The Handmaid's Tale: After (2x07)

I'm emotional. That was excellent.

Cons:

Uhhhh.... nothing?

Pros:

Where do I even start? There were so many powerful moments in this episode that I just cannot even pick my favorite, or the one that impacted me the most. Let's start with poor Moira, who finds proof that her girlfriend was killed during the war. The flashback stuff, learning that Moira had a kid for a couple, who payed her thousands of dollars, really added a lot of flavor to her character. I feel like I understand her better. And putting a face to her previously unknown girlfriend added to the tragedy of it all as well. This episode came with some surprising reunions, but here we see the proof of one reunion that is never going to happen. It was incredibly moving.

I also enjoy the development of Luke and Moira's friendship. I like the fact that they're really only tied together by their shared connection with June, and that they didn't actually get along all that well in the past. But now, on the other side of so much pain and heartbreak, they stand united. Luke holds Moira's hands as she mourns her lost love, and I believe in the power of their found family.

Elementary: Bits and Pieces (6x05)

Michael is so creepy, you guys. I'm so worried about what's going to happen!

Cons:

I was thrilled to get a bit of a focus on Gregson this week, but I get nervous because I don't know that I trust this show to follow through in developing its secondary characters. Basically, I liked what we got, but I'll like it less if we don't see it continue.

The same sort of thing is true when it comes to Joan. We get things like her sudden interest in parenthood, and then no hint or mention of it this week. That makes sense, given everything else that's going on, but I want Joan's characterization to get the same careful and meticulous development that Sherlock's is getting. Time will tell.

The Handmaid's Tale: First Blood (2x06)

This show. Oh my God.

Cons:

I'm starting to think that I'm supposed to root for June and Nick as a couple, within the context of the narrative, and... I don't. I feel great sympathy for them both and their terrible situation, but I don't see them as particularly romantically compatible. I'm still waiting for June and Luke to be able to reunite, honestly.

Pros:

Let's start with Eden and Nick. The girl is FIFTEEN YEARS OLD. This is beyond disturbing. The sex scene between them was one of the most painful things I've ever had to watch. Thankfully it was brief. Think about how twisted this situation is. Nick has been given a wife against his will, and this wife is a literal child. She insists that they have sex, as it is their duty to God to conceive children. And Eden confides to June that she's worried Nick might be a "gender traitor," so June has to tell Nick that he needs to do his "duty" as her husband, or Eden will start making trouble. This is so sick, so twisted, so revolting. I love how this show can twist everything up so you feel as trapped as the characters themselves. What other option do they have, honestly?

Elementary: Our Time Is Up (6x04)

This episode came so close to being PERFECT, but then one little moment at the end had to throw things into wack for me.

Cons:

I loved the plot thread with Joan and Lin so much, but then we see that Joan is considering adopting a child at the end. Don't get me wrong - I love a motherhood narrative as much as the next person. But I feel like you never see stories on TV about women who never become mothers and also never regret it. Joan has never indicated that she wants kids. We don't have a story about Sherlock never becoming a father, and yet we're obligated to have a story about Joan becoming a mom? Why? Can't we have a strong woman who genuinely is not interested in kids? Can't we have Joan be a complete person without children in her life? All I can say is, I hope this subject is treated with nuance and care moving forward. I don't want Joan to adopt a kid, but if she does, it better be handled properly.

The case this week had its fair share of twists and turns, and for the most part I found it enjoyable... but the motivations of the bad guy were a little odd to me. It also bothers me that he was figured out because he said a Greek Orthodox saying in a recording of the murder, and his last name is super Greek. That feels a bit like clumsy story-telling.

Westworld: Akane no Mai (2x05)

Well then. We've got some samurai to deal with.

Cons:

As a stand-alone episode, I found all of the stuff in the new park to be really fascinating and moving. But as a piece of a larger season, I'm starting to get seriously concerned. We're halfway through Season Two, and I feel like we've barely started setting up some of this stuff. There are so many timelines, so many characters, so many different stories going on at the same time, that I worry about how it's all going to come together. Maybe I should trust the writers more, but honestly. I'm having trouble putting together which stories are happening at the same time, and which ones are displaced. It's getting a tad bit distracting.

