Suits: Whatever It Takes (9x06)

I'm having a problem, and that problem is... I don't care?

Cons:

I talked about this in last week's review, but it's really hitting home for me here... now that I've had a tantalizing taste of Mike being back, nothing else about this show is really holding my interest. And even setting aside my personal obsession with Mike Ross, I felt like this episode failed on a fundamental level to deal with the fall-out of what happened last week. Sure, the episode focused on Samantha getting fired, but other than one biting comment from Robert (who still calls his son-in-law "Mike Ross" with a contempt that I find really troubling), nobody really bothered to address the Mike and Harvey fight. You would think that Donna would at least check in with Harvey, make sure he's okay, considering that one of his best friends in the world just yelled at him and stormed out of his house. But apparently not.

And my apathy for this episode extends over most of what was going on in the main plot. I didn't hate the stuff with Faye, and her ex-husband, and the debate about crossing lines. It was all fine. But it was also a little bit formulaic. Louis, Donna, Harvey, and Alex agree to do "whatever it takes" to get Samantha her job back. They find dirt on Faye, but when it becomes morally really awful to turn on Faye because of family reasons, they do the right thing and take the high road. Hopefully this means there will be a bridge between Faye and the others and that progress can be made, but at the same time, it all felt very by-the-numbers. Samantha is the kind of person who never takes this crap lying down. And now, because the plot needs her to, she's decided she's benevolently okay with Harvey giving up a chance to save her career. I know the episode provided explanations, but the explanations are a little lukewarm in my opinion.

Elementary: Their Last Bow (7x13)

Oh my goodness what the heck I'm crying! That was so lovely!

Cons:

It sure would have been cool to get Natalie Dormer back as Jamie Moriarty, but I understand why they couldn't. A part of me wishes that a bit less of this episode had been focused on her, because it kind of set up expectations that she might make an appearance after all. Next to the looming specter of Jamie Moriarty, the random NSA guy just didn't pack much of a punch.

I absolutely loath the narrative device of showing a coffin and trying to fake out the audience as to who has died. They've done it on Arrow, they've done it on pretty much every procedural show I've ever watched... I'm sick of it. This one was particularly annoying because it dragged on for a while, with Sherlock and McNally talking about a nameless "she" who had died. Obviously we're supposed to think it's Joan, but it turns out it's Jamie Moriarty in the end. Sigh. This was obvious and they dragged it out way too long.

Suits: If the Shoe Fits (9x05)

The status of Mike and Harvey's friendship was left way too vague for my tastes at the end of this episode. Please, please tell me Mike will be back for the finale!

Cons:

One thing about Mike being here is that it brought to focus how much better the show was when he was there. I'm serious. The banter in that opening scene between Mike and Harvey brought Harvey's character to life in a way I haven't seen since Mike left. Nothing in the chemistry between Harvey and Donna, or Harvey and Louis, or Harvey and Samantha, can compare to it. Mike and Harvey were the heart and soul of this show, and without one half of that dynamic, the energy just drops way down. It's like a frog in a pot of boiling water, though - you don't notice how much the show has gone downhill because you're kind of lulled into not noticing it. But then bam, Mike is back, and you remember how amazing this show was, once upon a time. Heavy sigh.

Turning to some more specific notes, I got flashbacks to Mike's time in prison when I was watching the final Mike and Harvey scene in this episode. Harvey was unimpeachable in his honesty, taking the loss gracefully and telling Samantha to back down. But then Mike doesn't get what he wants, and he blames Harvey for it and says Harvey has changed and is a bad person now or something. Mike has always had this moral high ground over Harvey and some of the other characters, but it's a really bad look to have him lording it over Harvey when in fact Harvey is not to blame, and is furious with Samantha for hurting Mike. Sometimes Mike Ross can't see the forest for the trees.

The Handmaid's Tale: Mayday (3x13)

Well, this was an undeniably intense and breathtaking finale. Let's talk about it.

