Arrow 3x16 "The Offer" (Are You Better Off?)

"The Offer"

Original Airdate: March 18, 2015

You know what is really difficult for me? Making a decision. My friends and I joke about how we are all quite indecisive, but there's a nugget -- nay, a boulder -- of truth in our jokes. It took my best friend and me about twenty minutes to decide where to go for dinner one night. We began texting, trying to weigh our options: Well, what were we hungry for? Which places were a good half-way distance between our apartments? What time should we eat? I am a terrible decision-maker. My roommate is not. My roommate will make a decision without too much hesitation or conflict because she would rather have a plan solidified than waste fifteen or twenty minutes contemplating options. I've had to make very few life-altering decisions in my twenty-six years on earth. I've decided where to go to college. I decided to break up with my college boyfriend. I decided when to transfer to another university. I decided when to move out of my parents' home. I decided when I wanted to start looking to buy a house. I decided when I wanted to start searching for other jobs. All of those decisions are good and they're important.

But sometimes, decisions aren't easy. Sometimes offers that we have seem tempting and they seem good and they seem perfect, but they turn out to be something we didn't want. And sometimes, the thing that seems least appealing to us actually becomes more intriguing. There's a common thread there that is really important in decision-making: your circumstances. Where you are physically, mentally, and emotionally when you are preparing to make a decision is often more important than the decision itself because it colors your perception of your circumstances and it colors your decision, too. I'm sure you all know where this is going, but Oliver Queen has a very difficult decision to make in "The Offer" as he contemplates Ra's' offer to become the next Ra's al Ghul. And we look at Oliver's circumstances and think the same thing that Diggle and Felicity think: of course he'll say no. Of course he will. It would be absurd to agree to that. It's not even an option.

There are two simple words that can alter our trajectory and they're two words that Oliver contemplates in this episode: "... and yet." It seems like Oliver would never agree to become Ra's. And yet... has Oliver lost himself so much already that he believes becoming Ra's would be and could be his next logical leap? Would it be better for those he cares about if he wasn't in their lives? Ra's isn't stupid -- he didn't make an offer knowing that Oliver would immediately turn it down. He knows who Oliver Queen is. He knows what he fights for. And Ra's knows that this proposal is attractive to Oliver, which is why he offered it in the first place.

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6x01 "Ladders" & 6x02 "Lawnmower Maintenance and Postnatal Care" (Once More Into The Fray)

"Ladders" & "Lawnmower Maintenance and Postnatal Care"

Original Airdate: March 17, 2015

To say that I had a lot of problems with Community's fifth season would be an understatement. In a year that began with promise, the series quickly dove into its stale bag of tricks (Everything is so meta! Look, we did an homage just for the sake of an homage! Why don't we just re-visit Jeff/Britta/Annie again? We haven't done that in a while! When all else fails, have Joel lose his shirt!) and I found myself longing for much more than the show was delivering. I ached for the days when characters shared meaningful scenes together. You remember these people, right? Seven unique individuals with their own backstories and tragedies and quirks who were more than just punchlines or archetypes. Instead of growth, I found that the fifth season displayed stagnation at best and downright regression at worst. With two fewer study group members, I expected stories to focus on Shirley as a character or Annie or maybe even the relationship between the three remaining women. Instead, not a single character grew (well, maybe Abed a bit but even that's a stretch) throughout the year and we were plopped down in the exact same place we began: the study group failing to succeed in the real world, having to save Greendale, and then being forced to essentially stay there forever.

If it sounds like I'm bitter, it's because I am. Community is what started this blog in the first place. And it wasn't flawless when it began, but it WAS focused on a trajectory -- it was centered around growth and development and change and friendship and acceptance. And somehow, along the way, love triangles and homages and over-the-top antics watered down those messages and made them less powerful, less frequent, and -- consequently -- less important. The characters sort of blended into this weird and wild and crazy world of Greendale to the point where the school itself actually became a more important character over the years than anyone in the study group. What should have been a show about people learning to accept others became a show focused on GREENDALE as the star. And that's when the fissures began to occur, really: when the school is more important than the people in it, there are problems.

Now, I know this all sounds like I hate the once-NBC series. I don't. I don't hate Community at all. It's because I love it so much that I'm more hurt at how it's disappointed me over the years. But I genuinely want the show to succeed. I want it to return to the exploration of human nature and friendship and love and -- very appropriately -- community. And that's actually something that you need to do in order to examine television critically: you need to look at where it is flawed and where it is successful and evaluate how the series can grow and develop and what is hindering that development. Oh, sure, I fangirl over things still in the series just like everyone else. But for a long time, whenever I watched a television show I loved, I would gloss over its flaws in favor of squeeing. That's... well, not what I want to do anymore. And that's not what my reviews will be anymore (I can't speak for Deborah who -- in case you didn't know -- I am SUPER pleased to announce will be co-reviewing with me this season!)