Pros:

I seriously thought Dolores was going to kill Teddy, and it scared me so bad. Of course, a hard reset is basically robot murder, so maybe Dolores did kill Teddy, in one sense of the word. I am beyond excited to find out what this means. Dolores is freaking me out with how ruthless she is, and I feel so bad for poor Teddy. This show has an enormous amount of subtlety when it comes to exploring some of its big themes. Essentially, Dolores starts to wonder how much of what she feels for Teddy is genuine, and how much is what humans programmed her to feel. To take that one step further, does it really matter one way or another? And can we be sure that anything Dolores does or says or feels is her own, and not part of some larger scheme? Teddy is a total puppy dog, following Dolores around, but he broke her trust by refusing to murder that guy in the Confederate camp, and now he's getting what amounts to a robot lobotomy for his trouble. Yikes.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: The End (5x22)

I cried so hard. God damn it. I cried SO HARD.

Cons:

So, they weren't sure if they were getting renewed when they wrote and filmed this, right? So it had to feel like a final episode of the show. I get that. But the enormously sweet and touching ending is a bit undercut by the fact that we will be getting more episodes. I really hope that the sixth (and likely last) season of this show is a bit mellower, maybe structured more like an epilogue. I don't want a new big bad to come in and screw everything up, I just want to see maybe a smaller, more localized set of stories with the team, so we can have a nice long while to say goodbye. Time will tell.

I was DEVASTATED by the ending, what with Fitz and Coulson and all of that, but I had a bit of room left in me to be slightly annoyed at the "gotcha" element of that final memorial/celebration. They wanted us to all be shocked by the "twist" that Fitz can be saved, but I just felt manipulated, honestly. If this really had been the final episode, then Fitz's death would have felt like a cheap way to end his character. If everybody else gets cheesy final words, I want some Fitzsimmons cheesy finale stuff too. I know we still have a chance for that now, because the show was renewed, but I'm annoyed that this could have been the end.

Once Upon a Time: Leaving Storybrooke (7x22)

I'm feeling very bittersweet! I can't believe it's over. I started watching this show right when it started, so I've really been there from the beginning to the bitter end. It's always a little hard to review finales, because I try to balance looking at the episode on its own merits with how I feel about the show as a whole.

Cons:

I have to be honest, though. This episode was a little clunky. The main problem I had with it was the stuff with Wish Realm Henry. It came out of nowhere last week and it petered out in a really lackluster way this week. It's sweet, in theory, that Regina could save any version of Henry. But it doesn't really make sense. This Henry doesn't have any memories of Regina as his mother. He thinks of her as a coldblooded killer, and he's given no reason to change his mind about that. Suddenly he's fine, and he and older Henry are both affectionate sons of Regina? That's just weird.

Supernatural: Let the Good Times Roll (13x23)

Cas is SO UPSET, you guys. And so am I!

Cons:

Okay, so... the special effects were pretty darn bad. Especially the flying Dean/Michael and Lucifer fight. That was not nearly as cool as they wanted it to be. And it wasn't funny in a purposeful way either. It was just kind of pathetic.

I guess I was kind of confused as to the plans/motivations of all the Apocalypse World people, because in the last episode, the idea was that none of them would have left at all unless they knew they could come back and defeat Michael for good. And then in this episode, even though they still assume that Michael is in their original world wreaking havoc, they all start settling in and talk about staying. It was a really weird and sudden shift in motivation.

Grey's Anatomy: All of Me (14x24)

A lot of this was very cute, but on the whole this finale was just okay for me.

Cons:

I think TV shows are overly saturated with "disaster wedding" episodes, and I guess I was just looking for something a little different. There's a moment early on where everyone is sitting at the church and the wedding music starts, and I was pleasantly surprised by the idea that the wedding ceremony was going to happen early on, and that the rest of the episode could be focused on the reception. But, instead, it turns out that most of the guests were at the wrong ceremony. There are tons of disasters, both medical and otherwise - Jo and Alex get stuck in a shed with a skeleton, the wedding planner goes into anaphylactic shock, the pastor is super late, etc. etc. Wouldn't it be nice to just have a normal, easy ceremony for once? I'm not saying it would make the best TV, but still.

