57 Channels and Only This Is On: April 18, 2021

 

Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist:  For the third week in a row I have to say this episode is now the best episode of the season.  Since last season’s glitch was the best of the first season, they really need to figure more ways to make Zoey’s powers glitch.  It was a pretty big missed opportunity earlier this season when Zoey got high but only sang the one song.

 

I thought for sure that it was the physic that was the one that was supposed to be singing Max’s really sad song.  Simon was the first thought but there was no reason for him to be that sad, even if Zoey canceled on him.  But she also blew off Emily that should have been the big tip off. 

 

But as great as everyone singing someone else’s songs and trying to figure out which song went to which person, I kind of want to see how that songs should have gone.  Like the programmers doing the Anything song to each other.  Or Rose singing a song about drinking to a server instead of some kiss off song.  Also a shame they could not work her having a naughty word being cut off by the title card.  But I guess that is the price to pay to hear Simon sing the stupid Fox song.  I have not laughed that hard in a long time.

 

The Nevers:  Something felt off with this show, and not because the writer/director/creator got canceled.  Actually it seems more like it did not feel like one of his shows more.  The show was missing his usual witty banter.  Hopefully things pick up and soon.  But some of these powers seem pretty lame.  They are like the D-List X-Women so far.

 

Shameless:  So they actually went and killed off Frank.  I was actually expecting that after they shut the door on the cremation, Frank was going to start knocking on the door.  Instead they went for he was filled with too much alcohol to light on fire gag.  I guess he will not be back for the inevitable reboot… unless Frank had a twin brother no one knew about.  Frank did not know about that daughter that showed up for a season or two before disappearing without anyone noticing and did not even get a mention in the letter. 

 

It was a little surprising how the rest of the storylines ended kind of vaguely.  Lip and Kev had offers but neither sold the house or bar by the end credits.  Debbie got an offer to go to El Paso but did not commit.  Then it was weird the chick who raped Carl popped up last week pregnant, claimed it was not his but who knows if she was telling the truth, and was not brought up again. As finale as Frank’s storyline was, I do wonder if this was all left vague for the possibly of a reboot.

 

Fear the Walking Dead:  Wait, so Dakota is just as evil as her sister now?  That escalated quickly.  I still do not understand why she shot the dude.  He is no longer a ranger, he was not planning on going with her, what exactly did she think he would do?  And for someone who wanted to die, he sure held on for a while.  So does Morgan just turn Dakota over to her sister now as a punishment?

 

Good Girls:  Just how many evil businesses does Rio have?  And if he has a boss, how many Rio’s does the big boss have and how many evil businesses are they running?

 

City on a Hill:  Wait, did they not only recast Kevin Bacon’s daughter but also the husband?  It has been so long, I forgot if he was arrested or killed.  But at least the daughter almost looked the same.  This dude looked about a decade or two older, bigger, and had a shaved head.  Maybe they should have killed him off if this was the best replacement they could find.  Yet, they kill off the brother-in-law at the end of this episode.  Certainly did not see that coming.  Will the person the brother-in-law owes money to come after her now?  But I did like that speech Decourcy gave Jackie when Jackie confronted him.

 

Debris:  Watching the lame powers on The Never made me realize just how stupid this show is, all these different things the debris do are pretty stupid.  Did the aliens have plans for Earth?  Is this there plan?  Where there even aliens flying the ship?  Was the ship sentient?

 

But this episode featured one of the worst tropes.  Some evil person with mind control power has a bunch of people kill themselves except for no apparent reason they let the main character go unharmed.  The the one dude was apparently the first person to think; maybe I should just fight the urge to kill themselves.  Then out of nowhere his young niece just brutally murders him.  Alrighty.

 

Supergirl:  So the married gay vampire had three roommates?  Was the husband the breadwinner of the family?  Do gay vampires have harems that they call roommates?  I actually do not remember much else from this episode other than the gay vampire’s living situation.

 

Big Sky:  So this loner trucker who has to resort to kidnapping women for human contact was able to get a live in girlfriend who does not notice he is wearing a bad wig within three month.  But I do like this new family, they are weird.  Hopefully this case is more entertaining than the first one. 

 

The Challenge: Double Agents:  What a horrible place to put a cliffhanger.  Does it really matter that much who they choose?  And is it not obvious that they pick Kam and Corey who were in second place?  But the “Next Time On” pretty much spoils that Fessy and Casey are the ones eliminated as they are the only ones that are not featured in scenes past the eating contest.  Granted not much a spoiler than a confirmation of what everyone assumed after Casey heard a pop and Fessy refusing to eat.

