57 Channels and Only This Is On: 11/11/2018

Supergirl: Wait, The Real Eleanor did not die in the season premiere? I thought she got stabbed in the back of the head. Oh well, I guess she is dead now since her fiancé just bought a shirtload of guns. And why is Manchester Black, um, actually black now? Isn’t making a football hooligan black kind of racist? At least Russian Supergirl is back. That storyline seems much more interesting than the anti-alien one is. Granted Commie Supergirl will likely do something evil and everyone will think it is American Supergirl which will only enflame the racists old white dudes on the show.
Supergirl on iTunes.

Ray Donovan: Oh Bunchy, you have never been the smartest of the Donovan children (which says a lot) but murdering a prison guard to break out your father who is on death’s doorstep (though being a television show, Micky will undoubtedly make a full recovery) is the dumbest thing you have ever done. It is hard to imagine even Ray can fix that situation for you, but being a television show, he probably will. I guess that will involve a cross country trip to New York.

The Walking Dead: Wow, Rick got out of being gored by a metal rod pretty quickly. I guess the only way they could end an episode that the show heavily promoted as Rick’s last episode would be to not actually kill him off. Instead he was taken by the mysterious helicopter people whom will may never learn about on the show because the flash forward almost ten years. But it seems we may actually learn what was going on there with a big budget Rick movie. So will he die in that because I cannot image Rick would not do everything to get back to his daughter.
You can download The Walking Dead on iTunes.

The Last Ship: I joked last week they were killing off all the minority cast members in the final season, but c’mon, another one gone this week. But the Columbian dude killing all his generals because of Tarot card was wild even if they were planning a coup.
You can download The Last Ship on iTunes.

You: I have spent most of the season thinking the season would end with Joe killing Beck with the outside chance of her joining him and his murdering way. Now that she knows, it kind of has to end that way. Or maybe she gets shipped off to Rome with Candice. Is that really happen to Candice? On the cusp of being signed only to move to Europe and completely cut herself off from everyone, including not learning her brother died? Sounds fishy.
You can download You on iTunes.

Kidding: I knew the show was always dark, but I would not have ever guessed that is was slit Tara Lipinski’s throat dark.

Manifest: The little kid can speak Bulgarian now? I did not think the show could get much dumber. And why him? Is there were like eight people being experimenting on, why did no one else feel it? This show is so stupid.
You can download Manifest on iTunes.

The Challenge: Final Reckoning: Yeah, doing the math before you actually start plugging in the pegs seems pretty obvious. Should have been obvious for the stronger males, but they clearly got outsmarted. Unfortunately the other battle was just pure strength with the two bigger dudes winning in a blowout. But it will be interesting if the other teams can get Bananas out before the final, which looks may start next week.
You can download The Challenge: Final Reckoning on iTunes.

Survivor: David vs. Goliath: Kind of a bad strategy from Elizabeth to wait until Tribal to stir up things. I almost thought it worked though when people started to get up and talk which has not been a good sign in the past. Though now I wonder what there were talking about because no one seemed to change their vote.
You can download Survivor: David vs. Goliath on iTunes.

Superstore: Weird to see Sue Heck play someone who is not Sue Heck. Good thing there is a spin off in the works for her. But since her replacement urinated in the middle of the store, she may be hired back next week.
You can download Superstore on iTunes.

The Good Place: The Real Eleanor is back! I was wondering why she was in a blink and you miss it first flashback and then did not appear in any more (the actree did say she was in the animal fair but she was cut). But then she shocking popped up in the present after the demons figured out how to get to Earth without going through the Judge’s door. This should be interesting. Hopefully she last longer than Trevor.
The Good Place on iTunes.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 11/5/2017

Ray Donovan: One day before I watched the finale, Showtime issued a press release saying Ray would be moving to New York next season to reconnect with his daughter. Um, spoiler alert. They could not wait until after the episode to let us know the show was being renewed? This was the network that did not tell up Penny Dreadful was canceled until it placed a title card at the end of the final episode saying “The End”. So I spent the whole time knowing that once Ray set foot in NYC, he would be staying there. Although the bigger disappointment was the season just ended with so many loose ends. So Bridget and Terry are already there. Is that the whole cast for next year? Lena could move because without Ray, she has no job. It sounds like Bunchy is staying in LA since he now owns the bar. Daryll got a producers job though but Micky’s movie could be made in New York. Speaking of Micky, they seem to have him dead to rights with multiple sworn statements, but he is fighting it. It would be hard to think that father/son storyline ends without one killing the other.

The Walking Dead: After shows are inherently silly and a waste of time, but I do leave Talking Dead on while I let my dog do her doggie business one more time out the back door, then turn the television off before hearing to bed. Like I said, Talking Dead is worthless, but it is a good thing I left it on this week because I had absolutely no clue the guy Rick ran into during the final scene was a guy Rick knew. And just as the guest said the scene sent everyone to the Google machine to remember who he was, I was doing just that. So that dude was from the original camp way back in season? Were we really supposed to remember him seven seasons later?
You can download The Walking Dead on iTunes.

White Famous: I spent most of the dinner party wondering if the sex doll was modeled after an actual actress who will show up later as the late wife. Kind of looked like Paula Marshall to me.

Good Behavior: Why exactly did the FBI chick bring the parole officer to the fake cabin? Just to mess with him? He was no help in catching Javier, even inadvertently, and had he called earlier, could have saved Javier. But I am guess that Javier’s childhood friend will keep Javier and Letty from getting to jail. Though I am surprised Letty did not go to jail sooner because her little get money to pay for the spa did not go entirely to plan. And how does the kid not ID her because that wig was not that much different than her regular hair.
You can download Good Behavior on iTunes.

Supergirl: Um, what was that last scene? Where was that pod? What is going on?
You can download Supergirl on iTunes.

The Gifted: You know what, if you know that there was a protest going on that had the potential of being so bad that your boss wants you to come in on your off day, maybe not take your kid to the park right next to where the protest is happening. People that stupid probably should not be having kids. But still, that was cruel to make him forget his child was dead.
You can download The Gifted on iTunes.

The Challenge: Dirty 30: Oh wow, they almost killed Jordan. But I wonder what would have happened had he not been able to compete since the final challenge has stages you have to compete in pairs. Would they have to bring back Tony to compete? Would they just make all the challenges dne by themselves?
You can download The Challenge: Dirty 30 on iTunes.

Survivor: Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers: What a horrible episode, my favorite got voted out and my least favorite found yet another Idol. But as stupid as it was for Turtleneck not float voting out Roark to Ali last week, it was the right decision to get rid of her now because she cannot tell all the other Hustlers he is a weasel next week and may even be able to get around with telling people they went to rocks. But this should make for an interesting merge. Only one Healer gone, two Heroes, half the orginal Hustlers. But three Hustlers cozied up with a Hero during the swap so seems obvious the Heroes will team up with the Hustlers to take out the Healers. Except the Healers have two Idols so it may be a case of can the Healers guess which one of them are they targeting.
You can download Survivor: Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers on iTunes.

The Blacklist: When they said the case of the week involved a travel agency that just happened to stop assassinating people right around the time communism ended I was really hoping we were getting a The Americans crossover.
You can download The Blacklist on iTunes.

Mr. Robot: So we know Angela knows the difference between Elliot and Mr. Robot, but does Darlene? Does she know she was tailing Mr. Robot or think she was following Elliot
You can download Mr. Robot on iTunes.

Gotham: Ah, man, why kill Headhunter already? He was the best think since they aged up Poison Ivy (who they are inexplicably recasting).
You can download Gotham on iTunes.

Blindspot: So we learned of one of the big secrets from the premiere, apparently Jame’s big stash of cash was from rescuing kidnapped people… kind of boring.
You can download Blindspot on iTunes.

