Grimm 6x12 Review: “Zerstorer Shrugged” (Back to the Cabin in the Woods) [Contributor: Alisa Williams]

“Zerstorer Shrugged”

Original Airdate: March 24, 2017

“You shall break them with a rod.”

It’s the penultimate episode of Grimm and things are getting worse and worse for Nick and his faithful team! Let’s dive right in, shall we?

We left off last week with Skull Guy unleashing his glowing green staff and Eve going full Hexenbiest. Eve and Nick battle it out with Skull Guy in the Other Place, while back in Portland at Monroe and Rosalee’s house, Monroe, Adalind, and Renard try to figure out how to get there to help out. Monroe has a theory, based off of what Renard’s mysterious friend told them, that this other plane of existence is hell and Skull Guy is the guardian, a.k.a the devil. So while Adalind and Renard consult the Hexenbiest spell book, Monroe pulls out his trusty family Bible (Wesen edition, naturally).

In the Wesen Bible, hell isn’t the hell we think of — all fire and brimstone. Instead, it’s a beautiful garden overrun by beasts and hell “resides within” the beasts. Sounds pretty identical to where Eve and Nick are. The Wesen Bible even has a drawing of the devil, and wouldn’t you know, he bears an uncanny resemblance to Skull Guy, complete with staff.

Monroe also has an idea of how to reopen the portal. He thinks Diana possesses the ability to open it, but Renard and Adalind are completely against involving their daughter in any of this, since Skull Guy wants to make her his child bride and all. Of course, their shouting match about it wakes Diana up and she hears what they’re saying.

Over at the spice shop, Hank, Wu, and Rosalee are consulting the Grimm books and they come across a drawing of a skull with some ancient German text. When translating it, they figure out that Skull Guy used Eve to lure Nick to the Other Place. Skull Guy needs the power of a Grimm to cross worlds, get to theirs, and take his bride, and now he has Nick. As Rosalee’s piecing all this together, she also remembers that the strange markings on the cloth wrapped around the Elder Wand were a calendar that pointed to March 24 as the date the stars would align and something “very bad” would happen. It’s all coming together now!

Rosalee, Wu, and Hank decide they absolutely cannot open any portal to the Other Place, lest Skull Guy jump through. Back at the house, Monroe has finally agreed to let Adalind open the portal herself and not involve Diana. Just then he gets a frantic call from Rosalee. But unbeknownst to them, Diana is in the living room, and she has the Elder Wand. She opens the portal and Adalind, Monroe, and Renard run in, screaming at her to stop.

In the Other Place, Nick, Eve and Skull Guy see the portal open. Nick manages to grab Eve and they both get sucked through. After they’re gone, Skull Guy saunters through, too. Uh oh.

Back in Portland, Nick and Eve come flying back through the mirror in Rosalee and Monroe’s house. Eve is no longer woged. Nick immediately grabs his Elder Wand and heals himself from the wounds Skull Guy inflicted. The team is relieved to have them back, but Monroe shares what Rosalee was trying to tell them — that if they came back, they wouldn’t come back alone. Nick looks around. It sure looks like they’re alone. Monroe points to the mirror, which has been completely destroyed and definitely won’t be moonlighting as a portal again any time soon. Just then Rosalee, Hank, and Wu bust in. Everyone’s relieved Skull Guy isn’t there, but they’re not entirely convinced Skull Guy missed his big opportunity.

Nick and Eve fill the team in on their time in the Other Place, and describe Skull Guy. He also had a name in the Other Place — Zerstorer. Monroe tells them Zerstorer means Destroyer.

Before they can ponder that for too long, Diana tells Eve that Eve is different now, and that part of her stayed in the Other Place. Adalind asks if Eve feels any different. Eve isn’t sure, but when she tries to woge, she can’t. She’s not a Hexenbiest any longer.

Just then Diana starts hyperventilating, crying, and screaming, “He’s coming! He’s coming!” Nothing Renard or Adalind does can console her.

Meanwhile, over at a creepy gas station, bats start dropping dead from the sky and suddenly a guy minding his own business in the station bathroom is stabbed through the chest with a staff that emerges — with Skull Guy — from the bathroom mirror. As Skull Guy comes through the mirror he transforms into a very attractive (and completely naked) human-looking man.

Skull Guy — now Naked Man — emerges from the bathroom and promptly kills the gas station attendant with an electrical charge from his staff.

Back at Monroe’s, Diana is still inconsolable but the team vows that they will all protect her. Adalind takes her to another room to calm down and the team brainstorms where to hide her. Nick decides they should take her to the cabin in the woods that he and Monroe discovered on his first case after realizing he was a Grimm.

Apparently, they assume the cabin is still standing empty after six years or that they can easily evict its current tenants. And no pause is given to whatever bad juju the cabin might have, considering it was where a Wesen serial killer committed a string of murders. Nick thinks this is the perfect place because it has no connection to any of them. I think it’s the perfect place because producers didn’t want to splurge on a brand new set design on the second to last episode. Either way, Monroe points out that Skull Guy may have a connection to Diana that enables him to track her down no matter where she’s hiding.

So, Rosalee suggests an additional protection — a Hexenbiest charm that protects a child from danger coming his/her way. Renard says his mother used the charm on him several times when he was a child and, as far as he knows, it worked because he’s still alive despite the royal family trying for years to kill him.

While Hank and Wu head to the precinct to check and see if there’s any unusual chatter about a Skull Guy coming through, the rest of the team applies the potion to Diana and then heads off to the cabin.

Meanwhile, Trubel is back! She’s down in the tunnels looking for the Elder Wand when she notices the symbols. She’s been gone awhile and sure has a lot of catching up to do.

Nick, Adalind, Renard, Diana, and baby Kelly arrive at the cabin and it looks exactly the same as it did when the Blutbad serial killer lived there. Complete with the hidden door in the floor that leads to a little girl’s bedroom where the Blutbad kept his victims. Not creepy at all.

Monroe, Eve, and Rosalee are back at the spice shop, poring over Grimm books. Turns out this special staff has quite the legacy. Not only does Monroe’s Wesen Bible connect the staff to the devil, but also to Moses, David, and a host of other important figures from the Bible and several other religions. Just then, there’s a noise upstairs. Fortunately, it’s just Trubel come to find them, and Monroe wastes no time getting her caught up to speed.