 

But that could not have happened to a better team.  Fessy has been whining all season about his partners weighing him down even though he has not brought anything to his team.  Then finally gets the partner he wanted only to push her too hard and makes her get injured.  Then being the punk he is, gives up in the eating challenge even though the last person who won the checkpoint was able to pick a new partner.  Hopefully TJ views this as quitting and treats Fessy according and put him on the ban list.

 

The Challenge: All-Stars:  One of the things that has drug down the parent show (besides recruiting too many boring or annoying people) is that the actual challenges are not as fun.  The melt a block of ice with your body is one of the most iconic challenges ever and it took way too long for them to bring it back.  Unfortunately TJ just gave up halfway through and just gave everyone hammers.  But TJ makes up for that with just randomly pulling out a bag of peppers at elimination.  You knew those peppers were rough when TJ had to put on gloves just to handle them.

 

Manifest:  So now the 828ers are inadvertently helping the meth heads now?  So stupid.  As stupid as the cliffhanger.  Of course they are showing him the reconstructed plane.  They already showed us that in the trailer, why play coy now?

 

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier:  The introduction of Elaine was pretty cool.  It would have been cooler if I had a forking clue who that character was.  But she has to be the Power Broker, right?  So the only question is just what is Sharon up to.  Is she trying to get back at the American government for branding her a terrorist?  Is she just deep undercover?  Hopefully it is the latter because evil Sharon just does not feel right.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: April 11, 2021

  

Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist:  For the first time this season, maybe ever, an episode filled with all great songs that I actually own them all.  Well, except the Australian’s sex song about Zoey, unless you count Maroon 5’s This Love which they clearly borrowed the guitar lick from.  It also included the greatest Disco song of all time, though I wish it had been more of an ensemble than just Simon singing with everyone else being a back-up singer/dancer.  I would have been fine had they done the full song.  It was easily my favorite performance of the season so far. 

 

Also my favorite episode of the season, bumping off last week’s episode.  As much grief as I give the guy for living I  San Francisco most of his life yet having a strong Australian accent, I am beginning to enjoy Aiden’s presence,  Though I am not sure how much we will see him after getting rejected by Zoey.  I am also beginning to like the coder chick and her new weird thing with Tobin.  I even like Max’s camp buddy (can’t go wrong if you sing a little INXS).  After a rough start, things are starting to come together this season.

 

Shameless:  So the chick that may have rapped Carl by not using a condom a couple episodes ago who claimed to be on the pill and had a latex allergy is now ready to pop?  So juts what is she up to?  Is she scamming someone else and pretending it is Carl’s baby?  Has time passed that much since that episode?  More confusing is Debbie hanging out the chick who threatened to kill her daughter.  And I thought Lip was supposed to be the smart one.  It never dawned on him that selling to the other person on the other side of the three was a possibility? 

 

The Walking Dead:  So before the dead started to rise, Negan was good… but not really… but kind of was?  What a mess of an episode.  Maybe Memento is the only one that can properly tell a story backwards.

 

Debris:  Oh hey, Cocoon… but they got to actually look young too.  They the two agents came clean about the not so dead father.  This show is kind of boring.

 

Supergirl:  If there is one bright side of being sent to the Phantom Zone is it somehow got rid of Supergirl’s hideous bangs.  Oh yeah, and she found her not so dead father.  Though he seems like a complete waste of a person now.  But I am not entirely sure just how Lex got off.

 

The Challenge: Double Agents:  Kam forked up.  They came up with this brilliant plan, but decided against utilizing it when just because Fessy ruined the meaning Leroy would end up with Nany.  But had Kam forced Corey to go in, if Fessy wins and picks Casey, then Kam could pick Leroy as a partner.  But we got our fourth Hall Brawl of the season and second in a row, which makes me wonder if they were being lazy or being really manipulative by benefiting the Big Brother alliance.

 

The Challenge: All-Stars:  My favorite part of the episode did not actually happen on the episode by the aftershow when Darrell kept complaining that Neiamiah actually got asked to spell “Challenge” backwards with the word plastered all over the rig.  Not sure how that qualifies as ancient Challenge history.  He also complained that Neiamiah got a Wes question and it was just weird to think Neiahaih who has not been seen in a decade started on a season with Wes who has been on almost every season in the past decade.

