Tag Archives: television

TV Time: Broadchurch 2.03

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

Title Episode 3

Two-Sentence Summary Lee continues to cause trouble for Alec, and Ellie gets Claire to tell her what really happened the night the Sandbrook girls disappeared. Meanwhile, Beth gives birth to new baby Lizzie, and the trial continues with Ellie’s testimony.

Favorite Lines “I am sick to the back teeth of taking flack for stuff I haven’t done.” (Ellie)

“Ellie, listen. The world is screwing you over right now. You owe you something.” (Claire)

My Thoughts This episode seemed like one in which not much actually happened, but I was glad to get a bit more information on how all the characters are doing mentally and emotionally. I probably enjoyed this episode more for that reason, though I am still tired of Ellie being the show’s punching bag, and I hope this does not continue through the whole season.

One of the storylines I enjoyed most in this episode was the birth of baby Lizzie. I was glad Ellie stayed with Chloe while Beth was in labor, and their conversation on the stairs was one of my favorite moment, in which Chloe simply asks whether Ellie knew what Joe was doing instead of screaming at her like Beth has been doing. Meanwhile, Mark was absent for hours on end without being reachable on his phone. You would think with a wife who is ready to give birth any day that he’d answer his phone when it rings, but if he was spending time with Tom, then maybe he feels so guilty every time he’s there that he ignores all calls. The most emotional part of this for me was when Mark first held Lizzie. He broke my heart with his teary promises to take good care of her, as well his assurances that she was wanted and loved and that they wouldn’t make the same mistakes this time. Mark clearly still has a lot of guilt over feeling like they failed Danny as parents, and he wants to make sure they don’t fail Lizzie, too. I loved how realistic the emotions from Mark felt in that moment, because the show is showing us how losing your child in the way the Latimers did changes so much about your life, including how you feel about yourself as a parent.

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TV Time: Castle 7.18

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Title At Close Range

Two-Sentence Summary Ryan finds himself in the middle of a murder investigation when a philanthropist with political connections is killed at an event where he was working as a member of the security team. Things get even more complicated when Ryan’s brother-in-law, who got him the extra work, becomes a suspect.

Favorite Lines
Castle: Is it One Direction? You’d tell me, right? Are they in town?
Esposito: No, they’re in Hong Kong.

My Thoughts Sadly, non-NGN responsibilities have forced me to be brief with this week’s Castle post. So instead of a full recap, here are Five Fast Takes from “At Close Range,” and I can’t wait to talk about this episode in greater detail with all of you in the comments!

1. Castle and Esposito being One Direction fans was one of the greatest side conversations on this show in a long time. I think I’ve re-watched that one little exchange five times since last night. Nathan Fillion and Jon Huertas had great timing with their line delivery, and sometimes a silly moment like that just lands perfectly, which this one did for me.

2. I love Kevin Ryan. I don’t know if it’s the way he’s written or if it’s the earnestness Seamus Dever brings to him or if it’s some combination of the two (I’m guessing that’s it), but I find Ryan-centric episodes to be some of the show’s finest hours. My favorite thing about Ryan is how deeply he cares about doing the right thing. It makes him an easy character to root for. I also love how perfectly in-character it is for him to be burdened by guilt and a sense of failure when things go wrong on his watch. Ryan has the one-two punch of Irish-Catholic guilt working against him, and that makes his sense of devotion to doing the right thing even more believable.

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TV Time: Once Upon a Time 4.15

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Source: onceuponatime.wikia.com

Source: onceuponatime.wikia.com

Title Poor Unfortunate Soul

Two-Sentence Summary As Regina watches the Queens of Darkness and Rumplestiltskin attempt to get information out of August, Hook also tries to get information out of Ursula by giving her the happy ending she lost as a girl because of his selfish pursuit of revenge. As more information about the Author becomes clear, it’s revealed that Rumplestiltskin’s plan involves more than just him (or her): It all hinges on turning Emma dark, so she’ll act as the savior for the villains.

Favorite Lines
Emma: Wait—if you’re afraid of losing your happy ending, that means you’ve found it. What is it?
Hook: Don’t you know, Emma? It’s you.