Marvel’s Inhumans: Someone was telling me they gave up on the show because it was obvious it was going. I actually counteracted that by saying they just killed off the black guy. In the back of my head I thought, of course they will probably find a way to bring him back And they did just that. Thankfully there is just one episode left
Marvel's Inhumans on iTunes.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 10/282017

Ray Donovan: When Ray was talking about setting up Avi for the Fed’s death, I thought, um, he blackmailed the Fed to arrest Micky, why not just make Micky look like he did it since he was actually there. But Ray pulled a fast one on me and actually did throw Micky under the bus. But I wonder why the dive team did not find the chopped up sensei down there too. I figure he will be important to freeing Micky. Hopefully Micky was not bluffing when he said he would never trust Ray again because the show is much better when they are going at each other instead of helping each other. Micky vs. Ray, one last time, feels like a final season. With next season being the sixth, it may be time.

The Walking Dead: I am not entirely sure what happened in the episode because I spent most of the time wondering if Future Rick was really listening to “Weird Al” Yankovic.
You can download The Walking Dead on iTunes.

Good Behavior: Is it too obvious that Javier’s childhood friend who showed up to the wake is the one who tried to kill him and actually killed Silk? Suspicious timing showing up. Speaking of good timing, Apple just happened to see Javier convince a dud to jump off a cliff. It will be interesting to see if they skip town next episode r stick it out. I kind of want them to stay because Caren with a “C” has really spiced things up this season. But I wonder who will hire a hitman to kill their spouse first Caren or her husband. That would be a very interesting episode Javier being hired to kill someone it turns out he knows.
You can download Good Behavior on iTunes

Supergirl: Wow, two Barenaked Ladies songs in less than a week. But them soundtracking a lesbian wedding shower seemed a little too on the nose.
You can download Supergirl on iTunes.

The Gifted: Um, if you have screws in your leg, aren’t they kind of important? And how was there no metal on the bus to manipulate? This show is getting kind of stupid.
You can download The Gifted on iTunes.

The Challenge: Dirty 30: Well that wack a mole challenge was stupid. And what I do not understand is that instead of wacking someone you hope does not win, why not just stand in front of them so they could not see and just make them keep on moving?
You can download The Challenge: Dirty 30 on iTunes.

Survivor: Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers: Bad move Turtleneck, way too early to turn on your tribe for absolutely no good reason. But seriously, instead of letting Ali think you were going on with her plan, why not ask if maybe it would be smarter to target the lone Healer, an original tribe that had not lost anyone yet. Dude is overplaying and that usually gets you sent home early.
You can download Survivor: Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers on iTunesr.

Mr. Robot: Oh great, the what was going on with Tyrell in season two episode I never really wanted.
You can download Mr. Robot on iTunes.

The Good Place: Sure, seeing Janet’s beginning was fun but I was most interesting in finding out what was with all the frozen yogurt.
You can download The Good Place on iTunes.

Gotham: When Lee popped back up last week at an illegal fight club I just assumed she was still evil. Okay, it was mostly the bangs, if you get bangs it usually means you are turning evil, or just possibly have bad judgment in general. Except she is using her illegal money to host a clinic out of her apartment. Alrighty.
You can download Gotham on iTunes.

Blindspot: So they finally got rid of Sandstorm except Jane’s brother kidnapped her and put on translucent tattoos that are more complex than the original? I was going to roll my eyes at that but I am just excited to get more Rich Dotcom. And then there was a big montage at the end where everyone had a new secret: Roman knows something about Kurt during Jane’s exile in Berlin! Zapata is tied to one of the new tattoos!! Jane has a stash of foreign cash!!! Patterson… wait, she hooked up with Rich Dotcom?!?! Did I miss Reade’s big secret or is just too boring to have one?
You can download Blindspot on iTunes

Marvel’s Inhumans: Wait, they killed off the horse guy? Sure having hooves for feet has to be the lamest of all the superlame Inhuman powers, but at least he was the most fun of the bunch. Ugg, how could this show get any more dour?
Marvel's Inhumans on iTunes.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 10/22/2017

Ray Donovan: Well fork, they actually did kill off Natalie James. And I really did not need to spend half the episode watching Micky inability to, um, calm down is I guess the best way to put that. Then Micky got even more screwed by his son who sold him out to the DA. Of course this is the same son that killed the head of the FBI, West Coast Division. Should be interesting to see how the writers get the Donovan boys out of that one.

Fear the Walking Dead: Wait; is anyone in the cast still alive besides Madison? I would not hate that because I do not particularly care about any of these people. Yet I have a feeling they will all survive. Even Nick despite blowing a dam he was standing on and even if he miraculously survives, there are dudes with guns beside him ready to kill him.
You can download Fear the Walking Dead on iTunes.

Supergirl: I am morally opposed to spoilers but I still check out casting notices so I know who the new mom is going to be. So why drag this out on a character we never met even the main characters only had a passing glance of until it was unveils as Lena’s successor at LexCorp at the end of the episode? People who do not know who that is have to be even more confused. Just comes off as sloppy writing. And it is becoming clear that the writers mostly care about couples than actual plot as it seems pretty obvious to me that Lena and James are going to bang soon. Ugg, I hate all that crap.
You can download Supergirl on iTunes.

The Challenge: Dirty 30: That was kind of a lame challenge, walk ten feet on a balance beam, I do not really care how far up you are. But hey, Johnny Bananas went in his rare elimination. It is amazing how lucky that guy is mixed with how he is able to keep his name out of everyone’s mouths. But goodness, Redemption House is stacked. At least for the guys, it seems like Cara Maria may be in a cakewalk.
You can download The Challenge: Dirty 30 on iTunes.

Survivor: Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers: We got our second one week only advantage and for the second time it ultimately did not have any bearing on the outcome as Joe pulled out his Idol anyway. But why did Jessica give that advantage to Devon? Did she think the four would gang up on the one and he might have an Idol? Picking one of the Heroes seemed like a much smarter play because what if the Healers pulled him in? But again, none of it really mattered anyway.
You can download Survivor: Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers on iTunesr.

The Blacklist: Really, we had to see a horse burned alive to start the episode? Could she give the horse poison too at least? But I watched this after the Trolley episode of The Good Place and a good version here with do you kill a bad person to save a child? I am with Lizzie and say yes.
You can download The Blacklist on iTunes.

Mr. Robot: I thought we were going to get an eighties musical theme with INXS and Roxette except when the FBI dude was trolling the other one with an audio recording he went with… Barenaked Ladies. Was Rick Astley too obvious? But speaking of listening to Roxette, they killed off Tyrell’s wife. She gets this weird storyline last season only to be murdered in her second scene of this season.
You can download Mr. Robot on iTunes.

The Good Place: Am I going to the Bad Place for laughing at the real life Trolley Problem?
You can download The Good Place on iTunes.

Gotham: Um, so Ra’s al Ghul is dead dead? That cannot possibly be it. And Solomon Grundy is really bad. Oh my goodness, they messed that up. Butch looks like seventies Incredible Hulk but with grey makeup and a bad wig.
You can download Gotham on iTunes.

Once Upon a Time: Not remembering where your kid and wife are buried should be a very big red flag. But come on Henry, at least do a blood test to find out if the kid is yours once and for all. And should I know who the weird chick at the end was?
You can download Once Upon a Time on iTunes.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 10/14/2017

Ray Donovan: Wait, what just happened? It look like there were strangle marks on Natalie’s neck. But was she resting or just dead? If it was the former, then obviously she killed her husband by throwing him off the balcony. But I am guessing it was the latter and he raped her one last time and then jumped off the balcony. That could explain why he left the dog at the bar knowing he would not be around to take care of him. And I was just thinking, why was she opening the door for Terry, she did not know who that was. And she definitely should nor opened up the door to her husband.

Episodes: I always thought behind the scenes of The Box was much more interesting than trying to create a new show and I really want to know what was up with all the Nazi’s in the hot chick’s box. It if seem obvious that the new show would end up being the one we were watching, but I was a bit disappointed that the hitman show that Matt left was not her real crappy CBS sitcom instead, now that would have been funny.