 

Manifest:  So the meth heads were in a picture with the chick from the Americans?  That is a bizarre coincidence.  I do not remember anyone having their paths cross like that before.  Kind of ripping of Lost there.

 

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier:  So Zemo had every chance to escape last week, but just bolts this week?  I guess the Wakanda warriors are that scary is they are coming for you.  But this was the first time I remember anyone dying by being thrown into something by someone with super strength.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: April 4, 2021

 

Shameless:  So Kev and V are moving?  Maybe the Gallagher’s are going to sell the house and scatter to the wind.  But I was expecting a fight between Lip and Mickey would be more epic.  I will say Franny putting stickers all over a priceless painting gave me one of the bigger laughs of the season.

 

The Walking Dead:  I was wrong that this was the season finale as there is another episode next week.  But maybe they should have just skipped this episode because who could possibly want to watch Carol trying to catch a rat for half the episode.  The Darryl half was not much better.

 

Good Girls:  I am glad Rio called out that the Secret Service would not try to wack him.  Beth giving him the hitman not the Secret Service certainly raised my eyebrow.  I guess maybe that plan works if Rio gets him while he was selling houses.  But I guess that begs the question, just what information did she give Rio?  Did she give Rio the cover story and then followed him to the look out?  I guess now the biggest question, does Rio suspect that Beth hired the hitman and used him to make the hitman go away?

 

Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist:  Probably the strongest episode of the season but still a weak slate of songs aside from Tainted Love.

 

Snowpiercer:  Well that was an anticlimactic race to take control of Snowpiercer in enough time to save Melanie since we know it failed.  But did it really take at least three days to separate the front of the train to go back for her?  And did they really need to freeze all those fish to do it?  Maybe it did take a while, otherwise how did Alex go from Big Alice all the way up to the front to separate so fast?  Just how long does it take to go 1,000 cars? 

So Melanie is dead?  I do have the long standing belief that no one is really dead until we see the body and we did not see the body.  Layton even looked inside the rat hole.  Where else could she possibly go without food or heat?  Unless that rat hole goes deeper.

 

Debris:  Evil dude seemed to let himself get caught too easily.  I wonder how fine he is with this.

 

Supergirl:  I did not remember any of that from last season: Brainiac 5 almost dying, Lex getting super powers, they found the anti-life equation, Andrea being poor now, Supergirl had hideous bangs.  I even forgot that reporter even existed until he popped up at the end.  But now Supergirl is in the Phantom Zone.  I feel like they already did this storyline.  I just realizes how hideous her bangs are while she is there.

 

The Challenge: Double Agents:  Okay, Nany picking Kyle was hilarious.  I wonder if she did that thinking he was the best partner or just out of spite knowing whoever she picked was almost guaranteed to go into elimination next week.  Though with only five dudes left, CT safe as Rouge Agent, unless you win next week, you have a sixty-six percent chance of going into elimination.  So not only Kyle, Cory probably really needs to win too.  Or do all the people Fessy screwed over vote for him?  I hope so.

 

The Challenge: All-Stars:  Wow, I forgot how great the personalities were in the early days of the Challenge.  Now it is just Nany and a bunch of annoying or boring people.  Jissella was someone I completely forgot about but she just came back spitting fire.  But I do fear for these contestants, one challenge in and half needed medical attention.  Then in elimination, Ace just kept on getting picked up and slammed down like he was a wrestler.  Production needs to remember these are mostly people in their forties.  Someone is going to break a hip.  Maybe do some weird challenges like back in the day?

 

Made For Love:  I really did not need to see Ray Romano fork a sex doll.

 

Manifest:  Yet another show that I barely remember.  But I guess those guys at the end were the dudes who fell through the ice but their bodies were never found.

 

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier:  Sharon Carter cannot possibly be the power Broker, can she?  She defied her government to do the right things than five years later she is living lavishly, commissioning super soldier experiments?  There has to be more to this story and all that teasing is just a red herring.  But really, all I really needed from this episode was the two seconds of Zemo dancing.

 

The Blacklist:  You would think after Lizzie broke out that one criminal earlier this season, the task force would have instituted stronger security.  Yet Park was easily able to slip him the note without anyone noticing it.  She looks like a pretty small person, was she really able to block what she was doing, especially when he started waving the note around?  Do they not record sound?  Someone should really be fired for this lax security.