Over at the precinct, Wu and Hank hear about some suspicious activity at a gas station and take off to investigate. There’s two dead men (one of whom is naked because Skull Guy stole his clothes), and lots and lots of dead bats everywhere. Nick joins them at the crime scene and confirms the fatal wounds look like something Skull Guy could have caused with his staff.

Speaking of Skull Guy, he’s winning friends and influencing people as he wanders Portland. He almost gets hit by a car as he meanders into traffic. The driver shouts at him. Then he happens upon some homeless people in an alley. He mimics what the driver said to him to the homeless people and then begins mimicking them, which they do not appreciate. When one of them starts to attack him, he drops his staff and it turns into a snake that kills the man. Then he walks away, mimicking the man’s screams. Well, I guess that’s one way to teach yourself English. Rosetta Stone’s not for everyone.

Back at the spice shop, Trubel is up to speed and she, Rosalee, Eve, and Monroe are brainstorming how Zerstorer got his bony hands on an all-powerful staff connected to so many important historical figures. Eve also mentions a key detail – that when she saw the staff in the Other Place, it was cracked and weathered and looked like it had been broken apart and put back together again (anyone else thinking the Elder Wand is a piece of this staff?).

Monroe says he remembers reading a prophecy about a staff with the power of the gods that can’t be destroyed. In the prophecy, the staff was broken into 100 pieces and scattered across the world to prevent evil from using it. Eve guesses that the Elder Wand is a piece of the staff (shocking!). That must be what Zerstorer is after. Eve calls Nick and tells him to come back to the spice shop immediately.

Back at the cabin, Diana has a dream that Skull Guy shows up and tries to take baby Kelly. She wakes up screaming and when Renard and Adalind try to tell her it was just a dream she explains that no, she knows now that Skull Guy wants them both — her and Kelly. This is super problematic because the concealment charm Rosalee whipped up was only used on Diana, not Kelly.

Nick gets back to the spice shop and Rosalee, Monroe, Eve, and Trubel fill him in: if Skull Guy gets ahold of the Elder Wand — the last piece of the staff — he’ll be unstoppable. Nick gets back to the precinct and fills Hank and Wu in, too. They weapon up with as many guns and as much ammo as they can find. Meanwhile, Trubel hears shots where she’s at and comes outside to discover two dead cops. She calls Nick and lets him know just as Nick hears gunfire out in the main precinct area. Skull Guy is in the precinct!

Nick, Wu, and Hank race out to confront him and he’s no longer looking human – he’s back to being a literal Skull Guy again. He uses his staff to blast all the cops out of the way. This enrages the werewolf within Wu and he woges and charges Skull Guy, who rams him through with his staff. Wu collapses and unwoges. Nick rushes to his side but there’s nothing he can do and Wu dies.

Nick tries to charge Skull Guy but he just bats him away. Then Hank unleashes a round of gunfire on him — with no effect. Skull Guy stabs his staff through Hank’s neck and Hank dies instantly. Nick rushes him again, and again is thrown backward. And then the episode ends!

We’ll have to wait until the finale to find out who prevails. My guess is Nick and team — utilizing Diana’s many powers — will be able to reverse time or somehow resurrect Wu and Hank (perhaps with the Elder Wand?!) and everything will be a-ok. I hope so anyway. I would be super bummed if they end the show by killing off Hank and Wu, who are arguably two of the best characters.

Bonus Musings:

• “The hitchhiker didn’t need a guide to this galaxy. He just needed a Grimm.” 
• “Just think of it as fairy dust.” “Mom. There’s no such thing as fairies.” 
• “That was before I had a baby with you. Or you.” “Simpler times.” 
• “I tried shooting this guy in his world. It didn’t work.” “He’s in our world now.” “Let’s weapon up.”

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Grey’s Anatomy 13x17 Review “’Till I Hear It From You” (Wrapping Up) [Contributor: Julia Siegel]

“’Till I Hear It From You”

Original Airdate: March 23, 2017

After many weeks of multiple storylines going unfinished, an episode has finally surfaced to tie up loose ends. While not all the missing stories have been fulfilled, it is good to know that they haven’t been completely forgotten about and left in limbo forever. The direction of this episode was wonderful, as director/actor Kevin McKidd always does a great job. Between story development and cinematography, this was the best episode of the past few weeks.

LEARNING THE TRUTH 

The truth usually strikes the doctors pretty hard, so it was no shocker that many characters got a twist they weren’t expecting. For once, the audience was way ahead of the action and knew what all the strife was about. Two characters had especially difficult times handling the truth, which has been put off for too long. First, Maggie’s mother makes her return to Seattle without having told her daughter that she has breast cancer. Just like Maggie, Diane Pierce is incredibly stubborn and refuses to disclose the truth until the very last moment.

Naturally, this causes problems between Maggie and Diane. However, the biggest grief is for the audience, as viewers must suffer through Maggie’s relentless complaining throughout the episode until she learns the truth behind her mother’s surgery. Maggie should feel like a terrible person for the way she treated her mother. The character was quite despicable, and she’s not usually that bad. Now, Maggie will be the worrywart family of a sick patient, which will, more than likely, make her more unbearable.

Owen and Amelia’s relationship has been in limbo since they got married, and it doesn’t appear the situation is getting better soon. Their biggest problem is that they don’t communicate, which led to the ordeal they are currently in. For those who have forgotten what their issue is, since it really hasn’t come up, Amelia is scared to death of having another child after her first baby was born without a brain and died less than an hour after birth. This is a completely reasonable reason to not want another child, but had Amelia told Owen the truth prior to tying the knot, all the arguing could have been avoided.

I blame Amelia for this debacle, as she has perpetually made it worse. She half-admits her past to Owen in this episode, which is at least a small step in the right direction. Even though the two took some great shots at each other, it’s good that they are sort of talking again. Will the relationship be repaired? It’s hard to say, but the show would be better off without the hassle of two messed up characters making each other’s lives worse.

ENEMY LINES 

Arizona and Richard used to be on the same side of the Minnick situation, until Richard caught Arizona kissing the enemy two episodes ago. Saying stuff hit the fan might be a bit of an understatement, as Richard feels that he has personally been betrayed. It is pretty terrible that Arizona would be falling for the enemy of one of her closest friends, so Richard is in the right again. The two have a mini make-up moment where Richard says he will eventually be able to forgive her.

