DC's Legends Of Tomorrow "The Magnificent Eight" Review (Spoilers)

[matt_zimmer]

Also reviews for the latest episodes of Supergirl, Gotham, and Lucifer, the season finale of iZombie, and the latest episodes of The Powerpuff Girls, Marvel's Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D., Ultimate Spider-Man Vs. The Sinister 6, Marvel's Avengers: Ultron Revolution, Once Upon A Time, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Transformers: Robots In Disguise, The Simpsons, Grimm, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Bob's Burgers, American Dad, Bordertown, The Last Man On Earth, Bates Motel, The Blacklist, and Blindspot.



DC's Legends Of Tomorrow "The Magnificent Eight"

Okay, that kid being H.G. Wells saved that idiotic plot of Stein. It was SUCH a dumb idea, until we learn, oh, it's predestination. Perfect excuse for Martin to do something that dumb. Maybe that's where he got his idea for The Time Machine.

Love that Rory is passed out drunk during the barroom brawl. I actually much prefer the character Rory as he is now played after Chronos than before. There's a nobility to him now, which is all kinds of weird. But it's true.

Old Lady Kendra is almost certainly wrong about all love interests besides Carter ending in tragedy. Why? Because ALL relationships eventually end in tragedy and that would especially be true for someone who keep getting reincarnated. It's not like people live forever, and even the people who are perfect for each other have to live with one another dying eventually. When she talks about all of her non-Carter relationship ending badly, I was like, "That's pretty much every relationship ever." Sara was right to tell Kendra not to take her seriously.

Time travelers ain't never gonna trick Jonah Hex. Rip named his son after him? I would have liked to have learned the reason why. Hex also apparently gave him his coat.

I enjoyed the episode more than most, but not as much as the series was clearly hoping I would. ***1/2.

Supergirl "Myriad"

I liked that Cat is too self-absorbed to even realize there is something wrong. It has to be pointed out to her. When her advice to Supergirl about how to shut down Max's terrible plan was to "Come up with a better one," the words that immediately came into my head were from Julian Castro from the 2012 Democratic National Convention: "Why didn't I think of that?". I'm a little mad that the show had that absolute terrible advice legitimately be helpful.

Normally, I hate mind control, but I'll make an exception in this case. Because everyone knows that is what is going on, and will be able to forgive each other later. That is a little bit different than not taking responsibility for your own actions.

These far off long distance shots of Superman are starting to get annoying. Cast Tom Welling, already, Berlanti. You know you want to.

I have to say that Alex was being selfish in wanting to go back. She was putting J'onn at a clear disadvantage, and really, could offer nothing else but potential trouble. J'onn should have put his foot down.

Look forward to next week's finale. ****.

Gotham "Wrath Of The Villains: Into The Woods"

I like that Harvey's squeeze is middle-aged, unattractive and overweight. I do not understand TV's obsession with showing only beautiful people having sex, or having it so that whenever an unattractive person does, it's gross (see Lena Dunham and Girls). It's treated as normal here, and frankly Donal Logue is NOT out of that particular woman's league, so that was another good thing about it.

Can't believe Gordon still thinks him and Ed are friends. What a dumb@$$. I can't believe it took him as long as it did to cotton on. I liked Nygma messing with him and the definition of psychopath, and their scene in the woods was great because Ed pretty much correctly pointed out that Jim didn't want to believe it for one of two reasons: either he sucks at his job, or EVERYONE is secretly a monster. Here's a hint: it's the first one that is the truth.

Not sure what I think of Barb's "reformation". Part of me thinks she's jiving, but "Maybe I just needed some sleep," is a fabulous excuse.

The Penguin's family were being cartoons. And I hate when this show does that. And the whole feeding her her children thing is totally stepping on South Park's toes. There is no part of that moment that isn't Scott Tenorman. Do you know else what I hate about that moment? They were trying to state that the Penguin went too far. But truthfully, if he had simply killed everybody, he'd almost be justified. But the show cannot ever give Penguin that level of doubt or grace, so it decides to make him a complete monster. He should not have been the bad guy in that scenario. And I hate that the show made him it.

