Revenge 4x21 Aftermath

 

Last week I spent a lot of time wondering how exactly did Victoria plan to frame Emily for her murder after she committed suicide by blowing herself up with Grayson Manor. It’s one thing that their hatred for each other is now public knowledge, but the house and everything in it belongs to Emily, and why would she choose such a complicated and messy method for murder instead of literally anything else? These are the questions I would be asking first if I was a cop, but as it turns out if you’re the kind of cop who used to date and then got badly burnt by the suspect herself, then you can easily throw logic out of the window in favour of circumstantial evidence. As you may have guessed already, this week’s episode of Revenge was all about the aftermath of Victoria’s suicide/suspected murder, and unfortunately, with only two episodes left of the season (and possibly series), things were not looking too bright for Emily by the end of this hour.

Orphan Black 3x02 Transitory Sacrifices of Crisis

 

Remember when last week I was hella confused by pretty much everything that was happening in the Orphan Black season premiere due to my inabilty to rewatch the first two seasons before the new one began? And remember how I said that by the end of the episode everything was pretty clear and I wad good to go forward? Yeah, forget that. It seems like my confusion is not over yet. Oh no, in fact, by the looks of it, it’s only just beginning! Honestly, it even made me question whether I should be writing these reviews at all, because I imagine after a while it will be pretty tiring if my reaction to everything will be something like „okay I have no idea why that’s happening but it’s alright, I can roll with it!”... But for now, I’m gonna write this review and then see where the next episode takes me. Also, please do point out if I’m talking bullshit or completely misunderstand something that should be obvious. I promise I will be extremely grateful because I WANT to enjoy this show to the fullest, and I feel like much of my annoyance with this episode was rooted in not remembering simple but essential details about the show’s mythology.

But first thing’s first: last week I mentioned that I don’t know any of the Castor clones’ names and netiher can I distinguish them from each other, so I’m just gonna call all of them Clone Boy and hope that it won’t get too confusing. Well, most of this problem was solved by this episode so just recapping it real quick for my own benefit: Scarface is called Rudy, he’s the one who was locked in by Dyad but was broken out by his brother in the previous episode. Said brother is the one with the Pornstache, also known as Seth, and they’re the ones doing all sorts of weird shit to random women, including that one Leda clone from last week. Then there’s Mark the Prolethean, who made a very brief appearence at the end of this episode but has yet to truly come into play, and another, fourth one at the military base where they’re keeping Helena. His name I still don’t know but for now it doesn’t seem like I have to, he hasn’t even spoken a single line yet if I remember correctly. So now that I can call them by their proper names, I can continue with the fact that Rudy and Seth opened this episode by doing some weird shit to a random woman, which is nothing new from them but it was still pretty fucking unsettling to watch. The good news is that she came out of it alive – but I’m getting way ahead of myself here.

The Flash 1x20 The Trap

 

See, this is what happens when you concentrate on the bigger picture for two consecutive episodes instead of bringing in a few more one-off villains just for the sake of comicbook shout-outs: your show suddenly becomes super fun and enjoyable. Or at least that was the case with The Flash this week, and after watching these last two episodes I suddenly find myself very much excited for the finale. There’s three more episodes to go, so hopefully they don’t ruin this great momentum until then. 

The Vampire Diaries 6x19 Because

 

If I was to make a list of all the things The Vampire Diaries does exceptionally well, playing with my emotions would definitely rank in the top five. Whether it be Elena driving to pick up a dying Damon and then choosing to be with Stefan instead, just to then break up with Stefan and sleep with Damon in the span of the next five or so episodes, dedicating a fantastically heartfelt and beautiful episode to the life of Katherine Pierce as she’s drawing her last breaths and then NOT killing her off, or just recently, making me believe that there might be cure for Liz’s cancer and then practically killing her TWICE... the term ’emotional rollercoaster’ doesn’t even begin to cover it. The reason I’m bringing this is up is obviously because there was a lot of that going around in this episode too, and with the imminent departure of Elena looming in the near future, I suspect that things are about to become more distressing and emotionally taxing than ever.

