“I care because this started with me. I showed you your future with the pixie dust, the one with the lion tattoo. You should be with him. He’s still out there.”
- Tinkerbell
It would appear that the final showdown between Regina and the Evil Queen is at hand. With only a handful of episodes left in the season, I suppose they needed to wrap this plotline up so they could focus on Gideon and Emma. I still stand by my solution of just ask Emma for help but whatever. Gideon is stubborn like his papa so that probably won’t happen even though it makes perfect sense to do.
In the Enchanted Forest that was, we see Regina as the Evil Queen still hunting for Bandit Snow White. She kills one of her guards when she finds that they’ve been duped. She claims to care for the peasants, saying Snow doesn’t, when who should appear but Tinkerbell. Apparently, she’s managed to come back from Neverland or maybe she hasn’t gone there yet. Either way, I’m happy to have Rose McIver back on my screen a week early (iZombie returns next week and of course we’ll be covering it). Tink tells Regina that she feels responsible and that Regina is just scared to find love because she doesn’t think she deserves it. I think Regina is just full of hate and anger and isn’t thinking straight but that’s just me. It would seem Regina’s dad is going to try and help his baby girl get what she wants. He’s got a spell book that belonged to Cora with some mystical map that can lead them to an object that will take them to Snow White. Sounds convoluted but she’s thrilled he wants to help! She’s not so thrilled when he leads her to Cupid’s Arrow with the hope of finding love. She just wants revenge! So, she enchants the arrow to lead her to the one she hates most. I have a feeling it may backfire on her a bit. As predicted, the arrow leads Regina and her father back to the castle where it lands in a wardrobe and shows Regina her own reflection. She smashes the mirror which plays into some interesting imagery in the present.
Back in Storybrooke, while Emma and the good guys fawn over her new engagement ring, the Evil Queen and Robin are teaming up. He doesn’t quite trust her (I mean she’s kind of insulting to him but in a way we saw back in season 3). She then takes him to the cemetery and makes him dig up a box that has the shears that everyone was so hot to trot about earlier in the season. I swear I thought those got destroyed or something. But no, it turns out the Evil Queen is going to use them on herself to sever her connection to Regina so that final battle can be fought and only one can become the victor (if I’m honest, I’m pretty sure Regina’s going to win). While Hook confides in Captain Nemo (who is on his way off on some new adventure with Hook’s baby brother in tow…wait they can’t stay long enough for the wedding? I mean what is Henry going to be Hooks’ best man? That’d be some lame bachelor party if the Best Man can’t get drunk!), the Evil Queen is paying a visit to Henry. She takes his Author pen and hands over Page 23 (hence the episode title) with a note which basically says come alone and fight me one last time or the hottie archer gets it. Despite Emma’s offer to fix the mess, Regina is determined to end this on her own terms before anyone else gets hurt.
Robin is trying to convince the Evil Queen to let him out of his restraints (at first I thought it was just for show but she’s really just having fun messing with him) and to go off with him somewhere and start fresh. But she isn’t interested in his proposal. We also see Hook try to burn his memory of killing David’s father. Emma (miraculously) sees both the memory and what Hook was about to do. They have some words and she ends up giving the ring back because the man she agreed to marry would have leaned on her for support and not kept things a secret. Well, that lasted about as long as Barry and Iris on the Flash! And apparently, he’s now become good at running away because Hook decides he needs to find himself and join Nemo and the gang on their adventure (plus side he gets to spend some quality time with his brother?).
Regina makes it to the Mayor’s Office where the Evil Queen actually uses the shears to sever their connection. It was a cool effect, I’ll give them that. And then, the sword fighting begins! They are both getting their licks in but Regina gets the upper hand. She restrains the Evil Queen and even starts to crush the villain’s heart when she sees her reflection in some broken glass, harkening back to all those years ago. Instead of giving in to revenge and hatred, she’s going to embrace hope and love. She does some weird heart-to-heart magic and shares some of her love and takes some of the Queen’s darkness. For the first time in Regina’s life, she accepts the good and the bad and she truly loves herself (and so should the Evil Queen). I have to admit I did not see that coming as the resolution to their storyline but in a way I think it fits. Embracing all parts of yourself is a good message to send to viewers. I just hope the Evil Queen decides to take Robin and go somewhere else, so at least one Regina gets her happy ending with the man with the lion tattoo. Thanks to Henry, the Evil Queen ends up in the wish realm with Robin where they both get their fresh starts.
After a little pep talk from Snow (even though she doesn’t realize she’s giving him one), Hook goes to tell Nemo he isn’t going with them. And then the ship starts to submerge and we find Gideon has sent off the crew to keep Hook out of Storybrooke so the pirate can’t meddle in the Dark One’s son’s plans. Oh boy, this is going to get complicated!
Sunday, March 26, 2017
Fresh off the Boat 3.13: "Neighbors With Attitude"
“You got a child kidnapped? That is the sweetest thing you’ve ever done for me.”
-Jessica
“Neighbors With Attitude” felt like a kind of inconsequential episode of “Fresh off the Boat,” but it was entertaining enough. Jessica has to deal with the fact that the more forceful aspects of her personality make people not always want to work with her. Now I’m usually all about pushing back on the “bossy” label and pointing out that assertive men are usually praised, but I don’t enjoy working with people who are always convinced they are right and aren’t open to other ideas, regardless of their gender. Jessica does make baby steps towards trying to become more of a team player throughout the course of the episode, but given the episode’s resolution, I’m not convinced it will stick. Jessica’s going to Jessica, after all. Loosely tied together in a Valentine’s Day theme, we also see Eddie struggle with nerves before his first kiss with Alison. It was an amusing enough plot, even if it didn’t truly fit with the episode’s main plot.
It’s almost Valentine’s Day, and Jessica and Louis are looking forward to another romantic evening of doing their taxes. The open the mailbox hoping to find the last stray 1099 forms that they’re going to need, but instead, they find a full, uneaten pastrami sandwich. This is indeed weird (if not potentially delicious, although if the sandwich had been sitting there for a while, maybe not so much) situation, so they go to the police. The police officer they talk to doesn’t seem especially interested. He thinks rogue pastrami sandwiches are more of a neighborhood watch issue. Jessica loves the idea of a neighborhood watch (because it gives her nosy neighbor tendencies official worth), so she proposes it at the next HOA meeting. Deidre says it’s a great idea and they’ll start really planning at the next HOA meeting. Jessica is all excited, researching ideas for the Neighborhood Watch, when she discovers there are a bunch of Neighborhood Watch signs already out in the neighborhood. She tries to prove to Deidre her usefulness by speed solving Where’s Waldo, but Deidre says it’s not Jessica’s skills that are in doubt. She’s just not a team player.