So if you would like to find a place that fangirls over Community and worships at the feet of Dan Harmon, I can kindly direct you to a few places. But if you want to have some frank discussions about what works when the show is at its absolute best and what completely and totally does not work (*gasp!*) then this is the place for you this year! 

Because, as Orlando Jones so brilliantly said: "Criticizing something doesn't mean you want it to fail. A passionately engaged audience is better than an indifferent one."

So here we are, six seasons into the series (now airing on Yahoo! TV because why not) and I'm ready to embrace this new year provided it delivers some great character arcs. And given this Debbie Downer introduction, I bet you're just dying to know what I thought of the one-hour return to Greendale Community College, aren't you? Well, let's get to it then and discuss where we are at the beginning of season six and where we could be by the end of it.

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Once Upon A Time 4x14 "Enter the Dragon" (Harnessing The Evil Inside)

"Enter the Dragon"

Original Airdate: March 15, 2015

I think that Once Upon A Time had the right idea when it chose to spend this season focusing on the dichotomy between good and evil and how both can be present within an individual's soul: how goodness and heroism and evilness and villainy aren't mutually exclusive. Redemption has also been a theme this year -- a year which has seen some amazing characters do extraordinary things in order to protect those they love. And in this season, we're being asked to contemplate exactly what makes someone a hero or a villain. What we're learning is that it's not as cut-and-dry as we might anticipate.

For example: do malicious decisions in your past make you a villain? We might answer "yes," but then Once Upon A Time directs us to examples like Charming and Snow and Hook and Emma. And then there is Regina, someone who has made horrible decisions in the past. Someone who has chosen vengeance and death and destruction over love and sacrifice and whose current actions come in direct opposition to the way she used to be. If you are once a villain, does this mean you're always a villain? Does it mean that there is always something evil within you, remaining dormant until the day something or someone awakens the -- as it were -- dragon? Or does it mean that you can change and become someone better?

"Enter the Dragon" is an episode that focuses a lot on Regina Mills and her relationship with Maleficent. The two share a complex past and an even more complex present and their entire relationship and dynamic really hinges on the idea that once you have an evil heart, you always have an evil heart. The only thing that can awaken it is the desire for revenge. In the episode, Regina decides to go undercover -- thanks to the prompting of Snow and Charming -- in order to find out what the Queens of Darkness are planning. As she does, we're able to see the parallels to present!Regina (who believes she is in control and can convince the Queens that she really is evil without having to actually compromise herself or hurt anyone) and past!Regina (who spurred Maleficent toward revenge and hurtled herself toward the path to darkness). So let's talk more about this, shall we?

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Series: This Week's TV MVPs - Week 4

It's still spring hiatus, which means a lot of our favorite shows are taking deserved breaks and probably cleaning their houses and changing their wardrobes from sweaters and scarves to sundresses and shorts. (It's... just go with the imagery.) But that doesn't negate all of the amazing new television there was this week! And boy, there were some fantastic performances, both comedically and dramatically that deserve recognition.

So let's hop to it, then! Joining me this week are some of my favorite people:

• Just About Write's weekly reviewer of Supernatural, expert live-tweeter, and adorable human being Deena Edwards
• Fantastic friend, reviewer, and lover of cuddly animals, Laura Schinner
• The Leslie Knope to my Ann Perkins, and the soprano to my alto: Jaime Poland
• Super talented New Yorker and expert bow-wearer, Constance Gibbs

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Jenn's Pick: My Top 10 Bellamy/Clarke Moments

I became hooked on The 100 pretty quickly. I shouldn't have been surprised at that, really, given my proclivity for obsessing over shows on The CW recently (Arrow, Jane the Virgin, The Flash). When I first began marathoning the series on Netflix -- which took barely any time at all because, you know, hooked -- I compared the show to a Lord of the Flies-esque story of survival. And really, in the beginning, it was just that. The 100 started as a show about teenage delinquents sent to earth who decided to make their own rules, live by their own standards, and survive however they wanted. In those beginnings, I loathed Bellamy Blake because he was a bully and a self-centered, self-appointed leader who cared more about the idea of freedom and doing whatever he wanted than of surviving beyond that day or that week. I loved Clarke Griffin from the moment she appeared on screen, though. I loved how she was this perfect blend of compassion and intellect and sass and leadership. She was always the mother of those on earth. In the drop ship, she tried to warn everyone to stay in their seats, and those who didn't heed her warnings and advice soon found themselves suffering life-altering consequences. Clarke was everything Bellamy was not in those early episodes. She was level-headed, focused more on surviving and protecting everyone than serving her own agenda. The funny thing is that Clarke never stepped into the role as the leader of her people -- she just always was. Leadership and sacrifice have always been such inherent traits in Clarke Griffin. She uses her compassion to make decisions and her strength to stand behind those decisions and convictions. So she clashed with Bellamy a lot when the show began because Clarke could see the kids in the drop ship for what they were -- people. People who needed to be protected, not people who needed -- necessarily -- to be led.

