- Lafayette's witchcraft story line is being revived
- The Debbie Pelt story line is out of place in a show that allows wholesale murders and deaths to go uninvestigated, and it promises to be a complete and extremely annoying waste of time
- Tara's suicide will NOT be successful
- I dare you to summarize the "plot" of this episode in a sentence
Matt, if you think this was a strong episode, it can only be because last season was such a pile of stinking trash.
It was OK. Not a lot happened. There were some good moments -- like Eric's blase reaction to Salome's come-on -- and some bad moments -- like Lafayette's brief possession by the evil-voodoo-face-thing that really, really should have died along with last season -- but there were no spectacular moments. OK, there was ONE heartwarming moment, when Andy tried to persuade Holly to "go steady" by showing he was at least as screwed up as she was.
Admittedly, there were a couple of interesting developments. Nora's confession to being a Sanguinista and Salome's admission that she was Nora's sponsor suggest that maybe Salome is one of those guys, too, and she's hoping to enlist Bill and Eric in a later coup attempt. Tina Majorino (yay for Mac from Veronica Mars!) played a small role in this one; we can only hope that bigger things are in store for her.
On the other hand ... is there any hope that Tara's suicide will be successful?
I could really, really do without body-swapping episodes in sci-fi/fantasy TV shows. This one did nothing to improve my opinion of these lazy wastes of time.
@DeAnn: "the whole thing with the Ash keeping his head in a box is FREAKY! Does that mean that he's only pretending to be the Ash, because the real Ash is dead?"
Not dead, I think, but clearly usurped. Whether his identity got stolen before or after he became Ash would be an interesting question if we actually knew anything about they guy other than that he is a dick.
@DeAnn "does anyone else wonder why Dyson is so enamored of the bad-tooth Brit Ciara, who can't hold a candle to the beautiful Bo?"
What's love got to do with it? We know that Dyson cannot love anybody other than Bo and that he is no longer able to love her, either. He still has a sex drive, and being with Bo appears to be painful or distasteful to him, so he has to seek his satisfaction elsewhere. Ciara loves him or is at least strongly attracted to him, and she is attractive, so she's a good companion for him. That's it.
Nick spends an afternoon practicing his hand-to-hand combat and then knocks off two powerful, skilled assassins while hardly breaking a sweat? Come on!
Maybe Nick has Slayer powers that haven't been mentioned so far. That would certainly help explain why Beavers and Rats fear him so much. Otherwise, his only superpower is that he can see Beavers and Rats for what they are, which is not very impressive.
Also, Juliette looks pretty dumb by the end of this one. Lois Lane-level dumb. Glasses on, glasses off.
@Sue Ann: "This episode made me quite uncomfortable with the characters. It was almost like affectionate contempt, not a sound basis for a marriage, IMHO."
I second that emotion.
@charissa29: "It isn't often that a show can reader's digest both Flowers for Algernon and Frankenstein into one plot."
Good point. I hadn't even thought about the "Frankenstein" angle.
Thank the gods it's over. Thank the gods it mostly made 1 + 1 = 2 sense.
Thank the producers for giving us a show in which any character can do any old off-the-wall thing at any time.
Terri decides to kill a girl because the girl indirectly threatens her well-laid plans? And she manages to keep the secret once she figures out the girl was Rosie? I don't believe it. Jamie commits suicide by cop because he loves Richmond's campaign more than life itself? I don't believe it. Richmond shuts Gwen out and invites the chief because he's only been pretending not to be a coldhearted bastard? I don't believe it. Linden decides to quit AGAIN after the Rosie Larsen case gets wrapped up? I don't ... OK, well, I can maybe believe that.
I have enough of an emotional investment in the show to come back if AMC is foolish enough to renew it, but I won't be crying in my beer if they decide to retire it.
Jill has been threatening to leave for so long that I'm not sure what to make of her absence. It seems impossible that she will really be gone from the show, but to bring her back quickly would strain credulity.
