Tag Archives: television

TV Time: Once Upon a Time 2.20

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Title The Evil Queen

Two-Sentence Summary As Regina embraces her evil side in both Storybrooke and flashbacks to Fairytale Land, she reveals a “self-destruct button” of sorts for the curse, which would allow her (and Henry) to leave Storybrooke before destroying the town and all its inhabitants. However, she is ultimately captured by Greg and Tamara (with some help from Hook), who use science to take her magical abilities away from her.

Favorite Line “Oh hell no—I taught her that!” (Neal, seeing Henry alert Emma to his presence by bumping into his apartment door)

My Thoughts I’ve missed Emma Swan more than I realized. For so much of Season One, Emma was the grounding force that kept Once Upon a Time honest and kept it from taking itself too seriously. I think this season has suffered a lot from pulling the focus away from her and her family dynamics, and this episode only proved my point. There were a few  eye-roll-inducing moments in this episode, but Jennifer Morrison’s performance kept me engaged enough to ultimately find this episode the most enjoyable of Once Upon a Time’s recent less-than-stellar bunch.

Emma’s relationship with Henry was always one of the most beautiful and genuine things about Once Upon a Time, so I was thrilled to see it get a nice chunk of screen time in this episode. Morrison and Jared Gilmore have a very believable and sweet chemistry, and their stakeout brought me back to the good old days of Season One. Just hearing “Operation Cobra” again filled me with nostalgia for a time when this show was so much simpler and more focused. I loved Emma trying to teach Henry how to bump into Neal’s apartment door; Morrison was at her awkwardly adorable best in that scene.

The thing I love most about Emma is that she may be awkwardly adorable in some scenes, but she’s also one of the most determined and fiercest women on television when she really believes in something. And I was so happy to see her be the first one to believe that Tamara has something big and evil up her sleeve. While Emma’s “superpower” has been known to be unreliable, she isn’t as incompetent as Snow and Neal made her out to be—she seemed like a pretty darn good bail bondswoman from what we saw in the pilot. Snow’s disbelief seemed more like clunky exposition/explanation than anything else. (Ginnifer Goodwin had more than her fair share of clunkers this week in terms of dialogue.) I love that Emma clearly has no interest in getting back together with Neal anytime soon (hence her superpower actually working because she has no emotional investment in this situation). I just wish Snow, Henry, and Neal could see that. Emma came off looking like a crazy ex-girlfriend, and that made me sad because she’s anything but.

Speaking of crazy…Let’s get to the Regina situation in this episode, shall we? Remember when she was trying to find redemption through Henry earlier this season? I wonder if the writers remember that—and how much more interesting that storyline was than what we’re dealing with now. I hated Regina using magic to wipe Henry’s memory because it negates everything we watched her struggle with for the first half of the season. Those scenes now feel like such a waste of time if that story was going to be abandoned like it has been. Don’t get me wrong; I love the Evil Queen. But I love the dichotomy of her being pure evil in flashbacks and conflicted in Storybrooke. Now she just seems delusional and trapped in her own “victim complex” in the present-day plot, and that’s not fun to watch. Hearing her talk to Henry about heroes and villains was too heavy-handed, even for this show and even for an actress as talented as Lana Parrilla.

Parrilla did have some great moments in this episode, but they were mainly connected to the flashback scenes. Whenever she shares a scene with Robert Carlyle, I find myself on the edge of my seat, and their two scenes in this episode were no exception. Their gleeful levels of evil never fail to impress me. I especially loved Rumplestiltskin telling Regina to cut off ties with King George. It just added another layer to his schemes and made me wonder how far back he started pulling the strings not only to enact the curse but to bring about Emma’s conception and birth as well. It’s slightly unsettling—and I love it.

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The Best Thing I Saw on TV This Week (4/21 – 4/28)

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This was a week filled with relatively mediocre episodes for most of the shows I watch. Sadly, New Girl is still on hiatus, but it’s thankfully returning to our screens this week. Once Upon a Time introduced us to a new side of Belle and broke my heart in the process. Castle wasn’t at its best this week, bringing up some serious relationship issues for Castle and Beckett that seemed to spring out of nowhere. And even Parks and Recreation felt a little stagnant, especially for the last episode before a season finale.

