Reviews for Fall TV Shows & Specials Which Aired
November 9, 2014 – November 15, 2014

* New series in CAPS
* Reviews May Contain Spoilers
Once Upon a Time (ABC) – Episode 4.07 “The Snow Queen”

My favorite part about this week’s episode was seeing what happened between the Snow Queen and her sisters! Wow! That was something else!

The Walking Dead (AMC) – Episode 5.05 “Self Help”

This week follow Abraham and the group on the bus on their way to D.C. to deliver the one and only Eugene. Finally, it was revealed what comic fans knew, Eugene was lying the whole time and is not the answer to the cure. Ha! Talk about an elaborate survival mechanism (not to mention the people who died because of him along the way). Gabriel isn’t the only one holding a ton of guilt inside.

But really, this episode was all about Abraham backstory; the family he lost and afterwords, when he came in contact with Eugene. I love what this episode symbolized and meant for Abraham going through what he did only to find out the hope that he was given and hold onto after was all a lie. But still, overall, this was quite a boring episode. What did you think?

Resurrection (ABC) – Episode 2.07 “Miracles”

Rachel and many others who contracted the virus get worse which leads to Maggie finding out that Bellamy is a Returned. Finally! I can’t wait to see how the dynamic evolves between the two now that this information is out. Then there’s Margaret who may know quite bit or at least put on the impression that she does about why she and the Returned are there but clearly there’s plenty of pieces she has left to put into the puzzle. Love that!

Finally, the anti-Returned hate group, “True Living” now includes Deputy Carl which is unfortunate. One rotten apple doesn’t mean the entire bunch is! Still, the lynch mob nears. People only see what they want to see. It was only a matter of time. People are always so willing to quiet and attack and kill what they do not understand instead of LEARNING and you know, having COMPASSION. I’m interested in seeing where this goes.

Photo Credit: Jessica Miglio/FOX

GOTHAM (FOX) – Episode 1.08 “The Mask”

“He-he tried to kill me!” – School Bully

“That’s right. He did. He tried to kill you. Just you remember that next time you see him. And you remember that I let him try. (To Bruce) Now let’s get some ice on the knuckles. What do you fancy for your dinner?” – Alfred Pennyworth

“Pizza.” – Bruce Wayne

Okay, so, I want it to be known that I’m officially on board with Jada Pinkett Smith on this show. I was wondering when the day would come that I’d not just accept her playing this character but really fall in love with her performance on this show and something about this week solidified it for me.

Next, Bruce goes back to school and when he runs into trouble, Alfred Pennyworth is there to remind him who he is and the power he has to stand tall among the rest. Go, Bruce! Ah man, I love this. Seeing Batman as a child, being groomed to be what we all know he will become. Love it!

Finally, there’s quite a deadly fight club that Gordon finds himself in the middle of. Yikes! Of course he fought his way out so this was just a thrill ride and not all that interesting aside from that. What was your favorite part about this week’s episode?

SCORPION (CBS) – Episode 1.08 “Risky Business”

I wasn’t really paying attention this week but I did love how Gallo was willing to go to certain measures for this case and all Sylvester needed was the okay to work his magic. Sylvester pulled through big time within seconds! Pretty comical was Toby’s rapping skills when he tried to create a diversion for the team while they extracted the innocent. Loved how Happy came through with the risky but clever elevator escape! Whoa! Also, Toby needs to ask Happy out if he wants to date her. C’mon, Toby, you can do it!

The Blacklist (NBC) – Episode 2.08 “The Decembrist (No. 12)”

I can’t say that I was paying a whole lot of attention to this episode but I do know that Tom is out and Red has told him to never see Liz again. The threat of death was implied. Do you think we’ll see Tom again? If not this season then in a future one? Also, it’s time for the show’s holiday hiatus. It returns in February! See you then, The Blacklist!

Castle (ABC) – Episode 7.06 “The Time of Our Lives”

I’m always up for an alternate reality. I may have missed the first ten minutes of the episode but I got the hang of the episode quickly and absolutely loved it! Lanie pregnant but the baby not being Esposito’s. Alexis with black hair living in LA with her mom. Martha a big star. Kate the Captain. The single Captain. Castle needing the blue pills! Ha! There was so much about the alternate reality that was so right and so wrong and I loved every single moment of it. I love when a show like Castle has the most random moments of magical realism. It works so well and I love it! Good job writers!

