Tag Archives: recaps and reactions

TV Time: Castle 7.21

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Heather is back to share her thoughts with us on the latest episode of Castle!

Title In Plane Sight

Two-Sentence Summary When an air marshal goes missing and is later found dead on a flight, Castle is called to solve the case with the help of Beckett on the ground. With the help of Alexis, Castle pieces together the story and brings the killer to justice before they land in London.

Favorite Line “Air, by nature, should not be bumpy.” (Castle)

My Thoughts Now that the mystery of Castle’s disappearance is seemingly resolved, this week’s episode tried something new and gave us an investigation that took place almost entirely at 39,000 feet. This allowed Castle to play lead investigator with Alexis and the flight attendants assisting in the air, as Beckett and her team helped from New York. It allowed the show to play with a new dynamic and allowed Nathan Fillion proved he was up to the challenge of leading a case-driven episode.

We’ve seen more of Fillion’s range as an actor this season than we have in past seasons. The mystery of Castle’s disappearance and the return of 3XK gave him a chance to show his skills as a dramatic actor, while this week gave us a glimpse of what this show could be with Castle alone as its central focus. It was an interesting switch to see Castle fully in control of the case. Even when he was a P.I., we saw the case through Beckett’s (and the NYPD’s) perspective, with Castle providing some needed insights. Here, he was in control of developing the theories, finding evidence to be processed, and taking on his first solo interrogation. While I’m not sure about his authority to question suspects, I thought Castle was absolutely in his element.

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TV Time: Once Upon a Time 4.19

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Title Lily

Two-Sentence Summary When Emma discovers that Maleficent’s daughter is the same Lily she pushed away when she was a teenager, she embarks with Regina on a road trip to find her before they go to New York City to rescue Robin from Zelena. Along the way, surprises are around every corner—from Lily’s knowledge of her true identity to Robin’s rationale for not being able to leave Zelena behind.

Favorite Line “If you pull that trigger, you’ll be the one who destroyed your life this time.” (Regina, to Emma)

My Thoughts Sometimes an episode of a television show comes along that gives you everything you wanted as a fan. That was exactly what happened with “Lily.” The past couple of episodes of Once Upon a Time have felt bleak and sometimes frustrating, and I was growing tired of the characters believing that outside forces control our actions and decides our goodness or evil or happy endings for us. And then this episode came along with its brief but lovely doses of hope and warmth, reminding me that this show has always been about finding good moments amid hard times. Even more than that, though, I was so impressed with the way writers Andrew Chambliss and Dana Horgan managed to take an episode about a pair of girls fated to be connected and use it to tell a story about the power of choice.

“Lily” was an episode about free will. And the strong undercurrent of hope in this episode came from the way so many characters in it chose to be better than their darkness and help people. This was the first episode in a long time where it felt like all (or almost all) of the characters were actively working to make good choices instead of just accepting darkness, and that made for my favorite episode of the show in quite some time.

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Grading the Season Finales 2015: The Americans

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I want to take a moment to thank all of you who’ve joined us here to talk about what’s been one of the best seasons of dramatic television I’ve watched in a long time. It was a true joy to write about The Americans every week, and so much of that joy came from sharing my enthusiasm for this show with other fans who love it as much as I do.

The Americans finale

Title March 8, 1983 (3.13)

Written By Joel Fields and Joe Weisberg

What Happens? When Elizabeth and Paige head to West Germany to meet Elizabeth’s dying mother, Philip stays behind and continues to deal with the fallout from what happened to Annelise (finally telling Yousaf, “I feel like shit all the time”) and Martha. After revealing his real face (and hair!) to Martha, he leaves her alone to deal with this new information, and he attempts to shutdown the FBI inquiry once and for all by planting the recorder in the apartment of Gene, the IT guy in charge of the mail robot. In order to cover up all of his loose ends, Philip kills Gene in a way that makes it look like he hung himself.