I suppose it’s okay that this past week was pretty uneventful for most of my favorite TV shows because Game of Thrones ended last Sunday’s episode with a moment so epic it would have dwarfed anything else I saw on TV this week no matter what else happened. When I read A Storm of Swords, I knew Daenerys freeing the Unsullied was going to make an amazing onscreen moment, and it turned out to be even more powerful than I’d imagined it would be. From the way Emilia Clarke sounded speaking Valyrian to the chills-inducing moment of the Unsullied pounding their spears for their new leader, I found myself wanting to stand up and cheer for this young woman who went from being a pawn in her brother’s plans to the Mother of Dragons and the true queen of Westeros. I haven’t watched anything that triumphant in a long time.

 

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

TV Time: Parks and Recreation 5.21

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Title Swing Vote

Two-Sentence Summary Leslie and Ron fight over the funding of a Pawnee miniature golf course, and both attempt to win Councilman Jamm to their side. Meanwhile, Tom tries to end is relationship with Mona-Lisa, and Andy contemplates quitting music.

Favorite Line “Well, math is worthless in real life. There’s an app for calculating tips—that’s all you need. [Quietly] Math is really important, especially for young women. Stay in school.” (Leslie)

My Thoughts After both of last week’s thoroughly enjoyable episodes of Parks and Rec, this week’s episode was a bit of a letdown. While it did have some genuinely funny moments and one scene guaranteed to tug at the heartstrings (or maybe just mine because I’m a sucker for Leslie and Ron’s relationship), the major plotlines in this episode didn’t seem to lead to any new ground or reveal anything new about these characters. This week’s episode featured a lot of “been there, done that” storytelling, which, while still ultimately entertaining, didn’t do much for me as a viewer.

While I do love Leslie and Ron’s friendship, I’m growing a little tired of their “conflicting ideologies” storylines. I thought it fell flat in “Bailout,” and it didn’t feel any fresher or more interesting in “Swing Vote.” The addition of Jamm to their storyline did nothing for me but make it worse. I had really hoped we would be rid of him after “Ben and Leslie.” While he sometimes gets funny lines, I don’t find him an interesting character. His unnecessary meanness clashes too much with the overall tone of the show. In terms of antagonists, I think last season did a much better job creating characters I cared about to work against Leslie. Jamm still feels like a character that is too one-dimensional for a show of this quality.

Although I didn’t find myself all that interested in Ron and Leslie’s story this week, I did love their scene at the end of the episode. Maybe I’m just reading too much A Song of Ice and Fire lately (Ben Wyatt would be proud of me), but Leslie talking about Ron’s code of honor and then living up to her own code of honor was very touching. There’s such a sense of respect between these two characters, and that says something so refreshing about political differences in a world where conflicting ideologies can often lead people to do horrible things to each other. Just because you may not agree with someone, it doesn’t mean you can’t respect their opinion. That’s one of my favorite things this show preaches.

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There’s Something About Nick

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Alternate Title: Help—I’m in Love with a Fictional Man and Don’t Know What to Do About It

Nick Miller, am I right?

Confession Time: I’ve loved New Girl since the pilot, but I didn’t like Nick for the longest time. In fact, for months during the first season, I was vehemently and vocally opposed to the idea of him ending up with Jess. Nick was everything I found unattractive in the real world: He was unnecessarily angry, pessimistic, apathetic, and unambitious.

It’s amazing how time (and great character development) can change things.

Somewhere around last season’s finale, I began to warm up to Nick Miller, and I’ve been slowly falling head-over-heels in love with him ever since. As each layer of Nick’s personality has been peeled back, I’ve become more and more of a fan of this character who is so much more than he appears to be at first glance.

Nick Miller is surprisingly complex for a sitcom character. He’s a realistic picture of a man so terrified of making the wrong choice that he’s unable to move forward. He’s man who’s reluctant to take charge because he had to be responsible for too many things when he was too young. (If you don’t think “Chicago” was one of the most revelatory episodes of New Girl ever, then you need to go back and re-watch it ASAP.) He’s a man who’s scared to make himself vulnerable but still loves with his whole heart.

I like to think I fell in love with Nick the way Jess did. At first, he was funny and kind of cute. Then, he got annoying—especially because you could see the potential he had to make better life choices. But then he built Jess a dresser, told her he believed in her, and said she was a girl a guy would come back for (which he proved in the Season One finale). And suddenly this character became one of the most realistically romantic men on television.

But everything changed when Nick kissed Jess. All of a sudden, Nick was no longer a goofy guy working through a suspended adolescence. He was a man—a passionate, strong, confident, attractive MAN. It was a kiss that changed everything for these two characters, and it was a kiss that changed everything about how I saw Nick Miller.

So what do I see when I look at Nick Miller now that I didn’t see before?