The war on Minnick seems to have died off over the past two weeks or so, yet it’s rekindled with a single kiss. Unless Richard gives in or Minnick leaves, I don’t see the drama ending anytime soon. Every person has their own agenda at this point, so it seems impossible that everyone will give one way or another. The story is getting stale, yet it’s unclear whether it will continue to burn slowly or end in an explosive conclusion.

BUDDING ROMANCE 

Meredith and Nathan have had an ongoing cat-and-mouse relationship that also hasn’t made any strides until this episode. By the end, Nathan is able to convince Meredith to go out with him in a speech about the first time he saw her that would melt anyone’s heart. These two characters have had their hearts ripped out and been depressed for years, so it was very good to see both have some genuinely positive emotions. Since Meredith has accepted Nathan’s date proposal, there should be more interesting stories to come out of their new relationship.

Last week’s budding romance between Jackson and April was completely non-existent in this episode, as Sarah Drew didn’t even appear. It hasn’t been unusual this season for a character to randomly not have a role in an episode, so it seems like it was April’s turn to have a week off. The timing is miserable considering the emotional turn of events her trip to Montana with Jackson turned into. Their story still remains open-ended and lost in the sea of unfinished business.

DeLuca is also in the same predicament, as he has finally professed his love for Jo. The love triangle between Alex, Jo, and DeLuca will certainly heat back up, which would allow all of those unfinished plot points from earlier in the year to be wrapped up. With so many questions unanswered all season, it was good to have some stories close and others rekindled. With six or seven episodes left in the season, let’s hope the rest of the stories will wrap up nicely.

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Arrow 5x17 Review: “Kapiushon” (Okay, So We’re Doing This) [Contributor: Jenn]

“Kapiushon”

Original Airdate: March 22, 2017

What does it take to push you to your breaking point? For some people, it’s a lack of sleep. For some, it’s emotional pressure or stress at work or just one more text from your family member about why you’re still single. Everyone has a straw that breaks your back — it just causes you to snap or lose hope altogether. We’ve all been there. And in this week’s episode, so has Oliver Queen.

I’ll explain more about this in the rest of the review, but I’m pretty conflicted about Arrow’s central moral dilemma and villain right now. On the one hand, I actually enjoyed last week’s episode (“Checkmate”) because it focused on the fact that Oliver is being bested by a guy who’s intent is to dismantle him bit by bit. I love the precision with which Adrian has laid out his plan — this isn’t erratic or driven by emotion. It’s logical and it’s calculated. It’s nice to have a villain with a plan.

On the other hand, “Kapiushon” spent a lot of time (some of it necessary to set up present-day Oliver) in flashbacks with the Bratava. And I’ll be honest, I’m already bored of the Bratva and haven’t paid nearly enough attention this season to the flashbacks to be able to piece together the plotline. Shout-out to my Twitter followers who pieced it together for me! And while I loved Adrian’s motivations last week, the whole point of this week’s episode seemed kind of absurd to me — the revelation that Adrian wanted Oliver to arrive at was kind of weak (and I say that, having recognized the extremely weak motivation Music Meister used in this week’s The Flash. Not a great week for villains, I have to say).

So let’s talk about that revelation, and what it means for Prometheus’ rise and Green Arrow’s fall moving forward.

CONFESSION TIME, HERE’S WHAT I’VE GOT

(If you spot all of the Hamilton references in this review, you get a gold star!)

Confession is necessary for the soul. And here’s what I mean: when you can’t be honest with yourself, you can’t really be honest with other people. Sure, you might be able to tell them the truth but if there’s a secret that’s buried deep down inside of you and you refute it again and again or, worse, ignore it altogether, it will come out. And it will be unhealthy when it does. That’s why confession is such a staple of religion — in order to restore our relationships with ourselves and others, we need to admit when we’ve done something wrong. We need to be honest with our secrets. We need accountability, because otherwise we’re sinking in pools of darkness that we’ve created for ourselves.

I think that the major reason I’m torn on this storyline and villain during this week’s episode is because I don’t know if I believe Oliver’s confession. On the one hand, our flashbacks demonstrate the fact that Anatoly is perceptive and points out the fact that Oliver enjoyed killing. While he vehemently denies this, Anatoly doesn’t appear to be convinced and warns Oliver that if he isn’t honest with himself, essentially stuff will come back to bite him in the end. But I’ve watched enough television crime dramas in my day to know that confessions under duress are generally not the kind you should take too seriously. If you push someone to their breaking point, they’ll say anything in order to free themselves. So I don’t know if I believe that Oliver loved killing people during his crusade and justified it because of his father’s list. It’s hard, at this point in a series, for the Arrow writers to get me to mentally retcon character development — which is what it kind of feels like they’re asking me to do at this point. And therein lies the real issue I’m having with this storyline: am I supposed to be suddenly believing that Oliver enjoys killing? What if I don’t believe that? What can I garner from this villain and story if I’m confident the villain is off-base? While Adrian Chase felt very calculated and intelligent in “Checkmate,” I spent the better part of this week’s episode being annoyed by his interrogation tactics, or lack thereof.

Because the truth is that shouting at someone, shooting him with an arrow, and threatening harm to others to get Oliver to answer an incredibly vague demand became really tiresome after a while. I was on the verge of shouting, “HE HAS NO IDEA WHAT YOUR ACCUSATION IS. STOP ASKING HIM TO CONFESS A SECRET TO YOU” the entire episode. While I think there were some interesting elements at play in the episode — the comment that Oliver made about how all the things he did will never compare to the cold-hearted way Adrian kills people, including his wife, just because — I don’t know that it all worked well together and am struggling to figure out exactly what it was that just didn’t sit well with me.

It might be the fact that almost the entire episode was Bratva flashbacks. The issue there is that I’ve become so bored by them this year that I generally tune them out. So to try and jump back into the flashbacks with a short attention span and limited recollection of the Russia plot left me floundering quite a bit. It also didn’t help that the episode OPENED with flashbacks either. I know we’ve all been begging for Bratva/Russia storylines but I don’t know that the way they’re done this year is compelling to me. I like Anatoly and Oliver’s relationship and their interactions, but I couldn’t care less about everything else that’s happening with Bratva and weapons of mass destruction and, apparently, Malcolm Merlyn.

But back to our villain: Adrian was really interesting last week, and this week it felt odd — like the stakes weren’t as high (even though I don’t consider a rescue of Susan to be high stakes because her character is like an annoying gnat that just won’t leave you alone), because we know Oliver won’t actually die and we know Adrian Chase won’t die yet. And the secret that is extracted is so odd to me. I get that Chase is trying to break Oliver down little by little. The subtle and slow dismantling of his public image was pretty genius. But I don’t really understand, beyond Chase wanting Green Arrow off the streets, what the point of Chase’s crusade is.