Cons:

They should have just killed June. I really thought for a moment there that she was going to be killed off, and I was so excited. Not because June has been annoying me this season, although that's certainly true. I just thought - if they actually do this, if they actually kill off their protagonist, then the story opens up. There are so many other stories to tell, so many other things we could explore. June is a complex character, certainly, but the fact that she's still alive means that next season, they will probably find some way to set up a new status quo, and then June will... what? Keep trying to get kids out? Try to find Hannah? The one major obstacle this show has always had is that it might become stale, and I thought killing June off would have been a very refreshing way of avoiding just that.

At the same time, even without killing June off, there was a lot of savior imagery here. The other Handmaids and Marthas coming back to make that stand with June, so the kids could get out, was certainly an awesome moment, but there was this strange vibe to it, like they were coming back because of June. Because she inspired them. I've expressed my slight discomfort with this idea before. What makes June so special? Why is she the leader of this little rebellion? I always liked how in the books, she was just... a woman. One of many, forced to do what she had to in order to survive. The longer this show goes on, the more special and significant June needs to be come, to justify her role at the center of the story. I really don't know how I would fix this, but I am identifying it as something of a problem.

Elementary: Reichenbach Falls (7x12)

I can't help but feel that this episode was slightly anticlimactic. Let's talk about it.

Cons:

Anybody who knows anything about Sherlock Holmes knows what "Reichenbach Falls" means. So honestly it's a little insulting that they tried to fool us for even one second with the idea that Sherlock might really be dead. When they did the "reveal" that he had fled the country, I sighed and rolled my eyes. They did that thing where they kept him off-screen for as long as possible so we'd all be "surprised" at the last second. But like I said, was there really a single person watching the show who was surprised by that twist?

It's also patently obvious that Joan was in on the plan. There's that moment when Sherlock says they have to "plan a murder of their own" and it's supposed to be a trick, like we think Sherlock and Joan are planning Odin's murder. But obviously he's talking about the plan to fake his own death in order to frame Odin for killing him. I just don't want to waste any time in next week's finale hashing out the details of this ridiculously obvious plan.

Suits: Cairo (9x04)

This episode felt a little bit "after school special" to me. It was about respect in relationships, and all of the characters kept talking about it in this kind of simplistic and unrealistic way. That's not to say I hated everything in the episode, but it just wasn't my favorite.

Cons:

The biggest problem for me was embodied in the moment when Harvey, Louis, Samantha, and Alex all did their dramatic slow-motion walk into Faye's office. They found a way to stop her from taking away Donna's vote, which is something she wanted to do because of the conflict of interest between Donna and Harvey. So they're all marching towards her office, they go in there, and as a united front, explain to her that Donna will be keeping her vote, because they've waived the conflict, and she can't stop them. This is all very nice and everything, but during the scene I was distracted by the fact that Donna wasn't there. If Donna gets a vote, if Donna is a part of the leadership of the firm, why does she sit back and let other people save her? Why doesn't she even get a say at all? It felt very counter-intuitive to me, like it went against the message, to have Donna be absent for this pivotal scene.

Donna and Harvey's romance just feels so... performative to me. I'm trying to give it a fair shake. I'm trying to get to a place where I can think it's cute, and leave it at that. But honestly, I'm still feeling pretty underwhelmed. Donna is upset about potentially losing her vote, but instead of telling Harvey about it, she blows up at him about his strained relationship with her father. I know she was covering up for something else, but I still felt like Donna was being really unfair in this instance. After all, Harvey hadn't done anything wrong. Her dad was the one who was hesitant. Why is it only Harvey's job to fix it?

The Handmaid's Tale: Sacrifice (3x12)

Uhhhhh what the hell, June?

Cons:

I can't fault this episode for moving the plot forward... I certainly prefer action to the drudgery of some of this season's earlier episodes. But what the hell am I supposed to make of Eleanor's death in this episode? What the hell am I supposed to make of June letting her die, a la Walter White? It was dark in a way that I'm not sure this show has earned. What am I supposed to be thinking about June right now? This season has spent a long time turning her into a villain, but this moment was just sickening. How am I supposed to get past it?