Reign 2x19 Abandoned

 

I know I gave Reign a lot of shit last week because of its handling of various relationships and just generally taking the show into the wrong direction, and I would love to say that things got better this week... but sadly, it’s still very much about Mary and Conde being super into each other, Francis being angsty about it, and Narcisse sleeping with Catherine. On the bright side, there was a bit of Narcisse/Lola too and even a tiny hint of Kenna/Renaude, so that was enough to see me off until next week. And if you think that I shouldn’t be so focused on the relationship stuff and should instead concentrate on the other aspects of the show, like the political situation, well believe me I would be the happiest if I could but as of right now these two are so intertwined that I’m literally unable to separate them. After all, these are kings and queens amd princes we’re talking about, and their relationships with each other are very much the driving force behind most of the political games the writers have decided to explore. So I will probably keep whining about the badly done relationships until they miraculously sort themselves out, or introduce a bigger plot that is much more fun to write about. Until that happens, bear with me please.

The Originals 2x20 City Beneath the Sea

 

Oh boy. I knew it wasn’t going to be pretty when Klaus woke up after having been betrayed by his own siblings and daggered by none other than Elijah. What I couldn’t possible have known was that it was going to become un-pretty way before he even woke up. Turns out I didn’t take Dahlia into consideration, but then again neither did Elijah, so I guess I shouldn’t blame myself. In any case, what a great episode! It’s probably gonna get old real soon if I keep saying this every week, but I can’t help it, and anyway it’s always true – this show is really something else. Honestly, if someone came to me when I was watching season two of The Vampire Diaries and told me that only a few years from now I’m gonna willingly follow a series centered on the Mikaelson brothers, and what’s more, I’m going to adore it, I probably would have laughed for a good twenty minutes. Oh how things have changed. Anyway, enough about me, let’s talk about The Originals!

Supernatural 10x19 The Werther Project

 

After last week’s Mark of Cain-centric episode, not to mention its very much cliffhangery ending, I expected this episode to be a continuation of that storyline. So imagine my surprise when it started out with the kind of typical Supernatural opening sequence which usually is a sign of a standalone, Monster of the Week episode. Now, I’m one of those weirdos who actually love those kind of episodes, not just on Supernatural but on most similar shows as well (and yes, The Flash is an exception, but that’s only because for some reason they are unable to make any of their villains interesting in any way). I keep telling the complainers that there simply has to be a break from the main storyline every once in a while, otherwise we would never be able to let any steam out, especially if the current storyline is as dark and depressing as Supernatural’s usually is. Or, say, the last two seasons of Person of Interest. As much as I would love to get along with the story and find out whatever Samaritan is up to, sometimes you just gotta have an episode where Reese has to catch the perp on a plane while Finch is trying to land it from his office using a joystick, you know? Okay, that was a long time ago, but so many people complained about that episode being „too light” and „out of place”, while I thought it was one of the most fun episodes of the show ever and it came at a time when we desperately needed some fun, so yeah. That has nothing to do with Supernatural but you see what I’m trying to say here, right? Standalone episodes are important too. All that said, I was a bit baffled by the writers’ choice to have such an episode right here, right now, just as we’ve finally managed to find a way to maybe remove that bloody mark once and for all. So thank God it was a false alarm, and the episode turned out to be very important in terms of the greater plot, and it was also very Rowena-heavy, which is always a good thing in my book.

