The Flash 5x17 "Time Bomb" Episode Review

Major Spoilers are included in this episode review. Please read with caution.

Cicada Grace is a superior villain to the original. She fights better with the daggers, her meta powers are more advanced, she’s literally from the future, and far more ruthless than her uncle. While I was annoyed at Nora for not putting it together that Grace hails from the future, the transition was not bad. Original Cicada getting killed by his own niece was predictable, but a fitting end to his over exhausted arc. I’m speeding past this because the very last scene of the episode is all I want to talk about.

Nora’s secret is finally out. Eobard Thawne has failed to change the timeline and is accepting his inevitable fate connected to the timer. He encourages Nora to tell her father everything because he’s given up on his plan… which isn’t explained, but stopping Cicada was key. When Nora failed to tell everyone, Sherloque was the one who had to explain everything.

The heartbreak on everyone’s faces, especially Barry’s and Nora’s, was raw and seeing him put her into the pipeline was hard to watch. He lost all trust in his daughter, feeling betrayed again by Eobard Thawne, and moving forward, I don’t know what she can do to earn their forgiveness.

The rest of the episode was an interesting origin story for Cicada Grace. Learning her parents were killed by a meta who didn’t intend for her powers to blow up the ATM didn’t change her resolve, but somehow strengthened it… clearly showing how insane she became over the years after waking from her coma.

Overall, I’m excited to see what happens in a month. April 16th can’t come soon enough.

Arrow 7x16 "Star City 2040" Episode Review

Major Spoilers are included in this episode review. Please read with caution.

The episode centered mostly in the flash forward storyline. We’re inside the year 2040, and the show has also given us Mia Smoak’s origin story and the relationship she had with her mother growing outside Star City. I had a lot of fun watching it and seeing the potential future of Arrow past it concluding in the 8th season this coming fall.

The training montage with Nyssa officially made Felicity her sister-wife. I just hope we get more context related to Mia’s training and her relationship to Nyssa. We don’t even know the bond between Mia and Nyssa is aunt-niece, mentor-student, or sisterly. There are no clues, but the scene alone was amazing because I didn’t expect it, but when it came around, the idea made sense in the best way possible.

Connor Hawke, the adoptive son of John Diggle, is a secret agent, and the betrayal is strong with Mia. Again, context would be helpful here because I can’t invest in what I don’t know. We haven’t seen them grow up, struggle, or do anything together beside break into the Arrowcave. I’m not entirely sure if they got involved romantically, but the hints are definitely there.

The technological advances were too confusing and ridiculous but I went with them because it’s the year 2040. What do I know?

The references of Mia picking up the bow, being accused of being an assistant, and the hand push-ups were great to have. I caught all of them because I’ve been re-watching seasons 1 and 2 of Arrow.

The moment when Mia took her hair down to fight was unrealistic. You’d want the hair up for fight scenes, but The CW needs their people to look pretty at all times. However, the last fight scene in the office was amazing and a good reference to her being Oliver Queen’s daughter.

I’m mad we got no follow up with Roy Harper beating the crap out of the police officer, and the subtle tension between Roy and Rene… there’s a story in there. The familiarity with each other also brings up another question… when will Roy Harper show up in present day?

I’m sure the writers have some sort of idea on how to handle that.

Overall, there are clear narrative issues, but it was fun to watch. I’m excited for the potential of Mia Smoak and where she’ll go next once Arrow officially concludes.

Supergirl 4x15 "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" Episode Review

Major Spoilers are included in this episode review. Please read with caution.

Supergirl has a super villain problem. There are too many of them. Agent Liberty, our alleged main antagonist, Manchester Black and The Elite, and now Lex Luthor has finally arrived. Jon Cryer played the ultimate Lex in the most comic book fashion. While Michael Rosenbaum is the best grounded Lex Luthor from Smallville, I think Cryer earned the most “charisma” with the role.

The Lex-Lena dynamic and scenes were the best part of the episode. Everything else going on seemed like an awful distraction from it. The Manchester Black vs Martian Manhunter is finally over… and I hated it mostly because I didn’t understand Machester’s motives for wanting to break J’onn. There was no clear reason for Manchester to do any of this. He also prioritized it over avenging Fiona, the woman he loved, and that’s just lazy writing.

Brainy and Nia weren’t necessary in the episode. Yes, that’s awesome they kissed! But their purpose in the episode felt wrong considering we didn’t see them get super close to James Olsen. I’m mad that James is not doing much, and his sister, Kelly Olsen, is already way more interesting than him. The writers are doing something with Kelly and Alex.

