57 Channels and Only This Is On: March 28, 2021

 

Shameless:  Usually the Carl storyline is the best, but bringing back his first partner and making him boring killed that streak.  Though not that any of the other storylines were much better.  Okay, I will admit to laughing pretty hard at Papa Milcovich dating a Jew who ended up marrying a black man.

 

The Walking Dead:  Yeah, that was pretty easy to spot that was not really Ezekiel.  First off, the guard did not even notice he was there until he got punch?  Plus Ezekiel has never been that violent before.  Granted, the biggest red flag for me was why did he drop into the train car with no way of escaping?  That just seemed really dumb because there would be no way he knew that Princess found a way out?  Or did she?  I am not entirely sure she even left the car at all.  None of these new people knew there was a easily to remove wooden piece in the car?  Plus shortly after returning to the car, the new people have everyone lined up outside it before she reopened the door?  Unfortunately it may be a while before we get a conclusion to this cliffhanger, next week in the finale and the previously on focuses solely on Daryl and Carol.  Ugg, the pandemic shut down the show right before the season finale, so they added six more episodes and then end the season there.  I wish they just added the finale to the eleventh season and just air those together.  Oh well.  Then the week after that, we get the four final episodes of Fear the Walking Dead.  Now I got to try and remember what happened before the Coronapocalypse shut that show down.

 

Good Girls:  Okay, weird co-worker was pretty entertaining.  Give him and check-cash guy their own spin-off.  They have been low-key the best parts of the last two seasons. But just how does Dean get out of this?  Beth and FBI lady have to team up, they did kind of tease it there at the end.  But how do you tie that all to Rio?  And what about the hit on Rio?

 

Debris: So English agent hears American agent knows her father is alive and then seemingly orchestrates the brother in law break into storm to be with his family?  Am I getting this right?  If yes, then why?

 

The Challenge: Double Agents:  Poor Anessa, out again right before the final.  I went back and looked at her results and she went out first once, out the six episode another time, but other than that, she makes to at least the ninth episode every other time.  Well, now she is off to the Senior Tour where twelve twenty-two appeared in shows after her.

 

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier:  Still no Sharon Carter and Baron Zemo only got a couple seconds at the end.  I wonder had it been better if they did not announce them if they are only going to be in about half the episodes.  Better than waiting for them to show up.  I thought for sure the stowaway in the truck was going to turn out to be Sharon.  Oh well.  But the biggest problem is it still feels like an elongated Marvel movie that just finished its first act.  Had this been an actual movie and Zemo and Sharon do not show up until the second act, I would be fine with that.  But not getting any substantial screen time until at least the third episode when there are only six feels weird.

 

The Blacklist:  Still no Lizzy?  But what I do not understand about this week is why the hostage still had her phone?  Isn’t that something you want to take so she cannot text someone and be tracked?  But that lady turned out to be John Wick who managed to kill four out of five armed men with just a self-made shiv.  Give that lady her own show.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: March 21, 2021

 

Shameless:  Once again, the Carl storyline remains the most entertaining, or really, only entertaining one, really.  So no more bouncing around from mentor to mentor, now he is just going to bounce around from department to department.    Though I hope we get another episode or two in vice.  But the Gallagher clan finally learned of Frank’s condition.  And it only took public indecency at a school.  Or I guess The Middle School as they are going the Washington Football Team route of naming.  But back to Frank, are they really going to kill him off for the series finale or is he is going to get a miraculous cure like the time he had cancer or liver failure so he can come back for the inevitable reboot?

 

The Walking Dead:  So those two have been out with Maggie’s map for two weeks even though she just returned two episodes ago?  This show has some timing problems, especially when they do these episodes that just focus on small groups of people.  Then it was weird that they brought in T2 just to kill him, have the plot twist that his twin is still alive, and then have the twin kill himself too. Maybe there is a triplet out there somewhere.

 

Snowpiercer:  When they shut down the engine, I thought for sure that is when they passed Melanie by, but it looks like they are still in Asia after it got fixed.  So that is, what four episodes this season without the biggest star?  Kind of bold.  But I guess with Wilford in charge, he is just going to stroll right by because he can.  Maybe he will push Layton out to keep her company.  Unfortunately no episode next week but a two hour finale.

 

Debris: So there is weird stuff going on even before the debris started too fall?  I guess that opens the world up a little.

