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 an Only This Is On: 9/10/2017

The Strain: The good news, everyone is finally back together. The bad news, apparently that includes Zach. Clearly his dad will take him back but if that brat turns his back on human kind again, I am throwing something at my television. But it looks I was right that Setrakian did not come away scott free from the Nazi. At least he got a hero’s death but still sad he did not live long enough to get rid of The Master.
You can download The Strain on iTunes.

The Challenge: Dirty 30: Wait, weren’t Camilla and Tony a team on Rivals? And didn’t they get kicked off for fighting each other? And this is why I stopped getting drunk a long time ago. But it was kind of disappointing that they pretty much skipped a bunch of the guy’s trivia.
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: 7/30/2017

Claws: Of course Dean and Roller ended up at the same art exhibit. But c’mon Virginia, take a photo to show Desna. But who exactly was looking for Roller if everyone thought he was dead? Did Uncle Daddy investigate the hung up he had from last episode. So what is going to happen next week that will keep Uncle Daddy from killing Desna for trying to kill Roller? Cannot imaging that will come with a huge price.
You can download Claws on iTunes.

The Strain: Oh, hey, Gus has hair? The reverse Ephraim. We also get our first glimpse of Dutch and Setrakian who were still together. So how did they split from Fett?
You can download The Strain on iTunes.

I’m Dying Up Here: Maybe not the best sign on a show about comedy is that the hardest I laughed so far was at the Hispanic guy running from the cop. And he got caught.

Midnight, Texas: Well that was boring for a show about the supernatural.
You can download Midnight, Texas on iTunes.

Casual: Awe, the nineties, when bands like Local H could actually have a hit and people could waste money just to see a movie trailer. Alex and Valerie were still living together. I am not entirely sure we need to learn just where Alex’s obsession with waffles started.
You can stream Casual on Hulu.

The Challenge: Dirty 30: I understand not having a cameraman at the Redemption House full time, but how do they not have a security camera? From the description that is one of the most epic fails in reality production history.
You can download The Challenge: Dirty 30 on iTunes

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 7/23/2017

Claws: So Jenn is going to put two and two together that the people who killed Roller were also Desna’s foster parents. I guess that would be a mighty big coincidence. Not that Roller is actually dead, he is hanging out by a mountain of public hair. Though I am not sure why he just does not snatch the buzzer from the old chick to keep him from shocking him.
You can download Claws on iTunes.

The Strain: Usually I complain during season premieres that I do not remember what happened and the short “previously on” segments were not cutting it. I was smart enough to go on YouTube before the premiere and watch a lengthy season recap. Oh yeah, Angel died, the councilwoman died; oh yeah and that little twerp of a son set off a forking nuclear bomb and doomed the human race simply because his father killed his vampire mother WHO WAS TRYING TO KILL HIM. Ugg. And now that twerp has an annoying haircut. Now we are hear nine months later (um, do does they make a new instructional video every month saying how long it has been) and the humans are essential enslaved. What exactly does Fett want with a nuclear bomb? Does setting off a second bomb end nuclear winter?
You can download The Strain on iTunes.

I’m Dying Up Here: Cassie is supposed to be the hot one on that comedy special? The others better be really funny. I wonder if CBS actually did a Women Are Funny Too special back then.

Preacher: Well that was some unnecessary flashbacks. It would have been more entertaining had we just got to watch them watching Bob Ross the whole time.
You can download Preacher on iTunes.

Casual: “Leah and Leon”: that sounds like a spinoff title. And of course she proposed with some weird big show. Oh my goodness. But poor Alex, the self-centered part of him thought he was going to be best man when he could not even get groomsman. But I fear him as the officiant. I guess the wedding will be the season finale. Kind of ominous if so considering the first two seasons ended with a funeral.
You can stream Casual on Hulu.

The Challenge: Dirty 30: So the Dirty 30 season started out with just 28 contestants. Okay, CT’s passport issues will eventually get fixed because he is in the “This Season On” package. But what went on with SmAshly (who looked a lot better with the shorter haircut)? She seems to quit every season, including last season right before the final. But actually left this time because the airline lost her bra? Do they not have Target in Columbia to get more? And they just let her leave this time, not even a TJ scolding. And then how can you have “the thirty dirtiest players in the history of the Challenge” then bring in about six new people. And what the fork is non-binary? Still the actually challenge was pretty entertaining. Shocking to see Darrell exit this early, though apparently not really, it is another season where people will be fighting to get back in the game apparently.
You can download The Challenge: Dirty 30 on iTunes

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 11/6/16

Once Upon a Time: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea? Again, if the Animal Farm animals show up, I am out. And didn’t Hook’s brother already die in Neverland? Did he have another one I forgot about already?
You can download Once Upon a Time on iTunes.

Shameless: You gotta love that Carl turns out to be part Indian and he cop mentor ends up being part Puritan, who oppressed Carl’s “People”. But haven’t they already done the Fiona and Vee on the outs storyline? I am ready for them to just reconcile or at least just completely blow things up.