See, the thing is, there was a relatively easy fix to this problem. If they had done more to show how much of a threat Eleanor was to the plan, or explained why her death was of huge benefit to June, then I'd still be horrified, but I'd maybe feel differently about the narrative benefit. It would be about June being forced to make a horrible choice for the sake of the kids. But here? Sure, Eleanor's mental illness almost blew the plan up, but June stopped her, and she was contrite. They could have kept her in her room and kept her quiet enough to salvage the plan. Her death was in no way necessary. Also, this was a huge tactical risk for June to take. Joseph manages to keep the borders open and preserve the escape plan, even in his mourning. But what if Eleanor's death had sent him spiraling? What if he'd locked himself away and refused to help? What if he'd blamed June for Eleanor's death, because June was too rough with her, and decided to turn her in? I just feel like Eleanor's death benefited June because the narrative needed that to be true. I honestly don't think it was smart or necessary for Eleanor to die. The show was more interesting with her there.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: The Sign/New Life (6x12/13)

Yikes! Some stuff occurred! I have a lot to say, and it's kind of mixed, but I will say that over-all I really enjoyed watching this episode and I'm excited for the final season next year.

Cons:

All season, I have been saying that Sarge was interesting, but that ultimately it still felt somewhat cheap to bring Clark Gregg back after Coulson's emotional send-off in Season Five. In this finale, Sarge is defeated, after being maybe kind of redeemed, and then flipping on that redemption, and at the last minute we see an LMD of Coulson who is there to help with the next big bad (the Chronicoms). So now we have not one, but two different contrivances to bring Clark Gregg back as a Coulson-adjacent character on the show. I get it. They killed him off, then got two more seasons that they didn't know they were going to have. But as much as I love Coulson, as much as I would love to watch these characters navigate their feelings of loss and hurt, it's kind of strange to have him there all the time. They did a good job with Sarge, and I hope they do a good job with the LMD as well. But on principle, I still have my issues with it.

And speaking of contrivances that get repeated over and over again, it appears going in to next season, that Fitzsimmons have been separated. There's time travel shenanigans going on, and I'm super excited to see that, but come on. If we spend next season with Fitz and Simmons in separate story-lines, and then watch them reunite at the midpoint or something, I'm going to be annoyed. They were a duo at the beginning, and then once they fell in love, it seemed like the only trick the writers had left was to separate them again and again for the sake of drama. Before this show ends, I want to watch this great couple actually interact with each other, and be a unit once again! Please!

Elementary: Unfriended (7x11)

I was not at all surprised that this happened, but it still punched me in the gut.

Cons:

This is something I mention periodically, but the script for this show sometimes leaves something to be desired, when it comes to exposition. There are several clunky moments in this episode. For example, Sherlock explains what's going on to Gregson, with Reichenbach, and why he got shot, all of that. Gregson then summarizes it back, as if to remind the audience succinctly of the bad guy's plan and why we don't like him. There's no subtlety there. There's also some back-fill, with Sherlock recognizing a company name that has never been mentioned before on the show. Hints could have been built into earlier episodes, you would think, especially since this clue ends up being so integral to figuring out what Reichenbach is up to.

Suits: Windmills (9x03)

I had some issues, but they were mostly little things. I still over-all enjoyed the episode.

Cons:

I'm flip-flopping on Donna and Harvey week to week. I want to be happy in the way I know the Darvey shippers are... I want to think that they're just so cute and perfect together. But their banter just seems performative for me, in a way that Harvey and Mike's never did. And in a way that Donna and Harvey usually don't. They were good at flirting with each other before they were together, but now? It feels unnatural. For example, when they're out to dinner together they fall silent when they realize they have nothing to talk about outside of work, which makes them both anxious. But then Harvey saves the day by telling Donna that she reminds him of the mother of a friend he had growing up, who he always had such a crush on. Donna thinks it's romantic, and nice to know they can still learn new things about each other. I think it's kind of creepy and weird, and feeds way too much into the idea of Harvey thinking of Donna like a caretaker. She's been looking after him for way too long, and the power imbalance is still there.

I get trying to make Faye into a bad guy by showing her pushing people around, but I thought it was ridiculous of her to ask Donna to be her temporary secretary. That's not a realistic thing that someone would ask. She could have asked Donna to help her find a secretary, sure. But to ask the COO of the company? It's completely stupid and contrived.

