A review of everything I watched this past week including the season finale of Ray Donovan, the series premiere of Gracepoint, the Family Guy/Simpsons crossover episode, and more.
(Also appearing on 411mania.com)
Welcome everyone to Man Cave DVR. This column is kind of like a Two Tivos To Paradise companion piece until Al Norton decides that I’ve totally ripped him off and has me shut down. Here is the premise:
I watch a lot of television. That’s what happens when you have a DVR and no life. So I’ve decided to quickly review all the television I watch in hopes of being quoted during one of the trailers for the show. Once that happens, I’ll stop writing this column. We could be here for awhile.
Some shows I’ll continue to watch, while others I’ll give up on because I think they suck or the network thinks they suck.
Here’s what I watched for the week of September 28 - October 4:
Sunday (9/28)
Total Divas (Divas Unchained) - Besides the Paige cameo in the opening, I wasn’t a fan of this episode. Both Nattie and TJ are extremely unlikable in so many ways, Rosa has become the creepiest character on television in a short period of time, and we all know that Brie and Bryan are still getting paid by WWE even if they aren’t on television so Brie being bitchy because “checks aren’t coming in” just makes no sense. Trinity is about the only likable, rational, and normal Diva on the show at this point.
Ray Donovan (The Captain) - I was expecting a little bit more from the season finale of Ray Donovan in terms of action, but ultimately I liked what I saw. I was most interested in the eventual showdown between Cookie and Ray. Ray knew that Cookie was a problem, and when Cookie wouldn’t commit to keeping Ray and his family out of harms way, Ray immediately eliminated him like he was nothing. Cold blooded. Ray was all business in this episode, which I loved. He took care of Cookie, protected Ashley, knocked Cochran down a couple of notches, and severed tied with Ezra. I found myself not caring at all about Mickey and his weekly shenanigans though. I think they misused Wendell Pierce all season and Mickey seems to have no purpose at this point, unless he’s going to stick around just to keep pissing off Ray, who may’ve finally found happiness with Abby because he killed Cookie. Overall this was a good ending to a good season.
Revenge (Renaissance) - I had mixed feelings about the season four premiere of Revenge. This show hooked me early but then lost the plot in season three before wrapping up nicely. Now we’re at season four. Emily has destroyed the Grayson’s, which was the whole point of this show, yet we’re still here. They did a nice job introducing a new element to Emily’s character, who is now seeking revenge for others, but now that Victoria is out of the mental ward, it looks like Emily vs. Victoria Part 436 is on. Only this time David Clark is in the fold, which at least freshens things up if done correctly.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Undercover) - This show picked up right where it left off in more ways than one. They wrapped up the season one finale with Jake going undercover and re-established previous relationships like Jake/Santiago, Jake/Boyle, and Boyle/Gina. They also set up what seems to be a major storyline in season two as the Nine-Nine will be under watch later this season by some higher ups. I’m really looking forward to where the Boyle/Gina story goes as Chelsea Peretti’s character is the best on the show and the more involved she is, the better the show will be.
Family Guy (The Simpsons Guy) - I haven’t watched either The Simpsons or Family Guy in forever. Sorry, I’m Team South Park. But the idea of a mash-up episode was definitely something that caught my interest, so I checked it out. If this episode were 30-minutes, it likely would’ve been a fantastic crossover and potentially a classic. But at one hour, it just felt too long. They hit all the jokes you would expect them to, but I felt that the overall story was lacking. Part of that is just how Family Guy is, the other part is the show being an hour. The interactions between characters most of the main characters was good and it help freshen up two rather stale shows for the week, but it wasn’t the success that I felt it really could’ve been.
Monday (9/29)
The Big Bang Theory (The First Pitch Insufficiency) - The Howard/First Pitch story was pretty weak overall although Bernadette did her best to try and salvage things with her one-liners and expressions. The savior of this week’s show was the double date story with Sheldon/Amy and Penny/Leonard. All four were on their “A” game and it was a nice competition/contrast between the two couples. Raj continues to be absolutely useless.