The Walking Dead: I was just whining last week how depressing the show had gotten, to the point is was moving into torture porn territory. And this week they introduce a self-professed king and his pet tiger who does not seem to be evil at all. Where has King Ezekiel been hiding all this time?

Masters of Sex: So the first time (I think) Virginia ever professed her love was while pretending to be other people. Kind of sums up that relationship. And of course while they are off looking for clinics stealing their method, Nancy is plotting her own exodus who got even more underhanded by telling Art she is tired with the swinging lifestyle only to go back to her favorite swing afterwards. Should be interesting to see what her endgame is.

The Strain: Wow, what a brat, setting off a nuclear bomb because his father killed his undead mother. Little Godweather may have just vaulted up to the top of the list of the worst TV kid ever, and that is a pretty extensive list.
You can download The Strain on iTunes.

Gotham: “Stop the press,” good original Batman shout out. But I am getting tired of the Mad Hatter storyline, that is not a villain that deserves his own season long story arc, a villain of the week episode would have sufficed.
You can download Gotham on iTunes.

Supergirl: I get a strong Smallville vibe between Kara and Lena. I just hope if that is the case we do not have to wait five long and slow seasons to have the two turn against each other as she embrasses the darkside. But on the flipside of that, having Kara and Mon-El accept each other after one episode when their races have been in a blood feud for centuries seemed a bit fast. It would be a bit disappointing if all the new characters (Mon-E;, Lena Luther, Miss Martian, hot lesbian vop) turn out to be allies with only an episode or two of being an anagonist at top. One of them has tto go full heel at some point.
You can download Supergirl on iTunes.

Timeless: Wait, why did Flynn go back to the Alamo again? Just to kill everyone four days earlier? Kind of a waste of a time machine if you ask me. But one interesting part was Flynn teling Santa Anna he should grant quarter to the women and children as he is also a father. Could Flynn be Lucy’s currently unknown father? Seems obvious until I actually think about the logistics as he does not seem that much older than her (not that stops Hollywood as I believe the Gilmore Girls are only about nine years apart in real life). But then ago, current day Flynn could have gone back thirty-ish years and impregnated Lucy’s mother.
You can download Timeless on iTunes.

Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen. X: So three post swap Tribal and three times the majority generation sent home one of their own. The Millennials go into the merge with the advantage but a lot of bad blood so it may very well be one of them heading off to the jury first. Except here we are at the merge and I still have no interest in rooting for any of these people.
Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen. X on iTunes.

The Good Place: The DJ monk finally got found out by his “lifepartner” though I was a bit disappointed that there was not his “real” version of him on The Bad Place train. But what was with the no new episodes until January? Why are they not airing up to the week before Thanksgiving? What exactly is NBC airing the next two weeks then? I looked up next week, but the regular line up is being pre-empted here for the Browns Thursday Night Football game. So expect the NFL primetime game ratings to continue to decline.
You can download The Good Place on iTunes.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 10/30/16

Shameless: Really, you are inviting real cops to your speakeasy? Not the brightest idea, surprisingly that did not turn out bad. Really things are looking up for most of the Gallagher’s, except Frank whose homeless shelter is about to b destroyed. I wonder when things are going to turn around or are could the family finally be succeeding for the first time?

The Walking Dead: So having to wait months to learn who Negan exacted his revenge, we have to wait until the third segment. I was leaning towards thinking it would be the gay dude whose name I have yet to bother to learn yet. Instead it was my second pick who spent most of last season kind of moping around waiting to die and from a tactical perspective was the smart person to take out as he was the biggest. The shocker though was thanks to Daryl getting out of time, there was a second causality and it was Glenn who they went out of their way to make us think he was dead, going so far to take the actor’s name out of the credits. So really a drag of an episode and when Negan forced to cut off Carl’s arm, I was starting to realize this show is just turning into torture porn. It may be time for me to just dump the entire Walking Dead franchise; it is just getting too depressing.
You can download The Walking Dead on iTunes.

Masters of Sex: Mmmm, a same sex team at Masters and Johnson, this should be interesting, mostly the female team. Also clever of Betty to the biological father to gain control of the baby. I still think this may not work out for her.

The Strain: Wait, the bomb the Nazi vampire set off last week was supposed to be nuclear? Shouldn’t that have done a bit more damage? And is Quinlin really that fast to outrun a nuclear blast? Alrighty. Unfortunately the Silver Angel cannot outrun the vampires. Le sigh. At least we will not have any of those weird scenes with Gus speaking English and Angel speaking Spanish.
You can download The Strain on iTunes.

Gotham: I joked last week I joked the moment between Riddler and Penguin was more believable than Batman and Catwoman. It turns out that Penguin actually has feelings for the Riddler… Alrighty.
You can download Gotham on iTunes.

Supergirl: Holy Miss Martian sighting! I take it this version is not Hank’s niece like in Young Justice; instead she may end up being Hank’s love interest.

