because of Nick.

Speaking of characters I don't like and never will, we find out at the end of this episode that Catherine's cancer is getting worse. I've never liked Catherine, she's never felt like a very satisfying, interesting character to me. I'm sorry! Of course I'm sad for Richard that she's sick, but honestly I don't feel all that invested in this journey for the character.

While there were elements of Maggie and Winston's story that I didn't mind, one pet peeve I've always had about this show is when the personal problems parallel the case so much that the doctor starts freaking out and acting wicked unprofessional during work. I could see Winston being grumpy and terse with the patient, but for him to go that extreme? It just didn't feel realistic to me that he'd be provoked in that manner.

Barry: ben mendelsohn (3x03)

I mean, it's a good show, what more do you want from me?

Cons:

I'd say that Fuches is probably the main character in Barry who offers me the least when he's onscreen. The stuff between him and Barry, the whole fucked up nature of their relationship, great television for sure. Their phone call was captivating. But when it's just him talking to other minor characters, being weirdly settled in his exile, I find that my interest is less than fully held. It's a minor thing, I just think the character type is slightly less captivating than most of the other things going on.

I wouldn't call this show "subtle" necessarily, but one thing I really admire about the performances and the script is how usually the audience knows the inner turmoil of the characters, but it's in-universe believable why other characters don't pick up on certain things. One moment that didn't quite work for me on this level was when Sally's young co-star was asked about Sally's new stable relationship. Her reaction was so awkward and stilted and clearly showcased that there was something to hide. A little over the top for my taste.

Grey's Anatomy: Should I Stay or Should I Go (18x16)

Oh man, lots of sadness in this episode! Jeez.

Cons:

I love me some good angst, but honestly I feel like Levi is being a tad unreasonable? He did in fact break up with Nico. Yes, he was going through trauma, and yes, I'm sure Nico realizes that the circumstances are extreme. But I'm sorry, if someone says "we're over, leave me alone," is Nico really such a monster for listening to him? I hope we get some satisfactory resolution for these two. I like the drama, but I don't know that Nico really did anything wrong! I feel so bad for him.

I felt like the unifying theme of this episode, this idea of burnout, was sort of weakly used... it was basically just Bailey being worn out, and then taking vacation days, and Catherine being grumpy about it. Considering how much Catherine annoys me as a character, there just wasn't all that much to grab onto here.

Barry: limonada (3x02)

Well, gosh, this is a good television show.

Cons:

So far, the stuff with Hank and Cristobal feels very disconnected from everything going on with Barry, Sally, and Mr. Cousineau. I suppose we'll get more of a connection between these elements as we move forward. I like all the pieces we have so far, but I wish they were woven more closely together.

Pros:

To start with that subplot, I love that Cristobal and Hank's love story has many of the conventional beats of any couple trying to learn how they're going to be with each other, but this one just comes with crime bosses and lots of murder. Cristobal's father-in-law shows up to take down the Chechen operation, but Cristobal warns Hank, saving him and his people. He then breaks up with Hank, though, telling him to run to get away from the Bolivians. I'm curious to see where this will go: for now I'm delighted by the absurdist mix of comedy and drama, given that the stakes of this relationship include drugs and murder on the regular.

Outlander: I Am Not Alone (6x08)

I love Claire's short hair, it looks super cute! Just thought I'd mention before we get into all this craziness.

Cons:

I mean... I don't know. This episode was pretty great. I guess my only complaint is that it's a finale and now we're left on such a cliffhanger until season seven comes along? There's so much setup happening, and we're going to have to wait to see the payoff.

I suppose along the line of more significant complaints, I think structurally this short season had some issues with pacing. While this episode in isolation did a great job, I was perhaps missing maybe one more hour of content prior to it, to pad out some of these elements. The various subplots that had to be wrapped up and set aside, the little things here and there that weren't given a ton of room to breathe.

Barry: forgiving jeff (3x01)

Oh man, okay! I watched the first two seasons of this show a while back but this is my first experience watching an episode all caught up, so I can't rush on to see what's next. Let's talk about it!

Cons:

Barry is one of those shows where it's pretty much definitionally flawless television, so any complaints I have are in the realm of personal preference.