Clearly facing a crisis of conscience, Philip only struggles more after talking to Gabriel, who isn’t happy that he arranged Elizabeth and Paige’s trip without telling his superiors. Gabriel knows Philip is falling apart and commands him to “Grow up.” With seemingly nowhere to turn, Philip sits in on an est seminar about sexuality, where he runs into Sandra Beeman. She suggests that they start sharing their most honest thoughts with each other as a kind of exercise, which Philip says he’ll consider.

Honesty is also developing between Nina and Anton, as she reveals to him that she can’t keep trying to buy her freedom, which is what she was doing by getting close to him. Anton then tells her she can gain power over her captors by denying herself the things they offer her. Nina’s decision to try to find power in her situation will come in handy now that Stan discovered that—despite outing Zinaida as a Russian spy—he can’t secure her freedom. He can, however, work to turn Oleg, which becomes his latest assignment.

While all of this is happening in America, Paige finally meets her grandmother in West Germany. Instead of making her feel more at ease with the truth about her family, however, this meeting only causes Paige more distress, as she wonders how Elizabeth’s mother could send her away and if that could ever happen to her. Paige continues to be unnerved even after arriving home, telling her mother that she doesn’t know if she can keep lying to everyone. Elizabeth tries to comfort her by telling her everyone lies, and what’s important is they’re telling each other the truth now.

After Paige and Elizabeth come home to Philip, he begins to open up to Elizabeth about his confusion and moral conflict, but she cuts him off to focus on Ronal Regan’s “evil empire” speech, which begins playing on the television. As the president addresses a group of evangelicals about the Soviet Union, Paige makes a phone call to another religious leader, Pastor Tim. Through her tears, she tells him the truth: Her parents are Russians.

Game-Changing Moment When a sobbing Paige picked up that phone, I knew nothing was ever going to be the same for this show and these characters. However, Paige wasn’t the only character to change the game in that final scene. The way the final minutes were cut to go back and forth between Paige opening up to Pastor Tim and Philip trying to open up to Elizabeth was masterful. For much of this season, the focus has been on the connection between mother and daughter, but, in the end, it was the traits shared by father and daughter that might prove to be the most important of all. Both Philip and Paige have grown tired of doing what they’re told when those actions contradict what they feel is right; they both have moral compasses that have grown increasingly opposed to the things they’re being asked to do, and it’s tearing them apart from the inside out. While Elizabeth has her firm belief in the cause, her husband seems to have lost his, and their daughter never had that belief to begin with. And without that anchor, father and daughter begin to say things that could endanger them both. This was a moment of two people trying to assert their agency after being told to follow orders for the greater good, but, in the world they live in, asserting agency can have tragic consequences. This is especially true for Paige, who—by sharing her parents’ secret—has either doomed her parents or her pastor, or perhaps both.

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TV Time: Castle 7.20

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Title Sleeper

Two-Sentence Summary When Castle starts having dreams about the two months he was missing, he sets off on a quest to find the truth. That quest ultimately leads him to an old prep-school acquaintance who holds the answers about his dreams, his disappearance, and the reason he had to miss his wedding day.

Favorite Line “I’ll be with him. Wherever this leads him, I promise you: I’m not going to let him go too far.” (Beckett, to Martha)

My Thoughts We learned a lot about what happened to Castle during his two-month disappearance in “Sleeper.” And yet I can’t help but feel that this was a case of too little, too late. By abandoning this mystery for the better part of the season, much of its emotional weight was lost by the time we got to “Sleeper.” And that lack of emotional resonance wasn’t helped by the episode’s rushed pacing and anticlimactic resolution. Castle has always done remarkably well with long-running story arcs, but I don’t think Castle’s disappearance will be spoken of with the same reverence among fans as the Johanna Beckett arc or the 3XK arc.

The latter arc might have played some role in this episode’s reception—at least for me. This season did such a brilliant job of handling the 3XK arc that it didn’t feel necessary to have another big, dramatic arc that wasn’t connected to 3XK at all. Beckett had Bracken; Castle had 3XK. It was a perfect balance. Throwing a new overarching story into the mix seemed to be something that should have waited until 3XK was finished. It only led to comparisons between “Sleeper” and this season’s fantastic two–parter, and, frankly, “Sleeper” didn’t stand a chance against those two episodes.