It doesn’t seem like he’s the kind of person like Slade or Darhk who just wants to run amok, turning Star(ling) City into a villainous hub. Chase is far too calculated and subtle for that. Truth be told, I think he likes the whole “play the hero in the light, villain in the shadows” schtick too much to actually out himself as Prometheus. So what does Chase gain from this confession of Oliver’s? It’s hard to say: is it satisfaction in watching someone being totally broken mentally and physically? Maaaaaaaaybe.

But whatever the case, something about Chase’s methods in this episode didn’t feel compelling to me. Still, he did manage to get a confession out of Oliver: that he enjoyed killing because it felt good.

And now we circle back to this secret of Oliver’s: do you believe it? Do you believe, re-watching season one, that Oliver gets a rush from crossing names off his father’s list? I don’t know that I do — I can see both sides at play here, and I honestly don’t know what I’m supposed to believe. I know what Oliver believes now. Oliver used to tout himself as the good guy and hero, and Chase’s undermining of that belief is the crux of his villainous crusade. He wants to draw a comparison here and say that Oliver is worse than Chase because at least he admits that he’s a killer and is a bad person. Oliver, Chase essentially argues, continues to pretend he is a hero when he’s really worse than Chase because he won’t admit that he enjoyed killing people. And the “enjoyed” is an important part too. It implies that once upon a time, Oliver enjoyed killing but this part of his life is behind him.

I honestly don’t have much to say about this episode (shortest Arrow review in my career thus far), because I don’t really know what to believe to be true about Oliver. How am I supposed to view Green Arrow? As a hero? As someone who is a hero but enjoys killing the bad guys when he has to? As someone who is a hero with a dark secret in his past? Chase is the villain, that much is certain. But who is the hero in this story?

The episode ends with Oliver returning to the Arrow Cave, completely and totally distraught. He’s beaten up and battered — emotionally and physically. That’s why he says what he does in the end: that he’s done. He’s done playing the hero and trying to save his city and its people. He’s done being a good guy. He’s done being a vigilante. He’s just tired and done. So Adrian Chase’s plan seemingly worked (for now, because we all know the “Oliver is hanging up his hood” plot happens once every season, at least). He broke Oliver. And if that’s all he wanted, then WHY?

(Yeah, I’m still so confused as to why someone is putting THIS MUCH EFFORT into destroying Oliver just because he killed Adrian’s father years ago. MOVE ON, DUDE. YOUR DAD WAS BAD AND SO ARE YOU.)

What is this all seeming-nonsense leading to? I guess we have to wait to find out. But honestly, I — like Oliver — am a little bit tired.

And now, bonus points:

• Stephen Amell slayed this episode. He was a rockstar and deserves credit for the intense scenes.
• Hey, remember when Evelyn was a thing? She’s still a thing! She and Adrian faked her death in front of Oliver, apparently, because Evelyn is a sociopath or something. Not gonna lie, I find her more compelling as a villain than one of the good guys.
• I weirdly missed seeing Malcolm on my screen.
• The stunts in this episode were pretty great. Kudos, team.
• “He’s fine. Well, he’s unconscious.”

What did you all think of the episode? Sound off in the comments below!

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Tale as Old as Time: A Roundtable Review of Beauty and the Beast [Contributors: Jenn and Chelsea]

Beauty and the Beast is a beloved Disney classic that was recently remade into a live-action film starring Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, Emma Thompson, Kevin Kline and many more talented individuals. But with every remake, there is always a risk: will it live up to the original? Though the live-action film has some differences from the animated one, it still — in the opinions of Chelsea and Jenn — holds up. Below, we talk about what we loved about the original, and how the remake compares.

Okay, give it to me straight: what are your thoughts on the live-action remake overall?

Jenn: I absolutely loved it. The animated film is so beloved to me, and Belle is my favorite Disney princess (I mean, hello, she’s the Sacred Princess of Reading). And I thought that the remake did a really good job of modernizing the classic, in a way, while still remaining true to it. It was a re-imagination of sorts, but not a departure from the things that made the initial film so popular. Everything worked really well, I think, overall.

Chelsea: Okay so, Beauty and the Beast (1991) is one of my three favorite films of all-time. I have tattoos inspired by the film planned for the future. I knew going into this live-action iteration that it would in no way compare to the original and to just shift my expectations into it being a reenactment rather than an inspired by film. Having changed those expectations the day Emma Watson was cast really helped get me hyped for the film and lead to me thoroughly enjoying this version. I loved just about every moment of it including some of the new songs and little changes they made to Belle’s backstory to help fill in the gaps. There were only a few awkward inflection moments during the recreations of “Be Our Guest,” “Beauty and the Beast,” and “Something There” that really threw me off, but I am also very attached to the original soundtrack and those slight differences were bound to throw me.

What was your favorite change the live-action remake made to the original?

Chelsea: I really enjoyed how Belle was even more headstrong and spoke out against Gaston and for herself. Belle was already quite the little feminist and vocal in the original, but those little Hermione-esque moments really drove home that Belle wasn’t a Stockholm Syndrome princess and was in charge of her own agency. Also, making Le Fou a character with motivation and being torn was way more interesting than him being the fool that blindly support Gaston. Disney did right by him by making him a queer character and giving him that story arc of being the tentative sidekick. I was very impressed.

Jenn: I agree with Chels about Belle. I thought giving Belle the backstory of being an inventor and her father as just being the lonely man was creative. I never really liked how her father was just seen as the bumbling fool in the original film. I thought that change was subtle and small but it really helped to make Belle a more well-rounded character and her father more sympathetic. Both ended up being in charge of their own destinies, which I really appreciated. The inclusion of the Enchantress throughout the film as an outcast was also really small but poignant. I loved the fact that she played a significant role and was a widow — this seemingly insignificant person in a seemingly insignificant town had more power than anyone else in the entire film. It was great.

Totally agree with you, Chels, about Le Fou’s motivation. I think I was most pleased with his arc as a person. The original film made him, again, such a bumbling fool. But that Le Fou was able to identify Gaston as a monster in “The Mob Song” was such a powerful moment to me. It really allowed him to develop as more than just a foolish sidekick, blinded by loyalty.

The 1991 film had some plot holes (okay, quite a few) that the live-action film addressed. Which one did you appreciate most?