Timeless: I figured that Lucy and the gang would show up in a James Bond novel, but for another week, no major changes in her modern day life. Meh.
You can download Timeless on iTunes.

Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen. X: Two weeks after the tribe swap and second time where the majority tribe going in loses a member. But unlike last week, this seems like the right move. Adam was on the bottom rung of the Millennial tribe and last week’s vote saw there were cracks in the Gen Xers so that makes it worth the gamble. Teaming up with Zeke and his new allies may actually work if they all make the merge.
Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen. X on iTunes.

Blindplot: Please give Rich Dotcom his own spin-off, or just add him to the team.
You can download Blindspot on iTunes.

The Good Place: Oh snap, the Bad Place guy has the real Eleanor. I wonder if the real monk is also on the train. And the more she name drops, the more I think Tahani does not really belong in the Good Place either.
You can download The Good Place on iTunes.

The Blacklist: Poor Aram, he lands a hot chick only for to be evil, but of course that always seems to be the case in shows like these. He may not have, but I should have known better.
You can download The Blacklist on iTunes.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 10/23/16

Once Upon a Time: When the new teacher’s aide showed up talking about a princess from another land, I was really hoping this was going to be a Galavant crossover because that actress played a princess on the show. But alas, she turned out to be Princess Jasmine from Aladdin.
You can download Once Upon a Time on iTunes.

Shameless: It was a long time coming, but Fiona is really laying down the law. But I wonder which Gallaher moves out first. I have a feeling they will all move out and will be back together by the season finale. Also, Frank’s new family will actually be disbanded by the end of the season.

Masters of Sex: Oh no, as soon as the baby was delivered, I had a sinking suspicion something was wrong, then Barton told Dr. Masters to scrub up. Now we are likely to have a custody battle that I cannot see Betty even getting her day in court back in the seventies.

The Strain: Did the writers forget that Gus had an older brother? Or did I misremember things? But I am pretty sure he was played by Weevil Navarro.
You can download The Strain on iTunes.

Gotham: At the end, I actually thought for a moment the Penguin and the Riddler were going to kiss. Of course they have more chemistry than Batman and Catwoman who had an extremely awkward kiss themselves.
You can download Gotham on iTunes.

Supergirl: And here is why I feared the show getting demoted to The CW, they bring in Metallo and then turn him into a male stripper. What the frack? And what was with Hank hiding as a little girl. Speaking of Hank, what was with Superman outing everyone’s secret identity? At the DEO, he called Hank Jonn and Supergirl Kara.

Timeless: I hope it does not become a thing where episodes where history does not change become less interesting. Actually things changed last week and I was still disappointed that nothing dramatic happened in Lucy's home like in the first episode where her sister no longer existed and now has a fiancee. I kind of want something dramatic to happen every week.
You can download Timeless on iTunes.

Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen. X: Never a good sign when one of your tribemates have to ask, “Is he trying to throw this?” Even worse when the answer is probably no, he is just that incompetent. Poor David. But at least he was able to replenish his Idol after questionably giving his last one to Jessica. I actually thought he might actually lose it again on CeCe and that would have been at least defensible. Now he may be fourth in a four person tribe. Yeah he still has an Idol, but if his tribe loses two more Immunity Challenges before the merge that will not do him much good.
Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen. X on iTunes.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 10/9/16

Once Upon a Time: Am I really going to dust off my high school reading list for this season? The Count of Monte Cisco? If they gang runs into the animals of Animal Farm, I may finally have to quit this show.
You can download Once Upon a Time on iTunes.

Fear the Walking Dead: Oh snap, Travis just totally went HAM on those people that killed his son. But Christopher should have known if they were so quick to kill their friend, they would do the same to him.
You can download Fear the Walking Dead on iTunes.

Masters of Sex: C’mon Lester, how do you not know they you have to re-fog the window by breathing on it to get the phone number? But a weird “coat” party. Betty goes home with a gay do they stares at him lingering when he answers the phone. Is she going to use him to make her girlfriend jealous, or is she looking for an assistant of her own? Then it was a shame Libby and Bill did not stick around to take coats that could have had fireworks. Then pour Virginia’s assistant, almost a sad sack as Lester, but at least the latter got some.

The Strain: What exactly was Fet doing all day? He went into the tunnels at dawn but did not get to the nest until dusk while Ephraim was quickly able to get to the lair fairly quickly. And when he ran into Gus, they all seemed comfortable letting the hot chick and the crippled old man get to the surface alone.
You can download The Strain on iTunes.

Gotham: When Hugo Strange was creating new personas for the Indian Hills residents, I thought the Alice in Wonderland book was a Mad Hatter Easter egg. Turns out it was his sister. Who knew Mad Hatter had a sister? And for someone experimented on, she seems relatively even keel: she was able to get a job, was compassionate enough to torch the bar where she spilled her blood because she knows her blood is poison, and even saved James from her brother.
You can download Gotham on iTunes.

