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matt_zimmerAlso review for the shorts Maggie Simpson In "The Force Awakens From Its Nap", and 22 Vs Earth, the latest episode of The Nevers, the season premiere of DC's Legends Of Tomorrow, and the latest episodes of Batwoman, Black Lightning, The Flash, Supergirl, Bless The Harts, Bob's Burgers, Family Guy, American Dad!, and Final Space.
Star Wars: The Bad Batch "Aftermath"
That was pretty great. What's neat is that it's exploring a portion of the Star Wars saga we don't know much about (the early days of the Empire). It's really filling in some major blanks.
The other Clones being the bad guys on the show is going to be tough to get used to. Hopefully we can get some good updates and allies with both Rex and Cody.
Interesting origin story for Kanon on Rebels although they probably should have had somebody younger than Freddie Prinze Jr. voice Caleb.
Ian McDiarmid actually voiced Sidius here.
This show is not going to be the disappointment Rebels was, or the hot mess Resistance was. Disney is actually putting in the correct level of effort here. I really like what we've seen so far. ****1/2.
Maggie Simpson in "The Force Awakens From Its Nap"
The Baby with the One Eyebrow is Darth Maul? Okay.
I like the scene of Maggie with all the BB-8's.
Like most Simpsons pop-culture things, I didn't get the sense the producers were really familiar with the premises spoofed, and just put all the characters in the weird character designs. But Maggie as Baby Yoda WAS pretty clever.
Cute. Do Marvel next. ****.
22 vs Earth
The end joke was pretty good (although The Simpsons already did it).
The little Souls are so cute because they had real little kids voice them.
Fun. ****.
The Nevers "Undertaking"
Laura Donnelly brought the goods in the last scene.
I'll tell you something: I'm paying more attention to Lord Massen from this point forward. He's not a sour idiot. That masterful "training exercise" he played with Amalia says he is very cunning. It was a riveting scene because you couldn't quite tell when either person decided to break or get back into character. It's not credible for Victorian England, but you know what? Not everything needs to be credible. It's good television, which is all that matters in my book.
I was surprised Maladie was caught, but after learning Frank Monday was a feared boxer called the Ape, I wasn't VERY surprised. He seemed a legitimately formidable opponent against her. God forbid he and True ever get into it.
Lucy being the traitor was disappointing, but it also felt right because it hurt Amalia so much. And honestly, I feel like her justifications SUCKED. Yeah, I feel bad about her son, but nothing else justifies allying with the people who murdered Mary. I'm glad True didn't kill her, but I wouldn't have objected too strongly if she did. She seemed too unrepentant about it.
Augie and Penance continue to be adorable. Nobody should be THAT stupid in a murder interrogation, but Augie's a special level of clueless.
The message at the end was just vague enough to be tantalizing to the viewer, and specific enough to totally get to True. It, along with her Cat and Mouse game with Massen (as well as a total absence of porn) makes this a good week. ****.
DC's Legends Of Tomorrow "Ground Control To Sara Lance"
Gary is an alien? Does it fit everything else? Probably not.
I really dig the idea that Arrowverse John Constantine has his soul back. Feels like a good progression from his own TV show.
I like Sara saying Avengers are stupid and smart people are Preventers. Interesting shade at the Distinguished Competition being thrown there.
Like the new main title.
Watching Spartacus get eaten by Gary's fiance was fun. Isn't it great the sentences I can write in reviews for this show?
Is Alastair Crowley the same guy as the Satanist on Pennyworth? Interesting.
This show is so much fun and I'm glad it's back. ****.
Batwoman "Initiate Self-Destruct"
I can't believe Ryan just LEFT Alice there and went home to her domestic situation as if nothing happened. I'm not okay with that.
On the other hand I was greatly angered that the show appeared to be having her and Alice bond during the mission. That's wrong for her character too. Learning that isn't what was happening was also good on some level so I don't know what to think.
The last scene was a killer. Alice isn't the only one in bad shape. So is Kate.
Solid (if not great) episode. ***1/2.
Black Lightning "The Book Of Reunification: Chapter One: Revelations"
After last week's fiasco I didn't expect it would take much to win me back and I was right. I was satisfied with that.
I would not ever like to fight Painkiller.