Gotham (Selina Kyle) - Welcome to the show, Catwoman. I realize that Detective Gordon is supposed to be the main focus of the show, but thus far the motivations and origins of Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle have been by far the best thing about the show. Obviously they trust Gordon, which helps them shape who they are, but he’s not really the driving force of the show like it seemed he would be based on the trailers. Don’t get me wrong, that’s not a bad thing. So far I’m really liking where the show is headed and this was a strong follow up to the premiere episode. I don’t know how hardcore comic book Batman fans feel about the show, but as a casual Batman fan who just watches the movies, I’m all in on Gotham.
Scorpion (Single Point of Failure) - When the main character is supposed to be a good guy and I have a hard time liking the main character, things aren’t going well. I thought the second episode was a big step down from the pilot. They really want us to like Walter, giving him a sister diagnosed with MS and making him the mentor to Paige’s son, but he’s such a dick in certain situations because of his high IQ that he just comes across as unlikable. This week they gave the secondary characters some background information, which is good, but none of those stories are really hooking me at this point.
The Blacklist (Monarch Douglas Bank) - The story of Red’s wife being captured sure didn’t last long. In just the second week of the story, Red managed to get her back. How he did it was the big story in this episode. He used Berlin’s money to get his wife back and in turn upset Liz. It’s a very interesting conflict for this season. How can Red defeat Berlin without compromising his relationship with Liz? In this episode he showed that beating Berlin and getting his wife back was more important than obeying Liz’ orders. The Blacklist continues to be gripping television led by James Spader’s awesome performance and this week was no exception.
Tuesday (9/30)
Selfie (Pilot) - I don’t like the title of this show, but I wanted to give it a chance because of Karen Gillan and John Cho. The premise isn’t bad. Eliza is wrapped up in the world of social media and thinks that’s the key to being happy while Henry tries to show her that being popular on social media doesn’t mean you’re popular in real life. Having a bunch of friends who put way too much stock in social media and being on social media myself, I definitely related to the plot and enjoyed what they did with it. Is it a sustainable premise? I guess we’ll find out.
Below Deck (New Kid on the Dock) - A fairly tame episode. The crew had a one day charter with some pretty nice, albeit a little drunk, guests. Logan arrived and all the girls swooned over him, which could set up some drama down the line. Kat and Amy made peace (sort of) and Kelley and Jennice continue to awkwardly flirt. JUST HOOK UP ALREADY! Reality shows thrive on drama and there was a distinct lack of that in this episode, but that’s ok because not every episode needs to be filled with over the top drama. Right Total Divas?
New Girl (Julie Berkman’s Older Sister) - KAITLIN OLSON! I’m sure this was a one-time cameo for her, but I wouldn’t be opposed to a short story arc with her in the future now that she’s engaged to Jess’ dad. Like last week, even though they weren’t paired up, Jess and Schmidt were on fire. As long as the writers keep focussing on them, the show will continue to be good, even if the material isn’t always there.
The Mindy Project (Crimes & Misdemeanors & Ex-BFs) - This episode was funny, but no thanks to the plot. I feel like I’ve seen this story with Mindy and Danny a million times where they each have a secret and have to fake things in their relationship. Hopefully they get out of this plot rut because the jokes are there, the story is just stale. Peter’s impression of Jeremy and then a bunch of other characters was the best thing about this episode.
Awkward (Auld Lang Party) - Way too much happened in this episode. Matty is trying to talk with his mom, Lissa finally confessed that she loved her brother, Lissa’s dad is gay, Tamara and Jake wanting to hook-up with someone, and of course Jenna and Matty, who still obviously like each other but won’t get back together because then there wouldn’t be much of a show. Jenna hooking up with a sophomore should make for an interesting story, but I can’t see it lasting all that long. Wonder what new obstacle will be thrown in the way of Jenna and Matty next. I really hope this is the last season.
Faking It (You Can’t Handle The Truth or Dare) - I didn’t like the “Lauren was born a guy” story that they introduced last week but they made amends with it this week by having her admit it to her friends and them accepting her. I still think it was pointless, but at least they aren’t going to run it into the ground. The Karma/Amy relationship continues to be on the rocks and now that Lauren knows about Amy hooking up with Liam, we’ll see if she can keep her mouth shut. She says she values Amy as a sister more than being a bitch, but I have my doubts. Shane stole the show this week.