Anybody seen Boris? I would much rather see Boris than daddy.
@DiamondLife: 'How could a letter Jill wrote just before leaving say "I wish yiu coukd see it here, it's so amazing"?'
Funny! The African visuals pulled me in so well that I completely missed the obvious temporal problem.
@Chandel: It's Dr. SACANI not CACANI.
@Chandel: "WHEN WILL THESE TWO LEARN TO COMMUNICATE??????!!!!"
About the same time Lucy and Ricky learn to communicate. In other words, never.
I'm very happy that the Rosie Larsen case is nearing a conclusion.
I will not stop being angry at "The Killing" for sending us on so many ridiculous wild goose chases; for wasting so much of our time on Mitch's nonsense; and for being a "procedural" that has no respect for police procedure. Still, if the writers and producers at least wrap up the season (and most likely the series) nicely, that will go a long way toward restoring goodwill.
BTW, the show has been telegraphing that the initial beating came from the chief. We've been set up the past couple of weeks to see that she becomes violent when angered. As Linden observed, there had to be passion behind the beating; neither Gwen nor Jamie would have provided that.
Last season was so bad that this episode felt like a breath of fresh air. I laughed out loud twice -- once at the Rev's absurd declaration that he was coming out as a "Gay Vampire American", and once at the "Silly Love Songs" playing on the radio as the Authority carted off Bill and Ted ... I mean, Bill and Eric. I can't remember the last time this show made me really laugh.
I agree with everybody everywhere that the foregrounding of all of the secondary and tertiary characters last season was a bad, bad mistake, and I am as concerned as anybody that they will make things even worse this season. I am hopeful, however, that the writers are just tying up loose ends and will refocus on the show's core business before we get to mid-season (as soon before as possible).
@Sean: "Alexi was the guy to pull the trigger and finish of [sic] Janek.... I've a feeling that the Janek and mob story is through for the most part now."
But there's still the connection between Janek's gang and the mayor, Janek's gang and the prostitution ring with which Rosie was connected. I don't think it's done.
@Chip: "The preview for next week already tells us that the card was created for Jamie's gym access, so we can probably rule him out ..."
Remember that the mayor's aide goes to the same gym and has a locker near Jamie's. (They exchanged punches in the locker room not too long ago.)
@KT: "Linden holding up the keycard? WTF?"
Linden completely ignoring police procedure bothered me. I understood her explanation, but not what she hoped to accomplish by screwing around with evidence in a way that could complete blow her case.
Episode summary: House finally realizes he must pay for his wildly irresponsible, dangerous, illegal, immoral, and unethical stunts. Hah, hah! Just kidding.
@Folgers: "I cant wait to see that Chief go down out ... that reservation arrogance just pisses me off."
The chief is smug, arrogant, and willing to use her tribe's limited sovereignty to her own cynical advantage. It's only natural to want to see her fall.
I hope, however, you are not seeing her as a typical American Indian tribal official or, worse, a typical American Indian. This show is not doing American Indians or the general public any favors when it makes a major villain out of a tribal chief while providing virtually no context about American Indians and reservations.
BTW, in case you hadn't guessed, the Wapi Eagle Casino and the Kalimish tribe are fictional. There are, however, a number of Indian reservations (and casinos) in Washington. Seattle is in fact named after Si'ahl, leader of the Suquamish tribe, which now has a reservation (http://www.suquamish.nsn.us/) and a casino (http://www.clearwatercasino.com/).
Sean, why shouldn't Tommy be a brat? He's distressed and acting out.
I enjoyed Stan yelling "I hate you too!" at Tommy because it is so wrong and so unexpected; only evil parents act this way in regular TV shows.
I also thought that the crying/hugging scene between Stan and the boys at the end of the episode was very moving despite being sappy; I thought it was probably the best family moment in the show so far.
I agree with you, Sean, that we're beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel, and that feels good. I enjoyed seeing Holder make progress, finally. I thought the psych ward scenes were over the top, however.