Supergirl: I was so happy when Mon-El got sucked into the black hole never to be seen again because he could not breathe Earth’s air for hundreds of years. And then he shows up in the first forking scene of the season. Ugg, I hate that guy. And maybe one of the few things as annoying as Mon-El being on the show is Kara moping around when he is not around. And then the creature who was supposed to “reign” over Earth turned out to be a hot mom. What?!?
You can download Supergirl on iTunes.

The Gifted: Nothing improves a show more than a women’s prison shower scene. Though I have no idea why there was dye running down Polaris’s back, I do not think that was just hair dye.
You can download The Gifted on iTunes.

The Challenge: Dirty 30: Interesting the power players were willing to go big but not for the second vote. And I get CT, but the guy has only one once ever. Know who has numerous wins and is still in the game: Johnny Bananas. That should have been the pick. CT is a smoker who always gets gassed in the final challenge while Johnny trains for this during the off season. And poor Jenna pulling the Double Cross because clearly whoever was going in against Jemmye was going to win. There was a four foot distance to the first door and yet Camilla was already through by the time Jemmye got there.
You can download The Challenge: Dirty 30 on iTunes.

Survivor: Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers: Usually I live tweet along with the episode, but as credits ran, I realized I had just one comment all show, and even that was just asking the internet just which celebrity does Ali assist (spoiler alert: it is just some YouTube). Needless to say the episode was extremely boring. But at least they got rid of the annoying guy even if it were a week too late.
You can download Survivor: Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers on iTunesr.

Mr. Robot: I was wondering why the show opened up with some weird Bobby Canivale looking dude, only for his name to show up in the credits. Alrighty. After being confused for much of last season, I think I am starting to understand what is going. The Dark Army and White Rose orchestrated everything we have seen up to now, being in cahoots with the Mr. Robot side of Elliott and recruiting Angela to monitor the Elliot side of him. Though I am still not entirely sure how Tyrell fits in to this. Has he been a mole this whole time? Did they recruit him while he was with E-Corp? I am still not entirely sure if he is even real. But one thing I am actually almost sure of is they spoiled the ending of the show during the premiere. Time forking travel. When Angela told Eliot they could go back to before their families were killed by E-Corp, I realized that is how the series is going to end. Was that big cavernous place that White Rose was in before the main credits ran a time machine? Maybe.
You can download Mr. Robot on iTunes.

Gotham: I said that Gordon was going to hook up with Falcone just in time for Leigh to return. Let us see if that happens next week. And more rapping riddles please.
You can download Gotham on iTunes.

Once Upon a Time: Wait, the Hook we saw last week was not even the real Hook? This show is so stupid. And really, to too most evil bad guys in fairy tale land just both happen to be good cops in the new cure. Seriously, really stupid.
You can download Once Upon a Time on iTunes.

Marvel’s Inhumans: Well at last this week they finally explained who the transporting dog put everyone in different places. Other than that, meh.
Marvel's Inhumans on iTunes.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 10/8/2017

Ray Donovan: Well that was harsh Abby, going without even telling your husband goodbye. I am not sure that was because it is easier and he could not talk him out of it or payback for all the infidelity (including the new hot actress while she was sick). And it seems weird to do long concluding flashback with four episodes left. Is there going to be more flashbacks because any more would seem anticlimactic now that Abby is dead and after that really graphic brawl. And they spent so much time with Abby in the flashbacks; it never really occurred to me that Avi also had a backstory to tell. So now we know why Avi was mostly missing for most of the season, he was back in New York arrested on heroin charges.

Lucifer: Wow, Superman got really old. But Lucifer has been redeemed? Alrighty. I am guessing the new bad guy will be his mom who did not stay in her new universe.
You can download Lucifer on iTunes.

The Gifted: In the ad before the show when they announced this show was part of The X-Men Cinematic Universe I thought, oh I have not seen the last couple movies. Days of Future Past being the last. But the problem with those films is they are all jumbled. The first three were linear, but then they did a Wolverine origin movie which was universally panned which I think is no longer cannon. Then they did two more Wolverine movies that took place in varying timelines. The First Class was in the eighties. Then Days of Future Past started in an alternative timeline flashbacked to the First Class timeline, and then created a new timeline… I think. So I have no idea where this show fits in. Making things worse is Blink is in both the movies and the television show but seem like two different entities. But I was mostly meh on the first episode, the main family cannot act besides the mother which is very distracting. But on the bright side, their powers are much less lame than those of the Inhumans.
You can download The Gifted on iTunes.

Kevin (Probably) Saves the World: This show was much better when it was called Joan of Arcadia. Put Kevin in a wheelchair and fing Amber Tamblyn and it may be watchable.
You can download Kevin (Probably) Saves the World on iTunes.

The Challenge: Dirty 30: Interesting that after springing returning players on them twice, TJ just confirmed the next batch is going to the Redemption House. Should be interesting who gets the boot next week with the winning team made up of mostly outcasts. Do they go big and target Johnny Bananas and CT or go more conservative and give Hunter the instant boot. As for females, Camilla seems like a lock to be one of the two picked, but who is the other? Again, do you go big with Cara Maria or target the newbie with Tori. I really hope they go with the bold moves but The Challenge players always seem conservative.
You can download The Challenge: Dirty 30 on iTunes.

Survivor: Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers: Ugg, why do the most annoying players always find the Hidden Immunity Idols? I guess you have to be shady to actually go look for it. I am surprised no one has used the, “we should go look for it as a group” way around looking selfish going after it yourself. Although the financial analyst came up with an idea I would have never thought of: holding onto the Super Idol to see if she can use it to make people think she has a regular Idol.
You can download Survivor: Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers on iTunes.

The Good Place: Mmmm, Michael says he can get everyone to the real Good Place. Sound like a bluff to me but working with him would be better than going to the real Bad Place. But do they need Michael? If Janet can take them to the Medium Place, why can she not take them to Good Place? I just hope we get more of Real Eleanor’s fake Good Place next week. Really that could be the rest of the season as they work a way to get to the real Good Place.
You can download The Good Place on iTunes.

Gotham: Wait, is Jim really going to hook up with Falcone’s daughter? I have a feeling right when that is about to happen Leigh is going to show back up. Then Barbara and Ra’s Al Ghul? Interesting. They have been teasing Barbara as Harley Quinn for a while now, but maybe she is going to end up being Talia’s mother. Or they are just subbing in Ra’s for The Joker in Harley’s backstory.
You can download Gotham on iTunes.

Once Upon a Time: The show had gotten really bad in recent years, but somehow the hard reboot was worse. I do not even know where to start.
You can download Once Upon a Time on iTunes.

Marvel’s Inhumans: I complained about the cheesy powers last week (I still am not entirely sure what the princess’s powers are), but they finally introduced an Inhuman this week with cool powers. Sure those powers were the exact same as Cyclops from the X-Men.
Marvel's Inhumans on iTunes.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 10/1/2017

Ray Donovan: Oh Darryl, you clearly are the dumbest Donovan. I take it Micky s going to put the body with the dead sensei in what may turn out to be Dexter situation. Those Donovan’s do like to take down west coast FBI heads. I wonder when they take on the overall head. Although I guess the current head is busy with the president doing illegal and crazy things. Then we got a big bombshell in the Abbie situation, she actually committed suicide because of the pain and for a brief second we were lead to believe Bridget provided the drugs, instead Terry admitted he was the one. And not surprisingly Ray punched him out.

The Challenge: Dirty 30: People falling from high heights is never not entertaining. But why were there so many shocked people at the end when we learn Nelson was not coming back. Dude punched Derek (and then bizarrely said check the tapes claiming Derrek approached him first which clearly did not happen). What I was shocked was TJ asking CT who he was picking to go into elimination. And then they ended the show before he answered. I hate when they do that. I do fear that they will go through the vote, maybe even the Double Cross before saying, “just kidding, no guy elimination because of Nelson.”
You can download The Challenge: Dirty 30 on iTunes.