Timeless: I figured that when Lucy came back, her mother would be better, but oh my, they made her sister not exist because the Hindenburg did not crash when it was supposed to. I did find the Pilot entertaining, but the more I think about their time travel laws, the more it kind of bugs me. Okay, I get they cannot go back and try to get the Hindenburg to crash on schedule to avoid seeing themselves but why is that stopping three other people from going back in time? Or go back a day before leave a message for them and travel back?
You can download Timeless on iTunes.

Conviction: It is depressing that there was actually a person who watched this Pilot and thought, “yeah, I would rather have Haley Atwell star in this on my network instead of Agent Carter.” And then make her do an American accent… c’mon, she couldn’t be the Prime Minister’s rebellious daughter who emigrated to leave the watchful eye of her parents?
You can download Conviction on iTunes.

Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen. X: Survivor has become so predictable that even when something shocking happens, it is actually predictable. When Gen X lost, I thought, obviously CeCe is going home, then in th testimonial, one of the guys said, CeCe was the obvious vote, which then made me think, wait, that means CeCe is not going home. So of course when the old dude who, c’mon, is really Baby Boomer, got targeted, I knew it was going to be him. Meh.
Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen. X on iTunes

Blindplot: I never understand all the people who put their guns down to try to talk down a crazy person with a firearm. C’mon, stay put and let the fifteen year old empty her clip and then talk her down.
You can download Blindspot on iTunes.

The Blacklist: As a pretentious armchair television critic, I like to complain about procedurals, but I actually liked this show a lot better when they were taking down a new bad guy every episode instead spending all this time on Liz’s baby.
You can download The Blacklist 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: 10/11/15

Fear the Walking Dead: Well that had to be the dumbest idea in the history of bad ideas to let out an arena full of zombie and lead them into the building you are trying to sneak in to. Certainly there had to be a better plan out there than that. And that ocean looked pretty blood red which is ominous for the next season.
You can download Fear the Walking Dead on iTunes.

The StrainWith everyone converging on the Luman I predicted someone would die. I was right and wrong, no one going after the book perished but the show befuddingly killed off the two hot chicks. Hurph.
You can download The Strain on iTunes.

Quantico:Of course the dude did not die in the future, but I guess it is better than waiting until the middle of the season to reveal that like the first season of Revenge. Then my favorite twist from the premiere the twin Arabs got a little less interesting after learning they were brought in by the Assistant Director. And it is too obvious of a prediction that the gay dude is not really gay and just wants to be the first openly gay recruit? I would not be at all surprised if he does not hook up with one of the Arab Twins before Christmas.
You can download Quantico on iTunes.

Gotham: Barbra and Tigress, oh my. I know we the audience know he is evil, but c'mon, did no one notice how bad Galavan and Jerome were interacting in their interaction? At least they killed the latter because he was really becoming the annoying. But Alfred flirting with Dr. Tomkins really made this episode.
You can download Gotham on iTunes.

The Voice: Only one episode this week but the final Auditions did bring a couple of great song choices before the coaches take over and pick the same tired songs (Ain't No Mountain High Enough and yet another Sam Smith song were featured in the promo, le sigh). The last gasp song first ever songs from the catalogs of Tom Waits, Gary Clark Jr., Wonderwall (darn you montage) and whoever you want to credit Dream a Little Dream to, Mama Cass probably being the most famous. But we hay have had our worst Blind Audition of the season when someone had the audacity to try to cover The Scientist. Um, no, Holly Henry owns that cover; it should be retired to The Voice Hall of Fame (to a lesser extent Shelby Brown was alright, but she is no Amanda Brown).

Blindspot: Well that was shocking. I expected bearded dude to be an integral part of the show and they just killed him off. But who exactly was he telling Lady Siff not to trust? I thought he was talking about the FBI but was he not the one who sent her to them? We do know he wiped her memory, but maybe he did not put the tattoos on her. Mmmm, this show is slowly getting interesting. At least we got confirmation that Lady Siff is the FBI dude's childhood friend (which ironically made me a little suspicious that maybe she is not for the first time; though I still think his father was/is involved) so they are not drawing out that storyline.
You can download Blindspot on iTunes..

Castle: I guess I read the Kate leaving situation wrong, she was not leaving town to catch the bad guys, just leaving Castle to keep him safe. Alrightly. But it turns out I am kind of right with Alexis turning into Veronica Mars. Not only did she go blonde but investigated a Stanford Prison Experiment, something Ronnie did in season three. And if Halloween lasts all month like Kate suggests, does that mean we get three more weeks of Angel Alexis? I would not have any problems with that.
You can download Castle.

Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Well that was disappointing. I was hoping that we would get more of Gemma on the other planet, maybe running into otherworldly characters in the Marvel universe. Instead we got maybe two minutes on the other planet. We did not even get to see what was chasing her last week. Meh. Maybe she brought back a parasite or two.
You can download Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. on iTunes.

