Category Archives: Television

The Best Thing I Saw on TV This Week (3/30 – 4/6)

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This week in television kicked off with another emotional Sunday night, as death returned to Storybrooke in devastating fashion on Once Upon a Time and the grieving process began on The Good Wife. Monday night’s episode of Dancing with the Stars featured a stunning performance from Meryl and Maks that earned the first 10s of the season. Tuesday gave us the triumphant return of The Mindy Project, which made all of us fall even more in love with Danny Castellano. Wednesday’s episode of Nashville featured huge moments of emotional confrontation between Scarlett and her mother as well as between Rayna and Deacon. Thursday’s episodes of Parks and Recreation, Suits, and Scandal continued to set the stage for their April season finales, as Once Upon a Time in Wonderland had its series finale. And Anna Kendrick’s turn as Saturday Night Live host last night was one of the most purely entertaining hosting performances of the season.

This was another week where the best thing I saw on TV was far from the happiest. And, once again, it came to us courtesy of the brilliant actors on The Good Wife. All of “Last Call” was stunning and compelling—from Cary’s deposition outburst and David Lee’s private moment of grief to Diane unleashing her righteous anger on an unsympathetic client and Kalinda’s showdown with Will’s killer. But the scenes that have continued to haunt me were the scenes between Diane and Alicia, the two women who loved Will more than anyone. Their first hug was punctuated by brutally realistic sobbing, and their moment of quiet, shared grief in Diane’s office was a beautiful showcase for the talents of Christine Baranski and Julianna Margulies. Their performances in this episode should land both of them on the list of Emmy nominees this year, if there’s any justice in this world.

What was the best thing you saw on TV this week?

TV Time: Parks and Recreation 6.18

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Let’s welcome back everyone’s favorite beautiful tropical fish, Heather, who was kind enough to share her thoughts on this week’s episode of Parks and Rec (since I was busy watching Captain America and Black Widow save the world last night).

parks prom

Title Prom

Two-Sentence Summary Organizing a high school prom brings back memories of the Parks Department family’s own prom experiences and brings up uncomfortable feelings for some. Leslie is determined to mold a promising high school student into a future Parks and Rec employee, while Ron attempts to stop her before uncovering the real reason for her obsession.

Favorite Line “Blueprints for the future are a fool’s errand. They’re like blueprints for a house—nice to have, but any foreman with a brain doesn’t need to look at them. One day—this year or maybe the next—you’re gonna be somewhere else, so enjoy yourself now.” (Ron)

My Thoughts As a whole, this wasn’t my favorite episode of the season. It wasn’t as funny as previous episodes have been and, despite the episode being shaped around and largely taking place at the prom, it felt disjointed to me. However, it did have Ron giving life advice to Leslie and a good look at Andy and April’s relationship, so I still ultimately enjoyed it.

While much of Leslie and Ron’s interactions with Allison felt like a rehashing of their many arguments over their ideological differences, it served a purpose. Ron has always been there to give advice to Leslie (and Ben) when they are uncertain about their futures. He is very good at knowing what they need to hear, and that largely comes out of his respect and understanding of Leslie as a person.

A scared Leslie is one we haven’t seen much of before. She’s always been very good at what she does and has gotten used to that feeling. She knows that the Parks Department runs smoothly because she is there, and she worries about what will happen to it if she’s not. Even if she’s outgrown it, she loves it and wants it to be in good hands if she leaves, but because she is Leslie Knope, she expresses that in ridiculous ways. She doesn’t like uncertainty, but it’s a part of taking chances. I think Ron gave her some good advice, and I love that she recognized it.

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We Need to Talk About New Girl

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new girl disappointed

Nick and Jess broke up. It’s been over a week, and I’m still having trouble writing about it.

Before you think that this is just a case of impassioned fangirl angst, let me remind you that I am no stranger to TV breakups. I live with the emotional scars of being an Alias fan; I had to watch my favorite character deal with the fact that the love of her life married someone else and stayed married to her for a whole season. I’m not one to get apoplectic over a TV breakup.