Bruce might be kinder to let Selina in on his Robin Hood plans. And it's not like he doesn't keep the money for the donuts. It's a bit rich for him to pretend to have ethics when he does that.

I love that Alfred taught Bruce to sew. That IS a very useful skill for a bachelor, and I love that Alfred knows that.

Alfred was all kinds of interesting this episode. I like that he blames Gordon for getting Bruce into that Malone situation, and that his biggest objection to Bruce hanging out with Selina is that he is putting that little girl in danger. I love that because Alfred has always been a complete creep as far as Selina is concerned, and this turnaround, while unlikely, is still good growth for him.

It's hard to believe that Nygma got away with what he did for as long as he did. Gordon sucks at his job. ***.




Lucifer "St. Lucifer"

Malcolm is an idiot. I can't believe what Lucifer told him never occurred to him. For someone so desperate to avoid Hell, he hasn't really put any thought into how he'll actually pull it off. "Trusting the lying angel" is not a plan.

I love that Amenadeil is responsible for the goat. That's awesome, and makes him seem like a total bad@$$.

Michael Welch is the one kid from Joan of Arcadia I still see occasionally on TV. Very interesting that this show's premise and target audience is diametrically opposed to Joan's. And I hate to say it, because as amazing as the first season of Joan of Arcadia was, the second season was so bad, that Lucifer is the better show by default. So Welch is either on an upswing or a downswing, depending on what superstition you believe.

I loved the woman's reaction to seeing Lucifer alive. She never saw it coming, and he was the LAST person she wanted to be there in that moment. So Lucy is kind enough to rub in it. Pure manic delight on Tom Ellis's face.

Although, I gotta say, the assistant being mad people were enjoying Lucifer's performance, and not taking the murder seriously was the correct reaction. We give Lucifer a pass because we know him, but I'm betting his behavior to strangers is outright appalling.

Good episode. ***1/2.

iZombie "Dead Beat"

And of course, the solution is as simple as telling Clive. They should have done it ages ago, but it really made me excited. I can't wait to see the fall-out from that in season four.

Do you know the messed up thing? Major IS actually a murderer for the Meet Cute murders, and belongs in jail for them. It was premeditated. Full-stop. And yet, I get why Clive realizes the guy couldn't stay in prison.

Poor Clive. He basically lost everything for Liv, who blindsided him. If I were him, I'd be madder than he was. What a way for Liv to prove it to him. That was bonkers. I probably would have believed her immediately though. Simply because it explained the visions, of which there is no other explanation. Zombies being real sounds more credible than the idea of psychic powers being real.

Good to see Ken Marino in a Rob Thomas show again. Stone isn't as funny as Vinnie Van Lowe, but then, nobody else is either.

Frickin' love the ending too. *****.

iZombie "Salvation Army"

Best episode of the series.

Rob Thomas gets away with everything. Including getting his brain eaten by zombies (after which they play his song).

Clive was far more gracious with Major than he deserved. But I am glad he pointed out that he didn't do what he did for him, but simply to avert the zombie apocalypse. Because Major doesn't need to think Clive did him a personal solid.

I have to say, after what Vaughn pulled this episode, I actually think his end was too kind. What a monster. I love that Major threw the submarine movie reference back into his face like that. God, Vaughn is such a scumbag. It boggles the mind how evil he is, and how long he got away with it.

I can't decide if the zombie business lady will be the Big Bad of season 4, or if it will be Mr. Boss. I hope it's Mr. Boss, simply because it's past time he was taken down.

I'm with Clive. Liv and Major offering to scratch him was the worst plan. His last bullet idea was MUCH better. That's what I would have done too.

The party having a prison theme seemed to be a blessing in disguise, didn't it? Holy cow. Talk about a great way to prevent the Zombie Apocalypse.

We still haven't dealt with the fact that Major is still probably living on borrowed time, and the cure actually took away Blaine's memories. I hope those are further explored next year.

Great finale. *****.