If Linden is as broken as she appears in this episode, she really shouldn't be on any police force and certainly not in charge of a child. You can be a tormented soul and still be rational enough to answer a psychiatrist's questions in an at-least-minimally cooperative way. You should definitely be rational enough not to go off the handle when the psychiatrist -- who promised NOTHING -- tells you that she needs more. Enos was good in these scenes ... but only if Linden really is supposed to be barely hanging on by a thread ... or less.
On the other hand, if Linden is being held because she is suspected of being suicidal, the psychiatrist's charge should be solely determining whether she is "a danger to herself and others," not uncovering her deepest, darkest secrets. The psychiatrist is, as you say, mainly a device to give us "insights" into Linden's past and her current hang-ups.
I don't see how anyone can be making strong declarations about what is "real" in this show.
It's clear both from watching the finale and from Kyle Killen's remarks (http://www.examiner.com/article/dream-on-awake-creator-sheds-light-on-the-series-finale-and-more) that we cannot draw any conclusions about what is real -- red world, green world, or status-quo-ante world. The only revelation, if it can be called that, from the finale is that Britten's mind is really messed up.
Nothing is resolved, and almost anything is possible.
OK, now that we know Alcatraz is dead ... How and why were the prisoners sent into the future? What's the point? I hope we can get some closure from the creators.
1. On his now-defunct weekly radio show, Peter Schikele used to quote Duke Ellington: "If it sounds good, it is good." In other words, set aside your prejudices and expectations about how things should be; if you enjoyed it, it's good. This episode was good, as were the two that came before it.
2. This has always been a show about men who use science to play God. Walter sets the whole two-universes-at-war catastrophe in motion by trying to resurrect his dead son. The mad-scientist-of-the-week often plays God by experimenting on (or stealing sex hormones or whatever from) and often killing their unwilling subjects. For William Bell to become the ultimate mad scientist, destroying two universes just for the heck of it, fits. It's kind of lame, but it fits.
3. I have more to say, but no time or space. I will, however, endorse the view that Rebecca Mader's independently rolling eyes were very cool.
"Common Law is uncommonly smart, sophisticated, edgy and all together hilarious."
No, "Common Law" is an uninspired attempt to mash together all of USA's successful shows, add in some "Lethal Weapon" and "Bakersfield PD" (a short-lived 1990s series that treated cops like married couples) in hopes of generating some ratings. It's not half as funny or real as "In Plain Sight", which USA just retired. "White Collar" is a lot smarter and more sophisticated, "Necessary Roughness" is edgier. This is just a trashy show for guys who like to see cops bantering, threatening everybody with guns for no good reason, and smashing things up.
Bottom line: Not unwatchable, just not worth watching.
Honorable mention: Great to see Ms. Parker again!
@Mrs alex o'loughlin: John did not kill Jessica's hubsand he just took him to the mexican prison like he did with Jennings!
We don't know, and we will probably never know whether the husband was alive in that jail.
Note about the apartment: It appears to be overlooking the park where Reese was playing, er, some game, with the blind Chinese guy earlier. The place may have been a gift, but it was also a message: I'm watching you. Even though Finch said he wasn't.
Note about assaulting US Marshalls: WTF? He doesn't have enough people chasing him already? This makes it that much more absurd that, in a show that emphasizes the omnipresence of surveillance, the Most Wanted Man in the World can hang out openly in Manhattan and not even be detected much less captured.
@mel: P.S. Loved the humor at the begnning when he was on the bus and the kids asked if he was ok. He was bloodied and said that he was "fired" from his job ...
That was wry, but I think he meant it. He appeared to have a gunshot wound. This was just a couple months after his CIA bosses sent him and his partner to die in China. He probably had an encounter with the CIA. So, fired.
This episode did not grab me at all. If I hadn't been watching it with my partner, I probably would have shut it off. I don't have any special complaints about anything; I was just bored. I didn't mind the kiss, but, FWIW, my partner really didn't like it. Ben, ew!