Survivor: Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers: The Idol Train last season was one of the worst moments in the history of the show. Just not according to Jeff Probst who spent the summer telling people how much he loved it. He was either lying or all the criticism got to him because, yeah, we got an advantage right out the gate, but it was not the silly Legacy Advantage, it was a first Tribal only Super Idol. And if the finder does not go to the first Tribal, they can pass it to someone who does. When turtleneck nerd was safe, puking chick seemed obvious.

What was also obvious was with an ad right before Tribal, something big was going to happen. Whenever that occurs, someone quits, gets medically removed, or last season, the Zeke outing Tribal. Except puking chick ended up voted with the majority to get rid of who looked to be her only real ally. Either a stupid move or the editors did some very fishy editing to completely throw the viewer off the scent, something that happened way too many times last season too. Kind of an ominous start to the season for me.
You can download Survivor: Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers on iTunesr.

The Blacklist: Wait, to rebuild his evil empire, Red has employed two carneys? And why not take down the racist drug cartel and take their money? Or are they saving that for later in the season. But I have to admit, I like the bare bones version of Red’s operation. I hope it takes a while for him to rebuild his empire.
You can download The Blacklist on iTunes.

The Good Place: Please let us get a full episode of Real Eleanor’s version and not have it be just part of a montage like this week. If we are lucky, the rest of the season will be the foursome and Michael teaming up against the Real Eleanor. I was a little disappointed that the version with Eleanor’s soulmate being Tahani and a Golden Retriever were just part of the montage. Those could have been full episodes in themselves too.
You can download The Good Place on iTunes.

Gotham: I thought they were holding Barbara back last week because there was going to be some big return. Nope, it turns out after being electrocuted all she has been doing is stockpiling weapons and the only lasting change was a new unflattering hairstyle. I thought for sure she would rise like a phoenix out of the electrocution as something else, like Harley Quinn whom they have been teasing ever since Barbara was kidnapped a few seasons ago. Even more disappointing the lady villains would not let Poison Ivy play in their reindeer games; she was the most entertaining part of the second part of last season. Hopefully they find her something to do.
You can download Gotham on iTunes.

Marvel’s Inhumans: Very few things live up to the hype these days, and on the flip side, things tend not to be as bad as people say because they tend to just be piling on. Inhumans is one of the rare exceptions. Boy, was that a flaming pile of dog shirt. First off, the Royal Family has to have some of the lamest superpowers ever. The king can kill with his voice so he just does not talk. Instead he does a moron’s version of ASL. Then his wife, Medusa, can kill you with her hair which is a way too on the nose name. I guess it could be worse, since she had her hair cut off, they could have named her Samson. She has a hot sister, but they ruin her hair with weird symbols in it. I am not entirely sure what is up with her powers other than it looks like she can shoot something out of her fingers. More confusing was the Asian dude. He can turn back time? Then the head of the Royal Guard, who did not know his subordinates were part of a coup, just has hooves for feet. Even worse is the little brother who has nothing and is basically just Loki in a story we have seen before, done better with a bigger budget. Marvel was doing really well with their shows, SHIELD was improving, Daredevil and Luke Cage were solid, Jessica Jones was great, but since then Iron Fist was bad and Inhumans looks to be worth, and next month’s Runaways does not have a strong start either. Hopefully Squirrel Girl can save Marvel television shows.
Marvel's Inhumans on iTunes.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 9/24/2017

Ray Donovan: These flashbacks are getting more confusing. So Abby took the place of someone but ended up dying but the girl they ran into this week who also took part is in perfect health. I guess it could be a youth thing. Modern day is just as confusing. So hot actress had sex with Ray, was married, yet she knows a third guy is the father? Very suspicious. Then I have absolutely no clue what I going on with Micky and Avi.

The Strain: Forking Zack, had to mess up the plan one last time. And all the worthy people who could had killed The Master, Setrakian and Quinlin who both dedicated their lives to the case, both ended up dying before it happened just to have a child do it. Yeah, yeah, I understand the redemption arc, but the kid still remains annoying to me. Really just ruined the series as a whole.
You can download The Strain on iTunes.

The Challenge: Dirty 30: These returning players episodes are becoming cumbersome, especially this being the token eating gross stuff episode. Hopefully this is it for returning players. But they have that secons house so I have a feeling we will be having this until the end of the season.
You can download The Challenge: Dirty 30 on iTunes.

The Good Place: I really hated when Lost would do the whole tell the same story from multiple points of view trop, but I really enjoy it during the new season here. And Michael really forked up, already on try three by the end of the premiere. Or are we just going to get him retrying something different every episode? All I know is I need more Real Elinor in my life.
You can download The Good Place on iTunes.

Gotham: So three people supposedly died in the season finale and not one got resurrected in the premiere. The Riddler is still in his block of ice ready to be thawed. Barbara gets mentioned but not seen. While Butch does not get even a mention. But we did get a silly, not quite a cape and cowl Batman costume. And an even sillier plot where criminals carry essentially Get Out of Jail Free cards like some everyday Purge situation. I know this is a comic book, but c’mon, how do the shop owners who get robbed not sue the Penguin?
You can download Gotham on iTunes.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 9/16/2017

Ray Donovan: When will people learn, you should never trust Micky. And if he tells you not to ask where the money came from, you definitely want to ask where the money came from. I guess Avi was the exception because the alternative to trusting Micky was pretty bleak. But poor Bunchy, off to prison because of his father, I cannot count the number of times a Donovan boy has gone to prison because of him t this point.

The Last Ship: Wait, what is going on with Chandler’s kids? I thought he left the Navy because their grandfather died and no one was left to take care of them. Are they still n the Italian village?
You can download The Last Ship on iTunes.

The Strain: I am glad they did not try to redeem the little brat after he caused the apocalypse (granted there is still one episode left).
You can download The Strain on iTunes.

Preacher: The first season finale was one of the worst ever. The second finale was not as bad but still left me rolling my eyes. Never a good sign when Hitler is one of your more redeemable characters.
You can download Preacher on iTunes.

The Challenge: Dirty 30: Whenever you see Camilla in the cast, you know you are in for one great meltdown that season. Sure it has been diminishing returns since she first walked into the pool. But the annual appearance of Camillinator was had to watch this season. It may be time to put her out to pasture. But a bit of hypocritical for Jordan to comment considering he had a more offensive moment this season.
You can download The Challenge: Dirty 30 on iTunes.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 9/3/2017

Ray Donovan: I guess I was wrong that the lack of Daryl in the present timeline meant he had something to do with Abby’s death but he actually showed up this episode. But I am a bit fuzzy on the Abby is dying timeline. They seem to be jumping around so did this week happen before Abby collapsed and went to the hospital or after? Then I was also wrong that the guy Bridget met in the premiere was the recipient of Abby’s heart instead Ray tried to kill him. Um, when has Ray ever failed to kill someone (aside from his father I guess)? And why even try to kill someone who was already dying, does he not have enough money, or can blackmail someone with enough money?

The Last Ship: It was only a matter of time that Civilian Chandler would run into the Nathan James, I probably had under three episode, but that was an interesting reintroduction of him to his former crew. Of course he will likely become acting captain as the new captain seems to be MIA.
You can download The Last Ship on iTunes.

The Strain: And more people finally finding each other. Maybe Gus can actually contribute to the story after being mostly meaningless so far. But I am still a little puzzled what actackly went down with the Nazi vampire. Okay, I get Setrakian poisoned his blood, but still, how did he come immune from turning despite being bit? Seems convenient.
You can download The Strain on iTunes.

Preacher: Wait, the guy escaped the ambulance? I guess we will get how next week.
You can download Preacher on iTunes.

The Challenge: Dirty 30: More Redemption House? I guess at least the losers from the last try to get back into the game are not still there (that we know of). But I wonder just how long the Challenge took. I have watched every season but I am sure it would take he hours to get it right and I think some of these kids were not even born when season one debuted.
You can download The Challenge: Dirty 30 on iTunes.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 8/19/2017

Orphan Black: 147 clones? Wow, Dyad was busy. They are apparently all dead now but I wonder how many dude clones were there. I was just disappointed they ruined Alison, turning her into a hippy for no apparent reason with two episodes left. I was hoping we would get a cheesy sitcom spin off with her and Donnie.
You can download Orphan Black on iTunes.