I see his passion and his fearlessness when he has something—or someone—worth taking a risk for. I see his ability to love and his honesty when it comes to expressing that love. I see his good heart and his desire to do the right thing for all the people he cares about. I see his fragile sense of hope being awakened again. And I see it all in probably the most expressive pair of eyes on TV right now.

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TV Time: Castle 5.21

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Title The Squab and the Quail

Two-Sentence Summary As Beckett begins to wonder where her relationship with Castle is heading, a murder investigation introduces her to Erik Vaughn, an attractive and charming billionaire. When she’s assigned to protect him until the suspect is caught, Castle is driven by jealousy to solve the case as fast as possible.

Favorite Lines
Castle: You know how I get when I’m gaming. I’m like Gretzky.
Beckett: Well at least Gretzky knew how to score.

My Thoughts I had a bad feeling about this episode going into it, and I’m sad to say that my suspicions were confirmed: I did not enjoy most of this episode. I feel like I’m in the minority when I say this, but I have never really enjoyed “jealousy-themed” Castle episodes. The only one I can think of that I liked was “Nikki Heat,” and that was because Beckett was jealous of Natalie Rhodes taking over her whole life—not just her relationship with Castle (and it was just a very well-executed episode in general). I tend to get annoyed with both Castle and Beckett in these kinds of episodes, and this was no exception. Everything felt a little too heavy-handed to me, but at the same time the big issues were left unaddressed, which left me feeling frustrated when all was said and done.

Sometimes an episode goes off the rails at the very beginning and has trouble righting itself after that, and I think that’s what happened in “The Squab and the Quail.” I have never been so uncomfortable watching an episode of Castle as I was watching Beckett try to seduce Castle away from his video games. Before I go on, let’s get one thing straight: I find Stana Katic (and Kate Beckett as a character) to be one of the sexiest people of any gender on TV right now, and I think she can play seduction like no one else. But I found myself cringing watching her wiggle around and speak in a faux-breathy voice as Castle ignored her. I understand that some people probably found it funny, but to me it just seemed out of character for Beckett to be awkwardly and a little too desperately seducing a man who seemed to have no interest in sleeping with her at that moment—even if said man is her boyfriend.

And that brings me to my other issue with that scene: How is Castle that disinterested in Beckett that she has to resort to such ridiculous antics to get his attention? I’m sure some of that scene is realistic; Castle likes playing video games, so it makes sense that he would want to finish his game. But then why invite Beckett over (when we know from previous episodes that they don’t see each other every night)? I found it hard to rectify that man with the man who pined for Beckett for the last four years. This relationship issue seemed to come out of the blue, but it does seem to come from the same place as Castle’s “walls” that the show was supposed to be addressing. But are we really supposed to believe that Rick Castle, the man who was so open about his feelings for Beckett previously, is now starting to hold back because things are getting too serious? Are we really supposed to believe that after less than a year together he’s already losing interest in her, or are we supposed to believe that Beckett is just being insecure? I honestly don’t know…And I’m not sure I like either option.

I guess my issue with the opening scene is indicative of my issue with the episode as a whole: It felt off for the characters and the relationship we’ve seen play out so far. It felt manufactured to create relationship angst just in time for finale season. And it seemed unsure of whether it was supposed to be a serious commentary on their relationship or comedic relief.

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TV Time: Once Upon a Time 2.19

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Title Lacey

Two-Sentence Summary After Regina restores Belle’s cursed memories to her, she becomes Lacey, a hard-drinking, bad-boy-loving woman who is drawn to Rumplestiltskin’s dark side, which is the opposite of the Belle we see in flashbacks to Fairytale Land, whose desire to find the good in people saves Robin Hood. In other parts of Storybrooke, Emma has to deal with the possible choice of returning to Fairytale Land, Regina finds the magic bean crop, and Hook returns to town with Tamara’s help.

Favorite Lines
David: You want me to help you?
Rumplestiltskin: Well I’m certainly not here for the over-priced lasagna.

My Thoughts “Lacey” was a true return to form for Once Upon a Time after what I felt was a very disappointing episode before this latest hiatus. Was I disappointed in some of the characters this week? Yes. Were there some plot holes that had me scratching my head? Yes. But ultimately, this show’s strength has always been in its cast, and this hour allowed some of its most talented members to shine.