The Powerpuff Girls "Bye, Bye Bellum"

Tie-dyed is NOT tacky!

That joke of the Powerpuff Girls playing rock / paper / scissors has got to KILL any future writers of Winnie the Pooh and Piglet. PPG totally beat them to the punch. Hilarious.

Question: How did a doof like the Mayor ever get elected to anything? He is useless, even when they try to make him an action hero at the end.

I liked the Donkey Kong spoof.

Above average. ****.

The Powerpuff Girls "Little Octi Lost"

It is official. I like the new show more than I EVER did the original. Yes, the animation is much worse, and I miss the old voices. But having Bubbles coo like Cindy Lou Who when she sleeps is adorable, as are both her and Buttercup with Octi. The old show was faux adorable, and making fun of how cute the characters looked. Here they are legitimately cute. ****.

The Powerpuff Girls "Strong-Armed"

This was one of the most boring episodes ever. And they are clearly airing these things out of order. This is obviously supposed to be Packrat's grand debut, but he was already in a previous episode. I DID like that the cast has fingers while Bubbles does not. *.

The Powerpuff Girls "Power-Up Puff"

Another episode that has been aired out of order. We've already seen several episodes with the girls already using their new Green Lantern powers. **1/2.

The Powerpuff Girls "Tiara Trouble"

First reappearances of Him, Fuzzy Lumpkins, and the Gangrene Gang.

Bubbles being made up was hideous, as were her long fingernails (which were NOT attached to fingers). How stupid are Blosson and Buttercup to not realize that her bunny costume was way cuter and more appealing?

I loved the girls and the professor laughing at Fuzzy's disturbing statement at the end. The new show isn't as subversive as the old one, but that was a dark moment, and unlike the original series, it was funny and cute, instead of appalling.

Cool episode. ****.




Marvel's Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. "Paradise Lost"

You know, for the first time ever, I felt bad for Malick. He has no-one to blame but himself, but still. Still, the fact that his daughter was killed instead of him says that it's possible those visions from last week are not set in stone. The end of last week hinted that, but I wasn't sure. And the series can still go ahead and have Malick die the same way. We'll see.

Loved the flashbacks too. Good to see Reed Diamond again. I can never take my eyes off that guy.

Loved how Daisy's specific powers are such that she can easily defeat landmines. Most misleadingly dire act break ever!

What's going on with Coulson and his new hand? Does he have Lindsay McDonaldish Evil Hand Issues?

I liked the episode a lot. ****.




Ultimate Spider-Man Vs. The Sinister 6 "Force Of Nature"

First time we saw Hydroman outside of Spider-Man TAS back in the 90's. I like this version much better.

Still have no clue where Fury and Nova are.

I liked Aunt May's scenes with Scarlet Spider, and liked that she named him Ben (He is Ben Reilly in the comics). But I still have no idea who he is and where he came from.

Average. ***.

Marvel's Avengers: Ultron Revolution "The Thunderbolts"

Loved it. My favorite moment was Hulk knowing the specific pressure points to hit the giant to do the most damage, because Banner knows. I love that this version of Hulk is cunning and smart, and knows some of the stuff Banner does. The other Avengers were impressed too.

The Thunderbolts were cool too. Look forward to learning more about them next week, ****1/2.

Marvel's Guardians Of The Galaxy "Asgard War: Part One: Lightnin' Strikes"

Cool episode and one of the best so far. Can't wait for the conclusion. ****1/2.




Once Upon A Time "Her Handsome Hero"

Red at the end was the only good thing.

I was thoroughly underwhelmed with the Gaston stuff. Do you know what would have been interesting? If they HAD redeemed Gaston. I even could have accepted if he was past redemption and a monster all along. I wouldn't have liked it, but that's part of the recent Beauty and the Beast canon. I'd accept it. Instead they leave the idea up for debate by Belle accidentally tossing him into the River of Souls before she can have an actual conversation with him. The show took the least interesting way out and I cannot for the life of me figure out why. It offered two scenarios that would have worked, and did something completely boring instead. It's like if instead of Tolkien deciding whether Frodo goes over the cliff into Mount Doom, or rides the Eagles home, Tolkien decided he and Sam should simply take a cab home. That's how dumb an idea this ending was.