Jenn: I think my favorite plot hole was addressing the fact that not every object in the castle was once a person. Belle talking to the hairbrush made me crack up. I also really enjoyed the plot hole about the location of the castle, too. I always thought, “It’s so weird that most people don’t know how to get there/it takes so long but Belle can get there in ten seconds.” When I went out to dinner after with my friends, I brought that up. And my friend’s husband was like, “No, actually, the horse is the only one who knows how to get there.” And I had a moment of being like, “WOAH THAT IS SO TRUE.”

I really liked that they addressed Gaston’s behavior as potential PTSD, and that the Beast was no longer an eleven-year old boy.

Chelsea: Gaston’s backstory of coming back from the war and possibly having some PTSD really worked for me. They gave him some extra moments to try to rise above the villainy and it lead to some great character moments and dynamic scenes from Luke Evans. Having the Enchantress there for the entirety of the story and filling in that Beast age gap and why nobody knew about the castle were also nice little touches that only added to the story. They weren’t overt in changing the original story but they also made it make more logical sense.

How was the casting of the film? Would you cast any roles differently?

Chelsea: Literally everyone was perfect, I will fight people about Emma Watson. I don’t need her to be Celine Dion because her personality fits the role and she can carry a perfectly fine tune. Luke Evans was the real treat I didn’t know was there. Who knew that the villain from Fast and Furious could ham it up and sing like that?

Jenn: I will also fight anyone who complains about Emma Watson. The woman has literally played two of my major female heroines (Hermione and Belle), so she’s perfect. I liked Dan Stevens as the prince. I’ll admit that I initially was worried about Luke Evans. Gaston, in the original, was so buff and that’s part of who he is (it’s even in the song — he’s “roughly the size of a barge”). But Evans was super surprising to me, because he really embraced Gaston’s personality and I think, to me, that made up for the fact that he is a bit smaller than I expected Gaston to be. He got the villain on a deep level and I really loved that. Josh Gad was the perfect Le Fou, and all of the castle characters were FLAWLESS.

The music of Beauty and the Beast is iconic, and with the inclusion of new songs, the remake had the chance to soar or fail. How would you grade the musical elements of the film?

Chelsea: I’d give the new songs a solid B. There was no way they could add new songs around these iconic ones but they did a perfectly fine job at adding new things to keep the pace of the film. Props to them for getting Celine Dion back to sing one of them. I do love that they managed to get Audra McDonald to sing more than I thought she would. Her rendition of “Beauty and the Beast” with Emma Thompson was delightful. Ewan McGregor cannot really sing though. There’s no good way around that one. They needed that to be a James Corden type of actor that can be fun but also belt it out when needed. Ewan was the clear weak link in the cast.

Jenn: I might skew it a little higher than you, Chels, just because of how much I love “Evermore” and have had it on repeat. The new songs might not be iconic, but I don’t think they were out of place, which is all you can ask for whenever you have original music in a film. I loved Emma Thompson singing “Beauty and the Beast.” And Dan Stevens was a surprise, because he did a great job. I love Emma Watson but I wish they hadn’t autotuned the crap out of her. She sang “How Does a Moment Last Forever (Reprise)” live apparently, and it didn’t sound bad. That’s my main complaint with the music. She’s not a bad singer and Belle doesn’t have to be a master-class performer, but the film didn’t even let Emma Watson try without over-tuning her voice.

Be honest: did you cry? At what parts?

Jenn: As soon as the opening chords of “Beauty and the Beast” played, I started crying and couldn’t stop crying throughout the entire ballroom waltz. It was just beautiful. I had chills. (Also, my friend’s husband said he got chills during that scene too so you know it was good.)

I also honestly got a little weepy when the servants changed into the household items (seemingly) permanently. Belle’s song at her childhood home also tugged at my heartstrings. All of the girls I went to see the film with sat together, with the boys on the end, and you could see us wiping back tears during several parts.

Chelsea: During almost every song but for good reasons. Just the great production value and seeing those iconic moments with Emma Watson as Belle really were a joy to watch. The end portion where the last petal falls and the Beast briefly dies also got me good.

Jenn: Chels, that last petal falling wrecked me too.

Is there anything else you’d like to add that you enjoyed about the film overall, and/or wish had been done differently?

Jenn: Mad props to the costume designers on this film. That yellow ballgown is iconic, and I love the way that the film modernized it and yet still stayed true to the original. I want Belle’s earcuff in that scene and her hairpiece, too. Like, now. Like, link me in the comments if you’ve found it on Etsy or something.

Overall, I really enjoyed all the little nuances in the film that I’ll have to appreciate more in a re-watch. The music is still as iconic and enjoyable as the 1991 classic, and I felt like a child watching the magic of the film unfurl in front of my eyes in new ways. The story is still just as beautiful and the message about loving yourself and loving others for who they are on the inside is just as necessary in this day and age as it was then. 10/10 would see (and will see) again.

Chelsea: I’m so happy this film is making all the money. I’m generally hit and miss about this remake culture but I really feel like the right care was put into this one and that it all came together pretty nicely. From a filmmaking standpoint, I thought everything was beautiful and that I was transported into that cartoon from my childhood. The cinematography, production design, and wardrobe were gorgeous. The cast really had fun in their roles and they knew they weren’t there to make anything more than the original.

I think a better director could have saved some of those musical numbers from being as awkward as they were but Bill Condon has proven he can deliver a hit, so who am I to argue with his hiring. I know I’ll be seeing this again in the future and it’s something I can take my nieces and nephews to see that is fun and not a dumb animated film like The Secret Life of Pets or Minions.

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The Flash 3x17 Review: "Duet" (Singing and Dancing in Unison-inining) [Contributor: Deborah MacArthur]

"Duet"

Original Airdate: March 21, 2017

We needed a break from the dramatic nonsense that’s been happening on The Flash, and nothing makes for a better break from dramatic nonsense than singing, dancing, happy nonsense! Oh, bless you, musical crossover episode. I was getting weary and you have revived me.

IT’S LIKE A DRUG THAT YOU USE THAT TURNS PAIN INTO SHOES AND YOUR SHOES INTO DANCE!

Our crossover begins in flashback, with little Barry watching Singin’ in the Rain with his mother. She gives her take on musicals: talking is just talking, but singing is opening your soul and letting your true self shine through. Hey, I buy it. But then again, I’m a huge fan of musicals.