Meanwhile, Eddie and his pals are also anticipating Valentine’s Day. It’s the first year that they’ll be old enough to go to a dance that a local scout troop hosts every year. They’re excited, because there will be plenty of dark corners of the JCC in which to make out with girls. Eddie insists that while he hasn’t kissed Alison, he did kiss a bunch of girls back in DC, so it will be no big deal. Later, though, Eddie goes to visit Trent and expresses his nervousness at kissing Alison. He ends up admitting that he never did actually kiss any girls in DC. Trent has his own secret. He is actually a Sparrow Scout, even though he constantly rails about how stupid the Scouts are with their flat management structure. The two boys talk through Eddie’s problem a bit. Eddie has built up in his mind how he wants his first kiss to be, and that’s why he’s been so hesitant. He wants it to be perfect like the kiss between Tupac and Janet Jackson in “Poetic Justice.” Trent promises to be Eddie’s wingman.
Louis is determined to help Jessica reach her goal of becoming involved with the Neighborhood Watch. He and Evan put her in stressful situations where she has to act like a team player. They simulate situations like somebody taking credit for one of Jessica’s ideas or somebody suggesting an idea Jessica doesn’t like. When they think she’s ready, Jessica takes her case to the HOA. She has a three point plan for increased neighborhood security (cameras, patrols, and a tip line) that she really wants to present. Deidre shuts her down completely, though. She insists that the signs posted throughout the neighborhood are enough, because there haven’t been any more sandwich incidents, and she calls the Neighborhood Watch meeting to a close immediately. On the way home, Louis and Evan talk about how unfair the situation is (and Evan steams about another HOA member not reimbursing him $12 for something even though she bought new sandals). Louis ponders what would happen if things started going wrong in the neighborhood a little more often. He soon (sort of) gets his wish. Police are all around their new neighbor’s house, who happens to be a single mom with a son. Their frog lawn statue is gone, and so is the son (the statue was a hide-a-key).
It’s the night of the big dance, and Eddie, Trent, and Alison roll up to the JCC. All does not, however, go as planned. The Robin Scouts at the ticket table, who remember very well one of Trent’s rants about their flat management structure, ban the group from the dance. Trent tries to save the evening by suggesting they go to a diner, where Eddie and Alison can share a milkshake. At first this seems like a great idea. Alison is enjoying herself, and Eddie is about to deploy the candy “Kiss Me” heart that he intends to be the precursor to the actual kiss. Eddie makes the rather strange choice to eat the heart, though, and he starts choking on it. Trent wants to use his Scout abilities to save Eddie, so he rushes in. Instead of the Heimlich, he tries giving CPR, and somehow that works. Later, Eddie apologizes to Alison for ruining the night, and she points out that the night isn’t over. They end up sharing their first kiss, and Eddie is satisfied.
Louis tells Jessica about the missing child situation, and Jessica immediately wants to go to the tape. It turns out that even though she was turned down by Neighborhood Watch, she decided to install some security cameras anyway. She retrieves the tapes, and before she can see what happened, Louis admits to stealing the hide-a-key. Jessica is touched that Louis would do such a thing to help her follow her dreams, so she’s going to help him get out of this mess. They discover by watching the video that Marvin was on the scene around the time of the disappearance. He tells Louis and Jessica that the kid couldn’t find the key, so he was going to go to the mall to get a new one. Louis and Jessica head to the mall and find the missing kid in the food court. As a reward, Deidre offers Jessica the Neighborhood Watch committee. Jessica accepts and quickly slams the door in the face of Deidre and her chief toady.
There was also a small plot running through this episode about Grandma Huang’s money. As part of the overall family discussion on neighborhood safety, Grandma mentions that she hides all of her money in the house, and she’s hidden it so well that it’s absolutely safe. This is naturally a sort of “Challenge Accepted” moment for Emery, who makes it his mission to try and find Grandma’s money. Eventually Emery finds some money in Evan’s underwear drawer, and Grandma lets him think he has succeeded. In the resolution of the whole incident with Deidre’s toady who wouldn’t pay Evan his $12, however, we learn that Emery actually found Evan’s secret stash of money. Oops! Grandma is still the Huang family woman of mystery. As it should be.
No Tomorrow 1.13: “No Sleep ‘Til Reykjavik”
“If I followed you to DC, I’d regret losing this opportunity. Just like you would if you followed me. So, let’s agree not to regret anything. Because I don’t regret a thing so far.”
-Evie
Since this was likely the final episode of “No Tomorrow” ever, I’m still not quite sure how I feel about it. It ended with some pretty major changes in the lives of all the characters, and there were a few really nice character moments that lend the episode some sense of finality, but there are two major problems. We don’t know if efforts to stop the asteroid will be successful, and Evie and Xavier aren’t together. There are multiple bizarre twists of fate to keep Evie and Xavier apart – the types of bizarre twists that always cause me anxiety when watching rom coms (and I do enjoy a good rom com once in a while). I’m sad that we’ll probably never get to see Evie and Xavier move past those twists, and I’m also sad that we will never see definitively what happens with the asteroid. After this episode, I think it’s pretty safe to say that the asteroid is coming, but we’ll never know if Xavier successfully prevents it. Ah well, I suppose I should be grateful that “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” and “Jane the Virgin” will both be getting an additional season. You can’t win them all.
This episode picks up pretty much right where the last one left off. Tyra DeNeil Fields (the Neil DeGrasse Tyson analogue of the “No Tomorrow”-verse) and some goons are in Timothy’s house, and they’re threatening him. Xavier’s calculations check out, and they need to find him. Tyra warns Timothy not to tell anyone about this, because it could incite mass panic. This, clearly, causes Timothy to panic. His new boss/girlfriend Talia stops by his house to check on him, and she can tell he’s out of sorts. He doesn’t tell her what is going on, but she suggests they try some psychedelic tea. It has some pretty interesting effects, for sure.