 

The Challenge: Double Agents:  So the one person everyone wanted to send in won this week’s challenge.  That is always entertaining.  Unfortunately Kyle did not blow up the game by putting in Leroy but went with the safe choice of Corey.  Now the question is who gets sent in next week?  Big T needs a skull, but who is else?  Amber B seemed like the easiest choice, but she is now the Rouge Agent (pretty nice consolation prize of losing your partner, not getting sent in probably right before the final… excuse me, T.J.’s final).   Next up has to be Anessa.  But what if she wins again?  This seems like the scenario where Nany’s luck runs out.  But what I do not understand if why not manipulate it so Kam goes against Kacey?  Just take one strong person out before the finale?  Seems like everyone is playing a scared game, but why not make the TJ’s final a little easier for you?

 

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier:  This just seemed like the opening scenes of a movie stretched to forty minutes.  If you are going to do these television shows, make them television shows like WandaVision, not just very long movies chopped up.  But hey, if you are going to do a four hour movie, I guess it is more digestible if you chopped it up into six episodes.  I have to stop whenever a new chapter starts on The Snyder Cut.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: March 14, 2021

 

 Shameless:  Okay, now I am confused, if the chick was on the pill and could have died because of a latex allergy, does it still make it rape?  Sure, she should have mentioned those before getting down to business, but is somewhat understandable.  And there is always the possibility that is a lie.  Then Debbie girlfriend has a school aged kid? What other deep dark secrets is she hiding?  But Frank wearing a blood stained bandana under his nose pretty much sums up why this country is where it is in this pandemic. 

 

The Walking Dead:  Was I really supposed to remember what was going on with this show five years ago?  I barely remembered what was happening right before the pandemic.  But I guess it happened during the time jump.  Almost as confusing was Darryl talking about looking for his brother.  I was pretty sure he died, but looked it up because that happen maybe five actual years ago in real life and yes, Merle is dead.  Daryl even killed the walking dead version of Merle after The Governor (wow, that was a long time ago) shot him in the chest.  So was Daryl referring to Rick or possibly Connie who was also brought up in the episode (I had to look her up too, apparently she was last seen alive near Oceanside)?

 

Good Girls:  Okay, I did not remember much during the “previously on” but the one thing I actually remembered from last season did not actually happen.  I thought for sure Andrew McCarthy actually did shoot the gangbanger.  But now that he and Johnathan Silverman are both on the show, hopefully he does kill the gangbanger and then they pretend he is still alive so they can spend the weekend out his summer house.

 

Snowpiercer:  So Snowpiercer is still in the Himalayas?  I appreciate the Jennifer Connelly update last week, but it is weird that they would end with the train going by her and then not even get to that point by the next episode.  I was also surprised to see the guy who slit his wrists still alive.  Even less believable is the little girl being able to leave the medical bay without anyone notice or that the preacher just has a easy to access opening to outside.

 

Debris:  So no one is going to question if the FBI is actually the clone and killed the real FBI agent.  And why exactly weren’t there more clones if everyone is in the same Hazmat suit that the FBI guy was in?

 

The Challenge: Double Agents:  Oh Nany, congratulations on your Gold Skull, but what a horrible choice you made after your win.  Didn’t Fessy gas out during last year’s final and has not been that successful this season except for the rare physical challenges, something that does not happen in the final?  Yet sitting right up there is Darrell who has won every season he has been on but two (and one of those he was kicked off for punching Brad).  Or she could have gone with CT who has three wins under his belt in the past decade.  Fessy even finished behind both Kyle and Cory during last year’s final.  Okay, I do understand not wanting to team up with Corey who is on his sixth partner.  But then again, why is everyone so confidant the pairs are going to stick together in the finals?  Six of the last eight seasons, there have been individual finals.  Why, in a season called “Double Agents” would you think you are going to have a partner in the finale, especially when you have been swapping them all season?

 

The Blacklist:  Yet another week without Lizzie but another episode with a Lizzie doppelganger.  I actually thought that lady in the very first scene was her for a second or two.  But this show has been on for so long, I may be wrong, but I feel like we already had that scene with Cooper telling Dembe he would make a good cop.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: March 7, 2021

 

The Walking Dead:  So Maggie has just been traveling around the country the last couple years with a small child and now has someone named Pope stalking her whose own followers have no problem blowing things up?  They really could have done a much better job reintroducing her, like, how about some flashbacks?  I had to look up who that Georgie who Maggie kept referencing who turned out to be someone who appeared in one episode three years ago.  Was I really supposed to remember that?  I barely remember what happened in the last season.