Modern Barry is watching the same movie while wallowing in his post-break-up funk, and this is important because it shows how important musicals are to Barry. We later find out that Kara also loves musicals, which is why their Music Meister universe ended up a musical. My only complaint is that, aside from one line in Supergirl where Kara tries to get Mon-El to watch a musical, we don’t get the sort of establishment with her that we do with Barry’s story. Sure, we’re told that Kara’s go-to musical is The Wizard of Oz, and she does make a lot of references to it, but it would have been nice if the Supergirl episode leading into this crossover had spared a bit of time and featured post-break-up Kara enjoying her feel-good movie musical just like Barry does in this episode.

Barry’s sadness is interrupted by a call from H.R., and he and Cisco head to S.T.A.R Labs to check out the breach that just opened up. Turns out, it’s Supergirl! And she’s unconscious, being carried by Mon-El and — because Mon-El needs adult supervision at all times or he’s liable to blow something up, then try to hide the charred remains under a rug — J’onn is with them. They give Team Flash a summary of the last minute of Supergirl’s episode: Music Meister showed up and knocked Kara out, then hopped through a breach to chase after the Fastest Man Alive. Barry still gets that title? I thought we established that Wally is faster.

Music Meister shows up on Earth-1, Barry and Wally go after him, and he whammies Barry just like he whammied Kara. Barry comes to in the middle of a snazzy club, wearing a snazzy suit, listening to Kara snazzily sing “Moon River” on a stage.

With the unusual helpfulness of clear-cut, hastily-written musical plots (the music is what’s important, people!), John Barrowman shows up as Cutter Moran to give Barry and Kara a quick summary of their musical lives: he owns the club they’re in and is also a gangster, they work for him, and they’re both singers who need to get some original numbers or else it’s curtains for them, see? Curtains! Yeah, everyone talks like stereotypical gangsters in this reality. It’s great.

Speaking of wacky accents: Jeremy Jordan appears not as Winn Schott, but as the club’s piano player, Grady, and his accent is truly hilarious. His introduction happens in order to guide us all into the first big musical number of the episode. With the help of Music Meister himself and “not Cisco” waiter/Dreamer-of-Bigger-Things Pablo, we get a fun, bright, and energetic rendition of “Put A Little Love in Your Heart” and it is absolutely beautiful.

Barry looks delighted by the theatrics happening before him in his Music Meister-manufactured reality, because someone (and I’m not sure if it was a decision made by the writer, the director, or Grant Gustin himself) decided that Barry was going to watch every musical performance with complete, unashamed (get ready for a pun!) glee. Whereas most characters in his situation would be either confused, annoyed, or otherwise unamused by this bizarre occurrence, Barry looks like he just won an all-access pass to the greatest thing to happen in the history of musical theater. Even Kara “Joyful Light in Humanoid Form” Danvers is puzzled by the singing and dancing more often than entertained by it, but Barry is almost always seen grinning broadly, clapping enthusiastically, or trying to surreptitiously memorize dance moves whenever a music number happens. It’s freaking adorable.

After the big song, the plot-within-the-plot begins. Here’s a rundown: there are two warring gangster factions, one led by a man named Digsy “Not Joe West” Floss and his partner, “Not Martin Stein” (whose character name I don’t think we get), and another led by the Cutter Moran character. Barry and Kara are kidnapped and threatened into helping the Floss team find their daughter, Millie (Iris) because they know that Barry and Kara work for Cutter. The big secret turns out to be that Millie is in love with Cutter Moran’s son, Tommy (Mon-El), and they’ve been dating in secret. It’s all very straightforward and, for genre-savvy Barry and Kara, easy to manipulate.

After Barry and Kara kick an apartment door down and find “Millie” and “Tommy” making out, we get our first significant break in the musical story to catch up on what’s happening in the real Central City. Music Meister is using the spell or whatever he put on Barry and Kara to siphon their powers. Eventually, we learn that there’s really no huge scheme that Music Meister is working, and this is just here to make us feel like the stakes are really high, so... don’t care!

(Although, just an aside: the team of Cisco, J’onn, Iris, Caitlin, and Wally is efficient and excellent and I totally still stand by my theory that Wally taking over as the Flash for a couple episodes would be interesting.)

Back to the musical! Barry and Kara convince Millie and Tommy to tell their dads the truth about their love, which allows them to learn some things about their own relationships back in the real world. Barry learns that he needs to get back together with Iris because their love is important and he can’t let a thing like fear get in the way. Kara learns that sometimes people lie, but they should be forgiven. I’m... with you on that first one, show, but definitely not picking up what you’re putting down in that second Big Lesson. My reasons why exist in my Supergirl review.

As a result of Barry and Kara’s convincing arguments, we get Jesse L. Martin, Victor Garber, and John Barrowman singing “More I Cannot Wish You” from Guys and Dolls and it is glorious. As usual for this episode, Barry is grinning like a freaking loon in the background. He even does a “are you guys seeing this greatness right now?” motion to the background gangsters. And he applauds at the end. I love everything.

But alas, love cannot stop a gangster war and the three gather up their boys and their guns and get ready for a shootout in the streets. In the meantime, Kara and Barry perform one of only two original numbers for this episode, this one being “Super Friend.” It’s a song written by Rachel Bloom, of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend fame, and with quick lines like “I’m your super — that has a double meaning! — friend”, the fingerprints of her cleverness are all over it. Also, Kara and Barry tap dance. I love everything times a million.

Unfortunately, this is apparently one of those musicals with a downer ending because the Gangster War begins and no one gets out unscathed, not even Barry and Kara. Is it weird that I'm genuinely sad the fictional universe within this fictional universe ended on such a depressing note? Poor Millie and Tommy.

When the Barry and Kara lying in S.T.A.R. Labs start to crash because their musical alternative lives are fading, Music Meister informs Iris and Mon-El that the power of love really is what’s going to save them. Cisco vibes them into the other world and the respective loved ones of Barry and Kara pull them from the brink of death, waking them in a world where they’re superpowered and mostly fine. Music Meister flits off to whatever universe the show never explained he came from.

But some musical magic stuck around, apparently, because the tiny speakers on Barry’s phone reach high quality, surround sound levels so that he can serenade Iris with the other original number: “Running Home to You,” written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. It’s cheesy and beautiful and Grant Gustin performs it wonderfully. Also, it doubles as Barry’s do-over proposal — for realsies, this time! — which Iris enthusiastically accepts.