To be fair, I think “Sleeper” didn’t stand a chance for many reasons that had little to do with the actual quality of the episode. I normally try to stay away from discussions about contracts and show renewals because the speculation just stresses everyone out. However, when issues with the business side of television carry into what I’m watching onscreen, I need to talk about it. And “Sleeper” was very clearly a victim of circumstance. At the time it was written and filmed, no one was certain if there would be another season of Castle, and I suppose we still don’t know for sure. With actor contracts up in the air, it made sense for them to try to wrap up a storyline that could have gone on much longer, while still leaving some things open in case the show ever got the chance to go back to them. However, that uncertainty made for a rushed and incomplete resolution to what should have been an important story. It felt like the writers just threw a bunch of ideas at the wall and went with what stuck.

And what stuck was an incredibly strange story of espionage, terrorism, and…boyhood friendship?

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TV Time: Once Upon a Time 4.18

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Source: onceuponatime.wikia.com

Source: onceuponatime.wikia.com

Title Sympathy for the De Vil

Two-Sentence Summary When Cruella kidnaps Henry, her connection to the Author becomes something of great importance to every character, especially Emma. That connection is revealed in flashbacks, which also show how and why the Author took away her happy ending.

Favorite Line “Forgive me if I don’t take advice from a woman who held a grudge for half her life because a 10-year-old spilled a secret.” (Emma, to Regina)

My Thoughts Sometimes it’s easy and fun for me to talk about challenging episodes of television. And sometimes it’s not. “Sympathy for the De Vil” falls into the latter category, so I apologize if my thoughts are a bit scattered this week. A lot of things happened in this episode; some I adored, and some I was less than enthusiastic about. Ultimately, this was one of those episodes that will probably be more enjoyable to analyze later on than in its immediate aftermath. So much of its emotional and thematic core depends on how actions and arcs are going to play out into next week and beyond. That’s the problem with cliffhangers—they’re cool to watch but not so cool to write about without devolving into pure speculation.

“Sympathy for the De Vil” did right by its title character in so many ways. It created a backstory for a villain that was engaging and unbelievably surprising. But the episode faltered a bit when its focus shifted from Cruella back to the Charming Family drama. This season has given us new characters with great stories to tell, and it’s also tried to build up a compelling story about Emma being tempted by darkness. However, I think both didn’t need to be in the same season. There’s such deep, complex emotional drama to be mined from Emma’s potential darkness and how her parents’ betrayal of her trust plays into that, but a lot of it is getting lost in the equally deep and complex backstories of this season’s many villains. I appreciate the scope of this season (and am happy these Queens of Darkness turned out to be so wonderful), but I’m ready for the focus to narrow down a little bit as the season finale approaches.

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TV Time: Broadchurch 2.07

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It’s time for this week’s Broadchurch review, courtesy of the lovely Leah!

Title Episode 7

Two-Sentence Summary Alec seems more like his old self once again and sets into motion a plan to catch the Sandbrook culprits, creating conflict for Claire, Lee, and Ricky. Both sides make their closing arguments in court, and the jury goes into deliberations, returning with a majority verdict that we’ll have to wait until next week to see.

Favorite Lines “Stop thinking of life as something that happens to you. What we do now, that’s who we are.” (Beth)

“I stopped and turned around and faced the demons I’d been avoiding. There was no other way to go, so I fought back. When I’m weak…then, I am strong.” (Paul)

“I look at you and I see someone stained by death. I think it haunts you every single day.” (Alec)

My Thoughts We’ve finally reached the penultimate episode of this season, and we’re so close to answering so many of the questions we had at the beginning of the season. Joe’s trial is almost over, and Alec and Ellie are very close to unraveling the thread of all that happened the night Pippa and Lisa disappeared. This episode felt a little bit jumbled because of the amount of times we jumped between different characters, but overall I thought it was an enjoyable one, as we were given many scenes showing how the characters were doing as we moved closer to the verdict.