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: February 21, 2021

 

Shameless:  I would say Terry surviving a bullet was the most absurd gunshot survivor bit the dude from Big Sky was shot right above the eye. Then we got a surprisingly earnest discussion about consent that I certainly would not expect from this show.  But the big kicker was Frank being diagnoses with alcoholic induced dementia.  Sure, this is a guy that got some dire diagnoses over the years, but since we have a couple episodes left, I think this may actually be the end for the Gallagher patriarch.  Though, maybe they might keep him alive for the inevitable reboot in five years.  But I do have a sinking suspicion this may be the end of the Gallagher homestead.  But what ever happened to the house in Wisconsin?  Couldn’t Lip get money from selling that?

 

Your Honor:    So despite the overwhelming evidence, the defendant getting caught lying under calling the prosecutor a naughty worry, the jury found the thug not guilty solely because the played the audio of his brother dying?  Seriously, that is all it took.  Then I see how poetic that the judge’s son was accidentally killed by the brother of the kid that was murdered for what he did, but did the little brother need to be that bad of the shot that he missed someone so bad that he hit someone who was not even in the shot of the thug hugging his mother?  But honestly, when I saw the little brother buying the gun, I was actually hoping he would get an assault riffle just so he would gun down everyone at that party, I really wanted to see more of the horrible people o this show die.

 

Snowpiercer:  So we do not get to see Jennifer Connelly this week but supposedly she made it to the station to ping the balloons.  Do they not have any other way to make contact with her why she is there?  I cannot imagine it was that easy.  If I were a betting man, I would say there is someone, or something, at that station.  I wonder how long until we see her again.

 

Big Sky:  Wow, when we got the flashback of Drew Carey’s brother bashing his wife with a hammer which turned out to be a dream sequence, I thought they were going to do it again but switch the characters, but she actually murdered her.  Man, survive a bullet to the brain only to be murdered by your wife.  Well, he was a horrible human being.

 

The Challenge: Double Agents:  Ugg, the wrong Amber won.  But is she going to be back next week?  They was that same thing in the previews that they used to bring Smashley back.  Is Lolo really going to quit like they kind of make it seem?  She seems to be irrationally going over the edge just because she has a partner that has a language barrier.

 

Wandavision:  So they just made Kat Dennings into some escape artist?  Meh.  But that was a funny car ride with Vision.  I liked how they had him do a testimonial outside the van.  Nice touch.  But we finally got the reveal most people have been expecting: it was Agatha all along.  But the big question is: did she have help?

 

The Blacklist:  Yet another Lizzy-less episode?  But it is weird she is working with so many Blacklisters just to get at Red.  Seems like there would be easier ways to get to him.

57 Channels and Only This is on: January 17, 2021

 

 Shameless:  Yet another Showtime show that features a teacher forking their student right now?  Last decade, Game of Thrones kicked off a decade of shows that features siblings hooking up, is this the new official taboo for this decade between this, Your Honor and A Teacher?  I hope not because I am ready for this topic to die.  Never a good sign when the Milkovichs move next door and that is not the grossest thing that happens in the episode.

 

Your Honor:  I knew last week this was not going to be the finale, because, you know, six more episodes, but it sure seemed like it because of the gangster would have no problem killing a judge.  And he almost did, but the thing that saved him was the judge knew his son was going to be arrested. Kind of a cheap play to extend the episode. 

 

Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist:  Last week’s musical selections were not great but they corrected that this week with an influx of nineties music.  And it seemed like I was not the only one who thought the workplace was turning into a bit of a sausagefest.  But if Zoey poached three chicks from the fifth floor, isn’t that place a sausagefest now?

 

The Challenge: Double Agents:  So that makes Natalie the second people in two seasons to come on the show pregnant.  Though Melissa last season made it all the way to the finals without realizing.  And with her took the only female Gold Skull with her while three dudes had one.  Guess it is going to be much easier for the females to make it to the finales, but the dudes are going to run out of Gold Skulls soon unless someone who already has one gets sent in next.  Hopefully Fessy just keeps getting thrown in after all the Gold Skulls are passed out.

 

Search Party:  That new dude is extremely annoying.  Really everyone is extremely annoying this season.  Portia is the only entertaining part of the show so far.

 

Wandavision: They have been saying this show is going to be weird for a while but I still was not prepared for it.  I wonder if they are just going to continue doing a new decade every episode or if they will speed thing up.  Hopefully by episode five, Vision gets sent off to live with his auntie and uncle in Bel-Aire.