That changed, of course, and so did Bellamy and Clarke's relationship. While Clarke was always a leader, it took a while for Bellamy to accept her as such -- to listen to her ideas and step out of his self-appointed role as leader of the 100 long enough to allow her to step into the role she always possessed. When Bellamy was able to soften and learn to compromise -- when he was humbled -- that is when the two began to trust each other. Moreover, they actually began to rely on one another to make decisions for the good of the group. But even more important than that, Bellamy and Clarke have always reminded each other of their humanity. Bellamy supports Clarke, constantly, and is always there to tell her the things she needs to believe about herself but can't bear because they're too difficult, too heavy. And Clarke has always been this light for Bellamy. She's the one who consistently reminds him that he's not too far gone and that she needs him; that they all do. As these two characters grew closer to one another, I found myself in the position where I find myself a lot in television shows: I found myself warming (rather quickly) to the idea of a Bellamy/Clarke pairing.

And so, below, it's time to detail ten of my favorite Bellamy/Clarke moments throughout the two seasons of The 100. Hopefully this will hold us all over until the series returns again, right?

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The 100 2x16 "Blood Must Have Blood, Part 2" [Contributor: Laura Schinner]

"Blood Must Have Blood, Part 2"

Original Airdate: March 11, 2015

Last night marked the season finale of The 100, wrapping up what has been one of the most dramatic, suspenseful, and well-written seasons of television in recent memory. Characters were forced to make decisions that will haunt them for the rest of their lives, as everyone did what they thought they needed to in order to survive. It all culminated in a finale, where stakes were higher than they’d ever been before and there really was no perfect solution.

Clarke and Bellamy

Since the beginning of the show, Clarke and Bellamy have stepped forward as leaders of the Sky People, making the decisions that no one else wanted to make. Because of this, they feel as though they have the most blood on their hands. This season, with Bellamy off fighting to help their people escape Mount Weather, Clarke was left alone to make many of those decisions by herself and this has taken its toll on her. She will forever feel the guilt of abandoning the people at Tondc but she hasn’t had time to dwell on it, having to continue moving forward to save her people.

In the finale, she had possibly the most difficult decision to make yet. With the realization that Cage would never stop trying to use her people for their bone marrow, she had to make the choice to kill hundreds of innocent Mountain Men to get her people out. This time, however, she had Bellamy right there next to her making the decision with her. She had someone to share the burden with, someone who understood how difficult it is to make these kind of decisions. But for her, it was too late.

The scene between Clarke and Bellamy at the end of the episode was great on so many levels. Bellamy is the only other person from the Arc who fully understands everything Clarke has been through and knows what it’s like to have to make decisions that will hurt many so that they can live. In the end scene between them, he offers her the forgiveness that he thinks she needs to stay with the Arc because he knows what it’s like to need that forgiveness. Clarke simply cannot move past it though, no matter how willing Bellamy is to forgive and share the burden with her. She has learned that she must bear this burden so that no one else has to, but she can’t look at the Sky People anymore without feeling the guilt of what she did to get them there. For Clarke, the only option is to walk away from everything.

Along with being an emotional and complex scene, this also set things up nicely for season three, especially if you’re a fan of the Clarke/Bellamy pairing. They both need this time and distance to come to terms with what they’ve done before they can ever be in anything resembling a healthy relationship. From their final scene, it’s clear that they care deeply about each other but neither are at a point that they can be together.

Maya and Jasper

In true finale fashion, a main character had to die last night. They’d been fighting the Mountain Men all season and there was no way that everyone could make it out alive, especially with how few of them there were compared to the enemy. Even if they had all managed to escape, there was one character who simply had no chance of survival. While it was heart-breaking to watch, it was no surprise when Maya died so that the Sky People could live. She had been helping Jasper and the rest for quite a while, not willing to sacrifice them so that her people could see the ground. When Clarke and Bellamy pulled the lever to kill those at Mount Weather who couldn’t handle the radiation, Maya was one of the innocents that had to die.