The problem with Jefferson isn't that he's being ungrateful. It's that he's being rude. And that's been his problem the entire time and one of the things I don't like about the character.
Interesting Grace doesn't want her powers back. I kind of don't blame her.
The scene with Tobias and the board was notable because it was interesting, and I can't recall any scene with Tobias being interesting before this week.
Gambi is a heel. That is all.
The last scene with the flashing lights made me wonder what is going on. Will there be a double of Jen? Is China Anne McClain returning for the rest of the series? The fact that the CW no longer does "Next week" promos for this show makes my guesses especially frustrating.
Not bad. Which is good enough for me after last week. ***1/2.
The Flash "The People V. Killer Frost"
That was better than I expected it to be. The courtroom stuff was stupid per usual, but I wasn't overly offended by any of it, which is a switch. I especially like the Meta telling Frost as she's taken away that no Meta in the city will forget what she's done for them.
The Speed Force's heel-turn was kind of a shock (based on what it is) but it was also pretty heavily telegraphed. I had mistaken that telegraphing as a way for Barry and Iris to teach Nora the right thing to do, but it wasn't actually a teaching moment at all. Kind of scary.
I could have told Caitlin and Cisco to watch out for cameras when they were breaking into the lab, but that's only because I'm not super dumb.
All that said, I'm not happy about Frost getting life in prison. Hopefully a pardon can happen someday down the line, but it didn't strike me as a remotely fair or happy ending.
I liked most of the episode though, which is nice, because I didn't expect to. ***1/2.
Supergirl "Prom Again!"
That was nice. I am very glad Kara and Kenny got a sweet ending and Cat's younger actress sort of grew on me. Unlike the younger actresses for Kara and Alex she doesn't actually LOOK like Calista Flockhart. But she sounds and acts like her.
I enjoyed that very much. ****.
Bless The Hearts "The Drincan Temple"
I like Violet calling Travis a magical Fonzie. But he's really the worst. And he did porn, which means he failed at life. What a broken person.
I did not feel good about Jenny calling Violet and Betty the two most important people in her life. That felt like a deliberate snub at Wayne.
The episode was all right, but the characters got a little obnoxious. ***1/2.
Bob's Burgers "Bridge Over Troubled Rudy"
Louise's bad ideas are so bad because nothing you can say can dissuade her from them. Her bad ideas are the worst of the Belchers. Linda and Tina have their share of bad ideas too, but if the idea is TOO bad, Bob or Louise can put their foot down and overrule them. There is nothing stopping a Louise Belcher trainwreck.
I found it very cool that Louise was able to admit and acknowledge the actual reason she did the bad idea is to repair what she said to Rudy.
Louise and Rudy are one of the most interesting love stories on television. Oh, you didn't get that's what's going on? That's what it is. But the thing that sets it apart from other love stories, particularly young love stories, is that it isn't set at the beginning of the romance. It's before the beginning, and possibly years before. But in 30 years Louise and Rudy will be married with five kids. Bank on it. Tina is gonna dump Jimmy Junior when she gets her act together, but Louise and Regular-Sized Rudy are soulmates in it for the long haul.
But this is years before that crosses either of their minds. And it's kind of sweet and exciting too. I wish The Simpsons treated the boy / girl relationships on that show like actual kids instead of like teenagers. Bob's Burgers gets that part right.
I love Bob rocking meditation because as stressed as Bob usually is, he utterly lacks pretention, which is something that REALLY helps with that specific thing. He's honest with his feelings and emotions, so he can focus on the breath with no problems. I love that about him.
Kudos to the show for the resolution to Tina's plot being that she can fake that the Banzai was trimmed. It actually looks great. Happy endings all around, made especially happier by the fact that Jimmy Pesto is finally refused one. Good stuff.
If you asked me if this was a great episode in and of itself, I'd say probably not. If you asked me if it was a great snapshot of a VERY early point of Louise and Rudy's romance, I'd say, yeah, for sure. The subtext in the background between those characters meant more to me than what actually happened in the episode. Plus, Bob's great at meditation, which also rocks. ****1/2.