@echyone: "I didn't understand the need for the Rube Goldberg setup to get Walter either."
In hindsight, the Rube Goldberg setup was probably not intended to call Walter down to Bell's warehouse. The purpose of the nanites and the killer sunbeam and the sacrifice of Jones was to get Olivia to exercise her powers so that she would be ready for whatever Bell is about to throw at her. Bell would not consider it overkill because Olivia would only be pushed to use her powers in highly stressful situations. Of course, he could have gotten her to do so much more reliably with a couple of better designed (and less lethal) events ... but, hey, NANITES! and KILLER SUNBEAM!
Comments by WatchesTooMuch (Page 7)
True Blood Review: Smells Like Clean Spirit
- Lafayette's witchcraft story line is being revived
- The Debbie Pelt story line is out of place in a show that allows wholesale murders and deaths to go uninvestigated, and it promises to be a complete and extremely annoying waste of time
- Tara's suicide will NOT be successful
- I dare you to summarize the "plot" of this episode in a sentence
True Blood Review: Smells Like Clean Spirit
It was OK. Not a lot happened. There were some good moments -- like Eric's blase reaction to Salome's come-on -- and some bad moments -- like Lafayette's brief possession by the evil-voodoo-face-thing that really, really should have died along with last season -- but there were no spectacular moments. OK, there was ONE heartwarming moment, when Andy tried to persuade Holly to "go steady" by showing he was at least as screwed up as she was.
Admittedly, there were a couple of interesting developments. Nora's confession to being a Sanguinista and Salome's admission that she was Nora's sponsor suggest that maybe Salome is one of those guys, too, and she's hoping to enlist Bill and Eric in a later coup attempt. Tina Majorino (yay for Mac from Veronica Mars!) played a small role in this one; we can only hope that bigger things are in store for her.
On the other hand ... is there any hope that Tara's suicide will be successful?
Lost Girl Review: Body Switchers
@DeAnn: "the whole thing with the Ash keeping his head in a box is FREAKY! Does that mean that he's only pretending to be the Ash, because the real Ash is dead?"
Not dead, I think, but clearly usurped. Whether his identity got stolen before or after he became Ash would be an interesting question if we actually knew anything about they guy other than that he is a dick.
@DeAnn "does anyone else wonder why Dyson is so enamored of the bad-tooth Brit Ciara, who can't hold a candle to the beautiful Bo?"
What's love got to do with it? We know that Dyson cannot love anybody other than Bo and that he is no longer able to love her, either. He still has a sex drive, and being with Bo appears to be painful or distasteful to him, so he has to seek his satisfaction elsewhere. Ciara loves him or is at least strongly attracted to him, and she is attractive, so she's a good companion for him. That's it.
Leave It To Beavers
Maybe Nick has Slayer powers that haven't been mentioned so far. That would certainly help explain why Beavers and Rats fear him so much. Otherwise, his only superpower is that he can see Beavers and Rats for what they are, which is not very impressive.
Also, Juliette looks pretty dumb by the end of this one. Lois Lane-level dumb. Glasses on, glasses off.
Eureka Review: I Am Jack's Intelligence
I second that emotion.
@charissa29: "It isn't often that a show can reader's digest both Flowers for Algernon and Frankenstein into one plot."
Good point. I hadn't even thought about the "Frankenstein" angle.
The Killing Season Finale Review: Who Killed Rosie?
Thank the producers for giving us a show in which any character can do any old off-the-wall thing at any time.
Terri decides to kill a girl because the girl indirectly threatens her well-laid plans? And she manages to keep the secret once she figures out the girl was Rosie? I don't believe it. Jamie commits suicide by cop because he loves Richmond's campaign more than life itself? I don't believe it. Richmond shuts Gwen out and invites the chief because he's only been pretending not to be a coldhearted bastard? I don't believe it. Linden decides to quit AGAIN after the Rosie Larsen case gets wrapped up? I don't ... OK, well, I can maybe believe that.