My Thoughts “Poor Unfortunate Soul” was an extremely well-balanced episode of Once Upon a Time. It moved the plot forward in important ways, but it also connected that forward plot momentum to intensely emotional moments. And all of that development—for both the characters and the plot—was centered around one common theme: happy endings. “Poor Unfortunate Soul” was a thematically cohesive episode, with each moment dealing with the overarching idea of happy endings in some way: how we define happy endings and how that definition can change as we change; the means we take to find and protect our happiness; and what all of those things say about heroism and villainy.

Everything about this episode—and it seems everything about this half-season—was summed up in its final moments. August revealed that he’d kept an important truth from Rumplestiltskin and the Queens of Darkness that he was willing to reveal to Emma, Regina, and Henry: The Author is trapped in the storybook. This powerful person that almost every character on the show seems to be searching for has been right under their noses the whole time, literally in their hands. This was an amazing twist and also a symbolic one. The key to a happy ending is often closer than you think it is; it’s often right under your nose, but sometimes you need help to see that. And people will only help you see it and find it if you act in a way that shows you’re deserving of it. The villains keep trying to get closer to their happy endings via force, but if August’s ability to keep information from them even in the face of torture showed us anything, it’s that force isn’t going to work. Happiness can’t be achieved through dark methods; kindness is the key to happiness.

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The Best Thing I Saw on TV This Week (3/15 – 3/22)

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This week in television started off on Sunday with an exploration of Maleficent and Regina’s past on Once Upon a Time, another entertaining half-hour of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and one step closer to the big election on The Good Wife. Dancing with the Stars started its new season on Monday night, and that was followed by an episode of Castle that gave us some insight into Beckett’s view of her place in the working world. On Tuesday, The Mindy Project introduced us to Tamra’s cousin Sheena, and on Wednesday, The Americans tested Martha and “Clark’s” relationship in ways neither character was anticipating.

As any of you who regularly visit NGN probably know, there are few things in the media I love more than depictions of supportive female friendships and women encouraging other women to believe in themselves. This week, The Mindy Project gave us such a lovely example of this with the introduction of Laverne Cox’s Sheena, who helped Mindy find her confidence again. Sheena’s advice was the perfect mixture of funny and sincere, and it’s advice I hope all women watching took to heart. Talk to yourself like you talk to your friends—with kindness and encouragement rather than negativity. Be nice to yourself. And when all else fails, do your makeup, put on a fierce outfit, and fake it until you make it.

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

TV Time: The Americans 3.08

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the americans divestment

Title: Divestment

Episode M.V.P.: Matthew Rhys
One of the most underrated aspects of a great performance is how an actor reacts to what’s going on around them. Matthew Rhys isn’t a just a great actor; he’s a great reactor, and that is so important on a show that relies on subtlety and nuance as much as The Americans does. In “Divestment,” Philip was mainly reacting to the situations and people around him—from Reuben’s brutal way of killing to Martha’s living room interrogation. And the way those reactions built from silence to a powerful use of rhetoric allowed Rhys to use every weapon in his acting arsenal.

I loved what Rhys was able to do with silence once again in this episode. The set of his jaw and the direction of his gaze in the effective close-ups during the brutal fire scene said so much. And the stunning way he was shot in profile as he listened for news from Afghanistan allowed Rhys to show Philip’s overwhelming worry for his son without needing to spell it out for us. And his powerful silence in that scene made the revelation of his son’s name—his real name—feel as important as it needed to feel for Elizabeth’s request to be believable later in the episode. In just a few lines, Rhys and Keri Russell communicated so much to the audience and showed that Elizabeth and Philip can read each other’s reactions so well without any words.

That powerful silence between Elizabeth and Philip contrasted brilliantly with his final scene with Martha. While Elizabeth and Philip often don’t need any words to understand each other because they’ve built up so much trust together, “Clark” often needs to be a smooth-talker with Martha to keep her happy because that same intimacy isn’t there. As Martha finally confronted “Clark,” I loved that Rhys allowed us to see Philip panic for one barely perceptible moment. This was his worst nightmare coming true, and he needed to think on his feet to keep everything from crashing down around him. Rhys does such a brilliant job of showing the wheels turning in Philip’s head without making it seem obvious, and that was put to great use here, as we saw him grasping at straws to say everything he felt he needed to say to appease Martha and save them both.