This episode belonged to Robert Carlyle and Emilie de Ravin, who both played the duality of their roles to absolute perfection. This was the first time we’ve seen de Ravin be anything but sweet and gentle as Belle, and she seemed to really thrive onscreen in her time as Lacey. I’ll admit to being disturbed beyond anything I was expecting from Once Upon a Time as I saw her attraction to Rumplestiltskin take over as he was beating the Sheriff of Nottingham outside of Granny’s, but that was exactly what I was supposed to feel. It was wrong and dark and tragic on so many levels, but it was brilliantly done. I used to think that Ginnifer Goodwin was the best at making both sides of her character feel real during the time of the curse, but de Ravin gave her a run for her money in this episode alone (and she looked absolutely stunning while doing so).

What made Belle’s transformation into Lacey so sad wasn’t that she drank a lot or kissed a man who wasn’t her date; it’s that Lacey was such a perversion of who Belle was as a woman and who she was for Rumplestiltskin in terms of what she believed about people. Belle is a hero because she fights for the good in everyone, including herself. She’s brave because she stands up for what’s right even when that means standing up to the Dark One himself. But Lacey is drawn to darkness; she finds goodness boring and instead wants to enable the darkest parts of people. And Rumplestiltskin at this point is all too easy a target.

I’ll admit, I’m not as passionate about the “Rumbelle” relationship as many people in the Once Upon a Time fandom are. They’re not my favorite couple (that would be Snow and Charming), but I was incredibly moved by their interactions in this episode. From the moment of quiet hope between in the hospital before all hell broke loose to that beautiful take on the library scene from Beauty and the Beast, there was something beautifully innocent and gentle in their chemistry this week, and I loved how that contrasted with the darkness that enveloped both of them at the end. The flashbacks to Rumplestiltskin’s growing humanity in the face of Belle’s inherent faith in goodness made the collapse of that human side all the more tragic.

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The Best Thing I Saw on TV This Week (4/14 – 4/21)

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There were quite a few things to choose from when it came time for me to pick the best things on TV in the past week. Last Sunday’s episode of Game of Thrones ended with a game-changing moment that begins my favorite character arc in the book series. Castle gave us a Bigfoot hunt for the ages. But my favorite moment of the week came from Parks and Recreation, which took its perfect nerd references to new heights this week. Every time this show mentions Game of Thrones, I am overcome with joy. So it goes without saying that Donna’s newfound passion for the show (and its plethora of attractive cast members) was one of the highlights of my week. Retta is always flawless in her delivery, but I don’t know if she’s ever been better than this scene (maybe it’s because Donna sounded exactly like Retta’s Twitter feed). And how wonderful was Ben’s eBay name being TallTyrionLannister? In a week that featured a lot of sad things in the news, it was nice to have something light and fun to turn to—and that’s exactly what Parks and Recreation gave us.

 

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

TV Time: Parks and Recreation 5.19/5.20

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Title Article Two/Jerry’s Retirement

Two-Sentence Summary In “Article Two,” Leslie battles a staunch traditionalist over outdated portions of Pawnee’s town charter, while Ben and Ann get into a bidding war over a waffle iron they both hope to give Leslie. “Jerry’s Retirement” focuses on Jerry’s last official day as a Pawnee government worker as both Ben and Leslie and Ann and Chris think about their future families.

Favorite Line from “Article Two” “Have you seen those Dothraki? They can get it. Everybody on that show can get it.” (Donna, talking to Ann about Game of Thrones)

Favorite Line from “Jerry’s Retirement” “I went back to check Season One of Fringe for plot holes. As I suspected, airtight.” (Ben)

My Thoughts This has been a hard week, a sad week, and a week that’s been filled with more tension than any in recent memory. During times like this, I find it important to have breaks from the news, the Twitter feeds, and the endless cycle of anxiety. During times like this, it’s important to have something that allows you time to escape, to laugh, and to feel happy. For me, that something was last night’s hour of Parks and Recreation. In a dark week, visiting Pawnee was the little bit of sunshine I (and I’m sure many others) needed.

I don’t have much to say specifically about these episodes. I’m happy that Ann and Chris seem to be moving towards a romance because I have always loved the chemistry between Rob Lowe and Rashida Jones. I liked that Leslie showed Jerry some real kindness, and I liked that she was able to see just how beautiful his home life is. (Amy Poehler’s facial expressions during that breakfast scene were beyond priceless.) I loved Patton Oswalt’s appearance more than words can say. And if you haven’t watched his entire filibuster, then you haven’t really felt joy.

Ultimately, I went into these episodes simply wanting to laugh and to feel good. And that’s exactly what I got. Parks and Rec is like a security blanket for me; when I feel stressed or sad about the state of the world, I reach for Leslie Knope and her idealism and optimism. On a night when I looked for one TV show to make me happy, I was rewarded with so many little gems of happiness.