57 Channels and Only This is On: December 27, 2020

 
Shameless:  Once again Carl’s day on the job was the most entertaining part, though I thought maybe he would end up losing another partner who would get suspended for police brutality.  But once again, that was really the only entertaining part of the episode.  Worse was that it really got dark this week with the kid that had a hole in his heart and Lip calling Debby a bad mother.
 
 
Your Honor:  Good thing the judge knew what was going on because I was lost when they switched out the guards at the funeral.  Though I do not understand why.  Did momma send her son to avenge the other son?  Why have him kill someone with only two weeks on his sentence.  Why not send low level thugs.  Was that not what the people in infirmary doing?  Though Kofi is kind of just Schroeder’s Cat right now because we do not know if the brother actually kills him or not.  Maybe momma just wants her son to deliver another type of message.
 
 
His Dark Materials:  So there are no real rules in the middle rule?  The specters were supposed to kill adults.  But Snake Dude and Lyra’s mom were just able to walk through, Lyra’s mom can now control them, and even the English professor can walk freely.  But I did laugh when the one girl asked to hug her after admitting to attempted murder.  That is the point I turn and run from those psychopaths.  But I have to wonder, if all the adult went up to the mountains, why did they not take their children with them?  But I feel that will just be added to the already long list of answers to questions we will never get.  Number one right now is what ever happened to James McAvoy?  Is he just not going to be in this season?  Lyra went into the gap after him and he just disappeared.
 
 
A Teacher:  My favorite scene in this show, okay, the only one that I probably did not hate was when the FBI chick from Mr. Robot said the student did not look old enough to be buying alcohol.  C’mon, that dude looks like he is pushing thirty.  Him looking way old enough to buy beer is what keeps this from being the worst show of the year.

The Challenge: Double Agents:  I know we are in the middle of a pandemic, but c’mon, they really could not find anyone else besides Josh to fly to Iceland for a chance to win a million dollars?  They were able to get an Olympian, a WWE wrestler, a bunch of people from European shows I never heard of, but they still had to call Josh to fill out the cast?  It is a shame this episode did not happen a decade ago because that CT eats Josh whole and spits out the bones.  But what was LeRoy thinking?  After Fessy wimped out what was obvious a physical competition against someone half his size, LeRoy wimps out against probably the second weakest guy there.  There are only five skulls going out to dudes this time, might want to get one sooner than later.  I really hope TJ sends people home skull-less this season to teach people not to wait.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: December 20, 2020

 
Shameless:  I would have never thought Carl’s boring first day at work would be so entertaining.  Unfortunately none of the other storylines this week were.
 
 
Your Honor:  Just a lot to unpack here with someone so stupid about stealing a car he runs a red light, dirty cops torturing a kid yet no one asked why he does not need an inhaler, the dog is still trying to get that blood covered rag that he inexplicably was able to get under that table, a judge stripping a seventeen year old in court, all this seems like it is going to start a gang war, just straight up bird murder for no apparent reason, but really all I want to talk about is that the kid turned out to be forking his hot teacher.  And they were doing it before school?!?  Somehow that is already infinitely more interesting than A Teacher.
 
 
His Dark Materials:  Just what does Snake Dude do in the real world that he is able to just amass that much valuable artifacts?  And he can just shut down the park with security at a moment’s notice?  Granted not the best security if he is just letting anyone in with any actual ID.
 
 
Big Sky:  I did all the eye rolls when a silly fly fishing memory mad the PI think that there may be a basement only to come back shortly after the girls were moved.  And why did no one think to check for DNA in the creepy shipping container that was underground for no apparent reason?  But as stupid as that was, another random epiphany lead the PI to the diner where she shockingly shot Drew Carey’s brother right between the eyes.  Killing off what was presumably the main character was shocking enough butt to follow that up a couple episodes later by killing off the big bad was just as shocking.  If only anything in-between was entertaining.  So what happens now?  They have to get the creepy partner, but how long could that take, an episode or two?
 
 
A Teacher:  So not only do we not get to see the arrest, we do not even get to see prison time?  Ugg.
 
 
The Flight Attendant:  The gay best friend turned out to be in the CIA?  I guess that makes the scene where Cassie took him to the wake funnier.  Though, maybe instead of hooking up with the help, maybe he should had spent more time following her because she almost got herself caught.  And maybe he should have followed up on the shredded stuff she stole.  But I guess that was an FBI matter and as we know they do not really talk with each other.  But Cassie helping the CIA may make the second season interesting.  Unfortunately every show that has gone past its source material does not really have the best track record.
 