Anyway, convinced that his asteroid calculations were wrong, Xavier wanted Jesse to drive him to the airport so that he and Evie could go to Iceland together. Instead, however, Jesse has knocked Xavier out with horse tranquilizers and he’s passed out in the back of an RV while Jesse is driving. When Xavier comes to, Jesse explains that he’s driving Xavier to Houston for the NASA meeting he was planning to go to before he found out about the calculations. Xavier is upset with Jesse because he doesn’t think the meeting is necessary anymore, and he really just wants to see Evie and go to Iceland with her. Jesse insists, however, that they’re going to Texas. There’s just one problem. Xavier’s pants are missing, and they have his ID in them. They start retracing their steps, and they are just about to recover the pants when a police officer stops them, and they are arrested.
Meanwhile, Evie is on the flight to Iceland sitting next to an empty seat. Across the aisle from her, however, is a hot Médecins Sans Frontières doctor named Graham. They hit it off because they are consulting the same guidebook, which they each meticulously researched. Graham offers to meet up with Evie to see some of the sights, but Evie insists this needs to be a solo journey. There’s a bit throughout their conversation about sleeping passengers who drool on Graham during the flight (one is his original seat neighbor and the other is Evie), and I really can’t decide if the Evie part of that equation is cute or gross. Xavier tries calling Evie from jail, but naturally he just gets her voicemail, since she’s on her way to Iceland and all. When she gets to Iceland, however, Evie is upset that it doesn’t appear that Xavier has called her. Throughout her travels, she keeps running into Graham. Their identical suitcases (another product of their mutual penchant for fastidious research) get switched at the airport, and when they go to take them to the hotel concierge, they realize they are in rooms across the hall from each other. Then Evie is solo dining when the hostess asks if they can seat another solo diner with her. Of course it’s Graham. Graham isn’t with Evie when she finally sees the Northern Lights, though. The awesome sight makes her cry.
Back in Washington, in a kind of stupidly madcap C plot, Deirdre, Hank, and Kareema have all started their new jobs at the Tacoma branch of CyberMart. Deirdre wants her first act as manager to be a healthy initiatives program, and she forces Hank to support her sugar and soda ban. When Mikhail starts really jonesing for soda, Kareema sells him a sip of a soda she snuck in for $20, and she thinks she now has a way to fund her honeymoon. She turns a hidden part of the warehouse into a sort of Soda Stream speakeasy with sodas of all kinds. This throws Hank for a loop, because he needs to decide where his loyalties lie – with Deirdre or with Kareema (and sweet, sugary soda). Timothy shows up, just barely sobered up, and he convinces Hank to re-start the idea they had for a band. Deirdre catches Timothy and Hank acting goofy, and she can smell the soda on Hank’s breath. She finds the speakeasy and starts destroying it until Hank speaks up and asks Deirdre to tell him what is wrong to make her act this way. Deirdre reveals that she’s pregnant with Hank’s baby, so she’s been extra worried about their health. My reaction to this was a combo of “eww” and “are we really sure this is Hank’s baby?” Hank seems happy about the news, though.
Xavier and Jesse get bailed out of jail by none other than Tyra DeNeil Fields. She takes Xavier to NASA, where he gets so excited about sharing his asteroid theory with the scientists there that he starts to forget about Evie. Meanwhile, Evie and Graham meet up again in Iceland. He wants her to extend her trip so they can travel together a bit, but Evie says no because she has to go home for a job interview. The actual interview doesn’t go as hoped (the international and philanthropy components are lacking), but the hiring manager says Evie should talk to her sister about an opportunity. She says the opportunity would mean upending her life but that Evie sounds ready for that. At the same time, Xavier is continuing to work with the NASA team, but they aren’t making any progress on a plan to defeat the asteroid. Tyra tells Xavier that an asteroid defense team of the best scientists is meeting up in DC, and she wants Xavier to join. Naturally, it would mean upending his life.
Evie goes to visit Xavier at the trailer, and Xavier apologizes for not going to Iceland. They each reveal their job offers to each other (Evie got the job that the hiring manager’s sister was trying to fill), and it turns out that Evie’s is in the Philippines. Evie and Xavier decide to do one last item off their respective Apocalists together. They’re going to go tubing down Mt. Rainier. After their tubing adventure, they thank each other for the past few months and say goodbye for now. They hold on to some notion that maybe they will consider getting back together after the asteroid is successfully diverted. I think this was the creative team’s attempt to give us at least some Evie and Xavier closure if this is indeed (as is likely) the series finale.
Before Evie leaves for the Philippines, she and her CyberMart crew enjoy a concert put on by Hank and Deirdre. They’ll be very sad to see Evie go, but they’re all moving on to new adventures in their own lives, what with Kareema now married and Hank and Deirdre having a baby. Even Timothy seems happy with Talia at the moment. We eventually see Evie get on her flight to Manilla, and who is sitting by her on the plane but Graham. Apparently Evie’s new job is in logistics with Médecins Sans Frontières in Manilla, and Graham’s new MSF posting is in Manilla too. Even more, it turns out that Xavier inspired Graham to do something more with his life and join MSF in the first place. While they wait for takeoff, we see Tyra make a big public announcement about the immanent asteroid collision, and Xavier is there with her. Evie and Graham don’t hear the announcement, though.
Sunday, March 19, 2017
Once Upon a Time 6.13: “Ill-Boding Patterns”
“I embraced darkness for good but I never became a hero because once you give in to darkness it’s almost impossible to resist its call.”
- Rumple
After a trip down David’s memory lane, we are back on track with Gideon and Emma trying to face off. I really hope someone points out to Gideon that if he just asked Emma for help in defeating the Black Fairy then maybe she’d say yes. Speaking of someone else hoping for a “yes”, Hook is sitting at Granny’s downing rum at 9am when Archie stops by. Hook is torn about what to do on the proposal front. He could keep what he realized to himself and take it to his grave but he also wants to tell Emma the truth. But he also worries if he does, she’ll spurn his advance. Archie tells him he should at least try. In the end, while he gets a fiancée out of the deal, he doesn’t spill the beans on murdering Emma’s grandpa in cold blood.