Family Guy "Meg Goes To College"
Oh, man, they struck comedy gold with Doug. He came out of nowhere in a bit role a couple of seasons ago, and now he's essential. It's amazing. He's everything Herbert was meant to be, but never was. I love him giving the raspberry and being unable to do stairs. I love that character. It's definitely an Ugh Doug moment.
I like Guillermo's Law. That is definitely a real thing.
NOBODY liked the Starbucks cup in Game Of Thrones! The set-up to that cutaway was genius and the final line cracked me up. Don't look at the internet.
Meg needed to rock that Russian song so Mila Kunis wasn't allowed to sing it. I actually find Kunis' off-key voice endearing, brave, and vulnerable, but I get the gag demanded she be replaced for it. At least her replacement sounds sort of like her instead of the stand-in they used in "Don't Make Me Over". Here's another irony. Kunis actually speaks fluent Russian. Weird, right?
Peter saying that Meg can take whatever message she wants from this is why I am very glad the show is currently on the air. That was awesome. Even ten years ago it wouldn't have been able to come up with a joke that perfectly subversive and insightful. I truly believe that.
Classic Asha. Good joke there.
Peter does an AWFUL lot of philandering in the episode. It's sort of played as a joke whenever Peter or Lois do that once in awhile in the background of a given episode, but this was pretty much nonstop. Not sure how I feel about that.
Bob's Burgers won the week in a walk, but I think this was a strong episode too. ****.
American Dad! "Stan Moves To Chicago"
Mark Russell was exactly that awful. The Simpsons made fun of him back in the day, but I cannot overstate how unfunny and stupid he was. A literal comedy black hole. He gave pianists a bad name and rep too, which as someone who played piano as a kid always ticked me off.
Perfect Strangers had the catchiest theme song, but as the episode proves, it has one or two lines in it that are utterly unintelligible.
It's a major plot oversight that Francine's career as a stand-up doesn't come up once.
It was all right, but to be honest, it wasn't great. **1/2.
Final Space "The Ventrexian"
The distinct lack of comedy and jokes throughout most of the episode tells me network interference will not be the problem for the producers this year that it was last season. They seem to finally have free reign to tell the kind of dramatic stories they want to.
Littlecato's origin story did not surprise me at all. It's also suitably epic.
Bolo saying to Gary "Don't you quit me," was awesome. Keith David continues to perhaps be one of the greatest voice actors alive.
This is all great stuff. We are in for a good season. ****.
Star Wars: The Bad Batch "Aftermath"
That was pretty great. What's neat is that it's exploring a portion of the Star Wars saga we don't know much about (the early days of the Empire). It's really filling in some major blanks.
The other Clones being the bad guys on the show is going to be tough to get used to. Hopefully we can get some good updates and allies with both Rex and Cody.
Interesting origin story for Kanon on Rebels although they probably should have had somebody younger than Freddie Prinze Jr. voice Caleb.
Ian McDiarmid actually voiced Sidius here.
This show is not going to be the disappointment Rebels was, or the hot mess Resistance was. Disney is actually putting in the correct level of effort here. I really like what we've seen so far. ****1/2.
Maggie Simpson in "The Force Awakens From Its Nap"
The Baby with the One Eyebrow is Darth Maul? Okay.
I like the scene of Maggie with all the BB-8's.
Like most Simpsons pop-culture things, I didn't get the sense the producers were really familiar with the premises spoofed, and just put all the characters in the weird character designs. But Maggie as Baby Yoda WAS pretty clever.
Cute. Do Marvel next. ****.
22 vs Earth
The end joke was pretty good (although The Simpsons already did it).
The little Souls are so cute because they had real little kids voice them.
Fun. ****.
The Nevers "Undertaking"
Laura Donnelly brought the goods in the last scene.
I'll tell you something: I'm paying more attention to Lord Massen from this point forward. He's not a sour idiot. That masterful "training exercise" he played with Amalia says he is very cunning. It was a riveting scene because you couldn't quite tell when either person decided to break or get back into character. It's not credible for Victorian England, but you know what? Not everything needs to be credible. It's good television, which is all that matters in my book.
I was surprised Maladie was caught, but after learning Frank Monday was a feared boxer called the Ape, I wasn't VERY surprised. He seemed a legitimately formidable opponent against her. God forbid he and True ever get into it.