 
The Mandalorian:  Sooooo, is that it for this show?  That was my first impression, it does not seem like there is a show without Mando and Baby Yoda.    So with Yoda to go train with Luke and… um, Ben Solo, there does not really seem like a way to get those two back together unless Jedi Adolescent Yoda and an older Mando are traveling around the galaxy.   Bu then was the Book of Boba signaling that Boba will be the focus of season three as the show transitions into a sort of anthology about different Mandalorians?  There was a lot of debate after the show whether that was a tease for a spin-off or season three  and surprisingly no word from Disney yet.

Previewing Shameless: The Final Season

Back when Showtime announced that the eleventh season of Shameless would be its last, I joked: well, until it is rebooted in five to ten years.  Since then, Showtime announced that they were bringing back Dexter after canceling it seven years ago, do my joke may actually turn out to be a prophecy.   Of course there were bigger things that have happened since Showtime announced the final season that have altered the show.

Yes, the Coronapocalypse has hit the Southside.  Sure Frank thinks it is a hoax and Debbie wears her mask below her nose, rendering it useless, but I doubt this is how the writers envisioned the final season going, but they are trying to make lemon out of lemonade.  Kev and Vee even found a new revenue stream despite the city shutting down bars across the city for the third time.

Last season was the first without the main star, Emmy Rossum, but the rest of the Gallagher ramped up their antic, Lip knocked up some chick then rented out an apartment for them to live in without his baby mamma’s permission when her family gave them a house in Wisconsin.  Ian is also basking in marital bliss of his own after making an honest man out of a Mickey Milkovich.  Well, as honest as you can make a Milkovich. 

Debbie started dating her own Milkovich, but still had issues with her former girlfriend and her daughter who she also was lady forking which the city of Chicago was not too happy to find out about.  Then there was Carl who did some undercover work in hopes in getting into the police academy.  Though where the evil cop outine was pretty funny last season, it is pretty cringy watching that stuff go down now.

Sure, they may have to wear mask and Kev had to put up some social distancing markers, but like every obstacle that has come before them, it seems like the Gallagher’s are able to adapt to these times, some of which are even survive.   Sure, it is unfortunate that the show has to adapt to the new way of life in its final season, but then again, wait seven years, and we may very well see teenaged Franny and Freddy running wild on the Southside of Chicago.

 

Shameless airs Sundays at 10:00 on Showtime.

 

 

57 Channels and Only This Is On: February 2, 2020

Dare Me: Just when you thought it was not going to get more gross than someone biting their own lip last week, someone gets their teeth kicked out this week. Except I guess it was implied this week that Beth did not bite her own lip, but that she was sexually assaulted. But was the pool of mouth blood on the mat the same pool of blood from the season premiere? I kind of assumed that someone died. But without actually looking back at that first scene, it did look similar.

Shameless: So the Frank storyline did not amount to anything but to add a car to Ian’s wedding? And was that car always a convertible? But the big news is that Debbie is about to be arrested (and Carl may be right behind her). Although what exactly is the law in Illinois? Most states have a grace period so kids a couple months older but just slightly above the adult line do not get in trouble for this kind of thing. I believe my state has a five year rule which Debbie would be easily inside. But that is it, just one more season left… until the inevitable reboot in ten years.

The Outsider: So that random prison storyline last week was the nurse at Jason Bateman’s father’s hospital? If that was expressed last week, I missed it. Then he opens this week again as we see how he got the “virus.” But the whole pain demon thing that feeds on destroying whole families make it just seems worse than just child murder. So how did the lady in jail survive?

Supergirl: Just when you thought it could not get worse than multiple Brainiac 5’s last week, this week we got multiple Toymen Jr.’s. Ugg. Now if only we could get multiple Saturn Girls.
You can download Supergirl on iTunes.

Manifest: So if that college student ends up forking the daughter who a year ago to him was just ten, would that not be kind of creepy?

Vikings: I thought the Resurrection episode title was going to be a huge spoiler that Floki would finally return after being trapped in a mountain for the last eight episode, instead we got an even more shocking return of Athelstan. Or, I guess someone who claimed to kill him. I had to look it up since it has been so long, but it was Floki who actually killed Athelstan. Umm, whatever that means. Another thing that I am not entirely sure what it means, Ivar brother does not think the queen looks like his dead wife. But he is crazy so maybe that may not mean anything.