But do you know what I do get apoplectic over? Contrivances, poor characterization, and shoddy writing choices. If my favorite couple on a given TV show calls it quits in a way that feels believable and organic to their characters, I’ll be sad, but I’ll understand. I don’t understand Nick and Jess breaking up, but maybe that’s because I don’t really feel like I understand New Girl very well anymore.

I wasn’t someone who immediately jumped on the Nick/Jess train—or even the New Girl train, if I’m being honest. It took until Season One’s “Injured” for me to really open my heart to the show, and that was because I cared about the people in that episode; I wanted good things to happen for them, and I could see that they wanted good things to happen for each other. I don’t enjoy TV shows that let the plot influence how the characters are written; I want the characters to drive the plot. In order for that to happen, those characters need to be written consistently. By New Girl’s second season, I was blown away by the consistent and surprisingly complex characterizations that were guiding the show.

When Nick and Jess kissed, I think everyone was surprised by the impact of the moment—including the writers. These were people who had said that both Nick and Jess had a lot of growing up to do before they could be with one another romantically; they even hinted that a relationship would be bad for both characters. But as Season Two entered its incredible final stretch, it seemed as if they were proving themselves wrong on a weekly basis. Nick and Jess didn’t just work together; their relationship was good for both characters. It showed sides of them that enriched their characterizations while still keeping the show as funny as it ever was.

Season Two was the Season of Nick. We learned about his past, we saw that he was capable of being responsible and romantic, and we watched him develop into a person who was willing to grow. Nick Miller was a revelation in Season Two of New Girl, and the whole show benefitted as a result of the deft handling of his character.

And then came Season Three…

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TV Time: Once Upon a Time in Wonderland 1.12

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It’s time once again for Leah to take us into the world of Once Upon a Time in Wonderland!

wonderland

Title To Catch a Thief

Favorite Lines
Will: More like a jack-of-all trades, actually.
Alice: But, apparently, master of none.
Will: Watch your tongue, lass, else you’ll lose that as well as your head.
Alice: That’s a bit redundant, don’t you think?
Will: Depends which one you lose first.

“Nobody’s born a monster. We’re made.” (The Jabberwocky)

“I grew up with a very stubborn girl; always felt like they were the best kind.” (Will)

What Happened? Jafar sends Will to retrieve his staff by using possibility of bringing Anastasia back to life as motivation, which initially puts Will at odds with Alice and Cyrus. However, Will and Alice eventually come to an understanding: They can’t give Jafar his staff back, but they will try to find a way to get Anastasia back. The trio ends up with an unexpected ally in the Jabberwocky, who tells them about Amara’s ability to help bring Anastasia back in exchange for helping free her from Jafar. Meanwhile, we see in flashbacks how Will and Alice first met. The flashbacks include Alice stealing Will’s heart back from the Queen of Hearts, as well as Alice and Will’s capture of the Rabbit as proof of Wonderland, which takes place just moments before she discovers Cyrus’s bottle.

My Thoughts What I enjoyed the most about this episode was the way it brought us full circle in our story and the depth it added to Will and Alice’s friendship.

Will and Alice’s friendship has always been one of my favorite parts of the show, and I’m so glad that it is getting attention amidst all the action and romance. In this episode, we discovered how Alice and Will first met, and it was in a fashion that was truly fitting for their characters. Will had been sent by the Queen of Hearts to kill Alice, and they engaged in an entertaining bit of fighting and banter before Alice decided to go get Will’s heart back to end their conflict.

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TV Time: Once Upon a Time 3.15

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quiet minds

Title Quiet Minds

Two-Sentence Summary In Storybrooke, Neal joins Emma on the quest to find Rumplestiltskin, a quest he began in the Enchanted Forest during the lost year. Flashbacks reveal how Rumplestiltskin returned, why Zelena has his dagger, and who was prepared to pay the ultimate price for using dark magic.

Favorite Lines
Emma: Go ahead and laugh. I almost married a monster from Oz. It’s hilarious.
Neal: I almost married an evil minion of my grandfather, Peter Pan. So I know what you’re saying.

My Thoughts “All magic comes with a price.”