There was some clumsy writing with the way both Arizona and April got written off this week. My little shipper heart was thrilled with the suggestion that Arizona and Callie might be able to find their way back to each other, but to find out in an offhand comment that Callie and Penny broke up feels very odd to me. Callie moved away from her whole life because of Penny. If the two of them aren't together anymore, then why is Callie still in New York? What was the whole point of Sofia bouncing back and forth? It was all just handled so very poorly. And April gets a very clunky line of exposition where she tells us that she's helping the homeless now, and that's why she quit her job at Grey Sloan. This feels like a good ending for April hypothetically, but it's a bit of a sudden and flimsy excuse for her being written off the show. As far as I can tell, she and Matthew are still living in Seattle, right? Maybe she'll be able to pop back in and make guest appearances?

Modern Family: Clash of Swords (9x22)

This episode was really lackluster. It's not like I hated it, but it just felt kind of half-hearted, and while I can see how this is the finale, it didn't have the energy or emotion behind it to really land the big ideas of change it was going for.

Cons:

For example, Manny wants to go on a road trip, but he's nervous about it and keeps trying to recruit Haley and Alex to go with him. In the end, he makes a big speech about facing fears, that's meant to wrap up the overall theme of embracing change. But... it's a road trip. And we don't even get to see any of it. Seems kind of insignificant in the grand scheme of things. And the other big changes, which should have felt more momentous, kind of fall flat as well. Claire and Jay decide to merge their company with a new high-tech closet company. That's a big change, but the thing is, this show is so inconsistent with the way it looks at Claire's job that I just know it will only come up a few times, whenever they decide to do a plot addressing it. We won't see any real character change or growth from Claire or Jay. Mitchell and Cam decide to keep Cal, Pam's son, with them, since Pam is in jail. This is a big decision, taking on the responsibility of raising a child, but it's kind of done as an afterthought.

The Handmaid's Tale: Seeds (2x05)

Oh jeez. I really thought June was losing that baby. I was so freaked out.

Cons:

We saw June break at the end of last episode, so this week we're seeing Offred. Which I absolutely loved, in the worst way. It was hard to watch, which it should have been. But at the end of this episode, it seems that we've gotten June back. She's back to being secretly rebellious - she's ready to try and escape with her unborn child. I wanted the effect of that breaking to be even more dramatic. Not because I like to punish June, but because I want the stakes to mean more, narrative-wise. This is probably a nitpick.

Also, I think maybe it's because the women of this show are just so interesting, but I just think the Commander is boring and stupid. I honestly think maybe that's the point. But his and Nick's whole thing, where they both know that Nick is likely the child's father, just seems petty in comparison to what June is going through.

Elementary: Pushing Buttons (6x03)

This show is by far the best procedural show I've ever watched, and there are a lot of reasons for that. Let's discuss.

Cons:

A good mystery needs to have a couple of red herrings, but I found the detours in this particular episode a little bit over the top. The daughter of the victim living in a commune? Unrelated to the crime. The crooked fireman trying to steal valuable goods from the house? Minor waste of time. The actual bad guy? A rando that we saw for two seconds at the start of the episode.

Pros:

But that stuff doesn't bother me too much in Elementary, because we still get to see the thoughtfulness of the investigation. My favorite moment was probably the fact that Joan cracked the case by realizing that the contents of the safe were important for more than just the signatures. It's always fun when she has a breakthrough. Also, there was a great moment where Sherlock took a look at a single picture and solved a case for another detective. It was a nice show-off-y, unrealistically brilliant moment. I'm glad that Elementary employs restraint and doesn't have Sherlock be perfect at everything, but sometimes a demonstration of his genius is a lot of fun.

Westworld: The Riddle of the Sphinx (2x04)

One of the best things about a show like Westworld is that as my brain starts spiraling down into all these crazy theories, I can trust that the show has thought about these things, and that there really is an insightful and clever answer waiting for me at the end of all of this.

Cons:

So... if I'm being charitable, I could say that the depiction of Native Americans in this show is meant to be really one-note and offensive, that it's a purposeful commentary on our society's problematic views of minority cultures. But... in order for me to be convinced of that, the show would need to lampshade it. I would need to see and understand that the show acknowledges how shitty their depiction of Native Americans has been so far. I don't have a problem with them kidnapping other hosts and humans. Hell, all the robots are doing that. But the fact that they speak in clipped, stoic sentences, and that I don't think we've learned any of their names, and the fact that we get nothing from their perspective... well, it's problematic to say the least.