Other Things:

• So Barry has been hanging around Cisco’s place watching musicals, in the dark, in his Gloomy Hoodie, for days. The fact that Cisco didn’t electrocute him with some tech out of sheer annoyance proves the man is practically a saint.
• There’s no League of Assassins on Kara’s Earth, which means that Arrow plot never happened there. Lucky them.
• “You’ll have to excuse my friend. He doesn’t think before he talks.” Barry doesn’t think before he does a lot of things, Kara.
• “I didn’t mean like, a gender thing — I just wanted to kick [the door] in.” I love that Barry clarifies that he really just wants to kick a door in because it’s fun to kick doors in.
• “This problem right here needs someone with—” [J’onn transforms into Martian Manhunter] “—green skin and a sick-ass cape.”
• “Love will find a way! You can do it! Power of love and all that!” I really did like the Music Meister. He can return for #SuperFlashMusical Part 2: Glee Strikes Back.

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Bates Motel 5x05 Review: "Dreams Die First" (Disturbia) [Guest Poster: Erin Allen]

"Dreams Die First"

Original Airdate: March 20, 2017

Everyone is on edge and pissy with each other on this week’s episode directed by actual unicorn, Nestor Carbonell.

ROUGH NIGHT

Norman tries to piece together his actions during his latest blackout, and is none too happy with the shenanigans Mother gets up to without him. But mostly, he’s scared to death. She still hasn’t returned to him after his vision of her with Madeline. He is freaking out, but tries desperately to keep it together. He lashes out at Madeline: “I don’t need you to understand my life, Madeline. I barely understand it myself,” and he tells her about Sam’s motel tryst. She gets upset, and kicks the already emotionally unstable Norman out of her truck.

Also unexpectedly, Norman runs into Dr. Adams, and discusses the therapy they had done together. Dr. Adams offers to resume his treatment, blaming himself for pushing Norman “too far, too fast.” I think it’s great that Dr. Adams shows up at this particular time. He was always very patient and gentle with Norman. That’s why he was able to have some sort of breakthrough. If they would’ve continued, there might’ve been hope for Norman. But, alas, Norman is too far gone or unwilling to try. “Sometimes I see my mother when she’s not really there, and sometimes I become her. Well, that doesn’t happen anymore.” Either he is lying to himself or he’s lying to Dr. Adams.

At this point, he thinks the only person that can help him is his mother, but she is nowhere to be found. Norman isn’t the only one missing her. Her absence from the episode is acutely felt, but it really did underscore Norman’s distress.

“I’M A UNICORN”

Another character we didn’t get to see was Alex “I’m a unicorn” Romero. Nestor Carbonell, who plays the sheriff turned convict, escaped from in front of the lens to behind the camera. He delivers a dark and tense episode, wrapped in a bright and beautiful package.

Carbonell does a great job of building the tension between all characters, even the happy ones. It was only a matter of time before the bubble burst for Dylan and Emma. Everything we’ve seen of them this season shows that they are a happy and healthy little family. Their home is filled with light — so different from the Bates house and moody White Pine Bay. The darkness of their past and of things unsaid creeps in and disturbs their peace. Dylan gets impatient with Emma, and serves her a high quality burn: “I know you think you have this superpower where you know what people want even though it’s not what they say, but it’s getting really old, and sometimes people know what they want without you having to tell them. So, if you could just drop the Norma thing, that’d be great.” OUCH.

He ends up telling her about his fear that Norman is responsible for Emma’s mother’s disappearance/death, and Emma is pissed. What does he expect with what he said to her earlier? (And, by the way, do we think he still made her lunch after that?) Dylan tells her that he let Norma talk him out of doing anything about Norma because he was “a coward” and wanted to be with her, essentially assigning her some blame in his decision. We haven’t seen Dylan or Emma find out about Norma or Caleb, but now we’ve seen Emma learn the awful truth about her own mother. To be honest, that wasn’t even on my radar, so it surprised me. Also, watching their idyllic life come crumbling down is pretty upsetting to watch. And we know there is more on the way when we see Emma discover a headline reporting Norma’s suicide.

These performances set in the sunny, cheerful atmosphere were copacetic. I liked Carbonell’s choices on the whole Dylemma portion of the episode. Max Thieriot (Dylan) and Olivia Cooke (Emma) conveyed a lot in their scenes together, setting us up for more emotional turbulence with them.

GOOD GIRL GONE BAD

Like Thieriot did in his episode, “Hidden,” Carbonell manages a fresh take on the original, but still pays tribute to Hitchcock’s work. He approached the Marion Crane part of the story thoughtfully. There were some little things that I would’ve liked to have seen recreated here, like the push in through the window that begins the film, but I think what they chose to pay homage to was pretty great. And, anyways, why would we need a shot for shot imitation? Really, Gus Van Sant, why would we need that?

Rihanna as Marion is really cool casting. I thought she was a little stiff at times, but overall I like the direction she’s taking the character. My main problem with this storyline is that Sam is such a dolt, that it’s hard to believe Marion would risk so much to be with him. What could he possibly bring to the table in this relationship? At first, I thought it was an interesting divergence from the Sam Loomis in Psycho, but now that Marion’s decisions are based on the quality of his character, I’m not liking it quite so much.

We are only halfway through this final season and it really feels like we are hurtling toward the conclusion. No doubt, there is a lot more chaos on the way, and if it’s kept at this pace, we are in for a wild second half.

Motel Amenities:

• “She’s a nut, but how amazing would she be as a grandmother?” Ow, my feels!
• Major continuity flub in the scene between Marion and Sam — her jacket disappears in one shot and then reappears for the rest.
• I loved Marion eyeing the briefcase.
• “With Janet leaving, I would like to submit myself for the position.” How brilliant is this line? Rihanna is taking the part that Janet Leigh played.
• Friggin’ Freddie Highmore and his perpetual teary eyes! I can’t handle it.
• The music was nice and Bernard Herrmann-y.

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Dancing With the Stars 24x01 Roundtable: Cha-Cha Yay! [Contributors: Maddie, Chelsea, and Megan]

Break out your sequins and fringe, because Dancing with the Stars is back! After a fun night of cha-chas, waltzes, and more, audiences got their first impressions of the season 24 cast. Resident dancing queens Maddie, Megan, and Chelsea discuss the best, the meh, and the cringeworthy from week one of the competition.

THE BEST: Which performances did you enjoy most?