This has always been one of the core themes of Once Upon a Time. Actions have consequences, and the choices we make have lasting ramifications on not only our lives but the lives of those around us. “Quiet Minds” was an episode about choices—both the good and the bad ones; the smart and the foolish ones; the ones we make and the ones made for us. Yes, it had some confusing magical/supernatural elements, but the moments that stayed with me had nothing to do with special effects or fairytale mythology. What I’ll remember about this episode long after this show is off the air (hopefully many years from now) was the story it told about a group of fairytale characters struggling with the very real and very human choices they’ve made.

In this season’s “Quite a Common Fairy,” we were shown that Regina made a choice to run away from the prospect of a second chance at love and happiness with Robin Hood. Ever since that episode, I’ve been waiting for her to come face-to-face with the consequences of that choice, but I’ll admit that it happened much sooner than I expected.

I still predict that Regina and Robin fell in love during the lost year without her seeing his lion tattoo. They definitely shared more than just that one adventure during their missing year; they were immediately drawn to each other in the same way Snow and Charming were back when they were cursed Mary Margaret and David. The way Regina showed a flicker of recognition after they repeated their dialogue from the beginning of their Enchanted Forest relationship reminded me immediately of Charming knowing that Snow was the only thing that felt right about his life in Storybrooke back when they were cursed. Once Upon a Time always has fun with dramatic irony, and I’m having fun watching it play out with this relationship. Another thing I’m having fun with in terms of this relationship is the chemistry between Sean Maguire and Lana Parrilla. Their scene in the farmhouse was as blatantly driven by sexual tension as any scene in Once Upon a Time’s history.

Parrilla did a superb job of showing that Robin could actually make Regina happy. Her smile when she talked to him about whiskey absolutely melted my heart. But there is still a part of Regina that is afraid to open her heart, which is why she bolted the second she saw his tattoo. However, this Regina isn’t the young woman who ran away from Robin in the pub in the Enchanted Forest. She’s grown so much since then, and she’s become a woman who has made choices—both awful and good—and has finally learned to own up to the consequences of those choices. It doesn’t surprise me that she finally met the man who was destined to make her happy after selflessly giving up her true love—Henry—to pay the price for casting the first curse. Just as casting the curse had a consequence (giving up Henry), so did Regina choosing to undo it (meeting Robin Hood).

At the end of “Quiet Minds,” Regina had to once again own up to the consequences of a choice she made. Watching Robin play with Roland, Regina was watching the life she could have chosen for herself; the happiness that could have been hers had she chosen differently all those years ago. Parrilla broke my heart in those silent moments because you could feel her being drawn to this man whom she believes she’s finally ready to love but has missed her chance to be with. I can’t wait for her to discover that she can still choose to open her heart to him; she can still choose happiness, and it’s not too late.

You could see it written on Parrilla’s face as Regina watched Robin and Roland: She believes she isn’t meant to have a happy ending. That was a running theme in this episode as well: Is it really as simple as “heroes get happy endings and villains don’t,” or is the real world a whole lot less black-and-white?

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The Best Thing I Saw on TV This Week (3/23 – 3/30)

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For as emotionally draining as this week in television was, there’s no denying that it was also one of the most compelling in recent memory. Sunday night began with an episode of Once Upon a Time that introduced us to Rapunzel and forced Charming to confront his fears about fatherhood and his guilt over putting Emma in the wardrobe. In the next hour, The Good Wife gave audiences a twist so unexpected and devastating that it’s still haunting fans a week later. On Monday, Castle shed more light on the character of Captain Victoria Gates. Tuesday’s Brooklyn Nine-Nine finale opened new paths for Jake’s career as well as his relationship (professional or “romantic stylez”) with Amy, and New Girl also featured a new path being taken by Nick and Jess (although this path looks far less hopeful than anything on Brooklyn Nine-Nine). Wednesday’s Nashville brought a host of secrets out into the open, and Thursday’s Suits provided opportunities for both Mike and Louis to think about their futures.