The Good Place: So the suicide door turned out not to be a suicide door… but kind of still feels like a suicide door? Sure Eleanor turned into stardust that got Michael Realman’s neighbor to get him his lost mail, but it still seemed to endorse suicide to me. And Michael Realman kind of got a short shrift getting sent to earth in his current form of an old dude. How about giving him a baby skin suit and let live a full life? But I guess even with the suicide door it ended up being a solid finale but I feel like a great finale was sitting right there. Instead of a suicide door, make it a reincarnation door and have the final scene being the soul squad unbeknownst to themselves just happening to bump in to each other.
You can download The Good Place on iTunes.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: January 26, 2020

Ray Donovan: So OG Bridget was pregnant and knocked up by Succession Daddy when she jumped off the roof? Somehow that death got even darker. But no one asked the question I would have asked, did she actually jump or was Succession Daddy getting rid of two problems at once? But after two or three seasons, is the show going back to California? Bridget says she wants to go home. Ray did follow her there. Terry was just there to train a boxer which faded away. Mickey and Bunchy just came to this coast to avoid the law. The whole Donovan tribe could migrate back west. Hey, maybe Connor is just hanging out in the house alone this whole time. I would not mind the move back because the setting was much better there.

Dare Me: Oh wow, finally an entertaining scene with the two half-sisters in therapy with their daddy. More of that please. Less lip biting, too, please. Really more proof, she dies by the end of the season, probably by her own hand.

Shameless: Wait, is the chick would go through great lengths to set up Frank because he got her boyfriend and just casually mentions she is taking a vacation? I thought for sure that was another ploy by her to get back at Frank. Maybe that will come next episode. But if going on two dates at once, a big sitcom clichéd plot, is the best the show can come up with now, maybe it is a good thing they announce next season will be it last (until it is inevitably rebooted in five years). Okay, Mickey as bridezilla was pretty funny.

The Outsider: If you are a super prestige show that does not want its characters to devolve into a caricature, maybe should not introduce your character on the spectrum with a Sheldon Cooper bit. But she did shout out my doppelgänger theory even though it seems to be already debunked as it seems like we are dealing with a shape shifter. Then what was going on in prison? Dude implanted a shiv, but had to craft a shiv to get the other shiv inside him. Then used it to kill himself. Did I miss an episode?

Supergirl: So Crisis gave us a soft reboot which you think would have fixed one of the bigger flaws of this season in Lena’s irrational hated of Supergirl but instead Lex somehow gave her all of her memories. Meh. Even worse, Crisis gave us multiple Braniac 5’s. Ugg. But why were they talking about there only being one Earth now? We saw at the end of Crisis that Doom Patrol et al were still on different Earths? Are they just being self-centered that now that Supergirl is on the same Earth as The Flash and Black Lightning that there are no other Earths out there? Where do they think all those people went? Just were not brought back after they rebooted the timeline? And what happened to Miss Tessmacher? Lena essentially killed her last season turning her into a robot? Is she still a robot? Is she dead? Is she back as a secretary at CatCo? Since Lex never was “evil” in this timeline, does she not become evil? Is she with Leviathan? It was weird that she ran into Leviathan is the season finale, but that really was not brought up this season.
You can download Supergirl on iTunes.

Manifest: Really, all that to get cave boy out of prison after he pleads guilty? Just seemed like they need to fill and extra episode. And I missed the connection between yoga mom and the university guy? Are they plotting something together?

Vikings: Well the episode title, Valhalla Ca Wait turned out to be a huge spoiler. Though I did think the skies would open up and put out the flames, instead it was his brother who would save him. Then with three episodes left (at least until the end of the half season, I kind of hate when they block off episodes like this, just call each ten episodes a season if the next ten will not air for months) we finally go back to Iceland. I wonder if we will finally get any definitive proof of Loki, dead or alive.

The Good Place: I did not like all the Best Show of the Decades that came out late last year, I thought it was silly to rank The Good Place with five episodes remaining which no one is not going to be considered when ranking the Best Shows of the 20’s. What is the show had a Game of Thrones type ending that knocks it down five to ten spots? Really, if the door they came up with this week, which sounded very pro-suicide to me, turns out to be suicide, this show might sink more than ten spot on my list which I hope to have out before the end of the year… I hope.
You can download The Good Place on iTunes.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: January 19, 2020

Ray Donovan: Ray has gotten out of some sticky situation, but being caught on tape admitting to killing multiple police officers, then assaulting one of the officers taping you seemed like a very hard predicament to escape. But apparently even murder can be forgiven if you can help take down the dirty mayor. Alrighty. Seems like some jail time would still be warranted.