The Voice (NBC) – Episodes 7.15 & 7.16 “Live Playoffs”

The search for the top 12 began and concluded this week! Performing on night one from Team Blake were Taylor Brashears, Jessie Pitts, James David Carter, Reagan James, and Craig Wayne Boyd. Team Adam’s night one artists were Chris Jamison, Matt McAndrew, Taylor Phelan, Mia Pfirrman, and Damien. Night one stand outs for me were Jessie Pitts, James David Carter, Matt McAndrew, Taylor Phelan, and Mia Pfirrman.

Night two brought out ten more performances including Team Pharrell artists Jean Kelley, Elyjuh, Luke Wade, DaNica Shirey, Sugar Joans and Team Gwen artists Ryan Sill, Bryana Salaz, Anita Antoinette, Ricky Manning and Taylor John Williams. The stand out for me was Anita with DaNica, Sugar, and Taylor John Williams as notable mentions.

It’s worth mentioning that while I still don’t find Ryan Sill fascinating or anything, this was the first week that I thought he had the perfect song suited for him. On the other hand, what a terrible song for Jean Kelley! Ugh. No wonder she was eliminated! It’s an unfortunate loss though. She’s amazing. Also, I’m so glad Ricky is gone. I’m still confused as to how he made it this far anyway.

I skipped the live results show on Wednesday because there’s no show I’m watching three times a week other than Big Brother. I just went on The Voice website to see who was eliminated. I’m not too bummed that James David and Taylor from Team Blake and Mia from Team Adam were eliminated though I was really disappointed that Taylor Phelan from Team Adam was eliminated.

At this point, I’m rooting for Anita and Taylor John Williams on Team Gwen, DaNica and Sugar on Team Pharrell, and Team Blake which consists of Reagan, Jessie, and Craig. Who are you rooting for?

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (ABC)
Episode 2.07 “The Writing on the Wall”

We finally got some developments on Coulson’s scribblings on the wall that we saw in the season one finale and have since become an even greater deal. It was exciting to finally make some progress here and find out about the blueprint of a city. Looks like this is just the beginning! I’m pumped!

New Girl (Fox) – Episode 4.07 “Goldmine”

In an effort to get the infamous third date while being candid and telling the date that she lives with her ex, Jess puts Nick in the position of pretending to be gay so that the guy she brings home feels comfortable dating a girl who lives with her ex. The hilarious part comes when Jess’s date think that Nick isn’t gay but Schmidt is! Ha! Then there’s Cece who tells Schmidt she wants to get a breast reduction and Schmidt goes through the five stages of grief. My goodness. I can’t with this show. The physical comedy this week was ridiculous! Ha ha. Finally, it was great seeing Amber Stevens on tonight’s episode!

The Mindy Project (Fox) – Episode 3.07 “We Need to Talk About Annette”

When Mindy goes shopping with Danny’s mom, she catches her shoplifting! That creates for quite a comedic storyline this week, much more enthralling than the forgettable b-story this week, that’s for sure!

19 Kids & Counting (TLC) – Episode 14.15 “DC Duggars Hit the Road”

Josh and Anna make their journey to Anna’s sister’s baby shower a family road trip! There were awesome tourist stops made but on the downside, there was quite a bit of car trouble. It was fun getting to see these two go on what I believe was their first road trip as a family to Illinois. Like they said, a new era of Duggar road trips!

Arrow (The CW) – Episode 3.06 “Guilty”

Sure there were vigilante responsibilities but really, this episode was all about Roy and I loved every single moment of it! Colton Haynes really brought his A game this week! Great job!

Photo Credit: Tina Rowden / FOX.

Red Band Society (Fox) – Episode 1.07 “Know Thyself”

Nurse Jackson is enjoying her time at home, cooking, spending time with her niece who is in town, and cleaning out her closet… until she gets a visit from Kenji and Nurse Dobler and all of this brings upon great backstory for Nurse Jackson. Loved finding out more about Nurse Jackson, what she lost, what she left behind, and what she became for her family.