Survivor:Second Chances: For those keeping track at home, there have been three episodes and Abi Maria has switched alliances three times. Awesome. Seriously, how do you have a four to two advantage in the numbers and then have three of them being the only three discussed in going home. You would think having all returning players would cut down on the stupid mistakes but this has been the most wild season after three episodes maybe ever. On paper taking Abi Maria to the finals is a sound strategy because no one would vote for her but everyone she is aligned with keep on getting voted out the very next episode. I cannot wait to see who she turns on next week.
You can download Survivor: Second Chance on iTunes.

Modern Family: Boooooooo. I was hoping Dylan was going to move in permanently.
You can download Modern Family on iTunes.

The Blacklist: So Ressler would not stop the Russian limo because it was tantamount to invading Russian soil to arrest Lizzie, but he had no problem possibly starting World War III to save her life. I love the logic on the show.
The Blacklist on iTunes.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 10/4/15

Once Upon a Time: Seriously, who brings a baby into a twister bound restaurant to another land? But anyway. I kind of liked the ending even though it probably means for the first part of the season we will probably get split story lines from present day and six months ago.

Ray Donovan: So the pop Armenian singer did not work? Maybe I should have guessed that you should not trust Armenian gangsters to keep their word. I was a bit surprised that the FBI guy did not come back at all, Ray did shoot and left him by the side of the road. Maybe next season. Instead we had to spend too much time with Bridget and her teacher who, yes, crossed the proverbial line, but did not do so with two feet. But they did go back to the priest whose storyline was dropped halfway through the season, but no Arayians who were dropped around the same time. But I am guessing Ray going back to the Lord will not last by the time season four comes around.

Fear the Walking Dead: Wait, are the two step siblings going to hook up. That is kind of ew. And why trash the house, just live there? It is much nicer than the one you are living in and the owners are not coming back. And why do I care more about some silly throwaway scene more than the revelation that they are going to "humanely" kill off the civilian population.

Masters of Sex: Oh wow, Bill gave up on Virginia. So does that mean the Little Brown Man (when Betty first said this I was like "oh my" as I did not know that Little Brown was a publishing house) goes nuclear at the press party telling the press about Bill's legal trouble? It it plausible with how the show does time jumps that Bill could spend some time in prison (like the last two summers I am going to stay away from the spoiler zone that is his Wikipedia page). Then there are the questions of the state of his marriage, whether Virginia marries the scent king, and Bill's legal troubles. It actually may be harder not to look at spoilers this time around.

The Strain: I would not all be disappointed if the show devolved into the Gus and Angel show. It would be better than bring back the rat that sits on Eph's head. And it was a different wig to. I wonder if Corey Stoll burned the anime looking original wig and when it came time for the flashback the costume department just had to grab a random one off the rack. I joked earlier this season that they were not going to kill someone off right after including an opening credits sequence (which aired just that one time randomly) but someone has to die next week, right? With everyone descending on the Luman it is hard to think all the players get out alive. Sadly I think it may be the Nazi Vampire (who would have guessed three years ago I would be sad someone killed a Nazi vampire?).
You can download The Strain on iTunes.

Quantico: When I saw the previews I wrote that best case scenario it was going to be Homeland season four; worst case scenario: Homeland season three. After one episode it looks much more like season three. Actually it may be worse, it may be more like some crappy Shonda Rhimes show where absurdly attractive professionals have sex with each other in between twists upon twists even if those twists are extremely obvious or make little to no sense. Really the only twist I liked from the premiere (even though it fell into the makes no sense category) was the Muslim twins. I also do not like the storytelling devise of flashing back to the first days of Quantico mixed with a blown up building. Why not tell a linear story of the first days of the FBI and then blow up the building in the season or mid-season final? But I will continue to watch. And let me go ahead and predict the FBI trainer guy is the one setting up the hot Indian chick. Either him or "Taylor Swift" because it will either be the most obvious or one that makes little to no sense.
You can download Quantico on iTunes.

Gotham: So the big new from the show this week was that Jim Gordon and Leslie Thompkins are having a kid. Well not on the show but the actors are in real life. Alright. I wonder if that will be written into the show or she will be hiding behind medical tables soon or maybe she will be kidnapped in the second half of the season. As for the actual show, so a bunch of cheerleaders are about to be set on fire but no one thought to go out the fire door?
You can download Gotham on iTunes.

The Voice: The first couple seasons were mostly enjoyable, I made it through the whole season for the first and third seasons (I have to skip the disastrous second season finale). Since then I usually am out sometime around the time the show goes live. I usually fault this on the lack of good singers because in those first three seasons the openly recruited seasoned professionals but since has been more of American Idol type show with mostly armatures (seriously who are there some many teenagers with braces this season?). In the first three seasons there were about twelve different singers on the show who were already in my music library before they auditioned by since that number is one (and she was montaged off the show).