Ray Donovan: So are they going to continue to tease Abby’s death without actually saying the word or at least show the body? Sure Ray found her convulsing and foaming from the mouth, but we never heard what happened to her. Ray did mention the head injury from the car accident which of course was cause by the hot leaked actress. Except Ray did not bring that up when she showed of at his office. But I did find it interesting that she told Ray she “shot” her husband, not that she killed her. It would be more interesting if the husband is not dead because it seems like Ray cleans up a dead body at least one a season. I believe the very first scene of the series was Ray getting rid of a dead body.

Claws: I am not sure what was more entertaining, the Whitney Houston scene or the Humpty Dance scene. Still I do not understand why Roller and Uncle Daddy let Desna, and Virginia, live for trying to kill the former. And I am not sure if I am racist and think every black man looks the same, but I am pretty sure that was Desna’s doctor friend that the Dixie Mafia met with in the last scene.
You can download Claws on iTunes.

The Strain: So Setrakian has been part of a bone marrow experiment this whole time? And that was kind of an easy escape, why not try that earlier? And why I am complaining, why did the Master not swarm Eph after learning his location. New Horizons was right there presumably swarming with Strigoli.
You can download The Strain on iTunes.

I’m Dying Up Here: Bill got the chair? I know the show positioned him as the next big thing, but never really deserved it in my eyes. Then he did not even bother to kill himself afterward. The other big question beside how did Bill get on Carson, let alone the chair is what happened to Teddy’s club? Did someone set it on fire or was it electrical because the pimp said it passed inspection but not because he updated it. Not that I really cared because after watching the whole season, I wish we would have gotten a second season of Roadies instead.

Preacher: What the fork is up with the freaky dude with the eye? Seriously, the butter thing, what was that?
You can download Preacher on iTunes.

The Challenge: Dirty 30: She may look and act like a ditz, but, wow, Jenna looked like a beast as the only one who pushed her opponent off and she did it twice.
You can download The Challenge: Dirty 30 on iTunes.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 8/13/2017

Ray Donovan: At the start of every season these days I usually start with complaining about having no clue with what happened last season. The good thing about Ray Donovan is usually the wrap everything up in a little bow at the end of each season so you really do not need much of a refresher. So when they run their “previously on” segment to recap last season, I could go, oh yeah, Ray and the family took down that Russian oligarch (although they were a season early on doing an evil Russian businessman storyline), now there is a fresh slate for the new season.

It is still pretty vague what the big storyline for the season will be. Ray does see a story about a famous person whose personal pictures are released on the internet, presumably without her consent (I believe a starlet earlier in the series tried to release her own sex tape so you never know). The actress in question, does randomly show up in her underwear and runs away. There is also a scene with Susan Sarandon which will probably have a bigger impact later this season.

Then there was the big plot point (and the reason I am writing this now instead of my usually preview because Showtime said no pre-air reviews), they killed off Abby… Maybe. They heavily hinted at it but stopped short of explicitly saying she was dead or showed a body. They annoyingly do this next episode two until we get definitive proof in episode three. We do get to see a lot more of Lili Simmons next week who shows up in Ray’s office. Though again, you will have to wait until episode three to learn just why she was walking half naked in the middle of the road at night.

Claws: So Roller did know Desna tried to kill her. At least he let her call Dean before offing her. Sure, she did save him but that also saved her too so not really to make things square between the two. But overall the weakest episode this season.
You can download Claws on iTunes.

The Strain: Wait, why is Gus still on the show? His little raid on a bunch of cops surveyed absolutely no purpose. If you are not working to bring down the Master at this point, go away. And why did Dutch up the stairs? That is bad horror movie logic, go down and leave. As she planning on jumping rooftops to escape?
You can download The Strain on iTunes.

I’m Dying Up Here: Am I supposed to care about Bill because I really do not. Nor his dad. I actually cared more about the dog then either of them.

Shadowhunters: So Haley Dunfey has a English accent now? Awesome. This girl really likes work, she is on one of the biggest shows on television doing twenty-four episodes a year yet keeps on showing up in numerous movies and shows. And she almost made this show enjoyable.
You can download Shadowhunters on iTunes.

Preacher: So what happened with the dude with the eye? He had a big part of last week but did not show up at all this week.
You can download Preacher on iTunes.

The Challenge: Dirty 30: Boooo, Jenna is the best post-Nany contestant on the show. Hopefully she makes her way back on the show next week. Her and Darrell.
You can download The Challenge: Dirty 30 on iTunes.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 9/25/16

Ray Donovan: It I weird watching the “previously on” montage and realized this whole season was based around Ray feeling sorry for a Russian prostitute he played Cat’s Cradle with. I actually thought last week that turning rat would be the only way out for Ray but of course he was able to get out from underneath the Russian mob without owing the FBI anything. I was hoping that Ray would be a rat and spend a little time in prison because the show may have been a little more interesting going forward if the series started out with hating his father so much he tried to kill him for being a rat only for him to do the same thing. Oh well.

Fear the Walking Dead: Did I miss something? The question of the past couple episodes was what happened to Ophelia and this week she is just on a road trip. How exactly did she get out of the hotel? The stairwell was pretty full of walkers when Alicia tried to leave that floor. So is she off to find her fiancée? Are we actually going to follow her or is something going to happen to her that she ends back at the hotel? Or is this the last we see of her?
You can download Fear the Walking Dead on iTunes.

Masters of Sex: So did approach her old therapist in hopes to get him to work with her or to get a free session? Or just to use him? Kind of a weird turn of events. Then her husband and her ended up not actually getting married (and decided this off screen) and now it looks like her daughter is leaving her too. Shame if you is gone for good because the daughter started out as one of the more interesting characters last season but did not really go anywhere with her. But hey, at least she has a new partner at the clinic and bizarrely is the husband(?) of Bill’s new co-worker. Interesting that Bill lied about his relationship with Virginia. I wonder if he was truthful their she would be truthful of her relationship.

The Strain: Being that we are just at the start of the season, I assumed the big worm that slithered away from the Master after being decapitated was the Master’s essence and he was not really dead. And that turned out to be the case and for some reason the Ancients knew this but did not bother to tell anyone to make sure the big old worm gets stepped on after you kill the host. So I guess the next question is who is the Master going to inhabit next. Nazi guy was very disappointed it was not him last time. Maybe he will be overlooked again and Eph’s wife will be the next in line. Though I think it would be better if the Master chose Eph’s son, that would be really twisted.
You can download The Strain on iTunes.

Gotham: Man, the Talon looked like he was wearing a Nightwing mask; I got a bit confused for a little bit. But not as confusing as the Koopa from the horrible live action Super Mario Bros. being in the beginning of the episode. And how actually did the Captain survive the attack from Azrael? Well, it is a comic book, I am sure this is not the last we see of Poison Ivy (mostly because of stupid casting spoilers that I for some reason still read even though I avoid all other spoilers).
You can download Gotham on iTunes.

Lucifer: Speaking of casting spoilers, I knew going in Trisha Helfer was going to end up being Lucifer’s mom but Lucifer miss identifying his mom multiple times was still funny. And is his brother losing his powers. His time stop ended before he could get the blood (and yet managed to not be arrested) and then he had trouble floating things.
You can download Lucifer on iTunes.