The Eve twist was unexpected. I can’t believe the shift from ditzy blonde to evil assassin. The ending scene was amazing, and Jon Cryer nailed it. The only problem I had with it was the meeting between Lex Luthor and Supergirl, which kind of took away from the epic escape. I mean, yes, I’m curious about the cliffhanger and how Lex will factor into the rest of the season, but it seems off.

Overall, Red Daughter and Lex Luthor are coming to destroy Kara and Superfriends next week!

Doom Patrol 1x05 "Paw Patrol" Episode Review

Major Spoilers are included in this episode review. Please read with caution.

Mr. Nobody made us eat our words with his absence. The return of Niles Caulder and Mr. Nobody helped remind us they are still relevant and somehow made the end of the world a side-story. The Infinity War snapping out of existence was dark humor mixed with the weirdness enhanced the character stories centered around Jane, Rita, and Larry.

Jane’s origin story was explored in this episode, and holy “insert curse”! The comic book-y aspect of the flashback mechanic was perfect, and having Mr. Nobody back in the fold helped. Niles Caulder and his scenes were knocked out of the park. It’s a cliche, but I don’t care. His dynamic with Mr. Nobody, Mark Shepherd’s Kip, and the rest of the Doom Patrol was so lived in, the audience can believe the history he shares with all of them. Even the magic unicorn he happily flirted with… what a scene that was, having sexual tension with a unicorn doesn’t even register.

Dr. Harrison, a Jane personality, was a nice balance to the darkness surrounding the asylum in the 1970’s. I wonder if we’ll ever see her again, but she served her purpose by spreading the religion of the Re-creator, the only deity that can stop the De-creator in the present day.

Rita’s speech to Elliot proved how much she developed in the two-parter, and seeing Elliot get Thanos-snapped out of existence was heartbreaking and difficult to watch as Rita literally fell apart. There wasn’t true resolution to this, but hopefully the show continues to build on this.

The ending didn’t seem to land right, but the set-up is effective. The entire team is down from their side adventure and seeing the Chief get ripped from them again literally exploded in their faces. Vic’s sonic cannon malfunctioning and him ignoring his father’s calls is a cause for concern. Jane is also tasked a secret mission from Mr. Nobody to find the “Doom Patrol”. Whatever that means…

The Magicians 4x08 "Home Improvement" Episode Review

Major Spoilers are included in this episode review. Please read with caution.

Everyone is trying to grab stuff. Quentin has to get Poppy’s egg to obtain the next monster organ, Julia has to find a “binder”, Alice needs her mother’s help to aid Zelda’s quest in retrieving Harriet from the Mirror World, and Fen is looking for a person in her dream. There are a lot of moving pieces, but knowing this show and what Penny 40 said earlier, all the quests are probably going to tie back together as we get closer to the season finale.

Alice’s story has been the weakest this season because she is alone seeking atonement, thus away from the rest of the group. She is on the path to making amends with her mom and is heartbroken about her friend’s betrayal—she went to work for The Library.

Kady’s hedge witch revolution didn’t take off as fast as I had hoped. She is invested in her friends’ quest retrieving the dragon egg, but her personal story needs time to develop. The hedge witches versus The Library might lead somewhere in the end. Penny 23’s message to Kady from Penny 40 didn’t cheer her up either, which makes sense but it’s deeply concerning.

Margo continues to be amazing and tying her fate with Fen while progressing both characters was wonderful. I don’t know what Fen will do moving forward, but the tension between the women will escalate. I’m really excited to find out where the dreams are going to tell Fen to do next.

The misdirection and red herrings involving Poppy, the egg, and her pregnancy got confusing quickly… mostly because with everything else getting juggled, but it was difficult to bounce back after getting everything sorted out.

Overall, the DnD references are welcomed, Margo beating the fake seer was entertaining as hell, but the show needs to pick up momentum soon. We’re getting close to the end of the season.

Station 19 2x09 "I Fought the Law" Episode Review

Major Spoilers are included in this episode review. Please read with caution.

I am enjoying this show’s grand return. Week 2 of the second half, and we’re getting Andy-Ryan time plus Andy being a bother to Maya’s house environment. She would appreciate everyone wearing pants outside the private rooms. I think Andy-Ryan is getting old, but it also deserves a chance for rekindling so I’m not minding them too much right now. I personally ship Andy-Robert, but that’s because I’m a typical fan of the underdog.

Pruitt Herrera is not the permanent captain and must pass the torch back to Captain Sullivan by episode’s end, but he gets to exit through the fire pole. That’s awesome, and he even goes for round two to close out the episode.