Then this week I was kind of bored again with the same old mediocre teenagers doing boring and bland karaoke versions of songs. And then they introduced another rocker nanny, which we have seen a few times on the show (remember the good old days when Alicia Keys backup singers were the cliche; have we run out of Alicia Keys back up singers?). But then rocker nanny mentioned she used to be in a band called Sleeper Agent. Wait, what? Not only were they in my music library, their song Get Burned was #22 on my list of The 100 Best Songs of 2012. Okay so her Blind Audition was not great, but if she makes it around to the Knockout Round maybe they will actually let her perform Get Burned.

Last week I mentioned how the Blind Auditions bring out some awesome song selections (before devolving into the same overused catalog in the Battle that get more tired the closer to the finale) and this we got first ever songs on the show from Cheap Trick, Mountain, Cameo, Andrew McMahon In the Wilderness, oh yeah, and someone auditioned with the Rollergirl theme song. That was definitely the most random song choice since someone sang The Jeffersons Theme Song.

Blindspot: Well that is and interesting plot that Lady Sif may be someone from the FBI's past (whom his father was accused of kidnapping and murdering). I do fear this may play out like The Blacklist where there was overwhelming evidence that Red is Lizzie's father only for Red to deny it for two seasons. I am guessing the DNA match will come up negative next week but still tease that that is what happen. The show would be much interesting if it turns out FBI guy's dad did actually kidnap Lady Sif and was the one who trained her.
You can download Blindspot on iTunes..

Castle: Wait, what just happened, is Kate leaving the show or are we getting two separate story lines every week, case of the week and Kate looking for the real killers? I mentioned last week offhandedly I would not mind if the show switched into a Veronica Mars, father daughter PI dynamic with Castle and Alexis but I did not actually think it might happen.
You can download Castle.

Marvel's Agents of S.I.E.L.D.: So over their summer vacation Fitz went from brain damaged to Indiana Jones. Alrighty. While I have spent all summer trying to figure out what happened to Gemma and a black hole portal that bends space and time never once crossed my mind. Hopefully the end of this storyline is not as bad as the ending to Intersteller. But anyway. I am not that familiar with Marvel comics so I am not entirely sure where she is and even though cinematic characters rarely show up, I will be slightly disappointed if we do not see one of the Guardians of the Galaxy. Hey, Bradly Cooper has shown willingness to show up on crappy televised versions of his movies. I would even be content with the cosmonaut dog or even Howard the Duck.I was interested in the clock counting down until the Inhumans reach one hundred percent but there are no Marvel movies coming out February 2017 (assuming my math is right) but the next movie after that is the second Guardians movie, not that Gemma will still be around by then (unless this is like the Intersteller water planet where hour equaled like five Earth years). Plus we are still four years away from an Inhumans movie. Speaking of which, the new big bad is effectively scary in a Buffy monster of the week kind of way.
You can download Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. on iTunes.

Survivor: Second Chances: After thirty season, Survivor has become a well oiled machine that I can recognize every beat that it hits. But that last segment was a weird one. When Varner teased before the break that Shirin and Spencer sealed their fate, I have been conditioned to think either 1) his plan will go horribly wrong or 2) the show will may think think someone is going to flip but ended up towing the line. So when Abi Maria actually told Shirin she was probably going home I though, uh oh, you never tell someone that, now those two will scramble to get someone out. So when they talked to Wooooooooooooo I thought we would get Wooooooooooo saying that maybe he should weigh his option, but no, he shut them down right then. So when they walked to Tribal Council I thought, okay, Abi is going to go full crazy Brazilian chick and get people to turn on them. But no. The dominate alliance did not even mess up splitting the vote. So not only is the show playing with the contestants this season (two twists in the premiere and the promos spoiling another big one next week) they are playing with the viewer's expectations too. And I kind of like it.
You can download Survivor: Second Chance on iTunes.

Nashville: I wonder why they did not kill Deacon's sister last week but I guess they just waited a week.
You can download Nashville on iTunes.

The Blacklist: This show really needed a previously on package. It is hard enough for me to remember last week let along what happen three or four months ago. But, oh my, blonde Lizzy.
The Blacklist on iTunes.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 9/19/15

Masters of Sex: Last week I pondered if Lizzie way actually leave Bill first and possibly turn into Betty Draper, and this week she gets engaged sort of (I am slightly vague on the timeline but I think Betty also got engaged before actually divorcing Don). Although Libby, do you really want to be the rebound for someone whose wife just died? Then there was the bigger plot twist of annoying Christian dude getting into Beth Greene's car. So is she just a spy that got too caught up in the surrogate program or is she really rebelling against the church as well as her parents?

Ray Donovan: So the whole Armenian gangster plot line was resolved by an Armenian pop star? Alrighty. I wonder if Bunchy did not get involved if Ray would have just let Micky get killed. Even worse is Abby not calling the cops on creepy math teacher. I never understand why television parents keep letting their children hook up with their teachers (even though the teacher's story in this case is mostly the truth). But at least former FBI guy was around this week to make things interesting. Oh, and Avi, that may be the dumbest blackmail ploy ever, but at least it is entertaining.