So there's one thing about this show, and it's that I can't stand Sally. There's the way the show wants me to think Sally sucks, and there's the way that I think Sally sucks, and the two are related but I'm not always convinced they're 100% aligned? Like when she's walking around being all busy on set and squabbling about fight choreography and dress colors, my overwhelming feeling is that of ennui, just oppressive, irritable ennui. Get over yourself, girl. I don't care. You are the worst. So while I know I'm supposed to think all these characters are the worst in some way or another, Sally is the person where when I see her on screen I wish I was watching anyone else.

Outlander: Sticks and Stones (6x07)

You know, I have one major problem with this episode and it's tied in with a problem I've had with the whole season...

Cons:

I find it insulting that this episode wants us to believe for even one second that Claire may have killed Malva. To me, that's banking on a wholly unnecessary source of drama. The situation is fraught enough as it is, with so many different angles to explore, that I seriously don't think we need to add in this element of "maybe Claire's a murderer!" This is all in connection with the ether thing we've been doing all season. That too feels like an unnecessary element that was added to spice up a story that didn't actually require any more spice. Claire can have her doubts and troubles and traumas without adding in an ether addiction-type thing that makes her hallucinate and causes her to doubt her own mind. There's enough meat on the emotional bones of the story without going there at all!

While I'm glad we get to have the Lizzie subplot with the Beardsley twins, I did think it a bit of a shame that it all happened so quickly in one episode... I wish we'd had the reveal in an earlier episode and then maybe the hand-fast trickery here, to spread it out a bit? This show has a challenge in adaptation that springs from the fact that the books weave together subplots and mete out new information in slow little drips over time. So here, they condense the Malva accusation and her death into one episode, and condense the Beardsley subplot into one episode... I don't know, it doesn't quite work for me on the level of information flow.

Doctor Who: Legend of the Sea Devils (2022 Easter Special)

I wanted to feel more connected to this episode than I ended up feeling! I apologize for the brevity of my thoughts.

Cons:

In terms of the main plot, the Sea Devils themselves, the pirates and their various backstories, I found myself wanting more than what I got. We spent a lot of time with people without ever really learning about them or connecting with their characters.

I also got annoyed that Dan was separated from the Doctor and Yaz yet again. I swear they have a vendetta against letting Dan and Thirteen do any bonding, but whatever.

I was waiting for the theme, but other than "you shouldn't drown the whole world because you'll kill people", I wasn't really understanding what this story was meant to make me understand.

The Walking Dead: Acts of God (11x16)

I feel like I paid even less attention than I normally do to this episode. Ha. Maybe I don't like this show very much.

Cons:

There are shows that can get me to stop and really, really pay attention during long stretches of suspense or action with no dialogue. This show is often not one of them. So this episode features a lot of Daryl running around, a lot of Maggie running around, you've got characters getting injured, but nobody that we care about is injured bad enough for it to matter, and long stretches of just running around, dealing with violence, dealing with Walkers, and I can't tell you how bad my brain zoned out during most of it. This is partially the fault of me, the reviewer, but I think it also speaks to how repetitive and predictable this show has become over the years.

This episode also just speaks to how utterly pointless Leah was as a character. This should have felt like a serious blow, something heartbreaking and real and tragic, the fact that Daryl killed her to save Maggie's life. Daryl loved her, didn't he? That's supposed to be something with emotional resonance, and I felt nothing. That whole tense standoff between Maggie and Leah, where Maggie acknowledged that Leah would want revenge on her... these two women have taken so much from each other, but there's not a proper buildup or understanding of character or anything, that would make this moment land.

Outlander: The World Turned Upside Down (6x06)

Well dang! I wasn't expecting things to happen quite so quickly!

Cons:

This episode comprises quite a passage of time, and honestly I feel a little conflicted about it. To take us through Claire's sickness, Malva's entire pregnancy leading up to her ultimate fate, all in one episode, made me feel a little uncertain about where we were in the timeline at any given moment. I admire how much of the story they were able to tell here, but it does sort of feel like all the slow, sinister buildup of Malva's character came to a head and then was immediately pivoted into the next branch of the story. I think I would have wanted this story to take place over two episodes instead of just one, if I had been calling the shots there.