Often, my pick for the best thing I saw on TV in any given week is the moment that made the happiest. But sometimes, the best thing you see is the thing that breaks your heart the most. That’s exactly what happened this week. Although the Brooklyn Nine-Nine finale made me the happiest, nothing else I saw on TV this week (and maybe nothing else I have seen this entire TV season) had the impact on me that The Good Wife had.

(Warning: There are MAJOR spoilers for last week’s episode of The Good Wife ahead.)

I watched this episode on Monday, so I had already been spoiled for Will’s death, but the lack of complete shock didn’t mean I still wasn’t emotionally destroyed by the loss of one of my favorite characters and a partner in most of my favorite relationships on that show. Watching Kalinda and Diane discover Will’s dead body in the hospital made me sob as I watched it unfold from my couch. Archie Panjabi and Christine Baranski gave such raw, horrifyingly realistic performances in that moment. There was such a sense of disbelief in that scene, and it mirrored what the audience was going through so brilliantly. I’m ready to have my heart broken by these two incredible actresses (and Julianna Margulies) once again tonight.

What was the best thing you saw on TV this week?

Grading the Season Finales 2014: Brooklyn Nine-Nine

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Source: Fox.com

Source: Fox.com

Title Charges and Specs (1.22)

Written By Gabe Liedman & Gil Ozeri

What Happens? Jake is told to stop investigating a prominent community leader who he believes is laundering drug money. The whole team from the 99th precinct comes together to support Jake: Gina, Rosa, Terry, and Boyle advocate for him at his hearing; while Holt and Amy join Jake in an undercover operation at a dance contest to prove that he was right about the money laundering. It’s later revealed that Jake’s investigation could have compromised a larger FBI investigation into a major crime family. He’s asked to go undercover for six months to infiltrate this family, which means he has to make it appear as if he’s been fired from the NYPD.

The uncertainty of the next six months of his life leads Jake to tell Amy that he wishes they could be together—“romantic stylez”—but he knows that’s not possible because she has Teddy and he has to disappear without any contact for six months. Boyle also faces a relationship crossroads as Vivian calls off their engagement, leaving him pathetically heartbroken. Terry and Rosa try to help him cope by offering their best advice (although Rosa admits she’s not often heartbroken because she doesn’t give her heart to nice guys like Boyle), but he seems to find some solace in a drunken hookup with Gina, waking up next to her in the morning as the episode ends.

Game-Changing Moment Jake deciding to take the FBI undercover job didn’t just have huge ramifications for the plot of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, it furthered more than one important character-development arc as well. As far as plot progression goes, the show could choose to spend time next season with Jake as he goes undercover, or it could (and I think it will) use the six-month period to keep the show in real-time, picking up just after Jake’s time undercover has ended. But it’s certain that Jake will be a different character and a different detective because of these experiences, and everyone at the 99th precinct will be different after working for six months without Jake.

The real “game-changing” aspect of this plot twist, however, was what it revealed about Jake and Holt’s relationship, as well as it what it led to in terms of Amy and Jake’s relationship. Holt trusted Jake’s abilities enough to encourage him to take the undercover job, and Jake trusted Holt’s judgment enough to do what he was asking of him without knowing any details. The level of trust shown by these two characters towards one another represented a huge step in their relationship, which has steadily and believably developed since the pilot. Jake’s new assignment also forced him to come to terms with his feelings for Amy, whom he won’t be able to see for the next six months. The danger inherent in this assignment made his confession feel as appropriate as it could, and it will be interesting to see how those cards being laid on the table come into play next season.

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TV Time: Once Upon a Time in Wonderland 1.11

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Today the lovely Leah is back with her thoughts on the latest episode of Once Upon a Time in Wonderland!

OUATIW111

I sincerely apologize to everyone for this review being so late this week. I had a tough week between several character deaths occurring on the shows I’m watching, I had to make a tough decision to stop watching a show that I’ve loved, and it was a busy week for me in general, all of which postponed my writing.