Dare Me: Still mostly bored, but I am now predicting the Queen B chick hurting herself turns out to be the forshaddowing from the beginning of each episode.

Shameless: Debbie living the dream of hooking up with a mother and her daughter. Great like from her friend about Debbie is going down. But will Lip really be going down… to Wisconsin? A free house is a free house. Although the renting it seems like a decent option. Or maybe sell it and buy something closer to Chicago. I do not see Lip living out in the country.

The Outsider: I think I may have cracked the case while making a joke on social media. While Jason Bateman was getting arrested, I commented that of course he was a child murderer; he has an evil doppelganger goatee. Which made me think, oh, maybe the twist is that actually is an evil doppelganger out there.

Crisis on Infinite Earths: So the Green Arrow died and became The Spectre and then died as The Sprectre? Huh? And what happened to his hot daughter? Shouldn’t she get his chair? But really, had it not been for all those cameos (oh wow, movie Flash), this crossover would have been a complete and utter mess that made little to no sense. Okay, the comics it was based on made little to no sense so I guess it was faithful. But if Gleek is in for the next crossover sign me up.
You can download Supergirl on iTunes.

Almost Family: Is the show implying that Britanny Snow’s mother is a homosexual? I guess if she looks anything like Brittany Snow, she could very well turn and gay dude straight.
You can download Almost Family on iTunes.

Vikings: Sure Lagatha went out kind of weakly last week being done in by a crazy person after surviving an epic fight but at least she got a hero’s send off this week. I guess that leaves Bjorn as the only original character still alive. Maybe Floki. We never got a definitive answer either way other than we last saw him stuck in a cave and he has gone missing. I guess a very old Rollo is out there somewhere in France.

The Good Place: So after showing up at the end of the Crisis, Gleek’s name shows up on the blackboard of potential humans that could work in the new system that could get into the Good Place. Obviously that had to be Jason’s suggestion. But add Vicky running the new Good Place evaluation system to potential spin-off I really want to see. Granted, I do not believe Team Cockroach will stay in the Good Place and will eventually run the new system with Michael by the finale.
You can download The Good Place on iTunes.

57 Channels and Only This is On: January 11, 2020

Ray Donovan: Oh snap, Smitty was wearing a wire. Although it is not like the first time Ray got caught by law enforcement. I believe the FBI owned him for a couple seasons so I am sure he will somehow weasel his way out of this even though he is on tape admitting to shooting a cop. Maybe he will finally give up his father. But I do not see Smitty making it to the end of the season, but will it be Ray or Bridget who does it? But I was surprised that that one dude implied that Succession daddy had something to do with Ray’s sister’s death and Ray did not go straight to the source. Did the guy stage the suicide? Did he do something that made Bridget so guilty to commit suicide? I guess they are saving that for the finale because obviously Ray will not be going to jail or at the very least will not be staying there long.

Dare Me: So in the dead of night, shooting into two headlights from maybe twenty yards away though a windshield, that chick’s camera phone could clearly show the faces of two people in the cab of a truck? My camera phone is not good with some bomb lighting. Granted I do not have a sugar daddy who will buy me a new one whenever I lose one. I know ads like to hype how well their cameras are but I have yet to actually see one that good.

Shameless: Frank went to college for ten years? Where did he get the money? Was he just making that part up and the lady did not smash the Oxy because she just did not know? And just how did Frank end up in a car with a college football player and crack?

Manifest: Oh, wow, I kind of actually remember the black dude at the end. I believe he was a federal agent that got blew up. Of course, that begs the question, how the fork is he still alive?

Stumptown: So Dex is this army-trained soldier that we have seen take down multiple dudes at a time, but she has trouble with an old Asian dude? Unless that was Mr. Miyagi, it should not been that hard.
You can download Stumptown on iTunes.

Vikings: Stabbing someone with your barely still there shield and then finishing them off with their own sword had to be one of the greatest ways to kill someone. But to put up that kind of fight only be killed by a crazy person trying to kill a serpent was a sad way to go. But then again, she did kill his mother if I remember correctly. Then what is the Russian dude up to? It is still hard to believe that Ivar’s dead wife looks like his betrothed and he would mount her in front of him, but how could he know and how could he make her look like the dead wife?

The Good Place: So when Timothy Olyphant popped up, I commented on social media that this will already be the best cameo of the year, unless of course Scone Cold Steve Austin shows up in the finale. Then someone pointed out that Blake Bortales would beat them both. I am an idiot.
You can download The Good Place on iTunes.