Things like, Ian being one of the potential fathers of Malva's child, and Jamie's despair during Claire's sickness, and Roger continuing to preach at the protestant church, and the assembly Jamie and Roger attend... on the one hand, I'm impressed by how much from the books is being included. On the other, it felt like we got a lot of summarization where I could have done with some slowing down.

Grey's Anatomy: Put It to the Test (18x15)

Wow, the stuff with Schmitt was stressful as hell! This was an intense episode.

Cons:

I liked the intensity of the performances during Meredith and Bailey's big fight, but I felt like it wasn't totally justified on the merits of the situation. Bailey went from zero to one hundred in being angry with Meredith for... checks notes... getting a job offer. She doesn't even ask her if she's taking it before she starts screaming at her and throwing Derek in her face, it's just awful and doesn't feel like it was built up enough.

Nick, as I've said a thousand times, is pretty boring. It's not that there's anything wrong with his transplant plot thread here, or how he's trying to grapple with the despair he feels in career. It's all perfectly unobjectionable. It's just not interesting. I'm glad his cool new medical procedure works, I guess, but I'm not interested in seeing how he responds to any of it.

The Walking Dead: Trust (11x15)

This is definitely an episode building to a midseason finale, rather than paying anything off, so there's quite a bit of treading water. Is that a bad thing?

Cons:

Well... in a lot of ways it's hard to judge this episode on its own, when there's more to come that will hopefully wrap up or escalate many of these plot points. I guess my least favorite stuff here was with Ezekiel. Kind of felt like a waste of time to show him getting into and out of trouble so quickly, what with Carol there to bail him out. I don't like the implication that Ezekiel might still be holding a torch, because I really like the vibe of the two of them as amicable exes who managed to stay good friends in the aftermath of their marriage and the loss of their son. I don't need to go back to romantic intrigue with these two.

This episode ends with a dramatic reveal of Leah, but like... last episode also ended with a dramatic reveal of Leah? So that felt like a weird pacing thing. Shouldn't they have held off on showing who stole the weapons for this moment, instead of telling us last week and then having this one be just a retread, with Hornsby offering her a job?

Outlander: Give Me Liberty (6x05)

Lord John Grey!!! My beloved!

Cons:

I remain convinced that they never fully stuck the landing with Murtagh and Jocasta... I was a fan of Murtagh sticking around on the show as long as he did, but the fact that his lasting legacy is now as Jocasta's sadly dead lover instead of Jamie's beloved uncle/father figure is kind of annoying to me. The fact that we spent time on Jocasta mourning for Murtagh here felt very strange.

The elephant in the room whenever we're at River Run: Jocasta is a freakin' slave owner. So when we're sitting around and giggling with her, Claire's getting high with her, all that stuff, it's just super uncomfortable and never properly dealt with. The character of Mary didn't help matters. I don't remember if this is someone we'll learn more about later, I can't quite recall this plot thread from the books, but in this episode she was basically there as set dressing. We learn her mother died and that Jocasta gave her time off to grieve. Okay, so is this supposed to be like a "Jocasta is a good master" thing? Because eww. And then later she's like, telling Jamie that Jocasta has seemed down lately because of losing Murtagh, basically there to provide emotional support to her white master and her white master's family, and I'm just cringing the whole time it's happening. I'll admit I don't have a solution to offer, I'm not sure how I would have made this better, but I'm certainly always uncomfortable by the way it's just kind of... not dealt with in the story.

Grey's Anatomy: Road Trippin' (18x14)

I love Jo very much!

Cons:

For the first time in a long time, I can't really think of much to complain about. None of the main stories were irritating to me on their face. Maybe the stuff with Meredith and Zola wasn't quite what I wanted it to be, just because I feel like they're stringing us along with this stuff about Meredith moving and taking the new job. Yes or no? Is Meredith leaving? What's happening with that? I don't like her boring boyfriend, so I don't like the time-wasting we do with him.

Pros:

Hey, miracle of miracles, there were moments with both Owen and Teddy this week that I didn't hate! Probably because it wasn't a plot thread about their relationship! First, I love that Amelia is chastising Owen for trying to push his recovery. Owen makes for actually decent comic relief when he's being the "doctors make the worst patients" cliché. And when he's acting as chief for Bailey, he manages to do a decent job but also gets a little worked up with the difficulties. I liked how he responded to everyone else's incredulity about his fitness for the job.