Title Heart of the Matter

What Happened? In flashbacks, we see how Cora influenced a young Anastasia on the eve of her wedding and helped facilitate the events that lead to Will’s removal of his heart. She also taught Anastasia how to use magic, bringing Anastasia more fully under its corrupting power. In present-day, Will’s lack of a heart is getting in the way of Jafar’s spell, and Alice and Cyrus go to Storybrooke to get Will’s heart back before Jafar gets to it first. When Jafar takes the heart from Alice and Cyrus back in Wonderland, he loses his staff to Cyrus, and Cyrus realizes that the staff contains his mother. After putting Will’s heart back in, Jafar has no need of the Red Queen, so he kills her in front of Will after their reunion.

Favorite Lines “I’ll save you some time: water, hairy spiders, being stabbed in the head, and uh, raisins—grapes are fine, but raisins-” (Will)

“I believe he is as much my captive as I am his. We create our own prisons.” (The Sultan)

My Thoughts This episode continued to bring the intensity in our build up to the season finale, and it was full of new information for both the audience and the characters. As a general note, I am really enjoying the way that—since the show has returned—it has felt like they are playing out the final showdown, while also giving it room to breathe. Instead of packing all the most important events into the last episode and making it so fast-paced that there’s no time for more nuanced, quieter moments, we are getting one big event stretched out over a few episodes, and I really appreciate it.

The flashbacks in this episode were a major source of information, and personally I felt grateful that they showed Anastasia’s conflict. Since the midseason finale, I have fully believed that the Anastasia truly does love Will, regretted her past decisions, and wasn’t as cold-hearted as everyone thought she was. This episode showed us that she regretted her choices even before she married the king, and if it weren’t for Cora’s influence, she would likely have run away from the palace and gone back to Will. I love that this show has evolved the Red Queen from a somewhat one-note villain who was a cold, simpering, power-hungry queen into a complex woman who is ambitious, will fiercely stand up to anyone who tries to take her down, and is also able to be loving and compassionate. She is full of complexity, and I enjoy seeing female characters that are given so much depth.

 

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March Madness (But Not the Good Kind)

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I think Emma Swan speaks for all of us this week.

It’s been a rough week to be a TV fan. I expect emotional devastation from sweeps weeks, but the middle of March is supposed to be a time of filler episodes and lighter fare before the angst of season finales begins. However, there is no denying that this week has been one of the worst in recent memory in terms of depressing television episodes.

(Just as a warning, the rest of this post is going to be heavy on the spoilers—not just for things that have aired but for things that are to come on a variety of shows.)

 

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TV Time: Castle 6.19

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The Greater Good

Title The Greater Good

Two-Sentence Summary The team from the 12th precinct investigates the murder of a Wall Street tycoon, and when the U.S. Attorney’s Office gets involved, Captain Gates comes face-to-face with her estranged sister, Elizabeth. When they’re not working the case, Castle and Beckett try to trim their extensive wedding guest list.

Favorite Lines
Beckett: Ryan, you guys kept your wedding small. What was it, like 100 people?
Ryan: Yeah, that’s all we could afford.
Castle: How did you contain the list?
Ryan: I have a lot of relatives who hate me now.

My Thoughts I’m running low on inspiration today, which kind of feels appropriate for writing about a Castle episode that was far from the show’s most inspired hour. It wasn’t bad by any stretch of the imagination; it just wasn’t particularly memorable. Therefore, I’m not bursting with analysis or commentary (which could also be a side-effect of my brain still trying to process what happened on Sunday’s episode of The Good Wife).

I’m hopeful that some of you have thoughts to share so we can get a solid discussion going about “The Greater Good,” and to start you off, here are my five biggest takeaways from this episode.

1.) Sometimes a filler episode is just a filler episode.
“The Greater Good” was the very definition of a Castle filler episode: It was case-heavy, focused on the development of a character besides Castle or Beckett, and had cute but not transformative Castle/Beckett moments. Recently, I’ve been impressed with the way this season’s middle group of episodes have still managed to show character growth and keep me thoroughly entertained, but this one didn’t grab and hold my attention the way other midseason episodes have this year. I’m not a big fan of case-heavy episodes if the case isn’t one with a sense of humor or at least something to make it stand out from traditional procedurals. This was a strange episode to use as the last one before a month-long hiatus (which I know is beyond the show’s control) because it didn’t really leave me clamoring for more.

 

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