Still, I like that the episode treated Red returning as a huge deal. The show hasn't been treating Megan Ory's rare guest spots as a huge deal, and for me, and I'm betting a lot of fans of seasons 1 and 2, they are. The one star is for Red *.




Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles "The Evil Of Dregg"

Dregg is a robot? To quote "Johnny Cochran": "That does NOT make sense!" Look at the monkey!

I loved how David Tennant played the moment of being dumbfounded by the idea of coming up with a cure for a deadly venom on the spot that no-one has ever been able to, and then joyfully saying "Sure, I can do that!" Tennant used to do that quite frequently as the Doctor on Doctor Who, and I always called those his Regis Philbin moments. Next Fugitoid will tell Donatello he won a million dollars. I'm betting they specifically wrote that moment because Tennant was cast. Because that's Ten's most lovable quirk, and it was adorable to see Honeycutt do it.

I hate Casey with a passion. Donnie gets deformed and seriously injured, and his first instinct is to laugh. And yeesh, we get it, everything's metal. Maybe shut up about it for a few decades or so. You might like it.

"The Explorer's Guide To The Universe?" This show isn't even trying.

Speaking of not trying, I groaned at Raphael claiming that he trusted Mona Lisa more than anyone else in the universe. Sure, it sounds dramatic and epic, but I thought to myself, "That cannot possibly be true, and if it is, Raphael is DUMB." He trusts her more than his brothers? Splinter? And haven't they only met twice before? I think Raphael the Ninja Turtle should pretty much be the last character to turn into an emo Mary Sue, but the writers of this show cannot help themselves. It embarrasses me a bit, to be honest.

Loved Dregg trying to eat Donnie. I was like "That's new!". And then he's a robot and it's back to making no sense.

A mixed bag this week. ***.




Transformers: Robots In Disguise "Bumblebee's Night Off"

First, I'm just going to give a brief cursory review by stating this was boring and stupid. Stipulated.

The question it raised for me is the idea that Bumblebee was a rock fan on his first trip to Earth. They showed him dancing once on Transformers Prime, but that was that series' worst scene ever, and the series' low point, and I kind of think they really should keep Bumblebee away from music, or at least Bee as he was during Prime. Why?

Because he used to beep and bloop. His voice box was destroyed. How can he possibly be a fan of rock music if he literally was unable to sing or hum along? And the episode had him doing that during the concert. I would think mute Bee listening to music would be a lot like taking a eunuch to a strip club. No fun for ANYBODY. If they said Bee became a fan now I'd understand. But I NEVER got the old show EVER saying Bee liked Earth's music. He should have hated and resented it.

I did mention this was boring and stupid, right? *.




The Simpsons "How Lisa Got Her Marge Back"

Love the Chalkboard Gag: "Never lose a bet with Bart Simpson."

Can't believe Homer's pancake worked.

When Chinese child workers run out of saliva they simply can use their tears. Because they have a lot of them.

Marge saying she hates jazz is a rare instance of her being a bad parent. I think it is totally misguided that the moral is that Lisa has to apologize to Marge. Marge isn't being a bad parent by hating jazz. She's being a bad parent by telling that to Homer out loud. She should have kept it to herself. Which is by the way, the exact moral the episode is trying to teach Lisa.

Shari Bobbins! And Winnie the Pooh and Paddington Bear making out with each other? WTF?!

Do you think Ralph is stupid? Yes.

The Riverdale Gang!

Liked Bart using Maggie as a yoyo.

Rats sounds like the worst musical ever.

A white guy and a black guy teaming up gives us all hope.

Here's a serious question: If Newsies can be turned into a musical, what is to stop G.I. Jane or Paul Blart? What is the difference there?

Sorry producers, there is no equivalent to selling Simpsons Season 17 DVDs and a Bad News Bears Musical. I will defend the series from bogus charges, even if they're from themselves.