Andy, Maya, and Dean help an amnesia patient to Grey-Sloan (casually going there and handing her over to nameless doctors). However, they learn the truth once they find her trying to escape the hospital. She is wanted by the police because she stole money from her company… for very good reason. It was for her son’s medicine. Everyone is sympathetic to the situation and wants to help sneak her into the hospital to see her son one last time before his surgery.

This parallels nicely to Ryan’s situation with his father. His father left him tons of money before leaving town, and I think Ryan will have a hard time accepting the “help”. This also pushes his buttons to help Andy’s patient see her son before arresting her.

Travis and Vic are bonding about her love life. He quickly discovers that Vic and Chief Ripley are dating because Vic thought they were telling people… but apparently the Chief’s sister is an exception. Telling other firefighters is not okay, and you know what, I get it, but that’s going to cause tension once Ripley finds out Travis knows about their romance.

Jack, Ben, and Robert response to a home-call and help a man with his heart problems. They have to be careful not to short out his pacemaker, and Robert shows great leadership skill by purposely (?) losing the mental chess match in order to distract the grumpy man. The bonding between the three men solidified Ben’s resolve to continue firefighting through the medical aid , and it also showed Jack and Robert still recovering from their traumas.

Overall, keep Station 19 coming!

Grey's Anatomy 15x17 "And Dream of Sheep" Episode Review

Major Spoilers are included in this episode review. Please read with caution.

This episode was dealing with genetics again but in a more controlled manner. Jo Wilson-Karev is looking into her biological family, DeLuca has family drama, Alex and his mother have issues to work out, and fish skin was a thing but strangely not the best part of the episode. The major storylines involved DeLuca Sr’s research and how it affected Teddy’s five-month pregnant patient.

Meredith is staying out of the DeLuca drama and as a result, barely shows up in the episode. DeLuca is starting to see Carina’s side of things when their father gives the patients false hope about saving their unborn baby. Alex Karev is forced to step in and say no to these people, taking away their “hope” again.

Teddy and Owen need to be done. Owen has to move on from both Teddy and Amelia at this point. Teddy is in love with Koracick, who is not pleased to see Owen hugging his woman. Amelia is moving forward in her life, starting with Link. The show figured out / knew all along that Link and Amelia make more sense than him being with Meredith. This complicated love triangle / square / hexagon is getting out of hand.

I love it.

Overall, nothing else goes down aside from the fish-skinned patient, which was more distracting from everything else going on. Yes, the interns love these unusual cases, but I’m not entirely invested in the intern groups anymore aside from certain characters like Casey and Schmidt at the moment.

Legacies 1x14 "Let's Just Finish the Dance" Episode Review

Major Spoilers are included in this episode review. Please read with caution.

The writing on this show gradually gets better every week. It’s a literal freshman who’s learning and improving with every flaw that comes its way. The dialogue’s even getting better, and that’s difficult to believe for a CW show. The TVD / The Originals callbacks to Miss Mystic Falls, Caroline Forbes, Klaus Mikaelson, and The Merge were included organically to push character development / breakdowns.

Hope and Landon are on the outs when it comes to the return of Roman, her ex-boyfriend from The Originals, and how she lied to Landon about remembering his mother. However, this break-up creates a new friendship with Hope and Lizzie, who have forgiven each other for the misunderstanding that drove them apart as kids. How they bonded over their heartbreaks and the pink-swear was really cute. I’m glad the show is putting this friendship on blast so close to the end of the first season.

Josie and Penelope are given some closure before the contents of that letter are revealed. Penelope’s motives throughout the first season are more tragic than we all could ever guessed. I can’t believe we were introduced to her as the heartless bitch, but that’s not who she is. Not completely anyway!

Penelope was only protecting Josie from her inevitable fate. She knew about The Merge this entire time and is leaving the school to avoid seeing her love die for the sake of her twin. Lizzie always comes first, and Josie was not willing to budge from that until she learned how Lizzie knew about Penelope moving, but failed to tell her. Now we’re on the path of The Merge coming into play for next season. Kai Parker?

Hope wearing Caroline’s dress was amazing. She was stunning and the Klaroline feelings returned in full. I’m loving how the show figured out the right balance of wanting the show to stand on its own and giving us the right amount of callbacks.

Monster of the week is Medusa, and MG has fallen for her. The other twist is MG’s mother working for Triad, the company hunting down supernatural creatures for Malivore. I am shipping MG and Medusa because their scenes were cute even when she was trying to turn him into stone.