Sons of Anarchy (Poor Little Lambs) - Jax pitting everyone against each other finally caught up to him as the Chinese sent some loud messages. No major characters were harmed (unless you count Colette as a major character, which I don’t) but this, kind of like Hell on Wheels last week, hints at bigger and badder things happen to the more established players. Next week could be huge as we’ll see how Jax and the Sons react, how involved Nero will get, and whether or not Gemma will continue to protect Juice now that her lie has spun so far out of control. A bloodbath of an episode and the return of Venus. Good stuff.
Happyland (Pilot) - I have a feeling that this show won’t last all that long. MTV shows at 11 PM rarely seem to do well and the pilot episode did little to give me hope. Bianca Santos is very good as the lead character Lucy, but that’s about it. I think this show is supposed to be a comedy, but it wasn’t funny. At least they ended things with a nice twist that revealed that Lucy and Ian, who have feelings for each other, are actually related. I’ll probably power through the one season MTV decides to give it just because there isn’t much else on at 11.
Wednesday (10/1)
Red Band Society (Liar, Liar Pants on Fire) - I’ve concluded that Dash and Charlie are absolutely useless on this show. We’re only three episodes in and I’m just watching to point out all the unrealistic stupidity going on at this point. If the rumors are to be believed, this show won’t last long anyway. Ciara Bravo is about the only good thing about this show so I hope she finds work when the show gets canceled in a week or two.
South Park (Gluten Free Ebola) - For one of the first time’s I remember, South Park actually showed continuity from last week’s episode even though it wasn’t part of a sequel or trilogy. This episode wasn’t quite as good as last week, but it was still better than the mediocre Family Guy/Simpsons crossover episode. My only complaint about this season so far is the lack of Butters. It was mentioned that he set the gym on fire, but he was never seen. Since South Park is showing continuity this season though, maybe they’ll turn that into a story later in the season. The Lorde spoof at the end was classic.Key & Peele (Little Home) - So my girlfriend actually pointed out to me that the intro and car scenes are a spoof on True Detective. I don’t know how I failed to see that, but I did, and I’m sorry. The Ty Burrell cameo in the “Hitler Story” sketch was fantastic and the “Little Homie” and “Steampunk” sketches were hilarious. Also, the “Willie Talk” conversation in the car and Key’s reaction had me cracking up.
Franklin & Bash (Falcon’s Nest) - Karp embraced his inner Franklin & Bash. That alone was good enough to make this episode worthwhile. Not sure how I feel about Anita/Karp relationship just yet, but I’m willing to give it a chance. I loved the whole “who is the sidekick” discussion between Franklin and Bash. To me, relationships don’t get anymore equal than the relationship between those two. Finally, who wants to play BattleShots?
Nashville (How Far Down Can I Go) - It’s nice to see that there was finally some blowback on Jeff and Edgehill for losing their two biggest sellers in Rayna and Juliette. Now we’ll see how Jeff can regroup and also keep his new star happy. Speaking of Will, his career is going nicely, but his personal life is a mess and I for one am enjoying it. I’ve never been a fan of his character so to see him falling apart makes me happy. It was pretty surprising that they went ahead and revealed that Avery is Juliette’s baby daddy instead of dragging it out all season, but I’m not convinced that this is quite over yet. A really good episode this week.
The Goldbergs (Mama Drama) - Adam unleashed his mom this week and Bev was in rare form. I didn’t think the material was all that great, maybe because I was never in a school play, but the Bev/Adam dynamic continues to be one of my favorite dynamics in half-hour comedies. Plus we got a little bit of hockey this week, which is something I’ll never complain about.
Modern Family (Do Not Push) - Alex awkwardly flirting with people will forever remain one of my favorite things about this series. So because of that, I enjoyed this episode. I also like it when they get Lilly involved and when Luke doesn’t remain in the background the whole episode. This was a step up from the season premiere and, as Modern Family is one to do, taught parents a valuable life lesson when it comes to their kids. And it taught people to not overthink things because sometimes a “Do Not Push” button just means “Do Not Push.”