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: I am not sure if I am disappointed or relieved that Nick Cage is not reprising his roll at Ghost Rider. Probably the latter. I am definitely relived that Ward was not the Life Model Decoy. I figured it would be him or electro boy (except he got crossed off that list after appearing in the main cast credit during the Blindspot premiere. Instead we got a hot naked chick in a very humorous version of Ex-Machina type scene.
Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. on iTunes

Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen. X: A Survivor first!!!! The first evacuation ever! But this begs the question, where exactly did they go? Probst said on Twitter that they took them to a quiet room all night, but just exactly where? Ponderosa? Did they have to leave the island completely? I think the best part of this season will be watching the Millennials be inept. Though I have to disagree with the worst shelter ever as they did not dig a hole in the beach which ended up being filled with water which happing during the first All Star season I believe. I really hope there is not an early tribe swap so no one comes and saves the younger tribe. Oh yeah, and the Legacy Advantage sounds stupid.
Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen. X on iTunes

Blindplot: How random was the phycologist hitting on Chrissy Seaver? Does he not remember what happened to her last boyfriend? But that was not the only personal storyline of the week as it turns out Kurt is going to be a father. At least his father set such a low bar he can just step over it.
You can download Blindspot on iTunes.

Mr. Robot: Much like Elliot, I fully believed Tyrell was in Elliot’s head since the moment when he got in the cab. Okay, unlike Elliot, I was not going to risk that theory against being shot. Poor Elliot, if only the cabbie had answered him when he asked the driver if he saw the guy sitting next to him (why the guy did not recognized the most wanted man in America is just something we will likely have to throw in the questions we will never get answered pile).

Almost as big a shock was we learned that the FBI has a whiteboard with Elliott and Tyrell in the middle. Much like the other big twits, there is a generous amount of poetic license because otherwise, why exactly would they have Elliot in prison for a lesser crime and not interrogate him then? Really the only reason to let him out is hoping he would leave you to Tyrell, except apparently no was tailing Elliot when he went to meet Tyrell. Hurumph.

And though I was bearish on this season, I got excited for a post credit scene after last year’s jaw dropper of White Rose dressed like a man in some sort of Illuminati club with the head of Evil Corp. It started out great (Kenny Rogers and Sheena singing Bob Seger!!!!!) but how disappointing the “big” reveal was Elliot’s prison buddy finding the F-Society lackeys who went on the lamb.
You can download Mr. Robot on iTunes.

Notorious: I was not expecting much with this show but it somehow managed to go under my expectations. At least Julie Taylor trying to be a lawyer should be entertaining.
You can download Notorious on iTunes.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 9/18/2016

BrainDead: The one thing that defeated the bug people was shame because that is the one thing politicians do not feel? A little too much on the nose but still a pretty entertaining little show. Probably for the best there is no second season (aside from the lack of Ramona Flowers on my television every week) as this was a good enough end.
You can download BrainDead on Amazon Instant Video, free with a Prime membership.

Ray Donovan: So Micky is some sort of ping pong savant? Who knew? I figured something had to go wrong; the bookie going out like Elvis was not what I was expecting. I figure Hector would end up not throwing the fight (which could very well still happen) or the stripper would steal the cash, or Micky would give it to her outright. But he ended up giving the markers to the Russian dude. The big twist was the FBI found the niece who spilled everything. Is Ray going to have to turn rat to get out from under this? What a horrible turn of events for him if that is the way he has to go. He spent the first season trying to kill his father and eventually turns into him.

The Strain: So the first season, the exposed the Muppet looking Master to sunlight and all he had to do was shed the body and moved into the rock star. Now they cut off the rock star’s head and the worm slinks to the sewers. Hurumph. Not that I expected them to actually kill the Master during the third episode of a season.
You can download The Strain on iTunes.

Mr. Robot: When they brought in the little girl at the Commodore 64 with the whip marks and asking Angela if she ever cried during sex, I figured this has to be her version of Elliot’s eighties television delusion and the little girl will actually be young Angela. Nope, that apparently really happened and was just White Rose testing Angela for some reason. Alrighty. But the bigger news was the return of Tyrell… maybe. Elliot was not sure if he was really there or not so us the audience is left to wonder the same. I leaning towards he is a delusion, the driver would not confirm there was another person in the car and this Tyrell certainly did not act like he did in the first season and looked not as irate as I would expect someone to act one when seeing the person who set him up to take the fall for the worst economic collapse ever.
You can download Mr. Robot on iTunes.

Blindplot: After spending an entire season of is she or isn’t she Taylor Shaw only to be like, nope, in the season finale, it is interesting that in the second season premiere we got a definitive answer of who Jane really is and we get to meet her brother and her “mother” (that is not to say these people are not lying and that is the twist in this season’s finale). And was that a nuclear warhead at the end?
You can download Blindspot on iTunes.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 9/4/16

Ray Donovan: So the Russian gangster wanted to meet the movie star because he beat up a hundred Russians in a movie just to beat him up? That is some Kim Jong Il stuff. At least they killed off Lisa Bonet, that storyline went on way too long. Now just what exactly is Ray going to get from him that will satisfy the Russian? Is take a dive too obvious?

Roadies: Bad form by Taylor Swift not to show up to the memorial for her former tour manager. And Eddie Vedder can show up but not Mike McCreedy, I was hoping for a showdown between him and Machine Gun Kelly. Oh well, maybe in season two… if there is a season two. There used to be a joke, if you were on Showtime, you would run an automatic seven seasons. But recently they have been pretty trigger happy; they canceled all their comedies, including Happyish after one season. It was announced Penny Dreadful was canceled with a “The End” place card at the end of the third season finale. Last month Ray Donovan was renewed, but no word on this show. But Roadies did not have a “The End” before the credits so it seems like the show thinks there will be more when you end with Reg running back to Kelly-Anne (natch). I guess if there is a second season, the band will not actually split up and we will get an European tour. I kind of hope everyone gets hired by My Morning Jacket just so there is more Jim James.

BrainDead: Finally someone pointing out what is wrong with politics, both parties have been taken over by extremist who would rather burn down the government than compromise on anything. These politicians need to stop listening to the loudest people and start doing what is the best for everyone again.
You can download BrainDead on Amazon Instant Video, free with a Prime membership.

The Strain: When the premiere started up, I had to ask myself, did I actually like this show or have I been hatewatching it. As the episode progressed, I remembered it was kind of both. All the vampire stuff is scary but, goodness, these characters are morons and the kid is really annoying. It was more of the same with the new season especially with Gus and his mother. C’mon, how did he manage to get a straitjacket on her without getting bitten?

Pretty Little Liars: I am not sure what was more awkward, Spencer kissing the cop while collecting evidence at her house, or when she asked to kiss Toby one last time. But anyway. After the blood test we learn Noel was not Mary’s kid, that meant it had to be Jenna right? It certainly would make more sense she was Mary’s kid and AD than Charlotte being the original A. But nope, Mary Drake saved Spencer and told her she was her mother. Wait, what!?! Didn;tr we already have paternity issues with Spencer? So we learned Spencer’s father was not really her father, but instead Papa DiLarentas, but her mother is not even her mother too? Again, what!?!
You can download Pretty Little Liars on iTunes.

Mr. Robot: So we got the backstory of Elliot going to prison and it was the Ashley Madison guy. I was hoping we would get more of Craig Robinson and how that went down in reality. So did he really just invite Elliot into his office, play chess, and as Elliot was leaving, the FBI stormed his office? Alrighty. But next week it looks like we are going to get what I have hoped for since late last season with Mrs. American Psycho going face to face with Elliot. I have thought since their first meeting she knows a lot more than she lets on, hopefully we will finally learn if that is true.
You can download Mr. Robot on iTunes.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 8/28/16

Ray Donovan: There seems to be a pacing problem this season as they are having trouble balancing between the Russian storyline and the boxer. Two episode, Ray kills a Russian and I think, well the other Russians will not like that. Except it was not brought up once last week. Then finally someone found the body this week. And just as things started to get ramped up, they had to slip in a scene with the boxer and his crazy sister. But at least the Russian plot got interesting. Does Ray get the niece back to save Avi or sacrifice him? (Or a third option where both the niece and Avi are safe?)

Fear the Walking Dead: Has there ever been a more boring season premiere than this? I was actually rooting for the dogs.
You can download Fear the Walking Dead on iTunes.