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TV Time: Castle 5.20

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Before I get to today’s Castle review, I just want to say that my thoughts and prayers are with everyone in Boston and all of those who were affected in any way by the tragic events at yesterday’s Boston Marathon.

Title The Fast and the Furriest

Two-Sentence Summary Castle and Beckett’s (and Ryan and Esposito’s) conflicting views on belief in the unknown and the supernatural come to the forefront once again when Bigfoot appears to be connected to the murder of a young woman. Meanwhile, Castle attempts to solve a mystery on a much smaller scale when food keeps disappearing from his refrigerator.

Favorite Line
Castle: Did you see the way that gorilla looked at me?
Beckett: I think it was lust actually, Castle. You are ruggedly handsome.

My Thoughts “The Fast and the Furriest” was nothing more than a fun, lighthearted episode of Castle, and on a day like yesterday, a fun episode was exactly what I’m sure a lot of people (myself included) needed. Sometimes you’ll find me complaining about “filler” episodes, but this episode was funny and surprisingly sweet enough to work as a solid Castle episode even without moving the plot along in any major way.

I will go on the record and say that I was surprised by the killer, and I loved being surprised. I knew it wasn’t going to be the roommate’s ex-boyfriend because that would have been too easy. Also, Stana Katic did a great job of showing that Beckett was unnerved by how much she believed his grief and anger over the police not solving the murder—because we all know that she felt the same way about her mother’s homicide. I assumed the killer was going to be Raphael Sbarge’s Bigfoot expert, if only because any guest actor famous enough for me to recognize is usually the killer. And although he didn’t end up committing the crime and validating my theory, it was nice to see Once Upon a Time’s Archie on my TV again (especially since he’s being criminally underused this season on that show).

Once again, we were presented with a case that pits the skeptics in the precinct against the believers, and I don’t know how they do it but that dynamic never feels stale to me. Maybe it’s because the actors are so comfortable with their characters that all of their interactions feel so genuine and easy at this point. It’s truly a joy to watch Katic and Jon Huertas go up against Nathan Fillion and Seamus Dever—bantering and rolling their eyes at one another—because we know that it’s coming from a place of love for all of these characters at this point. You know the show you’re watching has a great cast when you could watch an entire hour of them standing around, debating the existence of Bigfoot and the validity of Bigfoot experts.

This was one of the funniest Castle episodes in quite some time, and it benefitted from great comedic performances from the entire cast. Katic always shines when she’s in “skeptical Beckett mode,” and this was no exception; her sarcastic one-liners and put-downs were all delivered perfectly, and the woman can roll her eyes like no one else in the business. Fillion was hilarious in his joy over the possibility of hunting down Bigfoot. How is it that Castle being a giddy geek over a crime still doesn’t feel old after five seasons? I think that says something about Fillion’s charm. And don’t even get me started on the perfection that was Castle in his ridiculous hunting outfit or the great callback to Beckett having to get an awkward boost from Castle to get out of a tough situation…

But the great thing about “The Fast and the Furriest” was that the jokes came from everyone in the precinct. Ryan and Esposito had some hilarious banter and great facial expressions thrown each other’s way. And Perlmutter and his sass were back in full force. (I especially loved both he and Esposito calling each other the “B-team.”) This is a very funny and very talented cast, and I love it when all of them get moments to shine.

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The Best Thing I Saw on TV This Week (4/7 – 4/14)

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I’m sorry that this post is a little late…I’ve been spending way too much time traversing Westeros from the pages of A Feast for Crows lately, and I let time get away from me this weekend. (And yes, there will be some A Song of Ice and Fire essays on here as soon as I’m done with A Dance with Dragons—whenever that may be.) 

This was a solid, if not outstanding, week in the world of television. There were no instant-classic episodes to be found, but most things (with The Office being the lone exception) made me feel good about where the shows I watch are heading as finale season draws near. New Girl gave us a fun episode that featured some of the best Schmidt material in Season 2. Game of Thrones set the stage well for the chaos that’s to come this season, and it continued to build upon my favorite relationship from the books (Jaime and Brienne).

However, the best thing I saw on television in the last week came from Parks and Recreation. Ron Swanson ate a banana, and it was truly one of the funniest things I’ve seen on TV this year. It takes a great actor to make something so simple on paper so hilarious in execution, and Nick Offerman is truly a great comedic actor.

 

What was your favorite moment from the last week in the world of television?