The trial finished with its witnesses in this episode, as Ellie was attacked on the stand one final time—this time about lending her sister money. The trend of “no one ever tells Jocelyn what she needs to know to do her job properly” continued, since Ellie had not told her about the loan. I spent most of the time while Ellie was on the stand wishing for it to be done with because we’ve seen her attacked a million times already, and nothing different was going to come from this line of questioning. That’s probably why this felt a little out of place in the episode for me; the jury were already going to consider the possibility of the police being corrupt in this instance, and other than setting an ominous tone for the ending of the trial, it felt a bit weird to end with an imbalance in witnesses of sorts, especially since we didn’t even see Jocelyn get to try to ask Ellie questions that would counter some of the damage done.

Finally, though, we came to the last major part of the trial, and Sharon and Jocelyn each presented their closing arguments to the jury. In my opinion, both lawyers presented a compelling argument, though Sharon’s was focused more on speculation and theory, and Jocelyn’s pointed out key evidence. I am assuming that we will receive a guilty verdict at the beginning of the next episode, but I know that if I was part of this jury it would be a difficult case to decide on. The show has done a good job of taking moments from Season One that could look suspicious if viewed through a different lens and using them to fuel the defense’s case, which means that, while I am assuming we will likely get a guilty verdict, I cannot feel certain. Broadchurch is the type of show that could potentially have enough daring to try to pull off a not guilty verdict and perhaps even succeed, though that doesn’t hold much appeal for me.

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TV Time: The Americans 3.12

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The Americans 312

Title: I Am Abassin Zadran

Episode M.V.P.: Alison Wright
This season of The Americans has allowed Martha to become the centerpiece of more than one episode, and the show is better off because of that. Martha is one of the easiest characters to feel for on this show (with Paige being the other), and the beauty of Alison Wright’s performance this season—and in this episode specifically—has been the way she’s turned Martha from a character we simply pitied to a character we genuinely care for.

Martha is a normal person caught up in a tornado of lies and treason—all because she wanted to find love. And Wright never stops reminding you that Martha isn’t trained for this; she’s not Philip or Elizabeth, and she doesn’t have it in her genetic makeup like Paige does. For every moment of successful secrecy (like lying to Stan), Wright allows you to see the toll it’s all taking on Martha. I loved the way Wright played the moment after Stan left. Throughout his whole visit, you could feel Martha’s fear, which made it easy to appreciate the impressive way she was keeping it all just below the surface. And it broke my heart to see Martha’s emotional and physical exhaustion take over as soon as she closed the door. It was an example of the kind of deeply human vulnerability that’s made Martha a character the audience loves with a kind of fierce protectiveness.

But for as great as Wright was during and after Martha’s run-in with Stan (and she was great), she was even better in the scene in which Martha calls her parents. That scene may have been one of the most relatable and genuinely moving scenes this show has aired in three seasons, and it was all because of Wright. There was something so relatable about the fact that Martha needed her parents when she felt like everything in her life was falling apart. And there was also something so relatable about her trying so hard to keep her emotions from overwhelming her but being unable to do so. There’s something about talking to mom and dad that often unleashes emotions you’re trying to bury. Watching Martha ask her parents if they could talk about something besides her marriage moved me to tears because it felt like such a believable, honest moment. The best actors are able to make moments of fighting back tears feel more emotionally resonant than full breakdowns, and Wright has been doing that all season.

Martha’s storyline is once again at a crossroads, and once again I’m left hoping this character lives to see another day and get far away from the hell she’s found herself in. Every time Wright was onscreen in this episode, I had tears in my eyes. I felt Martha’s fear, I felt her exhaustion, I felt her desperation, and I felt her horror. Every emotion came from such an honest place, and my tears throughout the hour were a testament to the power of Wright’s performance.