The Handmaid's Tale: Liars (3x11)

Well. I certainly can't complain that we're stuck in limbo, can I? Some stuff happened in this episode. Oh boy.

Cons:

Hmm. For the first time in a long while, I don't have much to say in the "cons" section. I suppose I should lodge a complaint that it's been way too long since we've checked in with Moira, Luke, and Emily up in Canada. I understand the instinct to focus on one singular character or plot thread in order to make the episode feel more cohesive, but even with the cut-aways to Fred and Serena, this episode did drag at some moments because there wasn't a lot of variety. But honestly, it was still pretty great, especially compared to the past few weeks.

Pros:

Let's start with that Fred and Serena subplot, actually. See, I was almost ready to put their plot in the "cons" section, because it felt like more treading water. Sure, they're on their way to a clandestine meeting with an American to get Nichole back, but mostly it's just the two of them feeling their way through their awkward relationship. And like... that's boring to me, because I think Serena and Fred are both awful people, and Fred had Serena's finger cut off, and watching the two of them reminisce about being a happily married couple is disturbing, and not in the way I enjoy watching. But then... then.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: From the Ashes (6x11)

Huh. Flint? Okay, I guess.

Cons:

This was one of those episodes made up of things I liked, but whose whole is less than the sum of its parts. I think in some ways, it's because the episode was treading water. We already knew that Sarge had some of Coulson's memories and was twisted up about it. In this episode, a lot of stuff happens, but as the episode has progressed, the only part of the status quo that has altered is that Daisy acknowledges the truth. Same with Izel. She wants the monoliths, and she has Mack and Yo-Yo hostage. A lot of action and stuff occurs, but as the episode ends, she's still just trying to get to those monoliths. All we've learned is that she can create images and manipulate people, showing Benson his dead husband, and then showing Flint. (Unless that's really Flint? Jury's out). Again, this isn't a big problem or anything. I liked everything that we saw here. But I felt as if the entire episode was all setup, without any big payoff. Next week is a two-part finale, so maybe I'm just being hasty, wanting the payoff that we'll be getting in a big way next week.

Also, and this is my own problem probably more than it's the fault of the show, but I kind of forgot about Flint. It's been a long time, and most of what happened in the future has gone dim for me. Hopefully they do a good job of reminding the audience a bit more about him in next week's finale.

Elementary: The Latest Model (7x10)

I thought this episode was perfectly average and run-of-the-mill, but not hugely problematic or anything. Let's talk about it!

Cons:

One weakness was that I felt the separation between the case of the week and the over-arching Reichenbach plot more than I usually do. While Joan and Sherlock are working on figuring out who killed a model, they are also dealing with Reichenbach coming to them with a potentially dangerous man, and asking for their confirmation. Both stories on their own have a lot going for them, but they connected so very little that you could have lifted either one and plopped it down in a different episode with no issue. I know that's been true of other episodes this season, but I just really noticed it this time around. I think, despite the shorter length of the season, we're still getting some of that mid-season drag that seems to come in every season of Elementary.

Pros:

The case of the week wasn't anything remarkable, but I did like the escalation of the murders. First, there's a Jane Doe in an alley. As they discover who this woman is, they find that she had a sister who died of a drug overdose ten months previously. But wait - turns out, that was a murder, too. And then in the course of the investigation, they find a private investigator who was trying to figure out how the first victim's sister really died - and he winds up dead, too. As a consequence, the case gets bigger and bigger as it goes. I also liked that the murderer was a clear and present character in the story, who we had set up earlier, and as more evidence came to light, it made sense to point the blame back at her. It was a good mix of mysterious and yet still solvable.

Suits: Special Master (9x02)

I like Faye. Because she's right. And that's interesting!

Cons:

There was virtually no mention of Mike this week, so that was a bummer.