Jasper and Maya’s relationship through the season has been one of the most interesting to watch develop. Without Clarke or Bellamy there to help, Jasper stepped up into a leadership position and was faced with difficult decisions himself. Maya was right there beside him the whole time, helping him through it. Because of this, their relationship was in a lot of ways accelerated, with the high stake only serving to deepen their connection. They truly did love each other by the end, making their goodbye that much more emotional.

Lincoln

At this point, it would have been satisfying to see almost any character kill Cage. After all, everyone from the Arc has a good reason to want to see him dead. In the end though, if it wasn’t going to be Jasper, it had to be Lincoln. His journey on the show has perhaps been the most exciting to watch, as he’s developed in ways that were unimaginable when we first met him. To see him once and for all put the Grounders behind him was a big moment.  His journey to becoming one of the Sky People has been gradual throughout the season and the Grounders abandoning them was the final push he needed to fully assimilate. While his love for Octavia plays a big role in his choice, I’d argue that he has also come to respect most of the Sky People, more so than his own people.

Lincoln has also had to deal with the effects of a drug the Mountain Men gave him, as they attempted to turn him into a Reaper. When he was a part of the Grounders, he was a warrior but he was completely in control of what he did. As a Reaper, he was simply a murderer, unable to stop himself. He has fought to regain that control he used to have and has struggled with what he did when he was under the influence of the drug. When at long last he confronts Cage, who blows the horn that would normally turn Lincoln back into the murderer he was, Lincoln shows how strong he truly is, resisting the drug and killing Cage. This was a huge moment for Lincoln, as he was able to kill the man who made him the way he is, as well as put that part of his life behind him completely.

Jaha and Murphy

The finale also marked the conclusion of Jaha and Murphy’s journey to the promise land, but not without complications. Jaha has become a man so set on his ultimate goal, that he is unwilling to let anything stop him, even allowing men to die so that he and Murphy can keep going. When Murphy, who admittedly has always had a questionable moral compass, is feeling more guilt about people’s deaths than Jaha, it’s necessary to question how far Jaha is really willing to go. As the former leader of his people, he has always been willing to sacrifice a few for the greater good but at this point, he doesn’t even seem affected by his decision to let people die. He’s become a completely different man, one who is far more unlikeable than he used to be.

Once they reached land, Jaha went so far as to leave an injured Murphy behind so that he could get to what he believed to be the City of Light. Instead, he encounters a mansion with a holographic woman inside, who seemed to be expecting his arrival. This leaves many questions about what will happen to him and Murphy next season and opens the door for some interesting developments.

Theme of The 100

In this episode, two characters made statements that accurately sum up the show. As Maya lay dying, she said to Jasper “none of us is innocent.” Likewise, when Clarke tells her mother that she tried to be the good guy, her mom responds with “maybe there are no good guys.” The point that both are trying to make is that in this fight, there isn’t a single person who could walk away without blood on their hands. Everyone has either killed someone or made a decision that has resulted in another’s death, be it by actively choosing to or standing aside and letting it happen. Because of this, no one can claim to be the ‘good guy.’ Yes, everyone had reasons for what they did, some better than others, but at the end of the day, their goal was to help their own people (which I talked about A LOT in my review of the last episode). This show is morally complex and there is no right answer to anything. All they can do is make the decisions they think are best and then deal with the consequences which is exactly what we’ll see them struggle with in the next season.

Memorable quotes:

• "We're the good guys here. Not you."
• "YOUR PROMISED LAND SUCKS!"
• "You won't do it." "You don't know me very well."
• "What have I done?"
• "If you need forgiveness, I'll give that to you. You're forgiven."

That's it for this season of The 100, folks! Look for Laura to recap the series over summer as a part of the traditional #SummerRewatch here at Just About Write where we return to some of our favorite shows over the hiatus and write about them. Until then, hit up the comments with your thoughts about this episode/this season of The 100! What are you hoping for in season three?

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Series: This Week's TV MVPs - Week 3

It's been a surprisingly TV-lite week (and this week will be more of the same, with many shows gone for hiatus and a number more having already aired their finales), but nevertheless, there were some fantastic performers on our television screens this week and we would like to celebrate them! Apologies that this post is late and therefore technically in a new week of television (vacation messes up your blogging schedule. Who knew?!).

So without any further adieu, let's talk about some great performers in last week's television series. Joining me to discuss this week are:

• The newest Just About Write weekly contributor, TVOvermind writer, live-tweeter extraordinaire and friend Laura Schinner
• Editor and writer for Tell-Tale TV, Ashley Bissette Sumerel
• Writer, BFF and permanent favorite person, Jaime Poland

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