We also find Rumple and Belle (with a brief assist from Blue) trying to find Gideon. But he’s after the sword he thinks he’s destined to use on Emma. Rumple finds him at the Sheriff station having just robbed the same. Rumple doesn’t want to lose another son so he magically puts Gideon to sleep. Gideon wakes up in the clock tower to get a lecture from dear old papa about the risks of embracing dark magic, even for good intentions. I mean if ever there was a cautionary tale, it’s Rumple. His actions were motivated by the love for his son but look where’s gotten him! I am a little miffed Rumple only referred to Bae as “my first son” rather than “your brother” but that’s just me. They have a little chat where Gideon explains why he wants to be a hero. And then things get dicey when Rumple tries to dose him with a memory potion. Gideon gets the upper hand and snags papa’s dagger. So now he can force his father to help him, even if he doesn’t want to. Rumple shows Gideon the spell he needs to repair the sword and tells his boy he needs his fairy godmother’s blood to restore its magic. All the while, Rumple is pleading with him to stop and not go through with it. Where the hell is Belle in all of this? I mean she managed to somehow remind him to try and stay good! Girl needs to pull her weight! Gideon finds the Blue Fairy and is about to take her blood (and her magic) when Rumple appears. He’s going to do the deed for his son to keep his heart pure (or at least as pure as it can be when he was raised/tortured by the Black Fairy). I mean, this all has me wondering if the Black Fairy didn’t want a kid, couldn’t she like magically give herself a miscarriage or an abortion or something? But hey, at least the Blue Fairy isn’t dead and it looks like Rumple’s act of sacrifice is bringing him and Belle closer together.
We get to jump back pretty far into the past to the Frist Ogre War where we meet Beowulf (yes that one) who has the same sword Gideon is after. He wields it in battle and survives while everyone else dies. And then Rumple shows up (newly minted as the Dark One) and puts an end to the war. But Beowulf remembers Rumple as the coward from years ago and calls him on using dark magic in front of teenage Bae. I guess if we can’t get Michael Raymond James back as adult Bae we can make do with the younger one. He begs his father not to use magic anymore, especially since the war’s over. Rumple promises no more magic but I can’t see him keeping it. Well, he at least tries to keep his word, even when people show up begging for his help to defeat Grendel (man, I was not a fan of either of those epics when I had to read them in high school). Bae thinks his papa can defeat the beast even without magic (and hey he can show up Beowulf again!). Rumple and Bae set off in search of the beast when Rumple reveals he brought the dagger because he needed it. Much like his crutch, he’s come to rely on it. He feels he can’t live without it. Basically, as I’ve said for seasons, he’s addicted to magic. But he hands over the dagger to Bae, insisting that his boy stop him if he tries to use dark magic. Unfortunately, Beowulf is a total tool and has tricked them into coming. He gets hold of Rumple’s dagger and he’s going to make it look like Rumple killed all the villagers so that Beowulf can be lauded a hero. Hmm, sound familiar? Things go from bad to worse though as Bae tries to face off with Beowulf. In the end, Bae darkens his heart by forcing his father to kill Beowulf. Rumple then uses the same memory potion we see him try on Gideon on Bae and we see Bae hate his papa for using magic. Poor Rumple. He was trying to protect his son and it still backfired!
The other drama going on is Regina and Robin. She finds him hiding in the woods (he manages to secret away her box of potions) before she finds him. He promises to let her show him some more of the town a bit later and then pops by Zelena’s for a chat and an offer. He wants out of Storybrooke so he can be a major dick and thief and he suspects she wants out, too. But he needs her magic to break the protection spell around the town. I do not like this version of Robin at all! Regina somehow gets hip to their escape plan and catches them at the town line before they can leave. The potion Zelena whipped up doesn’t work though. Despite the fact that you can see Regina is breaking inside, she agrees to find a way to take down the protection spell so Robin can find his happiness. God it reminds me of Neal’s death and I so didn’t need that writers! Regina and Zelena have kind of a bonding moment in the vault until they find that the snake Evil Queen is gone. She’s followed Robin and managed to turn herself back to human. See, I knew this Robin would be a better fit for the Evil Queen! I still am uncomfortable with it but hey, at least I was right on something!
- Rumple
After a trip down David’s memory lane, we are back on track with Gideon and Emma trying to face off. I really hope someone points out to Gideon that if he just asked Emma for help in defeating the Black Fairy then maybe she’d say yes. Speaking of someone else hoping for a “yes”, Hook is sitting at Granny’s downing rum at 9am when Archie stops by. Hook is torn about what to do on the proposal front. He could keep what he realized to himself and take it to his grave but he also wants to tell Emma the truth. But he also worries if he does, she’ll spurn his advance. Archie tells him he should at least try. In the end, while he gets a fiancée out of the deal, he doesn’t spill the beans on murdering Emma’s grandpa in cold blood.
We also find Rumple and Belle (with a brief assist from Blue) trying to find Gideon. But he’s after the sword he thinks he’s destined to use on Emma. Rumple finds him at the Sheriff station having just robbed the same. Rumple doesn’t want to lose another son so he magically puts Gideon to sleep. Gideon wakes up in the clock tower to get a lecture from dear old papa about the risks of embracing dark magic, even for good intentions. I mean if ever there was a cautionary tale, it’s Rumple. His actions were motivated by the love for his son but look where’s gotten him! I am a little miffed Rumple only referred to Bae as “my first son” rather than “your brother” but that’s just me. They have a little chat where Gideon explains why he wants to be a hero. And then things get dicey when Rumple tries to dose him with a memory potion. Gideon gets the upper hand and snags papa’s dagger. So now he can force his father to help him, even if he doesn’t want to. Rumple shows Gideon the spell he needs to repair the sword and tells his boy he needs his fairy godmother’s blood to restore its magic. All the while, Rumple is pleading with him to stop and not go through with it. Where the hell is Belle in all of this? I mean she managed to somehow remind him to try and stay good! Girl needs to pull her weight! Gideon finds the Blue Fairy and is about to take her blood (and her magic) when Rumple appears. He’s going to do the deed for his son to keep his heart pure (or at least as pure as it can be when he was raised/tortured by the Black Fairy). I mean, this all has me wondering if the Black Fairy didn’t want a kid, couldn’t she like magically give herself a miscarriage or an abortion or something? But hey, at least the Blue Fairy isn’t dead and it looks like Rumple’s act of sacrifice is bringing him and Belle closer together.