Overall, I loved this episode way too much, and how Roman pulled the “Damon” move of escorting Hope down for the Miss Mystic Falls dance. The dialogue on how the dance works was also recycled from the very first season of The Vampire Diaries, even the dip Landon did to Hope (Stefan and Elena!). Yay!

Supernatural 14x15 "Peace of Mind" Episode Review

Major Spoilers are included in this episode review. Please read with caution.

Sam Winchester is grieving. The Apocalypse World hunters are (mostly?) killed off, and he is feeling the burden of guilt for their deaths. Maggie’s death was the worst because the show took the time to develop her character all for the purpose of killing her off. That’s honestly not right, and where Supernatural has to improve upon in future seasons. That’s right, I put the plural there. This show is probably not going anywhere anytime soon. Anyway, Sam pulls a “Dean” and dives into hunting to avoid dealing with emotional trauma. It’s more a Winchester move because Mary did the same thing to deal with her resurrection.

The episode broke Team Free Will 2.0 into two teams: Castiel and Sam, Dean and Jack.

Castiel and Sam are dealing with a human with special powers. He can warp other people but not angels into different personalities and made Sam into a happy-going camper named Justin. I thought this was a great way to give Castiel amazing one-liners in his deadpan tone. He even pointed out cliche dialogue, which I’m more self-aware of, thanks Writer’s Group, regarding how villains’ go into villain monologues, which is so Supernatural.

Dean and Jack go visit the soulless prophet for the answers. That sounds awesome, but it’s really just Donatello readjusting to life. While Donatello has no definitive answers for Dean or Jack regarding the soul, we are given a cool visual on what it means to not have a soul. While Donatello believes Jack will be okay, how Jack killed his snake proves how soulless he’s become… guess we’re going to stick Jack in the box, and that’s a future episode title… Supernatural of it all.

Good Trouble 1x10 "Re-Birthday" Episode Review

Major Spoilers are included in this episode review. Please read with caution.

Davia turns 25 in this episode! Holy crap, she’s a year older than me! Anyway, she’s celebrating and similar to the “Swipe Right” episode where everyone got a dating life, the whole gang goes out and brings their lovers. Or friends who wish to be more. Marianna and Raj are friends, but clearly Raj wants more but has to restrain himself to maintain the friendship. Callie and Jaime are officially together, and I don’t know how to feel about the pairing. Yes, I did want them together at the end of The Fosters, but Gael is in the picture now and clearly not over Callie.

Brandon Foster made his return in this episode as a taxi driver. He is driving to make money because he doesn’t feel comfortable asking for his wife’s money… This character has not changed much. Callie and Marianna talk to him throughout the drives, but it’s the conversation he has with Dennis that makes him consider the gender roles he placed on his marriage. It also pushes Dennis to respect himself and ask Jennifer, his ex-wife, for half the money in the divorce settlement.

Alice also reclaims self-respect and decides to pursue new love, deciding the way Sumi treats her is not right. I wanted to punch Sumi myself, but I’m starting to understand why Alice is having a hard time with rebounding and getting over her first love / best friend. The fake-out scenes have to leave the show once season two rolls around. I’m tired of them.

Malika and her boy Issac are still dating and being cute. I love how she’s opening up to him and the small moments the episode allowed them. This is like a sequel to the “Swipe Right” episode with added tension balanced with fun.

Davia continues to pin over married guy and becomes furious when she learns Dennis punched him the day he visited. Worse than that, he neglected to tell Davia that he visited at all. He does care about them, but Davia doesn’t see it that way. She runs back to the guy but when midnight strikes, the fantasy is over, and she decides she can’t be with him anymore. However, he reveals that he plans to leave his wife, and I hope she doesn’t fall for this cliche move… get out, Davia! You deserve so much better!

This Is Us 3x15 "The Waiting Room" Episode Review

Major Spoilers are included in this episode review. Please read with caution.

Holy bottle episode! This episode was not very good. At least in my opinion, which doesn’t mean much. Everyone decides to rehash / argue loudly what’s been happening in the past few episodes in front of each other because they’re all worried about Kate and the baby. Randall and Beth are fighting over his request to have her give up her dreams, Kevin and Zoe are mad over his lies about drinking, Miguel is playing some stupid game to relieve tension, and Toby is absent helping Kate.

Madison also has a small part to play and character interaction with Miguel. Kevin is really mean to her and everyone else because of the role he played in getting Kate to the hospital… Randall and Kevin fighting is getting really old.