Forever 1x21 The Night in Question

 

I don’t think I’ve had the chance before to express my love for this little show called Forever, and seeing as there’s a chance that next week’s season finale will be the series finale as well, I feel like I have to do so while I still can. So here it goes: I adore Forever. It’s honestly one of the most perfect series on TV right now. Everything in it is amazing: the main story arc, the characters, the relationships, the cases of the week, the flashbacks, the humour, the atmosphere, the suspense, the emotional moments... everything. I love it so, so much, and I honestly think I’m gonna cry if it gets cancelled next week. Before that can happen though, I would like to review at least these remaining two episodes, and then cross my fingers that the overwhelmingly positive critical and fan reaction will be able to somehow override the terrible ratings, and grant this wonderful show the second season it deserves. So here’s how it all went down this week...

Pilot Season Wishlist 2015

Since this year's Upfronts are only a week away, I decided to do a list of all the pilots that I would love to see get ordered to series for next season, so that next week I can know just how disappointed am I supposed to be exactly.

As a general rule of thumb I'll be interested in a new series if it has either a good story or an actor that I like, or both. This year it's mainly the second category that dominates, there are only one or two pilots that I chose based on their stories, and then there's the Arrow/Flash spinoff which is kind of a weird combination of both/neither...it's really hard to explain but I know I'm gonna watch it anyway.

So without any further ado, here's a list of all the shows I would love to see next fall, the ones that I really, REALLY want to see are bolded, and the name of the actor(s) that got me interested is also added.

Once Upon a Time 4x20 Lily

I don’t think that, in my history as a TV-watcher, there ever was another episode that so perfectly embodied the phrase ’mixed feelings’ as this one. On one hand, the flashbacks were wonderful, which is always a big plus when a show is so heavily relying on them as OUAT does. But on the other hand, the present day storyline was nothing but a long series of eyerolling, „what the fuck?” lines, and frustration, topped off with the biggest ever „OH MY FUCKING GOD WHAT?????” moment that I’ve ever experienced watching this show. Which I’m not entirely sure IS a bad thing, I mean, that kind of burst of emotion is pretty freaking rare for me in this age of behind the scenes spoilers and predictable plot twists, so I really am impressed that the writers managed to pull off something that I don’t think anyone expected... and basically this is what I meant by mixed feelings. Honestly, I’m not even sure how I feel about this episode anymore. It was miles ahead of pretty much everything in this halfseason, but much worse than the previous, wonderfully twisted episode... so yeah. Mixed. Let’s dissect it a little bit, shall we?

Arrow 3x20 The Fallen

 

If a couple weeks ago someone had told me that the episode where Oliver finally agrees to join the League of Assassins would actually be one of the most boring and uneventful episodes of the season, I would have probably laughed in their face and then told them to go and shit someone else. Sadly, I would have been wrong. As unbelievable as it is to say it, this episode really wasn’t that big of a deal. Plot-wise there was hardly anything going on, and although it had a lot of long, supposed-to-be-meaningful conversations, I kept finding myself staring into space and not having any idea what the people involved were talking about, but also not caring enough to rewind and actually pay attention. The reason I still decided to review the episode is simple: I enjoy writing these reviews and the more I can do the better, but also because it gives me a reason to talk about something that I can’t really tiptoe around any longer if I want to keep reviewing Arrow, but probably wouldn’t be able to fit into any of my other episode reviews. So basically, read on if you’re curious about my opinion on the relationship between Oliver and Felicity. Or you know, the episode itself.

The Flash 1x19 Who Is Harrison Wells?

 

You might think that I would be angry at this episode because last week I clearly said that the only reason I was excited for this one is because judging by the title, we’re probably right to expect some answers to the biggest overarching mystery of the season, and yet the episode completely failed to deliver on that front... but the truth is, as baffled as I am by the incredibly deceptive title, this was still one of the most fun episodes of The Flash to date, so this time I’m willing to forgive its shortcomings and hope that maybe next week we’ll get some of those answers. There aren’t that many episodes left of the season so it’s about time, I would say.

So what is it exactly that made the episode so enjoyable? For one thing, the guest starring Arrow characters, but also the fact that for probably the very first time on the show, the Villain of the Week was actually interesting. But really, it was mainly the Arrow characters. God bless the Lance family, is all I can say.