We get to jump back pretty far into the past to the Frist Ogre War where we meet Beowulf (yes that one) who has the same sword Gideon is after. He wields it in battle and survives while everyone else dies. And then Rumple shows up (newly minted as the Dark One) and puts an end to the war. But Beowulf remembers Rumple as the coward from years ago and calls him on using dark magic in front of teenage Bae. I guess if we can’t get Michael Raymond James back as adult Bae we can make do with the younger one. He begs his father not to use magic anymore, especially since the war’s over. Rumple promises no more magic but I can’t see him keeping it. Well, he at least tries to keep his word, even when people show up begging for his help to defeat Grendel (man, I was not a fan of either of those epics when I had to read them in high school). Bae thinks his papa can defeat the beast even without magic (and hey he can show up Beowulf again!). Rumple and Bae set off in search of the beast when Rumple reveals he brought the dagger because he needed it. Much like his crutch, he’s come to rely on it. He feels he can’t live without it. Basically, as I’ve said for seasons, he’s addicted to magic. But he hands over the dagger to Bae, insisting that his boy stop him if he tries to use dark magic. Unfortunately, Beowulf is a total tool and has tricked them into coming. He gets hold of Rumple’s dagger and he’s going to make it look like Rumple killed all the villagers so that Beowulf can be lauded a hero. Hmm, sound familiar? Things go from bad to worse though as Bae tries to face off with Beowulf. In the end, Bae darkens his heart by forcing his father to kill Beowulf. Rumple then uses the same memory potion we see him try on Gideon on Bae and we see Bae hate his papa for using magic. Poor Rumple. He was trying to protect his son and it still backfired!
The other drama going on is Regina and Robin. She finds him hiding in the woods (he manages to secret away her box of potions) before she finds him. He promises to let her show him some more of the town a bit later and then pops by Zelena’s for a chat and an offer. He wants out of Storybrooke so he can be a major dick and thief and he suspects she wants out, too. But he needs her magic to break the protection spell around the town. I do not like this version of Robin at all! Regina somehow gets hip to their escape plan and catches them at the town line before they can leave. The potion Zelena whipped up doesn’t work though. Despite the fact that you can see Regina is breaking inside, she agrees to find a way to take down the protection spell so Robin can find his happiness. God it reminds me of Neal’s death and I so didn’t need that writers! Regina and Zelena have kind of a bonding moment in the vault until they find that the snake Evil Queen is gone. She’s followed Robin and managed to turn herself back to human. See, I knew this Robin would be a better fit for the Evil Queen! I still am uncomfortable with it but hey, at least I was right on something!
Thursday, March 16, 2017
Fresh off the Boat 3.12: "Sisters Without Subtext"
“Classic Connie. We’d all love to go back to school. Audit a German class. Get good at beer pong. But we are adults. We have responsibilities.”
-Louis
“Sisters Without Subtext” tried to navigate two very different plots, and as such, felt like kind of a filler episode. We explored the relationship between Jessica and her sister Connie more and learned something new about Jessica, but I’m not sure I was ever that interested in Connie to begin with. This episode also paired up the three Huang kids with Honey and Marvin, which was something new. I do generally appreciate when shows try new character combinations. The plot in which they were involved, though, didn’t do much for me. Marvin decides to take Honey and the kids to a nursing home of all places (because he wants to move there with Honey in a few years). Honey understandably balks at this, since as she continually reminds us, she’s only twenty-eight (which I didn’t realize…is she actually telling the truth here?). They reach an understanding at the end, but I didn’t really find the plot to be necessary in the first place. I would have enjoyed something like wacky hijinks at the beach more.
As the episode opens, the family is engaging in usual business. The boys are figuring out the TV schedule for the week, and Louis has organized the pantry (much to Evan’s chagrin, who accuses him of being a kiss ass) in an attempt to win points with Jessica. All of this is forgotten when Jessica gets a post card from her older sister, Connie. This is the third in a series of postcards Connie has been sending lately, all from college towns like Ithaca, New York and Athens, Georgia. Jessica doesn’t put together the pieces right away, though. She calls Connie to find out what’s going on, and that’s when Connie breaks the big news. She wants to go back to college. Jessica is thrilled, because she sees this as Connie trying to take charge of her life and be more like her (Jessica). We all know Jessica approves of anyone doing what she would do.
Connie arrives to see colleges in the Orlando area, and instead of the usual passive aggressive subtext (that requires subtitles at the bottom of the screen), Jessica is sincere. This throws Connie off, naturally. Jessica is really excited and wants to go on the tours with Connie. She’ll just have to leave the boys with Honey and Marvin for the day since Grandma Huang is at the casino in Tallahassee. At first, the boys have a lot of fun during their day with the neighbors. They get to ride in Marvin’s convertible. There’s just one problem: their destination is a nursing home. To Honey’s horror, Marvin says that this is the nursing home where he hopes they’ll live one day. Jessica also doesn’t get what she expected out of her trip. The first school on the tour is the Orlando College of Art and Design. Connie wants to go to art school, which Jessica thinks is worthless.
Connie has quite the story to tell about why she decided to go to art school. She recently got in a fight with her husband, so she went to the National Gallery of Art, because they have a good hot dog vendor outside. She saw a sign for an interesting exhibit, so she went into the museum and was completely moved by Girl with a Pearl Earring. Jessica is unmoved. In fact, she’s the opposite of moved. We later see her very angrily putting together packets for a property she’s trying to sell, and she complains to Louis that she’s actually doing real work. Louis wants to know why Jessica is taking Connie’s choice so personally, so she takes Louis into the garage and shows him a bunch of paintings she painted when she was in high school. She gave up painting when she went to college because she thought she had to grow up and become a responsible adult. When Connie sees the paintings, she thinks Jessica is jealous, and they have a big argument over whether or not it’s okay to take any time to pursue your own passions. Jessica sees doing anything other than serving her family or working as being selfish.