Rebecca is too distraught to pay attention and has the best meta moment when she tells everyone to shut up about their problems so they can be supportive for Kate. Her thing about smiley faced electrical outlets was on-point. The whole “thanks for putting up with us” is also meta, kind-of telling us that they’re grateful for our patience. You’re welcome, let’s jump to the flash forwards (“her” is Rebecca) because that’s a lot of untapped story there.

And this all happens in the same hospital room / area. Bottle episode.

Overall, this show has lost the emotional depth it had in the first / most of second season is gone. Well, not gone. The Beth-centric episode proves they have the ability to go that far and make us weep, but the Big Three have to figure out their shit and resolve the grief they’re carrying when it comes to Jack Pearson. A flashback story being absent didn’t help either, but it wouldn’t be considered a bottle episode otherwise.

The Flash 5x16 "Failure Is An Orphan" Episode Review

Major Spoilers are included in this episode review. Please read with caution.

Things are out of control in this episode. The Flash dug itself in a corner with Cicada. While not a bad villain, Cicada has just run his course. The twist involving Future Grace should’ve happened episodes ago because I like the idea of another future daughter being thrown into the mix. However, the twist failed to save the episode and in a way, makes it worse because it prolongs the Cicada villain even more! Plus, Cicada’s dialogue is awful and I’m sorry to anyone who has to hear that.

Nora’s alliance with Eobard Thawne is the only storyline that keeps me going, but the writers are probably going to prolong that too until the near end. I mean, yes, the next episode is going to have Nora tell Barry about her working with the Reverse Flash, but I feel like they’re going to mess that up too or not go into it enough.

The whole “Barry speech” being turned into data seemed forced. Nora’s desperate attempts to have her dad say the right words to Cicada made the previous “Barry talks” seem stupid or less valuable. By the way, thanks for reminding us on the Savitar fail back in season three. Of course that didn’t work! I wasn’t a fan of the Joe / Cecile storyline, but I’m going to allow them a pass because Jesse L. Martin is back on the show!

The new timeline breaking through is the most interesting thing that came out of this episode. I hope it relates to Thawne’s master plan or next year’s crossover. We all know Thawne’s going to stick around for that drama. It’s his destiny to disappear with The Flash or start the whole time loop over again…

Overall, I’m over Cicada. Bring us the Reverse Flash!

Blog Update #3

Hello readers,

I’m going to keep this short and messy. I wasn’t in the best state of mind this week to keep up my usual schedule for my weekly episode reviews, but rest assured, I will have them all watched / posted by the end of the weekend (Sunday - Monday range). Writing the latest draft of my novel has been taking precedent lately, and I will talk about that in a writing novel update post. But, let’s say it took a lot of willpower to break away from writing to give you all an update.

I suck at communicating, but I’m trying to get better at it. Here’s the list of episode reviews coming for you:

1. The Flash 5x15 episode review

2. This Is Us 3x15 episode review

3. Good Trouble 1x10 episode review

4. The Magicians 4x08 episode review

5. Legacies 1x14 episode review

6. Supernatural 14x15 episode review

7. Grey’s Anatomy 15x17 episode review

8. Station 19 2x09 episode review

9. Doom Patrol 1x05 episode review

10. Writing Novel Update Post

11. The Umbrella Academy Season 1 review (I did finish…)

Thanks for your patience, everyone. You’re all awesome.

Arrow 7x15 "Training Day" Episode Review

Major Spoilers are included in this episode review. Please read with caution.

Ricardo Diaz is officially dead, and the mystery on who killed him is intriguing. The rest of the episode though was struggling to make itself work. The center issue was Team Arrow trying to work under the SCPD’s rules, which wouldn’t be a bad thing if this wasn’t a superhero show.

The show is mostly spinning their wheels, and as a result, this is also officially the worst episode of the season. A lot of pieces are moving, but it also gives Team Arrow essentially their base, operations, and costumes back without too much effort. What boggled my mind is how Team Arrow pretty much told the police they sucked, and we needed to break the rules.

Oliver’s scene where he went rogue was trending the same storyline, which Diggle even pointed out, and that’s saying something. Their old methods aren’t working, and it’s time Oliver Queen figured that out… his episodes are numbered now.

Bronze Tiger and Laurel Lance scenes worked well. This subplot wasn’t given much room to breathe, but whenever we zipped back to that prison cell, I was ready for more. Laurel’s character is getting better and her redemption arc is getting put to the test with Emiko Queen’s incoming betrayal.

Speaking of the future, Mia and William took the entire episode getting the tape recorder. While I did like the dynamic between the siblings, their story was also spinning wheels until they get their all flashforward episode next week. Oliver naming Mia after his mother is probably the best thing ever. I’m really happy he decided to do that… Connor Hawke is Bronze Tiger’s son, and that pretty much means he’s going to die.