Perhaps it's intentional, but I will admit that the sheer number of timelines is starting to concern me. At any given point I'm struggling to remember which characters know which pieces of information, and which things are happening concurrently. For some of the characters, especially Bernard, that lack of cohesion seems very much intentional and adds a lot to his narrative. But for others, I feel just a little bit confused.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: The Force of Gravity (5x21)

You guys!!! May and Coulson!!!

Cons:

I still wish that Fitz wasn't quite so well-adjusted all of a sudden? His attitude towards Mack is rubbing me the wrong way as well. I was so excited after the episode with Fitz's Framework alter-ego, and now it seems like the fall-out from that whole situation was pretty much nonexistent. That's too bad.

Also, not a complaint so much as a question/concern... how is Infinity War going to tie in? We've seen glimpses of the chaos in New York, but that means that the past couple of episodes have all taken place in just the beginning parts of the movie. I won't say the thing that happens at the end of Infinity War, just in case there's actually a fan of this TV show who hasn't seen it yet, but suffice it to say... there are consequences that it would be impossible for this show not to address in some way. I'm nervous about how that reality is going to interact with the show in the final episode.

Once Upon a Time: Homecoming (7x21)

Working on a time crunch, so my apologies for the brevity.

Cons:

I guess it's hard for me to stomach the idea that Henry would be such an asshole in the Wish realm just because he's been thwarted in achieving his dreams. Maybe this is what the finale will be addressing? And where does Wish!Henry think his mother, Princess Emma, is? It's confusing.

It's a little annoying that we've gotten like two seconds of Henry with Ella and Lucy now that everybody remembers each other, and then suddenly Rumplestiltskin shows up and kidnaps Ella and Lucy. I want to see them actually being a family for a little bit, so I can remember what it is that Henry has to lose. Also, at this point, shouldn't he be freaked out about the time displacement thing? Isn't he worried about Emma and Hook and his grandparents and everyone back in Storybrooke? I feel like there are a lot of potential plot holes waiting to arise in the finale.

Grey's Anatomy: Cold as Ice (14x23)

This show is so manipulative but you know what, it gets to me. I'll allow it.

Cons:

I guess I'm okay with April and Matthew being a thing again, but honestly how is Matthew over the fact that April left him at the alter? Also, I don't really like the fact that it was hidden from us. I feel deprived of the opportunity to get to know them as a couple, so I can have some assurances that April will be happy as she leaves the show. Also, here's the thing: I've tried to be a good sport about Jackson and Maggie, and I don't hate them or anything, but watching Jackson sob over April, and pray for her, made me realize how much more interesting Jackson and April are. I love them together, and this episode reminded me that Maggie and Jackson are, in comparison, a total snooze, and kind of annoying.

We also do some more setup for Arizona's departure, as Dr. Herman (Geena Davis) shows up to get a checkup, and then it turns out that she has all this grant money, and she wants to partner with Arizona to help save more babies and mothers, and sure, why not, they can do it in New York, and yay everything is just coming up daisies for Arizona. I'm happy for her, but I'll admit that I think Dr. Herman is an odd choice as the character who comes along to sweep Arizona out of the narrative. The thing is, I remember a lot of stuff between her and Amelia, but I don't really remember caring too much about Arizona and Dr. Herman at the time. Maybe I did, and I'm just forgetting it? Who knows.

The Big Bang Theory: The Bow Tie Asymmetry (11x24)

Amy and Sheldon have tied the knot. This was a decent episode of a bad show.

Cons:

I get really sick of the same cliche with sitcom parents. The shrewish wife and the quiet, timid husband. Haven't we seen that a million times? Amy's parents were unoriginal and bland. In fact, all of the guest characters from Amy and Sheldon's families were pretty disappointing. We didn't get any good material from Sheldon's brother and sister, or even his mom, although we did have one moment where Sheldon sincerely thanks his mother for everything she's done for him over the years. That would have probably packed a bigger punch if I cared about any of these characters at all.

Pros:

Mark Hamill was in this episode, and he was pretty fantastic. I love that he got roped in to officiating as a thank you to Wolowitz for saving his dog, but that by the end he was getting all weepy at the wedding. We also got a scene where the wedding guests asked Mark questions about Star Wars, but the crowd was a little too intense for him, and he didn't know the answers to most of the questions. That was funny.