The Strain: So the show starts airing a title sequence randomly in the middle of the second season only to pull it the next week. Huh? But anyway. I never though Eph would actually kill the old dude but was deeply disappointed that he did get the hot French assistant. Shockingly the Master placated the old dude's temper tantrum and revived her. But judging from her reaction, she may not thank old dude for it. I do hope she ends up joining the good guys who may need a new hot blond in their ranks now that Dutch is is the Nazi Vampire's weird sex dungeon.
You can download The Strain on iTunes.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 9/12/15

Ray Donovan: Holy former head of the FBI West sighting! I certainly did not see that coming but I am glad he is back because he was the best part of the vastly improved second season. He was pretty uneventful this week but hopefully he runs into Ray next week.And though the wedding went off without a hitch despite the groom being arrested, I still fear for the safety of the bride. A couple of weeks ago when I was surprised Chekhov's gun did not kill anyone even though I though Terry would accidentally shoot her, I still think she may not make it to the en of the season with the Armenians and Aryans still out there, someone has to pay for the aggrieved parties so every week she is still around, I will be shocked.

The Last Ship: Well I did not see that ending coming. Granted I would be almost as shocked if the good doctor does not survive being shot despite being at close range and her shooter passing right by here and could have easily put a bullet in her brain to make sure he finished the job. But it may be best if she did die, they really do not need that character anymore now that the cure is being distributed and having her on the show would just be shoehorning her in.
You can download The Last Ship on iTunes.

Masters of Sex: The thing about basing television shows based on real people, you go in knowing spoilers, this biggest with this show is knowing that Bill and Virginia end up getting married. So you have to feel sorry for Libby knowing she is kind of a lame duck waiting to get divorced and either be written off the show or turn into Betty Draper with people wondering why she is still on the show every time she pops up. Though I know their marriage dissolved, I do not know the circumstances around it, and just always assumed Bill leaves her for Virginia. I am starting to think Libby may actually be the one who leaves Bill. Which ever way it is I feel bad for which ever parent is stuck with the eldest Masters chick, wow, was he harsh this week. But my favorite part of the episode was Sarah Silverman announcement she was pregnant. Can we please get a Three's Company type spin off with all of them?

The Strain: Am I the least observant person in the world or was this the first time the show had a title sequence? Odd choice to include one half way through the second season. And it kind of hurt the episode. With the Jew and the Nazi vampire looking for each other for one last battle, I figured that it would end in a stalemate yet again because why create a title sequence with both of them in it only to kill one off the first time you use it? Same goes for Vampire Mom, I figured she would get away too thanks to vampire super speed. Which begs the question, why doesn't the Master give super speed to all his spawn? That would seem helpful as apposed to the almost zombie type movements of the lesser vampires.
You can download The Strain on iTunes.

Public Morals: I though it was a weird and poor idea for the show to put up the first four episodes for the bingewatchers after the first episode but the show went full Aquarius putting all ten episode On Demand over the extended Labor Day weekend. I am not sure how successful either attempts at nontraditional releases, we will have to see if the show is renewed or if TNT tries something like this again (it is premiering a new show late this fall and the bingewatching model would seem more successful during the Christmas break as opposed to summer). I am glad they did this so I would not have to wait until November to see the two episodes that were not part of the screeners. I do have some thoughts on the series as a whole so if you did not take advantage of the binge watch you will not want to continue reading. Spoiler Alert Warning If Drew Holt's college girlfriend did not want to become pregnant maybe she should have had that hideous hairstyle earlier in the season because less people would have tried to have sex with her wit that on top of her head. But seriously, that was kind of a weird season finale. Why not end on Patton's car getting blown up instead of Michael Rappaport storming out of the prostitute with the changing accent's apartment? That makes for a much better cliffhanger. And if you are not going end on the exploding car, why have Ed Burns say he is going to go to his aunt's, where we know Neil McDonough is hiding, and not actually have him go there? It kind of felt like a rushed editing job all around.
Public Morals on iTunes.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 9/5/15

Hannibal: I was unfamiliar with most things Hannibal before watching the show so they actually did fool me of the Red Dragon shooting himself in the face. But as we come to the end of the season and quite possibly the season I am almost glad it is over because they really laid on the homoerotic codependency way too heavy this season. The which side is Will on last season was fascinating but it was just eyerolling this season with Will flinging himself over the cliff in a loving embrace. An FBI falling in love with the serial killer he is trying to catch sounds like the conceit of a bad Lifetime movie. Still if Bryan Fuller manages to revive the series, I would still watch because I am still very interested to see where this is going especially if Will rides off into the sunset (though it sounds like Fuller plans to use Will if the show continues in any form) as I believe he is completely absent from future books. And of course what was up with Sully's leg on a platter after the credits?
You can download Hannibal on iTunes.