Rene and Dinah are making good parallels for the flash forward. Watching Team Arrow try to make the city a better place is really depressing because we know they’re going to fail horribly, and Felicity’s incredible security system, the Archer Program, is getting created in the present day.

Overall, I did not like this episode. Season 8 is the end. I can’t wait to see how Oliver Queen exits.

Supergirl 4x14 "Stand and Deliver" Episode Review

Major Spoilers are included in this episode review. Please read with caution.

The message regarding equal rights is loud and clear in the newest episode, but Supergirl sends it out to the audience at the expense of effective storytelling. I enjoy having feminism, politics, and whatever other issues the show tries to tackle or address, but sending the message at the cost of the writing shouldn’t be a thing.

When Supergirl tells the crowd her name is Kara Zor-El… yes that was an awesome character moment that reminded the people (humans and aliens alike) of Earth that she is also a refugee and one of them just the same… minus the superhero privilege.

Now, the clear problem is it takes away from Kara’s secret identity crisis. She has been wrestling with her superhero persona, and the privilege it grants her to blend in. I’m willing to follow along with the glasses is the mask logic for superhero’s sake, but how she declared her name to the march is going to cause issues because Lena and Alex should’ve pieced the mystery at this point.

James Olsen is struggling to prove his worth on the show. Or the writers have no idea what to do with him, which is annoying because the character shouldn’t be that difficult… putting him back behind the camera is literally the character. I love how he went back to his roots, which are rarely talked about, and hopefully him getting shot goes somewhere… I’m assuming he’s still alive because his sister is slated to make an appearance this season.

Lena showed up in one scene… I have no idea what to make of her arc.

The Elite prove to be formidable, and J’onn giving to his dark side to combat Manchester Black feels promising. I love Hat and Menagerie more than their fearless leader… and I’m very glad J’onn called Manchester out for liking the excuse of Fiona being dead so he can kill freely.

In addition, all the members being caught one by one showed how little Manchester cared for them… beside Hat. I also caught that Hat and Mxy are friends with each other… and does every villain have to break into the Fortress. Superman and Supergirl have to upgrade the security system on that place.

Nia dressing in her superhero costume for most of the episode worked. I love how she’s gradually learning the ropes, and I hope somewhere down the line Dreamer gets her own spin-off show or more superhero moments where she can shine past the Girl of Steel. There is a lot of untapped potential going on here.

Alex and Ben Lockwood had a lot of great small moments. Chyler Leigh expressed her justified disgust and restraint throughout the episode perfectly. There were so many speeches in this episode too, and while what Ben was preaching was scary, he delivered it with such energy!

Overall, there’s a lot to think about in this episode, but clearly Supergirl is lacking a clear focus. Plus, Brainy is getting amazing character development, and that’s starting to shine through in this episode. I’m curious to see what happens when Lex Luthor comes on-board the show.

Doom Patrol 1x04 "Cult Patrol" Episode Review

Major Spoilers are included in this episode review. Please read with caution.

Doom Patrol continues to have fun by introducing magic into the world. However, they had to make a detour from the main plot to do it. It’s frustrating that they’re putting the search for Niles Caulder on hold, but again, Mark Shepherd has entered the show as Kip, a powerful magician trying to stop the world from ending… and he somehow ropes the team into helping him.

As a Supernatural fan, thus Mark Shepherd fan by default, the actor brings so much life into the role, similar to how he approached Crowley. So, while the two-part episode arc is delaying the main plot, it’s making up for it by driving the character arcs: Rita, Crazy Jane, Larry, and Robotman are getting fantastic character development through this adventure and what it means for them to become heroes.

Cyborg’s sonic cannon also made an appearance as a nice foil to Kip’s flaming sword. Yes, I got really excited because I had a flaming sword playing Dungeons & Dragons. I miss my flaming sword so much, but the fight scene and predictable betrayal worked. Mark Shepherd pulled the perfect Crowley move.

Speaking of Victor Stone, his character needs work. He’s coming off as an insensitive jerk to Rita for not wanting to get involved, and that’s partly the show’s fault for not involving her in the action as much. Yes, how she stopped Kip from killing the boy / book was pretty sweet… but we need more from her moving forward.

The cliffhanger is exciting and irritating at the same time. Yes, I love the threat of the Decreator, but it’s such a detour so early on in the series. While this episode was structured well and was incredibly solid on both plot, emotional depth, and characterization, it’s still a detachment from the main story involving our Mr. Nobody. He hasn’t narrated in awhile, and it’s really noticeable.