No, but seriously. I thought this episode was pretty strong at balancing a lot of moving parts. The one thing I didn't super love was Louis going off on Benjamin like that. What Louis has been up to in trying to protect his firm from Faye is pretty sketchy. There was plenty of behavior that crossed the line already. For the most part, Louis seemed pretty level-headed about everything going on. So to have him go crazy and try to fire someone for no good reason? That was crossing a line. I'm always on the lookout for Louis' inconsistent characterization, because I need him to have grown into a more reasonable person than he was in the earlier seasons of the show. Otherwise, we slip right back onto that merry-go-round, and I have no interest in watching that again. I don't think we're at that point, but I want to make sure we don't get there, if that makes sense.

Oh boy. Thomas Kessler. I enjoyed Harvey and Donna's banter last week, and this week too, for sure. Really cute and great. But seeing Donna and Thomas interacting reminded me that they actually made a really good couple. It brought back to the front of my mind all of the complaints I had about last season's finale. Donna and Thomas were too good together to be a failed branch of a love triangle. Donna honestly deserves better than Harvey, if we're going to base this on all of his past behavior.

The Handmaid's Tale: Bear Witness (3x10)

Okay, that was kind of a good episode.

Cons:

I can't totally forgive this show for the sins of its past, just because of a stand-alone solid installment. June's newfound determination to smuggle kids out of Gilead is great or whatever, but there's this sort of "savior" vibe to June this season that I'm not really digging. There's this awesome moment that I really did enjoy, where June discovers that there are tons of people on board with getting kids out of Gilead, and she's going to have the support she needs. What bothers me about this is the larger implication, that they all needed June to come along and kick their asses into gear. It doesn't really track with the world building of the show as a whole, because we know there's a whole resistance network in place, that June is only tangentially connected to. So why do all of these brave rebels need June to come along and kick-start this new endeavor? Maybe I'm nitpicking, I don't know.

Speaking of world building, I was reading another review that pointed out how inconsistent this show is about power structures. I hadn't quite noticed it, but when I think about it, it's sort of confusing to me that Fred can yo-yo back and forth from persona non grata to extremely influential in the space of a few episodes. Same with Commander Lawrence. I thought he was allowed to be eccentric because he was an untouchable founder of Gilead, but I guess not? It just seems like the balances of power are not shifting organically, but rather shifting to serve the plot in any given moment.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Leap (6x10)

Last week, I was a little miffed at all the plot threads that had ended abruptly. And honestly, I sort of stand by that criticism, in the sense that I think the story before this point could have been paced better. We could have had more time with Izel vs. Sarge to build up to this. But... I must admit, I'm very intrigued with how things are turning out!

Cons:

Like I said - the big reveal this week, about the monolith energy, and Coulson and Izel being the same species of body-less energy, is all very cool. But we should have had more build-up with the supposed rivalry between Izel vs. Sarge. I love the idea that they have some sort of relationship, and that Izel wants Sarge to be on her side. Very cool. But we went from the mystery of Sarge, to meeting Izel, to finding out that Sarge hates Izel for "taking his family away from him," to the revelation that he has no family and that he's getting weird imprints from Coulson's memory... and all of that happened so quickly. There should have been a more organic buildup.

I'm wicked sad about Davis, I guess, but I also feel like they decided to give him more screen-time this season for the sole purpose of making it sad when he died. This is a problem that The Walking Dead is always falling into, and I point it out a lot in my reviews of that show - escalate a background character for a bit, just so the audience has more of a connection, before killing him. It was done okay here, and I do genuinely feel bad about Davis, but imagine how freaked out we'd be if Izel had killed a top player instead? I don't know. Maybe I'm nitpicking at this point.

Elementary: On the Scent (7x09)

Some more motion on the A-plot! Yay! This season is going to be over before we know it, and I'm not sure I'm ready to say goodbye.

Cons:

I really liked the fake-out with the case this week, with one key exception. See, for the first chunk of the episode, our team thinks that they are hunting down a serial killer, but then half way through the episode they discover that contaminated evidence has accidentally created a serial killer who never existed. My only issue with this is that they never really explained why everyone was so convinced that it was a serial killer. I mean, sure, there was DNA evidence that matched at two different scenes. But was there no attempt to find a connection between the victims? It just feels like everyone accepted the premise a bit too easily.