Blackish (The Talk) -Last week the premiere of Blackish was surprisingly good. This week it took a step back into what I thought it would be. I thought Dre and Pops would be the two stars of the show, but this week they turned Dre into a weird sex freak and Pops wasn’t around all that much. Thank God for Jack and Diane, the two kids who saved this episode with their back and forth banter.
Stalker (Pilot) - I watched this show mainly because of the terrible reviews it got. I gotta say, it wasn’t that bad. I can understand why people would be turned off by it, but as a TV show, it wasn’t bad. I don’t watch TV for social commentary on issues, I watch TV to be entertained. And Stalker was entertaining. It’s very interesting that Jack is a detective and also a former stalker. Obviously we’re supposed to decide if he’s good or bad and right now my guess is that he’s bad.
Thursday (10/2)
Snack Off (Grandma’s House and Corn Nuts) - I love Corn Nuts (they are corn to the core) and I definitely wouldn’t mind a chicken baked BBQ corn nut meal, which is what both finalists made this week. You know a meal is good when not even Jason could complain about it. And you know a meal is bad when Chrissy has to spit it out, which is what happened with Gavin’s snack.
Girl Meets World (Girl Meets World: Of Terror) - A Halloween special on October 2. And not even a good one at that. I’m just going to forget that this episode ever happened because it sucked.
A to Z (A is for Acquaintances) - I wasn’t completely sold on this show until the closing moments when it was revealed that Andrew and Zelda break-up in eight months and we’ll get to see their entire relationship play out. I enjoy a good love story more than anyone, but a lot of them are cliche. This show promises not to be your typical love story by immediately promising some kind of break-up. The show is getting a lot of comparisons to How I Met Your Mother, but since I didn’t watch that show, I can’t tell you whether or not those comparisons are accurate.
Gracepoint (Episode 1) - Being only 10 episodes, I have high hopes for Gracepoint. The first episode didn’t disappoint. They introduced the mystery, the main characters, and made pretty much everyone out to be a suspect. They did a lot of subtle things well, like focusing on a seemingly meaningless character a little too long with the camera, giving you the impression that they might be involved with Danny’s murder. This was a near perfect pilot episode and I’m 100% in on this show. In fact, it might be my favorite drama of the new season.
How To Get Away With Murder (It’s All Her Fault) - Last week Annalise was a cold hearted bitch. This week she was crying like a baby and begging for forgiveness. And that’s the goal of this show: making it tough for you to figure out the characters. It seems like there are two sides to every character, and given that there are 20 characters on this show, that ups the number to 40. It can be overwhelming at times. I liked this episode thanks in large part to Steven Weber’s portrayal of Max St. Vincent, the accused murderer in this week’s trial.
Friday (10/3)
Nothing on the DVR
Saturday (10/4)
Hell on Wheels (Return to Hell) - Well, the showdown between Cullen and Snow finally happened. And it was extremely disappointing. There was finally a major casualty to Snow’s actions as Ezra died in the church fire. Ruth was obviously the most upset by the boy’s death, but should she have been the one to kill Snow? I definitely don’t think so. I knew Cullen and Snow couldn’t have a drag out brawl like Cullen and Elam, but I was looking forward to the old west style gun draw. Instead Ruth shot him like it was nothing, which didn’t really fit her character. While I was disappointed that we didn’t get the big climax that I was hoping for, it was still a good episode and set up the return of the Swede and Ruth’s fallout.
Binge Watch
The League (Last Week: S02E13 Current: S04E03)
Things really picked up on The League in season three in terms of comedy. The show finally found a rhythm and didn’t look back. My only complaint is that it’s apparently an eight person league but the focus is only on six people. It makes for some complicated and odd fantasy football scenarios. Luckily the writing and acting is so funny that it’s easy to overlook stuff like that. It’s also odd hearing about fantasy football draft scenarios from 2009 and 2010 since it feels like half those players aren’t even in the league or aren’t stars anymore. I honestly can’t think of a weak character on this show, which is pretty amazing. Even the daughter and other secondary characters like Rafi are awesome
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