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TV Time: Once Upon a Time 4.17

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Title Heart of Gold

Two-Sentence Summary As flashbacks to Sherwood Forest reveal the origin of Robin Hood and the strength of his relationship with Marian in the past, he faces a difficult choice in the present between what his heart wants and what his sense of honor demands. Unbeknownst to him, though, Marian isn’t who she says she is; she’s actually Zelena in disguise, and she makes a deal with Rumplestiltskin to save his ailing heart in return for a happy ending of her own.

Favorite Line “You are quite possibly the biggest pain in the ass I have ever had the displeasure of writing about.” (The Author, to Rumplestiltskin)

My Thoughts Sometimes episodes deviate from the norm and fail. Sometimes they’re a breath of fresh air. “Heart of Gold” was an example of the latter, mainly because of the strength of the actors involved, its thematic connection to the overall arc of this half-season of Once Upon a Time, and one crazy twist. This episode could have felt boring or unnecessary; instead, it captivated me from start to finish.

Maybe my love for “Heart Gold” comes from the fact that I’ve loved all versions of the Robin Hood story since I was a little girl. There’s just something about an outlaw with a kind heart and a deep sense of honor that never fails to draw me in (which also explains my love for Killian Jones). And Sean Maguire brings the perfect balance of dashing fairytale spirit and real, grounded moral conflict to this character, whose deep sense of honor might turn out to be his undoing.

The Sherwood Forest flashbacks in this episode did a stellar job of giving depth to Robin and Marian’s relationship, which was absolutely necessary given Robin’s choices in the New York City portion of the storyline. For as much as I’ve loved Robin Hood since childhood, I’ve loved Marian even more, so I was thrilled to see Christie Laing capture both Marian’s kindness and her strong spirit in those flashbacks. Whether she was telling Robin she could speak for herself or supporting him in his new life as Robin Hood, this was the Marian I spent hours pretending to be when I was little. I thought Maguire and Laing had a lovely, easy chemistry in those flashbacks that allowed the audience to see what Robin was trying to recapture with Marian in New York.

The flashbacks also set up the idea of Robin being the kind of man who chooses to help people in need, sometimes at the expense of his own happiness. I loved his interactions with Will—not just because the world needs more Will Scarlet (Even in this episode I was left wanting more.) but because it showed just how big Robin’s heart is. When Will discovered the bottle after Robin had gone, I was surprised by how emotional I became. Robin is an incredibly selfless character, which in many ways makes him the perfect match for Regina. She spent much of her life devoted to her own selfish goal of vengeance, so I think loving a man like Robin helped her become more selfless. In the flashbacks, Robin sacrificed his own safety and happiness to help someone who was vulnerable. That same kind of sacrifice was put in front of Regina at the end of the episode, and I really believe she’ll make the choice Robin would want her to make (but more on that later!).

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TV Time: Broadchurch 2.06

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Leah is back with her thoughts on the latest episode of Broadchurch!

Title Episode 6

Two-Sentence Summary While Tom’s testimony ultimately leads to a reunion with Ellie, Mark’s testimony creates a wedge between him and Beth. In the process of putting pressure on their Sandbrook suspects, Ellie discovers a picture of Claire wearing Pippa’s pendant, and the audience is shown a flashback of Claire stealing the necklace from Tess’s car.

Favorite Lines
“This isn’t about your dad; this is about your friend Danny. Because Danny can’t speak up for himself anymore. So our job is to find out what Danny would say if he was here.” (Jocelyn)

“Your father has done enough damage, and I won’t let him destroy us too!” (Ellie)

“I never thought it would be a part of this.”
“Everything’s a part of it, Mark.” (Mark and Jocelyn)

“I’ll give you money to shut up.”
“I’ll give you more money to stop being less of a knob.” (Alec and Ellie)

“They’d have ruined your career. I got away with mine…just.” (Alec)

My Thoughts This episode was very enjoyable, even though some of it felt like setup for the final two episodes. I enjoyed seeing Ellie gaining confidence and taking charge, and seeing more of Alec with his family. I’m glad we’re finally starting to narrow in on the Sandbrook case and figure out what happened, and that Joe’s trial will reach a verdict soon so we won’t have to keep watching people being attacked on the stand.