Leo’s friends come into town and he has Emma come along with them to lunch. Awkward. Great to see Allie Grant (Suburgatory, Weeds) make an appearance on this week’s episode by the way. But Emma eats a donut and I can’t tell you how happy that made me to see. Go, Emma!

The rest of the gang sneaks around to watch a surgery and after getting caught, Dash has a bit of a health scare. And when he goes into a coma, hoping to see Charlie, he finds no one is there! Charlie is awake! Yes! I can’t wait to see next week’s episode! Ah! So much progress this week. I loved it!

The 100 (The CW) – Episode 2.04 “Many Happy Returns”

Bellamy and Octavia have finally reunited! Yes! Family reunions FTW! Clarke is safe and Anya is dead. I was waiting for that. Raven tested herself with a job and while that was awesome to see, I was a little mad that the walking with a brace scene was so easy. That could have been stretched out for at least another episode or two. Chancellor Jaha met one family that’s part of a whole other group of people on earth which makes me wonder even more now just how many people there are on earth and all where. Also, it was great to see Jasmine Garza (Continuum) on this week’s episode!

The Middle (ABC) – Episode 6.06 “The Sink Hole”

Sue finds out she’s one class short of graduating and there are home improvements in the house that the Hecks can’t put up any longer, not to mention Brick’s addition to the entire mess. I wasn’t laughing out loud this week but this was still a pretty solid episode.

Modern Family (ABC) – Episode 6.07 “Queer Eyes, Full Hearts”

This week’s episode is the most hilarious episode of the season so far. Without question. Cam needs Mitchell support, Gloria wants and needs Jay and Manny’s empathy but more than that, a genuine longing to experience her culture, her identity… and the Dunphys are all over the place. Haley is secretly preparing for a job interview, Alex is studying way too much, and Claire and Phil, well, they bring the funny in their own ways.

Loved the Friday Night Lights reference. Absolutely loved, loved, loved seeing Michael Urie (Ugly Betty) guest star! Love everything about tonight’s episode. It made me laugh more than I have in awhile. I’m so glad that brief hiatus is over and I’ve got my ABC comedy lineup back on Wednesday nights!

Black-ish (ABC) – Episode 1.07 “The Gift of Hunger”

The Gift of Hunger Experiment that Dre enacted on the kids was quite a lot of fun to watch, especially since vlogging was incorporated into one of the jobs and that’s become quite a thing in recent years so that was exciting to see. Everyone had something to prove for other people but also for themselves and I liked that balance.

Also, whoever wrote that “fresh baked bread on your butt toilet paper” line wins at life! Finally, it was quite fun to see Nicole Sullivan make an appearance in this episode! She is always so funny!

Photo Credit: The CW

The Vampire Diaries (The CW)
Episode 6.07 “Do You Remember the First Time?”

Bonnie! Wow. She is a fierce! And that ending! Loved! And Elena trying to undo the compulsion? My goodness! Solid episode this week. Really looking forward to next week especially when it comes to Bonnie and Damon!

The Biggest Loser (NBC) – Episode 16.10 “Free Agents”

This week was a team shake up. Can’t have the white team winning every week now can we? Ha ha. I see right through you, producers! But I’m not even mad because the teams will be more even now. But oh my God, how awkward was it when they had to go to their new teams! AWKWARD. Nobody seemed happy. Like, everyone knows the trainers are going to help them to the best of their ability and they’re in good hands and all of that but still…ha ha. My goodness.

Grey’s Anatomy (ABC) – Episode 11.07 “Can We Start Again, Please?”

What an incredibly humiliating moment for Amelia this week. To have grown so much from the person she was only to have someone from her past see the past and only the past without any second chance. And in that way, for her privacy to be shattered, her trust in anonymity broken…wow.

Then there’s Jo who dealt with so much doubt. This week was great. Last week was such a powerful episode that had a heart tugging family feel. This week, kind of piggy backed off of that but was less intense but intense in its own way so comparison actually seems odd. Anyway, great episode!