I have enough of an emotional investment in the show to come back if AMC is foolish enough to renew it, but I won't be crying in my beer if they decide to retire it.
Royal Pains Review: Your Own Path
Anybody seen Boris? I would much rather see Boris than daddy.
@DiamondLife: 'How could a letter Jill wrote just before leaving say "I wish yiu coukd see it here, it's so amazing"?'
Funny! The African visuals pulled me in so well that I completely missed the obvious temporal problem.
@Chandel: It's Dr. SACANI not CACANI.
@Chandel: "WHEN WILL THESE TWO LEARN TO COMMUNICATE??????!!!!"
About the same time Lucy and Ricky learn to communicate. In other words, never.
The Killing Review: Gwen, Jamie and the Usual Suspects
The Killing Review: Gwen, Jamie and the Usual Suspects
I will not stop being angry at "The Killing" for sending us on so many ridiculous wild goose chases; for wasting so much of our time on Mitch's nonsense; and for being a "procedural" that has no respect for police procedure. Still, if the writers and producers at least wrap up the season (and most likely the series) nicely, that will go a long way toward restoring goodwill.
BTW, the show has been telegraphing that the initial beating came from the chief. We've been set up the past couple of weeks to see that she becomes violent when angered. As Linden observed, there had to be passion behind the beating; neither Gwen nor Jamie would have provided that.
True Blood Review: A Case of Anemia?
I agree with everybody everywhere that the foregrounding of all of the secondary and tertiary characters last season was a bad, bad mistake, and I am as concerned as anybody that they will make things even worse this season. I am hopeful, however, that the writers are just tying up loose ends and will refocus on the show's core business before we get to mid-season (as soon before as possible).
Burning Down the House
The Killing Review: Taking A Stand
But there's still the connection between Janek's gang and the mayor, Janek's gang and the prostitution ring with which Rosie was connected. I don't think it's done.
@Chip: "The preview for next week already tells us that the card was created for Jamie's gym access, so we can probably rule him out ..."
Remember that the mayor's aide goes to the same gym and has a locker near Jamie's. (They exchanged punches in the locker room not too long ago.)
@KT: "Linden holding up the keycard? WTF?"
Linden completely ignoring police procedure bothered me. I understood her explanation, but not what she hoped to accomplish by screwing around with evidence in a way that could complete blow her case.
House Finale Review: Enjoy Yourself
The Killing Review: Linden Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
The chief is smug, arrogant, and willing to use her tribe's limited sovereignty to her own cynical advantage. It's only natural to want to see her fall.
I hope, however, you are not seeing her as a typical American Indian tribal official or, worse, a typical American Indian. This show is not doing American Indians or the general public any favors when it makes a major villain out of a tribal chief while providing virtually no context about American Indians and reservations.
BTW, in case you hadn't guessed, the Wapi Eagle Casino and the Kalimish tribe are fictional. There are, however, a number of Indian reservations (and casinos) in Washington. Seattle is in fact named after Si'ahl, leader of the Suquamish tribe, which now has a reservation (http://www.suquamish.nsn.us/) and a casino (http://www.clearwatercasino.com/).
The Killing Review: What's on the Tenth Floor?
I enjoyed Stan yelling "I hate you too!" at Tommy because it is so wrong and so unexpected; only evil parents act this way in regular TV shows.
I also thought that the crying/hugging scene between Stan and the boys at the end of the episode was very moving despite being sappy; I thought it was probably the best family moment in the show so far.
The Killing Review: Linden Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
If Linden is as broken as she appears in this episode, she really shouldn't be on any police force and certainly not in charge of a child. You can be a tormented soul and still be rational enough to answer a psychiatrist's questions in an at-least-minimally cooperative way. You should definitely be rational enough not to go off the handle when the psychiatrist -- who promised NOTHING -- tells you that she needs more. Enos was good in these scenes ... but only if Linden really is supposed to be barely hanging on by a thread ... or less.