Station 19 2x08 "Crash and Burn" Episode Review

Major Spoilers are included in this episode review. Please read with caution.

I have waited so long for this spin-off to make its return. I have counted the days, and watching the mid-season premiere made me realize how invested I’ve become in the characters. I care about Andy and Sullivan’s survival, Jack’s inability to sleep, Maya’s indecision regarding her transfer to Station 23 to become lieutenant, Vic and Ripley’s romance, Ryan’s decision to let his father escape the police, Travis’s want for another marriage, and Ben’s stupid, yet within his character’s logic, choice to quit being a firefighter to save his own marriage.

The majority of the episode focused on Andy and Sullivan’s dire situation. They can’t call for help, the patient is in critical condition, and Sullivan can’t feel his legs because he has a spinal injury.

Andy is the only person who can move around the aid car and venture / climb the cliff to lit the signal fire, but she has a bad concussion. I compared their heart-wrenching scenario to a “toned down” version of the Plane Crash episode. That’s right, Grey’s fans, you know what I’m talking about.

The four-month jump afterwards allowed us to skip past the immediate aftermath and instead explore how everyone is recovering. It also helps align us to the Grey’s Anatomy timeline because Ben and Miranda are present on both shows… so seeing him sad about their romance was weird because those who have seen Grey’s already knew they were getting back together.

I am looking forward to seeing how Andy handles her trauma, Sullivan’s recovery and walking with a cane… I really thought he was going to become paralyzed, but this works too because now Andy and Sullivan are bonded from their experience. This might lead to romance, but Andy and Ryan’s hookup might restart their relationship… We shall see where all of this leads in the second half.

Overall, a strong mid-season premiere and the time jump was an inevitable move to keep things nice and ordered. I am curious to see how Dean and Maya will help Jack during his therapy sessions. Maya took his place as lieutenant at Station 19, and Dean is still struggling to learn how to become a supportive friend.

Also, Captain Pruitt Herrera reclaiming his position and telling the team off for not caring to help Jack earlier was an amazing—if not raw—scene. Everyone does need to get their act together. Yes! I love Station 19!

Grey's Anatomy 15x16 "Blood and Water" Episode Review

Major Spoilers are included in this episode review. Please read with caution.

Genetics and nature vs nurture were the main themes of this episode, titled “Blood and Water”. The opening threw me off ground when Ellis Grey made her return in a dream sequence, causally interacting with Maggie Pierce, biological daughter, and Zola Grey-Shepherd, adoptive granddaughter. We learn at the end that it is Meredith who dreams about this and promptly writes down whatever her mother’s trying to tell her this time.

This is what Meredith does for the majority of the episode. She also involves herself in DeLuca’s family drama with Carina and their mentally-ill father. The cliffhanger from last week’s episode is explained: DeLuca’s father has returned to present an idea to Chief of Surgery, Alex Karev. He wants to make a baby in a bag outside of a mother’s womb. The details aren’t fully explained, but Alex is on board immediately.

However, Carina and Meredith have concerns because DeLuca’s father has episodes… but Alex isn’t too worried about it and approves it anyway? I’m not sure where the logic factors into this, but DeLuca is not happy that Meredith chose to work against him instead of being supportive. This will likely drive a wedge in the new romance.

Side note: I’m happy Carina is back. We’ve missed you.

The adoption lawyer was not ready for Owen and Amelia at all. She had to go into overtime sorting out their living situations / relationship, and how Leo is going to adjust to having two different addresses. It was amusing to have an outside character react to the complicated situation, and then we got into the Owen-Amelia’s argument: how they can’t love each other without hurting each other.

Amelia is pretty done playing second to Teddy Altman, and Owen “kind-of” recycles what he told Cristina about not being able to love or be loved by another person. He chose Amelia, but she refuses to believe it because Teddy will always be in his life, and she can’t risk him running back to her someday. These are all valid points… I see no clear solution.

Jo Karev is feeling uncomfortable about the idea of having babies, even gender-neutral ones. She’s afraid because of her unknown genes—being adoptive and never meeting her birth parents—and doesn’t want her kids to inherit something she can’t control. So, she finally decides to get herself tested using a gene product thing and not Bailey’s gene test, the one she used to help Meredith find the gene for Alzheimer’s.

Anyway, Alex’s mother got Alex and Jo thinking about the next step, especially with Alex’s Chief days counting down… Miranda Bailey is counting them, people! She is ready to take back the reigns!