Lucy being the traitor was disappointing, but it also felt right because it hurt Amalia so much. And honestly, I feel like her justifications SUCKED. Yeah, I feel bad about her son, but nothing else justifies allying with the people who murdered Mary. I'm glad True didn't kill her, but I wouldn't have objected too strongly if she did. She seemed too unrepentant about it.
Augie and Penance continue to be adorable. Nobody should be THAT stupid in a murder interrogation, but Augie's a special level of clueless.
The message at the end was just vague enough to be tantalizing to the viewer, and specific enough to totally get to True. It, along with her Cat and Mouse game with Massen (as well as a total absence of porn) makes this a good week. ****.
DC's Legends Of Tomorrow "Ground Control To Sara Lance"
Gary is an alien? Does it fit everything else? Probably not.
I really dig the idea that Arrowverse John Constantine has his soul back. Feels like a good progression from his own TV show.
I like Sara saying Avengers are stupid and smart people are Preventers. Interesting shade at the Distinguished Competition being thrown there.
Like the new main title.
Watching Spartacus get eaten by Gary's fiance was fun. Isn't it great the sentences I can write in reviews for this show?
Is Alastair Crowley the same guy as the Satanist on Pennyworth? Interesting.
This show is so much fun and I'm glad it's back. ****.
Batwoman "Initiate Self-Destruct"
I can't believe Ryan just LEFT Alice there and went home to her domestic situation as if nothing happened. I'm not okay with that.
On the other hand I was greatly angered that the show appeared to be having her and Alice bond during the mission. That's wrong for her character too. Learning that isn't what was happening was also good on some level so I don't know what to think.
The last scene was a killer. Alice isn't the only one in bad shape. So is Kate.
Solid (if not great) episode. ***1/2.
Black Lightning "The Book Of Reunification: Chapter One: Revelations"
After last week's fiasco I didn't expect it would take much to win me back and I was right. I was satisfied with that.
I would not ever like to fight Painkiller.
The problem with Jefferson isn't that he's being ungrateful. It's that he's being rude. And that's been his problem the entire time and one of the things I don't like about the character.
Interesting Grace doesn't want her powers back. I kind of don't blame her.
The scene with Tobias and the board was notable because it was interesting, and I can't recall any scene with Tobias being interesting before this week.
Gambi is a heel. That is all.
The last scene with the flashing lights made me wonder what is going on. Will there be a double of Jen? Is China Anne McClain returning for the rest of the series? The fact that the CW no longer does "Next week" promos for this show makes my guesses especially frustrating.
Not bad. Which is good enough for me after last week. ***1/2.
The Flash "The People V. Killer Frost"
That was better than I expected it to be. The courtroom stuff was stupid per usual, but I wasn't overly offended by any of it, which is a switch. I especially like the Meta telling Frost as she's taken away that no Meta in the city will forget what she's done for them.
The Speed Force's heel-turn was kind of a shock (based on what it is) but it was also pretty heavily telegraphed. I had mistaken that telegraphing as a way for Barry and Iris to teach Nora the right thing to do, but it wasn't actually a teaching moment at all. Kind of scary.
I could have told Caitlin and Cisco to watch out for cameras when they were breaking into the lab, but that's only because I'm not super dumb.
All that said, I'm not happy about Frost getting life in prison. Hopefully a pardon can happen someday down the line, but it didn't strike me as a remotely fair or happy ending.
I liked most of the episode though, which is nice, because I didn't expect to. ***1/2.
Supergirl "Prom Again!"
That was nice. I am very glad Kara and Kenny got a sweet ending and Cat's younger actress sort of grew on me. Unlike the younger actresses for Kara and Alex she doesn't actually LOOK like Calista Flockhart. But she sounds and acts like her.
I enjoyed that very much. ****.
Bless The Hearts "The Drincan Temple"
I like Violet calling Travis a magical Fonzie. But he's really the worst. And he did porn, which means he failed at life. What a broken person.
I did not feel good about Jenny calling Violet and Betty the two most important people in her life. That felt like a deliberate snub at Wayne.
The episode was all right, but the characters got a little obnoxious. ***1/2.