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TV Time: The Mindy Project 3.20

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Title What To Expect When You’re Expanding

Two-Sentence Summary As Mindy struggles with her self-confidence after starting to gain weight due to her pregnancy, she gets some help from Tamra and her cousin Sheena. Meanwhile, Morgan is also struggling with his weight, and Jeremy tries to date again after learning that Peter and Lauren are getting married.

Favorite Lines
Sheena: Mindy, confidence comes from—
Mindy: From within. Yeah, I know.
Sheena: Within? Who the hell told you that? Confidence comes from amazing outfits and perfect makeup.

My Thoughts One of my favorite things about Mindy Lahiri as a character is her confidence. It’s still a rare thing for a female character on television—especially a female character who doesn’t fit the “traditional leading lady” model in terms of her appearance—to be so unashamedly confident in who she is, and that includes how she looks. Mindy makes me feel like it’s okay to look at yourself in the mirror and think you look amazing, and that’s one of the reasons why this character isn’t just entertaining—she’s important.

As this pregnancy storyline has unfolded on The Mindy Project, it’s allowed for deeper explorations of some aspects of Mindy and Danny’s characters that have only been briefly touched on previously, such as Danny’s Catholicism in last week’s episode. In “What To Expect When You’re Expanding,” the focus was put on Mindy’s self-confidence, giving it new layers and depth by showing that underneath Mindy’s healthy sense of self-esteem are some very relatable insecurities.

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TV Time: Castle 7.17

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This week’s Castle post is brought to you by one of my favorite fellow Kate Beckett fans, Heather! 

Source: tvfanatic.com

Source: tvfanatic.com

Title Hong Kong Hustle

Two Sentence Summary At the news of a friend’s promotion, Beckett questions whether she is doing enough to have the life and position she wants at work. A murder that brings the very talented Hong Kong Chief Inspector Zhang together with the NYPD furthers those feelings of failure, until Beckett realizes that her balance now might not look like she’d once imagined it would.

Favorite Line “You cannot leave behind what is always at your side” (Castle)

My Thoughts There are some characters who I just love a little more than all others and feel incredibly protective over. Kate Beckett is one of those characters. She has proven herself to be strong (both physically and mentally), she’s incredibly good at her job, and I honestly can’t think of a character who has looked better in love than she does. She’s also extremely driven and competitive and is therefore prone to moments of doubts and insecurity that make me want to wrap her up in a hug and tell her how amazing I find her.

The case in this episode wasn’t bad. It was a little overly complicated again, and I’m not sure the human trafficking element was entirely necessary. However, this episode was really all about Kate Beckett and who she thinks she should be and what that means for her future. This episode was the perfect example of the way a procedural (which is inherently plot-based) can pull off a character-driven episode if that character has a strong enough foundation.

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TV Time: Once Upon a Time 4.14

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Source: tvfanatic.com

Source: tvfanatic.com

Title Enter the Dragon

Two-Sentence Summary As Regina attempts to gain the trust of the Queens of Darkness in order to go undercover for Snow and Charming, flashbacks show Regina and Maleficent’s first meeting. Meanwhile, Rumplestiltskin uses Hook and Belle’s new friendship in order to get his hands on the Dark One dagger, which he uses to bring back a familiar face.

Favorite Line “For now, Will makes me smile.” (Belle)

My Thoughts “Setup episodes” are a fact of life for TV fans. There are going to be episodes every season on every show where the focus is on establishing plot points and moving pieces into place for overarching storylines rather than on small moments of character interaction and development. Given the choice, I will always take episodes that focus more intensely on characters than plot, but that’s not how TV works. For every “Unforgiven” (where very little actually happened plot-wise), there has to be an “Enter the Dragon,” which put the chess pieces into play for what’s to come this season. And while setup episodes aren’t my favorite episodes on any given TV show, as long as the plot is interesting and seems to be heading in a compelling direction, I can appreciate them. “Enter the Dragon” featured enough fun twists, intriguing developments, and fun character combinations to make for an entertaining hour of Once Upon a Time—even if it was a little light on the emotional beats I love so much.