Meanwhile, the nursing home visit seems to go okay at first. The boys think all the activities look cool, like shuffleboard. They think it basically seems like being on a cruise. Eddie also likes the idea of dinner being at four o’clock. Then Evan and Emery start getting their cheeks pinched a bit too much. Honey is not at all thrilled by the place, but she agrees to the tour for Marvin’s sake. Marvin and Eddie are ballin’ at the shuffleboard court while Honey runs on a treadmill in the gym. When the boys question why she’s running, she reminds them she’s twenty-eight, and she runs even faster. She ends up flying off the back of the treadmill into a rack of therapy balls, hurting her hip. She goes home in a wheelchair and is fed Combos by the boys. She finally tells Marvin that while the nursing home was nice, she doesn’t feel like they’re at the end of their lives together. Even if they are at the “middle,” they’re part of a tight community and their best friends are next door. Honey will be okay when Marvin is no longer around.
Louis and Jessica have a big heart to heart when Louis finds her trying to destroy her old paintings. Louis thins maybe Connie has the right idea and that it’s okay to at least have hobbies. Jessica says she can’t imagine what their parents would think of having hobbies that didn’t bring any money into the family. Louis reminds Jessica that their parents were in survival mode, and they would probably want more for their children just like they want more for the boys. Jessica finally becomes a bit more open to the idea of spending at least a little time on her own interests, and she apologizes to Connie by playing (and singing along to) a song from The Color Purple (their favorite musical, because Oprah) on a boom box. Strangely, she can sing much better now than she could in the flashback episode. Not sure what’s up with that. Anyway, Louis goes to the effort of creating an art studio for Jessica in the garage. It’s going to take just as much work to get her to stay there and paint instead of doing chores, though.
Tuesday, March 14, 2017
This Is Us 1.18: “Moonshadow”
“You weren’t just my love story, Rebecca. You were my big break. And our love story, I know it may not feel like it right now, but baby I promise you it’s just getting started.”
- Jack
Like many “This Is Us” fans, I’m not ready to say goodbye to the Pearson clan. But alas, we must. On the bright side, we know we have them in our lives for at least 36 more episodes (season 2 and 3)! We pick up where we left Jack, drunk and on the road to Rebecca’s show per Kate’s request. And as he’s drinking and driving, we get a glimpse at him and Rebecca back in the early 1970s before they even met. Jack is baby faced and with shorter hair and lord does he look young! He’s recently back from Vietnam as a mechanic and one of the old ladies he’s helping with her car wants to set him up with her best friend’s granddaughter. Enter Rebecca who is singing open mic nights on weeke3nds and who has just recorded a demo. She bemoans that fact that everyone (her mother, grandmother and friends included) are trying to set her up with people. She wants to just focus on her music! It appears that Jack is still living at home with his mother and asshat of a father. But he and his buddy have dreams of owning their own auto body shop. Jack thinks his buddy’s cousin’s high stakes poker game is just what they need but somehow, I can’t imagine that working out well. Sure, enough Jack wins like $1500 but the card game leader’s goons rough up Jack and take the money back after they leave. But both Jack and Rebecca seem to agree to go on a date with each other and I can’t imagine it won’t go well. But it turns out I was wrong. They haven’t been set up with each other! While Rebecca waits for her blind date at the restaurant (some rich guy named Ethan), Jack and his buddy are going to rob the bar and get their money back. Oh Jack, stop making bad decisions! Luckily, Rebecca runs out on her boring date because she just needs to sing and ends up at the bar that Jack is going to rob. The money is sitting right there in his reach and he is just so captivated by Rebecca on stage that he can’t focus on anything else. Damn their meet cute was adorable! I’m so happy that Jack didn’t go through with the robbery (although his buddy was probably a bit confused).
Jack makes it to the gig in one piece but continues to drink as he sits there at the bar. Back stage, Rebecca is kind of freaking out about the size of the crowd when Ben tries to make a move on her. Don’t be messing with Jack Pearson’s woman now! She exclaims that Jack was right and she storms out, right past Jack at the bar. Oh boy! Jack is decidedly wasted when he goes to look for Rebecca (who is leaving him a sweet message on the house answering machine). He even takes a couple swings at Ben when he finds him. Jack is just not in a good place right now and it’s breaking my heart. I know he’s only human but to see him hurting and so vulnerable is just gut-wrenching. Rebecca is through with the band and insists on driving Jack home but she won’t accept his apology (or anything he has to say) while he’s drunk.
All the years of pent up anger and frustration and hurt feelings come to the surface as Jack admits to drinking for the last few weeks. Things quickly devolve into a shouting match where neither of them are listening to each other. Rebecca then challenges Jack to tell her one thing he loves about her the way she is now. He can’t and she storms off to bed. I suppose this had to happen given the stress we’ve seen the two of them under the last few episodes but damn! I can’t imagine what it was like filming those scenes for them. But the next morning, when Jack starts to apologize, Rebecca cuts him off. She says that they both meant what they said the night before and they need some time apart so he should go stay with Miguel. Oh come on! Don’t fall apart on me now, Pearsons!
Jack gets ready to go and Rebecca is now fretting what to tell the kids. Jack says they should tell them the truth because they’ll be fine. We glimpse the Big Three in the present as they start to make some big live changes. Kate and Toby are now back in LA and she wants to sing. Kevin is going to meet with Ron Howard about the part but he still seems committed to making things with Sophie work. And Randall, fresh off quitting his job and losing his other father informs Beth that he wants to adopt a baby. All the while, Jack is recounting all the things he loves about Rebecca now. Her crazy dancing, her fierce motherhood and her spirit. He thinks they are going to be okay and good lord I hope so! Rebecca tears up as Jack leaves, clutching the moon pendant in her hand tight. I am both hopeful and anxious about what faces the Pearson clan when we return in season 2. I feel like there are so many questions, like how much time will have passed? Are the Big Three really going to prosper on the next steps of their journeys as adults? Will Jack and Rebecca reconcile before Jack’s death? Never have I felt so connected to characters as I have on this show. It’s bene such a beautiful glimpse into the lives of these ordinary people and I have loved every minute of it. I can’t wait to spend more time watching Kate and Kevin and Randall grow and Jack and Rebecca love one another so dearly.