 

Snowpiercer:  So we finally got to see the genesis of Snowpiercer.  Though it looks like we may have to wait a little longer for some of the pieces like how did Wilfred find Jennifer Connelly’s kid, what happened to the red of her family, and where did the other train come from?  Granted the biggest question from this episode is what does Connelly do now?  I guess go back to the station is the only option.  But then what?  There is only a limited amount of rats and she really does not have the time for them to procreate.  I do have a theory that Wilfred somehow sabotaged the communication (he did seem surprised that she even made it to the research center) and maybe next episode someone will fix it.  Really the only other option is for Snowpiercer to loop around and send a rescue team after her.  Just how mvny of those space suits do they have on board?

 

Debris:  The show seemed like someone watched that post-Avengers Marvel One Shot where Lizzy Caplain found the alien technology and SHIELD hunted her down and thought to themselves, how can we make a show like this but make it significantly less fun.  But I really enjoyed how these federal agents know that this stuff can make people fall through ten floors or float unconsciously one foot off the ground, but when they saw the big ball, both just stood next to it for a while and even touched some of the stuff floating around it. But I will be watching every episode.

 

The Challenge: Double Agents:  Well, I was wrong.  But in my defense, a Security Breach surely sounds like someone coming back into the game when they use the term to bring Smashley back.  Not sure how a double elimination is also breaching security.  But I did get the easiest prediction ever to make right, that CT was going to win and dump Big T, we were promised Big T admonishing CT for lying to her a coupe previews ago.  What I could not predict is just how childish CT would be about it.  Wow, where did that come from?  But hey, at least CT booted Josh who hopefully we will never have to see again, and that also lead to the unintentional comedy of Kyle going to go back to Nany with his tale between his legs.

The Real World Homecoming: New York:  With Eric coming down with COVID it became pretty clear that maybe it was not the best idea to do this during a pandemic (though I guess making sure everyone is stuck in the loft for the full six days may be a good side effect) especially if the thirtieth anniversary is next year.  It is weird seeing these people back like this after so long.  I do wonder if they will do reunions for other seasons.  But things could get sticky quick, David was kicked out of the Los Angeles season (and would later quit The Challenge) and Irene also left after getting married and both were replaced.  Do you just bring back the originals or all nine (that would go against the trademark "seven strangers").  Do you bring back David at all?  San Francisco is even trickier.  Pedro is dead and Puck was kicked out (and also quit The Challenge, but was not kicked off the show for spitting in David's face, the early 00's were a much less cancel happy time).  The next couple seasons then feature somewhat successful actress Jacina Barrett and former Congressman Sean Duffy who married San Francisco's Rachel whom he met on the an "all star" season of Road Rules which pretty much launched what is now called The Challenge.  Would they do a season i not everyone shows up (again, that would run afoul of the whole "seven strangers " thing)  I would certainly watch any future seasons...

Well, maybe.  I am not thrilled with Paramount Plus.  First off, that is a stupid name.  I will from here forth call it The Mount.  I am shocked beyond belief that there is nowhere you can save shows or movies.  That seems like the most obvious feature every streaming service should have.  Not that they have much of a selection to save anyway, I think I only earmark three shows and three movie I even have just a passing interest in.  But at least they have the NWSL.  Thanks to the half-off deal for a year, I am basically just paying $2.50 a month and I am not sure it is even worth that.  The Mount is at the bottom of my streaming services power rakings, even below Peacock, a services I just used the free version of.  The Mount will have to stick their game if they expect me to pay full price next year.  Seriously, at least give me a Beavis and/or Butt-Head avatar.

 

Wandavision:  So all the shock and theory of the X-Men version of Quicksilver showing up just ended up being a vehicle to make a Boner Stabone reference?  That was really cheap.  So was Kat Denning showing up for a minute, ramming evil S.W.O.R.D. dude and then being, peace out, I don’t do debriefs.  Kind of a meh of a finale that really pulls down what was a creative show for seven episode.   

 

The Blacklist:  I am glad they revealed fake Lizzy early because it is was pretty obvious they were hiding her face for a reason.  And fake Lizzie was pretty lucky that the FBI have not bothered to change their codes despite one of their agents going rouge.  But is there a reason why Lizzie has not been in the last couple episodes?  They have gone out of the way not having her on screen for a couple episodes now.