Maddie: I’d have to say that Normani and Val really impressed me. I was not expecting that level of dance ability from her. She and Val have a really fun dynamic. The quickstep is not easy, especially is sheer lace. Normally, big twirly dresses can mask some of the footwork. Unsurprisingly, the musicality in her movements was superb. I look forward to seeing her grow.

Simone and Sasha were a delight, but I look forward to seeing her grow and really get into the character of the different dances. Then again, that's why I don't like that the show gave them tango for the first week. I miss the earlier seasons where the show had a strict schedule for when each dance style happened.

I can already tell that Heather and Maks’ pre-packages are going to be hilarious. Although I do side-eye that Heather tried to cite being a mom as a reason her edge over other contestants isn't as vast as it is. That argument makes about as much sense as a Bruno Tonioli metaphor. Their waltz was lovely. Personally, I would like to see more emoting in her facial expressions while dancing. It's something that's bugged me since Glee. I'm just hoping this is the year that Maks finally gets his choreography Emmy nomination.

Rashad was the biggest surprise. First, he is charming beyond measure. He and Emma are going to be so much fun. I'm glad they finally gave Emma a partner with some natural dance ability. He still needs a bit of polish, but I can tell by week four we will have some truly amazing routines from these two. If there's any hope of a guy in the finale, it's him.

Megan: I loved Erika Jayne’s because I’m such a fan of hers. I LOVED hearing “Go, Cubs, Go” on a ballroom dancing show. Rashad Jennings was such a huge surprise for me, just as Normani was since I’ve seen Fifth Harmony live and the choreography was less than ideal. Heather Morris was beautiful (was she going to be anything else?), and I just had the most fun watching Charo because she has more energy than I do and I’m 27.

Chelsea: We all know I am here for my Olympians, and I had no doubt Simone would CRUSH it. She and Sasha work so well together (and their Snapchats at rehearsals are adorable). Much like Laurie during last season’s premiere, they saved her for last to close out the night on a high note. The question is, can she keep it up and have her fans rally to vote? My other Olympian, Nancy was also great, though so much more subtle in her performance. I look forward to seeing her grow and h,ave fun on the show. She’s just so elegant to watch.

Behind Simone, Heather was my favorite dance to watch and it’s already clear that the judges are going to be TOUGH on scoring her. Sometimes I just need to watch a really well-performed routine and the girl always delivers.

I don’t know where Rashad came from but from moment one, I knew I had underestimated him. What a beautiful surprise we have here, and how great is it that Emma and Sasha had the top two dances this week? Girl needed a good partner and finally got it.

THE MEH BUT ENTERTAINING: Which performances did you still find entertaining and were charmed by even if the level of dancing was not there?

Maddie: Like Megan said, Charo’s energy is more than I have ever had in my life. She is infectiously fun. I don't really see her doing well with the more low-key ballroom styles, but she sure is fun to watch.

I am obsessed with Erika now. I'm not sure if her dancing will ever match how awesome her pre-packages will be, but she may surprise us. Nancy Kerrigan was perfectly lovely, but I am not wowed as of yet. However, I do need to take a second to express how Artem riding in shirtless on a Zamboni may just be my favorite pro-intro ever.

Weirdly enough, I was thoroughly charmed by Nick. He was more likable in this than any episode of the Bachelor franchise he's ever been in. He and Peta’s partnership strangely works well. Bless his heart, the boy is trying. It was actually kind of endearing.

Megan: Chris Kattan. I think it mostly has to do with the fact that I just enjoyed his characters so much and they played off of that because the moves weren’t as great as they could have been. But I absolutely love Witney, I have since she was on So You Think You Can Dance, and I think her and the whole thing just was so entertaining despite the lack of technicality. The same goes for Mr. T. He was off toward the end, but if he sticks around, he’s going to bring me to tears. I just know it.

Chelsea: Maddie, don’t let Nick fool you. He’s done this A LOT and he looked so fake trying to be fun and free-spirited. He has the confidence but not the execution. I found Chris Kattan to be so much more fun even though he was a terrible dancer. Younger me watched that Roxbury movie every single day and I have such fond memories of him on Saturday Night Live. I want to see him improve and I don’t think the judging was super fair on that one.

Charo and Erika Jayne were a lot of fun to watch and I love their positive energy. This kind of glitzy and slightly ridiculous show is right up their alley and they know how to work the crowd. I cannot wait to see more of them this season.

THE CRINGEWORTY: Which performances did you least enjoy? Consequently, who do you think is going home first?

Maddie: Saying this right now: I do not like the cowboy. The show is trying to get us to think he's a heartthrob, and that there'll be some kind of showmance with Sharna but I am not impressed. He acted smug and full of himself, and that stilted cha cha did not back his claims up. Boy, bye.

The Cubs player and Mr. T were really likeable but the actual routines were kind of painful. I need Mr. T to stay at least to Disney Night. He's amazing.

I'm thinking Chris is going to go. He's the type of funny that when the joke doesn't land, it's kind of awkwardly uncomfortable... which is also a good descriptor for his dancing. He's also not a big enough name to make up for his scores. I have no clue who his voting base would be.

Megan: I don’t want to say this, but I feel like Chris Kattan is going to be one of the first to go. He got a super low score and just wasn’t totally focused on the dancing. Other than that, I seem to not really have a firm grasp. Sure, there were others that didn’t do as well, but I feel like we want to see them stick around and continue on. Nancy Kerrigan was a bit of a forgotten number for me, so that could play in as well.

Other than that, I didn’t really feel like anyone was horrible to watch. I love the first week because generally everyone is on the same level playing field with their experience. Everyone makes mistakes and fumbles and that’s totally okay. I’ll be eager to see who goes home next week.

Chelsea: I agree with Megan in that it was a really good first week. It PAINS me to predict Chris leaving but I have to be realistic. I want him and his brand of awkward humor to stay forever but I don’t see it happening.

I don’t like the cowboy and it kills me Sharna is partnered with him. Can we just bring James back for her? They were so much better together and she is due for a win! I think she would’ve been better off with someone like Nick so Peta could have more of a maternity leave (you cannot convince me she just had a child and is dancing like that and looking that great #superwoman). I think Nick will be the Ryan Lochte producer pick this season and stick around long enough to appease the other Monday reality show producers. Nick has been consistent for ABC and they have a lot invested in him.

I don’t remember Mr. T dancing and that’s not a good sign for him. Hopefully he leaves more of an impression next week.

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