Maggie and Richard have tension this episode because she blabbed about the big “secret affair”—she’s the love child of Ellis Grey and Richard Webber. The whole medical community knows about it now, and he’s dealing with the fallout of it all. He is not pleased about tackling that part of his life because it was a low moment… which hurts Maggie because he made it sound like he regretted her existence. Of course, they make up by episode’s end, but it was nice to see the show readdress the whole love affair again.

Schmidt and Nico are still together… But Schmidt messes up and doesn’t tell his mom about the new boyfriend. Nico thinks it’s because he’s ashamed of him. For either being gay, male, or Asian? I’m glad it was none of the above… The truth is, Schmidt doesn’t want to hear his mom’s freaked out opinion on his new boo until he knew for himself. I love you is muttered, and all is good with these two amazing men.

I do like the message behind the episode regarding genetics and how it closes with Meredith, Amelia, and Maggie sitting at the kitchen table (SISTERS!)… but not a lot of details were really explained when it came to the medical procedures. Although, it was getting more graphic, which I enjoyed. I am curious on how the baby out in a bag works, but no concrete information was given other than animal testing…

I need more than that!

Legacies 1x13 "The Boy Who Still Has a Lot of Good to Do" Episode Review

Major Spoilers are included in this episode review. Please read with caution.

The boys are back! After last week’s episode centered on Hope, Josie, and Lizzie, this week’s decided to focus on the boys (MG, Rafael, and Landon) using Hope and Kaleb to push the present day momentum.

The whole mystery of what happened to MG and Landon worked out in this episode. I was anxious with Rafael, who had his mind scrambled, unable to remember what happened and why he reverted back to human during the full moon. This episode used flashback scenes to slowly unravel Rafael’s memories.

Landon, using his own frustrations about his family, pushes MG to visit his parents for spring break. Rafael, feeling obligated to look after MG, cautions Landon not to push the young vampire, and tragically, he was right. MG discovers the truth about his mom not wanting him anymore, and how his father didn’t know his son was alive / a vampire because his religious beliefs wouldn’t allow such thinking.

All this leads to MG killing Landon ripper-style. Paul Wesley directed the episode by the way. Rafael reacts angrily and bites MG, infecting him with a werewolf bite. With Klaus being dead, Hope’s blood is the only chance he has to live. Kaleb is worried she may not cure him because MG killed her boyfriend, but she’s mature enough to put that aside.

Hope’s heartbreak was potent in this moment. She has lost so many people in her life, and adding Landon probably pushed her over the edge. I was feeling for her even though we all knew the kid was not dead… this won’t excuse MG’s actions, and he’ll have to deal with the consequences whether they’re external or internal.

I believe this episode was designed to become the season finale, but with three extra episodes ordered, we’re going to get some follow-up on Landon’s supernatural reveal. He revives himself from the ashes, so Alaric theorizes Landon is a Phoenix. Wow, more questions than answers type of deal here.

Next week is Miss Mystic Falls! Yes!

Supernatural 14x14 "Ourouboros" Episode Review

Major Spoilers are included in this episode review. Please read with caution.

The newest episode was unexpected. After the month long-hiatus and having (mostly) recovered from the 300th episode’s emotional reunion / separation, the season picks up on the action. Sam, Dean, Jack, and Castiel are hunting down a monster.

The monster of the week is Gorgon from Clash of the Titans. He is killing men to eat them because he prefers seducing them over women. He found they were too cautious. Going back to a regular monster hunt was unclear initially, but slowly, it’s shown that Jack is the main focus. He is burning his human soul too quickly for power, and everyone is worried. Even Rowena, who returned to help the boys out with locating the monster.

Castiel, playing the greatest dad ever, has another heart-to-heart with Jack about loss, and how Sam and Dean will die someday. They are extraordinary human beings, but still human nonetheless. Jack does not want to lose his family, and after hearing the chicken and egg story, he decides to end Alternate Michael.

After Dean gets his head bashed in, Alternate Michael finally escapes Dean’s body to terrorize the bunker. I am in awe that Dean managed to hold Alt. Michael down for that long. He should’ve died from the lack of sleep at the very least. The realism of this series sometimes…

Anyway, all the new hunters, including sweet Maggie, are murdered, and Rowena willingly gets possessed in an effort to save the boys, whom she’s grown to care for. How Supernatural manages to shift villains into anti-heroes / allies and vice versa is an incredible feat.

The ending is not trustworthy. I do not believe Alt. Michael is defeated, but I am happy for Jack, who has returned to full-power. He shows his wings to Sam, Dean, and Castiel as proof. I wonder what’s going to happen next for the rest of the season, if this is indeed the end of Alternate Michael’s rampage on this Earth.