- Jack
Like many “This Is Us” fans, I’m not ready to say goodbye to the Pearson clan. But alas, we must. On the bright side, we know we have them in our lives for at least 36 more episodes (season 2 and 3)! We pick up where we left Jack, drunk and on the road to Rebecca’s show per Kate’s request. And as he’s drinking and driving, we get a glimpse at him and Rebecca back in the early 1970s before they even met. Jack is baby faced and with shorter hair and lord does he look young! He’s recently back from Vietnam as a mechanic and one of the old ladies he’s helping with her car wants to set him up with her best friend’s granddaughter. Enter Rebecca who is singing open mic nights on weeke3nds and who has just recorded a demo. She bemoans that fact that everyone (her mother, grandmother and friends included) are trying to set her up with people. She wants to just focus on her music! It appears that Jack is still living at home with his mother and asshat of a father. But he and his buddy have dreams of owning their own auto body shop. Jack thinks his buddy’s cousin’s high stakes poker game is just what they need but somehow, I can’t imagine that working out well. Sure, enough Jack wins like $1500 but the card game leader’s goons rough up Jack and take the money back after they leave. But both Jack and Rebecca seem to agree to go on a date with each other and I can’t imagine it won’t go well. But it turns out I was wrong. They haven’t been set up with each other! While Rebecca waits for her blind date at the restaurant (some rich guy named Ethan), Jack and his buddy are going to rob the bar and get their money back. Oh Jack, stop making bad decisions! Luckily, Rebecca runs out on her boring date because she just needs to sing and ends up at the bar that Jack is going to rob. The money is sitting right there in his reach and he is just so captivated by Rebecca on stage that he can’t focus on anything else. Damn their meet cute was adorable! I’m so happy that Jack didn’t go through with the robbery (although his buddy was probably a bit confused).
Jack makes it to the gig in one piece but continues to drink as he sits there at the bar. Back stage, Rebecca is kind of freaking out about the size of the crowd when Ben tries to make a move on her. Don’t be messing with Jack Pearson’s woman now! She exclaims that Jack was right and she storms out, right past Jack at the bar. Oh boy! Jack is decidedly wasted when he goes to look for Rebecca (who is leaving him a sweet message on the house answering machine). He even takes a couple swings at Ben when he finds him. Jack is just not in a good place right now and it’s breaking my heart. I know he’s only human but to see him hurting and so vulnerable is just gut-wrenching. Rebecca is through with the band and insists on driving Jack home but she won’t accept his apology (or anything he has to say) while he’s drunk.
All the years of pent up anger and frustration and hurt feelings come to the surface as Jack admits to drinking for the last few weeks. Things quickly devolve into a shouting match where neither of them are listening to each other. Rebecca then challenges Jack to tell her one thing he loves about her the way she is now. He can’t and she storms off to bed. I suppose this had to happen given the stress we’ve seen the two of them under the last few episodes but damn! I can’t imagine what it was like filming those scenes for them. But the next morning, when Jack starts to apologize, Rebecca cuts him off. She says that they both meant what they said the night before and they need some time apart so he should go stay with Miguel. Oh come on! Don’t fall apart on me now, Pearsons!
Jack gets ready to go and Rebecca is now fretting what to tell the kids. Jack says they should tell them the truth because they’ll be fine. We glimpse the Big Three in the present as they start to make some big live changes. Kate and Toby are now back in LA and she wants to sing. Kevin is going to meet with Ron Howard about the part but he still seems committed to making things with Sophie work. And Randall, fresh off quitting his job and losing his other father informs Beth that he wants to adopt a baby. All the while, Jack is recounting all the things he loves about Rebecca now. Her crazy dancing, her fierce motherhood and her spirit. He thinks they are going to be okay and good lord I hope so! Rebecca tears up as Jack leaves, clutching the moon pendant in her hand tight. I am both hopeful and anxious about what faces the Pearson clan when we return in season 2. I feel like there are so many questions, like how much time will have passed? Are the Big Three really going to prosper on the next steps of their journeys as adults? Will Jack and Rebecca reconcile before Jack’s death? Never have I felt so connected to characters as I have on this show. It’s bene such a beautiful glimpse into the lives of these ordinary people and I have loved every minute of it. I can’t wait to spend more time watching Kate and Kevin and Randall grow and Jack and Rebecca love one another so dearly.
Once Upon a Time 6.12: “Murder Most Foul”
“I thought he didn’t fight for us but he did, with everything he had. He did the right thing and it wasn’t enough.”
- David
I have to admit I wasn’t overly thrilled with this episode of “Once Upon a Time”. I’m glad they resolved the mystery of David’s father’s death but did we really need a David and Hook buddy-drama episode? I suppose it’s best to get this out of the way then. David, still running on a massive lack of sleep, decides he’s going to find out what happened to his father and he needs magic to do it. But he’s not going to go to Emma because what he needs involves a little breaking and entering and theft. So naturally, he turns to Hook, being a pirate and all. And therein lies part of Hook’s dilemma for the episode. He doesn’t want David to just see him as a pirate. He wants his girl’s dad to see him as potential son-in-law material. Hell, he’s even bought a ring (from where … Gold?). Archie suggests that Hook just tell David what he’s worried about and see if David will give his blessing for the union.
Before Hook can pop the question about popping the question, he needs to help David solve this mystery (especially when David starts hallucinating his dead father’s ghost). In flashbacks, we see Rumple come and take baby James away in exchange for live saving medicine. It seems both boys had weak lungs (I guess medical care in the Enchanted Forest for the poor people is about what it is today in the US). So, they give up one baby instead of losing both sons to sickness. But it is clear that this has haunted David’s father because we see him hitting the booze hard when David is about six years old. But then his chance for redemption arrives in the form of King George. Ever the tool, he says his son has been abducted and he’s offering a reward for any help and information. So, David’s father goes back to Rumple and demands that Rumple help him find James. Rumple makes a show of taking a hair from the mans’ head as payment for the information on where the boy is. But really, I think for a hot second Rumple felt the fear and anxiety of another father just trying to find his little boy.
With a little distracting from Hook to keep Emma out of the shed, he and David figure out the last place his father was before he died: Pleasure Island. This leads them to seek out August (as in flashback we see David’s father run into a still-wooden Pinocchio). August remembers that the man was stone cold sober and little James didn’t want to go back to King George and be a knight. In fact, he seemed quite keen on the idea of being a normal boy with a brother on a farm. This is kind of sad given how the brothers met in the Underworld. A lot can happen I guess. Instead of giving the man the gold, George orders his men to kill David’s father and make it look like an accident.