Ray Donovan: I usually complain about the "x amount of time" title card that start episodes because I find it lazy writing, but it actually worked in this case because it teased a murder mystery. Sure it was clear right off the bat that the red herrings were just that, I never thought that the government lady was going to die or that Ray would kill yet another priest, but it was shocking that Al Swearengen killed his son-in-law / lover. The show even upped that tease with the eventual inclusion of Avi. I am not sure if I can believe that Ray would finally accept his apology like that, but Ray has seemed to be a bit more forgiving this season.

Fear the Walking Dead: Okay, this show is just trolling us. One of the biggest complaints of the flagship show is they cannot have two black dudes on the show at the same time, they have to kill one before bringing on a new one. So the new show actually looks a bit more diverse, except the three black dudes they introduced in the premiere are (un)dead by the end of the second episode. Okay the boyfriend is not (un)dead yet, but he was just left to turn and we will probably have to wait for the girlfriend to bash his head in next week. But the most disappointing part of the episode was that the fat pimply kid did not go with Matt Saresen's mom he is the only person that has been on either show that apparently knows what a zombie is.
You can download Fear the Walking Dead on iTunes.

Masters of Sex: Holy Beth Greene sighting! After being the best part of The Walking Dead in the last season or two, it is nice she can still get work, even if it as just a sex surrogate who has to sleep in the surrogacy room at night. But with Virginia hooking up with the fragrance king I hope she does not become a personal surrogate for Bill even though it is clear she has a crush on her former neighbor (it would also be the second time someone way too young for him hits on him this season. But as usual, the episode belonged to the staff of the office be it Betty failed attempt to get her girlfriend pregnant or Lester being the lone male in the surrogacy program just to irk Jane.

Falling Skies: On one hand, the new queen was the creepiest of all creepy aliens in the history of the show, but on the other. that was a pretty anti-climatic ending with Tom just touching the bomb thingy and the queen dissolving like a vampire on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. And of course Anne was not going to actually die after telling Tom she was pregnant again. Of course I was wrong to turn my back on my do not believe anyone is dead on television until you see the body (and even then am still a little suspicious) as I thought Pope was really dead last week. He might as well have been because their final talk was just as anticlimactic. And they must have spent all their CGI money on dissolving aliens because that crowd at the end looked about as really as crowds in Playstation 1 sports games. Oh well.
You can download Falling Skies on iTunes.

The Strain: Hopefully now that the young Goodweather saw his mother try to kill his father he can stop moping around because that kid is seriously dragging the show down. But at least we got a great passive-aggressive conversation between the old dude and the Nazi vampire this week.
You can download The Strain on iTunes.

Tyrant: Sure the first sixty minutes were boring but what a final scene. After actually seeming contrite and humbled by all he horrible past deeds, Jamal gets on camera and goes full Trump and denies everything and does not give an inch. And then it managed to get even more shocking when his daughter in law shoots him. Wow. Sure I am guessing he will survive (he did survive driving off a cliff while getting his manhood bitten off) but the fight for power has only begun (well if there is another season).
You can download Tyrant on iTunes.

Mr. Robot: What a bizarre way to start and end the episode. It opens with the cheater from the first episode taking about bringing down Elliot for his crime (and how he was part of the extremely timely Ashley Madison hack) and is not seen again in the episode, but I guess he is one of numerous people knocking on the door. Except that was not the end as we get a scene of (presumably) The Illuminati with the Evil Corp head and B.D. Wong. It took me a while to put two and two together and figure out that was also B.D. Wong that met with Elliot earlier this season (I was wondering why that scene was included in the "Previously On" montage). So are these two in cahoots and the Evil Corp dude condoned the hack? Mmmm. We may have nine and a half months to find out.

But the part that struck me the most coming out of the finale (other that how perfect playing Got Your Money at an end of the world party after a financial collapse is) is how I am starting to believe that Elliot and the American Psycho dude may actually be the same person. In a episode of bizarre things, Elliot talking with American Psycho's wife may have been the most bizarre. She seemed to know more than what she was letting on, so maybe she knows her husband has a split personality and known not to bring one up to another. To the best of my recollection, they only had three scenes together, American Psycho offering Elliot a job, the time they ran into each other at Steel Mountain (what a coincidence they were there at the same time), and last week when he barged into Elliot's apartment (again, conveniently waiting until Dalia Royce left). Of the big flaw in my theory is that Elliot could not have a job at All Safe and Evil Corp at the same time without anyone noticing. But maybe American Psycho never worked there and that delusion was just Elliot there in an All Safe capacity. Mmmm, I may have to watch the first season again looking for clues. I am still guessing the better theory is that everyone is a delusion inside Elliot's head and the real Elliot is staring at a snowglobe in some mental health hospital somewhere.
You can download Mr. Robot on iTunes.

Under the Dome: So the new queen is same actress as her mother but in a bad wig and blue contacts. This show is so horrible. Thank goodness CBS finally canceled it.