On the other hand, if Linden is being held because she is suspected of being suicidal, the psychiatrist's charge should be solely determining whether she is "a danger to herself and others," not uncovering her deepest, darkest secrets. The psychiatrist is, as you say, mainly a device to give us "insights" into Linden's past and her current hang-ups.
Awake Finale Review: A Visitor From The Other Side
It's clear both from watching the finale and from Kyle Killen's remarks (http://www.examiner.com/article/dream-on-awake-creator-sheds-light-on-the-series-finale-and-more) that we cannot draw any conclusions about what is real -- red world, green world, or status-quo-ante world. The only revelation, if it can be called that, from the finale is that Britten's mind is really messed up.
Nothing is resolved, and almost anything is possible.
Fox Renews Touch, Axes Alcatraz and The Finder
Fringe Review: A Season Finale To Die For
2. This has always been a show about men who use science to play God. Walter sets the whole two-universes-at-war catastrophe in motion by trying to resurrect his dead son. The mad-scientist-of-the-week often plays God by experimenting on (or stealing sex hormones or whatever from) and often killing their unwilling subjects. For William Bell to become the ultimate mad scientist, destroying two universes just for the heck of it, fits. It's kind of lame, but it fits.
3. I have more to say, but no time or space. I will, however, endorse the view that Rebecca Mader's independently rolling eyes were very cool.
Common Law Review: Bringing the Bromance
No, "Common Law" is an uninspired attempt to mash together all of USA's successful shows, add in some "Lethal Weapon" and "Bakersfield PD" (a short-lived 1990s series that treated cops like married couples) in hopes of generating some ratings. It's not half as funny or real as "In Plain Sight", which USA just retired. "White Collar" is a lot smarter and more sophisticated, "Necessary Roughness" is edgier. This is just a trashy show for guys who like to see cops bantering, threatening everybody with guns for no good reason, and smashing things up.
Bottom line: Not unwatchable, just not worth watching.
Honorable mention: Great to see Ms. Parker again!
Castle Season Finale Review: All I Want Is You
I thought that was sexier than the makeout scene.
Will Kate go back to the precinct or is her resignation for good?
It can't be for good. She'll be back. Also, the captain's reaction was over the top, and so was Beckett's. Her resignation did not ring true.
Will Mr. Smith come forward to help Kate?
You mean the late Mr. Smith? He doesn't survive the Cole Maddox visit.
Is a relationship in their future?
Of course. The real question is whether it can last beyond the end of next season ... assuming that the show does, which it probably will.
Person of Interest Review: Breaking Bad
We don't know, and we will probably never know whether the husband was alive in that jail.
Note about the apartment: It appears to be overlooking the park where Reese was playing, er, some game, with the blind Chinese guy earlier. The place may have been a gift, but it was also a message: I'm watching you. Even though Finch said he wasn't.
Note about assaulting US Marshalls: WTF? He doesn't have enough people chasing him already? This makes it that much more absurd that, in a show that emphasizes the omnipresence of surveillance, the Most Wanted Man in the World can hang out openly in Manhattan and not even be detected much less captured.
Person of Interest Review: Breaking Bad
That was wry, but I think he meant it. He appeared to have a gunshot wound. This was just a couple months after his CIA bosses sent him and his partner to die in China. He probably had an encounter with the CIA. So, fired.
Fairly Legal Review: Hope Hurts
Fringe Review: Olivia Dunham, Superhero!
In hindsight, the Rube Goldberg setup was probably not intended to call Walter down to Bell's warehouse. The purpose of the nanites and the killer sunbeam and the sacrifice of Jones was to get Olivia to exercise her powers so that she would be ready for whatever Bell is about to throw at her. Bell would not consider it overkill because Olivia would only be pushed to use her powers in highly stressful situations. Of course, he could have gotten her to do so much more reliably with a couple of better designed (and less lethal) events ... but, hey, NANITES! and KILLER SUNBEAM!