This episode didn’t have quite as clear of a theme for me as the past couple of episodes, but I did notice a few similarities between some of the characters. Our detective duo had some familial reunions, while Mark and Beth were torn further apart. Alec had surgery to put in a pacemaker to deal with his illness, and his ex-wife Tess showed up to help look after him. I don’t know if she is there because she feels obligated to him, since she said part of the reason she showed up was because she wanted to tell him she loved him for covering for her in Sandbrook. Or maybe she still loves him in the way divorced parents can think of each other as family, and she’s there because they’ll always be family through their daughter. Either way, these two seemed to have made peace with each other, as is evident by the somewhat heavy-handed “No more broken heart” Alec told his daughter (about the surgery) while looking at Tess. It’s nice to see they’ve gotten to the point in their relationship where they can talk and still care about each other without getting angry or resentful. Hopefully this means Alec will start to live for things outside of the Sandbrook case again, and he’ll be happier and healthier.

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TV Time: The Americans 3.11

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Source: spoilertv.com

Source: spoilertv.com

Title: One Day in the Life of Anton Baklanov

Episode M.V.P.: Keri Russell
In “One Day in the Life of Anton Baklanov,” Gabriel asked Philip if he was falling apart. But Philip isn’t the only one in danger of emotional collapse. Elizabeth has never been more vulnerable than she is right now. While that might make things more dangerous in the world of espionage, it makes them so much better in the world of television. We’re finally getting to see through the cracks in Elizabeth’s dutiful façade, and Russell has done such a brilliant job of subtly, carefully showing these intense emotions and how they impact a character who has been taught for her entire life that emotions get in the way of doing your duty to your country.

Russell’s performance in this episode was absolutely heartbreaking. The Americans has done such a wonderful job this season of telling a story about mothers and daughters, and Russell is at the emotional center of that story. The moments when she finally told Paige about her own mother were so emotional because Russell played them with such warmth. You could feel Elizabeth’s deep love for both her mother and her daughter, and Russell conveyed such a palpable sense of relief, too. All Elizabeth wanted was to connect with her daughter—for her daughter to love her for exactly who she is, imperfections and all, the way she loves her own mother. And she saw this as her chance. That made it even more devastating to see her entire spirit crumble when Paige rejected her. It’s a rare thing for Elizabeth to be the emotionally open one in a given scene, and Russell always infuses those moments with a kind of tentative, quiet beauty that makes you want to hug this ruthless Russian spy and never let her go.

Nothing in Elizabeth’s life is going according to plan, and it’s breaking the heart she never wanted to expose in the first place. That idea extended to her encounter with the hotel manager. It was a fascinating way to show Elizabeth being faced with the “making it real” concept Philip first talked about in “Salang Pass” and how that affected her. For what seemed like the first time, Elizabeth couldn’t just fake it; she had to let herself get to a real place with her mark in order to sexually please him, and I loved that the show and Russell allowed us to see how deeply shaken Elizabeth was by it. The scene in the garage after she came home from the encounter was one of my favorite scenes Russell has ever done on this show. With just her eyes and her breathing, she was able to make me cry because I felt Elizabeth’s exhaustion, shame, and pain so acutely.

What impressed me the most about that scene was the complexity Russell was able to portray without using any words. It’s one thing to convey a single emotion in silence; it’s another to silently bring to life the overwhelming whirlpool of emotions a character would feel after a night like Elizabeth had. Elizabeth felt shame from being aroused by a man who wasn’t her husband; pain from having to give up control over her body once again for her cause; and sadness from knowing Paige will have to hear about (and maybe even experience) this part of the job someday. Elizabeth has never appeared more human, and that moment of emotional nakedness was followed by the incredibly symbolic scene of her taking all her clothes off before getting into bed with Philip. The sexual act that happened after wasn’t about Philip—and he knew it. It was about Elizabeth and the million emotions she was working through. To be able to portray a character feeling so many things so deeply while still not letting herself give into them completely is as difficult an acting challenge as it gets. But Russell has proven herself to be worthy of every challenge thrown her way.

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