I liked most of the episode but I didn't like the message of the third act. ***.




Grimm "Inugami"

Stupidest murderer ever. How could he possibly not expect to get caught after leaving that Origami? That family was the only Japanese people in those kids' lives and that meant it was ONE of them. I knew it was the lawyer too. Grimm sucks at surprise twists.

I'm worried about Adalind, especially now that she has Diana as a carrot. I think she WILL switch sides before all is said and done. I think Renard will too, but he'll join the good guys.

How is it that Bitsie Tulloch can take Sasha Roiz's hilarious scene last week and make it sound traumatic? She even ruins OTHER people's performances of Eve.

Eh. **1/2.




Brooklyn Nine-Nine "The Bureau"

Oh, Bob. Amazing ending. This show is the best.

To be frank, I knew if Bob was dirty, they'd be screwed. I hated being right about that.

Gina has to do everything herself including getting her own apology cake. Which was there for 30 minutes. Terry is some detective.

Can Jake do the pull-up without screaming? His face was hilarious when he did it.

I love Holt pretending to be a Citiot. Are you kidding? Mikhail slapped her! And now Holt gets Steve.

Next week is gonna rock. *****.




Bob's Burgers "Wag The Hog"

Why are pancakes with smiley faces smiling? They are about to get eaten and then worse.

I love that Critter and Mudflap named the baby Sidecar. Great choice.

Did Kenny look cool? Louise thinks he knows the answer to that. I love that she correctly guessed that Critter asked Bob to stab somebody. Hilarious!

Louise does all of her crimes before bedtime. Tuckers her right out. Ha ha! Bob loves his kids!

Funny episode. More Critter and Mudflap, please. ****.




American Dad "The Unincludeds"

It's true. The Olympics create more problems for a city than they fix.

I like that cute chick hatching from an egg, and promptly taking a dump on Toshi's head.

Francine is so stupid she doesn't realize why she's wrecking the sexytalk. Hint: Because Stan was obviously not AT the events described.

Rene Russo is gonna win the World Series? It's gonna be a crazy season.

The waiter complimenting the order thing was a manatee joke on Family Guy once, but apparently America Dad think they can stretch it to cover a B plot. Spoiler alert: They can't. They are running out of ideas for Roger.

Steve making out with Layla is pretty much the high point for the character. To be honest, at some point (probably during the half-turtle moment) I would have considered Snot's future as an acceptable loss. Snot will never be able to repay Steve for what he just did for him. He certainly didn't deserve it.

The Future Steve stuff was good, the Roger / Waitress stuff was rotten. ***1/2.




Bordertown "Santa Ana Winds"

No cold opening with Buck and Coyote this episode. Good. Those things were getting boring.

I need to try an energy drink.

I like the idea of Buck Buchwald Syndrome. It's where a guy overexplains his name.

That Mutant trouser joke was disgusting.

I liked the names of all of the bad sequels and move mash-ups. I'd watch a few of those.

So-so. ***.




The Last Man On Earth "Skidmark"

You know, looking back on it, I kind of get why Melissa and Gayle both forgave Todd and took him up on his insane offer. They shouldn't have, and it will not ultimately work, and they'd be right to hate him if they chose to. But as mad as I was at Todd last week, the more I think about it, the more I realized his "cheating" wasn't because he was a dog. He just literally could not bear to hurt either of those women. That is a freaking insane scenario and there is no real-life situation in which cheating should be considered noble. And his kissing Rebecca meant he was clearly losing his mind. But...

The one consistent thing about the sex he was having with Gayle and Melissa is that he hated it. I have a feeling if it were up to him, he wouldn't be with either in that moment. And the fact that a guy that looks like Todd could hate having sex with women who look like Melissa and Gayle means he DID hate doing it. And as both Melissa and Gayle were describing to each other, Todd is pretty much the package otherwise. If Todd looked like Phil 2 did he could basically rule the Earth. Phil 2 was hot and handy, but he was also a complete jerk, almost on the level of Tandy. Being nice is a very important skill to have when there are less than ten people on Earth.