Supernatural: Exodus (13x22)

I was so, so, excited for this episode, and then I saw Buckleming's dreaded names flash across the screen, and my stomach dropped. This wasn't a bad episode. It had tons of good moments and ideas and things in it. But... it wasn't what I was hoping it would be.

Cons:

Buckleming episodes are always so crowded, and dramatic, and there's always so much A-plot happening, but for whatever reason, the emotional moments don't hit me as hard as they should. For example, Sam and Dean reunite, and obviously Jensen and Jared do a phenomenal job with the acting, but the direction and the script show them sharing a hug, and then going about their business. The trauma that Sam suffered at Lucifer's hands is barely addressed by anything more than Jared's facial expressions. If I had written this episode, I would have had Dean staring after Sam the whole way, keeping close by his side, worried that he was going to lose him again. Dean should have been shattered by Sam's reappearance, giddy with relief. Instead, the moment was underplayed.

In exchange for downplaying the emotions with the Winchester boys, we got an annoying amount of focus on Lucifer's character development. It seems he really is sincere in wanting to get to know his son, and Jack, understandably curious about where he comes from, seems willing to give him a chance to explain himself. Here's where I have a problem: Cas, Gabriel, Sam, and Dean all try to tell Jack, at various points, that he shouldn't listen to Lucifer, that Lucifer is a bad guy, but Lucifer has good arguments as to why he's just misunderstood. Why doesn't anybody spell it out for Jack? I get the idea of him wanting to come to his own opinions, but honestly. Why is it that nobody looks at Jack, and says: "dude, your father murdered Castiel in cold blood. He tormented Sam in the cage and continues to abuse and manipulate him every chance he gets. He has tried to kill both Winchesters on numerous occasions. Maybe he's not responsible for every bad thing in the universe ever, but he is responsible for the direct pain and suffering of the Winchesters and Cas, three people we know you care about." Wouldn't that go a long way to helping Jack understand the severity of the situation?

The Handmaid's Tale: Other Women (2x04)

Oh nooooo. I think they're breaking June and it's making me so sad!

Cons:

The flashbacks this week were about Luke's first wife, and June's feelings of guilt about the affair, and "stealing" Luke away from her. There was nothing necessarily wrong with this plot thread, but in comparison to the rest of the episode, I just didn't connect to it as much. I think part of it is the fact that the main plot doesn't really tie it together? Her guilt over being a "fallen women" doesn't really seem to be the reason for her despair in the end. I don't think that part of the story was hit hard enough in Season One for me to understand it fully in its context now. She's only a Handmaid because she had an affair? I thought it was based solely on fertility.

Pros:

That's a quibble, though, because this episode mostly packed a serious punch. June is back with the Waterfords, back under Aunt Lydia's thumb, back in her Handmaid's garb. These last few episodes have been so atypical, with a lot of emphasis on life in the fridges of Gilead, in the underground. But now we're back to the oppressive and rigid culture of Gilead, and it makes for such a terrifying contrast.

Modern Family: The Escape (9x21)

There were a couple of things in this episode that I quite enjoyed!

Cons:

Jay's sister is in the hospital after a stroke, and seems to be having problems with her memory. Jay, Claire, and Mitchell all try and take advantage of this for personal gain, but then it turns out that the old lady was just faking her befuddlement to pull one over on them. This plot thread just felt too mean-spirited to me. You had Jay and Claire trying to get material gain out of a distressed woman, which was bad enough, but then you had the light and comic plot thread of Mitchell wanting to try coming out to his aunt again, because the first time, she was super homophobic about it. That's sad! That's Mitchell wanting approval from a family member, and not being able to get it. That's having a relative who thinks you're going to hell for being who you are! I just didn't get the comedy there, and they didn't take it seriously enough for it to be a real character point.

Phil, Cam, and Gloria get grouped up a lot of times and they lament how hard it is to be married to a Pritchett, which is pretty fun... but I didn't appreciate the fact that Gloria was able to sniff out drugs where the two white people were not. Somewhere along the way, the jokes about Gloria being Colombian and growing up there have become really uncomfortable to me.