Roadies: Wait, does Machine Gun Kelly have suspenders tattooed on his body? Weird. But anyway. But man, did they really bring Phil back just to kill him? Should have stayed with Taylor Swift.

BrainDead: I do not care if it did not turn out to be true, Ramona Flowers has forever been tainted by having sex with Michael Moore. The dream nightmare sequence will forever be seared into my brain. And I thought the bug sex scene last week was the worst thing I would ever see on the show.
You can download BrainDead on Amazon Instant Video, free with a Prime membership.

Murder in the First: I have talked about the rise of incest on television considering it is one of the last taboo left. But up to this point is has been brother-sister relationship, all of which have been creepy, but oh my goodness, did this show really do a consensual father-daughter relationship? Eww. Then there was Hildy talking about the time her brother got a bit handsy because telling her partner it was a line because saying she was a good liar. I am not sure if it was the writer’s intent, but I was left wondering if her I am a good liar line was about the story she told the pop star or telling her partner she was lying.
You can download Murder in the First on iTunes.

The Voice: I was not expecting much, but I had to bail quite early on the preview episode right around the time Miley Cyrus opened her mouth. The actual person who sang was not that much better though I did like they went straight to the singing, no super sappy background. I did check out the other person they featured who was a big giant meh. The first person picked Alicia and the second picked Miley so this was clearly a showcase on the new coaches not the talent. But that is ever increasing point of the show. Each episode used to end with the best season, but the last three of four seasons, it seems to end with mediocre singers at best but a lot of coach banter and fighting. But if that was the best person Miley got on her team it will be a long season and she will rival Shakira season six as the worst collection of talent on a team ever. Then I had to skip the coaches singing Dream On because I have no desire to hear anyone sing that song on this show other than Amanda Brown.

Pretty Little Liars: I was hoping Hanna would go Liam Neeson this week and after a pitiful attempt at drugging Noel, boom goes the dynomite at the end the episode with a baseball bat. Awesome. I cannot wait to see what goes wrong with the interrogation.
You can download Pretty Little Liars on iTunes.

Casual: Interesting they chose not to end the season like they started the series, at their father’s funeral, but I guess they ended the first season in a church so I guess they did not want to go back to that well. Instead we end with Valerie moving back in with her ex-husband. Alrighty, Hopefully the side piece did not get too comfortable, or pregnant, I thought they we going through fertility procedures. But really, for a show whose title would lead you to believe it is about casual sex, there was a lot of talk of death this season and relationships that are moving out of the “causal” category.
You can watch Casual on Hulu.

Mr. Robot: And we are back to starting episodes with flashbacks that wink and nod but do not really mean much. So the Muslim chick and fat guy who spent most of a season and a half met in a coffee show, presumably owned by the same guy Elliot took down in the first episode, but not the one with his illegal operation, one with crappy wi-fi. Of course this begs the question, when is Elliot going to run into him in prison? Back in current time, Darla kills a chick… alrighty. So is her boy toy going to give her up as the person who took his gun? Instead, Dom pulls in the fat guy. But really, I think it is safe to assume that everyone can agree the best scene this week was Angela singing Everybody Wants to Rule the World even if it was a bit on the nose. Speaking of the karaoke bar, holy Duck Phillips sighting! He has to be tied into the story somehow, you do not bring in Duck Philips just to creepily hit on someone half his age just for one scene.
You can download Mr. Robot on iTunes.

Tyrant: I thought we were going to have a repeat of the first season of Homeland where the suicide vest did not go off then… boom goes the dynamite. And now that Jamal is dead, it looks like Barry is slowly morphing from the voice of reason to the titular character.
You can download Tyrant on iTunes.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 8/21/16

Ray Donovan: A couple weeks ago, Ray sang Bob Seger and this week he danced the Chihuahua, I am beginning to wonder if the actor did something to the writers to make him act the fool. Not that I am complaining, the main problem with the show is that it can get too serious, especially Ray, so this sillier moments make it much more enjoyable. And Connor, if you want to be taken serious, how about not playing dancing video games?

Roadies: Fun fact: I used to work at an amphitheater in college and Lynard Synard came to town, and no lie, played a forty-five minute set, obviously ending with Sweet Home Alabama. Then came back out for an encore which ended up being a forty-five minute version of Free Bird.

BrainDead: I am beginning to wonder if the show is running out of story and it is about tie to wrap things up. I really do not care if Laurel’s dad has bugs in his head.
You can download BrainDead on Amazon Instant Video, free with a Prime membership.

Pretty Little Liars: So the doctor was a complete waste. Meh. Hopefully Hanna is going to go Liam Neeson to find Uber A next week.
You can download Pretty Little Liars on iTunes.

Casual: I spent the whole episode wondering what was going on with the dad, did I just imaging him being carted into his home by a ambulance, did I watch the episodes out of order? That storyline was much more interesting than anything that happened this week. At least it will make for an interesting finale.
You can watch Casual on Hulu.

Mr. Robot: Fan theories are a fun way to talk about like Megan would be at the Manson murders because she wore a Shannon Tate shirt; but these wild fan theories never come to fruition. Well except Lost is purgatory, which kind of what the flashsideways were in the final season even though the writers swore the island was not. So when the theory of Eliot being in prison and delusionally thinking he was back living with his mother popped up on the internet, I filed it in the crazy, Sharon Tate type theories. Sure it was an interesting theory, Eliot having a very set routine because he was forced to, but there were too many holes. Craig Robinson really being a prison guard did not really jive, plus Eliot left the house and when to places other than the basketball court, which could be a prison court yard. He even was able to get his hands on drugs to make Mr. Robot disappear.

Except the wild theory was true, Eliot has been in prison this whole time. The big problem is they did this the first season with making it obvious that Mr. Robot was in Eliot’s head, then spent a couple episodes poking holes in that theory only to be, actually he is just in Elliot’s head! And what about Craig Robinson? Was he really an evil prison guard? Was he just in Elliot’s head? Were the Craig Robinson scenes a prequel to the season and him being nabbed by the FBI after chess is why he is in prison? Except we saw Eliot with Craig at the basketball game. If not because of Craig, why is Elliot in prison? It seems it is not because of the Evil Corp hack because the FBI is still looking. Did the Ashley Madison guy get him. I am confused. I miss Alf.
You can download Mr. Robot on iTunes.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 8/14/16

Ray Donovan: This show would be much better if Cochran and Ray were forced to team up every week. Can’t Cochran become the new Ezra?

Roadies: Not since the over choreographed scene with KellyAnne running back to the band at the end of the Pilot has anything been so obvious that KellyAnne would end up getting the perfect picture after be denigrated by her idol. Okay, it was also pretty obvious that Phil find his way back to the tour considering Ron White was in the title credits this whole time. Still I find the show very enjoyably, it is kind of like a cozy but tattered blanket reminding me of a time when shows used to be fun before The Sopranos came along and most shows had to be super serious ever since.

BrainDead: As silly as Laurel almost being subjected to enhanced interrogation (granted as not likely that scenario is in present day, I can see that playing out exactly that way in a potential Trump presidency), it did make for a good scene with the bug people inadvertently voting against the torture.
You can download BrainDead on Amazon Instant Video, free with a Prime membership.

Pretty Little Liars: So Charles had a sibling that is the Liars’ age. They seem to heavily pushing Noel so that probably means it is not him. Sara is blonde and has the look, but she just died (or so we are led to believe, it would not be the first time someone came back from the dead). It is ethnically impossible (not that it has stopped the writers before, Charles turned out being a chick who dated her brother and significantly younger than they led us to believe) but I am rooting for Mona. But I am guessing it will end up being Jenna.
You can download Pretty Little Liars on iTunes.

Casual: What was up with the ending? Is our health system so messed up that we are talking people back to their homes when they run out of money?
You can watch Casual on Hulu.