Bob's Burgers "Bridge Over Troubled Rudy"
Louise's bad ideas are so bad because nothing you can say can dissuade her from them. Her bad ideas are the worst of the Belchers. Linda and Tina have their share of bad ideas too, but if the idea is TOO bad, Bob or Louise can put their foot down and overrule them. There is nothing stopping a Louise Belcher trainwreck.
I found it very cool that Louise was able to admit and acknowledge the actual reason she did the bad idea is to repair what she said to Rudy.
Louise and Rudy are one of the most interesting love stories on television. Oh, you didn't get that's what's going on? That's what it is. But the thing that sets it apart from other love stories, particularly young love stories, is that it isn't set at the beginning of the romance. It's before the beginning, and possibly years before. But in 30 years Louise and Rudy will be married with five kids. Bank on it. Tina is gonna dump Jimmy Junior when she gets her act together, but Louise and Regular-Sized Rudy are soulmates in it for the long haul.
But this is years before that crosses either of their minds. And it's kind of sweet and exciting too. I wish The Simpsons treated the boy / girl relationships on that show like actual kids instead of like teenagers. Bob's Burgers gets that part right.
I love Bob rocking meditation because as stressed as Bob usually is, he utterly lacks pretention, which is something that REALLY helps with that specific thing. He's honest with his feelings and emotions, so he can focus on the breath with no problems. I love that about him.
Kudos to the show for the resolution to Tina's plot being that she can fake that the Banzai was trimmed. It actually looks great. Happy endings all around, made especially happier by the fact that Jimmy Pesto is finally refused one. Good stuff.
If you asked me if this was a great episode in and of itself, I'd say probably not. If you asked me if it was a great snapshot of a VERY early point of Louise and Rudy's romance, I'd say, yeah, for sure. The subtext in the background between those characters meant more to me than what actually happened in the episode. Plus, Bob's great at meditation, which also rocks. ****1/2.
Family Guy "Meg Goes To College"
Oh, man, they struck comedy gold with Doug. He came out of nowhere in a bit role a couple of seasons ago, and now he's essential. It's amazing. He's everything Herbert was meant to be, but never was. I love him giving the raspberry and being unable to do stairs. I love that character. It's definitely an Ugh Doug moment.
I like Guillermo's Law. That is definitely a real thing.
NOBODY liked the Starbucks cup in Game Of Thrones! The set-up to that cutaway was genius and the final line cracked me up. Don't look at the internet.
Meg needed to rock that Russian song so Mila Kunis wasn't allowed to sing it. I actually find Kunis' off-key voice endearing, brave, and vulnerable, but I get the gag demanded she be replaced for it. At least her replacement sounds sort of like her instead of the stand-in they used in "Don't Make Me Over". Here's another irony. Kunis actually speaks fluent Russian. Weird, right?
Peter saying that Meg can take whatever message she wants from this is why I am very glad the show is currently on the air. That was awesome. Even ten years ago it wouldn't have been able to come up with a joke that perfectly subversive and insightful. I truly believe that.
Classic Asha. Good joke there.
Peter does an AWFUL lot of philandering in the episode. It's sort of played as a joke whenever Peter or Lois do that once in awhile in the background of a given episode, but this was pretty much nonstop. Not sure how I feel about that.
Bob's Burgers won the week in a walk, but I think this was a strong episode too. ****.
American Dad! "Stan Moves To Chicago"
Mark Russell was exactly that awful. The Simpsons made fun of him back in the day, but I cannot overstate how unfunny and stupid he was. A literal comedy black hole. He gave pianists a bad name and rep too, which as someone who played piano as a kid always ticked me off.
Perfect Strangers had the catchiest theme song, but as the episode proves, it has one or two lines in it that are utterly unintelligible.
It's a major plot oversight that Francine's career as a stand-up doesn't come up once.
It was all right, but to be honest, it wasn't great. **1/2.
Final Space "The Ventrexian"
The distinct lack of comedy and jokes throughout most of the episode tells me network interference will not be the problem for the producers this year that it was last season. They seem to finally have free reign to tell the kind of dramatic stories they want to.
Littlecato's origin story did not surprise me at all. It's also suitably epic.
Bolo saying to Gary "Don't you quit me," was awesome. Keith David continues to perhaps be one of the greatest voice actors alive.
This is all great stuff. We are in for a good season. ****.