I also think Sherlock got let off the hook a little too easily for lying to Joan. I'm glad she's annoyed with him, but she seemed more bothered that he wasn't going after Reichenbach, than that he'd lied about the NSA. He needs to be taken to task.

Suits: Everything's Changed (9x01)

Ah Suits. What a ride it has been. I'm feeling super nostalgic about this last season. Let's dive right in!

Cons:

There has been so much in-fighting at this ridiculously long-named firm over the past several years, and I know that's what drives the drama for the show, but it can get a bit tiresome and repetitive, all at the same time. As I'll discuss below, I actually appreciate the way they're turning the fighting on its head, and showing these people band together... but there's still something wearying about the moment when Sam says she'll reveal the truth about Harvey and Donna breaking privilege, if Louis and Harvey and Alex vote to take Robert's name off the wall. It's another threat, another ultimatum. These people are children sometimes.

There were also a few moments that were just a little too silly for me to handle, plot-wise. Once is Donna telling Harvey to go fight Sam in the boxing ring. She makes this idle suggestion, and then in the next instant she's convincing Harvey that it's what Samantha "needs," and that if Harvey doesn't go and fight her, he'll be disrespecting her in some way. This is just such a plot contrivance. Donna tries to make it like a gender equality thing, and it just does not work. So much silliness.

The Handmaid's Tale: Heroic (3x09)

So, last week my review had complaints about several things. The key three were: 1) racism, 2) they shot a pregnant Handmaid which makes no sense, and 3) June is not suffering consequences. This episode addressed... one of those things. Kinda.

Cons:

I was surprised to learn that Ofmatthew wasn't dead. Well, she's brain-dead, apparently. But this doesn't really change anything re: my complaints from last week, because a pregnant Handmaid was still shot, and there's no way they could have known she would survive that. And also, still racism. This episode is an explicit and difficult to swallow commentary on the way that women's bodies are being used as nothing more than vessels for bearing children. That's a commentary that the show has been making from the beginning. But to have a black woman lying there, unable to speak for herself, nothing more than a vegetable producing a child... it was... well, it sucks. And if the show were grappling with the implications of that suckiness, that would be one thing. But no. The optics of this episode really, really bothered me, and I'd bet I'm not alone there.

There's another issue here, that's partially resolved but partially still extremely annoying to me. I've been complaining about June not facing punishment from Gilead, because it breaks the rules of their own universe. Here, she gets a punishment. It's creative and cruel and drives June nearly to the point of madness. As the episode ends, she sits with her former walking companion as she breathes her last, and makes a promise to the dying woman. She's going to help rescue the kids and get them out of Gilead. So... what was the point of this whole season's plot thread? Last week I expressed a cautious interest in the idea of "evil June." But it seems that instead, her homicidal rage, her disregard for her own safety, her insolence towards authority figures, was all leading her back onto the path of revolution. Suddenly, the whole season feels like it was treading water. June was already interested in the resistance. Why did she need to go through this whole twisted plot thread to get back to where she already was?

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Collision Course (Part II) (6x09)

Wow, that really... wrapped everything up, didn't it? I'm very curious as to where things are going to go from here.

Cons:

In most regards, I admire this apparent clean-slate approach. Fitzsimmons are back home. Izel, Jaco, Pax, and probably Sarge as well, are all dead. The threat has been eliminated. Snowflake is set up for a potential future story-line. That's kind of daring, and definitely unexpected. But it also really bothers me that we only found out about this terrible feud between Izel and Sarge in last week's episode, and now apparently... that's over and done with? Like... how unsatisfying is that? Why spend time developing this mystery if we're going to end it here? The answer is... we're not? Probably? I am confident that the show will eventually answer the question of why Sarge looks just like Coulson. But I'm not sure how I feel about this soft reset, if it means leaving so many mysteries unfulfilled. This is especially true give Pax and Jaco both dying, just when I was starting to get their names straight.

I love Deke a lot, but his romance with Snowflake really doesn't work for me. It's being played for comedy most of the time, but then abruptly there will be a moment where it seems like they want me as a viewer to be taking it seriously in some way. Is this supposed to represent the emotional resolution of Deke's long unrequited crush on Daisy? Because if so, it really doesn't work.