The other frustrating plotline of this episode revolved around Regina and Robin. And boy are they definitely not Outlaw Queen. He’s still getting used to things in this world (including alarm clocks) when Zelena pops by demanding that he stay away from her baby. Regina even has to stop Robin from killing the Sherriff of Nottingham. He’s quite angry and violent really which makes me wonder if somehow when the Evil Queen created the Wish Realm, she created a version of Robin for herself. He certainly seems like a schemer and I don’t trust him. It also broke my heart more than just a little bit when they kissed and Regina felt nothing. As she described to Snow (in the two scenes that someone apparently convinced David to take a nap) it felt like kissing a picture. Snow points out that this isn’t Regina’s Robin. I think we all get that but did the writers really have to break our hearts again by bringing him back if Regina wasn’t going to get a happy ending? I mean really! By episode’s end we see Robin sneaking into Regina’s vault and stealing a box that she previously told him was dangerous. I’m wondering if the Evil Queen is locked in there or something.
When David realizes that George is behind his father’s death (or so he believes) he goes to try and kill him but Hook steps in and reminds him that if he does this, he will have to live with it forever. David, ultimately being a good guy and a hero, doesn’t go through with hit and breaks down with Hook beside him. Things are looking pretty good for our one-handed pirate, especially when David gives his blessing. But things aren’t all happiness and puppies because August swings by Emma and Hook’s place to share the pages he originally took out of Henry’s storybook way back in season 1. He apparently didn’t want anyone to see his days at Pleasure Island. But as Hook looks at the pages, we see that he in fact killed David’s father for being witness to Hook killing the King’s soldiers. Well, he was kind of an epic dick back in the day. But he’s got that secret hanging around his neck like an albatross. So how he expects Emma to accept him as her husband when he killed her grandfather in cold blood is going to be an interesting thing to see.
As I said, I didn’t particularly enjoy this episode. I appreciated it gave closure to a storyline that was introduced at the start of the season (and the little cameos by characters really makes me think that this should be the final season) but it mostly just frustrated me. No matter how much they push Captain Swan, I’m never going to get behind it. I know they are endgame but it doesn’t mean I have to like it!
- David
I have to admit I wasn’t overly thrilled with this episode of “Once Upon a Time”. I’m glad they resolved the mystery of David’s father’s death but did we really need a David and Hook buddy-drama episode? I suppose it’s best to get this out of the way then. David, still running on a massive lack of sleep, decides he’s going to find out what happened to his father and he needs magic to do it. But he’s not going to go to Emma because what he needs involves a little breaking and entering and theft. So naturally, he turns to Hook, being a pirate and all. And therein lies part of Hook’s dilemma for the episode. He doesn’t want David to just see him as a pirate. He wants his girl’s dad to see him as potential son-in-law material. Hell, he’s even bought a ring (from where … Gold?). Archie suggests that Hook just tell David what he’s worried about and see if David will give his blessing for the union.
Before Hook can pop the question about popping the question, he needs to help David solve this mystery (especially when David starts hallucinating his dead father’s ghost). In flashbacks, we see Rumple come and take baby James away in exchange for live saving medicine. It seems both boys had weak lungs (I guess medical care in the Enchanted Forest for the poor people is about what it is today in the US). So, they give up one baby instead of losing both sons to sickness. But it is clear that this has haunted David’s father because we see him hitting the booze hard when David is about six years old. But then his chance for redemption arrives in the form of King George. Ever the tool, he says his son has been abducted and he’s offering a reward for any help and information. So, David’s father goes back to Rumple and demands that Rumple help him find James. Rumple makes a show of taking a hair from the mans’ head as payment for the information on where the boy is. But really, I think for a hot second Rumple felt the fear and anxiety of another father just trying to find his little boy.
With a little distracting from Hook to keep Emma out of the shed, he and David figure out the last place his father was before he died: Pleasure Island. This leads them to seek out August (as in flashback we see David’s father run into a still-wooden Pinocchio). August remembers that the man was stone cold sober and little James didn’t want to go back to King George and be a knight. In fact, he seemed quite keen on the idea of being a normal boy with a brother on a farm. This is kind of sad given how the brothers met in the Underworld. A lot can happen I guess. Instead of giving the man the gold, George orders his men to kill David’s father and make it look like an accident.
The other frustrating plotline of this episode revolved around Regina and Robin. And boy are they definitely not Outlaw Queen. He’s still getting used to things in this world (including alarm clocks) when Zelena pops by demanding that he stay away from her baby. Regina even has to stop Robin from killing the Sherriff of Nottingham. He’s quite angry and violent really which makes me wonder if somehow when the Evil Queen created the Wish Realm, she created a version of Robin for herself. He certainly seems like a schemer and I don’t trust him. It also broke my heart more than just a little bit when they kissed and Regina felt nothing. As she described to Snow (in the two scenes that someone apparently convinced David to take a nap) it felt like kissing a picture. Snow points out that this isn’t Regina’s Robin. I think we all get that but did the writers really have to break our hearts again by bringing him back if Regina wasn’t going to get a happy ending? I mean really! By episode’s end we see Robin sneaking into Regina’s vault and stealing a box that she previously told him was dangerous. I’m wondering if the Evil Queen is locked in there or something.
When David realizes that George is behind his father’s death (or so he believes) he goes to try and kill him but Hook steps in and reminds him that if he does this, he will have to live with it forever. David, ultimately being a good guy and a hero, doesn’t go through with hit and breaks down with Hook beside him. Things are looking pretty good for our one-handed pirate, especially when David gives his blessing. But things aren’t all happiness and puppies because August swings by Emma and Hook’s place to share the pages he originally took out of Henry’s storybook way back in season 1. He apparently didn’t want anyone to see his days at Pleasure Island. But as Hook looks at the pages, we see that he in fact killed David’s father for being witness to Hook killing the King’s soldiers. Well, he was kind of an epic dick back in the day. But he’s got that secret hanging around his neck like an albatross. So how he expects Emma to accept him as her husband when he killed her grandfather in cold blood is going to be an interesting thing to see.
As I said, I didn’t particularly enjoy this episode. I appreciated it gave closure to a storyline that was introduced at the start of the season (and the little cameos by characters really makes me think that this should be the final season) but it mostly just frustrated me. No matter how much they push Captain Swan, I’m never going to get behind it. I know they are endgame but it doesn’t mean I have to like it!
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