The big question: Will Jason Sudeikis be a regular next year? I'm guessing not. I might have thought so before Phil 2 died, but I suspect he is eventually going to succumb to the virus. Which is a shame. Because I like him, which makes Phil attacking him on the beach seem even worse. What is surprising to me is that Mike is actually a decent guy. He instantly owns up to all of his faults, which is pretty much the opposite of Phil's MO. It's hard to believe they both are related to each other.

Was Mike's revenge too much? I don't think so. As horrible as it was, Phil REALLY hurt and embarrassed him that night. Maybe Phil is right to resent that his name is now Skidmark. But Mike was NOT trying to hurt him and Phil was treating him as a threat the entire episode.

I am worried for Todd, Melissa, and Gayle. The crazy part of me hopes they make it work, but the sane part knows they won't and hopes he ultimately chooses Melissa. But I'm actually rooting for all three of them to find happiness. ****.




Bates Motel "Refraction"

What I love about Norman's therapist is that at several points you can tell he knows he is in life-threatening danger, but he is such a complete professional, he navigates it successfully. I fear he won't always. But I think the only reason Norman didn't attack him is because he figured out exactly what was going on.

I found Norman as Norma asking him if he got to be a Doctor due to his rich, comforting voice to be slightly racist. And it makes me realize that Norman has never dealt with a black person before, and it seems his go-to move is to put them in their place. I noticed that the actor playing the doctor played the moment as if he were caught completely off-guard by the racism. And that's how racism works. You're having a nice moment with a white person, and then you get reminded that humanity sucks. And that's how it works a lot of the time. Racism is so insidious because you can't see it coming, and it intrudes upon a person where they usually feel comfortable. The fact that it ruins everything is why racism sucks so much.

Chick amazed me. Because his story was credible. And Norma didn't cotton on until he wanted her to. He basically b.s.-ed himself as an expert about something he obviously wasn't, simply because he STILL understood the subject matter at hand. It is a shock to realize that someone who looks and acts as ghastly as he does is able to do subtlety and cunning. And I didn't realize that before tonight.

Speaking of ugliness, I love that Emma is REALLY self-conscious about her scar. I was wondering if the show would bring it up, but it must be a ghastly scar to have your lungs removed. And it was hideous. And Dylan makes it clear to her that it doesn't matter to him by using a clear appendix scar as a Jaws reference. I love that Emma checked ahead of time with her doctors when it would be okay for her and Dylan to have sex. Girl has her whole life ahead of her now, and she's in the stage where she's ready to do some planning.

Dylan's job interview was great. I think he was crazy to tell the truth, but it looks like it's gonna work out for him, so more power to him.

I loved this. ****1/2.




The Blacklist "Mr. Solomon: Conclusion"

If they really killed off Liz, kudos to the show. Ballsy. If not, shame on them. If they say she somehow faked her death later (which is what I think will happen), I will be furious. How well I ultimately like this episode will depend on how real it is.

Loved Red's fixer blaming Red and telling him to lay off Dembe. Honestly, I think the blame she and Liz were throwing at Red this episode was unjustified. I fail to see how anything that happened was Red's fault. Solomon seemed to want her for an unknown reason that had nothing to do with Red. Liz was always in trouble with or without Red in her life.

I love that Liz mended fences with Red before she died. I have a sneaking suspicion she only did that because she KNEW she was gonna die. Which makes it even MORE touching.

I liked the episode, but my ultimate grade will depend on how the series shakes down. For what we were given: ****. For what I will eventually grade it: ?.




Blindspot "Mans Telepathic Loyal Lookouts"

Patterson is just so adorable. I miss her and David big time. David being dead and this pretty much being his last hurrah means I was right about something: the show always kills off the most interesting characters. If the character is NOT as mopey as Kurt or Jane, they're pretty much doomed. Which might mean Patterson is on a clock. The show has no idea which characters to hang onto, so I'm worried if they do an event finale and kill off somebody it will be her. The show is MUCH worse written than it should be with Greg Berlanti producing. I miss Patterson and David. ***1/2.