Mr. Robot: I am beginning to think the writers are just trolling us now. And I thought the two straight weeks where they started with a flashback was unnecessary, this week we got a full twenty minutes of Elliot stuck in a cheesy nineties sitcom (I think Married with Children did that very episode) complete with Alf. Alf! Alf killing Gideon!! Again!!! How could anyone possibly take the rest of the episode serious after that (um, I think Angela got hit on with a really bad pick up line)? But hey, at least they worked in an Up All Night reference because, c’mon, does anyone remember anything about USA in the nineties other than Up All Night? I guess we did get one thing out of that, it seemed pretty clear that Mr. Robot admitted to killing Tyrell. Sure you cannot truly believe a delusion, but he did admit to it.
You can download Mr. Robot on iTunes.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 8/7/16

MTV Classic: A couple years ago VH1, in honor of MTV’s anniversary they devoted an entire weekend to the channel’s history with classic episodes of its shows and a couple documentaries. It was a great watch and made me think that is what VH1 Classic should be. And how about running full episodes of Yo! MTV Raps, Headbangers Ball, and 120 Minutes instead of random blocks of music videos in the morning. But then VH1 Classic went back to its rock heavy schedule and random movies that have nothing to do with music after the weekend was over.

So I got slightly excited when I heard they were rebranding VH1 Classic as MTV Classic bringing back classic shows from the channel’s history. The lauch started off well enough with an Unplugged marathon but I have been less than enthused since. Sure they show the occasional Beavis and Butt-Head, but so far they have been all episodes from the recent reboot and none from the nineties. And is any one setting their DVR for midnight airings of Run’s House? C’mon, where is Remote Control. And still no one is taking my advice to show genre specif shows in their entirety, instead we are still getting random videos in the morning. Really not the best start when the first one I saw was Vertical Horizon’s Everything You Want. Even worse, the first time I came across Yo! Hip Hop Hits, they were showing a video by Xscape, a fifth rate nineties girl group (featuring the future Mrs. T.I.) who are neither hip hop nor classic. Le sigh.

Ray Donovan: Did we really need to start off the episode with some dude pleasuring himself to a chick playing Cat’s Cradle? And just when you thought that was gong to be the most graphic part of the episode, a minute later we get to watch s full body cavity search. And then a couple minutes after that Conner pulls out some lubricant? Then after everything he went through with the Russians to get Belikov out of jail, he kills him over the Cat’s Cradle chick. That is probably not going to go over well.

Preacher: What the frack was that? Was that meant to not be coherent and meant to be a complete mess? How does an episode like that even make it to air?
You can download Preacher on iTunes.

Roadies: In the beginning I thought it was a wise choice to keep the band in the background and focus on the titular characters (and definitely we should never hear any of their songs because the worst part of these scripted music shows is they are supposed to be superstars but their songs are mediocre at best), but after Janine went HAM on the lead singer, the band instantly became extremely interesting. I actually want to see more of Janine as she writes her tell all and Chris’s reaction to all the revelations. And just how does Bill not get fired for sleeping with the lead singer’s girlfriend even if I took place a decade or so ago?

The John Mellencamp cameo made me wonder just where do some of these celebrity cameo stories come from. Did Cameron Crowe ask them for the personal stories like the one about the hundred year old grandmother that could fit in the show? Are they strictly written for the show? Are they stories Crowe has heard and asked the celebrities if he can use it on the show?

BrainDead: I figured Laurel would find a way to get the bugs out of her head before they push out half her brain, but I thought she would simply go to the refrigerator and put some bacon on her ear. Instead we got maybe the most entertaining segment on television this year.
You can download BrainDead on Amazon Instant Video, free with a Prime membership.

Pretty Little Liars: Seriously promo monkeys, we are already to the countdown portaon of the season. I get annoyed with the “one more episode until the (insert hyperbolic adverb here) finale” promo but four more episodes is a bit much. Sad thing is, that is most of what I remember from this episode. Um, Alison got attacked by someone and it turned out to not be her dead fiancée who is still in the ground. It probably was not Sara who ended up dead. Um, evil(er) twin maybe?
You can download Pretty Little Liars on iTunes.

Mr. Robot: Well at least we did not start with a cute flashback this week. And good news for anyone who was wondering what Angela’s douchebag ex-boyfriend was up to. Otherwise, meh.
You can download Mr. Robot on iTunes.

Tyrant: Oh hey Barry, you are really doing that days after your daughter died and hours after your wife checked herself into a mental institution? Cold.
You can download Tyrant on iTunes.

The Challenge: Rivals III: What a horrible ending to a horrible season. What a completely douche thing to do even by Johnny Banana’s standards. At least he cannot possibly get another invitation back after that and even so, how is he not sent into whatever they are calling the elimination round every time? What is worse was the whole point thing was kind of shady; I never really got the standing on the log checkpoint, and making things worse it was worth two points. Why not just stay on the log and refuse to leave?
You can download The Challenge: Rivals III on iTunes.

2016 Rio Olympics Opening Ceremonies: Not a very good sign for these games that I fell asleep somewhere around the M’s during the parade of nations. I am ready to call it the worse opening ceremonies of my lifetime. I know Pele was sick, but how was the biggest name at the ceremony Giselle? Was there really no one more important from Brazil? I was ready for Camilla from The Challenge or Abi-Maria from Survivor to pop up.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 7/31/16

Ray Donovan: So after half the season dedicated to this casino heist, it ends with the owner with his money back, does not even bother to press charges (presumably to get the insurance money and the original money) and Ray does not even need that money to bribe the FBI guy to blackmail the other guy because Micky is going to turn himself in. But hey, at least we got to hear Ray sing Bob Seger. We dd get some set up of two storylines that will likely end disastrously: apparently Bunchy is now a single father and Connor was able to break into the gun safe. Checkov would have us believe that gun will go off sometime in the third act, the question now is who is he going to shoot?

Roadies: So Janine is the chick from The Civil Wars. Alrighty. Though she was actually competent as the girl next door that got away. But is she really going to hook up with Reg. Or as importantly, is Reg going to hook up with the girl who broke his boss’ heart? Well, if it ends the will they or won’t they storyline with KellyAnne, I would be happy.

BrainDead: Oh no, Ramona Flowers better not be taken over by the bugs. Hopefully she is able to get to her bacon before they push out her brain or Gustav arrives in time. But c’mon Ramona, you throw out all the stuff he brought but did not throw his flowers at him?
You can download BrainDead on Amazon Instant Video, free with a Prime membership.

Casual: Oh, hey, Leon, I forgot you even existed. Where has he been, he was the best part of the first season. He should have gotten the C-storyline; it probably would have been more interesting than the teen cancer one. Then you have Pete Campbell as vindictive as ever, lowballing Alex for his company. But since there is still four episodes left, I am guessing Alex will be fighting this even though his partner may take the money and run.
You can watch Casual on Hulu.

Mr. Robot: So we are just going to get a flashback at the start of every episode? Meh. At least this was a bit more informative than last week’s F(un) Society origin. I guess we saw the start of Mr. Robot and where the masks came from. There was also the return of White Rose as him and Evil Corp guy talk about there still as unknown Illuminati plot on society. But still I am still a little down on this season. Hopefully now that Elliot is back to hacking, things will pick up.
You can download Mr. Robot on iTunes.

Tyrant: And I thought Jamal not coming back to life would be the most shocking part of the episode, nope his son actually being Barry ended up being more shocking. Sure they had to do some retconning by saying Jamal had low sperm, oh his other son (who died two episodes ago without much of a mention) was not really his son either.
You can download Tyrant on iTunes.

The Challenge: Rivals III: So after a whole season, we are left with Johnny Bananas, his cousin, and a team that was booted the very first week, but since so many teams left prematurely, were brought back, were sent into the jungle over half the time and managed to not pull the black skull once. How anticlimactic. At least they goosed the finale with a twist where you can screw over your rival and take all the money. At first I thought you have to split the cash otherwise you are the first one out in future Challenges, but if you are Sarah and you are ready to go to grad school and pop out some babies, you might as well take the money and run. Plus that would be funny if she screwed over Johnny Bananas twice in consecutive seasons.
You can download The Challenge: Rivals III on iTunes.