Photo Credit: ABC

Scandal (ABC) – Episode 4.08 “The Last Supper”

Huck’s son saw more than he bargained for..whoa! And it looks like Olivia’s father is now her enemy! Oooo!!! This episode was fantastic. Fantastic. I’m speechless really. The writers of this show are the absolute best. That is all.

GRACEPOINT (FOX) – Episode 7

Carver has a daughter?! Another child in town has gone missing?! And it’s Ellie’s son! Wow! Great episode! This has been one of the most exciting episodes in awhile!

Parenthood (NBC) – Episode 6.08 “Aaron Brownstein Must Be Stopped”

Max finds his crush kissing a boy. Uh oh! Loved the scenes with Max and Kristina tonight! Hank catching his daughter throwing a house party and then hiding because he didn’t want to be the bad cop was absolutely hilarious. Why does this show nail every complicated emotion so well? That poker scene too! Ah! Loved it. Those were my favorite highlights this week! Amber will be fine. Crosby & Jasmine will be fine. Max was on my mind and Hank’s father-daughter bonding really got to me this week. God, I love this and I can’t even begin to explain how empty I am going to feel when this show is over. I am just so glad that it made it past 100 episodes! Congrats Parenthood on making it to 100!

Photo Credit: Colleen Hayes/NBC

HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER (ABC)
Episode 1.08 “He Has a Wife”

Keating told Wes that the dead girl was 6 weeks pregnant with Sam’s kid?! I was NOT expecting that! It makes complete sense that she would but whoa!! Thus begins the torpedo of motive for murder! Things caught up to the murder very quickly this week and it was glorious!

Wes and Rebecca kissed! And he’s gone ahead and told her about the pregnancy, after Keating asked him not to.

Bonnie met the dead girl on the night she was killed?!?!? WHAT. And the girl tried to confront Keating, to tell all but Bonnie pushed her out before she could get to her?! WHAT. And when Bonnie went to tell Sam all about this, they started kissing?! Ah!!!! And now that Bonnie has come clean, she’s fired! Ooohhh!!!! Now Bonnie sleeping with who she shouldn’t be makes so much sense! Her emotions were totally out of line.

Next…Frank has a girlfriend?! Guess Frank and Laurel are done, huh? Bonnie warned Laurel to stay away from him. Guess she had to learn the hard way. But Bonnie knows better so what in the world is she doing with Sam?! Then, Michaela’s soon to be mother in law is absolutely bonkers. How dare she call her future daughter in law what she did. She may be fighting for her life’s work but she’s just as trashy as the person she’s calling names if she has to resort to that! It’s so uncalled for. Really. But the best part about Michaela this week was seeing her steal the trophy! Ahhh! It’s all coming together! Next week is going to be BANANAS!!!! I cannot tell you how excited I am!

Rebecca and Nate working together to bring down Sam…they are determined! But will they actually get anything done over the heavyweights they are against? Especially now that Wes has caught Rebecca! Ack. Is this why Wes decided to take matters into his own hands? Did he indeed take matters into this own hands?

And finally, the murdering someone while sleepwalking thanks to a sleeping pill case was something else! I can’t believe the husband was going to let his wife take the fall for his murder! Wow! Talk about a betrayal! Great episode tonight! I loved that the case didn’t take up half the episode like usual and there was more focus on the other character story lines. It was great.

Haven (Syfy) – Episode 5.10 “Mortality”

Great episode! I loved everything about it, especially the ending…the CDC woman isn’t from the CDC??? Yes!!! I cannot wait to see what becomes of this! I am so excited and forget everything I said last week, I was being way too paranoid! Yay!

Z NATION (Syfy) – Episode 1.10 “Going Nuclear”

Another great episode! How about near the end?! Patient Zero doesn’t want to give newly turned zombies mercy now? Is this foreshadowing for him protecting the zombies and possibly becoming a problem for the group? That could be very interesting!

Christmas Movies Next Week (November 16, 2014 – November 22, 2014)
Paper Angels (UP) Sunday, November 16, 2014 7pm ET
Angels and Ornaments (Hallmark) Sunday, November 16, 2014 8/7c