While this episode wasn’t heavy on the emotional content I crave, it was heavy on something else I love with all my heart: interactions between complex female characters. I love the way the Queens of Darkness are putting a spotlight on the fact that Once Upon a Time has always been a female-focused show. While romantic love obviously plays a huge role in the series, there’s something to be said for the fact that many of the show’s deepest and most compelling relationships are relationships between women—as family members, friends, adversaries, unlikely allies, mentors, and sometimes all of those things wrapped up into one relationship. So many TV shows have trouble writing one interesting relationship between female characters, but Once Upon a Time is brimming with them—especially with the introduction of Maleficent, Cruella, and Ursula.

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The Best Thing I Saw on TV This Week (3/8 – 3/15)

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Another strong week in the world of television began on Sunday with an hour full of secrets on Once Upon a Time, a look into Jake’s relationship with his dad on Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and a trip through Alicia’s mind on The Good Wife. Monday’s season finale of The Bachelor ended with a proposal in a barn (which I’m sure is very romantic for some people). On Tuesday, The Mindy Project gave us a humorous and heartfelt exploration of Danny’s Catholicism and how it will factor into his future with Mindy and their unborn son. And Wednesday’s episode of The Americans brought Martha into the spotlight in the most tense episode so far in this fantastic third season.

There were plenty of great moments to choose from as my favorite of the week—from Danny letting go of his Catholic guilt because he’s never been happier on The Mindy Project to Elizabeth and Philip opening up to each other about their children on The Americans. However, my favorite moment of the week was a moment that brought a character farther in their development than I ever could have hoped for this soon into their journey of redemption—and that moment was Regina apologizing to Geppetto on Once Upon a Time.

Regina’s story is developing into a beautiful story of choosing to be better than who you once were, and this scene epitomized that theme. Lana Parrilla brought such sincerity to Regina’s apology, and I was incredibly moved by the way this scene showed that growing as a person isn’t a perfect journey; you’ll have missteps and setbacks and relapses into dark places because you’re human, but the important thing is to choose to move beyond those moments of giving in to your worst self and choosing to be better afterwards. Regina isn’t a perfect person, but the important thing is she’s acknowledging that now and making the conscious choice to be a better version of herself. That’s how you change the way the world sees you; that’s how you find hope. And that’s a story I can believe in.

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

TV Time: Broadchurch 2.02

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Today, the lovely Leah is back with her thoughts on the latest episode of Broadchurch. 

Title Episode 2

Two-Sentence Summary The preparation for and the beginning of the trial occur, which results in Joe’s confession being excluded from evidence. Alec and Ellie convince Claire to meet with Lee in the hopes that he’ll reveal something incriminating, but their plan goes awry when Beth unwittingly provides a distraction that lets Lee escape and take Claire with him.

Favorite Line “Because my life, my old life, is gone. And I made so many mistakes—some big ones. And I need to put something right. We could do it together.” (Ellie Miller)

My Thoughts I want to admit something, so you know where I’m coming from while I discuss certain parts of this episode: Personally, I am not a fan of shows that focus on courtroom scenes or the technicalities of the legal system. They usually infuriate or annoy me in some way—probably because of the way the victims or their families are often treated on the stand and because the audience usually has to spend a lot of time with the guilty party (or their lawyer) making smug faces. Thus, because of my bias against those types of scenes, I felt a fair dose of annoyance along with the enjoyment of other aspects of this episode.

Since I prefer to end things on a positive note, let’s start with the storyline that annoyed me more: the trial. A lot of this episode was spent in following the setup for and then the start of Joe Miler’s trial, and we got to see Jocelyn scolding a lot of people and the first witnesses giving their testimony. Most of the trial scenes were centered on one aspect of the case that the defense would attack heavily: the circumstances around the arrest of Joe Miller. Here is where my annoyance starts, and a lot of it is from what I touched on in my review last week. In going through this trial realistically, the show is asking me to apply reality (or at least some version of it) to the very emotional events of the Season One finale, which felt to me to have more impact because of the decisions made to not have it follow strictly realistic police procedure and instead let it play out in a more dramatic way.

When I look at Joe’s arrest from this new point of view, it’s no surprise to me that Joe’s confession was tossed out as evidence. Despite knowing that the confession was not coerced, I thought that Sharon provided a strong enough argument to create reasonable doubt that his confession was made freely. Unsurprisingly, this will make the case a lot harder to prosecute. It will be interesting to see what evidence Jocelyn focuses on in making the prosecution’s case, since I feel like, without Joe’s confession, most of the evidence that we know of is circumstantial.

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